A/N: This chapter, along with the first one, had to be edited because I happen to leave notes in my text such as (((département de pédiatrie))) or other words I'm not too sure about and I LEFT THEM THERE!!! Sorry! So that's the only changes. On with the chapter!

Sleeping - Chapter 2

Today was drawing session. That's the first thing Duo said to the kids when they've let him speak. He had his carefree mask on, but his heart was hurting for Benji. He needed something to do to stop thinking about everything. At first, he thought drawing was a good idea, but as the minutes of excited children cries and a lot of 'look what I drawed Duo' or 'can I draw you Duo' or 'I don't wanna draw!', the hurt feeling was back. Sure, it would pass like any other time he'd lost someone, but right now he just wanted to run away, to hide from the emotionnal pain until it was gone.

They drawed for half an hour before Duo said enough and they formed a circle around the seemingly cheerful American, telling him what they did on the paper. After another half an hour of talking, Duo was coaxed into reading them yet another chapter of Harry Potter's second book. But before that, Duo asked question about the previous part they've read to make sure every one knew were they were in the story. Then he read, making the characters voices, and the kids laught at him when he did. After an hour of reading though, the children were mostly sleepy(they've all eaten before he entered the room) and Duo closed the book, saying he was tired and that he had to go home. Immediatly, the kids were wide awake.

"But Duooo!!!!" "No, stay!" "'M not sleepy, see? I wanna play again." "Duo, why?" "Please Duooo!"

The young man smiled at this. Each time he visits, he would recieve the beggings when the time came for him to take his leave. They were all so cute!

"Sorry, lil' monsters. You all need to sleep ya know? I even saw you yawning when I was reading!" "Did not!!" "Did too! And I need to sleep too sometimes. Do you want me to come in two days, or you want me to come back next week 'cause I'm too tired?"

So they did let him go. For this time only, next time they may think about a way to chain me to a bed so they can have me all for themselves! Duo chuckled at this thought. Yup, he liked them all. Julia came with him as he exited the common room and they began to walk down the hallway.

"So," said Duo, who was one who hated silence, "where are you off to?"

"Home, I guess. My shift is over -it's been over for half an hour, but I couldn't bring myself to stop listening to your reading session- and I NEED a bath!"

"Ahh!" Duo made his I-found-life's-mystery face or the face a caveman who just discovered fire. "So that's what I smelled!"

"Duo, you meanie!" She gave a playfull tug at his braid as she fought not to laught at his face.

"Ow! My hair! Now that's it, you're not my friend anymore!" He stopped walking and put his best cute pout on. You can't resist and you know it...

Julia turned to face him and, seeing his face again, his dumb-genious pose replaced by a childish pout, she laughted, but not too hard(the little patients were sleeping after all. What kind of nurse would she be if she happens to wake one up?). Still, she laught and that was what Duo wanted. This girl needs to have fun sometimes. He threw her a grin.

"Now, that wasn't hard, was it?" He started walking again and she followed him, still chucking under her breath. They made their way to the elevator and Julia pushed the up button. "Up?"

"Yes, I need to get something from an other nurse before I go. Something about a patient who have to change level." Then she slapped her forehead. "Oups!" She turned and gave Duo an appogletic look. "Sorry Duo, I should have pushed the down button for you..."

"Ah, don't worry about it! I'll just accompany you. Still," he scratched the back of his head, "I'm going to have to follow you, and since it's still raining outside and there's no way I'm going to walk or take the bus seeing at how tired I will be after this forced incursion with you..." Duo let his sentence trailed.

"Fine." She sighed. "I'll take you home, but I wont make it a habit and I don't want you to come and ask me all the time!"

Duo gave her a tight hug, her face against his chest; she was really petite. "Thanks Julia!! Okay, you can be my friend again!"

The nurse smiled. That's in this position doctor Sally Po found them when the elevators' door opened on her. She was a newly transfered doctor and quite the strict one, but she could be all the more friendly when not at work. Duo had never met her yet. Sally cleared her throath before saying: "I do hope I'm not interupting anything?"

The young man and the nurse broke apart when they realised they weren't alone anymore. "Uh... Dr Po, good evening."

"Heya, Doc! Name's Duo Maxwell and I haven't met you before. You new?" Duo threw Sally's way a grin, by which she was not affected. He and the short haired nurse got in the elevator.

"Visiting hours for this level are over young man." She said without giving Duo his answer and it was true; it was 19:45 already. She turned to Julia, expecting an explanation. She wasn't disapointed, but the answer didn't came from the petite woman.

