I DO NOT OWN DEATH NOTE!

Here is the second chapter I wrote today. As always....enjoy.


"I don't think that would be a good idea, Dr. Smith. We only allow parents to stay with a patient, and only one at a time. Having a child stay with a child patient is out of the question." Nurse Amy Hanley had her arms crossed over her chest as she looked down at Mello standing at the doctors side.

"I know how you feel, Amy. But Near has no family. He and Mello have been together at Whammy House since they were small children. I allowed him to stay with Near last night, and Near's condition improved drastically from the night before when he was alone. Mello keeps him calm and makes him feel safe. You know as well as I do how important it is for injured children to stay calm and have a sense of safety while they are in the hospital. Mello has behaved himself very well and he will do what he is told. He just needs to be close to Near. For both of their well being."

The nurse sighed and looked down at Mello. "What do you have to say about this, young man?" The boy looked up at her with the most haunted blue eyes she had ever seen. "Is what Dr. Smith said true?"

"Yes, ma'am. I will do as I am told." Mello's eyes filled with tears and he wiped them away roughly with the back of his hand. "Please don't make me leave. I cant leave him alone. He begged me not to leave him alone."

Amy knelt in front of the boy and took his hands. "He wouldn't be alone. This ward is always full of nurses."

Mello shook his head and wiped at his eyes again. "He meant me specifically. He doesn't want me to leave him. He's scared and hurt. And he's cold again." Mello looked over his shoulder to where Roger was standing beside Near's bed at the back of the ward. "He cant stay warm without me."

Amy stood and shook her head. The boy sounded so lost. "If I allow you to stay, will you stay where you are told to and not wander the ward? Will you stay away from the other children? Stay quiet so you don't wake anyone? Stay out of the way when the nurses come to check on Near?"

"Yes, ma'am. I will do all of that. I just want to sit in the chair next to him and hold his hand."

"Go sit next to him now. I want to speak with Dr. Smith again for a moment." Mello nodded and did as he was told. Amy watched until he was sitting in the chair and picked up the smaller boys pale hand. "There is something more between those two boys then friendship, isn't there?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I have only seen that lost look in the eyes of people who have or are close to losing someone the love."

"I didn't want to accept it at first, that the two of them are in love. But I have seen them together. They are completely gone on each other. I know they are young, but you have to talk to these boys when they Near is awake and alert. Near is extremely mature for his age. Roger has said that both of these boys think more like an adult and are more mature then most adults he knows. After a few conversations with them, short as they were, I now know what he was talking about. It's incredible. I have never seen children their age act so mature. I have read about it, of course, in cases of savant children with IQ's off the charts. Roger says that they both test very highly on IQ tests. From what I have learned since Near was admitted, Whammy House is a home and school for orphaned geniuses."

"Mello seems like a frightened child to me, not a mature, genius child."

"He is frightened, very much so. He doesn't know how to handle what is happening to Near. Near is the most mature of the two of them. Mello is somewhat of a rebel. But he will behave himself. If he doesn't, I will take the blame."

"How old are they?"

"Mello is 14, Near is 12."

"And the love? How far has that gone?"

"They are sexually active if that is what you mean. But as I said, Mello will behave himself."

Amy sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Alright. He can stay. As long as he behaves."

"If he doesn't, call me. I'll take care of it." Amy turned to go tell Mello the news but Derrick stopped her. "May I suggest something?"

"What is it?"

"On my floor, we let Mello sleep in the bed with Near. Before he did, Near's blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing were all elevated and his body temp was low, both asleep and awake. Once we let Mello lay beside him, his stats returned to safe levels and he was visibly more relaxed and sleeping more soundly. You do not have to let Mello do that now, but if you notice his stats are outside normal readings, try letting Mello lay with him. He was very gentle and very careful of the boy when we allowed him to share the bed. It does work, for Near at least." Derrick shrugged and spread his hands. "You know how doctors feel about alternate forms of treatment for a patient, especially when it comes to treating children. But I tell you, this did work for Near."

Amy nodded and smiled at the doctor. "If I notice any odd stats, I will try it. But for now, I need to give Near the medication your ordered."

