In Charge

Chapter 25 – Doctor

By Threshie

AN: Welcome to "In Charge", chapter 25! Yikes, a quarter of a hundred chapters...

Disclaimer: Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.


"Good morning, Matt."

The words snapped the redhead out of his memories of L's departure; blinking, he realized that Dr. Lidner and Sayu were standing beside his bed. Wow, I must've been really out of it not to notice them coming in...

"Hi," he answered sheepishly, trying to wipe the look of surprise off of his face before they noticed. A tiny giggle from Sayu informed him that he'd failed, but neither of the women commented on it, thankfully. "Um...how's Near?"

"I just came from his room," Dr. Lidner said, "He's doing just fine. I have to ask, though, where did your father go? I should think he'd be spending the night at the hospital, with both of his sons as patients here..."

Oh, right, nobody told her L was leaving last night.

"Oh, he had to finish up some business stuff," Matt answered as casually as he could, "He would've stayed, but this is really time-sensitive stuff...besides, he left Mello to keep an eye on Near and me."

"Did he?" The doctor blinked, "There was no one in your brother's room except for him when I visited."

Huh? Where'd Mello go? Matt blinked back, unsure how to respond. He'd assumed when Mello didn't come back to his room all night that he was taking care of Near...if that wasn't the case, where had he been for the past eight or so hours?

"Nevermind; I got my answer, that your father is at home." The doctor waved a hand dismissively, "All right, I'm going to take your bandages off and take a look at the injury—just lie still." Matt nodded, glancing down at the bandages on his chest tiredly. I wonder how long it'll take this to heal up? It better not keep me from playing my xBox. If it did, Mikami was going to have even more ill wishes passed his way than were already being tossed at him every time he was mentioned...

The doctor carefully cut the bandages off, hmm'ing to herself thoughtfully as she looked the injury over. Matt hadn't seen it yet, and was kind of hesitant to look. Having a hole in your chest is kind of...scary? Creepy? I know it'll heal up, but still... The thoughts were shallow, immediate ones; beneath them, the thought that Mello had left Near alone all night still nagged at him. Why? Why would he say he'd take care of everything, and then turn around and do that?

"Did you sleep well, Matt?" Sayu 's question snapped him back to the present; the intern was leaning around Dr. Lidner's shoulder with a bright smile on her face. Reminded of her laughter when he informed her that Mello wasn't a girl, Matt couldn't help but return the smile.

"Nah, but I feel a lot better anyway," he said. I do, kind of—Near's okay, and that creep doesn't have him anymore, but what's going on with Mello now? Where'd he go?

"Are you in any pain?" He glanced at Dr. Lidner, whose blue eyes were still trained on his injury while she spoke. Hesitantly, Matt peered down at the wound, too. It really didn't look nearly as bad as it felt; there was a small round spot of red, about half an inch in width, and the area around it was reddish compared to the rest of his skin. It was a pretty small gun; .9mm, maybe? I guess it just hurts a lot compared to the size when you get hit with a bullet...kind of like getting stabbed with something thin.

Oh, that was a cheery thought.

Sweatdropping, the redhead answered quickly, "Um, a little bit, but not bad. Don't worry about it, Doc." I really just wanna go home. I want to talk to Mell and Near again...

"It's my job to patch you up while keeping you as comfortable as possible," the blonde woman answered wryly. Sitting up, she nodded at Sayu, "Please redress this." Without waiting for a response, she turned and started to examine the readouts on the monitoring equipment. "Hmm...you bounce back fast, it looks like. That's very good news."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked, trying not to stare at Sayu, who looked like she was a bit nervous about bandaging the injury; she was biting her lip, focused intently on dressing it correctly. Poor kid, she's probably never even seen a bullet wound before, being an intern. That makes two of us, I guess...

"You lost a lot of blood," Dr. Lidner explained a bit stiffly; thinking of who had been doing the shooting obviously still bothered her a lot. "If your friend Mello hadn't come back when he did, you probably would have died before anyone found you. The good news is that your blood pressure is back up quite a bit—in fact, I think it will be all right for you to go home today."

"Really? That's...that's great. Thanks, Doc," the redhead murmured, smiling as best he could. He was happy that he would be okay and could go home, but there was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that everything hadn't been resolved yet.

