a/n: Yeah. Just an update. We're progressing, aren't we?

Disclaimer: I don't own the KND.

-

"Oh!" A little gasp slipped through her lips, and his hand grabbed her wrist in a firm grip, pulling her to mere inches from his face.

"Where am Ah?" He drawled in a heavy, dangerous Australian accent.

-

"M-mister Beatles! I see you're awake!" She managed to stutter out, despite the incessant beating of her heart against her chest.

The green eyes narrowed at her, and she didn't know if she'd faint from the tension or her sudden lightheadedness.

"Ah asked ya a question, lady," He said darkly, keeping his hold on her wrist.

Her eyes darted everywhere, anywhere, just to avoid that penetrating gaze. She breathed deeply to regain her composure, then tugged at the fingers that were grasping her hand.

"Excuse me, Mr. Beatles, but I have to ask that you let me go or I shall have to call security," she warned, trying to match the glare with one of her own.

He released her, a smirk gracing his face as he recognized his surroundings. "So Ah'm in a damn hospital again. Ya tellin' me ya guys would throw out yar own patients?"

Her cheeks flushed at her mistake. She tried to not let it show too much, then busied herself with gathering his bulging files.

"You ought to know when to bite that tongue of yours, Mr. Beatles," she huffed, trying to seem unfazed.

He put his arms at the back his head as a sort of pillow, then crossed his legs under the blanket. The perfect picture of laid-back haughtiness.

"Why dontcha bite it for meh…" he squinted to read the name on her patch. "Kuki Sanban."

That completely blew her off. She marched right up to him and dropped the heavy folder on his stomach, making him give a quiet 'oof', squaring him up.

"Forgive me, Mr. Beatles, but I am not the kind of girl that tolerates any guy that hits on her, hospital patient or not. Now, I was assigned to be your personal nurse and am responsible for taking care of you, but I will not hesitate to punch your lights out if you dare disrespect me like that again. Are we clear?"

He appeared to be slightly daunted, but proved to be just as stubborn as her. "Crystal, ma'am."

She ignored the comment, then proceeded to arranging his files again.

"So, ah, Kuki? Can Ah at least call ya that?"

She was taken aback at how different his voice was now, losing the cocky front and donning on an approachable, almost kind one.

"Yes, Mr. Beatles, as your personal…"

He cut her off by raising his palm. "Enough about the formality junk. So Ah'll call ya Kuki and ya can quit callin' meh 'Mr. Beatles.' Ah'm fine with just 'Wally.' So's, Ah'm sorry bout that line awhile ago, and since Ah guess Ah'll be here for a while (like the last time), Ah think we oughta be gettin' along, so can we please start over? Truce?"

He held out his hand for her to shake, and she did so tentatively.

"Alright, Wally." She was still baffled at how she'd known what his name was before, but appreciated his new attitude. "What were you going to ask me, then?"

He sighed, laying back down again. "Ah… ah jus' wanna know what Ah was admitted in for today," he replied quietly.

"I think you know, Wally." She wanted to lay a hand over his, but he pulled away, that wary look back in his eyes again.

"Whaddya mean? What're ya sayin'? Are ya accusin' meh of somethin'?" His defensiveness just made him guiltier in her book, so she tried to prod a little further.

"Look, Wally, I know you've been having problems, but I believe you can't solve them by…" She stopped when she saw his widened, almost bulging eyes, filled with apprehension and suspicion. He'd sat up fully this time, leaning against the railing, and pointing accusatively at her.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! DON'T SAY THOSE THINGS ABOUT ME! SHUT THE FUCK UP! I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS! SHUT UP! FUCK UP! GET AWAY FROM ME!" He screamed his lungs out, and in mere seconds two male nurses burst into the room, one of them being Jason. He looked questioningly at Kuki as they tried to restrain Wally.

'What happened?' Jason mouthed as Kuki stood, shocked. She shook her head furiously, meaning 'I don't know.'

