Sorry I kept ya'll hanging on this long. Been busy; school, work, and chores suck. Be warned, my vowel keys are a little sticky, so if I'm missing one or two, sorry in advnce.

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Madeline woke up with the worse pain in her back. She was warm though, a smaller body curled up next to her. Slowly shifting Peter away, she sat up in the cramped hospital bed. Dallas hadn't kicked them out. Strange, any other nurse would have. She shrugged and slip carefully from the bed, catching the thick blanket before it fell. That wasn't there either, last night. Weird; all well. The others in the bed were still blissfully asleep, Peter having flipped to cuddle into Gilbert's side. She smiled and fixed the blanket over them. A quick trip down the hall to change, then she went to find a decent breakfast for when they woke up. The drive was quick; around the loop to a quieter part of the city, then into Dunkin' Doughnuts.

A maple glazed, chocolate sprinkle, éclair, two coffees and hot coco later, the three munched happily. "When did you take off to get these?" Peter asked mouth full of fluffy dough. "Don't talk with your mouth full; and before you two woke up." He nodded, satisfied. Gilbert sipped his coffee slowly, relishing in its warmth. The morning passed slowly, the three of them happy to be together again. Gilbert was quieter than normal though, which Madeline didn't fail to notice. Questions would have to wait though, as Ludwig had shown up, trailing the Italian twins, Spain, and France. America was nowhere to be found. France promised he'd be there later.

"Wow! That's so pretty! You painted that?" Peter asked Feliciano, staring at a picture on his phone. It was a simple pink flower, golden lines coming from it. Feli nodded, "I did." The two continued to flip through his phone, pointing out things he'd painted or Romano; even things Ludwig built. Peter was fascinated. He wished that he could do such awesome things! "Could you… could you teach me, Feli?" Peter asked in a small voice. He didn't want to be turned away like he had been with Arthur. To his credit, Feli gave bright smile, "Of course Peter! I'd love to teach you how to paint. You know, fratello is really good at painting too." He pointed to Romano.

"I know; I saw some on your phone. Though I'm not sure if he would teach me,"

"Oh, he's a better sculptor anyways. See, look at these," Feli scrolled through his photos, pulling up his favorite sculpting by his brother. It was a realistic looking stature of the twin brothers as little boys, with a man standing behind them. It was Grandpa Rome. A large wolf prowled their feet. Peter's breath caught, "Wow, it's amazing. He really did that?" Feli nodded. Romano heard the praise and secretly smiled. He knew which one he hd shown Peter as it was his favorite as well. That one was his proudest pieces. Feli and Peter continued to talk about painting and other forms of art. The boy looked sky high to have someone actually hold a conversation with him. Others had just written him off as an annoying little boy. He was growing, Romano noticed with mild shock. Ever since being taken in by Madeline, people from her country started to travel there. With the culture from Gilbert seeping in and soon from Feli and himself as well, the blond territory would soon be growing taller.

Antonio peeked over from his spot next to Gilbert. Sight of Romano smiling, even only slightly, made him light up before turning back to his friend. Gilbert was laughing about something the French man on the other side of the bed had said. It was good to see him smiling, despite his current situation. He was in rough shape. The bruises had started to fade from initial dark red-purple color to deep blues and blacks. Course, everyone had seen him worse, but to know that this came from a mere car crash was enough to freak them all out. Normally, he only ended up like this after having one too many drinks and far too many fights.

The green eyed man appreciated that he was alive though. He was almost human now from being dissolved so long; the crsh very well could have killed him. It was a sobering thought, but Antonio refused to show as such. He was the 'happiness' model after all. It wouldn't do for the others to see anything but his smile. It didn't matter much that just about everyone in the room had seen him at his worst.

"Yo, Antonio, what's got you spacing out so bad?" Gilbert asked him. Antonio shrugged, "Nothing important." The three folded easily into conversation again; laughing and talking crap like the best friends they are. Alfred had shown up at some point, toting Starbucks with him. Good times passed as they all nursed hot drinks. Madeline and Ludwig were really the only two having a serious conversation; they were discussing care options for Gilbert. They both agreed to let Gilbert stay in his own home, in the downstairs guest room. Madeline would be his primary care giver, but when she was busy for whatever reason Ludwig would take over until she came back. Eventually, friend visiting hours were over. With hugs and handshakes, Francis, Alfred, Antonio, and Romano left; happy with a day well spent. A few hours remained for family only, leaving Ludwig, Feli, Maddie, and Peter to stay with Gilbert.

These next hours were much more subdued. It was still happy and laughter filled, but not as rowdy or as crowded. Peter stayed crowded to Feli's side – his new found best friend. Feli certainly didn't mind. Madeline stayed by Gilbert, running hand through his hair. One big happy family. Sort of. Gilbert was still a little off, not talking as much. Ludwig was a little worried for him. It wasn't often that Gilbert was like this, nd when he was, it meant he thinking way too much. Soon, Ludwig and Feli took their farewell; not after convincing Madeline to let Peter stay over with them. Once the three were gone for the night, Madeline curled herself next to Gilbert on the bed, tucking her head under his chin.

"What's up with you today?" She asked quietly. Gilbert stayed quiet for so long, she thought that he wasn't going to answer. She felt a small wet drop hit her forehead and she looked up, shocked, "Gilbert?" He hd his eyes squeezed shut and was biting his lip. Madeline shifted and tucked his head to her shoulder as she rubbed his back soothingly. His good arm wrapped around her back, clutching her pink sweater.

Madeline said nothing, just held onto him, figuring that Gilbert would talk when he was ready. After a few minutes, his little hics stopped and he pulled away slightly. She fixed him with a steadying gaze, "Better?"

He nodded just barely, "Sort of. I was…was thinking."

"About?" She watched as he seemingly curled in on himself without actually moving, "Everything I could have lost…just by being stupid." The words stung, not her, but Gilbert. If he hadn't gotten angry, hadn't left for a drive, he wouldn't be here. Madeline for her part was quiet.

"My family, my friends…everything that matters to me I almost threw away. Gott, how could I?" Tears tracked down his face once more. Madeline took his hand and held it, "Gilbert…it's okay. You're here, you're alive. That is all we asked for. No one knew if you would wake up or not, we were all so worried." She leaned forward and kissed way a tear from his eye. "Please…do not blame yourself for this. We all know you would never throw away something you worked for." She paused nd bit her lip.

"I love you Gilbert." He looked up at her, shock filtering through his eyes, "Really?" She nodded, lip still caught between her teeth. Gilbert smiled.

"I love you too."