Kevin couldn't contain his emotions, it was all just too much. Nat was holding him contemplating something. It took about five pain-staking seconds for Nat to take Kevin outside, he didn't know what else he could possibly do to help his friend in this crisis.

It was a few minutes before Kevin calmed down but once he did Nat was there, ready to listen to everything yet again.

Kevin sighed shakily "I can't tell him….not like this...not now."

Nat nodded "Now would definitely be a bad time, I mean he is in the hospital."

Kevin looked so confused about what he should do, but at least the tears were stopping.

How would he go about telling Edd that he loved him? What would happen if he were rejected? Did Edd even like boys? It's all so frustrating.

My dork….I called him "My Dork" to Nat.

Did Kevin really think of Edd as his? He couldn't begin to ponder that question. All he knew was that now wasn't the time for all of this. Edd is laying in a hospital bed, they were both there to see Edd not cry like bitches.

Kevin looked at Nat with certainty "We came to tell Double Dork to get well. Let's go do that and make sure he's doing okay."

When they went back in they both were thrown off by the yelling coming from the shortest Ed, he looked about ready to scrap with the doctor that came in to check on Edd. Eddy was screaming something about complications.

Nat was worried, but Kevin was terrified. What was going on that Eddy was throwing such a fit?

Eddy was ballistic!

Eddy couldn't contain his anger, how could doctors be so stupid? It was ridiculous, they had one job to do and they failed at it. He should kill whoever had done this shitty job of surgery, but then again no….the doctor may be pea-brained but this doctor was the only person who could make Double D better.

Ed was demanding simple answers and getting mad at the complicated responses. He didn't understand what they were saying and with Eddy screaming at them, Ed felt like the world was crumbling.

Double D was hiding his face with the embarrassment of his friends.

After a moment Eddy had calmed down and Ed had gone to keep Double D from feeling bad by holding him in his lap in a tight hug.

Eddward Marion Vincent then realized he was the luckiest kid in the world to have such caring best friends. Oh, how he wished his parents were as supportive and caring.

The doctors and nurses that had been held up in the ruckus went back to scurrying to get to their other patients, leaving the boys to talk and comfort each other.

Ed was worried when Double D seemed to not be looking at anything, his eyes empty and straining. Double D thought he had managed to close his eyes when the blackout took over, he only realized he was mistaken when Ed cried out.

"EDDYYYY! DOUBLE D IS BROKEN!"

Eddy rushed over and asked frantically "You okay, Dee?"

Double D nodded and sighed "I simply cannot see you right now. My brain's function over my eyes has ceased until further notice."

Eddy was breathing heavily, a sign of panic. Edd thought fast to reassure him.

"Eddy, this is quite a common symptom of my tumor, no worries, I will regain sight eventually."

Ed was obviously crying but Double D could tell the big guy was trying his hardest to be brave and keep a stiff upper lip.

After a moment of silence, he hears Eddy heading for the other end of the room and a gruff mumble about getting food. Eddy didn't make it out the door before bumping into someone, however. Edd could tell that whoever it was had annoyed Eddy to no end by just existing.

Knowing this he narrows it down to either a doctor or-

Kevin's voice rang like a bell in his ears. "Sorry, man….hey dork, you doin' okay?"

Edd couldn't help but feel upset, he didn't want Kevin seeing him like this, so he sat up straight and gave a big smile.

"Greetings, Kevin. I am doing as well as I can be. I simply am having a moment of blindness."

It seemed that Kevin didn't wish to stay any longer since he was shifting from foot to foot by the door, Edd realized he had probably just come to be polite and decided to let him leave and bid him a good day. Eddward received well wishes from the redhead and listened carefully as he departed. The image of Kevin leaving could be imagined instead of the visual itself.

Such a melancholy feeling.

It felt like hours had gone by when he regained sight. It had only been a few minutes.

Edd looked around the room, blinking intensely and taking in every detail.

Eddy had returned shortly after with the escort of Double D's father. It was time to start the drugs that would put him to sleep in preparation for surgery.

Eddward Marion Vincent was not ready for another fight, but he would fight tooth and nail to keep from losing to a tumor.

That was the last thing he thought before going into his deep sleep.

There it was again.

The galaxy of stars that surrounded him.

Edd could name every constellation he saw.

He started to hear whirring and felt like gravity had increased pressure immensely.

What was this feeling?

He didn't like it.

