"In my dreams, I've seen a meadow where no lies bloom, stretching on for as far as the eyes may see, and it's there I wait for you." Utada Hikaru, Deep River

Leon's mouth became dry as his eyes wandered across the street. He looked at the pool of blood on the floor. "Jill…was shot?" He asked slowly.

"Yes. I got a call from the police 'cause my number was in her cell phone. They didn't give me any details, just that she was being taken to the hospital." Claire explained.

"Okay. Where are you? Which hospital, I mean?"

"Saint Augustine. You know where that is, right?"

"Yeah. I'm on my way."

He hung up the phone and climbed out of the car again. His shoes clacked against the pavement as he quickly made his way towards his boss. "Houston, why didn't you tell me who the victim was?" He asked angrily.

"Because I didn't know." Houston replied.

"That's bullshit. Why didn't you tell me?" Leon exclaimed.

"This is why. You're losing your temper now cause someone you care about is hurt. I didn't want it clouding your judgment."

Leon turned around and punched at the air, a habit he had formed early in his career. "Look, go to the hospital and then go home. You need some rest. We'll let you know if we hear from Redfield." Houston said, putting his hand on Leon's shoulder. Nodding, Leon went back to his car and headed to the hospital.

The roads were mostly empty, which allowed Leon to let his mind be distracted. Claire would be pissed at him for not telling her about Chris' disappearance. She'd probably be more than pissed.

After pulling into the parking lot of St. Augustine Hospital, Leon slowly headed inside. "Can I help you sir?" A nurse asked, as Leon walked by with his head down.

"Um…yeah. I'm looking for Jill Valentine." He said, snapping to attention.

"Alright, the person at that desk over there can help you out." The nurse answered, before walking away quickly. Leon stopped at the desk and tapped on it to get the person's attention.

"Yo, buddy, can you stop ogling Mario for a second?" Leon asked, irritated when the man ignored him.

"How can I help you?" The man finally asked, tossing his Game Boy on the counter.

"Jill Valentine. Where is she?" Leon questioned. Spinning around in his chair, the guy looked at a marker board attached to the wall.

"I believe she's up in surgery." He answered.

"Which floor is that?"

"Third."

Rolling his eyes, Leon walked towards the elevator. The rest of the world was muted, and Leon barely heard Claire calling his name as he walked onto the third floor. "Leon!" It was on the third try that she finally got his attention.

"Hey baby." Leon mumbled, pulling Claire into a hug.

"Are you okay?" She replied into his shirt.

"Not really. Where's Jill?"

"Still in surgery, I think. Let's go sit in the waiting room."

They walked hand-in-hand to the forest green colored room. There was one other person in there, a young man whose knee was bouncing rapidly. He didn't blink as Claire and Leon walked into the room. "So why don't you tell me what happened?" Leon asked.

"I can tell you all I know, but I hope that you had heard something about the shooting." Claire replied.

"…"

"Well, I got a call from a cop saying that there had been an accident, and Jill was injured. They told me to come here, and when I did, I found out that she had been shot…in the head."

"In the head? And she's still alive?" Leon exclaimed.

"Yes…the bullet got lodged in such away that it didn't kill her instantly…something like that. I don't know the details. They just called me."

Leon put his arm around Claire. She and Jill had become very close since being introduced years ago. "Claire…" Leon began as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Have you heard from Chris today?"

"No…why? He was at work, right?"

"Yeah. But uh…"

Claire sat up and gazed at Leon with her piercingly blue eyes. "Leon, what is it?" She questioned.

"The ah…the shooting…it happened outside of Chris' house and no one can seem to find him…" Leon said slowly.

"What?"

"I radioed him when I got to the scene, and they've been calling his cell phone since the shooting happened. He didn't leave a note or anything like that. He's just…gone."

Then, Claire got that expression on her face. The "I'm too pissed off for words" look that Leon hated. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" She exclaimed, finally causing the other person in the room to jump a bit. Leon put his hands on her arms and sat her back down.

"Please relax, Claire. I didn't not tell you on purpose, there was just a million other things going on so I couldn't!"

"Like what?!"

