Chapter Notes: I completely made up the hospital and I'm introducing a couple of characters that work there named Blake and Nash. Blake is a doctor and Nash is a nurse. Both will be popping up periodically. The hotel, as well, is made up.

About the Mainland: In Kingdom Hearts 2, Kairi and Selphie are on a bigger island and dressed in what look like school uniforms. And at one point you see that Destiny Island isn't far away. So when I mention the Mainland, that's the place I'm talking about.

In Life and Death
Chapter 2: Not Feeling so Hot

Destiny Islands; Two Months Later, Week 10

"Riku! Kairi!" Sora's mother smiled brightly as she opened the front door. "It's so nice to see you two!" She stepped aside and ushered them in. "Can I get you kids anything?" She stepped towards the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

Riku smiled and shook his head, his silver hair fanning out as he did so. "No thanks ma'am."

"Riku!" Her voice was scolding as it came from the kitchen. "I've asked you to call me Rain several times now. I've known you since you were in diapers."

Beside him, Kairi lifted her hand to her mouth, stifling a fit of giggles as she pictured the silver haired teen in diapers. "Now that would be a sight."

"What would?" Rain emerged from the kitchen, her fingers working on tying the apron around her waist.

Riku glanced at Kairi out of the corner of his eyes and gave her a slight glare.

Giggling again, the young girl turned towards Rain and gave her a large smile. "Nothing. We just stopped by for Sora." She tilted her head to the side and glanced around the vacant living room. "Is he around?"

"He's entered in the Struggle Tournament today." Riku offered by way of explanation, though he knew he didn't need one.

Rain lifted a finger to her chin and tapped it slowly. "Hmm… he's upstairs." She turned back towards the kitchen. "I think he's still sleeping."

"Still sleeping?" Kairi reached the top of the stairs first. She stepped to the side and shook her head. "How can he still be sleeping?"

Riku smiled as he stepped around her, moving to stand just in front of Sora's door. He wouldn't doubt it if the brunette was still asleep. "Shhh…" He lifted a finger to his lips.

Kairi rolled her eyes and pushed him aside. The movement was very much uncharacteristic, but she didn't want to be late. And according to her watch, they had already moved past that point. "We don't have time to play games. We're already late."

Without waiting for an answer, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Sora!" She crossed her arms across her chest and strode towards his bed. "I can't believe you're sleeping!" She said loudly.

Riku stepped up behind her and smiled.

With a groan, Sora rolled over in his bed to face them. "I'm not sleeping. I don't feel good."

"Sora come on! Quit faking it!" Now Riku was the one to cross his arms and cast Sora a slight glare. He was beginning to share Kairi's impatience. "You were supposed to be at the Struggle game an hour ago."

Sora lifted his hand to wave them off and rolled back over, his back to them. He curled up into a ball under the blankets that he had tucked under his chin. "Go without me."

"Without you?" Riku exclaimed. "You're the one entering."

"Then enter for me."

Riku grunted slightly and grabbed Kairi's arm. "Come on. We're late!"

"We'll call you when we get back!" Kairi called as she was pulled out of his bedroom door.

Sora closed his eyes tightly against the intrusion. It had started earlier that morning. He woke up feeling fine but his stomach had started hurting right after he got out of the shower. That had been an hour ago.

The phone on his nightstand began to ring. With a groan, he rolled over and reached out to stop its incessant ringing. "Hello?" He placed the small cell to his ear as he lay there.

"Hey Sora! Feeling any better?"

"Kairi? Why are you calling?" He rolled over slightly, lying flat on his back. The move stretched out his spine and he realized the pain in his stomach was gone.

"Uh…" There was a pause on her end of the line. "Because I said I would call when we got back."

"Back?" He sat up slowly and threw the blankets off. He was beginning to feel slightly smothered. "But you just left. Did you decide not to go?"

"Just left? Sora, we left a couple hours ago. It's after five."

Sora cocked his head to the side as he glanced over at the clock on his nightstand. "Oh… I guess I fell asleep."

"Good! Are you feeling any better?"

He closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead. He didn't feel like he slept any. Sleepiness and exhaustion still clung to him. "Yeah, I guess."

"Great! How about we come over and celebrate?"

