A/N: And it's chapter eight. As usual I own nobody but the doctors, nurses and security guards. Away we go….

Hana closed her eyes in sadness for a second as she felt Houjun go completely still in her arms and she carefully shifted the young man so his head was cradled in her lap. Aside from the fact that he was unconscious, he seemed to be alright but Hana still felt her heart contract with guilt and fear as tears started stinging the corners of her eyes.

"What am I going to do?" she asked no one in particular, tears finally starting to fall from her green eyes as the shock of what had just happened started to wear off. "I hit a doctor in front of three security guards, I've probably just lost my job, not to mention any chance of ever seeing Houjun again, and I can't even think straight at this point. What do I do?"

She bowed her head in sorrow, taking Houjun's hand in hers and softly passing her thumb over his fingers. Tears slipped down her face and fell onto her shirt as she cried helplessly.

All of a sudden, a hand was placed hesitantly on her shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. You don't hafta cry…"

Hana slowly raised her head and looked into the sympathetic face of Max, one of the guards that had been holding Houjun. "And how exactly is everything going to be okay?" she asked miserably "In case you don't know the rules here, what I just pulled back there is grounds not only for the union to fire me, but for charges of assault and battery as well."

"Don't you worry 'bout that." the man told her, pushing his fiery bangs out of his eyes and sitting down next to Hana. "As far as I'm concerned, it never happened." 

Hana looked at him incredulously for a second, and then her eyes turned somber again. "You weren't the only one there. Those other two, Tom and the blond guard, they'd testify against me…I'm as good as dead once the doctor recovers."

"Tom and Mikey?" the man exclaimed, a fanged grin starting to make its way across his face. "They're as likely to defend Johnston as I am. Why d'you think we helped ya after we saw you knock him out? By all rights we shoulda arrested ya, but we know what he's really like. Hell, I'd bet two years' pay that Houjun here was provoked into hittin' the doc in th' first place."

Hana nodded then shook her head in confusion. "W-what are you telling me?" the nurse stammered, a faint glimmer of hope starting to show on her face "I-I don't understand…How could you know that?"

"I've seen it before." Max told her, shaking his head bitterly. Hana still looked totally bewildered so the guard went on. "Lemme explain it to ya." He paused for a second, trying to think how he could make things clearer for Hana, took a deep breath then started up again. "Y'ever hear of a guy named Quincy?"

Hana's brow creased in thought and she passed a hand over her eyes. "Vaguely, he's the one up in Disturbed, right? He's barely conscious half the time and when he is, he's screaming bloody murder about shock therapy and bad doctors."

Max nodded. "That's the guy. Anyway, ever wonder how he got that way? Ever ask Johnston about it?"

"Once, but he said he was busy and changed the subject." Hana told him. "I was new in the field then, so I thought it was a confidentiality issue. After that I never bothered to ask again."

"Probably one of the best things you coulda done." Max said grimly. "Once Johnston's got y'on his shit list, you're on it fer good. Anyways, that's a whole other story. Now Quincy, he was another one like Houjun here. Di'n't talk, bad past…everythin'. Except, ol' Quince, he wasn't afraid of nothin'! He was smart too, could tell a liar from a saint from fifteen leagues off. That's why he never let Johnston get too close, knew he was a cunning bastard from the start. One day, the doc's in here tryin' to get a needle in Quince's arm, and the guy goes nuts! Quincy pulled out a pen and started tearin' Johnston t'pieces! Well, I was just startin' out back then an' I happened to be in the hall when it happened. Johnston was screamin' like you wouldn't believe! "That's right you pedophile!" he was yellin' "Kill another why don't you? Or am I not young enough to be your next victim? Should I bring in a little girl so you can take advantage of her then kill her like you did your daughter?"."

"I couldn't move for shock an' suddenly all these guards were pushin' me inside. I'll spare ya th' details, but tell ya this much, it was just Quincy's bad luck that EST was still legal for severe cases in seventy-three..."

Hana sat listening in wide-eyed horror as Max described the electroshock therapy process to her and how it had affected Quincy's brain functions.

"He's no more'n a breathing corpse now." Max finished somberly. "I'll never forget that day, an' I don't think anyone else will either."

"But you said that happened in the seventies," Hana protested, halfway between disgust and tears "The other two looked like they couldn't be a day over twenty, thirty at best! They wouldn't remember that!"

"Aren't you s'posed t'be smart?" the guard asked teasingly. "D'you think Quince is Johnston's only victim?" He turned serious and looked pointedly down at Houjun. "You'd be surprised at the shit that goes on around here.  No one ever says anythin' 'cause we're all waitin' for the right time, but I swear, when that time comes…" Max punched his right fist into the palm of his left hand. "We'll get that asshole but good…"

Hana cut the man off before he could work himself further into his fit of rage. "So, do you mean to say that if something does happen to me, I'll have people ready to defend my case?"

Max nodded. "Yep. Me, Tom, Alex, Mikey…there's about thirty of us all together. Mike even got us a recording of the good doctor 'helping' one of his patients. That's class 'a', top priority secret though, so keep your mouth closed about it."

