Author's Notes: Hello minna-san! Firstly, I wanted to apologize for the delay of this chapter. I know, I know… I always seem to be doing that…but I have a good excuse this time! You see, I went on a skiing trip the whole of last week, and didn't have a single minute to write or post anything.

Anyhow, this chapter is a bit longer than the last one, and I trust you'll like it…I don't want to give it away, but something you've been hoping finally happens…err, with a twist…*grins sheepishly*

One last thing: I know the whole Sakura scene in chapter 16 is a bit confusing, but I swear it'll be explained later. Just bear with me people! You'll see how it all comes together in the end… (I'm wondering when that will be too…)

Special Note About This Chapter: Any "ER" fans out there? Well, you might recognize someone from that show…Well, I really can't explain what the hell he's doing in Tomoeda, but I really really wanted to include him…I just adore him! So think whatever you need to think, but he's there and no one will make him budge…

Disclaimer: You won't make me say it!

"I'll Say Goodbye for the Two of Us: When the Truth Breaks the Silence"

Part Eighteen: "Outcome"

By cherry blossom

"Dr. Carter, please report to Trauma 1. Dr Knight, your presence is requested in Suture Room…" Tomoyo listened to the cool, female voice speak unimportant announcements over the speaker. God, she wished she would shut up! Her nerves were completely wrecked, and something about the continuous announcements was getting to her.

They had been sitting in the waiting room, wrapped in towels a nurse had gently offered them, for at least an hour. Tomoyo had always considered herself to be a calm, patient person…But guess what? She was not patient, she was not calm, and she didn't appreciate being held back with no news about Syaoran at all!

As if on cue, she felt a warm pressure on her shoulder. She stopped rubbing her temple exaggeratedly, and sunk into Eriol's arms instead.

"I feel like I'm losing it…" she confided in a whisper, and rested her head on his shoulder. Eriol caressed her hair soothingly.

"You've gone through a lot…It's only normal you feel stressed," he assured softly. Tomoyo frowned.

"You've been going through a lot too…how come you're able to stay so calm?" she inquired tiredly. It was Eriol's turn to frown now.

"Hmm…well, I guess one of us has to stay calm right?" he offered lamely. Tomoyo sighed. This was something she wanted to discuss further, but this was most definitely not the time or place.

"Forget it…" she whispered back, and fell silent. Eriol sighed in relief. He definitely didn't feel like starting a row right now.

Then, a tall, young man wearing a white lab coat approached them. The couple looked up at him.

"You're the ones who brought Mr. Li in, right?" he asked gently. Tomoyo liked him instantly. He was quite handsome, with light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, and something about his voice put her at ease immediately.

"Are you the doctor who saw him when we arrived?" Eriol asked instantly. The man nodded.

"I'm Dr. Carter. I'll be his doctor for the time being," he began slowly, and Tomoyo breathed in relief. If this man was currently in charge of Syaoran, it meant that he was alive at the very least.

"Mr. Li has been exposed to cold, harsh temperatures for quite a long time, causing him hypothermia," he continued gravely, and then paused. "We've been treating him with the adequate equipment and medicine, but we seem to be making a rather…err, peculiar improvement."

Eriol raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What do you mean with 'peculiar improvement'?"

"Well, we've managed to normalize his heartbeat, and all his blood and scan tests are standard too. He's breathing on his own as well, but…" Carter bit his lip thoughtfully, as if he still were analyzing the diagnosis.

"But what?" Tomoyo questioned dreadfully, a closed hand over her heart, in that gesture that was very typical of her.
Carter frowned. "But we can't seem to get his body temperature any higher than it was when he arrived. Hypothermia is normally accompanied by other symptoms, like a slower heartbeat or difficulty to breathe…but not with him," he paused, and allowed himself a disbelieving look. "Believe me, I've seen weird cases before, but this is ridiculous! He seems in perfect health…apart from the fact that he's as cold as ice…" he let his voice trail off, and patiently waited for the couple to take in the information that he'd just laid out.

