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There was something about the blanched halls of a hospital that made the place just so...uninviting. Dominic never had a taste for the place, with all the sick and diseased sorts lying about, and all the people roaming about the place doing their jobs. He had respect for them all, sure, but the idea of being stuck in the building was...depressing. Which was why he was rushing through the halls, worry quite clearly written across his face, and eyeing a couple of vases along the way.

How the hell could he come and visit without bringing flowers?

Finally he came to a stop and straightened himself out in front of a door with the name of a friend, granted there were plenty of friends in the hospital within the past month because of the masquerade fiasco, that he never imagined he'd be visiting in the hospital. And certainly not for the reason she was being hospitalized. Dominic cleared his throat and knocked, then, hoping she was awake.

Inside the currently empty room, Hannah rested with the back of her bed inclined so she could sit more comfortably. Her ribs still ached but that’s what medicine was for, to dull the pain.

Staring outside, she watched the pedestrians cross the street as the light turned red. Little children walked hand in hand with their parents laughing, giggling, and puddle stomping. Even though the rain had since stopped several hours ago the pavement remained wet as the sun remained hidden behind thick grey clouds.

Lost in thought with the earbuds in her ears, she listened to one of the playlists Quenton had put together for her a few days ago otherwise she would have told her visitor to come in. But alas she remained silent unaware that she had company.

No response made him a little nervous. Did he come at a bad time? Was she sleeping? Was she busy with something or someone else? Not wanting to freak himself out more than that, Dom opened the door a crack and took a peek inside. It was a small relief to see his friend sitting up comfortably in bed, and the longer he looked the more he realized the reason why she hadn't answered him.

She was listening to something.

With a small smile he stepped inside and closed the door behind him as quietly as he could, then tiptoed toward her. Maybe he looked silly, maybe she could see him out the corner of her eye already, but all the same he tiptoed and, when he got close enough, tapped her on the shoulder.

"Boo."

Startled, Hannah’s eyes went wide as her head snapped to the side. There was fear there, evidence of what she had been through and had she of been hooked up to a heart monitor like when she initially woke up from her thankfully short coma, he would have heart a rapid beeping sound that would have likely sounded like a constant hum.

After realizing who it was that stood next to her, she closed her eyes, pressed her palm against her chest and let out a relieved sigh. “Dominic!”

“You startled the crap out of me.” The deep breathing it took to calm herself did her no favors as it tightened the muscles around her fractured ribs causing her to wince slightly.

What he thought might have been a little amusing turned out to be less so. The smile he'd worn coming in quickly turned into a worried frown when she winced. "Ah...sorry," he started, his eyes darting all over her to make sure she wasn't bleeding or things weren't bending the wrong way or… he let his thoughts digress.

"You okay?" he went on to say. "Am I allowed to hug you, 'cause I want to, but.. is moving painful or anything?"

“I’ll be okay, just be careful.” She laughed lightly with a small smile as means to reassure him.

He lightened up a little upon seeing her laugh -- it was good to see that smile despite her surroundings -- and leaned in to give her a hug, though he did try to be careful about it. Hug given, Dom pulled up a chair and sat right at her bedside, smiling wide.

"Well it's good to see you," he said cheerfully. "Sucks that it has to be here of all places, but…" and he trailed off, not sure how to continue on that line of conversation.

So he branched off onto another one. "Does Tristan know you're here?" Or you know, tried to.

Turning off the Nano, Hannah placed it along with the earbuds on the table beside her for the time being. With a shake of her head she replied solemnly “No and..” she paused for a fraction of a second, “I think it would be best if he didn’t.” He was a sweet guy, as was Dominic and Quenton, but it wouldn’t do them any good for him to find out the reason behind her prolonged stay just to have it color his view of her.

She cared about him and honestly feared he would treat her differently if he knew…

He wasn't the most adept at reading expressions, so he wasn't sure if there was more behind her words than just what she was saying. Still, it was her choice to tell whomever that she was in the hospital; if she didn't want one guy to know, he could keep his mouth shut for her sake.

"Alright, well. Only reason I know is 'cause your parents told me you were here." Which was the truth. They omitted the details beyond her being there though, and he was tempted to ask. He already had a guess as to why, but it'd been a while since New Year's…

"Why are you here, though? They didn't tell me that much. Just gave me a room number."

Hannah’s eyes drifted downward, it was a simple question that warranted an unfortunate complex answer. She wrung her hand in her lap, tangling her fingers in the blanket. “Has anyone filled you in on what happened at the masquerade? Or… or after?”

He nodded a little, not happy to learn that she'd been involved in that after all. It made sense, of course, as there wasn't really any other reason for her to be there. Or at least none that he knew of. "Dani filled me in on what happened, but I haven't really heard much about what happened after." He paused for a second, taking a deep breath as he thought of those that had been taken that night. He had a good share of friends who'd been among the hostages, and he hadn't been there for them. If not for his impromptu return he might never have known, either.

"I'm just glad it's over, and everyone's getting the needed treatments. I wish I could've been there to help, though."

“You know more than me then…” Her fist clenched.