It stopped when he wanted it to, he felt control over the world around him. Then he heard a voice, one that he couldn't recognize. A voice that knew him well.

"Edd, if you can hear me…..please hold on. You can make it through….I'm here for you...it's me-...I'm here for-...can- hear-?...Edd please-...up…."

Eddward Vincent couldn't recognize the voice.

Who was that? Why couldn't he hear all that they said?

Why was he so tired and sore?

"Wake up!"

Wake up? Was he asleep? He didn't feel like he was. Then again he could be.

But the stars were so-

WAKE UP!

Edd's eyes snapped open, he gasped for air but gagged on the tube in his throat and nose. What was happening?

He looked around and saw people he couldn't recognize. But he did recognize his mother in the corner.

Mother looks so tired and forlorn...and….older?

A short man was sobbing at his side with what seemed like tears of joy while a rather tall man wailed behind him about chicklings? Perhaps he means a chick or hatchling?

Eddward looked rather confused with the others as well. It felt as though someone was missing though, someone lost to the temporary amnesia that Edd's mind held.

AFTER TAKING OUT THE TUBES

Edd felt much better, being able to breathe on his own.

When those people came back however he realized he still only recognized his mother. He didn't want to seem rude so he greeted them as if they were friends whom he hadn't spoken with in a while.

Everyone noticed that Edd hadn't recognized them. He felt nervous and ashamed of not knowing any of the many teenagers in the room.

The short loud-mouthed teen started. "It's me, Eddy. Don't you remember me?... Dee."

Eddy seemed rather upset, but Eddward didn't know him at that moment. It would take time.

Eddward recognized his voice as the one he had heard whilst he dreamed of his lovely galaxy. Edd associated this Eddy with his echoing thoughts and the pulsing lights of stars.

The taller teen approached cautiously, he must have been rather worried with how he was looking at Edd.

Edd looked at him expectantly as that tall boy found his words.

"Double D, remember me?" He looked so hopeful but Edd just looked at him with sadness and confusion.

Eddy shook his head and sighed "He doesn't remember you, Ed. He probably can't remember any of us."

Edd looked to his lap ashamed.

Eddward's mother stood with a sigh, "That is enough, I think it would be best for him to be left alone for now. I shall inform your parents when he returns home so you may catch up then."

The kids cleared out of the room, all wearing solemn or confused looks.

Why did he not know them? Why hadn't he said anything?

Eddward looked to his mother in his time of need but found she was more exhausted than anything.

"Mother?" he started timidly.

He had caught her attention with that. She responded with a nod.

He cleared his rather dry throat and continued, "Mother, why am I in the hospital? Did we get into another car accident?...do I have another scar?"

She looked shocked, her eyes widened as she stuttered to find an answer… or rather, a question.

"How old do you think you are, Eddward?"

How old? How silly of her to ask a question like that. Perhaps she forgot his age already.

"Mother, that is the silliest question you have asked me. I'll answer you though. I know how old I am. I'm five years old!"

Her eyes blew wider than Edd thought possible as she yelled for a doctor.

Edd looked concerned but decided to look at himself. He certainly was longer than he remembered, and his hands were much longer. He lifted his blanket and saw very long legs.

"How…..how old am I?"

His mother sat by him as a doctor made his way to their room. "Eddward sweety, you are fourteen years old. You just got out of your second surgery to remove the tumor in your brain." She spoke calmly, but her words made him panic.

He was missing almost ten years of memory. They just moved to that nice cul-de-sac. He hadn't even made friends there yet and it was all gone. And a tumor?! What was his life?

The doctor talked to Eddward's mother while a nurse helped him down from his panic attack. They discussed the memory loss, saying it was most likely temporary. Eddward was sent off to do tests, scans, and to be questioned. He would be learning about his body all over again and they would be trying to stimulate his brain to try and bring the memories out of repression.

Eddward was scared.

With the Kanker's

Marie was panicked. "He can't remember anyone. He can't remember ME…..wait...He can't remember me….I have a chance again. We can start over and maybe we can be together!"

Lee smacked her on the back of her head "Shut it, Marie! That's childish talk, you know he don't swing that way. It's not fair to push yourself on him again."

Marie grumbled and rubbed where her sister cuffed her. "Yeah, I know...but you can't blame me for daydreaming….he is the only guy that I still find attractive."

May giggled "Yeah, you even have your old love poems and confessions saved from when we met them!" May made a point of waving Marie's diary in the air as she began to read one of the passages. "Oh God, what have you done to me? Heaven have mercy on me. Please keep my body from burning from the passion I crave."

