AN: Okay, this time, we'll see what Sakura and Li are both up to… in a sense. This is while Eli and Madison are being questioned FYI. Enjoy… I have nothing to really say ATM… oh well… see the bottom for comments… same drill…

Sakura didn't take much notice when Madison and Eli left, she knew that neither of them would be staying the night and so gave them a small wave and an even smaller smile. She watched as Li slept, the oxygen mask covering most of his face. His eyes twitched beneath the eyelids and his forehead was furrowed in worry and fear. There was serious bruising on his face, his left eye black for a start. There were dark rings under his eyes, the sign of bad health, and his cheeks were flushed. Sakura watched as he started to shiver a little and she pulled a light blanket over his body, trying to ignore the laboured breathing as it whistled in his chest.

"Oh Li, you've helped me so many times that I've lost count, and now look what's happened. When you needed me the most, I let you down! I should have waited for you before running home, I could have used the Rain card to stop the rain but I didn't think of that. I could have let you stay my house because Wei was away and you wouldn't have been lonely and if you'd caught a cold I could have made you soup last night… I'm so sorry Li, just please be okay, I need you by my side and I need to tell you something important… I've never really said thank you," Sakura sobbed as Li turned his head to the side and coughed violently. His eyes flickered open and Sakura clutched his limp, unbandaged hand in hers, perfect tears forming in her emerald eyes.

Li looked at her groggily, seeing only blurry shapes through the haze of the fever that raged through his body neck and neck with the pain that fought to over come him again. He was so weak and frightened; not that he'd normally let anyone see it. He needed to get out of here, there were strangers and everything was unfamiliar and smelled of cleaning fluid, where everything was white, right down to the shapeless curtains and window shutters. His instincts screamed for him to run and what more could he do but follow them. He was never sick, but when he was, nasty monsters had a bad habit of showing up, as it had happened when he was 4 and 5. Just then, as if on cue, a large and terrible head looked in through the door and another looked in from the window. They looked like the Clow card spirits but they were evil by nature and they were after him, with intent to kill written on their faces. They were always there when he was sick, that was why he must never become sick… ever! Luckily, it hardly happened at all… him being sick.

Sakura looked at Li, who was looking past her at the window; his fever glazed eyes seemingly terrified. As she watched, he struggled weakly, almost pulling the tube from his arm, whimpering and struggling, almost on the verge of tears, not at all reserved and controlled as he normally was.

'Oh no! He'll hurt himself if he keeps this up! He's delirious, hallucinating and he's scared, not a good thing… I know!' Sakura thought and rushed to close the door and lock it for a few minutes.

Pulling out her key, she called the staff out.

"Release!"

She threw a pink backed card into the air before her and aiming her staff at it calling."

"Sleep card, put Li to sleep for a few hours before he hurts himself, release and dispel!" She struck the card and the small elf like creature appeared, zipping over to Li while Sakura returned her staff and struggled to hold him down as he tried to get out of bed. Sakura silently thanked the person who had put the metal barriers on both sides of the bed to keep Li from rolling out. Sleep sprinkled Li with magic and his movements began to slow. He turned his glazed eyes to Sakura as he lay his head back heavily on the pillow, and his eyes slid shut again a few minutes later and his breathing began to even out, although still shallow and ragged.

Sakura sighed in relief and stroked his flushed cheek, pushing his damp hair away from his sweaty brow. She suddenly felt very sleepy and, pocketing the Star card again, she sat on a chair and pulled her legs up to her chest, before she fell into a light and restless slumber, much the same as Li's.

Morning came and Sakura opened her eyes wearily, noting that she was still in the hospital and that the curtains around Li's bed had been closed. This was unusual. She stood up, a little too fast as her head span for a moment, and called out to find what was happening, the blanket that had been placed over her falling to the floor in a rustle.

