Author's Note: Here's the 7th Chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it. Sorry for the long delay!

Chapter 7: A big favor and Unexpected Loss

Hours passed like days in the Emergency Room. As the doctors (Mecha and real ones) struggled to save Monica's life, David, Veronica, Henry and Teddy were in the waiting room, Teddy sitting on David's lap. Henry was walking unstoppably through the narrow hall and Veronica was tapping her fingers on the table besides her; her fingernails making a low, yet annoying noise.

"Would you mind stopping that?" Henry asked her, impatiently. The long wait and the exertion due to the hard work at night had drained his energy and, if Monica wasn't ill worrying him, he'd given everything for a good night sleep.

"Sorry" Veronica said, stopping her tapping "Look, we're as worried as you are...specially him" she added, looking at David, who was with his head bowed down, looking blankly to the floor, with Teddy tightly cuddled in his arms. He was so worried about his mommy, but at the same time he was confused, remembering what he had heard from Veronica and Dr. Hobby...

"He's just a little boy who needs your love, and you didn't want to give it to him...all that means that you DID NOT LOVE HIM!"

"No...no...mommy...You...you don't...hate me...do you?"

"You think you love her, because you were programmed to love her and only her..."

His poor little brain was struggling to understand, and it bothered him. If he could, he would kick that door that separated them from Monica, hold her hand and ask her to tell him she loved him...if only he could...

"David, what's wrong?" Veronica asked him, seeing his sad, yet thoughtful expression.

"My mommy...will she be alright?" he asked, with a hint of worry in his voice. Veronica didn't know what to tell him, because the damage Monica suffered was really serious; her head was bleeding, and the internal injuries barely let her breathe. But Veronica didn't want to worry David, he was already worried by now.

"Honestly...I don't know, David" she answered, as David extended his arms to her, wanting to be held "I really don't know" she whispered, as she leaned her head on David's.

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In a crowded room, some people, dressing white robes, were around a big bed, which contained a prostrate female body on it. As they tried to make her regain some consciousness, the woman stared coughing violently, spitting blood from her mouth. The doctors, in spite of their profession, were slightly disgusted when they saw her spitting; the white blanket that covered her had become red with the blood that covered it...

"This is really serious" Dr. Longchamp said "I don't know if she'll make it" he added sadly.

"Should we call her relatives to come in?" his companion, a blonde-haired woman said.

"Yes, please...call them" Monica barely answered as she coughed wildly.

"Hm, I think we should, but after we finish here" Dr. Sanders said, and the nurse nodded, frowning her nose disgustingly as she saw the blood covered blanket.

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Henry walked through the E.R's waiting room, as David and Veronica looked the landscapes showed in the holographic windows. One minute you could see a beautiful garden full of roses, and the image would change to a quiet lake...her eyes rested on the fake rose petals, but some footsteps behind her made her head turn around.

"Excuse me, are you a relative of Ms. Swinton?" a masculine voice asked her, and she looked at the talker: it was a brown-haired, green eyed man, very young, maybe in his early 20s. He was wearing a white robe, so Veronica assumed he was a doctor. She smiled at him.

"Yes...well, not exactly" she said "Are you part of the medical staff?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I'm Jack Longchamp" he said "And, indeed, Dr. Sanders and myself are treating Mrs. Swinton. Dr. Sanders and the nurse are finishing the first part of the operation, and I came out looking for some bandages..."

"It must be hard on you to deal with this, I mean...at these hours" she said, sympathetically.

"Well, that's what doctors are for" he said, and looked at David, who was curled up against Veronica "I guess he's your brother?"

"Oh, no...he's Mrs. Swinton's son" she said.

"I see..." he said, and David talked to him.

"Will my Mommy be alright?" David asked worriedly.

"We're doing our best" Dr. Longchamp answered, and smiled at him "Don't worry, big guy. Your mommy will be okay" he added, patting the little boy's back, and looked at Veronica "Well, it's time. Back to work" he said, still smiling at the girl, who was blushing fiercely red.

"O-okay...bye" she managed to say, as he walked away.

