Another chapter up! Woohoo!

BPOV

The rest of the week passes with the same routine as Monday. Sebastian and I eat breakfast and hang out for a while each day, and then he rests for a few hours. I always stay with him because, while he still occasionally has nightmares, they seem to happen less frequently when I'm around. We sleep in the same bed each night because, for some reason, it's the only thing that makes him feel safe enough that he can sleep peacefully.

On Friday morning, I wake up before Sebastian and watch him sleep for a while. Eventually, he opens his eyes and yawns. He looks at me and smiles. "Morning," he murmurs sleepily. He watches me for a second. "What's wrong?" he asks, concerned.

I try to figure out how to tell him this without upsetting him. "Nothing, Seb. It's just that…we have an appointment today," I say carefully.

He raises an eyebrow at me. "What kind of appointment?"

"Well, your doctor from the hospital wants you to come in this afternoon for a check up to see how you're healing. They'll tell us if you're cleared to go back to school and stuff like that."

At once, Sebastian's expression fills with fear, and he pulls his knees up to his chest, trying to go back into his shell, but I grab his arm gently before he gets too far and pull his chin up to make him look at me. "Wait," I say softly, "Before you freak out, remember our deal. You promised to talk to me instead of closing yourself off. Please, tell me what's wrong."

This, at least, seems to bring him back a little. "I…I don't know," he mumbles uneasily, "I'm just scared."

I put an arm around him. "Okay, what are you scared of?" I ask gently.

"I don't know. I just…I don't like hospitals. They scare me."

"Well, I can understand that, considering what landed you there in the first place. But this isn't going to be the same," I explain. "It's just going to be one doctor, and they're just going to check your injuries to make sure they're healing properly. They're not going to hurt you, and you don't have to stay there."

Sebastian takes a deep breath and looks up at me. "Will you…will you stay with me?" he asks quietly.

I smile reassuringly. "Absolutely, if it will make you feel better."

He nods and exhales loudly. "Okay. Then I'll do it."

I can still see that he is nervous, but I've somehow managed to keep him from reverting back into his shell again. Together, we go downstairs to eat before getting dressed. While Sebastian is dressing, I stand in the doorway with my back to him, enough to give him privacy while still allowing him to see me. Normally he is not quite so clingy, but his nerves are on edge today because of the appointment, so I'm trying to do everything I can to help.

When we're both ready to go, I lead him outside to my car and start the drive to the hospital. When I look over at him, Sebastian is staring out the window with a worried expression. I reach over and take his hand.

"Relax," I say softly. "It's going to be okay."

He nods and smiles a little bit. However, his tranquility only lasts until we pull into the parking lot. Then, he is tense and on edge again. I'm worried that he's going to have a full out panic attack, so when he gets out of the car, I wrap an arm around his waist. The simple contact seems to calm him, at least a little.

We wait for a few minutes in the waiting room, Sebastian's foot tapping against the tiles nervously. I try to maintain as much contact with him as possible, because it seems to be the only thing helping. When they call his name, he jumps a little, but gets up and follows me into an exam room.

The nurse asks him to sit on the hospital bed, and he cringes, but complies. She checks his blood pressure and other important things while Sebastian keeps a firm grip on my hand. When she leaves, he looks at me quizzically. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asks.

It takes me a minute to realize how worried I must look. "Sebastian, you're shaking. You need to calm down."

He wipes his free hand across his face. "I know," he says quietly. "I'm sorry. I really am trying."

I rub his arm reassuringly. "I know you are," I tell him gently. "Just take some deep breaths. I'm not going anywhere, and as long as I'm here, you're safe."

He nods and tries to focus on his breathing. It helps a little bit, but not much, so I come up with a new plan. Maybe I can get him to stop thinking about it so much. "So," I say before I even know what I'm doing, "We're going to need a plan if we don't want the New Directions to kill you."

This, at least, makes him laugh. "Yeah, we should probably have a plan. Have anything in mind?"

I think for a moment. "Well…maybe it would be easier if we already had a few of them on our side when I bring it up to the whole group."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "What do you mean?"

"If we can get a couple of them alone and change their minds about you, maybe they could help me convince the rest of them."

He nods thoughtfully. "So who did you have in mind?"

I try to consider who would be the most likely to listen to me. "Mercedes would listen to me. So would Tina and Artie. Why don't we try it with them, see if we can get them to listen?"

"Okay," he agrees, but then hesitates. "Are you sure about Mercedes, though?"

I giggle a little at his expression. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that…she can be…" he blushes and huffs. "She scares me, okay?"

I manage to hold back the laugh that wants to come out. "It'll be okay," I tell him, "She might come off that way, but she's really sweet once you get to know her. Besides, she likes me. She won't hurt you, I promise."

This seems to appease him. We work out the specifics of our plan, and I notice gleefully that he's stopped shaking. When the doctor comes in, however, Sebastian's grip on my hand becomes almost painful. "Shhh," I murmur in his ear, trying to soothe him, "It's okay. I'm right here."

He nods and takes a deep breath, his grasp loosening slightly. He manages to stay calm long enough for the doctor to examine him, but I notice his gaze sliding to the door more than once. When it does, I rub my thumb over the back of his hand gently, and he relaxes.

"Well," the doctor says, "You're healing nicely, Mr. Smythe. I'd say you'll be well enough to get on with your regular life by next week."

Sebastian nods, but doesn't speak, so I thank the doctor myself. As soon as he exists, Sebastian hops off the bed and into my arms, burying his head in my shoulder. He takes a shaky breath. "Can we go home now?" he asks.

"Yeah, let's go home." I lead him out to the car, and with each mile we put between us and the hospital, his anxiety dissipates until the boy I've come to know sits beside me again.

When I open his door, he hugs me, smiling. "Thank you," he says simply. We go into the house together and sit down on the couch.

"So," I say, "Shall we get our plan underway?"

He nods as I send a text to Mercedes.

Come over after school today with Tina and Artie. Gonna tell you what's going on. Don't tell the others anything yet.

Her reply comes quickly.

We'll be there at 3.

Sebastian leans against my shoulder. "You're sure about this?" he asks.

"Absolutely." I just hope that I'm right in telling him this, because if this doesn't work, I don't know what will.

Dun dun DUNNNN! Sorry for the cliff, but it had to happen. As always, reviews make me write faster so please click that button!

~TheSongSmith