Near.

Near had explained what had happened to him last night, but neither Matt nor Mello had really believed him. It was hard to believe him when there seemed to be evidence of something more traumatic than he had admitted to... And now there was this business with Mello, too.

I just want them both to be okay, but I can't even get up to go see for myself. I hope Near can go home today, too....I hope we're all together again soon.


"Mello...?" Near's voice sounded so small, like he was afraid to speak up too loudly. It made Mello feel kind of guilty for beating such a hasty retreat when Dr. Lidner and her bubbly intern assistant had come by. After snapping at her the day before, the blonde boy hadn't really felt like facing Dr. Lidner again so soon. She thinks I'm a jerk, I'm sure. Who am I kidding, I was being a jerk... He sighed, stepping back into the room from the janitor's closet he'd ducked into.

"I'm here."

Near's dark eyes looked accusing; they stared straight into Mello's.

"You left me alone," he said quietly, lowering his gaze to the blankets across his knees and hugging an arm to his chest. His eyes may have been accusing, but his voice seemed more anxious than anything. Maybe even a bit scared.

Mello sighed, too, coming over and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was here, I just didn't want to talk to them." That sounds pretty cowardly—I mean, I literally ran away from two girls! He frowned to himself; it wasn't that he was afraid of them; he just didn't want to talk to Dr. Lidner. He didn't want to have her talk to him and think of him as some jerk...even if it was his own fault that she felt that way. Way to go, you really messed up everything yesterday... Well, not everything, or he and Near wouldn't consider themselves friends this morning, but close enough.

"...Did you hear what she said, then?" Near asked, still looking down at the blankets. He looked and sounded truly exhausted... After all of the crap Mikami put him through the last few days, last night he kept having nightmares every time he tried to sleep. Doesn't seem fair...

It was so strange, feeling protective of Near like this. He kept wanting to reassure him, tell him everything would be okay, but it seemed so uncharacteristic that he was afraid he would weird Near out by doing so. I know I would've been weirded out if somebody who used to hate my guts suddenly started hugging me and talking nicely to me all the time. I don't know what's wrong with me...

That wasn't the only thing, though. It wasn't just caring about Near that was different, but also the absence of hating him. Living in constant hatred of somebody took a lot of energy; he'd just realized it now that he wasn't focusing on hating Near anymore. Everything felt...lighter, more laid-back. It was almost surreal.

He smiled a little at Near's question, because he had been listening while Dr. Lidner was there, and it was great news.

"Yeah, I heard. She said if Matt's ready to, we can all go home today."


Dr. Lidner lingered after Sayu left. Matt tried not to show it, but he was a little apprehensive; was she waiting to tell him something in private? Was there something wrong with Near after all...? Maybe when she examined him, she found evidence that Mikami didn't just kidnap him... He bit his lip, watching the blonde woman's expression carefully as Sayu closed the door after her.

As soon as the girl was gone, the doctor turned to Matt seriously.

"Matt, I need to ask you something."

She sounds really grim. Please don't say what I think you're gonna say about Near...

"Y-yeah? Like what?" The redhead asked uneasily, reaching for the dinosaur from the bed stand. He wasn't sure why, but holding it cheered him up. It was probably because it reminded him of the look on Near's face when he'd first been given the toy; Matt had never seen him smile like that before. I want to make him smile like that again. I want him to be happy again.

If the doctor said something about Near being hurt any more than he already had been, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He doesn't deserve any of this—if he had his way, he would've stayed home and never even talked to me or anybody!

Frowning, Dr. Lidner glanced at the door as if someone might be eavesdropping or something, then turned her eyes back to him and asked quietly, "How are you and Mello related?"

...Huh?

Matt blinked, then blinked again. So it's...not about Near? This is it?

Much relieved, he smiled, "O-oh...we're best friends! Mell's been my friend since we were both kids living on the streets. When my dad—Ryuzaki, that is--adopted me, he put in a good word for Mello and got the guy down the street to adopt him, actually."Well, it's more or less true...I just didn't mention the fact that we were in England at the time, and that L's "adoption" of us was having us come live at Wammy's House. I can't tell her any of that, though, so it's white lie time...sorry, Doc. I can't believe how glad I am that she didn't start talking about Near!

