Hiya! I am so thrilled with the responses I have received that I am off to a running start on this story! ^^ Thank you guys so much! This really makes my day! This chapter like the last is Ludwig-centric!

Happy Homes and Shattered Flowers

Chapter 2: Cold rooms

I moaned. My head throbbed. I turned my face away from the light. I felt absolutely ill. This did not feel or smell like my bed. Where am I? Where is this? Why was this happening to me?

Slowly, I cracked open my eyes and met a bland grayish white wall. Or at least I think it was. My eyes refused to focus, so really it could have been any color. My chest hurt. I tried to slow my breathing. Stubbornly, my lungs attempted to suck in oxygen rapidly. I laid still for a while until my lungs finally obeyed me.

I noted that whatever I was currently laying on was rough and not to soft. Ugh. I attempted to push myself into an upright position but my arms felt weak and my body heavy. Defeated, I settled for turning my head slowly. I noticed a shape on the floor.

"Gil-bert?" My voice was soft and my throat parched. I wanted to try again but my mouth would not move. I tried to make my eyes focus and my body obey me. In my head, I raged and called his name. Could he not hear me? What if that was not him? I flew in to a state of paralyzed panic.

My heart beat sped up and my breathing with it. Dark spots danced in front of my eyes and I was out again.

When I woke this time, I was on the same slab. My eyes immediately sought out the shape on the floor. Carefully, I lifted myself into a sitting position. My head swam. I closed my eyes and concentrated upon my breathing. Once the nausea had passed, I opened my eyes and slowly made it to my feet.

Steadily I made my way over to the shape on the floor. Kneeling, I moved the blankets that covered it. Pillows. It was a lump of pillows. I frantically search the room.

"Gilbert?" Where was he? Where was Gilbert?

"Brother, this is not the time to be hiding! We are not children." I was met with a cold silence.

"Gilbert? Brother? Please! This is not funny!" I double checked all the corners and under the bed. Rationally, I knew that he could not be hiding here, this room was too small.

I sank to the floor. "Gil...bert, where are you?" I felt tears build up and drop.

I heard the door open. I turned to the door, hoping it was just Gilbert returning. I looked up at the figure. The light cloaked them and made their features hard to see. But I could tell that this was not my brother.

"Who are you?" My throat rasped.

"So you are awake?"

"Yes, I am awake. Who are you? Where is Gilbert?" My throat ached at the abuse.

"I am Sadiq. I am the head nurse for this shift. I just thought that I would come see my newest charge." Sadiq moved out of the light and I was able to see his features. He was tall and lean. Most likely muscled. Shaggy brown hair with barely a wave to it. And sharp, intelligent, but playful golden eyes stared back at me.

"Where is Gilbert?" I wiped my eyes and pulled myself up off of the floor to stare defiantly at Sadiq.

"Here at Shady Fields, we have a very comfortable policy for our charges. The major thing you need to remember is to cooperate with the staff here and you will have no troubles." Sadiq smiled, skirting my question.

I was not fooled. Not in the least. I clenched my jaw and then unclenched. "Where is my brother?" I tried again.

Sadiq moved to the door, "If you follow me, I can show you some of the facilities..." He let the sentence hang.

"Ludwig." I bit out, barely civil.

Sadiq laughed. "I can show you the facilities, Ludwig. Come along."

I followed him. The walls were all a pale blue, not the grayish white that I had first thought them to be. He was rambling on and on. Occasionally stopping to motion to a room. I could care less. I just wanted Gilbert.

I stopped in the middle of the hall. "Please. Sadiq. Where is my brother? Where have they taken him?" My voice cracked and I felt my shoulders shake.

Sadiq turned around to me and stared for a while. Slowly he walked to me, "Listen, kid. Your brother..." There was a pause, "He will be along later. They are processing him!"

I blinked through my tears. They hadn't made him leave me? "You promise?" I felt like a child. Hadn't Gilbert always told me about trusting others? I think that my brother will forgive me this once.

"Yeah, kid, I promise."

He continued my tour. Quietly and content, I followed him. I just had to wait a little while and Gilbert would be here. I did not really care where here was so long as Gilbert was here too. I know it is selfish and childish. But he really is my only friend.

