I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into Miles's hospital room. I was pretty sure that Miles wasn't dying, but when I saw him, he looked so small, so fragile, and as pale as the tangle of white sheets and blankets he was lying amongst. I was confused, however, as to why he was in the hospital in the first place, since I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. All I knew, was he had been trapped in an elevator after an earthquake and someone had shot his father.

Miles was sleeping as I pulled a chair to his bedside. I watched as a pained look came over his pale face and he started to mumble. I rested my hand lightly on his arm as he became restless.

"Miles," I said his name softly so I wouldn't frighten him, when his eyes finally flew open. He stared at me blankly and opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, then closed it again. "Miles, you're in the hospital. Do you... remember anything that happened to you?" I wasn't sure if he was completely aware of the death of his father, and I definitely wasn't going to mention it.

"I remember..." He started, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I-I remember a lot of yelling...a-and a loud noise..." He took a deep breath and raised his hand to run his hand through his hair. His concentration was suddenly focused on his hand and the IV that was stuck in it. "Why...why am I in a hospital?"

"I dunno, Miles." I answered him, honestly. "You've been in here for a couple of days. I've asked around and nobody will tell me anything." I paused and sighed. "I had to practically beg my mom to bring me here. She hates hospitals so much, and I can't say that I'm a big fan either, but we've all been worr-" Miles's cold hand on my arm startled me. I looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You're babbling Phoenix. You do that a lot when you are nervous."

I blinked at him. "I...uh... what is babbling? What do you mean?"

A small smile came across his pallid features as he started to tell me what babbling meant. We talked for a while about whatever nine year olds can chat about, until my mother came in and gave her condolences to Miles and the kind of stuff that adults do. I said good-bye to Miles and promised him that I would visit the next day.

"Phoenix," His quiet voice made me pause at the door, wondering if I actually heard him. I turned and looked at him expectantly as he waved me back over.

"Thank you." He said simply when I approached.

"For what?" I asked, tentatively as he rested his hand on mine.

"For being by my side when I awoke. I-I don't think I would've been okay if I had woke alone." That was the first time I had seen that pain in Miles's eyes... the very pain that would haunt him for the next eleven years.

* * * * * * * * *

I begged my mom to go back again the next day, and she eventually agreed, saying that she wanted to talk to somebody about what was going to happen to Miles. I thought about that as I rode in silence to the hospital. As far as I knew, Miles had no other relatives other than his father...I tried to imagine what it would be like... not having anyone to fall back on... no mother or father there to take care of me. I shuddered at the thought. Somehow it became one of my biggest fears.

As we were walking to Miles's room, a nurse stopped my mom. She wasn't much taller than her. She had soft golden hair and worried brown eyes. I had recognized her as one of the nurses that had come into Miles's room yesterday, to check on him and his IV and everything. She was very sweet, talking with us briefly. She flashed a small smile at me but I noticed there was something in her expression that wasn't right.

"Mrs. Wright," She spoke softly.

"Ms. Wright." My mom corrected her.

"Sorry," The nurse penned something on the paperwork that was held on a clipboard in her hands. "Ms. Wright, I my name is Mariah Miney, I am Miles's nurse, er...I need to speak with you, please, if you don't mind."

"What's wrong with Miles?" I interjected. "Is he alright?"

"Um, yes..." She paused as she lightly touched my hair. "He is alright, I just need to talk to your mom for a moment, okay sweetie?"

I nodded, as she and my mom walked a few feet away. I listened in as best I could as I peered into Miles's room. He was asleep. Three phrases caught my attention as I turned and leaned against the wall to listen closer.

"...doesn't know...father's death." My mom put her hand to her mouth thoughtfully. "...ask that you tell him...good friends...no relatives."

"I'm not so sure..."

I couldn't catch their entire conversation and I wasn't sure if my mom waswilling tobear that kind of responsibility. I love my mother, but she was never emotionally strong. To my surprise however, she agreed.

"Do you understand that Miles will be...well, I'm not sure how he will take the news." My mom continued after she explained to me the conversation she had with Mariah, who was standing in front of Miles's door. Mom was kneeling in front of me, plucking invisible lint and straightening my shirt. I saw that her hands were shaking and I rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I think... as long as we are there and he knows that we will always be there for him, I think it'll all be fine in the end."

"Oh Phoenix," Her hand was warm on my cheek as I saw tears form at the corners of her eyes. "You were always so wise and strong." She took a deep breath and stood up. Closing her eyes briefly, she finally said, "Okay, let's go."

* * * * * * * * *

But it wasn't right, and I should have known that. Miles spent the next day and a half in his hospital room curled in a ball, not talking to anyone, numb to everything around him. No one would let me in to see him, afraid that he would injure me, or worse, himself, somehow. I found that completely silly, but I was ten what was I supposed to know.

In the end, however, they decided to let me see him, being I was his best friend and all. I overheard the sweet blond nurse tell my mom that perhaps my voice would pull him out of his stupor in some way. I walked into Miles's room and hesitated, standing completely motionless, by the door, not knowing what to do or say.

