A/N: Sorry this chapter's a little shorter than the rest. I promise I'll make the noext one longer. As usual, enjoy, and please review with constructive crit if needed.

Kai was alone in the waiting room, save for the night shift receptionist. It was coming up to 2 o'clock in the morning, and the hospital itself was nearly empty. Only a few nurses were around, running in and out of the operating room with supplies in hand. All Kai could do was wait. He'd occasionally hear a surgeon shouting something whenever a nurse fled the room and flung the OR doors open, but otherwise, there was silence. Kai rest his chin on his hands and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

-2 Agonizing Hours Later-

Kai had fallen asleep on his hands when the nurse came into the waiting room. She gently shook his shoulder and he drowsily woke.

"Mr. Hiwitari?"

Kai perked up a little at the mention of his name. "Yes?"

"You brought Mr. Kon here, didn't you?"

Kai nodded, biting his lip in anticipation.

The nurse breathed in gently. "He's stable."

Kai almost leapt from his seat. The nurse sensed this and held him down by the shoulder. "I'm afraid I can't let you in to see him yet. The doctors haven't quite finished settling him into a room."

Kai nodded in understanding, and slumped back in his seat. The nurse sat down next to him. "I'm Joy, by the way. I'll be seeing to Mr. Kon during his stay in the hospital."

"Then call me Kai."

Nurse Joy nodded, before returning her look to her clipboard. She unclipped a small bag from it and held it up. "We found this embedded in Mr. Kon's skull. Do you know what happened?"

Kai looked at the bag and visibly paled. Inside was a single, small bullet. He'd had suspicions that Rei had been shot, but now it was confirmed... It was scary. "No, I don't. We were burgled, so I assume that the robbers were responsible. I came back to the apartment to find Rei in the state as he was when I brought him in."

The nurse was frantically scribbling down this information, before ripping off the sheet and handing it to Kai. "If you could just check I've got all that down, then sign near the bottom. I'll hand this in to the police as your statement."

Kai checked the sheet of paper, scanning the nurse's barely legible scrawling before taking the pen from her hand and signing the sheet, handing it back to her.

"Thank you Kai." A doctor appeared at the entrance to the ward and nodded to the both of them. "Okay, he's ready." The nurse got up and offered Kai her hand. He took up, lifting himself from the seat and almost running through the double doors, just catching the doctor shout "Room 405!" from behind him. He lifted a thumbs-up to him before slowing down at a sign on the wall with room numbers on it.

"405... 405... There it is." Kai pointed at a room on the map not far from where he was now. He turned the corner and walked down the corridor, watching the numbered doors as he passed them. He came across number 404 and turned his head. Opposite this door was room 405. He slowly walked up to it and knocked carefully. The door opened and a doctor stood before Kai.

"Mr. Hiwitari?"

Kai nodded, and the doctor let him pass. "Mr. Kon is still unconscious, but his breathing is normal, as is his heart rate. The bullet was only half an inch from penetrating his brain, and his body shut itself down from the sheer loss of blood. We transfused more into him, and his condition has since returned to stable, if only just. Incidentally, it was your blood we received from the bank."

"Was it? I didn't know we matched blood type..."

"Apparently so. We estimate he'll wake up within the next hour or so, so feel free to wait in here. I'll ask a nurse to bring you a drink. Would you like a coffee or something?"

Kai took a seat next to the bed. "That'd be nice, yeah. Sugar and milk, please."

The doctor nodded, and quietly left the room. Shortly after, a younger man arrived at the door.

"Hi there, I'm the surgeon who operated on Mr. Kon. I just want to check with you that everything's okay." He held out his hand, and Kai took it, shaking vigorously.

"Thank you so much for what you've done. I can't express how much it means to me." Kai could feel tears at his eyes, and he swiftly brushed them away.

"It's no problem. I'm glad he pulled through." Here the surgeon glanced at the sleeping form on the bed. "Has the doctor explained the situation?"

"Yes, he has."

"Okay then. I'll leave you alone."

"Thanks again...?"

"Kenny."

Kai nodded. "Thanks Kenny."

The surgeon nodded, and left the room. Kai sat down beside the bed again. He looked over, and Rei's forehead was wrapped thickly in bandage, still stained with blood in places. He took Rei's hand, and squeezed it gently, feeling the warmth in him again.

"I love you Rei..."

-And So... Our Hero Awakens-

Rei stirred in the bed, groaning in pain. Kai immediately sat up, gazing at him.

"Rei, you there?"

Rei lifted his arm, just a little, signalling to Kai, who sighed

"Thank heavens for that. Can you talk?"

Rei breathed in, deeply. "Just about."

Kai smiled, walking to the bedside and taking hold of Rei's hand again. There was a faint knock on the door, before a nurse opened it with a small mug of coffee.

"I thought I'd bring you another cup, Mr. Hiwitari."

"Oh, thank you Nurse Joy."

Joy placed the cup down on the small table near the door "How is he?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

Both Kai and Joy turned to the bed. Rei was adjusting his position so he could sit up. The nurse smiled warmly, and Rei smiled back.

"How are you feeling Mr. Kon?"

"A little stiff and I ache, but apart from that, I feel okay."

The nurse nodded. "Glad to hear it. I'll call a doctor in soon to check the bandaging on your head. But for now, I'll leave you two to talk." She left the room, giving a small bow before doing so.

Kai sat on the edge of the bed, and Rei slid away a little to give him more room.

"You nearly didn't make it, you know." Kai rubbed his arm gingerly.

"I didn't?"

"No, you lost a hell of a lot of blood. They gave you some of mine."

"Huh?" Rei sat up further, peering round to try match Kai's gaze.

"We match blood types apparently. And I've been donating for almost 5 years." Kai gripped his arm a little, and Rei placed his hand over Kai's.

"Coincidence."

"Maybe."

The doctor arrived, and unwrapped the bandages around Rei's head. He inspected the stitching carefully, before applying a small antiseptic pad over them.

"They should heal within about a week. I'd like you to keep replacing the pad every day though." He handed a dozen of the pads to Kai, who swiftly pocketed them.

"Thanks."

The doctor nodded and left the room. Kai walked to the table to take a drink of coffee. As he did, he heard a dull thump from behind him. Putting the cup back down, Kai spun round. Rei had fallen back, and hit the wall with the back of his head. He was now slumped against the head of the bed, eyes shut.

Shit.

Kai rushed to the bedside, immediately feeling Rei's neck for a pulse. It was still there, although even he could tell Rei had fallen unconscious, and his wound was seeping blood. His eyes darted around the room, searching for the button. He found it on the wall, red and with a small picture on it. He slammed his palm onto it, sounding the alarm. A pair of doctors rushed into the room.

"What's happened?"

"He's hit his head on the back wall. He's unconscious, and the wound has reopened."

One of the doctors immediately went to search the wound. "Yeah, it's been jolted apart by the impact. We'll have to get him back into the OR." He nodded to the other doctor. "Call Kenny."

The other doctor left the room, running down the corridor. He returned a few minutes later with the surgeon Kenny in tow.

Kai glanced at him with a pleading look. Kenny caught his gaze. "I'll do the best I can. I've fixed him once."

CLIFFHANGER! =O