(Near P.O.V)
Sitting on the bed while they prepped me made me nervous. Even with L right next to me, the thought made me ill. I was getting surgery. I would be cut open and prodded like an experiment. I was close to seven-years-old at the time, just a day before my birthday, and thoughts of knives and needles poking around my brain made me feel uneasy. I had wished with all my might that Matt and Mello were beside me to help. Even Mello's 'Don't be a baby!' quote would help. Right now, with just L, I felt like I was being sized up for slaughter.
L had assured me that the two would come to be beside me like they promised, but I had my doubts. Mello didn't care about me and Matt would only do what his best friend did. So I was alone. Like before Wammys. Where no one cared if I lived or died. I was a nuisance, unwanted and unloved by the people who I desperately wanted to be loved by.
I was pulled out of my reverie when L combed my hair back with his hand. "You're going to be fine, Near. Please don't worry. Wammy got the best doctors to do the surgery for you, and you'll make it out fine."
I nodded silently but still remained fearful.
When the nurses were done with my preparations, they left the room to get the operation room ready. This gave me the chance to sit in my bed and think. I knew I was emanating fear and doubt right now, but I had to remain optimistic.
What happened next was a god-sent.
There was a loud crash outside my room and one of the nurses screamed. "Who let these boys in here!?"
As if on cue, two ten-year-old boys raced into my room and hid behind the door. The red-headed one spoke in a hushed voice. "Be cool."
A nurse then walked into my room, looked around for a bit, and then left angrily. After she was gone, the two boys broke down in giggles.
"I told you we'd get into trouble!" Said the blonde.
"Shut up, that was fun!" The red-head choked out through his laughs.
"Where have you two been?" L asked Matt and Mello.
Matt turned towards him. "We had to grab something for Near from a shop not far from here. When we got here, we got lost and ended up in the maternity ward. One thing led to another, and we ended up making most of the babies cry all at once."
"The docs are still hunting us down." Mello snickered. "But I doubt they'll catch us."
L rubbed his left temple. "What ever shall I do with you two?"
I grinned from the corner of my mouth. I was glad to see that they hadn't forgotten about me after all. But what was this they had said about picking something up for me? I never requested anything from them.
It was then that I noticed a medium-sized box in Mello's arms. It was wrapped nicely with fine white wrapping paper, and a large bow sat atop it. Was this a gift? For me?
As if he read my mind, as if anyone could, Mello handed the box to me. "We figured we'd pool our allowance together to get you something for your birthday."
"Considering it'll be spent here in the hospital, we might as well celebrate before they put you under."
This… was odd. Especially for Mello. No one had ever gotten me a gift for my birthday. My parents hadn't cared – my sisters go without saying – and no one acknowledged my day of birth at the orphanage, save for L and Watari.
"So that's where you two went." L commented. "I had thought you'd both just forgotten… or didn't bother to show."
"It's the guy's birthday!" Matt said happily, as always. "We're not gonna let him spend it alone in a hospital. Besides, the gift was Mel's idea…"
Matt was promptly slapped upside the head by Mello. "I told you not to say anything!"
"Well sorry, but I doubt I deserved to be slapped for it!"
"Trust me, you did."
I finally cut in. "This was your idea, Mello?"
He only shrugged. "No one should spend their birthday in a hospital. So yeah, I picked up something for ya. Matt picked it out though."
"I did, so open it up already!" The red-head demanded as he climbed onto the hospital bed. Mello settled for sitting next to the bed on the floor, not even bothering to watch me unwrap my gift.
Being my first birthday gift, I unwrapped it quickly and without hesitation. Inside, was a toy robot exactly like the ones you wound up and watched move around. It was a collector's item I had seen before in a toy shop not far from where we were now. How had they known it was what I wanted? Surely I never told them of this item, and I doubt anyone else knew about it.
"What'cha think!?" Matt asked excitedly.
I could only hug him in response. For the first time in years, I felt as happy as a six – nearly seven – year old should be.
Matt hugged me back immediately. He always had warm hugs, probably due to his kind nature. You couldn't not hug Matt when he offered one. It was as close to a sin as possible.
Realizing Mello also had a part in this, I jumped down from my bed and hugged him too. Of course, he didn't hug back. But that didn't matter to me. It meant more that the blonde thought of me at all when he could have easily forgotten my existence.
I didn't let go of Mello's neck until the nurse came back to get me into the O.R. At this point, I was scared once again. It wasn't until Matt reassured me that they'd all be there when I was done that I finally calmed down a bit and accepted my fate.
Before they wheeled me away though I looked back at the three that waited in my room. Matt and L smiled encouragingly whilst Mello bit into his chocolate. Yes, I was scared. But the thought of the three of them helped me get through my anxiety.
(Mello P.O.V)
I watched the little egg-head roll away beyond the doors and instantly pitied the kid. But, the least I could do was give him some kind of relief before he went under the knife. I did the same thing with Matt and his appendicitis. Hell, I'd do it for any kid in this circumstance. Hospitals were not something a kid should experience until he was in his teens and having to get stitches for doing something stupid.
I suddenly caught L's eyes looking at me. "What?"
He shook his head. "And you wonder why Near is so fond of you."
I bit of some of my chocolate. "Like I said before, I'm not heartless. How would you like to spend your birthday in the hospital?"
"If I did, would you bake me a cake?"
I grinned evilly at him. "Sure. And while I'm at it, I'll decorate it in orange and black decorations with spooky ghosts and haggard witches."
The man scrunched his face in disgust. "Never mind."
Poor L. Had to have been born on Halloween, a secret he shared with only Watari and us three. Matt and I would always joke about getting him something Halloween related for his birthday, or buying an orange covered cake with black cats and ghouls. He hated it with every fibre of his being. But I guess having a holiday overshadow your birthday was usually a pain.
Since we were gonna be waiting a while at the hospital, I made myself comfortable. Matt was already playing his game, L was looking over some documents he brought along, and I… I just stared blankly at the wall. Listening to my thoughts.
I had begun to think about going across the street to get a hot chocolate, when a couple knocked at the door.
They looked fairly old, but maybe it was because I was ten, and they seemed to be looking for someone.
"May I help you?" L answered.
The couple looked at L, in the way most people would when first meeting him, until the man said, "Is this the room Na – erm… Near is in?"
L stepped from his seat. "Yes. Might I ask who's questioning?"
The man looked at the woman who I assumed was his wife, then back at him. "His… his parents."