A/N: Uhh, yeah. I guess I owe you all an explanation. I've been super busy with the end of the year, and have had no motivation to write. I kinda wrote this on a whim, but I've been planning it foreverrrr. It's sort of rushed and maybe a bit OOC, but I'm sure you can understand why. I think this is going to be the last chapter, but you can definitely expect one more update, which will probably be an epilogue. No guarantees on when I'll update. Today was the last day of school but I still have three days of finals and then summer school. BUT! The reviews I've gotten for this story have just blown me away. There are so many, and they're all so kind. Thank you so much for sticking with me through all of this! I love you all!

Hours. That's how long Arthur had been in the waiting room. He had tried to sit, but gave up in less than five minutes when he received angry glares from the other people in the room. Tapping your feet isn't appreciated, apparently. He resorted to pacing; looking up at the big clock so often that it didn't seem to be moving.

Funny thing, time is. In a hospital, ticking away the seconds until any one of the patients in the building could die. For everyone who knew the person, time would seem to stop. Everything would be over. How would they go on? But time goes on. It goes on for everybody else. While people are dying, and while Arthur was desperately pacing the room, waiting for news of his friend, other people were having fun and living their lives. Doing stupid things. Arthur scowled, glancing up at the clock again.

"Mr. Kirkland?" Arthur whipped around, scowling at a nurse with a clipboard. "Please, come with me," she said, ignoring his expression. Arthur lost the scowl in favor for an expression of worry once more, and quickly followed the nurse. They walked down a hallway, turning into another hallway, until she stopped in front of a door.

"Sir, your friend is in here. I must warn you, he's not in the best condition. But he should make it." Arthur nodded impatiently. 'Should' didn't sound so positive. "His parents are in there and they wanted to talk to you."

"O-okay," Arthur said, getting nervous. He should have known Alfred's parents would have been called immediately.

"One more thing. What you did earlier was a brave thing. You saved this young man's life, and that was a very noble deed."

"W-well, he is my best friend," Arthur muttered, looking at the ground. She was right. He had saved Alfred's life.

"Why don't you go on in and check on him?" she suggested, smiling softly.

"Yes, thank you," Arthur nodded, quietly pushing the door open. Alfred's parents looked up from their son's bedside, and his mother shot up and ran over to Arthur.

"Oh, sweetheart, thank you so, so much," she said, pulling Arthur into a big hug. "I don't know what happened, and I don't expect you to tell me everything right now. I know this is hard for you too, but thank you," she said, crying into his shoulder. Alfred's father had come up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, thank you. The doctors already talked to us, but no one knows the full story. Right now, that's not important. What's important is that Alfred is okay thanks to you. We'll let you have some alone time with him now, but he hasn't woken up since he got here."

"Thank you, Arthur said quietly. "I'm sorry for everything you're going through right now," he said.

"It would be a lot worse if it wasn't for you. True, this… is probably the hardest thing we've ever had to go through, and there's still a lot to do. But thank you." Alfred's father nodded and led his crying wife out of the room.

Arthur was left alone in the dimly lit room with nothing but the sound of quiet breathing and beeping heart monitors. He looked over to the bed where his best friend was, and slowly walked over to it. Sitting down on one of the chairs, he noticed Alfred's glasses sitting on the nightstand.

Taking one look at his best friend's face, looking so young, was all it took to send Arthur to tears again. Before he knew it, small teardrops dotted the sheets, and Arthur had to wipe his watery eyes.

"God damn it, Alfred. Always doing the stupidest things. You never know what you're getting into because you never realized how much everybody loves you." He wiped his nose on his sleeve, biting back his sobs and burying his face in the sheets.

"Hey, Arthur, did I make you cry again?" Arthur's head shot up, and he looked at Alfred, whose cerulean eyes were barely open.

"Alfred?"

"Like that one time in first grade when I pushed you down a slide. Or in seventh grade, when I stole your science project." He let out a weak laugh, and Arthur just gaped at him. "Or last night, or was it a week ago…?" Alfred sighed.

"Al…"

"That wasn't my best move, was it?" he asked, closing his eyes again.

"Probably the stupidest thing you've ever done in your entire life," Arthur admitted.

"Sorry about that," Alfred whispered.

"You better be," Arthur murmured.

Alfred just hummed in response.

"Hey, Artie?" Alfred said after a long pause.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sleepy," Alfred said, hardly moving his lips. "Don't tell anyone I woke up, okay?"

"Sure, but if they find out, I don't think they'll be so happy," Arthur said tentatively.

"Oh well. Stay with me, will you?" he asked, his breathing evening out again. Slower, steadier.

"Always," Arthur whispered, his eyes never leaving Alfred's face. "You can always count on me to be here."

One week later saw Alfred being pushed out of the hospital on a wheelchair, grumbling about how he didn't need his help. Of course, his brother ignored him because when Alfred had tried to walk out earlier, he had almost fallen on the ground. No more arguments.

Arthur had hardly left the hospital, even to eat. Alfred's parents were the same, yet they left more often to get food to bring to Arthur.

It had been a quiet week. Arthur had left the room again once Alfred had woken up for a second time to give his family some privacy. Matthew had come soon after Alfred had woken up for the first time, in a full state of panic. He had been distraught that no one had called him right away.

Alfred never really spoke unless it was just Arthur in the room, but even then it was still cautious. Neither one wanted to say the wrong thing.

There was a long way to go. Both of them knew it. The road ahead wouldn't be easy, but they would make it work. After all, what are best friends for?