"Celebrate?" Sora scooted over to the edge of his bed and threw his legs over.

"Yeah!" Kairi sounded way too excited for him right now. Her squealing voice was reaching an octave that didn't agree with his head. "Riku won the Struggle Tournament for you!"

"For me?" He smiled slightly at the thought as he stood up. "Yeah, come on over."

"You sure? You do feel better, right?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure what it was, but it's gone now."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Two Weeks Later, Week 12

"Sora, something is wrong with you!"

The one being spoken to was lying in his bed complaining of a stomachache for the third time that week. He sighed slightly as he rolled over and looked to the woman framing the doorway.

Her long brown hair was pulled back in a high, lazy ponytail. Wisps of hair hung about her face loosely, framing it. Her aged brown eyes were locked on him from behind her black-rimmed glasses. She lifted the bottom of her apron and rubbed her hands against it. "You've been throwing up all week."

"Yeah mom, I know that." He snapped before he realized it. But, of course he knew it. He was the doing it on a daily basis.

"Then let me take you to the doctor." She stepped closer to him and stood over his bed.

"No. I'm fi…"

"Don't you dare say you're fine!" She lifted her finger to wag it in his direction. "You are going to the doctor if I have to drag you there myself!"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

On the Ferry to Mainland the Next Day

"You little ass!"

Sora's eyes widened slightly as he heard the voice from the phone pressed to his ear. "Kairi! Did you just cuss?" He asked in a surprised tone. "Oh no! Now the world is going to end!"

"I don't need your sarcasm."

Sora laughed as he leaned his back against the rail of the small ship. "You're going to get it anyways. You shouldn't be calling me names." There was a slight pout to his voice.

"You snuck away! I said I was coming with you!"

"And I said no." His tone was defiant. "I told you and Riku both that I didn't want you guys coming with me. I don't need a babysitter. I'm quite capable of going to see a doctor by myself."

There was a pause. "Are you sure you're Sora? The voice sounds familiar but those words just don't seem to fit."

Sora smiled as he shook his head slightly. "Goodbye Kairi. I'll call you later." He removed the phone from his ear and switched it off quickly before she had time to respond. He slipped it into his pocket and turned around. Crossing his arms, he leaned more heavily on the cold, chipped, red painted rail.

A sigh escaped his pale lips as he watched the waves lap at the sides. It was almost mesmerizing; the way the sunlight hit the clear water, the way the waves hit at the right angle to toss droplets up high enough to reach him, the way the salty smell of the ocean clouded his senses.

"We should be arriving at the dock in five minutes."

The voice over the loud speaker broke his daze. Shaking his head slowly, he looked down at the rails as he leaned again, feeling slightly seasick. I hate hospitals… and I hate these stupid ferry rides. He breathed in deeply, fighting the pain that spiked his stomach. He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes tight against the sight of the waves. He just wanted to be home.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Waiting Room at Landic Hospital

Landic Hospital. It was the only hospital in the closest city on the Mainland. It wasn't a particularly bad hospital; it was just that it was the only choice. There weren't any smaller, more intimate hospitals. At Landic, you were lucky if you didn't get lost the moment you stepped inside. The floors reached well into the sky, making them nearly impossible to count from the outside. The same was with the number of windows and assorted rooms. It was just too big for some people's tastes.

And Sora happened to rank pretty high on that list.

The brunette hadn't been to said hospital since his mother dragged him in for a physical a year ago when he'd finally returned from saving the worlds. And if it weren't for the fact that at one point yesterday he felt like he was dying, he wouldn't be there. He would have rejoiced in the idea of putting off a hospital visit for another couple of years.

But as the pain, dizzy spells, fatigue, and vomiting were not going away as everyone had told him they would; putting off a hospital trip just wasn't in the cards.

"Hi! Are you Sora?"

Hearing his name, Sora looked up from the magazine he had been thumbing through.

Standing in front of him dressed in a white coat and holding a clipboard was a young woman. She had long black hair that was pulled back in high ponytail. Her almost black eyes hid behind a pair of red glasses. The nametag on her coat read Baxter.

He nodded slowly and rose, dropping the magazine on the table beside the chair. He had been sitting in the waiting room for nearly an hour. His mom had called and made the appointment for him, but he suspected she got the times mixed up. "Yeah, that's me."

