wolf's lament: Thank you. Nancy's and Matt's relationship always seemed stressed and more difficult in the show, if I remember correctly. I am pleased that everyone is following and understand their relationship I am trying to reveal. I asked Broken Angel if I could borrow the name because I like the character the name became. Thank you.

miss.Understood wench I am trying my best to continue all of my stories. This one is still fresh and fun so there will be more chapters coming up. Beside, as long as I keep this up, Piper is going to keep up the story I am interested in.

Curtis Zidane Ziraa LOL. Thank you so much for your review. It means a lot to me.

Inner Beauty: Thank you for your encouraging review! Matt always seem to try and fight with his own emotions. I am trying to slowly make him break away from being completely with drawn from his family and friends. Baby steps for him.

Broken Angel01: I have read so many stories where Hiroaki seemed uncaring and a workaholic. I always believe that Hiroaki cared deeply for his sons and that he may have been burnt more by Nancy then the boys. I know I am making Nancy seem like a bitch sometimes but I am hoping that I will make her out to be a caring mother, just one that made a mistake that she couldn't heal with a motherly kiss. His French grandparents seemed amusing! Well their grandfather but if I recall correctly, their grandmother was fixing a roof top, no? His father's mother seemed very amusing but either because she heard what she wanted to or her hearing was off. I made her hearing off, I will put more of her in later chapters.

manga girl 08: Aw, such a sweet review! Thank you so much. I believe you will all find the more sentive side of matt that he hides so well.
2006-08-10
FallenArchangelDD: Thank you. I always admire my brother and father's bond they hold. I tend to add that in with Matt and his father. You take what you know sometimes and put it in your stories. You will find that most stories have a part of the author's soul bared for all to read within their stories.

JyouraKoumi My personal fan! Glad you took time to read this chapter too, JyouraKoumi!

Digi-Girl101: I hope this wasn't too long of a period of updating. I am trying to keep up with my other stories. I so want to finish the one.

onlyaname: Good point! How will it effect them? I'm not telling, you'll just have to keep reading! They will get together. I'm not sure how much of "together" they'll get but they will be moving towards it, I can promise you that.

Stained In Negativity: Aw thank you. You must have a very lively grandparents! I hope you will be updating soon in one of your own stories and I am very curious about the one in the making!

After yet another day with his grandparents, Matt collapsed on the bed in a state of exhaustion. Retirement did his grandparents wonder, they had energy to do everything they could think of doing. Matt talked his grandmother out of parachuting and into something safer, like a hot air balloon. He enjoyed the ride tremendously, the feeling of being up so high, alone in the sky. Tk however hurled several times on the ride. After the balloon ride, the boys joked about where his vomit had landed and if there was a poor bystander that may have dealt with the effects of Tk's airsickness.

His grandfather did not hesitate to pull him aside and lecture him about his rude behaviour the several nights ago when he walked away from his grandmother. Matt knew he would have simple broken free from his grandfather's grasp and walk away but he respected them and he amused them as they spoke to him.

Tonight, all Matt wanted was to seek his bed and never wake up. He laid sprawled face down on his bed, listening to the clock beside his bed tick softly, a heartbeat of time. His eyes grew heavy as sleep over took him. He wasn't sure how long he was sleeping when he heard the sound of glass breaking. In his sleeping mind, the noise sounded far off. He moaned and turned onto his back, keeping his eyes close.

"Dad?" Matt called out. He waited, trying to ward off sleep.

"Dad?" He called out again, still in between sleep and waking up. "Do you need help cleaning that up?"

Once again, Matt started to drift off to sleep and he had to jerk himself to a sitting position. He swung his legs over the side and waited until his eyes focused. The clock still confirmed that he should still be sleeping soundly in his bed. Matt yawned and pushed himself off the bed. He slowly walked into their living space, softly touching the light switch and blinking back the sudden brightness.

"Dad?" He frowned as he stared at the empty apartment. Slowly Matt walked around the sofa to have a look in the kitchen. His eyes grew large, sleep fleeing his mind as he saw his father face down on the floor.

"Dad!" Matt ran over to him, turning him on his back. "Dad?" Matt pleaded with his father, trying to shake him awake. When he realise he was not doing anything to help his father, he let him go and fought the need to cover his face in his hands. Instead, he reached for his father's cell phone to call for emergency help.

Matt glanced around the emergency room as more people poured in. Everyone waited for news, lost in their own sorrow as they worried about their loved ones. Women and men faces were tearstain but they no longer care to try to hide the salty drops. Their pain was too great to worry about others. Matt felt the same. He was in a crowed room but he felt alone.

He wanted to call someone to wait with him, someone to share his pain but he did not know whom to call. He did not want to worry Tk or his grandmother until he knew what was going on. His mother's parents were in bed and he felt this was not their place. Hiroaki was not their son. He even attempted to call his mother but quickly changed his mind. Matt tried his friends but it was too early for anyone to be up, so either they ignored the ring or simple kept their cell phones off hook. He didn't want to call their home telephone because he didn't want to wake up their parents. So instead, he waited alone.

