A/N: Hehe, I'm becoming a big fan of your reviews ;) Thank you all! I hope I can do something back by introducing you to the fourth chapter:

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Kids Next Door mission…

Operation: F.E.A.R.

Fear

Even

Attacks

Reckless operatives

Chapter 4: Waiting and hoping

A ship came and took Sector V to the hospital. Numbuh 5 was the only one of her sector who must wait for her teammates. The team, which had brought Sector V to the hospital left and Numbuh 5, was alone. Waiting. In the waiting room. Hoping that Numbuhs 1 and 3 were okay. And Numbuh 2…

"Please don't go, Numbuh 2," she whispered to herself. "Not yet. You're too young to die. You can't leave us now. You have to stay with us, so you can fight adults with us and make that lame jokes of yours again. So you can play videogames with Numbuh 4 and read comics with me. That time was so good. And it's not over yet. Not for you. Not for us. Not for anybody. Please stay with us… Hoagie…"

45 minutes past by. And Numbuh 5 waited. And waited. And waited.

Suddenly a doctor came into the waiting room. "Abigail Lincoln?"

"Y-yes?" Numbuh 5 knew that doctor. He was the one who had looked at Numbuh 3 to check if she was okay.

"P-please tell me that she's okay, doctor. S-she's the only girlfriend I've got."

"Don't worry, Abigail." The doctor had a smile on his face. "Kuki is fine. She was very shocked because of the explosion, but she's fine."

Numbuh 5 sighed. "I'm so relieved, doctor. Thank you. Can I see her?"

"Of course you can. She's right behind me."

"What?"

The doctor stepped aside so Numbuh 5 could see her girlfriend. There she was standing. Without a scratch. Nothing was bleeding. Nothing was broken. Numbuh 3 was fine. She even had a smile on her face.

"Numbuh 3…"

"O, Numbuh 5!" Numbuh 3 ran over to Numbuh 5 and gave her a big hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Numbuh 5's okay? And what do you think of yourself? You scared me a lot, girl." Numbuh 5 smiled at her friend.

She smiled back.

"I'll leave you alone now," the doctor said. "Wait here for your other friends."

"Do you know how they're doing?"

"No, Abigail. I'm sorry. I have to go to another patient now. Let's just hope that your friends are okay."

When the doctor left, Numbuhs 3 and 5 were sitting down.

"Yeah. Let's do that…" Numbuh 5 sighed.

30 minutes had past by when another doctor came in.

Numbuh 5 recognised him immediately. "Dad!" she said. She knew whom he had operated. "Please tell me Hoagie is okay!"

"Yes! Please, please, please!" Numbuh 3 said.

Doctor Lincoln stared at each of them. "I'm afraid your friend is not doing very well…"

"D-do you mean…"

"No! Don't say it, dad! Don't tell us that he's dead!" Numbuh 5 was having tears in her eyes. So did Numbuh 3.

"Dead? Of course not! Hoagie's fine! Well, except for the scratches and the blood and the stitches and, you girls know what I'm talking about."

Numbuhs 3 and 5 sighed in relief.

"I'm so relieved. Thanks, dad. How is he?" Numbuh 5 asked. She waved her tears away.

"He's fine, Abigail. He has to stay in the hospital for a few days though. He can hardly walk. But soon he'll be better."

Numbuhs 3 and 5 looked at each other. Their teammate Numbuh 2? Gone for a few days? Then the team would not be complete anymore.

But maybe Numbuh 2 wasn't the only one who had to stay in the hospital.

Suddenly another doctor entered the waiting room. "I've got some news for you about your friend Wallabee, girls," he said.

Numbuh 3 started blushing. Not only because he had checked Numbuh 4, but also because he was the doctor she had grabbed roughly and yelled at him in operation: H.O.S.P.I.T.A.L. Apparently the doctor remembered that too. When he looked at her he had a fearing expression on his face.

"Is… Is he okay?" Numbuh 3 asked gently.

"Yes, he is. He sure got lucky. He only has a broken leg. One of you can see him now. But not too long. So, who will it be?"