"Well for one thing, I had to search his damn house to make sure nothing was messed up, to make sure there wasn't some note or anything. I talked with our boss, radioed Chris, then I got the call from you."

Claire shifted her jaw, making her bottom lip protrude. "When my brother, my only family is missing, contacting me should be priority don't you think?"

"Claire…look, he could have gone to the store for some milk and eggs, something as simple as that. I wasn't about to jump to any conclusions, okay?" Leon said defensively.

A nurse wearing green scrubs walked into the room. "Miss? Your friend is out of surgery. The doctor can speak with you now." She said, ushering Claire and Leon into the hallway. Leon juggled the change in his pants pocket nervously as they approached a man looking at a chart. "Doctor?" Claire asked, for he acted like they weren't even there.

"Yes, Miss Valentine is out of surgery and is currently in the recovery room." He said, not bothering to look up.

Leon and Claire leaned in, expecting some more information. "So she's alive?" Leon asked sardonically. The doctor tossed the chart down in a huff.

"Yes, she's alive. But she's in a coma due to the massive trauma she's gone through. That's all the information we have for you at this time. The nurse will escort you to see her, if you'll excuse me." He rambled, before hurrying off.

"Jack ass." Leon spat. "What is it with everyone today? Christ."

The duo walked behind the nurse around the area until they arrived at a door. The nurse opened the door for them, and then disappeared. "Oh, Jill…" Claire cried, running over to the bed. Leon bit his lip as he made his way towards the injured young woman. Her skin was pale, and her hair was matted. There was a bandage wrapped around her head, presumably where she was shot with the bullet.

"Do you think Chris knows about this? Maybe that's why he ran…" Claire murmured, holding Jill's hand.

"Could be. He does depend on Jill like he depends on air. Dammit, I just wish he would call someone at let us know where the hell he is, you know?" Leon said, pulling over two stools for them to sit on.

"I hope to God there's a message on my machine when I get home. I can't believe Chris would just leave at a time like this!"

Leon sighed. "That's what's bothering me." He mumbled to himself. Claire was stroking Jill's hand, half paying attention to Leon.

"I hope no one is accusing him of anything." She said. "Just because he's gone doesn't mean he's guilty."

"I know that. It's just…"

"What?"

Leon shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "It feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, and everyone is depending on me. Only I can't do anything to help them." He said.

Claire rubbed his shoulders while looking at Jill with glazed-over eyes. "Maybe you just need a good night's rest. Do you want to go home?"

"I can't leave you here alone. And what about poor Jill?"

"I can stay." Claire offered.

Yawning, Leon shook his head. "I'll get you a cup of coffee and something to eat, okay?" Claire said, patting his hand. The dimness of the room only helped to pull Leon further into depression. His eyelids felt heavy, and his eyes burned each time he blinked. He glanced at Jill's face and sighed.

"What happened to you?" He whispered, staring at her perfect complexion. "No wonder Chris is in love with you." Leaning back, he put his hands behind his head. Tomorrow, he would have to wake up early to go to Jill's apartment to look for any clues about the shooting and Chris' disappearance.

It was a while later that Claire finally came back with a tray of food and drink for Leon. "Hey, where've you been?" Leon asked her as she placed the tray on a swing-out table.

"I got carried away listening to the rain. Plus there was a line." Claire replied.

"At this hour? Maybe there was a mass casualty or something."

"Anyway, I got you a hamburger and a Coke. There wasn't much there."

Leon unwrapped the silver foil from the burger and took a look at it. "Thanks, anyway. I'm not that hungry, so this should suffice." He ate his food in silence, while Claire watched over her friend. Neither of them expected Jill to survive a bullet to the head. The doctors weren't sure if Jill could even make a meaningful recovery after going through such trauma. But she was a fighter, and if she didn't give up, then neither should they.

Several hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, Claire and Leon decided to head home for the night. "Do you want me to go to your place?" Claire asked as they walked towards the parking lot. Leon shook his head.

"Nah, that's alright. I'll be going to sleep, then waking up bright and early tomorrow." He said, pulling his keys from his pocket.

"Oh, alright. Call me in the morning." Claire said, lifting her self up on her tippy toes to peck Leon on the cheek.

END