The kitchen was the only empty room I could find. I regretted feeling upset over my lack of visitors when I was in my medic room. Now everyone wanted to talk to me, to reprimand me, to pity me.

I stared absentmindedly at the mug of hot coffee in front of me. I had no intention of drinking it. I just enjoyed the rich smell after experiencing the stale aromas of the sterilized medic room for so long. The heat was comforting as I wrapped the fingers of my left hand around the ceramic mug.

A wave of pain coursed through the right side of my body as my pain killers started to lose effect. The muscle damage and the bruises were painful enough but of course; on top of that, I had to have the unfortunate privilege of recovering from splintered and fractured bones.

Abe had removed all of the poison that had seeped into my bones creating cracks and deteriorating bone marrow. I was now left with a severely injured arm and shoulder that were both locked in an uncomfortably, tight brace. I didn't know how long it would be before I got out of it. The gauze on my head would be removed tomorrow and the bandages wrapped around my chest would probably be removed after my next X-ray if it looked like my ribs had healed properly.

The coffee mug threatened to shatter as my hand tensed around it. The footsteps had been audible since they had turned the corner at the end of the hallway leading to the kitchen. I simply hoped the person would pass by without disturbing me. My hopes were futile.

Of all of the people that could walk in…

I stared down at the mug and tried to focus solely on the smell of the coffee as I heard him enter the room. He opened the fridge and pulled out, I presume, a beer. The countertop creaked softly as he leaned his weight against it and began consuming his drink. Once he finished it, I could practically feel his eyes studying me. I expected him to open his mouth and start lecturing me. His rant would probably be worse than any other I had heard.

"Did you say goodbye to Liz, before she… left?" Hellboy's calm voice startled me. I turned around slowly so that I could see him.

"No. She never came to visit me while I was out of commission. Did she leave already?" I watched him cautiously.

"Yeah." He muttered. His eyes were trained on the floor as he pushed away from the counter and moved to grab another beer from the fridge.

"Aren't you supposed to be in medical care?" He said, turning around and looking directly at me for the first time.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep worrying about Liz." I muttered bitterly. I stood from my seat at the table and carried my full cup of coffee to the sink.

"Hey." Hellboy called as he watched me pour out the coffee and clean the mug.

"I was worried about you. I still am. What were you thinking out there?" I sighed and placed the mug down. I wasn't ready for another lecture. "I don't know. I just…. Maybe Liz has the right idea, leaving like that." I replied, staring down at the sink.

"Don't think like that. You belong here and…"

"Do I?" I interrupted without looking at him. Hellboy went silent, confused by my question. "I almost killed you." I whispered guiltily. Hellboy barked a laugh and I whipped around to glare at him. "That was nothing! I've been through much worse! I don't blame you for what happened. It was just an accident." He offered me a smile. I shook my head and lowered my gaze.

"I was careless. I always am. I just feel like everything I do is just one mistake after another." I confessed.

"You're reckless but so am I so I can't really judge you there. Despite that, you tend to get hurt because you're committed to your assignment, your job, and the protection of your friends. This little adventure of yours is a different matter." He stepped closer to me as he spoke. I narrowed my eyes and glared at the floor, refusing to look at him. "It's none of your business." I snapped. His left hand gripped my chin and forced me to look up at him.

"It's my business if you get hurt because I care about you." My heart skipped a beat as he stared down at me with his bright yellow eyes. "We all care about you." He added. My hopes deflated right as they started to form.

I tried to hide the wince as my neck and collarbone started to hurt. Hellboy hadn't realized it but when he lifted my chin, he had put a lot of strain on my neck. Tears formed in my eyes as the pain started to get worse. He spotted the tears and gave me a quizzical expression. "You're hurting me." I mumbled and then winced as he quickly released my chin.

"I'm sorry." He replied quickly. I took a deep breath as I waited for the pain to ease.

"No, I'm sorry." I muttered once I could speak again. Hellboy raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. "I'm sorry for getting in the way a lot and I'm sorry I treated you so terribly. I know I'm not Liz and I shouldn't have tried to take my anger out on her just to get back at you." I apologized softly. Hellboy's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"It wasn't entirely your fault. I'm the one that made you feel alienated and I was a bit of asshole in the first place. I'm sorry, Rai." He looked quite serious when he said it. I smiled at him and he smiled back. He offered me his left hand and I placed my hand in his not sure of what he wanted. He simply shook my hand.

"See there you go. Even we freaks can be civilized." He said, using the very same words I had used on him after we killed a kraken. I laughed as I recalled the memory. The action made my chest hurt and Hellboy let me lean on him so that I wouldn't collapse.

"So is that it? Can we start over?" He asked me. I wanted to shrug but I wasn't able to because of my injuries. I thought about what he asked for a moment and then nodded me head. "I would like to." I replied. He smiled.

"We should probably get you back to the medic room." Hellboy said and I groaned. "Please don't take me back there. I just want to sleep in my own room in my own bed." I whined. "They need to keep an eye on you, kid. You may not have noticed, but you're pretty banged up." I glared at him.

"I don't need a beeping sound to tell me I'm still alive. If I wasn't then I probably wouldn't be in this much pain." I replied dryly. Hellboy studied my face for a moment and then sighed. "Fine, I can take you back to your room." He offered. I smiled widely and started to head for the door but Hellboy stopped me.

Something hit the back of my knees and I was swept up into his arms. Before I could protest Hellboy started carrying me out of the room and down the hallway. "You are practically dead on your feet, Sparky. The least you can do is let me carry you." I wanted to argue but I was too exhausted so I relaxed into Hellboy's chest.

After arriving at her room I lowered her onto the bed as gently as possible. She was already half asleep when her head landed on the pillow. I stood watching her awkwardly, not sure of what I was supposed to do next. I guessed that I should try to make her more comfortable. I leaned over her and adjusted the pillow so that she could sleep soundly and not wake up with a stiff neck.

She muttered a 'thank you' and I nodded my head at her. I pulled some of the blankets on her bed over her so that she could stay warm. As I pulled on one of the blankets something that had been wrapped in the blanket fell to the floor. I lifted the object and found that it was some kind of stuffed animal. After examining it a little closer I realized that the doll was supposed to be me. I glanced back and forth between the doll and Rai debating whether I should ask or not.

"Hey kid, what's this?" I asked as I held up the doll. She lifted her head slowly and waited for her eyes to readjust. Her eyes grew huge when she saw what I was holding. Before I could comprehend what happened, Rai ripped the doll from my hand and hid it beneath her pillow. I tried to hide my smile as I realized she looked really cute with the light blush spreading across her face. I softly patted her head and decided it was time to leave.

I smiled back at her once more before shutting off the light and closing the door.