She snorted and cackled as Marie chased her. Lee would have to break up yet another fight between her sisters. This is tiring, maybe I should let them kill each other.

Lee huffed and broke up the fight, begrudgingly.

Marie was holding her diary tight to her chest while May struggled with the gum now stuck in her hair.

Lee huffed, cocking her hip to the side, her fists fixed to both hips in a rather angry yet motherly stance. She wouldn't admit to it but she felt as though she had more experience mothering her two younger sisters than her own mother. She respected what her mother did for them growing up, however, she wishes she wasn't responsible at such a young age, forced to grow up before she could enjoy childhood.

Marie sighed with agitation lacing her voice "I don't need this crap, especially right now." she turned to leave the trailer for what felt like the millionth time since everything with Edd started. "If you need me, I'll be at the creek. Please give me, like, half an hour at least."

The door slammed shut as she walked away, she needed to clear her head, the diary still clutched against her chest.

Lee worried for her sister, there wasn't much they could do for her in this situation.

May felt the guilt flood her system, her mind racing, she wondered if she had gone too far.

In the cul-de-sac…

Kevin and Eddy sat side by side without fighting, they shared a sorrowful silence with the others. For once they understood the pain and could give up the pestering to respect the other.

Sarah and Jimmy were the only ones who were able to keep a steady head through it all, they managed to keep everyone together and not break from the events.

Ed was distraught, he knew what death was, he knew it all too well, but he didn't know the loss of a person who was still alive. It burned him and he couldn't figure out how to cope so he turned to his sister in his time of need.

Rolf and Johnny were sharing stories to try and break tension but it was just to comfort themselves, no one really paid attention to them.

Nat and Nazz curled up in blankets by Eddy and Kevin, there was too much sadness knowing that their friend could be gone forever and yet ever-present in their lives "like a stranger with the face of a family member" Ed had described it before.

Kevin broke the buzzing whispers "We'll be here for him, we can help him remember everything…."

Everyone sat in silence to contemplate what Kevin said, and within a few minutes, there was hope blooming in everyone as they went over different ways to bring Edd's memory back.

Kevin felt dread as his father's car pulled into the driveway at his house. "I um….I gotta go."

Everyone watched as Kevin walked towards the danger of home. His father didn't come home early often, but when he did it would be a night of avoiding his drunken father's fists.

Nat knew he'd probably be housing Kevin for the night.

…

No one saw it coming. A bruise? Sure. A broken nose? Most likely. But a bottle broken over Kevin's head as he scrambled to get away from his father who was accusing him of stealing alcohol and beer from him was the last thing anyone would think to happen.

Kevin's mother nearly beat him to death for it too, the ambulance having to take two people instead of one. Kevin's mother was most likely thinking of divorce. She had put up with his alcoholic assholery for too long and finally snapped when he hurt her baby.

She shouldn't have let him lay a single hand on him the first time but it was too late now to think of what should've been done. She was acting now, it may not mean much but it was better than nothing.

Kevin was fine, the wound he got was small but head wounds bleed A LOT so it looked worse than it was. Concussion and a small cut on his scalp were all he had to deal with, the EMTs managed to get all the broken glass out of the way so no glass had made it into his cut.

His father on the other hand was going to need some serious medical attention and Kevin's mother was fine with that, she cared about her son more.

Kevin didn't realize where he was until morning when he was to be released. It occurred to him that he could visit Edd before going home. He managed to convince his mother to let him go see his amnesic friend.

It was a short matter of finding Edd's room, the boy was getting ready to leave as well. Kevin smiled kindly as he knocked, Edd looked over with surprise and smiled in kind.

"Hey, Dee." he didn't expect a response, but Edd's confusion was still evident.

"No worries, I figured you'd still be foggy with it all. I'm Kevin, your neighbor. It's good to meet you again." he held out his hand with a patient smile.

Edd took his hand and smiled bashfully "I'm Edd, with two d's. It's nice to meet you, Kevin."

They shared a nice moment before they left, just a shake of hands and an exchange of smiles.

Kevin could be patient, he could get to know Edd and make a friend of him all over again. Or rather for the first time, it hadn't occurred to Kevin that he didn't know all that much of Eddward Vincent and that he was only friends by association.

This is fine, he could do this with Edd. They could get to know each other and rebuild the childhood now lost.