You may have seen this chapter already, previously titled 'Chapter Six'. If you have please ignore it.

Chapter Seven

I go and see Tails.

It's been six weeks since I started looking for Sonic. And I have been looking. I actually stooped to working with the Chaotix. He had a cellphone but after our little chat he must have started using a different number because the one we had was disconnected soon after. The Chaotix told me he even vanished from Facebook, which was not an easy thing to do as he had over five hundred million friends. But apart from a general idea of the area where Sonic could be, and probably no longer is, we have lost him again.

Why haven't I been to see Tails? I don't want to tell him that I haven't found Sonic yet. His dad can't be getting any better or he would have called me to cancel the deal. And to hear that Sonic is still AWOL is not going to help.

But I'm the only one he's got right now. So I reluctantly catch the last train out of the city to the hospital.

I'm not close enough to 'family and friends' to actually go in to see Amadeus, so Tails has to leave his dad to come talk to me. "I don't mind," he says when I apologize. "He's only sleeping anyways."

"So how's he doing?"

Tails breathes in. "He's…doing. He's in a private room now."

"So not very well."

"No."

People think I'm insensitive because I just ask things, straight up, instead of try to ask them nicely, with gentle words and all that. But if the news is harsh what's wrong with just getting to the point?

"What are his chances?"

"They won't tell me."

"So not too great."

Tails shakes his head. He looks at the floor and grimaces a little, then sits down on the floor. I sit down with him.

"I don't know what to do, Knuckles. I mean, there's nothing I can really do to help. If anything I'm probably making it worse."

"How's that?"

"Well when he…when he can' t breathe and I'm scared and he knows it, how does that help? Doesn't it just make trying to breathe even worse?"

"I guess."

Tails puts his head between his knees.

"Oh Knuckles…I wish…if only…"

"I'm trying," I say. "But he really doesn't want to be found."

"I'm sorry if I'm making you feel bad. I know you're doing your best. But I…I don't think I've ever needed him so much before."

"Tails…there's something I didn't tell you."

He looks at me sideways.

"Like what?"

"We almost found him."

"You did?"

Oh God Tails, why do you have to look so hopeful right now?

"Well, we lost him again. But…I talked to him on the phone."

"What did he say?"

"He…"

Why did I bring this up?

"He said that he didn't know who I was, didn't know who Sonic was, said I was lying when I said his best friend's dad was dying, and…"

I know Tails has never seen me fail so much for words. But I don't want to tell him this. Even if he needs to hear it.

"He said he didn't know who you were."

I have never seen someone look so sad or so disappointed.

"Thanks Knuckles."

"I'll keep trying—"

"No. No, don't bother. Let him get on with his new life. Leave him alone. I'll figure this out. I'll get through this. Don't worry about it anymore. Just…give it up. I don't care anymore."

He gets up and goes back to his dad.

Man.

What I wouldn't give to be Sonic right now.

I get up and stretch a little, then head out of the place.

I'm going to keep looking. I'm gonna keep trying.

I know Tails didn't mean what he said. He's just trying to make it all hurt a little less.

The thing is, I don't know the same thing about Sonic. If he doesn't even call himself Sonic anymore…that would mean he really disconnected himself from his old life.

I'll keep trying.

Sonic is a jerk, I know that and I've always known that, but he has a heart as well. I've seen him do things for people that I don't understand why he did. He can't really disown Tails. He can't.

Can he?