A/N: Yay for updates! Hope everyone had a lovely holiday! Enjoy the Chapter.

James was shocked. Why would someone do this to Kendall? Strong, gentle, solid, Kendall. But then James realized something: Kendall could also be stubborn, standoffish, and defensive. But was that really enough to cause someone to do something this…horrible? He didn't know.

Suddenly, something seemed to click inside James' brain. Someone had hurt Kendall. Someone had inflicted pain on his best friend-his brother. And that was absolutely not okay. While part of him wanted to seek out those miserable excuses of human beings and knock the lights out of them, a feeling of protectiveness overwhelmed him. He didn't want Kendall out of his sight, not even for a minute, never again. If he couldn't rub his arm, or whisper comforting words into his ear, then Kendall wasn't safe. No one was ever going to touch him again. Ever.

"James? You okay?" Logan's voice broke through the barrier of his thoughts.

"I can't believe someone would do this..." James whispered, eyes fixed on Kendall's bone white face.

"I know..." Logan agreed quietly.

Just as James was about to form his next sentence, people burst through the door. People that were wheeling stretchers, wielding medical tools, and wearing white. Doctors, finally, coming to help.

They advanced toward the place in the middle of the boys were huddled, gently moving Logan to the side and about to do the same to James.

Coming to take Kendall away from him.

"No! Stop it!" James cried as they pulled him off of Kendall and shoved him to the side.

As he prepared to go back, he felt a hand on his arm.

"Logan, let me go!" he protested.

"The doctors are gonna help Kendall, right James?"

James stopped struggling immediately when he heard Carlos' innocent voice. So it was Carlos who had grabbed him, not Logan.

Turning to the little Latino, he enveloped him in a warm hug.

"O-of course." he whispered, trying to convince himself of his own statement. They were doctors-it was their job to help people, right?

As the doctors lifted Kendall's near-lifeless body onto a stretcher, James saw Logan talking to one of them, and he could have sworn he saw Logan point in his direction. After what seemed like a debate, the doctor nodded, and Logan walked back to James, still looking worn and sad, but also a little triumphant.

"James, do you want to ride in the ambulance? It'll be faster and you won't have to leave Kendall." he spoke as if James was a small child.

"Sure," James replied quietly, walking to the door. As the doctors walked out, James followed, sadly waving at his friends until he turned the corner and could no longer be seen.

"W-what about me, Logan?" Carlos asked tearfully.

"Easy, Carlitos. I'll drive us there." he replied, trying to sound hopeful and somewhat upbeat for Carlos' benefit. "Come on, buddy." he helped Carlos off of the floor, grabbed his keys, and together they rushed out the door.

James hadn't been in the ambulance long, but he was already sure of one thing: he absolutely hated it. It was too cramped, too loud, and much too busy.

He sat in the back medical station section of the vehicle, which also held an overabundance doctors and medical equipment, all gathered around Kendall. In fact, they were all speaking so loudly, James had to strain his ears just to understand their lighting-fast exchanges.

"Oxygen!"

"Heart rate, check the heart rate!"

"How well is he breathing?"

"Can somebody check him for injury severity?"

These, and other medical snippets were all James could make out. The whole scene was just so loud, so insane, so jumbled, he hadn't the faintest idea of how these people could do this all the time, how they could make a life out of it. Were there supposed to be this many people? A though swam into his head, tickling his brain as he wondered, if Logan ever really did become a doctor, how he would be able to even stay conscious through a situation this chaotic.

James sighed, the feeling of nervousness creeping into his stomach again. He knew he was right next to Kendall, he knew that. Then why was he still so worried? Why was anxiety flooding him, the longer the doctors' bodies blocked his view of his friend?

Why did he feel so... cold?

James' head swam with an infinite amount of questions.

"Hon, are you alright?"

A kind voice burst through his deep thoughts, echoing through the recesses of his tired mind. He looked up to see a young nurse crouched in front of him, eyeing him worriedly. She looked to be about twenty-four. Her long, wavy auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She had twinkling light-brown eyes, which were currently filled with concern as she looked at James. Absently, he glanced at her name card.

'Mimi Bradford.'

"Can you hear me, dear?" she asked, once again jarring James out of his thoughts, and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

James nodded, meeting her eyes.

"Yes."

She grinned, looking extremely relieved, revealing her perfect teeth.

"Good," she replied, smiling. "Can you tell me your name, sweetie?"

"James. James Diamond." James didn't know why he was speaking so quietly, or why he felt so cold and numb. Maybe it was shock... Hadn't Logan said something about shock once? He couldn't remember...

"Hi, James," she said softly, her gentle hand still not leaving his shoulder. Suddenly, her expression became alarmed. "Oh, goodness, you're shaking like a leaf, do you want a blanket?" she said the words in such a soft, warm, comforting tone, that reminded James of his mother, back home in Minnesota. That alone caused him to nod, accompanied with the fact that he hadn't realized he was trembling violently.

She turned around and back within seconds, holding in her arms what James immediately deemed the most inviting blanket in the world. Cautiously, she draped it over his shoulders.

"There," she smiled softly, satisfied.

"Kendall?" he inquired quietly, hoping the sweet nurse would understand his question.

"I'm really sorry, James, but you need to leave him to the doctors now." she said, giving his arm a reassuring rub before pulling it away.

She must have seen James' face crumple in disappointment, because she was back to reassuring him a moment later.

"He'll be okay," she said softly, not giving much thought to the empty promise she'd just uttered. Noticing a small gap in the wall of medical professionals surrounding Kendall, she took the opportunity to try to comfort the distressed teen in front of her. "Sweetheart, you can go sit next to him now, if you want."

James looked up, relief flashing in his eyes, nodding eagerly. "Yes..."

He made his way quietly over to where Kendall lay, the couple doctors in the way kindly parting as they made room for the pale teenager.

James swore he could've heard his heart drop into his stomach at the sight of his friend.

Kendall was quite possibly the palest James had ever seen anyone, his dark eyelashes casting shadows under his hollow-looking eyes. Nearly dried tear tracks glistened on his colorless cheeks. A few cuts marred his smooth skin, but there weren't any severe injuries that James could see. However, Kendall was shaking. Actually, shivering was a more accurate term. His frail, injured body trembled painfully, and tiny, almost inaudible whimpers escaped the blonde's chapped lips. James felt tears well up in his eyes as he grabbed Kendall's bruised hand. He was freezing.

"Kendall, I promise you, I won't rest until you're better, until whoever did this to you can never hurt anyone again."

A/N: What did you guys think? :)