"GET THAT BITCH AWAY FROM ME! FUCK UP! MAKE HER STOP SAYING THOSE THINGS ABOUT ME!" Wally hadn't stopped his paroxysm, and only did so when Darryl, the other nurse, injected a mild sleeping serum into his arm. His eyes dropped heavily, and he collapsed in the strong arms.

Jason ushered Kuki out of the room and unto a lounge chair outside. She nestled her forehead on a palm, bowing as a lone tear slipped, unintentionally, down the contours of one cheek.

-

Word about Wally's outburst had somehow reached Julia Rialtos' ardent ear, and had just summoned Kuki, alone, into her private office.

After hearing the story from a stunned Kuki, she contemplated the situation, massaging her temples in weariness.

"Okay, since this hasn't happened before, something is clearly wrong here. I'd like you to listen to my options, Sanban. 1) I fire you; 2) Commend the for the boy to be sent to an asylum, or at least reassign him to a more experienced personal; or 3) Overlook this incident and see what happens in the future."

Kuki stared at her lap, remaining silent as Julia droned on.

"Well, since I'm in a reasonable mood today, I think that firing you would be quite unfair, so let's take that out. But I'm seriously choosing between reassigning him and keeping him in under you, Sanban. What do you think?"

Kuki had been astounded by Wally's unexpected reaction to her simple question, but that and all the mystery surrounding him only intrigued her, and she was determined to keep him under her charge, if only to learn more about him.

"Ma'am Rialtos, I'd like to ask you, no, plead with you, that Wallabee Beatles stay with me. Please, ma'am, I assure you that it would not happen again. Please, do give me another chance, and I won't disappoint you." She said resolutely, taking on an impressive professional air.

Julia smiled, leaning forward from her desk. "Why are you so intent on this one, Sanban? I can see he's certainly a looker, but something tells me there's something more. Call it instinct. Care to enlighten me?"

Kuki felt herself redden under Julia's scrutinizing gaze. Her voice dropped to a shy murmur, "I—I know it might seem crazy, ma'am Rialtos, but… I feel as if I know him, like I've met him before, but I'm just not so sure when, or how. I… I just want to see if I'm right, that's all." She now felt awfully foolish, and retreated into what seemed like a small figure compared to Julia.

Julia still had that small smile on her usually-frowning face. "It might not seem like it, but I like you, Sanban. I handpicked you myself for this internship from the candidates list, from your high GPA and the recommendations of your medical professors, most of which I know personally. You're one of the brightest and hardworking interns this hospital's ever had, and I'm sure and aware of your capabilities, so I can safely say I trust your judgment. However, you seem to be risking a lot of things for that little intuition of yours. Am I right?"

"Yes, ma'am." She answered, gaining a newfound respect and admiration from her underrated superior.

"Good. I'd at least like a reassurance before my people go about committing their own mistakes. Now, go on and get out of my office. You will resume your post as Mr. Beatles' personal as soon as he regains consciousness from that shot Darryl gave him."

Kuki quickly scuffled out of the small, slightly suffocating office and shut the door behind her. She draped her frame on it, content and grateful. She closed her eyes and exhaled, sated that the chance to be with the perplexing Wallabee David Beatles hadn't thoroughly escaped her.

"Thank you, Ma'am Julia. I won't disappoint you."

-

Even though Julia had mentioned that she can continue her shift when Wally awoke, she granted herself some comforting pleasure by seating herself by his bedside, watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful, so different from that yelling, paranoid stranger she had seen earlier.

She idly brushed gold-russet strands away from his closed eyes, a quiet promise that she would help him, no matter what it took.

"And I won't let you down either."

-

a/n: Surprised? Yeah, well, me too. When I started this chapter, I didn't actually have an idea about where it's going. Well, if you think the chapters are too short or that the fic is going too fast, keep in mind that this was really supposed to a one-shot, so length should never be an issue. As for the 3/4 interaction, yeah, that crazy!Wally was very spur-of-the-moment, and we've got the first few tendrils of romance here. Cheerios, and if you wanna see the next update, remember to

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