"Well, I have the right to come whenever I wanna see the lil' monsters. Non-official, 'course, but since I'm the kids best friend and make 'em feel better, Doc G lets me come and see 'em. Actually, he knew me before that. It was his nephew's cousin -an accointance of mine- who told him about me and..."

"Enough..." Sighed Sally, her fingers rubbing her temple. Does this mouth of his ever stops talking? "Fine, I have my answer. But next time, I wish you to have a signed pass to make your visits a little more officials..."

"Yay!" He gave the unexpecting doctor a quick hug. "Thanks and I will, don't ya worry Doc..." Duo glance at Sally's pass. "...Sal!" Julia tried to hide her smile behind her raised hand.

The elevator stopped and they all exited the little room. Level three. This level, Duo hasn't came to often. Actually, this was where the permanent patients were; the old people who were plugged on machines to survive and the coma's cases, which required almost the same attention as the olds minus all the pills and complainings to the poor nurses. The paediatrics levels' visiting hours were from 8 in the morning to 18 o'clock, though this level's visiting hours ended at 19:30. Duo had to go up there to visit a child in coma, before she was tranfered to level two and frankly, Duo never liked it. The smell was awfull and the whole level was eavy form sadness, desperation and lost hope. Duo wasn't one for these.

The three of them reached the third level's reception desk. Julia stopped, causing Duo to halt as well, and Sally just kept walking down the hallway to the patient she was supposed to have a check on. The short-haired woman turned to Duo. "I'll be right back. Don't go to far, it wont take long." Then she was gone in the 'staff only' hall. Duo took a deep breath and let it go slowly, looking around him and down the hall. Jeez I hate this place! And I'm bored and tired and hung...

His thoughts were interrupt he heard a high pitched voice shouting. Sure enough, it wasn't one of an old lady, but a young one... a quite annoying one too. He got up from where he was leaning on the reception desk like the bored young man he was and approached the room he was guessing was from where the shouts were coming from. It took him a while before spoting the one, because of all the echos an hospital's hallway can produce. When he reached it, he just stood there and watched and listened a young woman dressed in pink debating some point she thought she had with Sally who remained unmove by the loud complainings.

"... and that's final! No way am I going to leave him here alone in this lonely place! He needs me, can't you see? I'm going to..."

"Yes, you are going to exit this room this instant before I call security, that sounds like a plan to me." Sally interrupt the honey-haired yound lady in her cries. "Now, please."

"But, no, you don't understand at all!" She whined, her voice getting higher again. "I love him and he saved my life! I need to be here when he wakes up! I have to thank him, let me stay. Oh, and I will stay anyway, no matter how much you tell me to go, end of the line, you incompetant nurse!"

Uh oh... Duo thought as he saw Sally's face harden at the 'incompetant nurse' part. The doctor then reached for the device just behind her, calling security by pressing one single button. Not recieving a response from what she thought was a nurse -can't she just read Sal's pass?! Duo thought-, the annoying girl took her seet again next to a seemingly sleeping asian boy, taking his hand in hers. Thats when Duo noticed the cause of this outburst. The boy seemed to be the same age as Duo himself, his dark brown hair covering his forehead from under the bandage around his head. He had a large disapearing bruise on his right scratched cheek and stiches just above his right eyebrow. Whatever hit him, it had hit hard. The asian boy -Duo thought he was japanese- also had his lower lip split. Lower, Duo could see one of his legs in a cast through the white sheets, but his eyes didn't stay there long, because they were back to the face again. So beautiful... Woa Duo, you stop right there!

He willed his eyes to quit staring at the dark-haired young man when he heard footsteps nearing the room. Must be the security guards. I shouldn't be in their way then. He stepped aside and two men entered the room, but not after giving him questioning looks. They knew the kid, but what he was doing in this level, they had no idea. From his spot, the braided boy could hear the guards and the dark blond brat quite clearly.

"Miss, I'm sorry but visiting hours are over for this level. Please, get out now or we will be forced to make you and we don't want that now, don't we?" They sounded so understanding, yet threatening at the same time.

" What the... No way! I'm staying here! And who are y... waaa! Let go of my arms this instant! How rude! Ow, your hurting me!" Duo saw the two men holding the girl by her arms go out of the room. They didn't acknowledge him in any way, since the little brat was still yelling. "Stop, I command you to unhand me now! Ow! Let me go! No, I have to be with him, let go! Aaah!!" They had reached the elevator, which was there in no time at all -thank God!- and they were gone with the banshee. Duo let out a sigh of relief.