"You can count on me." Hana said firmly. "Besides, you're right. What's the worst that can happen? I get my doctrine in two day's time, so I'll be right under Johnston for seniority since he only got his full license two years ago and if he takes this to a higher court, I'll tell the judge that I acted in defense of my patient and that I have proof to support my claims."

The guard beside her laughed, his fangs once again poking over his bottom lip. "That's the spirit kid! Go down fightin'!"

Hana's determined expression faded at these words to be replaced with a faraway, fearful one. "I won't go down, will I?" she asked, not really asking Max but needing to ask the question out loud. "Because if I do, I'll just die!" Her hand tightened around Houjun's and the nurse bowed her head again. "If I lost the right to see him, I don't know what I'd do! I care for him so much it almost hurts!"

Reassuring hands took hold of Hana's shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Hey, I toldja it'll be alright, didn't I? Nothin's gonna happen, you'll be his doctor for real soon and you'll get to see Houjun whenever you want to. It'll all work out. Just trust me, okay?"

Hana nodded and brushed tears off her face again. "I guess it's all I can do for now." She said softly.

The two sat in silence for awhile, Hana staring pensively at the floor, reaching down every so often to stroke Houjun's chestnut bangs, Max toying nervously with his shirt then Hana broke the silence.

"I should really get him off this cold floor…" she said to herself. "I don't want him getting sick on top of everything else."

The tiny nurse tried to lift Houjun's limp body but failed miserably, only managing to lift his upper body. She sighed softly, a dull throbbing starting to make its appearance in her head, and tried again. This time Max's strong arms slipped under hers and carefully took Houjun from her arms to bring the young man to his bed. Hana smiled gratefully at the guard as she came up behind him to pull the covers over Houjun.

"Thank you." she said quietly, looking up into Max's deep amber eyes. "I honestly don't know how to tell you how grateful I am for your help..."

"Well, you could smile." Max said casually "That's always a nice way to say 'thanks'."

Hana laughed and gave the guard her best smile. She turned back to look at Houjun's pale, tear-streaked face and her smile faded to be replaced by a worried frown. She put a hand to the young man's forehead and checked his vital signs with the other. She let out a defeated breath and sat down on the floor, near the head of the bed so that she could keep an eye on Houjun as well as sit down.

Max dropped to the floor a little ways off and watched her. After awhile he said, "He really does mean the world to you, doesn't he?"

Hana nodded slowly. "The world and more…" she said faintly. She winced as the pain in her jaw finally registered in her overly-exhausted mind and looked up at the flame-haired guard. "He's my baby, what can I tell you?" she added with a small smile. "My frightened, broken little boy and at the same time my brave young man with the gentle touch and oh-so-tender heart. All I want is to help him get better, to help him see the amazing person so many others can see in him. That's not such a bad thing, is it?"     

Max shook his head, his eyes becoming strangely bright as he looked back into Hana's sad green eyes. "I think it's a beautiful thing to want…" he answered quietly.

Another long silence fell over the two and suddenly Max left the room. He came back five minutes later with an ice pack and a box of band-aids. "Here." he said holding the things out to Hana, a faint blush creeping across his cheeks. "Put th' ice on your face an' the bandages on your elbows."

Hana did as she was told and handed the band-aids back to Max. "You're a godsend, did you know that?" the nurse laughed wearily, pressing the soothing cold of the ice against her throbbing jaw-line.  

Max grinned at her. "Anythin' for a lady in trouble." he said in a mock-chivalrous tone. He looked closely at the woman in front of him for a minute then declared officiously "You have another cut. Right here" The guard took one of the small, elastic band-aids out of its packaging and placed it gently over Hana's left temple. "There. Now you're all patched and ready to make the world a better place!"

Hana shook her head in amusement and gave Max a small smile. The nurse's brow creased in thought for a second then she turned a questioning look on Max. "I just thought of something," she said slowly. "How come you and the others let go of Houjun so easily after I hit the doctor? I mean, you couldn't have seriously believed I'd break Tom's arms-just look at his size compared to mine! It was like a terrier challenging a saint-Bernard!"

Max laughed out loud at Hana's accurate imagery. "Yeah it was kinda stupid of ya." he agreed "We knew ya couldn't do any real damage, but we did know what kinda damage we we're causin'." Max's face went deadly serious and a shadow seemed to pass over his middle-aged face. "Never heard a man scream like that in all my years…" he said softly "He was so scared, man those tears on my arms and him shakin' in my hands. He was fightin' so hard t'get loose… I was gonna let him go at one point, save him the sufferin' y'know? But Johnston was there and he'da made me pin him down again, so I couldn't, an' after ya knocked the doc out, I guess we figured that since Johnston wasn't a problem anymore it was safe to let him go. I mean it's not like he was in any condition t'do any damage…" Max trailed off suddenly then shook his head to clear it. An impish grin spread over his face and he looked sidelong at Hana. "'Sides, I didn't wanna be on the business end of one of your punches! I mean damn! Who'da thought a sweet-lookin' kid like you could hold down a guy twice your size, go after three trained security guards and knock out a grown man, all in twenty minutes?!"