The doctor had been told that Matt and Near were adopted several times, but apparently she hadn't equated that with them being homeless as orphans; she looked sad to be hearing the story.

"I see...and your brother, Near. Is he important to Mello?"

Well, Mello almost got shot for him, and up 'til now he was important even if it was as Mell's rival, so...

"Yeah, you could say that," Matt said, nodding. "Ryuzaki already had adopted Near when he took me in; Mello's known him almost as long as he's known me. Hey, don't tell Mell I said this, but..." He glanced covertly at the door, too, lowering his voice, "I think Mello kind of likes you, Doc. He's not this friendly to just anybody he's first met, you know." Mell's not gonna say anything before we leave, so I may as well tell her. She'll probably laugh, considering their age difference, but what the heck. Maybe she'll take it as a compliment.

The doctor's blue eyes had a twinkle in them when she smiled; it was a knowing, perhaps sarcastic kind of smile.

"Really," she murmured, reaching for one of his hands. The one with the IV, Matt realized.

He smiled, too, playing along even though he didn't understand. Okaaay, sarcasm I didn't expect... He was focusing on this strange reaction, and so when Dr. Lidner took the IV needle out he barely noticed until she was smoothing a bandaid over the prick.

"Yep," he answered, watching this. "Don't tell anybody, though, okay? If he found out I told you he'd kill me!"

"Kill you?" The doctor arched a brow at the expression; before she could elaborate, though, there was the soft click of the door opening. Both inhabitants of the room turned their heads to see who was there...and Matt was sure that the doctor was just as surprised as him to see a small white-haired boy stepping inside.

"Near! You shouldn't get out of bed and walk around by yourself," Matt exclaimed, staring. He looks okay—no wheelchair or IV today, that's good to see...but still, is he supposed to be walking? What if he got too tired to walk here and had to sit in the hallway? Maybe he couldn't stand being alone in his room for that long... He was about to ask where in the world Mello had disappeared to, irritated that he would leave Near alone after assuring Matt and L that he'd take care of everything, when a familiar blonde stepped through the door, too.

"Careful, remember you just got more stitches yesterday," Mello told the smaller boy worriedly, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him. Near didn't look like he was having any trouble walking, so Matt decided that Mello was being overprotective. Maybe compensating for being gone before! He's back now, but that doesn't explain where he was all night...

"I am all right...both of you," Near said tiredly, glancing back at Mello before turning to Matt. "And, I am not alone—Mello is with me."

There was no reply; Mello and Dr. Lidner had noticed the others' presence, and were regarding each other evenly. Matt wasn't sure why, but there was a sudden tenseness in the air. Frowning, Mello crossed his arms and broke the gaze after a moment, averting his eyes to the side.

What's this all about? Last he knew, Dr. Lidner and Mello seemed to kind of like each other; he was pretty sure they'd been flirting the day they met. Why were they suddenly being sarcastic and avoiding each other's eyes?

"Did he help?" The redhead realized that Near had crossed the room and was standing beside him.

"He?" He asked distractedly, blinking. Near's childish smile was a welcome sight; he started twisting a lock of hair with his right hand, pointing at the dinosaur that Matt held with the other.

"My dinosaur. I was hoping that he helped you to feel better," the white-haired boy explained, reaching out and petting the toy's head gently as if it was a real animal. "If you are well enough to, we can all go home together today..."

"The doctor said you're good to go? That's great!" Matt smiled warmly back, "Doc says I can go home, too, so I guess we get to ride back together. How are you feeling, anyway? You look really tired..." Really, really tired. Did you sleep at all last night...? Imagining Near unable to sleep because he'd been left alone in his hospital room made him really irritated with Mello. How could he do that?

Near nodded a little, examining his wrist; there were bruises on both arms where the IV needles had been put in repeatedly. He seemed to just be looking at them absently, not in dismay, but Matt didn't like seeing that he'd been hurt in yet another way recently. I bet he's in pain of some kind...


Dammit...I thought she'd be gone by now.

Mello had hoped to avoid talking to Dr. Lidner again; he would have preferred to leave the hospital and never look back, to forget about the whole thing. This week had been stressful for more people than just Near...

