Author's note: Second day of classes, I'm going to get this story through hopefully before my midterms, so I can focus on bringing up my GPA. Wish me luck! Anyway, this is a pretty linear chapter, so enjoy.

Hotaru: Yeah, he's alive. But will he be for long?

Clinton: I blame my chapter breaking on reading Whedon's X-Men run. Everytime the last panel ends, I'm going "Fuck!?" Thanks for the compli though.

SniperR: Well, at least one of those questions is going to get an answer.

Tek: Hey, I missed you. Don't worry, I'm pretty inspired by a special someone right now, so much so that I may actually consider writing a romantic comedy on my next run. How weird is that!?

Chapter 4: "Tear"

"It was your name listed under the emergency contacts. We thought about calling the police, but, well, you are the police." The nurse detailed as he walked with Aya down a brightly lit corridor. Unlike Aya, the countless winters did not bode her well. She was short, almost half of Aya's height, which itself was not something she'd brag about. Her red hair was tied up to a bun, and her body was quite large, thanks primarily to eating over the night rotation. But still, there was an undeniable life in her clear, green eyes. So clear that it somehow managed to contradict every other glaringly unattractive feature that she may hold.

"How long since you…how long since you found him? " Aya's voice broke at the question, something uncharacteristic of the strong young woman.

"A few hours ago. We couldn't call anyone until it was over."

"…Is there anyone else? Seeing him? Now? Or…"

"Nobody. You're the first person here. The only one under his emergency contacts list."

"…Oh." Aya bowed her head, remembering how Kevin nearly cried when she wouldn't stop harassing him about his family.

Kevin threw a mug across the room, with a loud crash that was sure to upset the people in the other apartments. He gritted his teeth, and faced Aya. "They're dead. I…I was too busy being a cop. Back in Raccoon City, during the Outbreak. I was…drinking. I…when it happened, the Outbreak I mean, all…all I could think about was doing my job. And I completely forgot…or I wanted to forget, to not think, about what was happening to the people I loved when I was running for my life." Kevin stopped, and looked to the floor, shaking his head. " No…no, I'm lying to myself. My God. I wasn't…I wasn't too busy being a cop. I was too busy running. I was too busy being afraid! And I forgot! I forgot about being a brother! About being a son! I forgot…! I…just…is this what you wanted to know? You're grand reason for breaking up with me? Because I don't share my life with you? Because I don't talk as much as you want me to? Well here it is! I'm a fucking coward. I'm a fucking coward and because of me, my mom and dad, my baby brother…all of them! I wasn't there for any of them because I was too busy drinking instead of going to my own father's birthday!"

Aren't you awfully young to be a police officer?" the nurse asked, trying to alleviate the worry that she could see in the detective's cloudy eyes. It managed to snap Aya back to the present. "…I…moisturize. A lot." Aya responded, her eyes scanning the name of the nurse on the I.D. that dangled down her neck. "Uh… Ms. Madison?"

"…? Yes, dear?"

"…Nothing. Sorry, nothing."

"…We're almost there. By the way, there's a snack dispenser by the end of the hall, just a couple of rooms away from where he is." She pointed to the far end, past a couple of other nurses putting their red jackets on, ready to sign off of their rotation. A good number of them were still young; mostly students who wanted to take nursing to cash into the demand for health care professionals. Two or three were from Asia.

"…Thanks." Aya replied, her voice a reflection of how tired she was inside and out. The nurse smiled at her, a smile that seemed to hint as if she was in this bigger scheme of things that is beyond the comprehension of normal man. They had stopped, in front of room 302. "…" Aya smiled back at her, before her hand slowly reached for the steel doorknob. She heard the nurse begin to walk away, and she did not turn to see her farewell. She knew that they both had jobs to do. The cold steel felt foreign in her hands, even though she's held hospital doorknobs before, for her, each time felt different. Each time had with it a different sense of dread, of anxiety, of joy or of grief. "Maybe, I should get him something first." She thought, her head turning to the far end of the hall. A kid, barely five or six, was complaining about being bored. Not noticing the fear that was etched like an epitaph on the face of his mother, whom neither of them knew, just realized that her husband only had a few months to live. "…"