Hana blushed as Max listed her actions on his fingers. "Well, to tell the truth, a sweet looking kid like me couldn't have done all those things." she admitted.

"What're ya talkin' about? I saw ya do it!" Max cried in indignation "You're not tellin' me I was imaginin' it all 'cause I don't buy that!"

Hana shook her head. "I'm not saying that." she said, folding her hands in her lap and looking up at Houjun's unconscious form. "I'm saying that I couldn't have done those things if it wasn't for him. I told you, he's my baby; I can't help but do stupid things when it comes to protecting him. It's like I lose my mind…I don't understand, but at the same time I'm not afraid either. It's like my determination to save him gives me the strength to do whatever needs doing… Like when I turned my back on all three of you guards minutes after I'd attacked you. I could easily have been subdued or arrested with my back turned like that, but somehow I found myself not caring…" The nurse looked up at Max in frustration. "Am I making any sense here?"

The guard thought for a second then nodded slowly. "Yeah…" he replied, voice pensive and full of something close to wonder "Yeah, you make a lot of sense, and I know exactly what you're talkin' about. You love him, that's all."

"Wh-what?" Hana stammered in shock. " What do you mean 'I love him'?"      

The man's brow creased as he tried to explain what he felt. "You know, love. Not romantic love, just… just regular love. Like Houjun's your little brother or something…Just…well… you know." The guard threw his hands up in defeat. "Great, now I sound like a schizo!"

Hana's brow knit in thought and she shook her head absently. "No, no you've got the right idea. I do love him; I've always known it but could never quite bring myself to believe it …"

"Why?" Max asked curiously "What's so hard about admitting you care for someone?"

"Nothing," Hana said quickly "It's not hard to admit I care, but saying I love someone…that's a different story."

"Why is it so different?" Max persisted "Isn't saying 'I love you' the same as admittin' you care? I mean, caring about someone is only a few steps away from lovin' 'em, isn't it? "

Hana shook her head. "It should be. I mean, for most people it is, but for me it's different." She cut herself off and lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

Max gently put his hand under her chin and lifted her face, giving her a questioning look. "Why is it so different?" he repeated quietly.

Hana pulled away from him and stared at the floor for a second before continuing. "Because I forgot how." the nurse told him in barely more than a whisper. "There've been people I care for, people I would have given my life for, but whenever I admitted I loved them…I lost them. So-so I push everyone away from me before I can love them. That way the only one who loses it all is me…"

"So you had a few bad experiences." Max said softly, "That doesn't mean every experience is gonna end in tears. You have to believe in the essential fairness of the universe, have to have faith that it'll all work out." Max heaved a frustrated sigh and looked up at the still young man above them. "Look at Houjun! Think about how many tears he must've cried, how many times that heart has been broken, how many times he must have had to climb out of the broken pieces of his life! Now think about this; Does that stop him from trusting you? Does he let all that heartbreak stop him from caring about you? 'Course not! He knows what he's lived through, can probably count all the times his heart's been shattered, and he doesn't know what'll happen if he shows he cares any more than you do, but he still trusts you! He trusts you to take care of him because he knows deep inside himself that if he never gives anyone a chance to help him, he'll never be saved, knows that if he doesn't pick up the pieces and move on he'll never get better. If even he can realize there are times you have to trust in the essential good of a person, then surely you can."    

Hana sat there for a minute, totally shocked at Max's insight and wisdom. The young woman shook her head and looked up at the guard. "For a man who sounds like he was raised in the backwaters of some redneck town, you really are smart."  

Max laughed. "Thanks…I think. Anyways, I better go. You gotta take care of your boy an' I gotta tell Mikey an' Tom that Houjun's alright. You shoulda seen 'em before, white as new snow an' guilty as a mafia hit man. I betcha' they're almost as scared for him as you are."

"That's why they helped me after I threatened Tom!" Hana exclaimed, realization suddenly lighting up her features.

Max nodded and stood up, heading for the door. "Me too for that matter. See ya when I  see ya." With that the young guard disappeared behind the door and Hana was left alone with her thoughts.

A/N: Nice calm, chapter after 7's relatively angsty setting. Hopefully it was a little better but if not I'm sorry. My muse is on Christmas break too, y'see -.-(). *sigh* unions…love ta hate 'em… Anyways I used a new hospital term so there's an explanation below for those of you not psychiatric ward-ly inclined and see y'all next chappy.

Glossary:

EST: stands for electroshock therapy. Basically the process is this: they strap you to a cross-shaped metal table and run thousands of volts of electricity through your skull in the hopes that this will somehow cure your insanity. It was invented in the 30's or 40's and its illegal now in most places, but in some countries is still legal for extreme cases (that's what the chair is, btw, a worse form of EST).

There ya go. Later days,

~Tenshi Kitsune~