She held out her hand. "I'm Nurse Baxter. You can call me Nash." She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Actually, I would prefer it that way. Nurse Baxter just sounds wrong, doesn't it?" She laughed slightly. "My mother is Nurse Baxter." She said, trying to make a joke. "And she's just so old!"

"Nash it is then." He smiled.

She smiled as well and glanced down at the clipboard in her hand. "I see your last visit was over a year ago."

Sora shifted nervously and nodded as he ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I don't like hospitals much."

She winked and leaned towards him. "I don't either." She whispered before straightening up. "Come with me."

Sora tilted his head to the side as he caught up with her. "But you work in one."

She stopped in front of a large scale. "Working at one is different than going to one." She pointed towards the scale. "Step on the scale please."

Sora nodded and did as she asked. "I guess it is."

It took a moment before she got a reading and scribbled on her paper. "Looks like you've grown both ways since your last visit."

"Huh?" He gave her an odd look as he stepped back off of the scale.

She smiled again. "You've grown an inch and gained twenty three pounds."

He cocked his head to the side then looked down at himself. "I have?"

She laughed slightly. "A growing boy."

"I'm not exactly a boy." He crossed his arms about his chest and peered at her.

"Girl then?" She asked with her eyes on the clipboard.

Sora's eyes widened and he held out his hands in front of him. "No!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. "I meant…"

Nash smiled sweetly and grabbed his wrist. "I know what you meant. I was only teasing." She turned and tugged slightly on his wrist before dropping it. "Now follow me and don't get lost."

He couldn't help but smile and laugh at her joke as he followed along after her.

They passed many doors before Nash stopped at one. She opened it quickly and pointed inside. "Have a seat on the examination table. The doctor will be right with you."

With a hesitant nod, Sora stepped into the room. He jumped slightly as the door was closed behind him. Taking a deep breath, he approached what she had called the examination table. In truth, it looked more like one of those chairs that can lie flat in a dentist office then a table, with a roll of thin, white paper that stretched across its surface.

"A seat, huh?" He muttered as he hoisted himself up. The paper crinkled under him, sending chills down his spine.

The room wasn't exactly small, but it wasn't big either. It couldn't have been more than ten feet long and eight feet wide. But unlike the rest of the hospital he had seen so far, the room had a bit of color. The walls were still white, but the tilted floor was a light shade of blue. The counters that lined the wall beside the door were a darker shade of blue, as were the cabinets above.

There was a knock at the door. Sora glanced over as a man opened the door and walked in.

"I'm Doctor Blake Trippin." His short cropped blonde hair was gelled up into spikes and his blue eyes were wide. He wore a white coat as well and his overall appearance portrayed that he couldn't have been out of his twenties. He moved towards the counter slowly and set the clipboard down. Then he turned towards Sora and leaned against the counter. "Sora, right?"

"Yep." Who else would be in here?

Blake smiled and nodded. "Just making sure I'm not in the wrong room." He crossed his arms about his chest and cocked his head to the side. "So I see you don't come here very often. Why?"

Sora sighed slightly and stretched his arms out behind him, leaning back. The paper under him crinkled annoyingly with his every movement. "I've been busy."

"You should make time for check-ups."

Sora averted his gaze to the Cancer Warnings poster that hung on the wall opposite him.

"Don't like hospitals much, huh?"

This guy doesn't give up. Sora sighed slightly as he turned his gaze back to the doctor. "Truthfully, no. Believe me; I wouldn't be here unless I had to."

Blake uncrossed his arms and held them up as if in surrender. "Fair enough. Just making small talk." He pushed off from the counter and grabbed the clipboard. "Okay. So tell me what's been going on?"

Sora straightened up and brought his hands together in his lap. His gaze dropped as he bit his lip. "I've always been pretty healthy. Even as a kid I was never sick much. And when I was, it would pass in a day or two." He raised his gaze and sighed. "I guess it really started like three weeks ago. I started having these stomachaches that would last for short periods of time and then just go away. And then I started throwing up. My mom thought it was food poisoning, but it lasted for a week."

Blake nodded as he scribbled something down on his clipboard. "Food poisoning shouldn't last more than a day or two at most." He paused a moment as he thumbed through a few pages. "What else?"

