Teru Mikami has been pronounced dead. Soichiro Yagami is dead as well. Mello is unconscious, and Near is immobilized. That brings us to where we are now: outside Near and Mello's adjacent hospital rooms, waiting for the 'okay' to go in.

"Which of you are his parents?" An elderly nurse asks. Nobody seems to know what to say. Ryuuzaki answers.

"He has none." The nurse tilts her head.

"Which of you takes care of him, then?" Again, no one knows what to say.

"All of us do, I suppose," Hikari replies. The nurse smiles and shakes her head.

"Then I suppose you all must go in." She turns around and opens the door to Near's room. His right leg is elevated, and his eyes are closed. I move to his bedside and take his hand. His eyes open.

"Hey, Near," I whisper. "How're you feeling?"

"Mn…" is the only answer I receive. The nurse smiles.

"He's on lots of pain medications right now. You may find it difficult to talk to him," she says. Matt smiles.

"He never really says much anyway."

"N…Neko? Mel? C…could you tell me when Mello will…get better?" Near breathes, hardly audible. Mel and Neko smile.

"He'll get better…soon enough."

"B…but when…is that?" It seems that Near has to breathe between words, they've got him so drugged.

"Don't worry, Near," Mel whispers.

"He'll wake up soon," Neko concludes.

And so the waiting begins. The loss of Soichiro has impacted all of us, especially Hikari. Soichiro died a hero—a suitable death for a policeman as well as a father.

NINE DAYS GO BY, AND MELLO IS ON THE VERGE OF AWAKENING.

~*~

Matt, Ryuuzaki, and I are stationed around Mello's room. Hikari, Mel, and Neko are with Near, and Matsuda and Aizawa have gone back to their families. According to the nurses, Mello should be able to check out of the hospital not long after he awakens, which should be soon. Ryuuzaki is in his toad-position in the reclining chair at the foot of the bed, and Matt and I are seated on the so-called sofa next to the window. All of us are watching Mello, checking for signs of life. After a moment, Mello inhales sharply and gradually opens his eyes.

"Mn…Near? Near-OW!" His voice is cut short by Matt, smacking him over the head. "What the hell? Why…wha…no! Where the hell are we?!" Mello is suddenly frantic as he takes in his surroundings. Ryuuzaki had warned me that Mello hated hospitals.

"Calm down, Mello. You have been here for ten days now, unconscious. Now, stop making all that noise. Near is next asleep next door; you'll wake him!" Mello falls silent when Ryuuzaki mentions Near.

"What happened to Near? Is he okay?"

"Near is fine. His leg is damaged, and he'll have a limp for a long while, but he will heal." Mello slumps back in his bed and sighs.

"When do we get to leave?" he inquires.

"It shouldn't be too long," I reply. "Most likely as soon as you can walk."

"What do you mean?! I didn't hurt my leg too, did I-?!"

"No, no! You've just been out for ten days. Naturally, you'll have to get back into the swing of things," Matt says. Mello frowns.

"Lemme try it."

"Be careful," Ryuuzaki commands. Mello swings his legs over the side of the bed and stands. Carefully placing one foot in front of the other, he takes a successful three steps before wobbling. Matt is at his side, and supports him to the door. I follow, taking holds of Mello's other hand and commenting on his attire.

"That lovely pale blue really compliments your eyes, Mellowette," I tease. Mello is still one of the people I can't help but make fun of. He frowns.

"I want to see Near." I smile.

"This way, then." Matt opens the door to Near's room while I guide Mello along the wall. Near is awake, playing with a plastic robot. When he sees Mello, he drops the toy. He reaches out his hand, and Mello grabs it and presses it to his face. I move over to where Mel and Neko are standing, smiling.

"The lovers are re-united, how cute!" Matt coos from his post at the door. Mello turns and glares at him.

"Just because you have no sex life doesn't mean you should try to mess mine up."

"What was that?!"

"You heard me!!"

I roll my eyes and smile. Things are most definitely going to be back to normal soon.

"Boys," Hikari says quietly. "Stop playing so loudly. You'll wake the other patients." Matt pulls out his puppy eyes.

"But Hikari, I am honestly offended by this cruel person's rude comments," he pouts. I grin.

"You're such a liar."

…Yes, things will be back to normal very soon.