Disclaimer: Same as the first two times….

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Reno was the first to break the silence. 'Oh planet, please tell me he didn't do what I think he did Tseng.'

Tseng shook himself out of his daze and ran to Rufus, gently pushing Dark Nation to the side. Please, don't let me be too late. Frantically, he searched the boys neck for a pulse. When he finally found it, it was very weak, almost too faint to feel.

'Reno, run up and start the helicopter, I'll carry Rufus. Move it!' Reno nearly tripped over himself in the rush to make it to the door. Tseng picked up the bottle and put it in his pocket for the doctor at the hospital and gently went and picked Rufus from the bed. Dark Nation seemed to look at Tseng with a look that was asking if Rufus woudld be alright. Tseng understood what she was feeling; he was feeling the same. 'I don't know if he'll make it girl. I hope somewhere in him he has a small will to live.' With that he ran out the door as quickly as he could, carrying Rufus to the helicopter. 'Now Reno, get us to the hospital.' Reno was in the air before Tseng had finished his sentence.

At the hospital, Rufus was looked over by the doctor on duty that night. Tseng and Reno waited patiently in the waiting room, hoping that the doctor would bring good news. About 30 minutes after their arrival, the doctor came out of the emergency room. Tseng tried to read the doctor's face, but the doctor was able to hide his emotions very well. Tseng didn't give the doctor the chance to explain Rufus' condition, he began bombarding the doctor with questions.

'Is Rufus alright? Is he going to make it? Will what he did have any negative effects on him?' The doctor waited calmly for Tseng to be done with the questioning and replied to all of his questions.

'Yes, he is fine and he will make a full recovery. No, it won't have any negative effects on his health, we managed to pump the grand majority of the pills out of his stomach before they had a chance to fully go through his bloodstream. However, he will need to speak to a counselor. Individuals that are brought to the hospital after a suicide attempt are required to get counseling before leaving.'

Tseng nodded his head towards the doctor. 'He may not agree to the counseling, however I understand it is for the best. I will try my best to make him understand that as well.'

Reno cut in 'So can we see him now?' The doctor nodded his head and showed them to his room.

'Once you go in, please be quiet. If he is sleeping let him rest. Please avoid asking him why he thought this was in his best interest. If he brings up the topic, it's alright, but don't speak to him about it in a negative way. It might appear to him as though you're upset at him for what he did and attempt it again the first chance he will be able to.' Tseng and Reno nodded to the doctor, acknowledging the rules. With that, the doctor left them at the door that they quietly opened. They found Rufus to look not much different from when they found him on his bed, although he had slightly more color in his face then he did in his apartment.

The sound of the door woke Rufus from his sleep. He opened his eyes and scanned the room around him to figure out where he was. When his eyes made their way to the side of the room that Tseng and Reno occupied, he fully realized where he was and cursed his luck.

'Damnit, you weren't supposed to make it on time. I had it planned that I would call you before I got too out of it to know what I was saying, but too late for you to make it to Junon on time. Guess I miscalculated. There's another thing I'm not good at, calculating.'

Tseng made his way to Rufus' bedside and pulled up the chair that was next to the bed. 'You forgot to add Reno to your calculations. I didn't think a helicopter could go that fast.' The room went silent for a few minutes until Rufus finally spoke up.

'You hate me now, don't you?'

Reno felt that this was a good time to make his exit. 'Ummm, yo, I'm going to go outside while you two talk. Hope you feel better soon sir.'

Neither of them really noticed him leave. Rufus was too engrossed with thinking that Tseng now hated him while Tseng was busy interpreting what Rufus just said. When what Rufus said fully hit him, Tseng moved his eyes from the point he was staring at outside the window to look directly in Rufus' eyes.

'No Rufus, I do not hate you. It's not possible for me to hate you. I had hoped that this would never happen, but somehow I had a feeling it would. I always said I would be here for you and that I would never leave you alone. Even though we're no longer in the same city, I will still hold true to my word. If you need me, I'll be there. I may not be able to be there right when you call me; unfortunately, that is not possible under the circumstances, but I will be here the first moment that I can.'

'I'm not good at anything Tseng. I can't do anything other then sign papers. There's no reason for me to still be here. None.'

Tseng sighed and began again. 'There's a lot of things you can do Rufus, you just don't see them. You're strong, you're smart, hell, your father sent you away from the main offices because of that. He didn't send you here because he wanted to give you the "best education" or whatever other excuse he gave you. He sent you here because he was threatened by you. He knows that you are a very good businessman and have people higher up that support you more then they support him. Look Rufus, I'm not saying that all your good at is running a business. You have charisma, you have the smarts, those will take you far in life. You just can't let your father win by giving up. That's what he wants and I know the last thing you want to do is let him win. This is not like you. You never give up, you usually keep going until you prove everyone wrong. What's so different this time?'

Rufus, chin leaning on his chest, listened quietly to what Tseng was saying. While Tseng didn't exactly tell him that he had a lot to live for, he did have a good point. Somewhere down the line, he'll have the company and he'll be able to prove his old man wrong and show him what he can really do. Tseng is right, this isn't like me. He wouldn't give in and he would definitely not do something this drastic. He shrugged his shoulders and raised his head to look Tseng in the eye.

'Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was just tired of always proving myself to everyone. I hope you can forgive me for this, I didn't mean for you to find me like that.'

'I'm glad I did. If I didn't, I'd be watching a casket getting lowered into the ground right now.'

At that comment, Rufus looked away from Tseng, a light color appearing on his face. 'The idea of my funeral never occurred to me. I didn't think that anyone would really miss me enough to make a huge deal out of it. Thank you for proving me wrong.' Rufus smiled up at Tseng, the first real smile he had in a while.

'Of course I would have missed you Rufus. I know of some other people that would miss you as well.'

'I didn't think there would have been more then one person at the funeral. I guess you're saying that there would be a few more then that?'

'Yes sir, a lot more then just one.'

Rufus smiled a bit to himself, feeling slightly happier then he was before knowing that other people care about him. 'So Tseng? Can I leave now? I'm awake and I feel fine.'

'Unfortunately you can't leave now Rufus. You have to speak with a counsillor before you can be released. It's a rule of the hospital apparently.'

Rufus sighed at the news. 'Somehow I'm not surprised with that. Do you know when I'll be able to leave if I can't leave now?'

'Tomorrow afternoon sir.' They both jumped at the new voice that entered the room. Neither one of them heard Reno open the door. 'Sorry for scaring you two, but I asked the doctor when you could leave and he said probably then, depending on what the counsellor says.' Rufus looked a bit impatient, he wanted to go home and try to fix the mistake that he'd done anyway he could.

'Well? Where's the counsellor then? Are they here now? Or just in the morning?'

'She's right outside the door sir. I just came in to let you know that.' Tseng nodded his head towards Reno, then turned to Rufus.

'I believe that is my queue to leave. Reno and I will head back to your apartment and check on Dark Nation. Is that alright with you?'

'Yes, that's fine with me.' Tseng turned and made his way to the door. As he was walking out the door, he heard Rufus quietly calling after him.

'Tseng? If it's not too much trouble for you, do you think you'd be able to come by tomorrow, to take me home and maybe spend the night? I don't want to be alone.' Tseng turned to Rufus and bowed his head.

'Of course I will Rufus. I will be more then happy to do that.' Rufus seemed relieved at Tseng's acceptance to come get him.

'Thank you. And Tseng?'

'Yes Rufus?'

'Thank you. For keeping your promise.'

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A/N: Good or bad reviews are welcome.