It took Takao some time until he was no longer under the effect of the medicine the doctors had given him. How long had it been since Midorima left the room for the last time? Was he really sitting in the same chair for more than twenty-four hours doing nothing else but staring at his friend's face. Now that it was clear Takao was going to be alright, his worries started to fade away, but fear settled in. Even after having a long argument with that Megumi woman, it was still not certain if Takao was going to stay with him, or the black haired boy was about to be taken away.

The thought of his best friend being sent to the other end of Japan made Midorima feel so sick that he was about to throw up.

It wasn't until thirty-one hours after Midorima arriving to the hospital that Takao finally started to come to his senses.

"Shin-chan?" he mumbled and his voice sounded tired, almost as if he wasn't able to gather enough coherence to speak clearly.

Midorima inched closer and petted his hand in an awkward manner, not sure if it was alright to touch him.

"I'm here," he said lowly and bent down to hear his friend better. "Do you need anything? How are you feeling? Do you hurt somewhere? I could get the nurse to give you more painkillers..."

Even though Takao felt like crap, he managed to chuckle a little. For the first time in a long while he was able to smile genuinely. But he winced when his head started throbbing.

"Ah, I feel...fine," he said weakly and did his best to focus his eyes on Midorima's face. "I'm not dreaming, right?" Takao's eyes became sad.

Suddenly, there was fear creeping up his spine. Maybe he was dreaming of being away from home. Maybe he was about to wake up and realize that all of this, all of the warmth that surrounded him was a stupid illusion.

Midorima moved his stiff fingers to his friend's hair and stroked the dark locks slowly.

"No, you aren't dreaming," he reassured him and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I know you must feel confused, but you are in a hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Takao fought back the urge to advert his gaze. Instead, he just blinked a few times, trying to buy some time. Then he bit his lower lip and forced the words to come out of his mouth.

"N-no... what happened?" It was a lie, but he was not going to tell Midorima that he knew pretty well why he was in his current condition.

The green haired boy just shook his head and carefully rearranged the pillows so that Takao was more comfortable.

"Rest now, we are going to talk when you are discharged."

The black haired boy smiled softly and let his lids slide down. Then it hit him. It was a faint memory but it was clear enough for him to remember how he had heard voices and then a woman had said something about him leaving, being taken to a foster family... away from his friends. And Shin-chan.

Panic started taking control of his breathing and it got heavy, almost panting.

"Shin-chan," he said and pushed up to a sitting position, ignoring the ache in his arm and the pain in his head. "That woman, the one who wanted to..."

He didn't finish, choking on a desperate sob and Midorima was there, holding him close, hugging him like he was a lost and a scared child. Takao clenched the front of Midorima's shirt with his left hand, trying hard not to drown in his own feelings.

He was going to be taken away...

He was going to be taken away.

"Shhh," mumbled the green haired boy and eased Takao back onto the pillows, stroking his bandaged head gently, trying to relax his friend. "It's okay, I won't let her do it, calm down."

He wasn't exactly sure where this gentleness came from, but seeing how his slow caresses worked on Takao made him forget about it.

Blue eyes looked up, sparkling with pure fear.

"Do you promise?" he asked in a quivering tone.

Midorima nodded and sat back down, never letting go of the pale hand of his friend's.

"I promise."

"Shintarou, dear..." his mother held her hand up to her gaping mouth and Midorima's eyes darkened. "Is he...Is Takao-kun okay?"

The green haired prodigy nodded slowly and rubbed his stinging eyes. He was tired and needed desperately a few hours of sleep, but right now wasn't the moment.

"Takao is going to be fine," he stated and let his head fall back. "But there is another problem I would like to discuss with you."

His mother sat down on the other side of the kitchen table and waited until her son started the conversation. She already had a feeling about what Midorima was going to ask for, but she knew her son needed to say it out loud.

It took him a great deal of courage to speak.

"I want Takao to come live with us," he finally said and his green eyes look at his mother, radiating hope. "He is going to be taken to a foster family outside the city if we don't take him in."

Midorima Reina nodded, showing that she understood the situation. It wasn't hard for her to make a decision. She had always liked Takao since whenever the boy was around her son, Shintarou would seem happier and even maybe a little bit more social. Something no one else had achieved in a long time.

"I will talk to your father about this and we will discuss it," she said slowly, making sure that every word sunk down her son's mind. "But I think that he will agree."

Midorima looked up, his eyes full of surprise and maybe even relieve. He blinked a few times and even replayed the last couple of seconds in his mind, convincing himself that it was real.

"However," his mother held her hand up. Her face was serious. "I hope you do realize that Taka-kun would be in a delicate condition," she said slowly. "This means you will have to take care of him and make sure that he gets over every painful memory of his."

Midorima nodded again, more than happy that he wasn't going to lose his best friend.

"I hope you do understand that Takao-san needs special care," said seriously Megumi, looking directly at Midorima. She had seen enough of this kind of case to know that the best way to erase the painful memories is to put the child in an environment in which he would feel loved and calm. She had a feeling that this Midorima guy was going to be important part of Takao's recovery.

The green haired boy nodded and watched as his parents signed the papers that were going to make them officially Takao's foster family. It was funny how fast all of the arrangements were made. Not that he wanted to prolong them, god no. Midorima pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before leaving his parents and Megumi in the corridor. He entered Takao's hospital room quietly, looking at the sleeping form of his friend. He was worried.

Lately, all Takao was doing was sleep and stare out of the window as if the endless blue sky was the most fascinating thing in the world. His previous happy smile and carefree attitude were gone. And it pained Midorima to look at him and see this.

"Shin-chan?" asked a sleepy voice and Takao rubbed his eyes, trying to focus them on Midorima even though the light was too dim. "Are you still here? You should go home and get some rest."

Midorima shrugged and closed the door behind him. He switched teh lights on and walked towards his friend.

"Don't worry about me, idiot," he muttered and sat down in his chair. "Mom and dad are talking to the social worker. They already signed the papers."

Takao's eyes seemed to light up a little at this information. He smiled weakly and closed his eyes again. He wasn't that tired but he could barely handle looking at his friend right now. And sleep seemed to be the only thing that could get him the privacy he needed.

"I am grateful."

And indeed he was. Though he was scared as hell.

Sorry it took me so long to update, but school was hell this week. ;( I hope the next few days would be better thought because I barely find time even to breathe. So, I hope you liked this chapter! The next is coming up in a few days! (since it is almost finished anyway :) )