*For the past few days, Alex had been the only person who had truly paid any attention to Mel. They had left Hogwarts to stay at the apartment, because the last thing she needed was other people bothering her. All she did was cry and look through a photo album. He had to force her to eat and take her medicine, because she didn’t even seem to be thinking about those things. He was the provider of hugs and a listening ear, a rather new position for him. He was normally seen as the one who didn’t care, but he did. He just didn’t show it as freely as everyone else did.
It started slowly, to the point that he couldn’t identify what was happening for a while. First came the coughing, but he thought that that was because of so much crying, talking, and hyperventilating. Next came the shaking and trembling. He knew something was wrong when she became too weak to hold on to the photo album that was so precious to her and the coughing became a hack that brought her to the point that she couldn’t breathe. And then he realized how pale she looked, how she looked like she would break at the touch of a feather.
She was sick, maybe even dying, and he didn’t know what to do.
How could he have let this happen? The signs were so clear that he was stupid not to see them. Great, the time when Mel needed him the most, he had to let her down.
Getting her to Mungo’s was incredibly hard. He was too weak to carry her, and she was too weak to stand on her own. They had to stop every few feet while she had a coughing attack. Finally, someone had heard the noise and came to see what was wrong. He helped Alex carry her down to the fireplace. That was when he realized how taking the floo network to St. Mungo’s would be impossible. Mel couldn’t stand in there long enough, the fumes would probably make her worse, and the dizziness would just add to her pain. Not only that but she wouldn’t be able to speak the location. Alex had to ask the man who helped her down to apparate with her to the St. Mungo’s lobby, and he threatened that, if he did anything to her or didn’t take her there, he would personally kill him. The man did as he was told, finding a death threat from a thirteen-year-old amusing, even though Alex was perfectly serious. He used the floo network to get there. It seemed forever before he landed on the cold, hard floor of the St. Mungo’s lobby. He looked frantically around for the man with his sister and sprinted over to them. They were waiting by the front desk. The woman at the desk seemed annoyed that they would even bother to bring her to the desk, since Alex had been here with Mel many times before for her checkups and whatnot.*

Alex:”Why am I here? Because I’m the only person who is bothering to notice her existence right now, and in case you couldn’t just assume this, I can’t carry her up four flights of stairs, and I don’t want this guy to have to do it for me.”

*The desk lady sighed and called down two mediwizards to take Mel to a room and take care of her. Alex followed closely behind. Anything that they did that he think even made her consider that she was hurt made him glare at them.
It was harder than anything to sit there and watch them poke and prod her and do all sorts of things that were supposed to help her get better. Just watch….He couldn’t do anything for her.

He hated this. Mel was dying right before his eyes. He needed her more than anything, h*ll, he loved her even. He never said it, but it was true. What would he do without her? Who would take care of him? Where would he go? He’d probably have to go to some orphanage somewhere, or worse, his father would find him….
The healers had left. He glanced at the door just to make sure they were gone before taking a hold of Mel’s hand. She squeezed his hand lightly, but he still noticed it. He wasn’t going to tell her that he was going to be the only one there because everyone else was battling.*

Alex:”You’re going to beat this, Mel, you’re strong.” *he told her, not only to convince her, but to convince himself as well.

Soon after, she fell asleep. Alex remained beside her, holding her hand. He didn’t want to look away from her, he was scared that she would need him or even die as soon as he did.
God d*mmit, why did all of this have to happen? Why couldn’t life ever be normal, or at least happy? He was sick of all of this sh*t happening, he just wanted everything to be back to the way it was before.
A healer walked in. Alex looked over at her, but quickly got up and left the room. He punched the wall of the hallway just outside of the room before sitting down against it. Kiley, Ian, and Liam were fighting. He had no idea where Mark and Becky was. Mel was dying, and there he was, just there. It was h*ll. He started to cry. He felt weak, but he didn’t care, it needed to happen. It was inaudible, but visible.
He wished that it would all just be over….*

*Ian had come to visit Kiley in the hospital. He looked horrible, not only because he’d been hurt, but because the battle was awful. None the less, he was grinning. The Resistance had won, Sentinus had fallen. He was walking all over the hospital because the healers weren’t letting him in to visit yet.