"Did you hear that, Veronica? Mommy will be okay" David said, clutching her hand, but she didn't pay attention "Veronica? Are you alright?" he asked again, when he realized she was looking at the door Dr. Longchamp had just passed by...

"Eh...yes, David?" she slapped herself back to reality.

"Did you hear me?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Oh, yeah I did...let's hope she'll be okay" she smiled at him, as she took her hand and they sat down in the waiting room.

"Teddy, did you see how Veronica looked at the doctor?" David whispered to Teddy, while Veronica was reading a medical magazine.

"Yes, David" the bear said.

"What happened to her?" the boy asked.

"I don't know" Teddy answered.

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The minutes passed like days, and Veronica, tired from the worry she had, was falling asleep. When she hugged David very close to her chest, he stiffened, surprised. But he immediately smiled slightly and started to caress her soft, brown hair.

"It looks so much like Mommy's" he thought as he looked at her, then to the E.R.'s door "Mommy..." he sighed.

Henry looked at the young girl hugging David, and remembered Monica just as when he met her, some years ago. They looked so identical, like two drops of water, just with 10 years of difference between them...

"Now I see why David likes her so much" he thought as he saw the little boy's hand touching Veronica's hair.

Some minutes later, Henry was drinking coffee while Veronica and David were reading a medical magazine, and suddenly the E.R.'s door opened, with a rushed nurse passing by. The nurse stopped her fast walk in front of Henry.

"Are you relatives of Ms. Monica Swinton?" she asked, and Henry nodded.

"How's my wife doing?" he said.

"Well, sir...we're doing our best" she answered "But it's getting really hard on us"

"Can we see her?" David asked, and the nurse smiled at him sympathetically.

"Sure you can" she said "Are you her son?" she added, and Henry looked at her, awkwardly.

"Yes...sort of" he said, as they walked away to Monica's bed, leaving the nurse incredibly puzzled.

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"Mommy!" David said, as he ran to hug her. Monica slowly sat up, and weakly responded to David's tight hug. He noticed it, and looked at her with a mix of seriousness and worry on his face "Are you okay, mommy?" he asked her, and she nodded lightly.

"Yes, honey...I'm fine" she smiled slightly. The doctor had already cleaned her up, and the blood-stained bed sheets had been changed to clean ones, not to scare David or his family.

"Listen, you can only stay 10 minutes, then only her husband will stay with her" the doctor said "We must not stress her too much" he added, and they nodded, as he left the room.

David leaned his head on Monica's lap, and looked at her with an innocent look on his eyes.

"Mommy, will you be alright?" he asked, but she was too weak to answer...her pale face scared David away "Mommy? Mommy!"

"David...I don't...I don't think I'll get through this..." she tried to speak "I guess...I guess I have to go..."

"Go? Go where, Mommy?" he asked. Henry stepped forward, and stood besides Monica.

"Honey, you're not going to-" he said, but Monica interrupted him.

"I don't know, Henry...I'm not sure" she whispered.

Veronica stood still, leaning against the wall. The family scene was so intimate that she felt she would be an intruder if she took part of it. So she stood there, looking at the floor.

"The doctor told us she's very weak" she thought, as she tapped her foot against the floor "But...what did he mean with weak? How weak would she be? She looks terrible...maybe she'll...no, no, she can't die!" she thought again, throwing to Monica a worried glance.

Monica looked at the young girl, and smiled.

"Henry, David...would you please leave us alone for a moment?" she finally said.

"Wha-" Henry was going to protest, but Monica's serious look made him keep his mouth shut "Fine...c'mon, David" he told the little boy, and he nodded. Then, Henry and David left the room, closing the door behind them.

"Come here, Veronica" Monica told her. The girl walked slowly towards the bed, and sat down in a chair besides Monica.

"Mrs. Swinton, what did you mean with that phrase...that you have to go?" she asked doubtfully "You're not saying that-"

"Listen, I don't know what will happen to me" Monica spoke slowly, between chokes "And what will happen to David, either...so...I have a big favor to ask you..."