"Go away," His rough voice startled me. I took a step forward.

"Miles I..."

"Go away." He said with a little more force as he sniffed.

"Miles, please, it's me Phoenix." I wasn't sure if he had heard me as the silence lingered heavy in the air for a moment. I opened my mouth to say something else when I saw him slowly roll over. His tiny brow was knitted together in concentration.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "You should be in school. You shouldn't be here, you shouldn't see me like this." Everything he said came out in a rushed mess of words and I had to strain to hear him as I took another step forward. He suddenly threw the covers over his head. "No! Go away Phoenix, I don't want to see you right now."

"But Miles, please...I-I'm your friend. I want to help you. I want..." I paused. I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. "I miss you. I miss your help in math, I miss sitting with you at recess. I want you back, Miles...please."

"Phoenix," He said from under the blanket. "You have plenty of friends. You don't need me. What about Larry? Go sit with him at recess."

I ran to his bedside and pulled the blanket back. "NO, Miles! I want to sit with you. I like talking to YOU! I like studying with YOU!" He blinked at me and took a deep breath. "Please?" I added quietly.

Suddenly, Miles's whole demeanor changed. His bottom lip started trembling and I saw his eyes start to fill with crystal-like tears. "Phoenix, he's dead." Was all he said as he suddenly sat up and grabbed me in a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around him, hesitantly. I wasn't sure what to do as his little body, which seemed so frail and fragile, shook with violent sobs. He didn't cry when we told him, about his father and I wondered if he had cried at all during the last couple days. He just stared straight ahead, then curled into the ball that I had walked in on.

I spent the next couple hours laying beside him as he mumbled nonsense between sobs. Every time I tried to move, he would just hold onto me tighter, until I explained to him that I had to use the bathroom, and that he should too. He sniffed and looked up at me for a second, then nodded.

I stayed the weekend in Miles's room. Slowlybutsurely, color came back to his face and so did the smile that I remembered, albeit not entirely, but atleast he was smiling. Mariah would come in and talk and laugh with us. My mother, as hesitant as she was to let me spend the night, would tuck us both in and kiss us goodnight.

* * * * * * *

"NO! You cannot go in there..." The pretty blonds voice woke Miles and I on Sunday morning as a strange man burst into Miles's room. I blinked as my sleepy brain tried to comprehend if I knew this man or not.

" I assure you that as Mr. Von Karma's assistant, I do not want any trouble," The man had an accent that was similar to that of Von Karma's ( I had seen him on the evening news a couple times) and was dressed in a gray suit that had faint black pinstripes and seemed to shimmer when he moved. Miles sat up as I propped myself on my elbows. The man turned and his long blond hair was formed into a strange twist and laid on his left side. His bright blue eyes seemed to dance around the room taking in the situation and his expression suddenly turned dark. Miles and I flinched.

"What is going on here?" The man's voiced raised an octave as he pointed at me. "Who is this insolent little boy in here with Miles? This is unacceptable."

Miles shifted and sat in front of me in a defensive position. I had to peer over his shoulder to see anything. He started to say something, when Mariah interrupted him.

"Mr Gavin, that is Miles's best friend. He spent the night to help Miles through his...grieving, sir."

"Miles is going to have to learn to take care of himself in the Von Karma household." The man, Mr Gavin, strode toward me and I shrunk away from him as he grabbed me harshly by the arm. Both Miles and I cried out as Mr. Gavin drug me off the bed and roughly toward the door. Miles was on his heels yelling at him when suddenly a blond boy about our age came running in and grabbed Miles, Holding him back. The Gavin guy dropped me and I landed hard on my bottom.

"Mr. Gavin you cannot just grab people like that, especially children!" The nurse knelt and asked me if I was okay and I nodded, still in a daze.

"Kristoph!" The man yelled and the blond boy stiffened. "Stand aside and let Miles gather his things so we can get out of here."

"What!?" The look on Miles's face was a mixture of anger and fear. I scrambled to my feet.

"YOU aren't taking Miles anywhere!" I pointed my finger at the grey man and yelled when I suddenly felt myself restrained. "Hey!" I cried as I struggled against Kristoph.

"Now, Miles get dressed and..."

"Mr. Gavin, do you have paperwork stating your right to take Miles out of this hospital?" Mariah was now flanked by a man in uniform.

The gray man turned abruptly on his heel to the nurse and produced a small bundle of papers from inside his jacket pocket. He crossed his arms and we all watched tensely as she read the paperwork. It became eerily quiet and I looked over at Miles whose eyes had become watery. The pretty nurse sighed and her expression said a thousand words. I watched as she walked over to Miles and knelt in front of him. He sniffed.

"I-I'm sorry Miles," She brushed his silvery bangs out of his face. "Mr Gavin is here t-to take to to be in Von Karma's care. You are a good kid Miles, I will miss you."

"Enough!" Mr Gavin yelled and everyone flinched as I struggled. "This is completely unprofessional and I will make sure that the proper officials know about your behavior. You can leave." He snapped his fingers at the officer to take her out of the room. The guard gave the nurse an apologetic look as he led her out.