Numbuhs 3 and 5 looked at each other. It wasn't hard to decide.

"I'll go," Numbuh 3 said.

Together Numbuh 3 and the doctor walked out of the waiting- room, and after a few seconds doctor Lincoln left the room too.

He stopped by the door and turned around to see his daughter.

She was sitting down on a chair, looking at the ground and saying nothing.

But her father heard her sobbing.

"Abigail…"

His daughter looked up. A few tears were falling down her cheeks.

"He will really be alright."

"Whom are you talking about? Nigel or Hoagie?"

"… Both of them. You now know Hoagie's fine. I think it's the same for Nigel. So please don't worry and read some comics. With pictures and quizzes and letters and, you know what I'm talking about. Well, I have to go. See you, Abigail."

Numbuh 5 didn't reply and looked at the ground again. 'Numbuh 2 always reads comics…' she thought. 'I wonder how he's doing. And what about Numbuh 1? Numbuh 4 felt his pulse, but that didn't mean he was okay. But I sure hope so. I hope they are all right. Both of them…'

"Numbuh 3… Is that you?" Numbuh 4 slowly opened his eyes and noticed that he was laying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. He noticed that he had a broken leg and a blanket laying over him. But the first thing he noticed was Numbuh 3, standing next to his bed with a worried expression on her face.

"Yes, Numbuh 4, it's me. How… How are you feeling?"

"Well, let's say I've had better," Numbuh 4 grinned.

Numbuh 3 noticed his grin. 'How can he possibly grin when he has a broken leg?' she thought.

"I… I just want to say I was really worried about you, Numbuh 4. Numbuh 5 and me were just waiting and waiting. But we heard nothing about you. Until now."

"I was worried about you too, Kuki. You were just laying lifelessly there. You know, I first crawled over to you."

"You… You really did?"

"Yeah, I really did."

"Wait a minute. Did you just call me 'Kuki'?" Numbuh 3 suddenly asked.

Numbuh 4 noticed he was blushing. "Erm… Yes, I did…"

"Why?"

"… accidentally!" Numbuh 4 quickly said. "It was just a little accident…"

"I don't mind… Wally," Numbuh 3 said. She was smiling at him.

He tried to smile back, but suddenly he felt something on his broken leg. "OUCH!"

"Oopsie! I think I accidentally put my hand on your leg," Numbuh 3 grinned.

Numbuh 4 stared at her. He was looking right into her beautiful eyes.

"You really care about me, don't you?

"Absolutely," she whispered.

Suddenly the doctor came in. "I'm sorry, Kuki. Your time's up. You have to leave now."

"O… Okay…" Numbuh 3 looked at Numbuh 4 and for two seconds her hand touched his.

"Good-bye, Wally…"

"See you later, Kuki."

Fortunately Numbuh 5 didn't have to wait long before the next and last doctor came in. The doctor who had checked Numbuh 1.

Numbuh 5 stared at him. "And…?" She whispered. The tears were standing in her eyes again.

"He was lucky. He was really lucky." The doctor sighed.

"What… What do you mean?"

"I mean that if you kids had been here 5 minutes later, he… he would be gone…"

Numbuh 5 gasped. So the explosion DID have more effect on Numbuh 1 than Numbuh 2. She already thought that. But this was the first time she hoped that she was wrong.

"I… I can't believe it… How is he now?" Numbuh 5 wondered why she even dared to ask that question.

"He's not doing very well. He's still unconscious, and his arm is broken at a few places."

"A FEW PLACES?" Numbuh 5 yelled. 'O dear,' she thought.

The doctor was scared of her sudden yell, but he quickly continued: "Yes. His parents are with him right now. We're all hoping he will wake up soon."

"What… What do you mean?" Numbuh 5 started panicking. What was wrong with Numbuh 1?

"Well, erm… I don't know how to say it, but… he is lying in coma at this moment."

'No…' was the only thing she thought.

A/N: All I've got to say is: please review! O, and don't worry; it's not as bad as it looks like!