He did a double take. He thought he had seen Alex sitting in the hallway. Why was he there?*

Ian:”Alex?” *he asked, just to make sure it was him*
*Alex looked up at Ian, and immediately became angry.*
Alex:”Leave.” *he demanded*
Ian:”What? Why? What are you doing here? Did you find out about Kiley and me?”
Alex:”No, believe it or not, I have more important people to be thinking about right now.”
Ian:”Who?” *he asked, not sure who else would be in the hospital right now, also offended by his statement*
Alex:”It’s not like you care about this person, so why should I waste my time?”
Ian:”Alex, you’re being ridiculous.” *he complained*
Alex:”Alright,” *he stood up and stood close to Ian*”Mel’s in there right now because that b*stard broke up with her and took Mark with him and told her to ‘get better’. He left even though she asked him even for a friend to help her. I found her on the floor of the common room crying and hyperventilating, having a complete mental breakdown. I’ve been taking care of her since then, because all of you a*sholes have been too busy worrying about how to destroy others. Meanwhile, she becomes sick over this. She’s dying and all you can worry about is whether or not I’ve come here to visit you. No, I care about the people that deserve it.”
Ian:”Mel’s…sick?” *He asked, trying to look into the room*
Alex:”Yeah, maybe even dying. What am I going to do when I have to tell her that I’m the only person who’s going to be there because everyone else is fighting and getting killed?”
Ian:”I can visit her, I’m-“
Alex:”No, you can’t. You have Kiley to worry about, remember? Why don’t you worry about her and only her like you have been for months?”
Ian:”Alex, stop, please-“
Alex:”No, I’m not going to stop.” *he said, shouting now.* “I’m not going to stop, because you need to realize what an a*s you’ve been lately, all of you. It’s so f*cked up, all of this. She’s been miserable for weeks, and you’ve never even tried to help her.”
Ian:”Alex, they’d hurt me.”
Alex:”So what, Ian, so what? She’s your sister, that shouldn’t matter. Did she tell you that she’s been miserable and alone? She realized what a mistake joining The Family was, but didn’t know how to get out of it. She had no one to talk to because no one bothered to listen.”
Ian:”I would have listened-“
Alex:”Really, you would have listened? Listened like Liam did, I guess? She accepted that he broke up with her, she asked him to be a friend for her and he wouldn’t even do that. Visit when you have your priorities straight. If she dies, blame yourself. It’s your fault.”
*Alex went back into the room. Ian stood where he was, staring at where Alex had just been.*

*Alex kicked the bedside table before sitting down. The healer looked at him.*

Healer:”That’s no way to deal with your emotions-“
Alex:”Shut up.” *he demanded.*

*Ian had ran to Kiley's room and burst in, not minding the Healers who were yelling at him*

Ian:"Ki, Mel's sick. Alex is here with her and he's not letting us visit her."




~Mel

*Kiley had been resting and trying to sleep since she was so tired. But first she had been interruted by a healer. Then another healer. Then Ian came bursting in yelling about Mel and Alex. Kiley just had time to think about how she felt like a mom that Ian was tattling to. But then she heard that Mel was sick. She resented Mel for joining the family, but this was serious.* "He can't keep us out. He's not the boss.." *Kiley groaned as she sat up. Once she was up she paused for a second to let the pain subside before swinging her legs over the side and trying to stand*

*Ian hurried over to her and held on to one of her arms so she wouldn't fall over.*
Ian:"I know, but he thinks he is because he's the one who's been taking care of Mel this week. Liam broke up with her and took Mark...she had a mental breakdown and now she's sick. Kiley, I'm afraid that she's going to die."



