DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING

I'm back! Sorry for the wait! The title of this chapter is temporary, I couldn't think of anything XD

I had a lot of fun making this chapter, me and a friend were purposefully plotting ways to make things go wrong for poor little Oz! :) Hope you guys enjoy! I had to keep stopping while I was writing, trying to get myself through some of these scenes. The different emotions were just making it awkward to continue, trying to word it correctly. I'm sorry if the wording is shit.

WARNING: Squeamish people be advised. Mentioning of several medical instances involving needles.

(Also, some thing so those of us that don't know…

Catheter bags are disconnected a few inches from the urethral opening.

The tubing connected to a cath bag connects to another length of tubing that stays inside the bladder unless it needs to be replaced.

A push iv is an iv you put a syringe into to use.

The same syringe cannot be used for two purposes.

Your designated nurse is not the only nurse that will check on you, sometimes they are busy.

Hospitals allow family members to help nurses with anxiety patients.)

.o.O.o.

After seeing Oz panic when he vomited, Gil had thought he'd seen the worst of the boy's panic (not including phobias, those are an entirely different matter.) He was proved horribly wrong, though, and by something he wouldn't have expected him to worry all that much about.

It was slowly becoming dark outside, giving a glimpse of the coming night. Oz's designated nurse was doing rounds, checking all the patients under his care. When he entered Oz's room he was carrying an empty catheter bag. He set it down on the bed and moved to disconnect the bag already attached to Oz's catheter.

The hospital personnel were aware that Oz was an anxiety patient when he came in, and made precautions in case they had to work around it. One of these precautions had been to assign him a same sex nurse and doctor. However, their actions unknowingly did more harm than good, since after being raped and abused by a man he was less likely to trust a male stranger.

Whether this made an impact on the boy's initial panic, Gil would never know. Oz flinched away from the nurse's hand every time he attempted to grab the tubing. Gil tried to calm him down a bit, though his presence didn't do much because of the sheer amount of anxiety he was in. Oz didn't want the nurse working so close to his crotch. It was severely stressful for him to try and sit still and quite frankly near impossible.

After only a few seconds of attempting to get the boy to sit still long enough so he could switch the bags, the nurse turned to Gil. "Sir, would you like to help me?" He asked politely, knowing he wasn't going to get this done by himself.

Gil's eyes widened a bit; he didn't know he was allowed to help the nurses with anything. He looked to Oz for a moment, who seemed to calm slightly at the thought of someone he knew doing it instead. He nodded and stood next to the nurse, waiting for instructions.

The nurse handed him some plastic gloves to put on. "Just a precaution." He explained. He then began instructing Gil on how to switch the bags. When Gil found the connector and pulled the tubing out Oz hid his face in his pillow. He couldn't watch this; it was too embarrassing.

Since Gil wasn't an experienced nurse and didn't do things like this on a daily basis, he had to move the blanket a bit so he could see what he was doing. Oz hesitantly moved away, though he was a lot more cooperative than he had been with the nurse.

While Gil connected the new bag, he attempted to not look directly at Oz, knowing it unnerved the boy for anyone to see him naked. Despite this, he couldn't help but notice a large bruise covering most of his groin. He frowned, not wanting to know what had caused it but curious at the same time.

It was quickly over, and the nurse left to finish doing his rounds. Gil threw away the gloves and sat down next to Oz, who was still partially hiding behind the pillow. He thought it was slightly amusing and cute, but it was also an understandable reaction. It wasn't every day that he was in a hospital with all these seemingly scary things attached to and inside of him, and then have a stranger reach underneath his blanket and handle him so personally.

That situation in general was a really bad thing for Oz specifically, but it couldn't be helped. It was near impossible to get through a hospital stay without one of the staff seeing a patient naked. They obviously didn't care; it was normal to them, but it was still awkward for everyone else.

Oz finally stopped hiding behind the pillow, but he still held it tightly in his arms and rested his chin on it. Whenever his eyes connected with Gil's he looked away and blushed, completely embarrassed about what had happened a few minutes ago.

Gil said nothing, figuring it wouldn't do any good. Instead, he ignored the child's discomfort and acted like everything was fine. It was a good way to show Oz through example that there was nothing to get worked up about. He hoped that in this way he could teach the blond to not fear certain circumstances. While he could maybe get Oz to be less afraid of letting someone change the catheter for him, he was well aware they'd probably have to start his exposure training all. over. again.

That was going to be a lot of work and patience. Sometimes he had to remind himself that he needed to just be patient with Oz. He could never bring himself to be upset by anything the boy did out of fear, but he easily grew frustrated if he didn't see any change with his actions. That being said, redoing everything again with his shyness and anxiety was going to be a challenge.

Oz slowly relaxed over time, reacting to Gil's calm demeanor. They didn't do much as they were both exhausted but they did sit quietly, just being with each other. Sometimes just being was more than enough, and that was definitely the case with Oz. Just being another human close by to the boy gave him comfort. It was all he needed most of the time, someone to just be there with him. He didn't have to be occupied like most teenagers his age; he only needed a companion.