"It started to get really bad a week ago. The stomachaches were worse and I was getting these headaches too that wouldn't go away. And dizzy spells. And… umm…" He shifted slightly, earning him a paper crinkle. "Bleeding."

"Bleeding?" Blake's eyebrows rose. "How so?"

Sora's fingers began to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. "A couple times when I threw up. And I've had three nosebleeds in the past week. And recently… when I pee."

"Hmm…" Blake glanced down at his clipboard, looking thoroughly perplexed. He scribbled down what Sora had said and then raised his gaze. "How do you feel now?"

Sora averted his gaze to the blue tiled floor and shrugged his shoulders. "My stomach hurts a bit, but it's getting easier to ignore it. I've kind of gotten used to it."

Blake set the clipboard down on the counter. "I'd like to run a few tests and take an x-ray. I'm going to go and set that up." He moved towards the door. "I'm going to send Nurse Baxter back in here to check your pulse and blood pressure." He paused before opening the door and turned around. "Would you be okay with that?"

Sora nodded slowly and sighed as he was left alone. I wish I was home.

15 Minutes Later

Nash removed the blood pressure cuff from his arm and let it dangle from its attached position to the wall. She smiled brightly as she jotted a few numbers down on the clipboard she held. "Well… that about does it for me!"

Sora rubbed at the spot on his left upper arm where the cuff had been. It felt like the damn thing was still there, constricting his arm. "So…"

She smiled again and tilted her head to the side. "Your lungs seem fine. Pupils, too. Your blood sugar is 132, pulse 85, and blood pressure 139/91."

His eyes widened slightly and he gave her a blank look. "Uh…"

"Don't know what the numbers means?" She asked in an innocent tone. "Your pulse is fine. Your blood sugar level is a bit high, but stress can cause that. A normal level would be 80-120. High blood sugar could cause dizziness and a sense of… I don't think lostness is a word, but it comes to mind." She tilted her head to the side and laughed slightly. "Your blood pressure is sort of high, but that can be caused by stress too. Normal would be around 120/80. High levels of that could cause headaches and dizziness too." She shrugged slightly and turned to place the clipboard on the counter. "Do you feel any of those now?"

Sora shook his head slowly. "No. Dr. Trippin asked the same thing. Only a dull ache in my stomach that I've gotten used to."

Nash turned and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms about her chest. She unknowingly mimicked Blake's earlier stance. "Physically, I can't find anything wrong with you." She cocked her head to the side. "Of course, I'm just a nurse. And a new one at that."

Sora smiled slightly and leaned back on the examination table. He ignored the crinkling paper as he shifted his weight, trying to find a more comfortable position on the hard surface. "How long have you worked here?"

"Me? Hmm…" She pursed her lips together, thinking. "About three months I think. Blake… I mean Dr. Trippin's only been here a week." She uncrossed her arms and began counting off on her fingers. "There's been a lot of new employees since I've been here. Dr. Cotty, Dr. Totti, that annoying secretary Connie something-or-other, Dr. Trippin, Nurse Mako… and Dr. Verse." She lifted her gaze from her fingers, adjusted her glasses, and smiled broadly.

Sora had stopped listening a while ago. He was lost in his own thoughts as there was a knock at the door.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Blake said as he opened the door and slipped in.

Nash smiled and shook her head. "Nope. I give him a clean, good bill of health." She smiled at Sora and tapped the side of her head. "Which is why I'm not the doctor." With a giggle, she moved towards the door.

Blake smiled and nodded as he grabbed the clipboard from the counter. "Okay. Follow me and we'll see if we can't find out what's wrong with you."

A Phsyical, 3 X-rays, Blood Test, Urine Test, Reflex Test, and an Ultra Sound, or 4 Hours, Later

Sora sunk down in the chair in the now empty waiting room. He sighed deeply as he rubbed at his head. It hurt now worse than it had earlier in the week and he was so tired he felt like he couldn't move. I REALLY hate hospitals... The room smelled stale and old and it turned his stomach. The lights overhead were much too bright and made the white walls only seem to glow. And the damned ticking of the clock on the wall to his left was driving him crazy.

