Chapter One: Wake Up, Sleepy Head

Bright lights shone down upon his eyelids, yet they remained shut with fatigue. Opening them proved to be an impossible task, after several failed attempts. Around him, he heard the sounds of wheels gliding quickly over a tile floor. He felt a slight breeze through his hair. The sweet smell of pure oxygen filled his lungs. The sound of muffled, yet shouting, voices penetrated his eardrums. Confused and frustrated, he tried at once to sit. Not a single muscle responded, it was as if he hadn't tried at all. Why couldn't he move?! Looking for a reasonable explanation, his brain concluded this must be an episode of sleep paralysis, something to which he was no stranger. And so he handled it the way he always did, by falling back asleep.

The next time he woke, opening his eyes was no longer an impossible task. His foggy vision cleared after a few heavy blinks, as he examined his foreign surroundings. It was like waking up on your couch in front of a blank TV screen hours after the movie has ended. Although you're in a familiar place, it takes a few moments for your brain to realize where exactly you are.

The atmosphere was composed of the sterile smell of antiseptics, the sound of IV drips and heart monitors, the feel of a too-hard bed beneath his body, and the subtle awareness of needles intruding into his veins. Only the glow of the city shone through the closed blinds. It was clearly still night. He took all this in as his vision cleared and was able to look around the room. This was a place with which he was all too familiar. And in an instant, an all too familiar feeling of loneliness washed over him. Somehow, Ash had managed to land himself in the hospital, yet again.

Since gang fights were often the cause of his injuries, it was often risky for his fellow members to stay with him. There would likely be no visitors, no one to keep him company. Except...except there was. He had to do a double-take as he noticed an army green coat with a fur collar draped over the back of the chair at the far side of the room. Eiji. Or at least, that was Eiji's coat. His head whipped around, scanning the room for his friend. But there was no one. The door beside him was wide open, revealing nothing but a typical bathroom. Ash let out a frustrated sigh. And with that, he plunged his right arm into the mattress to propel himself off the bed. Intense pain shot through his right shoulder, spreading down his arm and through the rest of his body. Against his will, he fell back onto the bed, letting out a gasp of pain. He heard his heart monitor begin to beep in alarm as his heart rate spiked from the pain and sudden movement.

'Shit' he thought. Finding Eiji would have to wait. Exhausted, he straightened back out on the bed, and reluctantly let sleep wash over him once more.

When the sun returned, so did Eiji. He quietly slipped back into Ash's room, his hands filled with two coffees and a bag of bagels. Ash was still fast asleep. Eiji returned to his chair, coffee in hand while watching the city below him. He checked his phone. 5:12 AM. He didn't catch a wink of sleep last night. He and Max spent the night recounting the events of the evening to the police, in the presence of Ash's lawyer, as they filed their report. In the end, they managed to convey Ash's innocence to the police. Luckily, Ash hadn't actually harmed anyone this time. He was attacked while leaving their base. A bullet from one of Arthur's men buried itself in Ash's right shoulder. Alex, who is Ash's second in command, was with him when Ash was shot. He fired back, killing Ash's attacker. He immediately called Ash an ambulance and then made a run for it. All of this happened outside their base. Upon hearing the commotion, Eiji and Max rushed to Ash's aid. Eiji had been with him ever since. Now, Eiji sat beside him still, sleep threatening to close his eyes.

'No! I can't sleep yet.' Eiji thought, looking over at the sleeping Ash. 'Not until he wakes up.'

He took a sip of coffee and then pulled it back from his face to examine it in surprise. For hospital coffee, this stuff was actually pretty good! Eiji continued to sip his coffee and watch the city as it began to rise with the sun, desperately wishing that Ash would soon do the same.

Eiji wasn't sure when, but he had dozed off. He quickly checked his phone. 8:18 AM. He glanced at Ash. He was still sleeping soundly. Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door, and in came Ash's nurse.

"He's due for some morphine," she said as she administered the medication. "Otherwise, he's going to wake up in a world of pain." She noticed Eiji watching her intently.

"How are you holding up, sweetie? Anything I can get you?" she asked Eiji compassionately

"No, thanks. I'll be alright." Eiji said, flashing her a sweet smile.

The nurse turned to leave and suddenly Eiji stammered "There is one thing, actually. Do you have any idea when he'll wake up?"

A look of sorrow spread across her face as she answered him "I can't say for sure, Sweetie. His pain meds will make him drowsy, that's for sure. So don't let it worry ya too much." And with that she turned to leave, closing the door quietly behind her.

Eiji stood and moved his chair closer to Ash's bed.

"Ash, please don't sleep too much longer, sleepyhead." Eiji muttered with worry filling his voice.

Eiji spent the day reading, anxiously glancing up every few minutes to see if Ash was awake yet. Max came to visit around noon but didn't stick around once he saw Ash was still fast asleep.

"Call me when he wakes!" Max shouted before leaving

"SHHHH!" hissed Eiji as he held his finger to his lips. As much as he wanted Ash to wake up, actually trying to wake him was not something he was quite brave enough to do…..at least not while Ash was in the hospital.

Around 3:00 PM, Ash finally began to stir. Eiji noticed immediately, quickly trading the book he'd been holding for Ash's hand.

"...Eiji?" Ash muttered the word before his eyes were even fully open.

"I'm here." Eiji said as he rubbed his thumb against the back of Ash's hand reassuringly.

"Eiji….Why do I feel like I've been hit by a train?" Ash grunted through half-opened eyes.

Eiji couldn't help but smile at this comment. He let out a small, happy sigh.

"Welcome back, sleepyhead."