"Well, I'll have someone call your father and let him know that he can take the two of your home," Dr. Lidner said to Matt and Near, flashing a short smile before turning and walking right past Mello toward the door. She didn't even glance at him as she passed, nor mention him when she spoke—it was like he was invisible.

Or like she's pretending I don't exist...dammit! This isn't right... Grumbling inwardly, the blonde boy turned and sprinted out the door after her.

"Dr. Lidner!"

"Hm...?" Dr. Lidner turned, blinking at him. She crossed her arms, glancing at the door that Mello had left open, and asked mildly, "Can I help you?"

Now that he had her attention, Mello could feel himself freezing up. Come on, say you're sorry! Two little words...you got yourself into this, dammit, you'd better get yourself out! This was why it would've been easier to just let her leave; saying "I'm sorry" was a lot harder to do than it sounded.

But I've got to. If I let her leave while I still feel like I should say something, it's going to bother me until I go back and fix it! He crossed his arms, too, looking at the blonde woman grimly.

"I was a jerk yesterday," he said bluntly. When several moments passed with no visible reaction, he continued a bit awkwardly, "I was...I mean, I shouldn't have said..."

The words weren't coming out right.

Dammit...!

He gritted his teeth, shaking his head quickly, "Look, I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry. You were just trying to help me, it wasn't any reason to bite your head off."

At first he thought he was imagining the soft laughing; looking up, though, he saw that the doctor had a hand over her mouth, eyes squinting in mirth.

"Oh, you're so funny...you think a little 'go do your job' qualifies as 'biting my head off'? You obviously have no idea how angry some people get at doctors, Mello. Trust me, what you said didn't even phase me."

A bit irked that she was taking things so lightly when he had been so stressed about apologizing, Mello could feel his face flushing as he muttered, "Well it was still uncalled for!"

"You were under a lot of stress," Dr. Lidner said, patting his shoulder, "Both of your childhood friends were hospitalized in the same week! I don't blame you for it at all, but I'll accept your apology if it makes you feel any better."

Mello looked at her evenly, watched for any glimpse of hard feelings, and was surprised when he couldn't find any at all. She smiled slightly, earnest blue eyes standing out starkly against her dark lashes. A moment passed, but it felt like only a second or two...

"...Yeah, it does," he answered finally. "Thanks. Thanks...for taking care of them." That was it, the moment was gone now that he'd spoken. Now that he'd snapped back to reality, he felt a little dizzy—what had that been? That feeling when their eyes met, and said so much without words...

"Hey, it's my job." Dr. Lidner's voice beckoned him out of his thoughts again. "Speaking of work, I'd better get back to my shift. Take good care of your friends, Mello." With one last smile, she turned and headed off down the hallway.

Mello watched her go in bemusement. He was glad that she didn't think he was some jerk, and for the moment he preferred not to think about what exactly their relationship was... There was something else that he didn't understand, too, though.

When did I tell her Matt and Near were my childhood friends...?


Tired.

Near was so tired, tired of this week, of the hospital, of seeing Mello and Matt looking at him with concern in their eyes. I am all right...really. Or at least...

"I will be fine," he answered Matt quietly, tracing the needle marks on his unbandaged wrist with his fingertips and frowning a little. I don't look "fine"; I hope that these go away quickly. "I am only tired because I didn't sleep well; Mello sat up with me all night." It was true, the blonde hadn't slept either. Each time Near had started to drift off to sleep, his mind would summon some disturbing incarnation of Mikami to shock him awake...and every time he'd snap back to reality trembling and in a panic, Mello would be sitting there beside him to assure him that it hadn't been real. He'd lost track of how many times he'd seen Mikami, and then opened his eyes and saw Mello instead...

"He did?" Matt looked surprised to be hearing this. Wondering why this should surprise him, Near nodded.

"Yes, he stayed with me so that I wasn't alone. He even offered to carry me here, but I wanted to walk by myself..." I am tired enough that it sounds appealing, but if Matt saw me being carried he might have thought that I still didn't feel well...and I didn't want that.

"Dr. Lidner said he wasn't in the room when she went to see you," the redhead explained curiously, "So you're saying he was there?"

Oh...that explains why he is surprised.