"If you can, Amy, call up a meal for Mello. He hasn't eaten all day. And if you have the time, he could use a wound check on his knees. He knelt in the glass that injured Near."

"Sure, Dr. Smith. You get back to work. I'll take care of the boys."

"Thank you." Derrick nodded to her and left the PICU.

Amy called down to the cafeteria and asked for someone to bring up a bag lunch to the PICU before she went to speak with Near. She also grabbed a wound check tray so she could get the task of cleaning his knees out of the way. Setting the tray on a table, she pulled it with her as she stepped up to the bed. "Mello." When the boy looked up at her, she offered him a small smile. "You may stay. As long as you behave." Mello gave her a grateful smile before turning back to look at Near. "Why don't you come down here and sit on the end of the bed so I can look at your knees. Dr. Smith asked me to do a wound check."

Mello stood and sat on the end of the bed. "My knees feel fine."

"I'm sure they do. But I need you to take your pants off. Why don't you do that and I will see if I can find a small pair of scrubs for you to wear, so you will be more comfortable." When Mello nodded and stood, she walked across the room to the supply closet near the wards entrance.

"Amy? What's going on with the new admit?" Amy turned to see one of the other nurses, Maria, standing at the desk with a pair of IV bags in her hands.

"It would take to long to explain. His chart is on the desk. Feel free to look it over so you can handle his care if I am needed elsewhere. The other boy over there, his name is Mello. He will be staying here with Near for a while."

"You're letting a child stay with a patient in the PICU?"

"It's a long story. But Dr. Smith says that Near seems to respond better to treatment and is calmer is Mello is nearby. Do you happen to know if there are any small scrubs in the closet?"

"I think so. We just had a shipment of new scrubs yesterday, so there should be at least one."

"Thanks. I'm going to do a wound check on Mello for Dr. Smith in a moment. Would you check on my patient in bed 4 while I am busy?"

"Sure. Unless you want me to do the wound check for you?"

"No need. I want to speak with the boy while I look at his knees." Maria nodded and Amy went into the closet to find the scrubs. She found three pairs of them, more then were usually in the PICU closet. There weren't many nurses or doctors that wore a size small that worked the ward. She gathered up a pair and left the closet, stopping to take the bag lunch she had called for from the delivery woman. When she got back to the bed, Mello was sitting on the end with his pants off, his eyes still trained on Near's face. "Here are the scrubs for you. I'm sure you will be more comfortable in them. Now let me look at your knees." Amy pulled up a stool and went about the task of removing the bandages from Mello's knees. She cleaned the wounds, put on antibacterial gel, and bandaged them. Through the whole thing Mello didn't react once, not even to flinch when she had used the antiseptic cleaner, which stings on open wounds.

"Mello. Look at me please." Mello looked at her and she held his chin and checked his pupils. They were a bit sluggish, but nothing to alarming. His pulse, however, was racing. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from saying anything before she talked to Dr. Smith again, she helped Mello into the scrubs and settled him into the chair beside Near. She made sure he started to eat the food she gave him before she asked Roger to speak with her. "I am going to ask Dr. Smith to come back up here and take a look at Mello. His knees are fine, but I think he may be in shock."

"Will he be alright?" Roger looked back at the boys, obviously worried.

"Dr. Smith told me about their relationship. I have read Near's chart. He has sustained some very serious injuries in a short period of time. While Mello wasn't injured, he has experienced some things that are difficult for anyone of any age to handle. Dr. Smith says that he is frightened. I believe he is right. But right now I think he is in shock. I am going to call the doctor now. Would you like to stay with him until he gets here?"

"I would, yes. I am the legal guardian of both of these boys. I have cared for them since they were very small. I'm not leaving until I know they are both being cared for."

"Of course. I'll be back after I call the doctor."

15 minutes later Dr. Smith walked back into the PICU and immediately to the bed where Near and Mello were. He nodded to Roger before kneeling in front of Mello and turning the chair so the boy could face him. But when he turned the chair, Mello's eyes refused to leave Near. "Mello. I need you to look at me." Mello turned slowly and looked down at him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Why are you back? I thought you left."

