Chapter 20

Carlos looked down at his oldest friend, his chest rising and falling slowly. Carlos wouldn't have known he were alive if it weren't for that. James's arm was wrapped in a cast, the right one. The one he wrote with. And his leg was in a cast. He had a neck brace on, too. Carlos wondered how falling off a chair could do that to someone.

But James was tall, wasn't he? So falling off the chair would hurt more for him than if Carlos himself had fallen off. Carlos almost smirked. The one time being tall wasn't a good thing. But he couldn't be happy right now; James was lying in bed, lifeless and hurt badly. That was nothing to be happy about.

"James…" Carlos whispered, wishing that he'd open his eyes already. He wanted James back… just like he wanted Kendall back. At the thought of his blonde friend, Carlos felt his eyes filling up with tears.

Kendall had always been their leader. He was the glue that kept them together. Without Kendall, their bonds of friendship would come falling apart. He was the one that kept them in L.A., he was the one who convinced them to join the hockey team in junior high, he was the one… he was the one who made them who they were.

And now even Logan, who seemed completely different from who he used to be. He no longer seemed to… care about the things he used to care deeply about. All he was committed to now was Kendall. Kendall, Kendall, Kendall… that was his life now. And Carlos didn't blame him for that.

"I just want my friends back…" He whispered softly, his voice breaking. "James, please get better…"

James didn't open his eyes. He just lay there, like a dead person. But the rise and fall of James's chest assured Carlos that, at least for now, James was okay. And that was all he needed.

Carlos let out a deep breath, sitting down on a chair near James's bed. He hated this. He hated all of this. He just wished Kendall would go back to normal, and they could go play hockey and bother Gustavo and Bitters and-

Carlos shook his head. He couldn't fill his mind with happy thoughts just to be disappointed time and time again. Kendall wasn't ever going to be fine, but Carlos didn't want to accept that. "Kendall, I just want you back…" Carlos whispered, tears welling up in his eyes, even though he knew just wishing it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough to bring Kendall back.

"D-don't worry, Carlos." Carlos jumped up when he heard James's hoarse voice. Carlos turned around faster than a blink, a smile on his face.

"James! You're awake!" Carlos cried, voicing his own thoughts. He went to hug James, then thought better of it. James was very weak right now, and it would take a while before he'd recover. But at least he would recover… unlike Kendall would…

"Y-yeah." James let out a chuckle. He let out a big yawn, closing his eyes again.

Before Carlos knew it, James was asleep again. Even though Carlos was planning on questioning James on what happened, he was just glad James was awake.

Carlos smiled and brushed his older friend's hair out of his face. "I'll see ya later, James." He stayed there for a period of time. He didn't know if it had been a minute, an hour, or even a day.

But when he left, grasped the cold metal door handle in his hand, he thought that maybe, just maybe, James would be okay again.

That everything would be okay again.

Line line line

"Logan, Jennifer? I believe I have some good news for you all." Logan looked up, his face lighting up at the doctor's words.

"Really? What?" Mrs. Knight asked, her face happier than Logan had seen it in a long time. Maybe things would be okay after all.

"Kendall can go home today. We've given him several checkups, and he seems to be okay for the time period. He can probably go home, as long as you bring him in weekly for us to check him up." Logan nodded along. Kendall would be okay.

Well, as okay as he'll ever be.

Logan shook the grim thought out of his head. It didn't help anyone when he was being all pessimistic and negative. He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "That's… that's great." He mumbled, his voice tired and worried.

The doctor watched them for a moment, his eyes concerned. But then he decided to leave them alone. "You can check him out now if you want to. Just go to the front desk and they'll have you sign the papers."

Logan chewed on his lip. Everything was happening so fast. Too fast. Too fast for him to comprehend. Kendall had a seizure after he slipped by the pool at the Palm Woods, then was taken to he hospital, then he had another seizure, and now he was coming home. It seemed a little too early for Kendall to be able to come home, but Logan couldn't see anything else the doctors could do for him here.

Kendall's brain was messed up. There was no fixing him now. It was like trying to heal a dead person. All the doctors could do was sit back and give Kendall medication and stuff, to help him, but not able to make him completely better.

And that sucked. Big time.

Mrs. Knight grasped Katie's small hand in hers, and together with Logan, they stood up and walked over to the front desk. Mrs. Knight's hands shook as she signed the papers that would release her son from this prison of a hospital.

Logan held Katie in her lap and sat on a chair in the waiting area. Waiting for what, he didn't know. If he was waiting for Kendall to get better, he'd be waiting forever.

"Hey, you okay?" Katie looked up, sniffling, her eyes wide and puffy and red. Kendall wasn't even Logan's biological brother, but he was Katie's biological brother. Logan couldn't even began to imagine how Katie felt seeing her brother, her role model, so broken.

"I-I'm scared, Logan… I want Kendall back." She whispered softly, tears in her eyes. Logan hated all of it. He hated seeing deceptive and confident little Katie Knight so scared and broken. But that was what trauma did to you. It transformed you completely until you weren't even sure of who you were anymore.

