Hey guys, sorry for the slight wait, I had writers block (ugh) for a few days, I originally wrote up two endings to this chapter and picked one, this being the one I liked best so I decided to roll with it. I hope you guys like it, and please leave a review, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are awesome.

Ch 21

Cartman loomed over Kyle as he flipped open and closed his switchblade. "It's brand new. Very sharp. You're the first one I'll have pleasure of using it on." Cartman showed how sharp it was by cutting his thumb on it. Blood dripped down onto Kyle's cheek. "See?"

Stan heard the commotion and sat up quickly, his eyes snapping open. As a result of sitting up hurriedly, Stan hissed in pain. "Fuck!" the pain throbbed in his side. Cartman whipped his head around to glare at Stan.

Cartman smiled. "Hello, Stan. I was just showing Kyle how sharp my new switchblade is. You wanna see?" Cartman let go of Kyle and lunged for Stan, knocking him down. The breath was knocked out of Stan's lungs. Stan tried to gasp for air, but ended up groaning in pain. He had landed on his injured side. "Get up!" Cartman shouted.

"Get up and fucking fight! Stand up for yourself, Stan!" Cartman kicked Stan in his injured side, and Stan screamed in pain. The adrenaline rushed through Stan's veins, and his body shuddered.

"I-..I c-can't…" Stan gasped. "I c-can't…" tears from the pain he was feeling welled in his eyes, threatening to roll down his cheeks.

Cartman gave a final kick, a deafening crack was heard and Stan fainted from the excruciating pain that was surging through his body. Everything went black.

"CARTMAN!" Kyle flung himself at the other boy, shouting as he did so. Kyle had come unglued.

Kyle quickly grabbed the switchblade from the floor, and was about to stab him in arm when Cartman grabbed his wrist. The two rolled around on the floor, Cartman ending up on top again. Cartman laughed low. "Now you'll see how sharp it is when I stab you right between the eyes." Before Cartman could do so, Kyle grabbed Cartman's wrist in a bruising grip, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The blade was inches from Kyle's face.

"No… you… won't!" Kyle grunted, trying to push Cartman off of him. The blade trembled in Cartman's hand. Kyle ended up on top again, grabbing the switchblade when Cartman let his guard down. He quickly jabbed the blade into Cartman's right shoulder, blood seeping out and spilling onto the carpet.

"Fuck!" Cartman shouted, grabbing the injured arm, the blade still stuck. The entire blade had penetrated Cartman's upper arm near his shoulder, blood continued to gush out of the open wound.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Cartman screeched, unable to remove the blade from his shoulder. After a few seconds of grunting and pulling from Cartman, the blade had been pulled out, blood pouring out faster now. Kyle sat in horror as the blood stained the carpet. Kyle feinted to the side as Cartman threw the blade, barely nicking Kyle's right cheek as he did so. The blade stuck into the wall behind Kyle, blood dripping down it and spattering the walls with a dark red. There were a few gasps from Cartman as he dragged himself to Kyle before fainting at his feet.

Kyle stared wide eyed at Cartman below him, unable to speak. The blood flow had slowed down to a slow trickle; Kyle could see a large hole in Cartman's shoulder where the blade had been. What have I done? I have to call the police. I have to call the police! Kyle's hands shook, Cartman's blood smearing them. Blood had splattered onto his jacket.

Kyle dialed 911, his hands trembling as he fished his phone out of his pocket. "H-hello? M-my friend is greatly i-injured… s-someone attacked us while we were asleep. P-please… send help." Kyle dropped the phone as it landed to the floor, he could hear the person on the other end of the call ask what the address was. They would find out. Kyle dropped to his knees and sobbed. It all came out at once, rage, sadness, guilt. Kyle didn't know what to do. He had stabbed someone. But it was in self-defense, he only did enough damage to make Cartman stop. To save Stan. But he even failed at that. Kyle glanced at Stan who was sprawled on the floor, clutching his side. He was knocked out cold. Kyle crawled to him.

"St-Stan?" Kyle whispered, looking at his friend. He tried to roll him on his back, no response. "Stay with me, Stan!"

Police sirens blared in the distance. The flashing of red and blue lights caught Kyle's attention as he looked out the window. Kyle had called his parents letting them know what happened. He had called Stan's parents, too. There was a knock at the door.

"Hi there, young man," a police officer said as Kyle opened the door. "This is the Broflovski residence?" he peered into the house behind Kyle, the house quiet and dark. The officer saw two motionless shapes on the ground.

"Y-yes… please! Get in there! My friend is really hurt!"

The police man motioned his comrades in with him, turning on the lights, and upon seeing the two motionless bodies, called for backup. "We need a paramedic over here," one of them called. "Both are injured." He peered at Cartman's injury while another looked Stan over.

"Everything is going to be alright, young man," the police officer reassured Kyle. "We will get them to the hospital."

Stan tried to sit up after two hours of being sedated. It was midnight. Kyle had sat watch the entire time, Stan's parents and Kyle taking turns. "St-Stan?"

"What the fuck happened….?" Stan asked groggily, grabbing his side when a surge of pain racked his body. Stan shuddered. "My side fucking hurts… really, really badly…"

Kyle swallowed. "Cartman… he broke your rib again, along with a couple others, when he kicked you down."