It was a simple and easy thing to fulfill. There were no strings attached as the boy would never attempt to stop someone from coming and going as they pleased. Gil couldn't see how anyone could easily leave him alone though, especially in such a weak state. He himself had managed to work out a deal with his boss so he could have a week to take care of Oz. Even when he went back to work he was either going to bring the boy with him or bring him to Reim's. He had learned from his mistakes, and he wasn't going to ever leave Oz alone again if he could help it.

Oz never asked for Gil to stay when he wanted him to or mentioned something he wanted or needed. He didn't have to because Gil understood the subtle things he did that indicated the requests; a slight droop in his eyes, a sideways glance at an object, a downwards gaze not noticeable to anyone but himself. They were like a secret language that only Oz and Gil understood.

Gil always worried for Oz because of this. He was always worried about what would happen if he wasn't around and the boy couldn't bring himself to vocalize what he needed. He had already had plenty of examples of Oz's reluctance to admit to anyone anything implying humanity. Now that he thought about it, Gil had never heard the boy say he was hungry, thirsty, tired, hot, cold, bored, lonely, or needed to go to the bathroom; things most people said on a daily basis. They would have to work on that when Oz was discharged.

He only had a day or two before the doctor was going to allow him to go home. It wasn't a very long time to wait, but Oz couldn't wait for it to be over. He hated being confined to a bed, having needles impaling him, and having a catheter in place despite his protests. While he wasn't as afraid of the tubes anymore, their presence still unnerved him. Especially when he had to be reminded of their existence whenever a nurse checked them.

Oz couldn't wait to go home, but he was too tired to care all that much at the moment. He fell asleep with the pillow still clutched to his chest, causing Gil to smile. Gil wasn't too far behind Oz, though, and soon followed him to the dream world.

.o.O.o.

Gil woke up in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason at all. He lifted his head from where it rested in his arms on the side of Oz's bed, looking around the room. There wasn't a nurse anywhere, and an alarm hadn't gone off on any of the machines. Oz still seemed fairly relaxed as he slept as well so he assumed he hadn't woken him up.

He was relieved for the fact that Oz was still asleep; the boy had been waking up frequently in a haze of panic. Oz said he was having nightmares of his father, each one recounting a different experience from his past. Every time he woke up screaming he startled Gil awake and a nurse or two would peek in to make sure he was alright. It was hard for Gil to calm him down, to bring him back to reality when his mind was so far gone.

Because of these nightmares, or at least the crippling anxiety they brought on, Oz's doctor was convinced he was suffering from PTSD; post traumatic stress disorder. Essentially, after the trauma of being abused and raped for nine years, he couldn't deal with any situation resembling a past event he linked with fear. That being said, it was hard for him to do anything by himself, even sleep.

The man laid his head back down, breathing a relaxed sigh. He didn't try to sleep right away, enjoying the calm atmosphere of the night. The only sound in the room was the low, constant beeping on the heart monitor. Most of the lights were off as well, with the exception of a light next to the equipment. Night was the most peaceful time to Gil, there was next to no activity and it was quiet and dark.

Gil heard a faint click straying from the rhythm of the heart monitor and looked up to see where it had come from. The door was already open, so it couldn't have been that and Oz was the only patient in the room. He glanced at Oz again, seeing that he was now awake. Instead of the calm, relaxed expression he wore while he was asleep his brow was now slightly furrowed in discomfort.

Gilbert sat up and moved Oz's hair out of his face. "Is everything okay?" He inferred everything was not in fact okay, realizing the click as the nurse button being pressed. At first he thought maybe Oz's stomach was hurting, but when he asked the boy shook his head. He said he wasn't nauseous either. Nightmare? No, he wouldn't have pressed the button then.

The man was completely lost; he couldn't think of a reason why Oz would be uncomfortable, and the boy refused to say why. The two locked eyes, Oz's trying to form an explanation and Gil's attempting to decode it. Oz shifted uncomfortably, a frown ghosting over his face. Gil mirrored the expression, feeling like he was missing something.

Oz's gaze traveled down to the catheter bag, then back to Gil. Confused, Gil stood and checked it. It had been about 4 hours since the last time it was changed, but something about it was off. There was substantially less liquid inside of it than you'd expect over 4 hours, regardless if Oz was asleep or not. Gil looked to see if the tubing had disconnected, but it hadn't.

After realizing that something was wrong with the catheter, Gil's next thought was how Oz had known there was something wrong. He'd been sleeping a few moments ago, and even if he had been awake what would have tipped him off? If he had just known, Oz would've woken Gil up, not called the nurse.

Gil sat back down, wondering what exactly he was supposed to tell the nurse when they arrived. He knew he wouldn't be taken seriously if he just said 'I think there's something wrong with the catheter.' He looked at Oz, seeing the boy's eyes soften a bit now that he partially understood what was wrong.

"Do you need to pee?" Gil guessed, figuring that, if he said he wasn't in pain, it was the only other way he would be uncomfortable enough to summon a nurse. He was certain Oz had grown to distrust nurses in general, seeing as how he didn't like anything they did.

