Author's Notes: Hey, guys. So I managed to get this chapter done because I had an impromptu day off because my boss is a sexist douchebag. Ahem. Anyway! I'm sorry for the last chapter. Hopefully this one makes up for it a little bit. :) More author's notes at the end of the chapter because I need some input on an upcoming plot. But for now, enjoy!

"It wasn't a good idea. You know that, right?"

David stood in the doorway of his dark room, a bit disoriented. How had he gotten there? When had it become night? Matt was sitting on the edge of his bed - a silhouette in the moonlight that leaked through the open window.

David took a step closer. "What part wasn't a good idea? Because I'm pretty sure all of it wasn't..."

Matt looked up at David, sad. "I'm gonna lose you, aren't I?"

"I think everyone is." David slowly walked toward the bed, settling beside his brother.

"But it's different with us. You're like, one half of my soul. How can we live without the other piece? Something'll always be missing."

"You'll be fine, Matt." David looked up at the ceiling, laying back on the mattress.
"You're better than me. You'll be better off without me. Maybe you can make up with Mom..."

Matt snorted. "That'll never happen. She hates me, remember? You're the favorite. Now she'll just resent me even more."

"She'll have to own up to her mistakes and whatever issues she has with you. She lost one son already, so it's a good time to not lose the other..."

There was a knock on the door, and David and Matt glanced over to see Kalel there, holding a sleeping baby in her arms as she rocked it back and forth. She seemed to be on the fence about whether she should disturb them or not.

"Sorry if this is a bad time. I just thought you should meet your nephew. You know. Before you go away for good..."

"Nephew? You don't have to call it that. I mean, we're not related. Not really."

"You're the most like family to me, David." Kalel shook her head, making her way toward him. "That's why I named my little boy after you. Maybe he'll grow up to be just as good as his namesake." She studied him with sorrow in her eyes before averting her gaze. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"It's not, Kalel. Everything is my fault. I brought this upon myself and dragged everyone else's life down with me."

"Can I hold the baby?" Matt asked, reaching his arms out for the child.

Kalel nodded, handing the boy over to Matt, and Matt took him delicately. David was almost surprised by how tender and gentle Matt could be when it came down to it.

"It still feels like I was the catalyst that made it happen. You'd still be with Ian if it wasn't for me. And maybe, just maybe Ian could've saved you." Kalel reached out and brushed her fingers through David's hair.

"Ian can't even save himself, sweetheart." Wes was the next to emerge, and Kalel rolled her eyes upon seeing him. He winked at her before looking back at David. "I mean, where the fuck was he today? If he'd been there with you, maybe if he brought you to school instead of me doing his job for him, you wouldn't be in this predicament. Ian's best at destroying lives. Especially his own."

"Don't blame Ian. And don't blame anyone else other than me, guys!" David had an outburst of frustration. No sooner had the words escaped him did baby David start to cry. Matt shushed and rocked him while Kalel went over to attend to both of them. David sighed. "See. Even the kid agrees."

"Don't say that. You're great with kids..." Mari appeared in the doorway, wearing a sexy and revealing nightgown. She sauntered toward David with the grace of a dancer, bending over in his face, her arms squeezing her cleavage together. David couldn't help but look as Mari asked in a sultry tone. "What're we going to name ours?"

Matt cleared his throat. "Hello. Our kid. I'm the brother you're actually with, remember?"

"Oh. Right!" Mari giggled, going over to Matt's side. "But I'm still a part of David's deepest and darkest fantasies. Why would I be here, otherwise? Why would I be wearing what I'm wearing? He must desire me over Ian since Ian has yet to show his face."

"David doesn't need a fantasy of Ian because he has the real thing." Kalel snapped.

"Hah! The real thing. What a joke." Wes took out a joint, wedging it between his lips and lighting up. "I'm a much better choice for you, David. Who was there when you had your meltdown? Who brought you to the hospital in the first place?"