~Mel

"Don't talk like that Ian." *Kiley said as she stood and pulled her arm free of Ian's grasp. She didn't need anyone's help. She was convinced. Kiley ignored the protests of the healers and started down the hallway. Her gown was open in the back, and her underwear visable, but that didn't matter. Kiley walked with Ian down the hall to where Ian led her. She knocked on the door and waited for alex to answer. Kiley had to lean against the wall to keep herself from falling over.*

*Alex walked slowly to the door. He knew that it was impossible that they would have come to some sort of realization by now, so they were probably here to complain in his face about what an a*s he was. He opened the door.*

Alex:"So you've decided to care now, too?" *he asked Kiley*



~Mel

*Kiley had been letting her eyes rest while she waited for him. When he finally opened the door and said what ih did she just stared* "I'm I'm not mistake, She's the one who stabbed me in the back and joined and anti-magical beast cult. Where was she when I had my entire leg practically blasted off my body?" *She hadn't expected to get angry since she was so tired, but if he wanted to start with her he would fight.*

Alex:"Where was she? Being forced to do something she knew was wrong just because she wanted to better than you. You should have heard her before she got sick, she's still on about it. About how she's even more of a loser now than she was before, and you're even better. It drives me insane. It's not like you don't have the entire Resistance to tell you how great you are."


~Mel

"You think I care about being better than her?" *She yelled, hoping that mel was awake and listening.* "NO! I don't! I almost died twice. I almost died trying to fight something that shouldn't need to be fought. And I don't care what made her join. I would have died for her and she should have been willing to do the same for me. That's what friends do." *Kiley took a deep breath and had to hold onto the wall to keep from falling. She was putting all her weight on her good leg, and it was causing the healing gashes on her back to throb horribly*

Alex:"Yeah, well you never really made her feel any better about it either, did you? I don't even care any more. Have fun convincing her that you don't hate her."

*He moved out of their way, going back to the chair before either Kiley or Ian could claim it. He was sick of fighting. Nothing that he was saying was getting through to them. *



~Mel

"Alex. Get up." *Kiley said, as she walked in and paused in the door way. She could feel her knees starting to shake.* "I need to sit down before I fall down..." *She glanced over at Mel and did a double take. She looked terrible. Kiley forced herself to look back to Alex.* "Move. Now."

*Alex moved, not because he wanted to, but because he didn't want Kiley to beat him or something. He tried to find somewhere else to go so he could not really be bothered by the whole thing, but still watch them like a hawk. He went to an empty corner of the room and leaned against the wall. His arms folded over his chest and his eyes watched Kiley and Ian's every move*

*Ian didn't hurry to Mel like Kiley did. He was scared of what he would see. He didn't say anything, he would let Kiley calm down before he did anything.*



~Mel

*Kiley limped over and grabbed one of the arms of the chair and started dragging it from the foot of mel bed up closer to her.* "Thanks for helping Ian." *She muttered. Kiley sat in the chair and took a teel breat, still tired. After a moment she looked at mel and sighed, her eyebrows creasing. She didn't feel guilty; none of this was her fault. But she did feel for mel, while, at the same time, blaming her for what was happening. If Mel hadn't joined the family then she wouldn't have ended up alone and had a mental breakdown andgotten sick and ended up like this. Kiley sighed and reached out to move a strand of hair out of mel's face* "How long has she been like this?" *She asked Alex, feeling a lump start to form in her throat.*

Alex:"It started two days ago, but it wasn't anything that made her seem sick. It was just a lot of coughing at first, and I thought it might have been because she was hyperventilating and crying so much or something." *he explained*"It got worse from there."



~Mel

*Kiley sighed and leaned back in the chair.* "What have the doctors said about it?" *Kiley paused and turned around to look at Alex.* "Is she gonna m..make it?" *He voice had faltered slightly at the thought of her dying, like, actually dying.* "Did you try to contact Liam?"

Alex:"I would if I knew how. We came here after the battle started, you would have gotten it in the middle of the fight. They don't know what's going to happen yet; it all depends on how much they can do to help her.

