Slowly unwrapping an arm from Trick, Next reached over and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"It's Matt," Already Next could tell that the redhead was distressed, "Shit went down between Mello and Near."

"I'll be right there," Next assured, before he hung up and turned to the boys. "I need to go be there for someone... do you think it will be okay if you come, or would you rather stay with Nancy?"

"Back to the hospital?" Treat asked hopefully.

Next gave a small nod before firmly saying, "But not to see Zero! Not for now, at least..."

"I want to go," Trick whispered. He was being unusually quiet and it was beginning to worry Next.

"Of course you're going." Treat turned to his brother worriedly. "Why wouldn't you go?"

"He asked if he wanted to say with Nancy," Trick replied. "I am confirming I want to go... is it Near?"

Next looked at him in surprise.

"I could hear Matt," Trick explained. "Your phone is loud."

"...Trick...what's wrong?" Treat frowned. "You're acting weird."

"I don't want to talk about it," Trick sighed, shaking his head and turning his face away.

Next knew that look - knew it from his own youth. He knew that it meant 'I want you to ask and to force it out of me.'

"Trick..." He whispered, turning completely toward the boy.

It didn't take much before Trick's eyes were filling with tears. "I don't want Zero to die!"

"He's not going to die!" Treat replied quickly- as though if it weren't said would result in something both of them didn't want. "...He's in a hospital with doctors Trick."

"I don't want him to leave us," Trick whimpered, his bottom lip quivering as he threatened to burst into tears. "He's... he's the best daddy we've ever had!"

Treat blinked now- staring at his brother in surprise.

"He's not going to die," Next whispered, frowning. "They stopped the bleeding... he'll be fine-"

"That isn't Zero!" Trick accused, pointing at Next. "That person in there... he isn't Zero! Zero wouldn't hurt people... he wouldn't let that scary man into the house to hurt us! I want Zero back! I want ZERO!"

"We're going to get him back!" Treat said- taking his brother's hand. "I saw him...he saw me...he knew me Trick."

"The only thing we can do right now is what the doctors say," Next whispered, his eyes sad. "They know what is best for him, Trick... And we can't do much more then hope."

"What if he doesn't get better?" Trick whimpered... but Next didn't have an answer for him.

--Scene Change--

It was almost an hour later that Next finally slipped into Near's room, where the white-haired boy had fallen asleep on the bed. Matt was seated on it, his best friend's head in his lap after he'd let him cry himself to sleep.

Matt was pale, his features sunken and somewhat green. Next couldn't see his eyes behind his lenses, but could guess how exhausted they must've looked by now. He was slowly running his fingers through Near's hair- a mechanical, zombie motion that was more or less all he could do at this point.