Tomoyo and Eriol exchanged quick, dreadful glances and looked back at Carter.

"May we see him?" she asked softly.

"Of course," he replied, and led them to a room at the end of the hall.

"We'll move him to a private room soon. Meanwhile, we're still doing out best to try and raise his body temperature here, in the ER. It would also help to know who his regular doctor is, so that we could get his full medical history. Do you know who that might be?" Carter asked hopefully.
Tomoyo's brow furrowed in thought. "I really don't know…He hasn't been sick once in all the time I've known him…"

"What about a family doctor then?" offered Carter.

"His family lives in China…I don't really know much about them…" said Tomoyo truthfully. Carter let out a barely audible sigh.

"Well, we'll keep trying," he said finally. "You may go and see him now."

***

The first thing Tomoyo noticed when she entered the room was the coldness. Not the temperature of the room, of course, but there was something that was making her feel cold inside. She released Eriol's hand – which she had been clutching fiercely – and quietly approached Syaoran's bed, taking a seat beside him.

The brown haired man appeared to be in deep sleep. He was breathing regularly, and his face remained expressionless. Strange machines and cables were hooked up to him, emitting low, regular beeping noises, and he was wrapped in thermal blankets. There was nothing about him that indicated what could have happened, or how to help him. Tomoyo squeezed her eyes shut and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a cry. Was it too late this time?

Eriol, on the other hand, was not mourning about the situation, but scanning his brain furiously for something – anything – that would help him understand what was going on. For Syaoran's state was definitely not a medical issue… No, it had something to do with all the odd things that had been going on. Yes, it was a magic issue… But what was it? Eriol couldn't recall either seeing or knowing about something like this…and he had a vast knowledge on the subject indeed! So if he couldn't figure out what was going on…then who could? Cerberus? No, he was visiting Yue (or Yukito) at the time… And even if he was here, Eriol didn't think he'd know about this anyway… He rubbed his temple tiredly, and, sighing, approached the bed.

"Tomoyo?" he said softly. She was absent-mindedly caressing Syaoran's hair, and didn't turn around when she heard him call, so he couldn't see his face.

"He's as cold as ice…" she whispered, anguished. "What's wrong with him?" But, for once, she didn't appear to be expecting an answer from him. Eriol felt his heart being squeezed. This was destroying all of them…
He placed a hand over Syaoran's forehead. True to Tomoyo's word, Syaoran's skin was freezing. Trying not to shudder, he concentrated on getting something from his aura…but he felt nothing. Nothing good, nothing bad, nothing at all. In fact, Syaoran seemed to be somehow suspended in life and time…He was stuck somewhere between life and death, between day and night, light and dark, dreams and reality…And he didn't seem able to moving either way… Shuddering, Eriol came to the frightening realization that Syaoran wasn't going to wake up…

Not unless they found the way to help him.

***

Days passed, and there was no visible change in Syaoran. A faint murmur sometimes, particularly at night, but he never opened his eyes. Tomoyo – desperate for medical answers to her questions – asked Carter if Syaoran had actually fallen into a coma, but the doctor dismissed the option immediately.

"You see," he explained patiently, showing her some test results. "People in a coma show different brainwaves from people who are plainly asleep. Li's brainwaves are completely normal… In other cases I would find that as good, but in this one I wish I would find something abnormal to tell us what's happening…"

Tomoyo sighed tiredly and lowered her eyes then. Carter gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. It seemed to her he was almost as anxious to help Syaoran as them. She offered him a sad smile in return, and he continued with his activities.
So day after day she had been sitting next to Syaoran's bed, talking to him soothingly at times, and crying at others, but encouraging him to wake up continuously. Eriol would never leave her side – though he hadn't tried to talk to Syaoran once – and would help her stay together when she thought she couldn't take it anymore. Tomoyo didn't know it, but he was suffering a lot himself for not being able to do anything…and calming her fears was the closest thing to helpful he could be. In fact, he was tormenting himself on the third afternoon when something suddenly changed

He didn't know how much time passed while he was pondering on these thoughts, but just then Carter walked in the room. He took a quick look at the numbers in the machines around Syaoran, and cleared his throat. The couple looked at him miserably.

