Wow! Chapter Three already! Thanks to everyone I'm getting reviews from! I just love how nice you are all being to me:Cries: I feel so loved! Well, remember three reviews and you'll get chapter four! Love ya all! I don't own Sonic! Just a quick note:

'thinks'

"Speaks"

flashback or memory

Chapter Three: Hospital Talk

Knuckles ran out of the elevator, and stopped at he door. ' This is it.' He took a deep breath and entered. He was surprised, there were so many machines hooked up to her. He slowly walked over to her bedside and sat down on a chair.

" Rouge? Rouge? Can you hear me?"

No answer, except the heart monitor's beeping.

" Rouge, what happened to you? What did Eggman do to you? How did he convince you that we were dead? I don't need answers to these questions now; I just want you to wake up. Please Rouge."

Tears started to fall out of his eyes as he grabbed her hand.

" I just want you to wake up, hell I want you to call me knucklehead and insult me. I want to know that you're ok."

He leaned over on her bed and placed his elbows on it. Slowly, as not to pull the IV out, he wrapped his hands around one of hers and brought it to his forehead and just kept it there. No movement or sounds were made by him or Rouge, only the machines were heard.

" I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."

A few more tears escaped his eyes. Her ears twitched.

Rouge cried into his chest, and a few tears escaped his eyes as well.

After a minute, they broke the embrace, " we need to get going, like I said before, I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."

"Why are you doing this?" Rouge asked.

Knuckles stood up and offered his hand to help her up, "it's because, I couldn't stand the thought of Eggman having you to do with as he pleased, I just couldn't stand the thought of him hurting someone…someone I care so much for"

Knuckles was a little redder then usual.

Those words were some of the last words she had heard from Knuxs before he died. Why was her mind playing tricks on her like this? Wasn't being alive without them enough torture? Being alive without HIM. She just wanted it all to be over.

Knuckles saw her ears twitch and a smile crossed his lips.

" Rouge? Can you hear me?"

Her ears twitched again. 'Better then nothing.'

" Rouge, what are you thinking about?"

She was under water. Trying to swim up but getting nowhere. The rays of the sun could be seen. One voice heard, but she couldn't speak back. She continued to swim though she didn't know why.

Her friends were dead weren't they? Eggman killed them before her eyes. So, who were those who saved her? Was it possible, that they were alive?

" Rouge? Rouge? Can you hear me?"

That was Knux's voice? He was dead wasn't he? This was all so confusing.

" Rouge, what happened to you? What did Eggman do to you? How did he convince you that we were dead? I don't need answers to these questions now; I just want you to wake up. Please Rouge."

'How did Eggman convince me that you were dead? So it was all lies? You're all alive? I didn't cause your deaths!'

" I just want you to wake up, hell I want you to call me knucklehead and insult me. I want to know that you're ok."

'Knuckles! I'm trying!' She felt his hands wrap around hers and then it was lifted up to touch something. 'Knuckles.' She started to cry as she felt her body move.

" I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."

Those words brought back the bad memories. But if what he said was true, they weren't real! She kept on repeating those words in her head. She saw something, a white glove with spikes. It was his hand. Knuckles was trying to get her back. Maybe, he really did love her. There was a chance. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her up.

" Hey," she whispered hoarsely, " Knucklehead."

He looked up to her. Had he just heard what he think he did?

He smiled lightly, " hey Bat Girl."

She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

Knuxs pressed the nurse call button, " Can you send Sonic, Tails and Amy in. Thank you."

" So, you guys really are alive?"

She brought her hand up and pressed her hand to his cheek.

" Your not dead," he eyes teared up, " this isn't some cruel joke that my mind is playing on me?"

He smiled and closed his eyes, slightly leaning in to her touch, " No. I'm real. Sonic, Tails and are too. They'll be here in a minute. We were all worried about you."

Rouge smiled as tears streamed down her cheeks. The door opened slowly as Sonic, Tails and Amy walked in.

" Rouge I'm glad your ok!" Amy walked up to her and hugged her carefully.

" Amy! Nice to see you too!"

Sonic and Tails walked over to her side as Amy let go.

" Don't ever scare us like that again Rouge!" Amy took out her hammer, " or you'll regret it!"

" C'mon Amy, don't threaten her yet, she just woke up," Sonic said, a sweatdrop behind his head.

Rouge just smiled, ' they really are alive.'