Aya hurried out of the apartment, quickly wiping a tear away from her eye. It was her choice after all, to end it between them. She buttoned her orange jacket up to her neck, and shot her hands into her pockets. "This was a mistake." She thought to herself, thinking about how incredibly shallow her reason for breaking up with him was. Her fingers played with the keys in her pocket, as her feet hit the pavement of the sidewalk, once again joining the faces of a hundred other people. "He…this isn't…this isn't my fault." She constantly reassured herself in her mind, flashing to some fantastic setting of a perfect relationship, one that she's always dreamed of, one that Kevin failed to deliver.

"I wanted everything to be perfect." Aya thought to herself, blaming herself, with her body beginning to tremble for the shame that was beginning to overwhelm her. Her hand was still clenched tightly on the doorknob, as if it itself was afraid of either pushing forward or letting go. "Kevin…I'm so sorry." Taking a deep breath, Aya turned the knob, and pushed the door open. A television hanging on the wall, tuned on a football game, was the first thing that she saw, followed by the foot of the bed, and the white sheets that covered the patient.

"Kevin?" she asked, the look of concern in concealable.

"…You look horrible." Came a weak response. Kevin smiled, the best he could, as a slew of bandages covered his upper torso, while a good number of machines was hooked up to his system as well.

"What can I say? Coffee's horrible." Aya joked back, an old joke that they shared when they worked on graveyard shifts as partners. Her smile kept back the tears from pouring down her face like a waterfall, but it could not help let a few streams sneak through.

"No sad eyes." Kevin whispered, as Aya got a chair and sat by his side. She could barely hear his voice even as it was. "…What?" there was a slight chuckle in her voice, it was her mind trying to rationalize her fears by balancing them with, at the very least, happy memories.

"We made a promise right? No sad eyes for each other when…"

"Don't say that. You'll be fine." Aya responded, as her mind raced back to almost every moment that they had, as if someone was playing a bittersweet cacophony of images all in her mind.

"…I'm sorry I let her get away."

"…"

"She does give one hell of a performance though."

"I'll get her for this. I swear."

"She's dang-"

"No, don't, don't worry. Don't think about her. We'll handle. You just…get well. Okay?" her hands found his, a mixture of cold and warmth, of life and fading existence. Kevin's tendered at hers.

"Good night, officer Ryman." Claire hissed. Kevin immediately lashed back, grabbing Claire's hand and turning the gun away before she could open a hole through his head. She yelled out loud, frantically wrestling the gun, at the same time careful, however possible that was, not to let a shot ring out and alert anyone nearby of what was happening. Not, at least, until it was too late. "Let…go!" Kevin cried, forcefully punching Claire square on the jaw. It was enough to break off her hold and make her stumble to the side. Kevin aimed the gun at her. "You have the right, to remain-"Kevin stopped, and watched in shock as Claire began to swell with tears, her back against the passenger door, such that she was completely facing him in that small space. "Please…don't hurt me." She begged in between sobs. "You…e-everything you say will…" Kevin continued, his voice breaking between gasps of air. It was obvious that his mind shifted to Claire's hand, which was trailing her inner thigh. "What are you-?" Kevin asked, as Claire began to raise her skirt, revealing her underwear. "Please, I was just…so scared…" she continued, her hand gingerly hovering over the opening between her legs. Her other hand was over her breast, pushing down the dress a little, just to show Kevin that she wasn't wearing a bra. "I'll do anything you want…" she whispered, still crying, still sweating.

"I'm so sorry. If it weren't for…this is my fault…" Aya told him, somehow always managing to put the flow of the conversation on her being, thought often inadvertent. Kevin knew the truth of those words, but it was not in his nature to blame. It never was. "Don't worry about it." He responded, not telling her how tiring it was for him to even speak. "…"

"I know…you could make it up to me." He then said. "When I get out of here, I want a big dinner." He grinned at her, though every muscle on his jaw ached as he did. He had to be strong, he had to be brave, at the very least, he had to show her that he still sees her as someone that he truly cares for. For her. All for her. Though more often than not, these are the things that she wouldn't notice. Aya let out a soft laugh, nodding her head as confirmation. "You have a dorky grin." She whispered.

