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It seemed at once several hours and barely a minute before Stein felt the patient relax. He glanced down to see the redhead's shoulders still, his breathing more even. As though feeling Stein's eyes on him, the patient looked up. Those blue eyes were a little clearer now, though there was still a certain heaviness to them that Stein was fairly certain wouldn't be got rid of so easily. The scientist was silent as his patient looked around as though seeing the room for the first time.

"I'm really here..." the man's words were barely a breath, his tone one of wonder and relief. "This is real..."

"Yes," Stein said, making no move to let go or move away. It felt good, right almost, to hold him, and Stein had no intention of stopping just yet. The patient shifted, moving to lift one hand, but quickly froze. Stein tensed as the man looked down, seeing once again the IV in his arm. Was this going to reverse everything that had just happened? Would the man panic again, return to that primal state of fear? The scientist found himself holding his breath, waiting for the reaction.

"...W-what...why is..." The man didn't seem about to immediately snap, which made Stein relax just a little, but the way he leaned into Stein's shoulder as though trying to pull away from his own arm said plainly that he still wasn't thinking very rationally. He looked up at Stein, scared and confused even as his breathing became more erratic.

"It's there to help you," Stein said quickly, trying to calm the man down before things got any worse. "That's all, it's just from a banana bag, it's all right."

It didn't work. The man stared up at Stein for a moment, then looked back at the IV. "I don-...I don't...don't...don't want it...I..." Suddenly his eyes closed tightly and he hid his face in Stein's shoulder once more, tense and whispering "No" over and over. Stein stared down at him, suddenly without any idea what to do again. The man didn't move for a long moment, his voice trailing off into silence after a while, then he looked back up. Stein's eyes widened at the expression on his face. It was obviously one that the patient had worn many times before without result, a helpless, hopeless, desperate look that Stein hoped he would never see again. "Please..." the patient gripped Stein's arm with surprising strength, staring up at him. "Please..." he said again, his tone one of outright begging. "Please, please take it out...please..."

Stein sat in silence, jade eyes locked onto the desperate cobalt blues of his patient. He could see the beginnings of more tears starting to well up in them, and knew he couldn't say no. Besides, it was about time to start the man back on the path to actual food. "All right," he said, reaching up to place a hand over the one on his arm. The man didn't relax, though his eyes widened slightly, and Stein repeated himself. "All right. I'll take it out, but the catheter is going to have to stay in." There might still be a need for sedation, or antibiotics, and Stein wasn't about to remove the catheter and force his patient to put up with more needles than absolutely necessary. Not after the way he'd been acting about the IV.

The scientist rose and walked around the bed, turning the drip off before unhooking the IV from the catheter in the patient's arm. The patient himself sat perfectly still, watching him with wide eyes. The relief and gratitude in them was so strong it looked almost painful, and Stein found that he had to look away. He knew the man likely hadn't understood what he'd said about the catheter, and that it might lead to trouble later, and for some odd reason it made him feel guilty. As though leaving the catheter in was almost betraying the man somehow. It was odd and beyond Stein's ability to understand, and it made him uncomfortable. Once he unhooked the bag from the IV stand he turned to leave, to remove the thing entirely and to see to it that some broth was made ready and brought up for the patient. Stein had no idea how long the man had gone without eating, but it was almost a certainty that his stomach wouldn't be able to handle solid food just yet. He was halfway to the door when a soft sound behind him made him pause and look back.

The patient was staring after him, looking...no, that wasn't uncertain, that was frightened. He was scared. Stein blinked. What had he done now? The redhead hesitated then moved as if to speak, but it took a few tries before any sound came out. "D-don-..." he began, then apparently reconsidered. "Where..." he tried again, and Stein guessed at what he was asking.

"I need to dispose of this properly," he replied, raising the half-empty bag in his hand. "And I need to see to your further care."

"Y-you...'re leaving?"

"For the moment, yes."

There was a pause as the patient apparently considered this. Then he seemed to shrink, falling back against the bed though his eyes never left Stein. "Leaving...me alone...?"

That brought Stein up short. It hadn't even occurred to him that the patient wouldn't want to be alone, even for just a short while. "...I won't be a moment," he said after a moment's pause. "And I'll come right back." The look of worried fear didn't leave the patient's face. Stein sighed softly and walked back to the bed, leaning down a little and meeting his eyes. "I will come right back," he repeated, the words slower and firmer this time. "Trust me." A pause. "...you do trust me, don't you, Senpai?"