Near smirked slightly, "Oh, he was there. Dr. Lidner just didn't see him." Because he was hiding in the closet...but if I admitted to that much, I think he might take back that offer of friendship from last night. He has been taking good care of me, it's only fair to be kind in return.

"You were getting the Doc's phone number, weren't you?" Matt's teasing tone made him glance at the door; sure enough, Mello was coming back inside, looking a lot happier than when he had left. That was short-lived, of course—as soon as he heard Matt, he scowled.

"Very funny," he said grumpily, blushing a bit despite himself. Near and Matt exchanged a glance, both smirking knowingly. He must at least find her attractive to be blushing. The white-haired boy decided not to team up with Matt in the teasing, though—he had a feeling Mello might get irritated for real.


Coming over to stand beside the bed, Mello looked at the dinosaur that Matt had hugged loosely to his chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like Near's rubbing off on you," he said pointedly. "Sorry I didn't drop by much last night." He glanced down at Near, whose dark eyes had slid to the side as soon as he'd heard his name, and frowned a bit.

"It's okay, Near explained," Matt smiled. I'm glad you were taking care of Near; that's more important than just keeping me company. I didn't think you would leave him alone...that's why it made no sense... "Since the Doc says we can both go home, would you call L and ask him to send Watari over with the car to get us?" I feel so weird being the one to tell them what to do...but, L kind of left me in charge when he went home, right?

If Mello and Near minded him taking charge a bit more, they didn't show it; the blonde nodded, pulling out his cell phone and punching some buttons. Holding it to his ear, he glanced at Near, whose eyelids looked heavy. The white-haired boy had a hand up by his face, but he wasn't twisting his hair with it; this time he was leaning his cheek against it.

He must be really tired...he was already exhausted last night, and then he barely got any sleep today. I hope he can sleep at home...


"L? Mello here." The blonde's voice seemed loud in the otherwise-empty room. Perhaps it seemed extra-loud to Near because it was the only sound keeping him awake. If all was quiet, he was sure that he would have drifted off to sleep by now.

I can't, though...I will only dream of Mr. Mikami again... He sighed heavily, bowing his head because it was starting to feel too heavy to hold up. He really wanted to sit down, but if he suddenly sat on the floor without explanation then Mello and Matt would probably think that something was wrong with him.

There is nothing wrong with me—I am fine. They need to stop worrying, I am fine...

"I am fine..." He realized distantly that he was mumbling aloud.

"N-Near...? Hey, are you okay?!" Matt sounded so worried... Near forced his eyes open, blinking up at the redhead, and realized that not only was Matt sitting up for the first time he could remember since he'd ended up bedridden, but Near was half-laying on the side of the bed, one cheek pressed into the warm softness of the blanket. I...how did I end up here....? Last he checked, he'd been standing up... The soft blankets and warmth made it so hard to fight falling asleep...and when someone patted his hair gently, it didn't help. His eyes fell closed again.

"It's okay, he's just tired," he heard Mello say; he sounded a bit amused and a bit worried at the same time. "The walk here must have tired him out....didn't take much." I wanted to let you carry me...I really did... Even as his mind drifted back to the moment when Mello had offered to carry him the short distance to Matt's room, Near felt arms slipping around his back and under his legs. In a motion that felt as effortless as floating, he was scooped up into someone's arms; the scent of leather told him that it must be Mello.

Of course...Matt can't carry me right now, he is hurt...

His body felt so heavy that he almost couldn't feel it at all; sleep pressed in all around him, soft and silent, and he knew that he couldn't resist it anymore. If Mikami appeared to him again, he told himself that Mello and Matt would protect him.

I am safe...here with them, I am safe....


Mello sighed, cradling Near close to his chest; he leaned his chin on top of the smaller boy's head, glad that Near was so light-weight. He probably won't stay asleep for long, though, if last night was any indication...

By the time he'd finished his phone call to L, Matt's alarmed voice had reached him. Near had slumped over onto the bed; he must have literally fallen asleep on his feet. Mello knew how exhausted he had to be, having watched him toss and turn and awaken from nightmare after nightmare the night before. The last few times, he'd been almost in tears; being exhausted had a way of wearing down on anybody, and staying calm in the face of the scenarios with Mikami that his mind was showing him was harder and harder to do.