"Dorky? Who says dorky anymore?"

"Oh…all the cool kids."

"Heh. Mandy Moore said dorky in The Princess Diaries."

"See? You're dorky. I bet deep down, you'd never know how to act when a girl's more aggressive than you."

"Please…I…I don't want to hurt again…not like with…" Claire pleaded, her fingers trembling at the entrance of her vagina. "Stop it...!" Kevin ordered, his hand, and his aim, trembling as much as Claire. "Chris understands! He does! Not like Leon!" she cried, gripping herself tighter, even more sexual, directly appealing to the animal in any man. "What the hell are you talking about!?" Kevin yelled ,but it didn't seem to distract the woman from her distraught. "…He…hurt me…because…because…" Claire's tears were now uncontrollable, and her vice broke after almost every syllable. "…Claire?" It was idiotic, but for a split second, Kevin let his guard down. His tense muscles softened, as the curiosity mixed with sudden pity began to stab at him inside. It was a just a mere second, which enough for Claire to capitalize on the situation. She easily swatted Kevin's hand away with her back of her palm, and no sooner than Kevin's mind could register what was happening, Claire already stuck a small knife into his arm. Kevin let out a cry of pain as the sudden jolt made him drop the gun by Claire's feet. She saw the opening, and she immediately grabbed the gun. Instinct. Kevin grabbed her by the collar and pushed her back to the seat, in hopes that she wouldn't get the gun, but it was an admirable effort left in vain. As she got pulled back, she immediately opened fire on him, point blank. One bullet tore through his collarbone, another through his chest, and one more to his stomach. He let out a gasp of pain, as the shock to his system prevented him from screaming his head off. He slumped back to the door, his eyes dazed, and his breath getting slower and slower. Claire raised her eyebrow, and shot him again through the stomach, putting him out of consciousness.

"Kevin?" Aya leaned closer to him.

"…Yeah? I've got bad breath, I know." He softly joked, each one a concealment of his true feelings, whatever they may have been at the moment, and whomever they may be directed. Aya smiled, her eyebrows furrowed at the same time. Tender eyes. "About…when…back when…" Aya struggled to find the words. "…I'm so sorry for…" her eyes began to tear up, and she humbled herself to the fact that she was not as strong as she thought she was. That she was not as strong as she wanted to be.

"Hey, hey…don't." Kevin held her hand tighter, somewhat wishing that the strength he still had in his frail hand was enough to support the woman who was near her breaking point. She tried her best not to cry, and it showed, it showed in her cheeks that were now red, and her lips that trembled uncontrollably. "…Please…don't…" He himself getting pushed to shed a few tears.

"…Maybe I should fix myself up…" Aya said, trembling. Kevin smiled as a response, it was always his way of saying yes. "…My bathroom's really fucked up by the way. Maybe you should use the one down the hall…" he then told her.

"Okay…I'll be back soon. I promise." Her eyes locked into his, and his to hers, and in a second, she bent closer to kiss him softly on the lips. "…Wow, maybe I should get shot more often." Kevin said, still in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "I'm just glad that you're alright." Aya reminded him, standing up, and after a moment, turning to the door.

"…Aya…?"

"…Yeah?"

"…It's not your fault. Remember that…okay?"

"…Okay." Aya turned the knob and left. The mother and son were already gone, off to their own personal tragedy no doubt. Aya took a deep breath, and leaned on the wall, covering her face with her hands, so that, at the very least, no one would hear her cry. A cold wind then went through her, and all of a sudden, a loud, sharp, beeping sound then emanated for Kevin's room. "What… what?" Aya looked around, finding about three nurses quickly rushing to the area. "What's happening!?"

Chapter 4, End.