"Is he sleeping?" The paramedic queried. Pushing the gurney into the back of the cab before pulling the doors closed behind. Edging across to the far side, he quickly retrieved his controlled drugs case and took from it, two small glass ampoules. Snapping the tops from both, he tilted and measured out a small shot of opioid reversal then a small dose of adrenaline into two separate syringes before attaching needle tips.

"No, it's something else, reckon it's drugs based. Pupillary response alone tells us he's high," Removing the penlight from Jay's blown wide pupils he swept his eyes over the exposed skin of his patient. "Look at all these puncture marks..."

"It would make sense. Drugs you sure?" He came to sit next to his colleague, passing him both filled syringes in a sterile blue tray. "If it's drugs based, he needs naloxone then epinephrine to wake him. I've countersigned and measured enough to give him a boost and snap him out of whatever it is he's fighting."

"Thanks," he said, accepting both. "This whole place gives me the creeps. You know, he's what, the fourth this month to be found like this?"

"The first actually, the others were dead." The paramedic driver corrected, a grim expression on his face. "I'm gonna radio this in. Roads were clear in getting here, shouldn't take too long on getting to the hospital." Taking his time to squeeze past the working paramedic, he clambered into the driving seat. "I don't know why these kids keep coming here."

"I do, I've heard rumours." He said, rolling Jay onto his side. The man wasn't really wearing all that much, to begin with and most of his flesh was easily accessible. Effortlessly, he held him on his side and readied the pale thigh skin with an alcohol wipe. "The person who did this knew what they were doing. There are no signs of skin trauma anywhere. Ya know, the kind of trauma you see with users, there's no bruising. The one in his neck, synonymous with a central line placement. Only doctors and consultants give those, not kids off the street."

"Look, just do what you think is right, I've countersigned for both meds, besides, they'll do him no harm even if he hasn't OD'd." The paramedic reasoned, starting up the truck. "Dispatch, we're bringing in a Caucasian male, Jason Walker, approx age 21 largely unresponsive, possible D.O. You get that?"

"Resus status?" The radio crackled back.

"Breathing but critical. He's showing some signs of improvement but he's unresponsive. Over," The paramedic looked in the rearview mirror, his colleague was working tirelessly trying to find a good vein that hadn't already been punctured. He found one after the tourniquet was applied and attached a cannula. Releasing the naloxone into Jay's thigh and the epinephrine into Jay's buttock. He turned him onto his back and checked his vitals once more. "He's gonna hate us after this. His backside's gonna be sore for days."

"It'll wear off, it's a bit like a tetanus shot." The paramedic up front, just smiled. It was all part of their job. Besides, they had seen much worse too, more humorous as well. His hand remained on the emergency line. Crackles distorting the message coming through. "His family will be following. All relevant medical details will be given when they arrive. Over?"

"ETA, emergency admission?" Radio dispatch crackled.

"Emergency admission, blue and two's, we'll be getting there in fifteen minutes, maybe sooner. Over."

"Will he need blood crossmatching?"

"Negative, no open wounds to speak off, BP's holding fine, fluid isn't an issue."

A tap on the window. He wound it down and was met with the concerned eyes of a black-haired young man. Someone who was demanding answers. "Sir, we're going to Santa Carla Trauma centre. It's the closest."

"Will he be okay?" Cole asked, standing back to avoid his feet being crushed by the vehicle as it moved steadily off the mud track. He could see the other paramedic strapping Jay onto the gurney so that the journey there wouldn't be liable to send him falling onto the floor, rolling around like a corpse from a living dead movie.

He could've been cast as an extra, he had been a complete monster a little over an hour ago. Jay was a novice killing machine with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth who had been ready to devour and rip out the throats once the bloodlust took hold.

Now though, he was still. A serene look of bliss set upon his face as the chemicals began to work.

"Yeah, I believe he will now. See you at the hospital okay, the sooner we get there the better he'll be." He pushed his foot down and floored it. Radio receiver in one hand. He finished his message to dispatch. "He's not bleeding, no life-threatening wounds. We've already done blood samples. Enroute now."

"Okay, we'll meet you there." He stood back and watched anxiously when the lights flashed, holding his ears as the sirens blazed. Biting his tongue again, he turned to face Lloyd. And rather than shout or lose it, he wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close and feeling the shakes for himself. "It's okay." Lloyd looked like he was about to burst into tears anyway and the much-needed embrace helped to console him somewhat. "It's alright, everything going to be fine. What's done is done. I just wished you'd told us, is all."

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling away slightly so as not to wet Cole's black t-shirt. "It was all last minute, the Frog Brothers told me to swear secrecy and all that, the procedure couldn't have taken place if they had all of us there."

"You could have told us, though. We would have understood and kept our distance." kai muttered, joining their side. "It might have meant we could have got him help quicker."

"Who wants to be the one who breaks this to Nya then?"

All faces looked to the floor. Kai stepped away from Lloyd's side after offering a sympathetic squeeze to his brother's shoulder. "I'll do it. I'll drive back to Donald's and you guys can go to the hospital from there on out."

"Good idea, it is settled. Kai will notify Nya and Misako being that Jay is in no immediate danger. His vital signs were improving, therefore, we can assist as needed in the hospital until he wakes up."


A few hours had passed in the blink of an eye. The rapid electrical sinus rhythm of a strong beating heart.

Amidst the other patients here, there was someone who was waking up, confused and wholly disorientated to time and place.

