A/N v.2: Almost done! You shouldn't have to suffer too much more. ;) Mello may be a bit OOC this chapter, so bear with me, yeah? Happy reading! :)
Chapter 8
"Matt!" screamed Mello, rushing to his side, dropping his chocolate bar in the confusion and not caring. "No! You can't be f***ing dead, Matt! Dammit, you can't be dead!" He felt around Matt's neck frantically, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt a pulse. It was faint, but at least it was there. Satisfied that Matt was alive, Mello turned his gaze on Kal, whose smirk had finally dropped. Mello instantly replaced his look of grief with one that spelled Kal's long and painful death.
"What the f*** were you thinking? You could have killed him!"
"Well, that was kind of the point. But I didn't know he was yours, Mello, or I wouldn't've shot him. I wouldn't want to hurt your precious boy toy, now do I?" Kal replied with a sneer.
Mello felt more anger than he thought possible when Kal insulted Matt. "Don't you ever say that," Mello growled. "Not f***ing ever!" Wanting the other man to feel as much pain as possible, Mello picked up Matt's gun and shot Kal in the groin. "Go f*** yourself, you son of a bitch!"
Ignoring the older man's pain-filled screams, Mello threw Matt over his shoulder and ran out of the room. He threw Matt in the backseat of a truck and jumped in. He pressed the gas pedal to the floor and gunned it all the way to the hospital, fervently hoping the entire way that it wasn't too late.
The moment Mello pulled in, he was grabbing Matt and rushing him inside. Lady Luck was on his side and Matt was immediately rushed into surgery. They still had all of 'Matt's' forms on file, so Mello didn't have to fill them out again. Instead, he sat in the uncomfortable hospital chairs, anxiously awaiting news of Matt's injury. He had almost reached to point of barging into the OR and demanding answers when the young doctor—Dr. Matsuda, Mello remembered—came out to talk to him.
Dr. Matsuda wore a worried yet disapproving expression. "I thought I told you to keep him out of trouble," he said sternly. Mello just glared at the floor, and the doctor sighed. "We've done all we can. The bullet just barely missed his vital organs, so he won't die. But he may not make a full recovery, either, and he'll always be a little weak. Would you like to stay here again?" Mello nodded numbly and allowed the doctor to lead him to Matt's room, glaring at his shoes the entire time.
'It's all my fault!' he yelled at himself. 'I shouldn't have been so flippant, I should have followed him immediately, I should've apologized, something! It's all my fault; if I hadn't joined the mafia, if I hadn't set that exercise, if I had made sure he was safe, if I hadn't listened to that abso-f***ing-lutely stupid voice, he would be okay. It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my f***ing fault!'And he repeated this like a mantra, albeit a very self-deprecating one, all the way to Matt's room.
When Mello got inside, he froze. The words "Oh my God" escaped his lips in a flutter of breath. Matt's torso was completely wrapped in gauze and he had an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. There were several tubes hooked up all over his body, and several monitors in the room beeped incessantly. He looked like he was on his deathbed. With a start, Mello realized that Matt had come within an inch of that statement actually coming true. "Oh my God," he whispered again. He felt himself walk forward to Matt's side, almost as if he was in a dream. But no matter how many times he blinked, no matter how many times he pinched himself, Matt stayed firmly in front of him. It finally hit him that Matt could have died.
In the last week, Mello had cried more than he had in his entire life. And now he cried again.
Two days later, Matt regained consciousness. True it was only for a couple of seconds, and he slipped away almost immediately, but it was a start. In fact, it was more than anybody hoped for, because he woke up to say just one word:
Mello.
Of course, Mello was sitting right next to him, like he had been for the past two days. The moment Matt spoke, he was right there, assuring him that yes, I'm here and not to worry, you'll make a full recovery, because if you don't, I swear I'll find you and kick your ass! Sadly, Matt slipped away before he could hear these not-so-comforting words. Then the nurses were there and Mello was kicked out and didn't get a chance to go back in until the next day.
A couple days after that, he opened his eyes for the first time. Obviously, the first thing he focused on was Mello. He adopted a neutral expression. "Mello," he whispered, trying to be threatening. "You almost got me killed, you bastard!" And Mello was so scared that he wouldn't ever be forgiven, that Matt was going to leave him again, but then Matt cracked a shaky smile. "But then you saved me, so it's all good." Mello almost cried for joy. Almost. But Matt's eyes hardened and Mello grew fearful again. "We need to talk," he said. "I'm too damn tired right now, and there'll probably be a shitload of nurses here in a second, but just you wait. Don't think you're safe yet!" And he fell asleep within seconds, just missing the wave of nurses he had predicted would come.
And Mello did shed a few tears of joy then, even if he wouldn't admit it, because he knew Matt would be alright. He wouldn't have bothered threatening Mello otherwise.
After that, Matt's recovery progressed in leaps and bounds. Within a week he was able to stand up and walk a few feet. A week after that, he was able to walk normally, though he still wasn't strong enough to run. He was discharged a few days later, with strict instructions not to participate in any activities more strenuous than walking up the stairs. As Dr. Matsuda said, "Next time you're in here, if it's any earlier than six months, I'm charging double the cost! I can't treat my patients if they won't treat themselves!"
Mello was always at his side, like some sort of guardian angel, ironically enough. 'Or a guilt-ridden teenager trying to fix his idiotic mistakes,' Matt amended. In fact, it was getting a little annoying, but Matt didn't have the heart to tell Mello that, for fear it would drive him away.
Eventually, Matt made as much of a recovery as he ever would. He was finally able to stop Mello's mother-henning (which, frankly, was so out of character for Mello that it was slightly unnerving).He started to participate in normal activities again, and when he was suitably self-sufficient, he made a decision. It was time to have that nasty talk he had promised Mello so many weeks ago in the hospital.
"Mello!" he called, walking through their apartment. Mello had rented it a few days before Matt had been released. Mello had justified it as making it easier to care for Matt. Matt just thought Mello wanted an excuse to live with him. It had two bedrooms, although they only ever used one, a bathroom, a small kitchenette, a family room, and a small study. Overall, it radiated a warm feeling of coziness.
"Mello!" Matt called again, surprised when he wasn't met by a loud "What the f*** do you want!" in return. He frowned, his brows knitting together adorably, as he realized the apartment was quieter than normal. He quickly searched all the rooms again, confirming what he already suspected. Mello was missing.