All of a sudden, the baby stopped crying. David looked over to see Matt with his hand over the kid's mouth. Matt seemed blasé about it, handing the limp child back into Kalel's awaiting arms. "Well, that takes care of that. You weren't looking to keep him anyway."

"No, I guess not. Too much work. Anthony didn't want him. He doesn't want either of us..." Kalel shrugged carelessly, stroking the unmoving lips of the baby.

"I still want you." Wes assured her, causing her to roll her eyes and walk toward the opposite end of the room, rocking the dead child in her arms.

"I guess it's your turn now, huh?" Matt turned to David.

"Wait. I want to see Ian first. Almost everyone's here, so you'd think he'd show up, too."

"We're only your imagination. It's not like the real thing's gonna come walking through that door. This is your one final hallucination. You had a good trip, man. Now it's time to go to the light." Wes pointed out.

"We're here because your brain's got a lot of unresolved shit when it comes to us. And you're just gonna leave it that way..." Mari shook her head in disgust.

"But I have a fuck ton of unresolved shit with Ian. Why isn't he here?" David frowned, searching his room and scanning the dark corners for any sign of Ian.

"Face it, David. The only way you're gonna see Ian again is if you wake the fuck up. You can either give up here with the rest of your fuck ups, or you can wake up and face them for real." Matt suddenly wrestled David down on the bed, his hands clenching around David's throat and tightening to restrict the air. "It's your choice and you better choose fast because time is running out."

"I know I'm gonna be pretty pissed if you made me waste my time bringing you to the hospital only to die on me." Wes leaned against the wall and shrugged indifferently.

"You still need to figure out whether you're happy with me and Matt or if you want me and Joshua together." Mari glanced down at her nails. "Or maybe it's you who wants me. Aren't you curious to have just one fuck?"

Kalel frowned, looking at David pleadingly. "Please don't leave me. I'm an unstable mess without you. And don't you think we should both get the chance to meet my baby for real? I don't want to name it in your memory, I want to name it in your honor. But I'm an idiot who is about to make the worst mistake of her life. And if you're not around to stop it, David, then who will?"

"Time is ticking..." Matt reminded, squeezing David's throat tighter.

David struggled against him, tried to fight Matt off - but his grip was too strong. It seemed like a lost cause because the more he fought, the weaker he became. David felt as though his lungs were going to explode from lack of oxygen, and he choked something out - reaching up to try and wrench his brother's fingers free. David fought with everything, and in that moment he became dimly aware that he was afraid to die. He didn't want to die - not here, not like this.

Everything went dark, and David gasped for air - finding the hands were no longer around his neck. The world transitioned to a hospital room, the steady sound of the heart monitor providing background music to the unsettlingly white scene he woke up to. David went to move, only to find himself hindered. He looked down and saw he was restrained - a single belt tied around his waist to keep him buckled to the bed. Tubes were attached to him, connecting him to a series of various devices - and David pulled weakly, trying to free himself from his imprisonment. A sound other than the machinery prompted his attention, and David stopped fighting at once as soon as he saw the cause.

Ian was curled up in a chair by his bedside, wearing three layers of coats over his shoulders and a stolen blanket overtop. He was shivering, sweating, and shifting uncomfortably. But even for as crappy as he looked and how much he was suffering, he was there. He was the only one there. David let out a small choked sound which caused Ian to look up.

"David..." in spite of his suffering, Ian's face washed over with relief. He scooted forward, taking one of David's hands in his. His touch was like ice. "I didn't think you were going to wake up."

David studied him for a moment. "You came..."

"Of course. Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"I thought...I don't know. Maybe the heroin was more important. Or maybe you resented me. Ian..." David reached out for him, clutching on to his shirt for dear life. His heart monitor started to accelerate as he relived the moment. "I think I killed some people."

"You didn't."

"They were a mess. There was so much blood..."