"Oh, sorry to wake you miss, we're just in here checking on Li's stiches and such. He's still asleep too, poor boy. He's had a rough time and that's an understatement," Abby called from behind the curtains. "We'll be done in a minute."

Sure enough, as soon as Sakura had sat down again, the curtains were pulled back and the nurses left the scene. Sakura smiled absently, noting that the oxygen mask was gone, replaced by a smaller tube that ran to his nose, and she could see his face more clearly. He looked so peaceful there. Sakura pulled the chair up to sit next to his bed again, looking at the clock and noting that it was only about 7 am. She was never up this early, not even for school, but her Li needed her.

She sat and held his hand quietly, saying nothing aloud but praying in the back of her mind. She was glad that they had arranged to meet on the Saturday, because if she and Madison hadn't had anything planned, then they probably wouldn't have found Li until after school on Monday at the earliest… and he would have probably been almost dead if not already ... Luckily, they'd found him on the Saturday and Sakura decided to try and stop playing the 'what if' game.

She sat for almost an hour, just thinking of all that Li had done for her recently and also during the time they had been capturing the cards in the first place.

'He was so cold when he first came, when we caught the Thunder and the Time especially… but when we caught the Dash, he helped Jessie with her race. And when we learnt to skate when the Freeze card showed up… and when he gave me the Cloud because I was out to capture it when I was sick…what would I ever do without him by my side… he's such a good friend, I'm so glad that he's stable now.'

And that was true. Madison, Kero and Melin had been good help but Li had been invaluable, and now that there were only a couple of Clow cards left for her to change, he had to get better soon to help her.

'Besides,' Sakura thought, 'he'll be really annoyed if he misses out on me changing the last few cards.'

A little after 8, a nurse came in with Eli and Madison in tow, both of which dive bombed Sakura and asked if she'd heard anything from Wei. Sakura shook her head and smiled weakly at her friends. Eli smiled in his strange way and fished out Li's chart, reading to see how his descendant was today. He smiled again, replacing it before sitting down in the other chair.

"Here Sakura, I brought you in some warm tea," Madison said producing a thermos of the afore mentioned tea and pouring Sakura a cup. The tea had a strong scent and Madison smiled, saying that she had made the recipe herself and it helped give her energy. Sakura drank it happily, still aware that her magical reserves were low after Friday night and using all the cards yesterday. But it had been so worth it to use Sleep on Li before anything bad had happened. Why hadn't she tried to use Sleep on the renegade cards on Friday night? Sakura kicked herself again as she thought of that and added it to the end of the long list of 'what if's' that had compiled itself all night.

Li stirred a little and turned his head away from the window, an offending beam of light falling on his face. Sakura went and felt his head, finding that he still was in the wraps of the fever, his face white with dark red cheeks, and sleep was the best thing for him. Eli stood and shut the blinds just enough to block out the light on Li's face.

"Hey Sakura, have you had anything to eat since yesterday?" Eli asked as Sakura leaned back in her chair and almost spilt her tea over her lap.

"Yes," Sakura half lied. She had eaten a few biscuits but not a full meal. Her stomach growled, betraying her words and she blushed (AN: Imagine the face when the eyes are just dots with the sweat drop here hee)

"Come on Sakura, you need to eat something or you'll get sick too, and that wouldn't be a good thing would it?" Eli said as he and Madison pulled her to the door.

"He'll still be here when you get back Sakura, besides, we won't be that long, they have a café right here in the hospital." Madison joined in and Sakura finally relented and allowed herself to be pulled along the corridor to the elevator.

"I'll see you soon Li," Sakura called over her shoulder to the sleeping boy. Li didn't stir.

AN: I think I kinda got talked around in a circle there didn't I? Sorry about that… please review and tell me if it was any good or if I should just trash the chapter/ story… you know… hope to hear from you guys soon… Maybe I'll bring Meilin into the picture next chapter… hmmm; she and Eli have never met hee hee I see a bit of fun in that.