"I came up to look at you. Nurse Hanley is a little worried about you." Derrick pulled his penlight out of is pocket and looked at Mello's eyes. His pupils contracted a little slowly, but more surprising, the boys didn't react. Shine a bright light in most peoples eyes and they will squint. "Mello. I'm going to have Nurse Hanley bring over a cot for you. I want you to lay down for a while, okay?"

Mello nodded and turned back to Near as soon as Dr. Smith stood up. "Doctor, is he okay?" Roger put his hand on Mello's shoulder and used the other to gently stroke the boys hair.

"Amy was right. He's in shock. We're going to lay him down and put some blankets on him to keep him warm. I want to give him a light sedative like I did the other night. He needs to rest. He can stay here next to Near. There are chairs in here that fold out into a small bed. We have them for the parents of small children who stay here. When he wakes up he will feel better, and he will be right here with Near."

"Alright. Whatever you need to do to help him, doctor."

Amy returned with the chair and she and another nurse unfolded it and put some clean sheet on. While Derrick laid Mello down, Amy went to get a warm blanket and sent the other nurse for the sedative. Mello didn't struggle, he didn't complain. He was like a living doll be put into different positions and just staying where he was put. Mello shivered when Amy laid a warm blanket over him, but there was no reaction other then that. Derrick picked up Mello's hand once he had the syringe with the sedative. "Mello. I'm going to give you a shot. It's going to make you sleepy. When you wake up, Near will be right where you left him."

"Okay, doctor."

Derrick sighed and put the needle into Mello's arm. Less then a minute later, Mello was asleep. "He'll be fine, Roger. Why don't you go home. I'll call you the minute anything happens, if anything happens."

"I would appreciate a call when Mello wakes up. Just to know that he is alright."

"Sure. I'll have the nurse call me when he does."

Roger held out his hand and shook the doctors. "Thank you everything."

"It's my job. But I do enjoy doing it."

Roger nodded and left the hospital. Once back at Whammy House, he slumped into his desk chair and put his thumbs into his eyes. These two boys were going to be the death of him. Roger picked up the phone and called L for the third time in as many days.

"Yes?"

"It's Roger. I need to speak to L."

"One moment please, Roger."

Roger tapped a pan against the top of his desk while he waited. He hated waiting, especially for L. "Hello, Roger. How are things going?"

"Not well." Roger proceeded to tell L about everything that had happened with Near and then what happened with Mello.

"I see. Will they be alright?"

"Mello will be fine after some rest. The doctors are going to monitor Near closely for the next few days. They have him in a chemical coma, which could cause permanent brain damage when combined with a recent head injury in a child. But the doctor has assured me that they are taking every precaution they can to make sure he stays safe."

"Is this the same doctor?"

"It is. But his attitude toward Mello seems to have changed. He was actually standing up for Mello earlier when the nurse in the PICU didn't want him to stay there with Near. He talked her into letting him stay."

"Interesting. What has happened since we last talked that could have changed his mind?"

"I'm not sure. Mello said that the doctor let him sleep in the bed with Near and hold him while he slept. Maybe he saw that Mello really does care for Near."

"Perhaps. But I will still like you to keep an eye on the situation."

"I will."

"I need to be going now. Call me when you have news."

"I will, L." Roger frowned when he realized he was talking to himself. He sighed and turned off his desk lamp. He needed to sleep. He hadn't gotten much at all since Near went into the hospital. Leaving the rest of his work for the next day, Roger when to bed.

Mello woke with a screaming headache. Or maybe it was the screaming alarm sounding around him that was making his head hurt. Either way, he sat up slowly and looked around. He was a bit disoriented for a while. Then he remember that he was in the PICU with Near. He vaguely remember something the doctor said about him being in shock, but he hadn't really been paying attention. He looked around the room to see a handful of nurses and a doctor huddled around a bed on the other side of the room. There was a little girl on the bed and they were working hard to try and keep her alive. Mello's eyes immediately went to Near. He was still pale, but he looked better then he had the night before, after his second round of blood loss. Mello moved to the chair my the head of the bed and gently ran his fingers through Near's hair.

"Mello?" The nurse from before, Amy Mello remembered her name as, walked into the area around Near's bed and pulled a curtain closed around them. "How do you feel?"