Oz's face flushed in embarrassment and he nodded. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad?" Gil asked, knowing he had to coax the answer out of him. Because this was still considered a taboo subject to the blonde, he wasn't going to share that kind of information without being prompted.

Oz took a moment to think before he answered. "Eight or nine." He admitted, a little afraid Gil would be upset with him. He had no logical reason for feeling that way and he knew it was a stupid fear, yet he was still afraid. Unable to look his friend in the eyes anymore he chose to stare at his lap instead, toying with the fabric of his blanket nervously.

Gil frowned. He was surprised how calm Oz was being if the number he gave was accurate. Any other person would have began whining awhile ago and definitely would have brought it up when they first had to pee, considering the fact that he had in a catheter. It truly amazed him how well the child could hide his pain and discomfort. It was a skill that took most people decades to learn to do effectively and he had learned it in less than one.

Soon a female nurse entered the room. As soon as Gil saw her he gave her a polite nod of recognition before he spoke. "He says he needs to use the bathroom, but he has a catheter in place. I think there may be something wrong with it." Gil explained, purposefully using the word bathroom, knowing Oz appreciated the use of a more generalized term.

The nurse immediately began checking the catheter, making sure there were no kinks or tears in the tubing. "That's definitely odd." She stated, lifting the blanket just enough to see the rest of the device, looking for anything that would cause it to work incorrectly. "It must have gotten blocked." The nurse said as she straightened. "We'll have to replace it."

Oz's immediate reaction was to worry. His heart began to race and his breathing quickened as he started to freak out. There was no way in hell he was going to let her stick something else inside him. No fucking way.

She left the room to get what she needed, leaving Oz and Gil alone. Gil gently ruffled Oz's hair, and knowing that the boy was already beginning to stress over having to get the catheter replaced said, "You're okay." He let his hand come to rest on the boy's chest, offering a light and warm pressure for him to focus on. Oz held Gil's hand in his, worriedly playing with the man's fingers.

Gil's hand rose and fell sporadically as Oz's breathing began to hitch. The man could tell he was battling anxious tears and seemed to lose when a single tear tracked down his face. He knew Oz was obsessing over what the nurse was going to do to him; and he knew he was only succeeding in freaking himself out more.

Gil murmured periodic words of consolement to the blond, hoping to stop him from becoming hysterical. Unlike Oz, he trusted the hospital personnel, but he couldn't see how the nurse was going to manage to switch out the catheter while Oz was awake. He was definitely not going to sit still enough for that.

The nurse returned with a new catheter set, a bottle of medicine, and a syringe. She set them all down on the bed next to Oz. "Before I do this I'm going to give you something to relax you okay?" She said, having noticed the note above the bed indicating he was an anxiety patient. She filled the syringe with some of the medicine and gently grabbed the boy's push iv.

Oz went to look at the needle in the nurse's hand but Gil covered his eyes before he could. If he couldn't see the sharp object then he wouldn't be as scared. Oz held Gilbert's wrist, his grip tight. The nurse injected the medicine and put away the syringe before unpacking the catheter set. Oz's grip relaxed almost instantaneously on his guardian's wrist, his quick and ragged breathing and his racing heart quieted as well. He felt a lot calmer seconds after the injection, though a tiny fragment of his anxiety remained.

The nurse unpacked the catheter set and made sure Oz was feeling calm before she started. As soon as he felt her touch him Oz turned his head towards Gil, looking away from her even though Gil's hand was still covering his eyes. "Don't look, okay?" Oz asked in a small voice.

Gil replied, "Of course", knowing the words were meant for him. He angled his chair so he could only see Oz's face, carefully watching the teen's expression. Despite being sedated, a light frown remained on his face and he squeezed Gil's wrist whenever he started to worry. Gil could feel the boy's face heating up in embarrassment as well.

Oz gently bit on his finger, impatiently waiting for the whole thing to be over. His stomach was beginning to hurt again because he needed to pee so bad. He mentioned this to Gil, not saying why he was in pain. The man murmured, "I know." He knew why the boy's stomach hurt, even if he didn't want him to. "It'll feel better in a minute." He promised, gently petting Oz's hair.

The nurse finished switching the catheters and hung the bag, gathering the trash and throwing it away as she left. Gil uncovered Oz's eyes and watched them close half way, an effect from the sedation. Just as Gil promised, the pain in Oz's stomach subsided.

Normally, Oz would have been awake for at least another hour, too highly strung to relax. Because he was sedated, though, he fell asleep within minutes. His hand still held onto Gil's, making the man smile.

Gilbert leaned over the boy and gently kissed his forehead. "Goodnight."

Omg, finally done! This took so longgggggggggggg…..

I kept changing my mind, I was gonna have him be allergic to the sedation and go into cardiac arrest. After some research, this has like a 10% survival rate and then you die like 5 years later. Not my little Oz, not happening.

I hope I did okay this chapter, I was having trouble describing Oz's thoughts at some points. Like, I've never been sedated, so I don't know how he's going to be feeling to a dot.

Anyways, until next time!