"You didn't kill them. They're in bad shape a few rooms away, but they're still alive. You were defending yourself, anyway. You wouldn't get in trouble."

"How do you know?"

"Stop worrying..." Ian reassured, stroking his hand through David's hair; his shaking hand.

"You haven't used, have you...?" David observed.

"Not in 73 hours..." Ian continued to caress David until David laid his hand atop Ian's.

"73 hours? But you had just speedballed this morning, didn't you?"

Ian shook his head. "You've been out for a while, David. Everyone is taking turns watching over you."

"Even you?"

"Especially me."

"But you're going through so much suffering right now."

"The thought of losing you is worse than any detox. I might be shaking - hot one minute and cold the next, nauseous as all hell, and aching down to the core. But none of that matters now that I got to see you open your eyes again. Not now that I got to hear your voice again. You scared the shit out of me, David..." Ian shook his head. "You scared the shit out of all of us. Even Wes. I never saw him shaken until I met up with you both the morning he brought you in."

"Why? I haven't done anything good for any of you. Especially not you, Ian..."

"Shut the fuck up with that. Do you know where all of us would be without you in our lives? Joshua had no friends before you came along. Anthony absolutely hated me. Kalel would be knocked up and have no one to support her. And me...? This relapse would have happened way sooner than it did. You were a rush that reminded me why life was worth living sober. And I'm gonna get cleaned up again, David."

"Ian..." David's eyes filled with tears and he squeezed his hand as tightly as his strength would allow. "Please get your life on track. I want nothing more than to go back to the way things were."

"It's a promise." Ian reassured, kissing David brief but tenderly.

"I thought I heard you talking..." Wes's voice rose up from the doorway and he turned toward the hall. "Guys, he's awake."

David looked away from Ian toward the entrance, and only then did he notice the various bouquets of flowers, cards, balloons, and stuffed animals that all lined a table in his room. The amount of gifts was a bit overwhelming compared to the amount of people David considered friends in his life. He blinked in surprise and then saw Wes leading Joshua, Kalel, Anthony, Mari, Matt, and his mother into the room. Ian took a step away much to David's protest but Joshua was the first one to approach.

"The sight of this room drives my OCD crazy, but for once, my relief surpasses that." Joshua wrung his hands.

David looked Joshua over, seeing the bruises and marks from the fight with Jesse. And David was proud of him for them. It took a lot for Joshua to stand up in a fight. Granted, he had been attacking the wrong party, but it was the thought that counted, right?

"Josh...I've missed you so much."

"I would've missed you more if you had been successful." He shook his head, setting his hand on David's shoulder. "I'm glad you woke up."

"You're telling me!" Wes shook his head. "From the way he was unresponsive on the car ride over, I thought it was too late."

"Thank you for getting him here." Matt and Kalel said simultaneously.

"It's the least I could do. I've grown fond of little Lasercorn here." Wes smirked, ruffling David's already messed up hair.

"David..." Mari's eyes flooded with tears and she rushed forward, leaving Matt's side ungracefully and wrapping her arms around David. "I'm so glad you're okay."

David blinked, having a face full of cleavage but he cleared his throat and smiled. "Not so much okay. But I'm alive."

"Mari, you're probably suffocating him..." Matt pointed out, moving to her side.

"Oh!" Mari pulled back slightly, tucking her long, black hair behind her ears. "Sorry."

Matt smiled at her before looking over at David, his expression growing serious. "Never do anything stupid like that again. You hear me?"

David nodded, looking between him and their mother. The fact that the two of them were in the same room and hadn't gotten in a huge argument was definitely progress. But David imagined the overarching concern for him outweighed any disagreement they had. Before he could say anything, Anthony stepped into view, tucking his hands in his pockets uncomfortably while rocking back and forth on his legs.

"Good to see you awake, man."