"Better. I have a headache though. How is Near doing?"

Amy smiled. "He is doing better. His stats are a little higher then we would like. But Dr. Smith said to try having you lay with him before we resort to medical ways of fixing that. We were just waiting for you to wake up." Amy reached over Near's bed from the opposite side Mello was sitting on. She pulled the blankets back and showed him that they had already moved Near to the side of the bed so he had room. "Why don't you climb up here with him. Just remember to be careful. I'll go call Dr. Smith. He wanted to know when you woke up so he can come look you over and make sure you are doing alright."

"I was in shock. I remember him saying that, a little." Mello slid very slowly and very gently into the bed. "Can I out my arm under his head? He liked it when he was laying like that earlier." Mello frowned. "How long was I asleep?"

"About four hours. And yes, you can put your arm under his head. Just be careful for the wires." She helped Mello hold the heart monitor wires out of the way as he put his arm under Near's head. After she straightened out the oxygen tube, she went to call Dr. Smith. Mello was playing with Near's hair with one hand and holding his hand with the other when she returned to their bed. She glanced at the monitors and had to do a double take. "Oh my God. It actually worked."

"What worked?" Mello looked up at the woman at the sound of her voice.

"His stats are down to normal. You have been laying there for less then 10 minutes and he is already calmer. He is in a coma and he is reacting to you."

"He knows I'm here. His body knows the feel of mine. This happened yesterday, too."

"That is what Dr. Smith said. But I wasn't sure I believed him. He must really love you."

Mello nodded. "I think he does. I know I love him." Mello looked across the room to where the other nurses and the doctor were putting away equipment and pulling a sheet over the little girl. "What happened to her?"

"She was hit by a car this morning. We did all we could for her but she was hurt to badly." Amy smiled at him and put the blanket from the cot over them to keep them warmer. "But Near is doing just fine. We are very hopeful that he will heal well."

"What does that mean, hopeful? Does it mean you know he will do well? Or does it really mean that you hope he will and you are not sure?"

"I am sure. He is a strong boy, and already he is showing signs of healing. So far, he has no signs of infection. Which is very good indeed for someone how had suffered injury to the intestine."

Mello smiled and laid his cheek against Near's hair. "He is very strong. And he has always been very healthy."

"Both of those factors will work to his benefit."

"Hello Mello, Amy." Dr. Smith pulled the curtain closed the rest of way behind him as he stepped into the area. "How are you feeling, Mello."

"Better, thank you. The sleep helped."

"Well, let me look you over." Mello moved to sit up but Derrick put his hand on his chest to keep him down. "You don't have to move. Stay where you are." Mello relaxed back onto the bed as the doctor checked his heart rate and breathing, his blood pressure, his temperature, is pupils. He even looked into Mello's mouth. "You look much better. You didn't get as much sleep as I was hoping you would, but you can sleep there will Near now. I want you to eat dinner first though. So when that comes, you will need to sit up to eat. Then I want you to get some more sleep. If you don't think you can sleep, let nurse Hanley know and she will give you something to help with that."

"I have a bit of a headache. But I do feel alright. And I could probably sleep."

"The headache is an after effect of the shock. It should go away after you sleep some more. If it doesn't, let me know." He looked back and forth between the two boys. "Just remember to be careful laying there."

"I will."

Derrick nodded and left, asking Amy to call for a dinner for Mello before he left the ward. "He is a nice man, Dr. Smith."

"He's alright. He wasn't that nice to me when he first met me though."

"Why is that?"

Mello blushed. "Probably because of my relationship with Near. Which is really none of his business."

"He is a doctor. Anything that could harm his patient is his business. Doctors are usually very nosey people."

Mello watched as the nurse left. Turning back to Near, he touched the boys lips softly with his own before resting his head against all that soft hair. "I love you, Near. Please come back to me soon." Mello closed his eyes and let himself cry as he waited for his dinner.


As a side note...I am currently taking requests if anyone would like to see a pairing or a specific story sitiation written in my writing style. If anyone is interested in seeing something you want written up by me...send me a private message and I will add you to my list and get to work on something for you!