*Melanie's eyes slowly opened. She looked around and was surprised when she saw Kiley and Ian in there, too, instead of only Alex. She looked over at Kiley and smiled weakly before bursting into a fit of coughing.*



~Mel

*Kiley felt another thick wave of guilt hit her when Mel started to cough.* "Hey......here...." *Kiley lunged at the cup with water and a straw in it, ignoring her own pain. She held it up to Mel's lips so she could take a sip.*

*Melanie tried as hard as she could to get a drink of the water, but it was a difficult task, even with the straw being so close to her. It was almost impossible to stop coughing and she was barely able to move. She managed to stop coughing long enough to get a sip, but stared coughing and choking on it. She was miserable and embarassed, but the fit was over soon. She relaxed back into the bed, absolutely exhausted and worn out.**




~Mel

*Kiley sighed and leaned back into the chair. She glanced back over to Alex, not really looking at him, just looking back as a knee-jerk reaction.* "We need to get her some ice chips. They're easier than water." *Kiley looked at the headboard above mel's bed. She couldn't bring herself to look at mel. She was too angry and hurt. Kiley clnched her teeth until her jaw hurt and still didn't let up. Her hands were balledinto fists, the nails digging into the palm of her hand so hard it was almost drawing blood. After a minute of tence silence passed, Kiley smalled her opened fish hard onto the faux wooden arm of the chair. It made a not-too-threatening smacking sound against her palm, which stung and upset her more.* "God damn it Melanie!" *She almsot shouted, trying to ignore the lump forming in her throat.* "Why did you have to do this? Why'd you have to go and join the stupid family and leave me alone? Why couldn't you have just stopped to think? Why'd you have to get sick? Why didn't you get help after Liam left you? Why can't I have one f**king constant in my life that doesn't boogey ff when the going gets rough? WHY!?!" *Kiley shouted the last word before collapsing into tears of stress and fear and sadness ing the chair. Kiley's hands found refuge in her hair and pulled, covering her face with her forearms, which were pale and mooth save for the few thin red scratches.* "Why does everyone have to die?" *SHe added weakly, her voice choaked with sobs.*

*Melanie started crying. She took her eyes away from Kiley and looked up to the ceiling. She couldn't believe that she was blaming her for this, like she had tried to get sick. She didn't get help? She didn't know what to do! She thought that Alex would be enough.*

Ian:"Stop blaming her, Kiley, can you really blame her for this?" *he demanded, almost as if he was in Mel's mind.*


*Alex stayed where he was, simply watching the scene. He silently agreed with Ian, but he really didn't want another fight to start now that Mel was up.*

Alex:"I'll get a healer to get the ice." *he said, not making clear that it was because it was obvious none of them wanted to leave the room.*

*Alex went to the door and shouted at the first healer he saw.*

Alex:"You- we need some ice."

*The healer looked surprised that some random kid was shouting at her. She pulled out her wand and conjured a bucket of ice and brought it over to him. Alex walked away without thanking her. He set the bucket on the bedside table and resumed his position in the corner.*



~Mel

*Kiley looked up, her eyes red from the tears of rage and her facial expression pure hurt.* "Maybe I should go." *She said weakly, pushing herself up out of the chair. She pushed her hands into her eyes, tryin to forcebly stop the tears.* "I think you've changed......I have too......." *Se said, looking around the room helplessly* "See you around..." *She turned and started to limp out.*

*No, she couldn't leave. Mel needed her. She hadn't seen her in so long, and now she was leaving?*

Melanie:"No, stay. Please. *she begged, forcing herself to talk. Her voice was faint and weak, and there words were seperated by long pauses as she got the energy to speak again.. She was worried that Kiley wouldn't ever forgive her for what she did.*




~Mel

"No, I can't. I have to go." *She said, her hands dropping down to her sides* "I'm sorry, but I have to. I can't do this right now. I'm in pain too. Physically and mentally. And I'm tired. Exausted actually. I just need to sleep and deal with my own problems because I'm obviously not wanted here since i can't just be a silent rock for you to weather the storm. Good bye.* "She starte for the door again.*

Melanie:"Fine." *she managed to say. Now she didn't know if she would ever even see Kiley again after this. Who knew what was going to happen now.*"Love you." *another long pause in between phrases as she tried to regain energy*"Bye."

*Melanie closed her eyes again. She wondered where Liam was. He probably wasn't going to show up. He'd let her die without seeing Mark again, probably. She wasn't giving up hope, though. She needed to see them.*




~Mel