There was another pause. Stein found himself holding his breath and forced himself to exhale. It was oddly nervewracking, waiting for an answer to that question. Would the man say no? Would he say yes? Would he say anything at all? It turned out he wouldn't; after a short interval, the man simply nodded. Stein did too, and straightened. "If you'll excuse me a moment, then," he said, heading for the door. "I'll be right back."

The man's eyes never left Stein as the scientist opened the door and stepped out. He braced himself for the sound of the door closing, the click as it caught and locked, but to his surprise it never came. Stein had paused and secured the door with a small kickstop before exiting out into the hall, leaving the room open to the sounds of the hospital outside. The man could hear people walking up and down the hallway, see their shadows cross his door, hear their voices or the sound of wheels as something was pushed along. There were people there, just outside...somehow it was relaxing. And Stein had promised to come back. He wasn't alone...or, at least, he wouldn't be alone for very long.

The redhead lay in the bed, just listening for a while to the sounds drifting in from the hallway as his eyes once again took in the room around him. There were still wires attached to him – his eyes followed them up to the machine that kept beeping in time with his heartbeat – but nothing seemed to be happening. There wasn't anything being forced into his blood, through his skin, no needles. There was light coming in, through what he now recognized to be a curtained window and through the door, the room was airy, open...it was all so different.

But there were still echoes, somewhere deep in his mind. A flash of shadow on the edge of sight made his head jerk around. Had that been...but no...there was nothing there. The beeping of the machine was faster now, registering the shift in his pulse rate. He stared, wide-eyed at where he'd thought he'd seen it...still nothing. No, no...he shut his eyes tightly. He was home, he was safe, they couldn't touch him here. They couldn't. He was safe, he'd made it and-what was that?!

His head jerked up and around again, trying to find the source of the faint sound. Laughter...? But there was no one in the room, he'd imagined it. Hadn't he? How could they be here, it was stupid...but...his eyes scanned every corner they could reach, searching for something that wasn't there. They'd gotten in before. They'd taken him out. He was alone now, Stein gone off to talk to he didn't know who. No one around. The noise from the hallway to mask anything going on in his room. And them...waiting, waiting for him to drop his guard, to steal him away again, back to the hell he'd only just escaped...

He wouldn't let them. His hands gripped the side-rails of the bed as he pulled himself up, turned to swing his legs off the side. He had to leave, run, get out now before they made their move. A faint, almost imagined footstep made him freeze, wide eyes once again scouring the room for something they couldn't see. They were coming, he had to leave. Had to get out. Had to move. Couldn't stay. Stein promised, said no one would hurt him again, but he didn't know, hadn't known the first time and didn't know now. There was no other choice. Have to run, have to leave...

He pushed himself to his feet, swaying a little as his legs reluctantly took his weight. Unsteady, so weak...but he'd made it this far, he could keep going. He had to. No choice. Keep moving. Stay free. He'd completely forgotten the beeping machine until it pulled his first step up short, the wires attached to him stopping him from going further. No...no, he had to keep moving, couldn't stay, they'd take him again, he had to get out, get to where people were, a crowd, get lost in it, hide...He reached up to jerk the wires off him when another sound made his head shoot up again. They were here, they'd come, and he was trapped...

Stein paused in the doorway, seeing his patient out of bed and looking terrified, yet defiant. "Senpai...?" he said cautiously, uncertain exactly how much of the real world the man was registering just at the moment. "Is everything all right?" It was a stupid question; obviously everything wasn't all right, but hopefully it would serve to bring the man back to the present.

It seemed to work. Terror faded from those blue eyes to be replaced by confusion tinged with relief. "Stein...?"

Stein nodded, approaching slowly. "I told you I'd be right back," he said. "You shouldn't be up."

"I...there...I heard..." The man looked down and away, as if searching for an explanation. "They..." he looked back up at Stein, eyes almost painfully confused and with a distinct note of fear in their depths. "They were-"

"You're safe," Stein cut him off, reaching up to grab the man's shoulders. The mention of they, whoever they were, had sparked the scientist's anger again, but he shoved it away. Anger wouldn't help here, and as much as he wanted to ask, to make the man tell him who they were, that wouldn't help either. The man was in no state to think about it right now. "They're not going to get you."

The man blinked up at him, his confusion growing. "But...I heard...I..." he paused, obviously trying to think through whatever haze was in his mind. "I thought I..."