Closing her eyes she drew in a shallow yet steady breath. “I know there were others there… but I don’t know who.” Not since awakening from her coma, if that’s what it was called considering several days had since passed. “I-I don’t know who to talk to or where to start.”

There was no way she could open up to her parents especially since they had no idea she was involved in this war that raged on in the shadows while everyone else remained ignorant or ill informed. Delilah… she just didn’t have the heart to let her best friend, her sister know what had happened; who knew what she would do.

“One moment, I was at the Umbrae Hotel when the fight broke out. I was looking for someone and got attacked. Next thing I know I’m being woken by the same two lieutenants in some dark room. My arms were tied behind my back and I was chained to the ground.”[/color Hannah’s lips pursed into a thin line. It was hard, so hard to look up at him.

“They kept us drained; I couldn’t even heal myself.” Otherwise she would have done something about her throbbing head then maybe just maybe she would have been able to… no she chastised herself. It wouldn’t have mattered the end would have still been the same.

A look of concern settled on his face as he listened to her talk of her own experience. Dominic couldn't help clenching his own fist as she described what she could remember of the ordeal. He'd never been drained before, and the idea of her going through that over and over…

"Damnit…" was all he could muster through gritted teeth.

To learn that she'd gone through that, and the fact that he hadn't been there for her. He didn't even know where she'd been for the past few weeks. He sighed deeply, wondering how it was that he could have failed someone so close to him in such an epic manner. Dom reached out finally, his hand resting on top of hers and eyes downcast. He wasn't sure what to say, if he needed to explain himself or not. If he ought to apologize for not being there for her. For any of them.

But this visit wasn't about him, so he took another deep breath, pushed the disappointment he had in himself down and out of the way and looked up. "Seriously, what I'd give to make sure you don't end up in another situation like that. And I probably couldn't ask you not to go on patrols again…"

“Heh, you don’t need to worry about that.” There was no humor in her half hearted laugh no mirth in her voice or light in her cerulean blue eyes. “I’m scared. I don’t know if I’ll make it out of here and even if I do I don’t have my pen anymore.” It was an odd thing to say considering she didn’t show the symptoms of dehydration the others had nor did she have any visible wounds. She seemed pale yes, exhausted no doubt but was that really enough to warrant an extended stay?

It wasn't hard to make sense of what she was saying. She was cooped up in a hospital room, and apparently without her pen -- he figured he could ask who took it later -- but why she was scared, he didn't quite figure. And why she wouldn't make it out of the hospital was beyond him. She'd suffered injuries that could easily be treated given the right amount of time and care, right?

He leaned back and looked at her then, curiosity in his bright blue eyes as he looked his friend over. Yes, she did look pale, and yes, she did look tired. But who wouldn't after something like that? Though he did think it odd that she was still there even now.

"I'd worry either way, you know that," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. "Especially if you're scared of something I don't really have my head wrapped around just yet." A pause, and he tried to look her in the eyes then in hopes of seeing a hint of...something. Why she was scared, probably?

Hannah opened her eyes then and looked up at him , tears blurred her vision threatening to fall but she held them at bay. “I never did tell you why we had to leave three years ago, or where we went did I?” Of course she hadn’t it was a period of time she often tried to block out of her mind; a memory she wished to discard or erase from her past.

“I’m sick…” she finally admitted as her lower lip quivered. Thought it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders to finally admit to someone other than Delilah what was truly going on, it still hurt to open up. It felt like someone slashed her heart open and left her exposed, but he had to know… didn’t he?

There was a gravity about the topic she just started to open up, and he watched her carefully. Saw the glassy eyes that told him she was on the verge of tears. Saw how she struggled with finally letting it out… and the words that tumbled out were not at all what he expected.

"Sick?" he repeated almost dumbly. There was something about the way she said it that told him that it was more than just from the masquerade incident. "How do you mean, 'sick'?"

There was silence for several minutes before she finally answered his inquiry “I was diagnosed with Leukemia… ALL in 2011. I’ve been in remission for the last year and a half. Unfortunately…” She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. “Unfortunately remission is not the same as being cured and because of what happened at the fun house I…”

Tears spilled freely from her eyes now “I relapsed.” Unable to look at him, scared to see the look on his face she closed her eyes and hung her head. The one thing she feared more than death itself had happened. “They- they can’t do much till my ribs are healed and then everything starts over again. Just like three years ago…”

He couldn't have imagined what his friend said next. Not in this life, not in another. It took him a minute to process what she said. To process the anger that boiled up for an instant in knowing that she kept this from him. The frustration that, yet again, there wasn't anything he could do to help her. The sadness that quickly followed and nearly swallowed him whole when he came to the realization that Hannah, someone he considered practically his own family, could be gone within the year.

The lump in his throat kept him from saying much of anything, and he looked straight at her for a time. Watched her tears fall for a moment. Then past her as he tried to think of what he could say. What he could do for his friend. Anything, if it meant it would ease a bit of the burden that she carried.