Matt looked up as a doctor approached him. He found his strength to rise in the presence of the doctor that now stood before him.

"Are you here alone?" The doctor asked and waited for Matt's reply. Matt nodded his head, feeling childish in the older man's presence.

"Is he okay?" Matt asked hoarsely.

"Yes. Why don't you walk with me?" The doctor put his arm around Matt's shoulder and led him out of the waiting room. They walked a moment in silence towards the room that now held his father.

"We are running a few tests to rule out some of alternatives. I do believe we won't find the problem in those test."

"What's wrong with him?" Matt felt his eyes burning as he fought back more tears.

"Your father is overworked. I warned him about this before but he is a stubborn man."

"Before?" Matt stopped in the hallway, his father's bed in sight.

"His annually check ups. His body just could not keep up with him any longer and in a matter of speaking, shut down to recuperate. This time it wasn't anything serious but next time and could be what you and I both feared when the paramedics wheeled him in here tonight."

"What do we do?" Matt asked.

"He needs time off from work. I'll give his work a call and let them know that I will not give him permission to return to work for at least three weeks."

"Three weeks?" Matt turned towards the doctor.

"I would make it shorter but I don't see any reason to do so. You have income that you can loan your father during this time. You two aren't hurting for money, so I see no reason to rush him back to work."

"It isn't the money but he won't stand for it. How can I keep him home that long?"

"It won't be just you. His office cannot allow him back with out my permission. Their insurance holds them accountable if they do and they won't want to chance that."

"Three weeks then." Matt nodded his head as he looked in at his father.

"It wouldn't hurt for him to quite smoking either."

"I've tried before to get him to stop." Matt shook his head.

"Don't give up on that. For now, he needs rest. A lot of rest and good food. No more of that ordering out." The doctor scribbled on his clipboard. "We'll keep him here for a day or two. I want to make sure the entire test come back negative. When he does go home, I will send some medication to help him sleep. It won't be strong but in his condition it will be enough."

Matt nodded his head again.

The doctor studied the boy beside him for a moment before sighing, "Matt is there anyone I can call for you?"

"No. I'm fine." Matt gave the doctor a weak smile and walked into the room. As quietly as he could, Matt pulled a chair up to his father's bed.

Joe walked quietly in the room, finding Matt asleep in an uncomfortable position on a hospital chair. The older boy glanced at Hiroaki sleeping form as he moved towards Matt. He gave Matt a slight tap on the shoulder, pulling the younger boy out of sleep. Matt touched his father's chest lightly to feel the soft raise of his chest to ease his mind that everything went well while he slept.

Joe nodded towards the door for Matt to follow him. Matt took a double look at his father before he rose from the chair and walked out into the hospital's hallway.

"What are you doing here?" Matt asked.

"Why didn't you call, Matt?" Joe asked.

"It was late and I didn't want to bother anyone."

"To bother us? Hell, if it were any of us you would be in here in a split second. We will do the same!"

"I know and it was late so…"

"Damn it Matt." Joe wanted to shake some sense into him. "You don't have to go through this kind of thing by yourself. No one should!"

"How did you even know?"

"Someone saw you and knew that my father had a son who knew the famous Ishida." Joe smiled briefly. "Dad told me that you were here with your father. Geez, Matt."

"The doctor doesn't think it is anything serous, just Dad over did it."

"But you didn't know that when you were sitting in the waiting room, did you?" Joe hissed. "And what about your brother? Don't you think he's going to freak out once he finds out about this?"

"But it isn't anything. The doctor said once Dad gets some bed rest…"

"Matt. Think about it." Joe cut him off. "Did you know what was wrong with him when you sat in the waiting room?"

"No. but…"

"No. That's right you didn't. What did you think was wrong with him?"

"I don't know. I guess a heart attack." Matt said so softly Joe had to focus on his voice.

"What if that was the case. What if tonight was all your bother had to be with him? Would you rob him of that?"

"No. It wasn't like that. I mean," Matt leaned against the wall and sunk down to the floor. "I wasn't sure of anything except that I might lose him, Joe."

"I know, Matt." He knelt down beside Matt.

Matt crossed his arms over his knees, tears finally falling down his face.

"Hey I'm sorry. You had a rough night and here I am lecturing you." Joe spoke softly. "The worse is over now. Your dad is doing great and probably be waking up in a few hours."

Matt wiped the tears from his face, only offering Joe a nod of his head.

"Hey, I'll go down stairs and get you something to drink."

"Would you call Tk for me?" Matt looked up at him hopefully. "I um.."

"Sure. I'll explain everything to him." Joe gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll call Tai up so he can get you home for some rest after you spent some time with your father."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me, Matt. You keep forgetting that I am only doing what any friend would do."

Ishida