Stein kept his face carefully blank. Hallucinations were never a good sign, though at least the patient wasn't full-out panicking or turning violent over them. "You are perfectly fine," he said, releasing the man's shoulders and resisting the impulse to gently push him towards the bed. As unsteady as the man was, it would most likely just send him crashing to the floor. "Now get back in bed; you shouldn't be up yet." The man didn't move. "Senpai, you're barely standing as it is. You don't need to push yourself."

"...want to stand."

"You're not in any condition to-"

"I want to stand!" The sudden burst of energy from the man nearly made Stein take a step back, surprise flickering across his face. The patient's eyes were no longer hazy, confused, or scared; they held a fire that sent a wave of relief through Stein. It wasn't exactly the fire he remembered, but it was a sign that it hadn't gone out. "I've been lying down for too long!" The fire began dying, the man's eyes widening as if he'd realized something and his expression turning just slightly hesitant. "...I want to stand. I want to move..." The fire was all but embers now, uncertainty replacing its energy. "...I don't want to lie down anymore..."

"...I understand," Stein told him, choosing his words with care, "but it will only slow your recovery if you fall and re-open one of your injuries. You're going to need physical therapy as it is, you'll get your chance to move, but right now you need to at least sit down. You're barely on your feet, and if you end up hurting yourself further you'll spend even more time in bed."

The man was silent, looking down after a moment and nodding. Reluctantly he started trying to climb back into the bed. Stein moved to help him, giving him a boost and steadying him to keep him from falling. Once back in the bed, he stared up at the ceiling and somehow managed to look at once sulky and resigned.

"Here," Stein said after a moment, and pulled the bed controls up from their resting spot in the frame. "This will let you adjust the bed to make it more comfortable." He demonstrated the controls, making the head of the bed rise a little and putting the patient in more of a sitting position. "Better?"

The man went still as the bed moved beneath him, then he blinked at Stein. Then at the control pad. Then at Stein again. Then his expression softened from surprise into what Stein just barely recognized as a smile. It was faint, barely there, but Stein knew the man well enough to know what that particular look in his eyes meant. The scientist returned it with a small half-smile of his own and watched as his patient began to relax, the man's expression shifting – as much as it ever did currently – into one of thoughtfulness.

"...What's on your mind, Senpai?" Stein asked, hoping to keep the man talking. It seemed to help, and it certainly eased Stein's own mind to hear his patient speak. Every sentence seemed to help his voice get stronger. Plus there was always the chance that he might get some information on who had done this to his partner.

The man blinked up at him for a moment. "How," he began, but his voice was barely loud enough to hear. He paused, then tried again. "...How long was I gone...?"

Stein went still. Should he tell the redhead the truth, or make up a shorter amount of time? With the man's mental state the way it was, telling him it had only been a matter of weeks might get less of a reaction that the truth, but at the same time the repercussions of finding out he'd been lied to...no. The truth it was. "...About three months, give or take."

There was no reaction for a moment. "Three months...?" the man echoed. "That's it...?" He looked at once shaken by the revelation and relieved, as though he'd been scared of a much longer time frame.

Stein found himself reaching out to take the man's hand again, not sure even as he did so what the reason was...perhaps to keep the patient grounded in reality; it had helped before, after all. "...We looked for you," he said, wanting to reassure the man, to let him know they had tried. "Everywhere we could think of, we all did..." Stein didn't realize he was going to ask the question until the words burst out of him. "Where were you?"

"...In the dark..." the man's eyes grew distant as the soft words were spoken, and the combined effect gave Stein a slight chill. "It was always dark...a dark room...not like this one...stone...and red...so much red..." another smile began creeping across the man's face, an eerie half-smile that gave his eyes a light that had never belonged there. "Blood red..." his shoulders shook in a silent laugh as the worrying smile spread further. "And echoing...always echoing..."

It wasn't until the man's eyes suddenly closed tightly that Stein realized his grip on the man's hand had tightened to the point of pain. He quickly eased up, though he didn't let go, and looked back up to meet a scared and confused, but clearer, blue gaze. "...you're here now," he said, trying to reassure his patient while distracting himself from the signs that he didn't want to admit were there.

The man nodded a little. "I..." he began, but fell silent as something behind Stein caught his attention. Stein glanced back to see a nurse entering with a rolling tray, on which was sitting a covered bowl and a spoon, along with a pitcher, cup, and straw. Excellent.

The scientist took the tray from the nurse with a nod of dismissal and maneuvered it into position so the tray slid across the patient's lap. This got a confused blink from the redhead as Stein sat back down. "...Lift the lid," the scientist told him after a moment's pause.