"Why are you here?" Duo jumped and turned to Sally, now standing by his side. She had followed the security guards to the door where she had found Duo witnessing the mess that... girl had caused. She must have woke some of the patients up with all the yelling she did, wondered Sally.

"Uh... nothin'! I just came here because I heard a loud voice and let's just say it's unusual to hear that in this level."

"Yes, it is." Sally sighed. "Now some old complaining fools must be awake because of her -the ones we didn't sedate to sleep. What a mess..." She shook her head and got back into the room, followed by Duo. She didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah... So who is this 'suppose to be important' person for her to be so out of her?" Duo questioned the doctor.

"This boy saved that... girl from a car accident today." There was venom in her voice when she said the 'girl' part. "She claimed to be his girlfriend, but that I doubt is true; she don't even know his name! In fact, nobody seems to know who he is. He's not in our database and he's not missing anywhere either." Well that's strange... Duo thought.

"Have you talked to the police?"

"We did report him, but there's nothing they can do without at least a name or a date of birth if he's not already in their criminels database and he's not." Sally knew she was giving personal informations about a patient to a nobody, a stranger, but she couldn't help but trust the boy.

Duo walked up to the sleeping young man and brushed his hospital gown covered shoulder. "What happened to him?" He said, almost in a whisper, staring at the dark-haired's face. So he's all alone. No relatives to claim him, to come and visit him. No friends or someone to worry about him. How could you live like that? I wish I could change the lonely part of your life. I wish I could hold you and tell you that it's all right, that you're not alone anymore, that I would be your... friend. Sally saw Duo's longing face, but did not comment it.

"Miss Peacecraft was walking accross a street when a car just got out of nowhere..."

"Woa woa... did you say Peacecraft?!" Well well! If it's not our little peace princess! Duo knew her from school. They weren't friends at all. In fact, Duo didn't know her that much, bearly noticing her in class and she wasn't acknowledging him at all; she was so busy with her peace speaches to talk to pieces of trash like him, duh! The point is: he didn't like her.

"I did. Now would you let me finish?" When Duo seemed to be able to stay silent until she's finished, Sally continued: "As I was saying, a car got out of nowhere and its drivers' intentions were quite clear since he never once slowed down. It was to hit the Peacecraft girl, but this young man" she pointed to the sleeping asian "pushed her aside and got hit instead."

Duo gasped. "How come he's still alive?!"

"That's what we were all asking ourselves this morning when he was brought here. He only had a broken leg, bruises and scratches and a sever concussion. He was still conscious when he was brought up to the first level, but then he lost consciousness and is now in a deep coma."

They were silent for a minute, both looking at the patient before Duo broke the silence. "Wasn't worth it if you ask me."

"Uh?" Sally asked, pulled out of her toughts.

"He risked his life to save HER, a rich and annoying brat. I mean, if this guy had known her, maybe he wouldn't have done it and would be fine now."

"Maybe. I actually agree with you, even if this meant for the death of an 'innocent' girl."

Duo smirked at this. "Your opinion is so biased. You're mad at her because she called you an incompetant nurse, aren't you?"

"Oh please!" Sally groaned. "Don't remind me THAT part!" Duo chuckled but stopped when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

"Duo! There you are! I asked you not to go too far and you just left!" Julia was just behind him, carrying a folder under her arm. She looked pissed. Oups...

"Err...sorry?" Duo tried his best smile, but it failed to make Julia's frustration melt.

"Whatever. Now come on, I want to go home someday and I'm hungry!" She turned around and got out of the room. Duo sighed and was about to follow her when Sally stopped him.

"Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember to go and get that pass I told you about. And by the way, Peacecraft wont put a foot in this hospital for about two weeks, or she'll recieve a notice from the police. So he's going to stay here with no visitors... that is, if you don't come and see him..."

"...thanks Sal." And Duo ran down the hall to the closing door of the elevator.

"Don't run in the hallway, Duo." Sally whispered to herself with a smile.

TBC

A/N: This chapter was a big one, and I think it's going to be the biggest one. However, if I can I would gladly make the next chapters longer. And I remind you of what I've writen in the previous chapter: I know NOTHING about hospitals so if you decide to send me flames, don't send them because of my lack of knowledge. I'm just an innocent and ignorant authoress! Please review!!