Here it is! The final chapter. This story could have gone many places, but I tried as best I could to stay true to my original goal of focusing on Alan and Fermat. Thank you to everyone for your patience and your reviews. I'll see you again very soon!

Boann

"Alan?" someone murmured gently into his ear. Oh yeah, he thought. I'm supposed to be awake.

Pulling back the curtains over his eyes, he found himself looking upon a familiar face.

"Scott."

Alan's first reaction was to say his brother's name but it didn't quite make it from his dry mouth. His brother seemed to understand, though, and despite the wires and monitors around himself being effective obstructions, Alan was enveloped in an awkward, but sincere hug. His Dad held his hand and smiled in a way Alan hadn't seen him smile in a long time. It revealed an exhaustion overcome with relief.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?" Jeff softly told him.

Alan didn't miss the glassiness of his father's eyes, nor the dark cloud behind Scott's glance at his words.

Too tired to question his brother's glare, Alan merely nodded at his father. It had been an interesting 24 hours, or so he had been told. When he had woken earlier that day, he had been greeted by Dr Quaid, who had been in the middle of an examination. The first thing that Alan noticed was that he was no longer in his cubicle, rather a clean, quiet room filled with monitors. Dr Quaid, had obviously noticed his confusion and had kindly explained to him the events that had occurred.

"I've got to hand it to you, Alan, you've done very well," he had said with a smile. "But no more surprises, okay?"

Alan hadn't really been coherent enough to understand what the doctor had meant. He had been more occupied with the tube rammed down his throat, to be honest. But after that had been removed, Dr Quaid had offered the chance to see his family, which was appreciated. Alan had tried to stay awake after Dr Quaid had disappeared, but what he presumed to be the effects of anaesthesia were reluctant to disappear. Immediately after he'd closed his eyes however, he had been shaken awake by Scott.

Alan felt like he'd been squashed to a pulp as his body started to regain awareness, but that didn't stop his thought processes. His thoughts settled on a particular subject.

"Where's Fermat?"

He must have unconsciously interrupted what looked like Dr Quaid's briefing on his condition, but he wasn't too bothered by his own rudeness.

Scott rubbed his shoulder. "He's fine, Alan."

Then why isn't he here? Doesn't he want to see me? Oh God, does he hate me for what I said to him? I didn't mean it! I've gotta tell him…

His body must have been reacting to his thoughts, because Jeff and Scott's gentle touch became a firm grip.

"Alan," his father's voice grabbed his attention. "Don't put yourself through this again, alright?"

Alan was slightly confused by his father's words, but Scott immediately stepped in. "Just relax. You'll be able to see Fermat in a moment, okay?"

Focused on his brother's face, Alan nodded and relaxed. He rested his head to one side, murmuring, "Can you get him?"

To his right, his father sighed. Alan had a feeling he was pushing his luck, but he refused to let anything distract him from what he had to do.

"If you get him, I'll do it myself," he said, his voice strengthening.

Scott's hand increased the pressure on his arm, as if he was preparing to hold him down, but his effort wasn't needed. Jeff nodded. "Stay here," he quietly ordered, exiting through the door followed by Dr Quaid.

Alan sighed with contentment, turning his attention to his older brother. "So," he said. "What's up with you and Dad?"

Scott's surprise was noticeable. "What do you mean?"

You're not the only one who can pull off the mother hen act, Alan thought, replying, "You guys seem tense, like you do when you've had a fight."

Scott averted his gaze, busying himself with stroking Alan's hand. "It's nothing," he sighed. "Just butting heads."

Alan gave him a look he hoped would show that he was unconvinced, but Scott remained silent. They sat there together for a short while, before the door opened and Fermat wheeled himself in. The boy-genius's smile stretched past his face.

"Alan!"

"Hey, Brainiac."

From the doorway, Jeff and Brains smiled. "We'll give you some space. Will you be okay?"

Alan nodded as Jeff, Scott and Brains left.

As soon as he and Fermat were alone, butterflies began dancing in his stomach. But he knew what he had to do.

"We've had an interesting week, huh?" he said.

Fermat rested an arm on the bed. "You could say t...t...yes," shifting in the wheelchair.

"How are you?" Alan asked, noticing that his friend had not yet banished the contraption.

Fermat smiled. "Good. The doctor says I can leave t...t...the day after today," he said.

Alan's smile was genuine. "That's good."

The silence that followed did nothing to ease the awkwardness, so in the end Alan blurted out, "I'm sorry."

Fermat looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Alan looked down. "On the bus, I said some things that...they weren't fair," he admitted. "And they weren't true," he finished, meeting Fermat's gaze.

Fermat smiled sheepishly. "Me too," he said. "What I said about your family..."

"It's okay," Alan assured him. "I guess we both acted like jerks when really...the truth is...I couldn't do anything without you."

"Don't be silly Alan, we both have our a...a...different personalities," Fermat told him. "We actually have a tendency to bounce off each other really well."

"And argue really well, too," Alan smiled, which gained a laugh from Fermat.

Alan was uplifted by his friend's laughter, and soon he could only join in, before wincing. But the pain didn't matter. Fermat's hand closing around his own was enough to make him realise what he had.

TBTBTBTBTBTB

The next week, Alan was being pushed in a wheelchair of his own out of the hospital, where Fermat was waiting for him outside. "Welcome b...b...is it good to be out of there?" asked his friend.

Alan sighed and stretched dramatically. "You bet!"

From behind him, his father said, "Easy, sprout. You're not ready to run any triathlons yet."

"But how awesome is it that I get out just in time for the end of term? No school!" Alan grinned.

"That reminds me," Fermat perked up. "I took the liberty of going to all our teachers for you. They've all given me some work for you to do to catch up. I t...t...assure you the essay we had to do for geography was so fascinating!"

Alan could only groan.