It was nothing like last time. This was clean, relaxed and there certainly wasn't any blood. At least, he couldn't see any blood on his four hands as he waved them in front of his spaced-out grinning visage.

He had woken in recovery, startled by the bright lights and the spectrally colourful faces looking down at him. "Wh-where am I?" He mumbled, glad that there wasn't any plastic contraption in his mouth. "St-stay still," he ordered. His head was swimming, swaying as the faces in front of him seemed to be floating.

"The hospital." The Doctor replied, helpfully, as if it were fairly obvious.

Removing his sterile gloves after covering the puncture marks on the exposed arteries. He approached the side of the bed, calmly composed at having his patient awake and somewhat alert. "You're having a reaction to the epinephrine. We're counteracting that with something a little weaker."

Jay frowned, unsure as to when that had happened. His fingers were rainbow coloured like he had an aura surrounding him. "Side effects, mmm?"

"Hallucinations and blurred vision. You should be fine in a few hours. In the meantime, you'll be in MAU until your discharge home."

"MAU?" Jay slurred. "I get ta go home?"

"Yes and yes." The doctor handed over the patient details to the next consultant and stood forward. Clicking the brakes off the bed so it could be wheeled from ER to the elevators. "Medical Assessment unit, for less acute cases, short stay to you."

Jay nodded, happy with that. He groped around for his bed controller but ended up seeing four of those too.

"Let me help you with that." The nurse intoned, raising it so he could catch a glimpse of where he was going. Never once did he notice his entourage behind him. Each desperately wanting to check in, but scared if they did it might overwhelm.

"How are you?" His new consultant inquired. "Feeling any better?"

"A little." He shifted, moving his head to see a hospital bed being brought across to his side. And there he was, thinking that because he'd woken, he'd be allowed to leave.

"This is becoming a regular occurrence," The Doctor admonished. "Isn't it Mr Walker? Care to elaborate, how you seemed to be an inch from death only less than a week from your previous admission?"

Jay remained mute, his bright blue eyes looking to the side avoiding eye contact. He knew his consultant to be going over his most recent admission details and he cringed at that fact. It had seemed a different life almost because he wasn't that same person who had come in. He didn't feel the chills anymore, didn't pine for blood. Hadn't even thought about it, still wasn't.

"Dangerous hobbies?" He offered, weakly.

"Which would be?"

"Motocross." Begrudgingly, he shifted off the ER bed with assistance and straight into a warm hospital bed. The covers and blankets were pulled up to his chest and he was tucked in like a child.

Huffing in resignation, Jay pulled his arm away when the new nurse went to attach an iv bag to his cannula. He didn't want to see another one those things ever again. He could vaguely remember seeing a multitude of those iv bags hung up last night. Pumped full of Hartman's solution before being given what he had spotted as donated blood. He passed out before the procedure was completed. Could only assume that he had donated blood inside of him now.

Not to mention, he didn't really need another iv bag because he felt fine. Wasn't at all thirsty, maybe hungry for a cheeseburger and chilli fries.

"Motocross, so soon after your last hospital stay? Remind me next time to keep you in that little bit longer," He mocked, smiling.

Jay, although he knew the doctor was joking, the stern features of his face gave him no reassurance that the doctor would do just that, to prove a point. "Sorry, couldn't help it."

"Tell me then, what was it about motocross that got you into such a dangerous obsession with near-death experiences?" He asked, passing a jello pot and spoon.

Again he blushed. He took the offered jello and loaded some onto his spoon. Placing it into his mouth as he thought of an answer that didn't make him sound any more a lunatic. "Adrenaline?" He grinned, teeth tainted bright orange with the sheer amount of medicine soaked jello that he'd shoved into his mouth. His bright orange teeth now nearly matched his hair. But then, he wasn't very compliant taking his meds earlier so they were putting them into his food to counteract the adverse reaction.

He could remember everything. Even hearing Lloyd's voice soothing him. Telling him why he'd done it and then sickeningly apologising for it too.

"It was the adrenaline rush that made you do this?" The doctor chastised. "It was risky."

"Dunno." He shook his head looking out of the window. No matter what he said, he sounded like a loon. "I guess."

Jay edged out of bed, woozy and sick of the questions. He didn't want to stay in it any longer than he needed too. He felt too warm, or maybe it was the room. But then, the continuous prods and pokes at him for the past three hours hadn't helped either, that had just been plain annoying. He went to stand near the window. At least that was providing him with a cool breeze. Something to look at rather than the doctor admonishing him for the reckless behaviour that he had nothing, at all do with.

This hospital was the same as the one before. But rather than being in ITU and at the back of the hospital, he was in MAU's recovery suite. The short stay ward for patients who weren't critically ill.

There was no timescale in ITU. You stayed until you woke up and if you didn't then there you remained. Here, in the Medical assessment unit, most people would only stay for a few hours, a day or two at most.

"Do you think that if you have some visitors, you might be capable of more than one-word answers?"

"Sure." He nodded, rubbing the ache from his backside.

"If you're ready for that," He said, nearing Jay. A hand placed on his shoulder. "You don't have to?"

"Yeah." Jay replied, then mentally facepalmed at the one worded reply. "Yes, I'd like that." God, this was embarrassing, he felt like a school child again.

"In that case." He peered outside the door, and called quietly, motioning everyone over with his hand. "You can come in."

Cole had come over first. They didn't want to bombard him so soon after he'd woken up. "Is he okay? Better?"

"Take a look and see for yourself." The doctor motioned, allowing Cole to step foot into the room.