"Difference being you can surround yourself with friends," he started, then gave her hand another squeeze, "with more family, this time around. I mean it, I'm here alright. If you need an ear, a hand, a shoulder. A fist to punch someone with, I sorta have that now, too." And he smiled as reassuringly as he could manage, hoping that it'd get through to her that he really meant every word.

Hannah shook her head. “You can’t tell anyone Dominic.”

“Please…”

She closed her hand around his in a silent plea. “I just… I just don’t want anyone to treat me any differently.” That’s what hurt the most. The questioning looks, silently asking ‘are you sure you should be doing this’. She didn’t want to be shoved in a bubble where friends were scared to so much as touch her; leukemia wasn’t contagious there was no reason to fear giving her a hug, it’s not like she would break upon contact.

“That’s why I never told you.” I wanted to. “I just didn’t want anything to change. You’re like a brother to me and I was scared… that you’d leave…” the last part was spoken upon a whisper, silent enough she wasn’t entirely sure he heard her or not. But it was the truth and that is what he wanted; answers to questions she had avoided for so long.

His smile faltered at her next request, and his expression became a bit more serious, perhaps even a bit solemn, as she went on. It wasn't a hard one to fulfill, and he understood what it meant to keep something secret. It was private, something this huge wasn't just any random tidbit of gossip he could spread around (not that he was a gossip, mind). And he got that.

What he didn't get was how she thought it'd push him away. Granted back then maybe they hadn't been as close as they were now, but all the same. "Between the two of us," he said on a sigh as he moved to take a seat on the edge of her bed. "If anything I probably would've stuck closer to you. Kept an eye on you, made sure you still had fun and all that. C'mon, you know me."

Dom nudged her lightly with his shoulder, the smile returning. "I'm the guy that'd help some random stranger move a big a** box up five flights of stairs for free. You think I wouldn't stick around if I knew what you were going through?"

That’s the thing though, she hadn’t been thinking; not logically anyway.

Hannah lifted the top blanket up so she could wipe her tears. “I don’t know… It’s not exactly something that comes up you know? It just wasn’t worth the risk to say anything...”

He watched her carefully, trying to really understand what was going on. Trying to get a handle on her hesitation. It was a hard topic, he knew about that much, and...well, that was probably all there was for him to understand. It was difficult for her then, and even now as she wiped away her tears, it was hard for her to talk about it. To share. And so he sighed again, his arm going around her so he could pull her into a gentle hug.

"Alright, alright," he said softly. "Well, I'm glad you told me. I know I really.. can't fully understand how hard it must be for you, but I am here this time around. And you probably have no way of getting rid of me, so get used to that."

Thanks to the tears which had given her a bit of a stuffy and runny nose, unfortunate things tend to happen when someone, namely Dominic, makes you laugh unexpectedly. If the dreams, or premonitions of this Dystopian Future were something to believe then then she knew what he said was true. “I’m sorry.” she looked at him a bit sheepish covering her nose with her hand.

With her other hand she pointed to the box of kleenex beside him. “Umm.. could you?”

He stifled his own laugh and reached for the box of kleenex, then looked away as he handed it to her to be polite.

His hands preoccupied themselves with the zipper of his bag in the meantime, while he took a look around at the mostly bare room. Beyond the typical hospital-type furniture and all the beeping machines, there...well, that was basically it. And he frowned at that; how long had she been cooped up here with just this to look at, day in and day out?

"Y'know if I hang out here this decor is gonna have to change a little," he said while he unzipped his bag and pulled out his Rubik's cube. "Starting with things to do. I still have to teach you how to solve this, right?"

A small smile tugged the corner of her lips after she finished blowing her nose. “Yeah, I left before you could teach me how to solve the second row.” The question still remained however if she still remembered how to solve the top row and not take forever and a day.

Glad for the change of pace, and the fact that he was now in the know about her condition and he could do even just the little things to help her out, Dominic messed up the solved cube for his friend. "Yes, you did," he said with a smile as he thought of the simplest way to go about the "lesson." He loved teaching people how to solve his favorite puzzle, and so there was no doubt in his mind that this would be fun. "So, lemme see if you can even get to the second row and we'll go from there!"

His excitement was quite possibly palpable at that point as he held it out to her, blue eyes bright. Could he pass the next several hours here, with one of his best friends, solving the greatest puzzle ever created?

Oh, yes. Yes, he most definitely could.

However, because of the emotional roller coaster she had just been on Hannah’s head began to throb. Still, she accepted the cube; turning it over in her hand looking for which side had the most of one color gathered. “Dominic…? Would it be okay if I solve it next time please? I’m… feeling pretty tired at the moment.” Her now pink rimmed eyes, having calmed down from before, begged for darkness as her lids felt like a small weight was being added to each every few minutes.

Concern flitted to his face first, then it was gone and replaced with understanding as he gave a nod. He slipped off the bed and smoothed out the small bit of the sheets he'd rumpled, then quickly leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Okay, I'll be back later, then. Rest up, its a pretty mean puzzle."

With a smile he took a step back, watched her fall asleep for the next few seconds, then finally turned to leave. His next destination.. probably the cafeteria.

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