The man blinked at Stein, then at the tray in front of him again. A covered bowl...there was no telling what was inside. But Stein obviously thought it was all right, which meant it was...didn't it? Hesitantly he reached out and pushed the cover off, and then went still. That smell...the liquid within the bowl was mostly colorless, but it was steaming, warm, and smelled of...

He looked up at Stein with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I..." he began, but words failed him, as they so often did right now. He looked back at the bowl, then back at the man at his bedside. "...I c-can eat...?"

Stein's expression flickered – had the question surprised him? The patient didn't know why; he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually eaten anything. The sheer idea of actually doing so was enough to shock him, and here was broth that seemed to be meant entirely for him. He could feel his mouth watering and swallowed reflexively, staring at the bowl in front of him.

"Of course," Stein answered his question, voice matter-of-fact as always. "It's just broth for now, but we'll gradually work you back up to solid food."

Comforted a bit by those words, the man reached out for the bowl, still uncertain. Was someone going to take it from him? Surely not...Stein wouldn't...would he? No. The bowl was warm as his hand touched it, heavy with the weight of its contents, and he had to use both hands to lift it steadily; spilling even a drop was unthinkable. Still moving slowly, though now out of caution rather than uncertainty, he raised the bowl to his lips.

The taste. He couldn't think of anything he'd ever had that tasted that good. Warm, just enough spice to give it more flavor than what his mind belatedly labeled as beef...all caution was gone now and he drained the bowl quickly, only setting it down once no broth remained. He wanted more, and looked at Stein in order to ask, but the scientist seemed to already know what he was going to say.

"You need to take it slow. Your stomach isn't used to food anymore...too much will make you sick." The patient opened his mouth to say something, try and talk Stein into changing his mind, but Stein held up a hand. "A little bit at a time. Someone will bring more in a couple of hours. I promise."

A promise. Stein had already kept a promise, to come back, so this one would come true too. The man nodded, a little reluctantly, and set the bowl back on the tray. A couple of hours...it seemed like such a long time. A sudden thought crossed his mind and he looked back up at Stein, suddenly worried. "...Will..." he began, trying to force the words together into a coherent sentence even as he spoke – why was that so hard to do? "Will you stay...? With me..."

Stein regarded him in silence for a moment, then reached up to turn the screw in his head once or twice. "...Of course. You should try and get some rest."

Rest...that meant sleep. The man leaned back against the bed, feeling the way the softness supported him, and nodded a little. He wasn't exactly sleepy, but there was a weight to him that he couldn't quite put a name to. Maybe sleep would help with that. And Stein would be right there...nothing was going to happen...his eyes slid closed as he felt himself relax. Everything was fine now. He was being allowed food, he was somewhere warm and soft, no one was trying to hurt him...and he wasn't alone. With that comforting thought, the man was asleep in moments.

Description
It seemed at once several hours and barely a minute before Stein felt the patient relax. He glanced down to see the redhead's shoulders still, his breathing more even. As though feeling Stein's eyes on him, the patient looked up. Those blue eyes were a little clearer now, though there was still a certain heaviness to them that Stein was fairly certain wouldn't be got rid of so easily. The scientist was silent as his patient looked around as though seeing the room for the first time.

"I'm really here..." the man's words were barely a breath, his tone one of wonder and relief. "This is real..."

"Yes," Stein said, making no move to let go or move away. It felt good, right almost, to hold him, and Stein had no intention of stopping just yet. The patient shifted, moving to lift one hand, but quickly froze. Stein tensed as the man looked down, seeing once again the IV in his arm. Was this going to reverse everything that had just happened? Would the man panic again, return to that primal state of fear? The scientist found himself holding his breath, waiting for the reaction.

"...W-what...why is..." The man didn't seem about to immediately snap, which made Stein relax just a little, but the way he leaned into Stein's shoulder as though trying to pull away from his own arm said plainly that he still wasn't thinking very rationally. He looked up at Stein, scared and confused even as his breathing became more erratic.

"It's there to help you," Stein said quickly, trying to calm the man down before things got any worse. "That's all, it's just from a banana bag, it's all right."

It didn't work. The man stared up at Stein for a moment, then looked back at the IV. "I don-...I don't...don't...don't want it...I..." Suddenly his eyes closed tightly and he hid his face in Stein's shoulder once more, tense and whispering "No" over and over. Stein stared down at him, suddenly without any idea what to do again. The man didn't move for a long moment, his voice trailing off into silence after a while, then he looked back up. Stein's eyes widened at the expression on his face. It was obviously one that the patient had worn many times before without result, a helpless, hopeless, desperate look that Stein hoped he would never see again. "Please..." the patient gripped Stein's arm with surprising strength, staring up at him. "Please..." he said again, his tone one of outright begging. "Please, please take it out...please..."