He didn't tell me much about what happens in the nightmares, but I heard enough to know it's about Mikami, and it's bad enough to make him wake up babbling about it. They've got to be pretty bad...

"Now what?" Matt asked, still looking at Near in concern. He was sitting up in bed still, the dinosaur held in the crook of one arm. It was such a Near-like thing to do...Mello wondered if he was aware of it.

"Well, L said Watari's on the way with the car, so now we wait. The drive's only maybe ten minutes; how about you get out of bed and put a shirt on so we'll be ready to go?"

"Oh! Right, good idea..." Matt nodded, still watching Near a bit worriedly. "You're sure he's just asleep, right?"

"Positive," the blonde assured him. "He drifted of and woke up again like this all night." He glanced down at the boy in his arms unhappily, adding, "He's been having nightmares about Mikami—he couldn't stay asleep more than half an hour at a time."

Matt bit his lip. Nobody wants to say it, but we both know what he probably did to Near. How can we do anything about it at this point, though? Making him talk about it will just make him think about it all over again!

He climbed gingerly out of bed, deciding not to comment on the nightmares—not yet. A sharp twinge of pain jabbed through his chest at the movement; he hadn't been kidding when he'd told Dr. Lidner that the wound still hurt a little, but apparently moving around made "a little" turn into "a lot"... The resulting wince was difficult to disguise.

"You okay?" Mello asked.

Matt waved a hand over his shoulder shakily, "Y-yeah...ouch. I'm okay." He sat up slowly, cautiously, but apparently leaning on his arms was the only thing that made his chest hurt, because only the usual dull throbbing was present now.

Glancing around, the redhead ran his fingers through his tousled hair and confessed sheepishly, "Um, I think they threw my shirt away." I was bleeding all over the place, it was probably stained to hell and back.

"Probably," Mello muttered, "I know they got rid of Near's long-sleeved shirt—it was too bloody to save." Heh...I could've borrowed it if he still had it. Oh, well.

Matt pressed the "nurse call" button.

"They got rid of my other shirt, they can get me a new one," he said glumly. Seems fair, right? Damned Mikami—I liked that shirt...

Oh, well. It was a small thing on the long run. The important thing was that they could finally go home.

--End Chapter 25


AN: Okay, I admitted defeat...there was still too much to tell in one chapter, so believe it or not, there will be a chapter 26. (Sweatdrop) And it WILL be the FINAL one—I swear this, it will be the FINAL ONE! (Keeps telling herself that...)

Trivia: The chapter title this time comes from the fact that most of the scenes this time had Dr. Lidner in them. :) She's a fun character; it was amusing to write Mello getting all awkward around her, hehe.

-Threshie


In Charge Akugi! Volume 25

Akugi #98

Narrator: Dr. Lidner lingered after Sayu left. Matt tried not to show it, but he was a little apprehensive; was she waiting to tell him something in private? Was there something wrong with Near after all...?

Matt: (Gulp)

Lidner: (Waits 'til the door closes after Sayu, then turns—and gives Matt a long, passionate kiss)

Matt: o///o; "?!"

Lidner: ^^ "I've been wanting to do that since I first laid eyes on you!"

Matt: (Blushing madly) "Y-y-you...DO know I'm underage, r-right...?" Mello's gonna kill me...!

Akugi #99

Near: "Did he help?"

Matt: "He?"

Near: "Mello." (Smirk) "I told him to come 'help you feel better.'"

Matt: "..." (Suddenly relieved Mello never visited again last night)

Akugi #100

Matt: "Now what?" (Looks at Near in concern)

Mello: (Smirk) "Now we drive off with him while he's asleep, dress him in hobo clothes, put him on a random park bench, and spy to watch his reaction when he wakes up!"

Matt: (Sweatdrop) "...I thought you guys were friends now?"

Mello: "C'mon, this'll be fun! It's not like it'll hurt him..."

Akugi #101

Matt: "Um, I think they threw my shirt away."

Mello: "Probably. I know they got rid of Near's long-sleeved shirt—it was too bloody to save."

Matt: (Presses the "nurse call" button) "They threw it away, they can go get it back! That's my favorite shirt--haven't they heard of BLEACH!?"