Logan remembered reading that before in a book, a book about trauma. That seemed like ages ago, when everything was okay, when everything was normal.

"I know, Katie. I'm scared too. But we'll be here for you. Me and James and Carlos. I promise you we'll keep you safe and sound." Logan kissed her on the forehead. Katie let out a small smile, but Logan could tell she wouldn't be okay for a long time.

And speaking of James and Carlos, Logan pulled out his phone and dialed Carlos's phone number. Carlos picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Carlos. It's Logan."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that when I saw my caller ID and it said 'Logan Mitchell'." Carlos replied. Logan smiled. At least here was one person left who still saw the bright side of things.

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that. Anyways, how's James?"

He heard Carlos hesitate on the other line. "James, uh, he woke up for, like, 10 seconds. But he's okay, really." He added quickly.

Logan was relieved. At least James was fine. "Thanks, Carlos. For looking after him." It sounded weird, Carlos looking after James. But wasn't everything weird nowadays?

"No problem, Logie. How's Kendall?" Logan hated how he and Carlos were taking care of Kendall and James. It was usually the other way around.

"Great, actually. The doctor said he could go home today. Mama Knight's signing the papers right now." Logan replied.

"That's awesome! I'll be there in a sec, alright? I'm on the elevator, and it's kinda taking forever."

"And why is that?"

"Uh… no reason." Carlos replied quickly, sounding sheepish.

"Carlos, did you press all the buttons again?" Logan asked, a smirk on his face. Even Katie was smiling at the childish act.

"Uh, maybe?" Logan chuckled.

"Alright, but try and hurry up, okay? We'll meet ya at the entrance, alright?"

"Okay. Bye!"

Logan smiled as he hung up. Turning towards Katie, who still had a shadow of a smile on her face, he said, "See? We know everything's okay cuz Carlos is acting like a little baby again."

The small giggle Katie let out was like sunshine on a cloudy morning.

"Thanks, Carlos." Logan whispered to himself, grinning.

Line line line

Katie watched, her heart pounding, as Kendall got out of the hospital bed. The doctors got him changed, and for a moment, Kendall looked normal.

Until he smiled that creepy little kid smile.

Katie didn't want to cry; she was always the toughest kid in the grade, but seeing Kendall like that scared her more than anything ever had. More than anything ever could.

Kendall Knight, her big brother, her role model, was now a little 7 year old kid screaming for ice cream.

"Mommy, I want my ice cream!" Kendall pouted. Mrs. Knight didn't respond, and Katie could tell that she was scared, too.

"Kendall, buddy, we'll get some when we get home, alright?" Logan said gently, guiding Kendall out of the room and out of the hospital. Logan, the most mature one out of them all. Katie could have mistaken him for a 30 year old if he didn't look so young. Logan, the boy who could outsmart doctors and college professors. The boy who pushed his dreams of becoming a doctor aside to fulfill James's.

"Home? Where's dat?" Kendall asked curiously, all thoughts about ice cream forgotten.

"Home. Like the Palm Woods. You remember the Palm Woods, sweetie?" Mrs. Knight asked gently, her voice soft and caring. Katie admired her mother. Loved her. Her mother, who had taken care of her and Kendall ever since their Dad left. Her mother, who had loved and cared for three other boys who were not her own. Her mother, who gave her more love than she thought was possible.

"With da swirly slide?" Kendall asked, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Katie couldn't help noticing that what Kendall noticed first now wasn't his hockey stick or the TV or whatever, it was a little kiddie slide.

"Yep. That's the one, Kendall. And I'll ride it with ya when we get home, alright?" Carlos told him, his eyes bright and happy. And Carlos, Carlos, the boy with the hockey helmet and the infectious smile. The boy who was so sensitive that he cried when someone else was sad. The boy who could cheer anyone up, even in the darkest of situations. The boy who was oblivious about a lot of things but had the biggest heart you could imagine.

"And Jamie will be dere too?"

Katie nodded, speaking for the first time in hours. "Yep, he'll be there."

And James, who could forget James? The boy who seemed self-conceited, cared way too much about his looks, but had a heart of gold. The boy who'd always teased her of having a crush on him and was so protective of her that night she went to see a movie with Kyle that he was willing to ditch his own date. James, who protected his friends as much as Katie and loved them all to death.

As Katie buckled up her seatbelt, Kendall's bouncing form next to her, she couldn't help but think that maybe everything would be alright again.

Because even though she couldn't have her big brother back completely, she still had part of him, her loving mother, and her three other amazing big brothers.

A/N- Alright… I'm sorry. Again. For the 394th, time, I'm sorry. I haven't update in like a month! But now it's winter break so I'll try to make up for it, alright? Again, SO SORRY! Just busy with homework and when winter break rolls around, I get the stupid COLD. Ugh, what life does to me.

But anyways, IT'S BREAK! So yeah, the bright side. Well, for me, anyways, if you don't have break or something… yeah, sorry for ruining your day. ;)

But please review the chapter? I made if long, if that helps…

Peace, Love, and Giraffes,

Anonymous Skrtle