"As you can see, there's not much we can do for him at the moment. I've been trying to locate his family, but their number is not on the guide and we haven't been able to track them down in any other way. Are you sure you don't know how to find them?" he asked. Eriol shook his head tiredly. He was sure he'd be able to track them down, but right now he felt like he shouldn't leave Tomoeda. Carter looked quite disappointed and worried, and Eriol thought he should add something just for the sake of the doctor's peace of mind.

"He's never been close to his family anyway…And I'm sure his medical history is pretty boring. He's always been very healthy," he said quietly, hoping Carter wouldn't inquire him further.

"I see…I guess I was hoping I'd be able to find some answers there…" the doctor said softly, and lowered his head. Eriol was genuinely touched. The man seemed so devoted to his patient…

"Well, I guess I'll leave you alone," Carter said after a moment of silence. Tomoyo offered him a weak smile, and Eriol knew she'd felt as moved as himself. Carter bit his lip, as if unsure about adding something, and then spoke one last time.

"There's one last thing I want you to know. Despite our efforts, and yours," he looked warmly at Tomoyo. "There has been no recovery so far. The only one who's not trying to help is Li himself. I'll tell you this, he needs to want to make it… I think it's more up to him than us…" he resolved finally and, after a weak smile, exited the room. Tomoyo instantly covered her face with her hands, as if hoping that gesture would erase the horrible situation before her. As much as Eriol longed to do the same, Carter had left him thinking… He needs to want to make it… Something was prickling at Eriol's mind…but what could it be? Oh, God, he could feel the answer was right before his eyes, but somehow he was being too blind to see it! That kind of thing really drove him crazy, just like when they were back on that horrible island –

Eriol gasped. There it was, a second pang of realization hit him! What he was trying to remember had something to do with the island…particularly with something that had happened to him…but what relation was there?

Suddenly, he brought his hand to his pocket, as if moved by a reflex. He dug inside and found only a small piece of paper, neatly folded in two. The prying sensation in his mind intensified as he recognized the parchment he'd last read in Earlington.

"The real magic is in the heart"

Then it struck him, so obviously, so suddenly he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before.

Of course! Magic…he had known all along it had something to do with it, but he'd been pondering on the wrong kind of it! Magic of the heart…quite foolish of him to have overlooked it. After all, it had proved to be the essence of everything else before…

Who was the only person that could truly touch Syaoran's heart and make him want to come back? Well, that was easy…but given the current situation, he doubted Sakura would be willing to help. Eriol frowned, and his momentary excitement drowned out.

How would Sakura be able to help Syaoran through the darkness when she couldn't get past it herself?

***

Sakura woke up gasping. She sat up and hit her head with the corner of her night table. Wait, night table? That meant she had been sleeping on the floor…but why would she be sleeping on the floor? Rubbing the place where the sharp corner had made contact with her skin, she got up a bit more gracefully this time. 

The emerald eyed girl looked out the window. She could see the last rays of sunlight slowly disappearing, tinting the sky of a golden red. Ah, the beauty and peace of it…it was funny how she knew for certain she loved sunsets, yet she couldn't remember ever watching one before…
When the sun had finally vanished from view, and timid stars began to sparkle, was when she returned her thoughts towards the fact she had awoken on the hard floor of her bedroom.