"Well... I know I haven't been doing this long..." Blake said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But you've really stumped me." He sat in a chair beside Sora in the waiting room. "Couldn't find anything on the x-ray. The urine and reflex test proved nothing. The blood test results aren't back yet but I'm guessing they won't be of any help." He sighed deeply. "I thought the ultra sound might find something wrong in your abdomen, but if it's a cyst like I thought, it's invisible."

Oh just shut up! His head was throbbing and he just wanted to go home. "So what do I do now?"

"There's a specialist I think might be able to help." Blake glanced over at him, feeling sorry for the young boy.

"Where's he?"

"She." Blake corrected. "Dr. Verse. But she took today off. She'll be in tomorrow and she'll be free at one."

"You've already talked to her?" Sora leaned back in his chair, resting his head on the back.

"Not exactly." Blake clasped his fingers together in his lap. "I talked to the secretary in her wing about her schedule. I wanted to make sure you'd be able to show up before I bothered her at home."

"Tomorrow, huh?" Sora sighed. That would mean he'd have to go all the way home and come all the way back. On the damn ferries. At that moment, he doubted he could take a step. Unless... "Yeah, I could be here tomorrow. Is there a hotel around here somewhere?" Still slouching in the chair, he met Blake's gaze for the first time since they sat down. "I live on Destiny Island but I don't think I could make it home now."

Blake smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah. There's a cheap one down the street called the Starlit Inn. It's not a bad chain."

"Where is it?"

Blake glanced at the clock quickly. It was after six in the evening. "I'm due for a break. Why don't I drive you there?"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Dr. Trippin's Office, an Hour Later

Slightly chewed fingernails drummed on the top of the mahogany desk. The dull thudding sound they made put his mind at ease. Leaning back in the chair, Blake listened to the ringing emitted from the phone pressed to his ear.

After a few moments, the line clicked. "Hello?"

"Dr. Verse?" Blake leaned forward in his chair, his fingers once again drumming on the desk.

There was a slight chuckle on the line. "I have asked you before, Blake, please call me Veera."

He smiled nervously and shifted in his seat, as if she could see him. "I'm sorry Veera. I hope I'm not disturbing you at home."

"Never Blake. I wouldn't have given the hospital my person cell phone number if I didn't expect it to be used. Now what can I do for you?"

Blake visibly relaxed and once again leaned back in his chair. "I spoke with your wing's secretary, Connie I think, about your schedule tomorrow. I believe you're free around one." His voice was hopeful.

"Yes I am. Though I am surprised that you got Miss Connie to stop doing her nails long enough to give you a correct answer."

Blake smiled at the comment. "I just figured I caught her on her break."

"Nope. I catch her doing that a lot." There was a pause and what sounded like papers rustling. "Is there a reason that you were inquiring about my schedule tomorrow?"

"Yes there is." He opened the file on his desk and began scanning the scribbled on pages. "Would you be against meeting with a patient of mine tomorrow? He came in complaining of a stomachache but I can't find anything. I think your expertise would be beneficiary."

"Oh really?" She sounded interested. "I think I would be able to squeeze him in. You said around one, right?"

Blake breathed out a sigh of relief. "Yes! That's what I told him. I'll leave his file in your mailbox before I leave today."

"That would be great. I should be in at seven tomorrow and I'll review it then."

"I would disregard the blood test, if I were you. I had a rush order put on it and just got it back, but I think it was messed up. You might want to try another one tomorrow."

"Messed up? How?"

Blake smiled slightly as he pulled the paper out of the file. "Large traces of hCG were found. And we both know that's impossible. The only thing I can figure was that there was a mix up in the lab. The normal technician took the day off today so her assistant was in charge."

"You don't say." There was a pause on her line. "Yes. You are right. There is no way that hormone could have been found in his blood. I'll schedule another one for tomorrow. I hope the normal technician will be back. I wouldn't want a repeat."

Blake nodded his head even though he was alone in his office. "Of course. Would you like me to do it for you?"

"No!" The answer was rushed. "I'll... uh... handle it tomorrow. I'm sure you have other things to do."

"Yeah... I guess so." Blake said slowly. "Thanks Veera."

End of Chapter 2. Stay turned for Chapter 3: Ectopic WHAT?

The hCG hormone is human chorionic gonadotropin, which is called the pregnancy hormone.