"Good to see you here with all of us again." David responded, sparing a glance at Kalel. She stared at Anthony longingly, and David understood that expression all too well. It was exactly how he felt about Ian over their time apart. His attention returned to Anthony. "You know the one thing that would make me super happy? If you and Kalel would sit down and talk. I think you two would feel so much better if you did..."

Anthony sighed, looking over his shoulder at Kalel. She met his gaze, and he nodded. "We do need to talk..."

A hint of hope edged its way onto Kalel's features and she took a step closer. "We do."

David was glad. Maybe one good thing would come out of all of this. The whole school knew about his personal life, Ian was a mess, and David had unleashed some hulk-like rage which definitely put him in the avoid-at-all-costs unstable category. But if Kalel and Anthony could resolve things, then at least the long and awful series of events that led up to this moment would have one good conclusion.

David was exhausted. As much as he loved having his closest friends and family around, he wasn't ready to maintain conversation. And he definitely wasn't ready to talk about his problems - not in the hospital setting. Just because he woke up and managed to live didn't make him happy. Depression still ate at him, fear clawed at the back of his mind, and anxiety left its tension in his chest.

This circle of love was relatively small compared to the whole school - and eventually, David would have to leave the comfort of everyone, pretending to be okay and going back to reality. He would have to face Ian as he suffered through a horrible detox, Wes as he promised the world and dragged him down in the mud, Joshua as he ran on only a limited number of days with his medication, Kalel and Anthony with their pregnancy and decision over whether to keep the child or not, Mari and whatever weird thing that kept her as the only woman he was still very much attracted to, and Matt and his Mom with their conflict. Kenichi was also a problem David would be facing sooner rather than later. He really wasn't looking forward to that man trying to psychoanalyze him.

"Guys...I'm sorry. But I'm really tired." David closed his eyes, resting them a moment before he looked to his Mom. "Mom? Do I get to go home soon? I just wanna go home."

Claire stepped forward, clearing the rest of the group away, including Ian as she took his spot in the chair. With a long, suffering sigh, she took his hand gently. "No, sweetie. I'm sorry. The doctors need to keep you for extensive, medical treatment."

"What do they need to treat? That shouldn't take more than a couple days, right?"

She didn't answer. And the longer her silence stretched, the more realization dawned on David. His heart monitor started to beat faster.

"You're committing me, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, David. I think it's for your own good. The doctors here will help you. It shouldn't be longer than a few weeks. If you behave, you'll be home by Thanksgiving."

"No, this is bullshit, Mom! You can't do this! Tell her she can't do this!" David struggled, attempting to wrench the tubes free from his arms. He looked to the others for help, but none of them came to his defense. None except Matt, who stepped away from Mari and looked at their mother defiantly.

"That is bullshit. You don't have to take it, David!"

"Thank you! Someone fucking agrees." David gestured toward Matt and then looked at his Mom again. "I'll run away if you try to put me in there. I'll kill myself before you put me in there. I'm not crazy! Not as crazy as they are in that place! You can't do this. I'll get better at home. I swear I will. Please!"

"David..." Claire tried her best to remain calm, even though she looked on the verge of crumbling herself.

"You should go..." Ian spoke up, causing David to snap his attention to him in hurt surprise. "Look, you've gone through a really rough time and suicide's no joke. We don't want you to come home and try it again. We don't want you to come home and try it ever. You're too important to us. And it's only a couple weeks, right? You should feel lucky that your mother cares enough about you to try and help, David..."

"You call that caring?" Matt snorted.

David withered back against the pillows weakly. "But I'm scared..."

"We'll visit." Josh reassured before looking at Claire. "We can visit, right?"

She nodded.

"And we'll call you every night if we can't visit..." Kalel offered.

"It's not so bad..." Mari began, one hand resting on her opposite bicep as she stared at the floor distantly.

David looked at Mari in surprise, prompting her to continue wordlessly.