Ok, lets do an analysis of the situation, she thought. A collection of simple deductions would probably solve this little mystery. She had awoken on the floor, which meant she had been sleeping on it for a while at least. Now why would she be sleeping on the floor? The most sensible answer was that she'd fallen from her bed. But Sakura was a very peaceful sleeper, she hardly ever tossed or turned. That would mean that either she'd had a terrible nightmare, or…or she had never slept in her bed at all. Sakura frowned, pondering on these thoughts. Either way, there was something wrong about the whole situation…

Suddenly, her attention was caught by something brown peering out of her drawer. She was quite messy with her stuff, so she didn't exactly know why that was calling her in such a way but she found herself unable to ignore it…Subtly she approached the drawer, and pulled the brown thing out, which revealed to be…

Sakura's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.
She was holding the teddy bear Syaoran had given her just before he left Tomoeda when they were kids. And she remembered, she remembered everything.

It took her a few minutes to get the information to sink in, but, once it had, a million thoughts began running trough her head like crazy. By taking a series of deep breaths, she managed to calm down a bit and form semi coherent sentences in her mind.

I guess I must have blacked out after I realized the truth, she thought and anguish caught on her once again. So much for my dream theory…It was reality, actually, what had pushed her off her bed…

Biting her lip, she let her eyes wander over the window as she took in everything. Then another thing unsettled her. Just before she blacked out – she now remembered everything vividly – it was raining heavily. Now, however, there wasn't a single cloud on the sky. That was not reasonable at all, and when she looked through the window she saw that the street and trees were completely dry. That meant that a lot of time had passed since she had fainted…but how long?
Immediately she ran down the stairs and turned on the TV on the kitchen. She knew the weather channel gave it's predictions for the day and the two following. Now she was pretty sure the last day she remembered had been a Tuesday…
When she finally found the channel, a weather person was speaking of the importance of being prepared in case an unexpected storm flooded your town.

"Most people never realize it could happen to them…" the nice looking woman on TV was saying, and Sakura played with the remote impatiently.

"Hurry up!" she muttered and chewed on her lip nervously.

"…of course, some cases might be lucky, like Tomoeda city, which was hit by a severe storm last Tuesday but didn't have major consequences…"

Sakura smiled triumphantly. So it had been Tuesday…and by the woman referring to the day as 'last Tuesday' she knew it had been less than a week from the incident. She scratched her chin thoughtfully. Should she keep on listening and hope for the woman to make reference to which day it was, or should she try to find out another way? She was debating on these thoughts, when the weather girl's voice caught her attention again.

"…which could be easily flooded, but as I said before, they were quite lucky. However, some people were caught off guard by the strength of the storm, and there have been quite a lot of car accidents. Also, we've heard from a confidential source, that a man stayed outdoors during the whole storm, and now presents a grave case of hypothermia…"

Sakura frowned. This was beginning to seem a gossip show, rather than a weather one! She was about to turn off the TV and find another way to know the date, when the woman managed to interest her once again.

"…the man is Chinese apparently, and quite young. We all do wonder what made him stay outside during the raging storm. Luckily he was found by a young couple in Penguin Park. What those two were doing there remains a mys-"

Sakura gasped. Chinese, young, Penguin Park…it was Syaoran! She just knew it was him! And found by a couple…that'd be Tomoyo and Eriol, who obviously knew where to find him. But why would he-?

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. The storm! He'd been to her house that afternoon and… and said his farewell! Guilt took over her, and she felt an oppressive shadow squeezing her heart. It was all her fault…she drove him to doing that! And everything because she wasn't strong enough to fight the darkness that had remained from her experience…

"…anyway, the man is currently being treated in County General, but his actual state remains unknown…"

County General. Yes, she'd been there when she broke her arm a few years ago! She was pretty sure she knew how to get there…
Without even grabbing a jacket, she ran into the chilly evening as fast as her legs would allow her to. She was feeling weak and out of breath, but the hospital was only a few blocks away…And there would be no thinking about herself now, anyway. She'd been selfish enough to let all of this happen, and her only priority was Syaoran's health and happiness. Even if he hated her now, even if he never wanted to see her again…she would make sure he was ok. Even if it was just to tell him she was sorry.

When the hospital finally came into view, she experienced the mixed feeling of anxiousness. She wanted very much to know how Syaoran was doing, but she was terrified of facing him too.

Could it be too late?