" Rouge, heya Earth to Rouge?"

She looked at the little hand, " sorry Tails, I zoned out. What is it?"

" Rouge, as painful as this maybe, we need to know what Eggman did to you the four weeks we were missing."

Rouge's smile faded as she though of all the things, " Do I have to..right now?"

Knuckles looked at her then looked at the others. She didn't need to go through all the horror over again, not now.

" No. You can tell us when you're ready."

" But it would be best if you told us right now. We have Eggman's last coordinates, and your story along with all the countless other charges against him, we would be able to put him away for a long time."

" C'mon Tails, she just woke up after a traumatic experience give her some time to recuperate!"

Tails was shocked by the anger in his voice, " Look it's not like I want to force her or anything, it's just that sometimes the unconscious mind can force memories out if not talked about right after the experience."

"But,"

" No, Knuckles it's okay, I'll tell you what I can remember."

Tails nodded and took out the tape recorder, and pressed record, " I'm sorry, but I know we all just want him to be caught and you can help."

Rouge nodded, " Ok. Eggman has six of the seven Chaos Emeralds, I have the last one that's why he captured me."

" You have the last emerald? Why didn't you tell us?" asked Sonic.

" I was going to, remember, I called you all up telling you to meet me my the ruins in Mystic Ruins?"

" Oh yea, now I remember!"

" I was on my way to tell you guys that I had the last emerald, when I saw Eggman's ship, so I ran over to Angel Island and hid the emerald."

" How were you able to get on my Island without me knowing?"

" You weren't there, you had spent the night at Tail's house so you could catch a ride with him to the ruins remember?" asked Sonic.

" Oh yeah."

" Anyways, I hid it and Eggman captured me, he demanded that I tell him where I hid it and when I didn't tell him……..he hit me, I tried to hit him back but, a robot came and hit me in the back of the head. I don't remember anything after that, but I remember waking up with a bright light in my face and Eggman standing over me with a lighter in his hand. He started to burn my wings, I screamed, but he just kept doing it, he stopped after about 5 minutes and demanded I tell him where the emerald is so he could have the last one, I refuse and he did it for another hour."

Knuckles clenched his fist together, ' I swear I'll kill him.'

" After he was done, he asked where the emerald is, I said I wouldn't tell and he threw me in a cell. He gave me water and his scraps from dinner. The next day," Rouge started shaking, " day two is when he killed you. You guys came in and freed me, well actually Amy and Tails did, Knuxs and Sonic where fighting about Ark. We were about to leave when Eggman shot a laser at Amy, it hit, and that's what killed you, there was so much blood everywhere."

Rouge stared at Amy for a second as tears welled up in Amy's eyes," next was Sonic, you ran at Eggman and he shot you point blank in the head. Then was Tails, but I didn't see your death since you threw me and Knuckles out of the door, but when I was dragged back in, you had been burnt to death. Knuckles, you neck was broken from the impact of being thrown into a wall head first."

" Rouge…"

" I'm okay Knucklehead, you guys aren't dead so I'm okay."

Amy once again hugged Rouge, " that's right, we're not, and we are gunna get Eggman back for you!"

" No, I want the pleasure of doing that," Rouge growled, " that bastard burnt, cut, stabbed, shocked, let his robots use me as practice, and tricked me into thinking you guys were dead. I will get my own revenge with my own hands."

Everyone was silent as the tape stopped and began to rewind.

The doctor walked in, " Rouge the Bat?"

" Yes, that's me," Rouge answered.

" My my, you weren't really supposed to be up with all those wounds you have."

" What can I say? I heal pretty fast."

" Yes, well, if you continue on this track you can leave in a week, but you'll still need someone to be with you at all times."

Rouge's mouth opened slightly, " a week and I'll still need someone to watch after me? Man, that sucks."

" I know it does, but the infections need to heal, but, if you are a fast healer then it shouldn't be more than three days with all the antibiotics I'm giving you. That's all I wanted to say so I'll be leaving now."

Everyone waved as the doctor left the room.

Rouge sighed, " I don't wanna be here for three days, I don't like to sit still for that long."

" Just think, if you don't be a good little bat girl it could be seven," Knuckles said smiling.

Rouge looked towards the window, " I guess….hey do you guys see that?"

They all looked out the window and saw smoke.

" Whoa someone's house is on fire!" Sonic yelled.