She shrugged. "I spent a couple months in one when I was younger for anorexia. It seems like hell at first. They strip away every freedom you never realized you had and force you to face your issues. But in the end, you come out better for it because you survived. I still struggle. Every plate I face, every bite I take is a small challenge and a large victory. But I guess my point is, you should go in voluntarily, David. You will be granted a lot more freedoms a lot more quickly if you show a willingness to heal."

Matt stared at Mari slack-jawed. "Are you really telling him it'll be good for him? This is like admitting defeat. He's not crazy! Am I the only one who sees this?" He walked toward David and looked around at each and every one in the room.

No one met his gaze. No one answered.

David frowned, looking down at his hands. It was nice to know that the only one who would champion for his sanity was his brother, and everyone else thought he belonged in the mental ward. But he didn't see much of a choice. Voluntary or involuntary - David was going to have to go. He shook his head at Matt to get him to stop. It was a lost cause.

"Un-fucking-believable!" Matt snapped, glaring at the group before storming out of the room.

Mari sighed, looking after him. "I didn't mean to..."

"No. It's fine. You're right, Mari. I should go voluntarily. It's better than the alternative. And thanks for sharing your story. I'm just...I'm really tired. Can I sleep now?"

There was a silent, uncomfortable shuffle toward the door by most of the group. Wes tried to put his arm around Kalel and she rebuffed him to move closer to Anthony. Joshua walked slowly, watching David with an expression of wanting to say or do something more, but Mari came up behind him, rubbing a comforting hand on his shoulder to urge him away. Only Ian and David's Mom stayed behind.

Clare attempted to reach out and smooth the hair away from David's brow, but he turned his head so she couldn't touch him. Her hand retracted and fell against her side. "David, I'm sorry. I just don't think I have the capacity to keep helping you at home. You need something more than what I can offer. I'm doing this out of love."

"Whatever..." he muttered. "Just leave me alone."

She sighed and didn't argue, taking a step back and heading out the door. Ian took her place, gazing down at David. "Don't think of it like imprisonment. Think of it like the time we need apart. And at the end of it, we can be together, David. I'll be better. We'll both be better."

David turned to Ian, taking his hand - his cold, clammy, trembling hand - and bringing it to his lips. "You can never get better. You can just learn to live and cope. Didn't you tell me that once?"

"And didn't you say we're better together than we are apart?"

"Touché."

"Look, David. I don't want to see you go through this. But if I had a choice, I would be right there with you. I wish my parents had cared enough about me to put me through rehab because doing this shit on your own is impossible. It might seem unfair. You might feel like you're being punished, but everything done is out of love for you. People love you, David. Everyone loves you. And if you don't believe me, just read some of those cards..."

"What about you? Do you love me?" David stared at Ian, hopeful and anxious.

Ian leaned down and kissed David with the same passion, desperation, and yearning all of their kisses once possessed. He pulled back with a playful wink - David missed all of the playfulness and fun they had - before a smirk creased the corner of his lips. "I said everyone, didn't I?"

David's heart swelled with a happiness he hadn't felt in so long. He was pretty sure the joy reached his face even if things did feel a bit numb up there. David watched as Ian left him alone, and he thought about the goal - the light at the end of the tunnel. All he had to do was survive the psych ward and he would have Ian again. It might have been the longest and most challenging dungeon he had to face, but the rewards for his valiant fight would be the best ones he could win in this game called life.

Additional Author's Notes: Okay! So now we get to go through to some psych ward fun which means introducing new characters. Are there any people you would like to see make a cameo in the psych ward? I can tell you that Rhett McLaughlin is going to be the main psychiatrist, Ivan from King of the Nerds is gonna be a patient, and Danielle (Tradechat) is also going to be a patient. Link, Flitz, and Joey Graceffa are going to be coming into the story at a later time, so they're excluded. But if you have any people you want to see and even ideas for some of their mental illnesses, let me know and I'll do my best! Thanks a bunch for reading. xoxo