"Hey, kid. This is the last stop. The commons. In here, you are allowed to read, watch t.v., speak with the other charges, or watch the birds out the window." Sadiq walked over to the window, "Down there is the court yard. If you stay on your best behavior, you will be taken out there for some sun and fresh air. And that's it. Any questions?"

I shook my head. I couldn't think of anything to ask him. "Thank you, Sadiq."

"No problem. I will be over behind the window. Just ring the bell, ok?" Sadiq pointed behind him to an adjacent wall with a thick window partitioning this room from the next.

I nodded. "Okay." I watched Sadiq leave.

For the first time in a long while, I felt awkward and alone. I look around the room and decided that the window was probably the best place to sit at the moment. I made my way to the window and sat in the black straight back chair.

"Um...'scuse me." I heard a small voice from my left. I blinked and faced the voice.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

The blond to my left cleared his throat. "I am M-math-thew. And that is my chair!"

I stared at him for a while. This was his chair? If Gilbert were here, he'd ask him where is name was on this chair. I chuckled and stood up. "Forgive me."

He seemed to ignore me and sit in the chair.

"Brother, where are you?" I mumbled turning away from Matthew and the window. I walked to the corner and sat on the floor. Hopefully no one would object to me being here. I leaned my head against the wall and sighed. Sitting there alone made me realize how much I needed Gilbert. I promise I will be better to him when he comes back. I promise.

I watched the others in the room. Matthew had not moved from the window. There was a blond with really bushy eyebrows yelling at another blond. "You stupid git! How many times do I have to tell you that if you sit there, the flying mint bunny will not have a place!"

Flying mint bunny? I did not want to know. I did not care to know. I turned my attention away from them and to the window, that housed Sadiq. I wonder what he was doing. I started to look around again and met a pair of golden brown eyes and a sour frown. Startled, I slammed my head against the wall.

"Who are you?" He asked roughly.

"I am Ludwig and you are?" There was no reason to be rude after all.

"Me? I am Lovino. What did you do?"

I blinked that was a strange question. What did I do? "I am not sure I know what you mean?"

He sighed, clearly annoyed. He sat on the floor in front of me, making me pull my legs up to my chest. "What did you do to get sent here?"

"I did not do anything. I am not sure why I am here. Where ever this is." I answered, wrapping my arms around my legs. I was not sure why, but I was a little afraid of Lovino.

"You are not sure, huh?" He grinned. I decided I did not like his grins. Unlike Gilbert's, Lovino's were scary and promised painful things. "Do you know why I am here?", he whispered.

"No, I do not." After all, I had just met him. How could I?

"They say that I killed my father. They say that I skinned him alive and watched him die."

I nearly choked on my tongue. How was that possible? To skin a loved one and watch them die? I stared at him. I saw his eyes lose the fire they carried.

"But I didn't." He stared straight into my eyes. I wanted to look away. He looked so sad. I believed him. I did not know him, but I believed him. "My brother, Feliciano, did. But no one believes me."

"W-why not?" I whispered back.

"Because sweet, innocent, naive, talented Feliciano would not hurt a fly! So he sobs and tells them that I went nuts and killed him and they believed him. Everyone does. No one believed in me, ever! " He turned his face away from me. But I had saw the tears. I went to reach for him but he had run away.

I felt horrible. I wanted to run after him but I could not bring myself to. I did not know where he had gone. When I see him again, I will apologize. Feeling emotionally drained, I made my way over to the window where Sadiq was. I rang the bell once. Sadiq's head popped up.

"What is it, kid?"

"I want to go back to my room, please."

"One moment." He disappeared for a moment and reappeared next to me. "Let's go."

I followed him back to my room. I did not know why I was here. Could someone have lied on me, like Lovino? Why did the doctor tell me that Gilbert was dead? I frowned.

"Here you go, kid. I won't lock you in. But you can if you want. Someone will be by around dinner time, if you don't come out by then." Sadiq patted my shoulder and turned to silently go back the way that we had come.

I locked the door. Slowly, I went and sat on the floor against the wall parallel to the door. I did not understand any of this. I did not understand why my grandfather sent me here. I did not understand the other 'charges'. I did not know understand why I needed a nurse. I was not sick. Why was Gilbert taking so long?

"Brother, please hurry back." I whispered. I was met with silence again. Hugging my knees, I cried.