"Which favor can it be?" Veronica asked seriously.

"Listen to me very carefully..." she said, and Veronica obeyed.

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"Wonder what are they talking about" Henry said, as he walked towards the E.R.'s hall.

David was in front of his mommy's door, looking at her through the door's tiny window. He could see the two women talking, Veronica's face shifting from seriousness to shocking surprise, then Monica taking Veronica's hand, the girl taking her hand away, and covering her face...it seemed like they were arguing or something like that, but David couldn't hear what they were saying...

"Teddy, what are they talking about?" he asked his furry friend.

"I have no idea" the bear said.

"Maybe it's serious...look at Veronica's face" David said again.

"It must be really important" Teddy said, as they looked to the window, to the two women...

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"So you think it's the best way" Veronica said "Are you sure about it?"

"Henry doesn't like him anymore, and you already know about Martin" Monica said "I highly doubt he'd agree about keeping him"

"That's right"

"So...will you do it?"

"I'll think about it...I promise" Veronica answered, as she left the room.

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In the waiting room, Veronica sat down besides David, gently avoiding his questions about what she talked with Monica. She leaned her head on the wall, and tried to think about the big favor that woman had asked her to do.

"I'd do it with no problem, but...what about Mr. Swinton? What about my family? Will they agree?" she thought as she looked at David, curled up in her lap "Will he agree?"

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Meanwhile, in the E.R.'s room, the doctors were operating Monica. She was lying still on the bed, already covered with blood she had spit before. She was lying still as the doctors operated her, but suddenly, something happened...

"Blood pressure is above the normal!" one nurse said.

"I need help here, her heartbeats are decreasing!" Dr. Sanders said.

"Wha..? No, it can't be! What does the monitor say?" Dr. Longchamp said, worriedly, as the woman shook her head uncontrollably, and started screaming...

"Her blood pressure is decreasing now...and her body temperature is going down..." a nurse said, looking at the monitor.

"Be careful! We're losing her!" Dr. Longchamp said desperately, as the woman wracked with chills all over her body...finally, she lied still, her head tilted back, her eyes blankly looking at the ceiling...

"Her body is getting cold..." one nurse said, as she touched Monica's forehead. Dr. Longchamp shook his head.

"We couldn't make it" he finally said, as the nurse wrote down the death time (the time when Monica died) on her clipboard, and they left the room, with Monica's cold, dead body lying on the bed...

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"How's she doing?" Henry said, as Dr. Longchamp arrived. David ran to them, and pulled the doctor's sleeve.

"How's my mommy? Is she okay? Can I see her?" he asked anxiously. The doctor didn't know what to tell him, and he had no time because David ran to the room where Monica was.

David arrived to the bed, and stood besides Monica.

"Mommy? Mommy, it's me! Mommy, it's not bedtime now! Wake up!" he said, as he shook his mommy, but no matter how much he shook her, she did never arouse...

"Mommy? What's wrong? Your face is so cold..." he said, and he heard the door opening. He looked back, and there were Veronica, Henry and the doctor, standing besides him. David looked at them, with a worried look on his big blue eyes "Doctor, what's wrong with my mommy? Why doesn't she answer to me?" he asked, and Dr. Longchamp shook his head. Veronica looked at David, with a sad look on her eyes.

"David..." she said, as she reached David and pulled him into a hug "Listen, hunny...your mom was really weak, and...she...she had to go..."

"Go where? Where did she go? I want to be with her! I want to be with my mommy!" he demanded, but she softly laid a finger upon his lips.

"Honey...she went to a place where you can't go back...you can't go with her, neither can we" she answered, carefully choosing her words, not to hurt him more than he was "David...your mom is no longer with us"

Those words hit him inside...and he understood. He remembered the talk he had with his mommy when he wasted her perfume...

"Mommy...will you die?"

"Well...one day, David, yes, I will"

"How long will you live?"

"For ages...for fifty years"

"I love you, Mommy...I hope you'll never die...never"

And his worst fear had come...his mommy had died...