"God fucking damn it, am I in the hospital again?"

"Yes… it was the only thing they could do, Stan."

"I don't want to be here!"

"I-I know…"

"My parents are probably mad at me! Get me out of here!"

"There's nothing I can do, Stan."

There was a moment of silence.

"Cartman is in the next room, being treated." Kyle started again.

"What happened?" Stan asked.

"I, uh…"

Stan stared at Kyle.

"I stabbed him in the shoulder."

"You what?!"

"I-I was trying to protect you and myself! He came at me with the knife and threatened me when he knocked you out! What else was I supposed to do?" Kyle defended himself.

The door unlatched and a nurse walked in, her heels clicking on the tiled floors. She carried with her something for Stan to eat. "Stan needs to eat now, Kyle. Go sit in the waiting room and let him rest."

"No, please, just let me stay with him a little while longer." Kyle pleaded.

The nurse hesitated. "…Oh, alright. Another hour. Then you need to let him rest."

Kyle nodded. "Thank you."

The nurse set up a tray and plopped the food on it, Stan looked disinterested. "Thanks." Stan said plainly. It was a boxed meal, with a sandwich, a cup of juice, a packet of Oreos, and Jell-O. The nurse departed.

Stan poked at the Jell-O with his spoon. It wiggled.

"Stan, you have to eat something."

"I don't want to."

"You need to."

"No."

"Do I need to feed it to you?"

"I'm not hungry, Kyle! Fuck off!"

Kyle reeled back. "If you say so." He had a hurt look on his face, but quickly masked it; acting like Stan's rude comment didn't bother him. Kyle shrugged it off. He switched on the TV that was on the wall, flipping through the channels. Kyle made a point to distract himself when Stan wasn't cooperating. Stan slumped further into his bed. There was a knock at the door and Stan's parents entered, along with Kyle's.

"Oh, bubbie, what happened?" Mrs. Broflovski rushed to her son, and upon seeing the dry blood caked on Kyle's hands and coat, gasped.

"Something happened… we're fine now." Kyle answered.

"What happened, Kyle?" Gerald, Kyle's father, asked.

"We just… Cartman… uh.."

"Spit it out, then, Kyle. Cartman what?" Everyone reeled around to see Cartman had entered the room, in blue patient scrubs, holding his bandaged right shoulder. Blood seeped through the wrappings.

"Eric, you're not supposed to be out of your bed-" a nurse rushed into the room after Cartman, but he cut her off.

"I had to get twenty stitches because of you, Kyle." Cartman pointed with his finger with his one good arm at Kyle. "Twenty stitches."

"You fucking came at me with a knife and threatened to kill me!" Kyle retaliated. Everyone stood in silence. No one said a word. "And Stan," Kyle continued, "You broke his rib again, and a couple of others! Why?!"

"You know the answer."

Kyle had to contain himself. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

Ms. Cartman walked in. "Eric, my baby!" she had tears staining her face. "I came as soon as I got the call! Who did this to you?!" she held Cartman in her arms. Cartman shoved her away.

"Kyle did it!" Cartman pointed a shaky finger at the accused boy.

"You tried to kill me!" Kyle shouted.

"Now, now, let's not jump to conclusions, Kyle." Ms. Cartman said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Kyle shouted. "I'm lucky I got out alive! Cartman is insane! He has a blood lust all of the sudden with Stan and me! And I can tell you why!"

No one said a word as they willed Kyle to continue. "Stan is finally happy with his feelings towards me, he's starting to accept them and Cartman is fucking it all up! Now Stan has told me he considers drinking again because the pain is so bad he doesn't know how else to dull it!"

Stan shifted in his bed, his face feeling hot. Kyle, just shut the fuck up, please.

"I was trying to protect Stan when you kicked him down! I was defending myself, so I stabbed you!" Kyle pointed a shaky finger at Cartman from across the room. "Cartman needs to be watched so he doesn't do this kind of thing again!"

"They already told us they won't press any criminal charges on Eric." Ms. Cartman explained.

"Why?! He should be charged with breaking and entering, along with assault!"

"He's too young to be prosecuted."

"Bull shit!" Kyle shouted.

Kyle sat with Stan at his bedside while Stan slept, unsoundly. He tried to toss and turn onto his side but groaned every time he tried to do so.

"Fuck it…" Stan cursed. "Just fuck it!"

Kyle jolted awake. "Stan?"

"I am so fucking done with everything, Kyle."

"W-what?"

"Can things just go right for once?"

Kyle sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Kyle…"

"Y-yes Stan?"

"I'm sorry I got you into this mess."

"It's not your fault, you-" Kyle began, but Stan cut him off.

"If I would have never told you my feelings toward you, this would have never happened. None of this. I've caused you a lot of hell and grief because I decided to come clean."

"Stan-"

"It's my fault." Stan rolled onto his good side, facing away from Kyle. Kyle thought he heard him sniffle. "My fault." Stan's voice was shaky.

"Look at me, Stan."

It took Stan a few moments to sit up, wincing, looking at Kyle with bleary eyes.

"It's not your fault." Kyle repeated, whispering.