"No...NO! She can't be dead!" he said, screaming "She's sleeping, and she'll wake up soon, and I'll bring her some coffee and-"

"No, David..." Veronica told him "She can't wake up...never again"

David pulled her away with all his might, and ran away, leaving the room, passing by the stunned Henry and the doctors.

"Why, mommy? Why did you...?" he said, as he wiped his eyes.

"Oh, David..." Veronica said, wiping her own tears...

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David stood at the balcony of the hospital. He walked to the edge of the floor, and looked down...it was a huge fall from there; whomever who tried to jump would have his or her bones totally broken. He closed his eyes and thought about his mommy, and how much he missed her...

"Mommy..." he said, as he let his silicon mind stop working, and he felt the same cold shivers running down his body...and he fell backwards on the floor, again...

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"David...? David!" Veronica shouted, looking for him. When she walked to the balcony, she saw Teddy running to her. She took him on her arms "Teddy, where's David? Is he alright?" she asked him, and Teddy furrowed his brows.

"He's on the balcony, but he..." the bear said, and jumped down "Follow me" he said, as he ran to the balcony, and she followed him.

As she walked, she saw a frozen body in front of her. As she went closer, she recognized the body...a tiny body that was so familiar...too familiar...

"David?!" she screamed "David, what's wrong? David, talk to me! David!!" she shook him, but he didn't answer...

"What's wrong?" Henry said, as he reached her, but when he saw David, he stood, shocked "Oh, God..." he said, but Veronica looked at him.

"We must take him to Cybertronics...quick!" she said, and Henry complied.

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In the Cybertronics's Maintenance offices, David was waiting to be fixed. His prostrate body lied on a table, his eyes wide open, his jaw dropped.

Veronica looked at him through the big window in the hall, and a tear came from her eyes.

"What will they do with you, David? Where will you go now?" she asked, as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked besides her, and there was Henry, with a serious look on his face "Mr. Swinton, what will you guys do with David after he's repaired? What's going to happen to him?" she asked him worriedly.

"Well, let's talk about that" another masculine voice said. She looked, and there was Dr. Hobby, who gently led her to his office.

Henry closed the door as they entered the room.

"Would you please sit down, miss?" Dr. Hobby told her, and she complied. As she did, she looked around the room, and took a deep breath.

"What do you want from me?" she asked.

"Well, you already know why are you here" Dr. Hobby looked at her wryly "We have to talk about David"

"What will you do to him?" she said.

"Well...I was thinking about something..." he said.

"Dr. Hobby...what will you do with him? Will you...destroy him?" she asked, worried.

"I think we should...unless you have a better idea" he answered, and Veronica bit her lower lip, thinking about Monica's proposal when they had their last conversation...and she told him everything, and all the reasons Monica gave her.

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David's unconscious body was a big, white table in the Maintenance offices, waiting to be re-activated. The techs had already checked his memory cube, and sent it to another department.

"Hm, I think there's still some life in him...I think we'll make it" one of them said "Don't worry, little fellow. You'll wake up soon" he added sympathetically, as he looked at David's blank face.

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Henry stood on the wall, his face wrinkled with concern. Dr. Hobby stretched his hands, and gave Veronica a thoughtful look.

"Maybe we can do something about that..." he finally said "Do you have any problem with Mechas? Does your family have them?"

"Hmmm...no...just my aunt...but she doesn't live with us" she answered "What does it have to do with this?" she asked defiantly.

"I can help you out...if you let me help" he answered "What do you think?"

Veronica shrugged in her chair. Maybe she could talk to him, tell him everything...and make Monica's will come true...

Author's Note: Whooo!! Well, what do you think of this one?! Did you like it? I really hope you did!

Okay, it's taking a while to write this story because the plot and the theme (mmm...I think it's the same thing!) are really hard to me to explain. This chapter, and the whole story, has been the hardest for me to write, I've never treated this theme, so I'll accept all the ideas you give me, and that includes the critics! Constructive ones, of course!

Now...what will Dr. Hobby do to help Veronica and David? What will happen to him, now that Monica's dead? Read next chapter to find out!