Stein sat in silence, jade eyes locked onto the desperate cobalt blues of his patient. He could see the beginnings of more tears starting to well up in them, and knew he couldn't say no. Besides, it was about time to start the man back on the path to actual food. "All right," he said, reaching up to place a hand over the one on his arm. The man didn't relax, though his eyes widened slightly, and Stein repeated himself. "All right. I'll take it out, but the catheter is going to have to stay in." There might still be a need for sedation, or antibiotics, and Stein wasn't about to remove the catheter and force his patient to put up with more needles than absolutely necessary. Not after the way he'd been acting about the IV.

The scientist rose and walked around the bed, turning the drip off before unhooking the IV from the catheter in the patient's arm. The patient himself sat perfectly still, watching him with wide eyes. The relief and gratitude in them was so strong it looked almost painful, and Stein found that he had to look away. He knew the man likely hadn't understood what he'd said about the catheter, and that it might lead to trouble later, and for some odd reason it made him feel guilty. As though leaving the catheter in was almost betraying the man somehow. It was odd and beyond Stein's ability to understand, and it made him uncomfortable. Once he unhooked the bag from the IV stand he turned to leave, to remove the thing entirely and to see to it that some broth was made ready and brought up for the patient. Stein had no idea how long the man had gone without eating, but it was almost a certainty that his stomach wouldn't be able to handle solid food just yet. He was halfway to the door when a soft sound behind him made him pause and look back.

The patient was staring after him, looking...no, that wasn't uncertain, that was frightened. He was scared. Stein blinked. What had he done now? The redhead hesitated then moved as if to speak, but it took a few tries before any sound came out. "D-don-..." he began, then apparently reconsidered. "Where..." he tried again, and Stein guessed at what he was asking.

"I need to dispose of this properly," he replied, raising the half-empty bag in his hand. "And I need to see to your further care."

"Y-you...'re leaving?"

"For the moment, yes."

There was a pause as the patient apparently considered this. Then he seemed to shrink, falling back against the bed though his eyes never left Stein. "Leaving...me alone...?"

That brought Stein up short. It hadn't even occurred to him that the patient wouldn't want to be alone, even for just a short while. "...I won't be a moment," he said after a moment's pause. "And I'll come right back." The look of worried fear didn't leave the patient's face. Stein sighed softly and walked back to the bed, leaning down a little and meeting his eyes. "I will come right back," he repeated, the words slower and firmer this time. "Trust me." A pause. "...you do trust me, don't you, Senpai?"

There was another pause. Stein found himself holding his breath and forced himself to exhale. It was oddly nervewracking, waiting for an answer to that question. Would the man say no? Would he say yes? Would he say anything at all? It turned out he wouldn't; after a short interval, the man simply nodded. Stein did too, and straightened. "If you'll excuse me a moment, then," he said, heading for the door. "I'll be right back."

The man's eyes never left Stein as the scientist opened the door and stepped out. He braced himself for the sound of the door closing, the click as it caught and locked, but to his surprise it never came. Stein had paused and secured the door with a small kickstop before exiting out into the hall, leaving the room open to the sounds of the hospital outside. The man could hear people walking up and down the hallway, see their shadows cross his door, hear their voices or the sound of wheels as something was pushed along. There were people there, just outside...somehow it was relaxing. And Stein had promised to come back. He wasn't alone...or, at least, he wouldn't be alone for very long.

The redhead lay in the bed, just listening for a while to the sounds drifting in from the hallway as his eyes once again took in the room around him. There were still wires attached to him – his eyes followed them up to the machine that kept beeping in time with his heartbeat – but nothing seemed to be happening. There wasn't anything being forced into his blood, through his skin, no needles. There was light coming in, through what he now recognized to be a curtained window and through the door, the room was airy, open...it was all so different.

But there were still echoes, somewhere deep in his mind. A flash of shadow on the edge of sight made his head jerk around. Had that been...but no...there was nothing there. The beeping of the machine was faster now, registering the shift in his pulse rate. He stared, wide-eyed at where he'd thought he'd seen it...still nothing. No, no...he shut his eyes tightly. He was home, he was safe, they couldn't touch him here. They couldn't. He was safe, he'd made it and-what was that?!

His head jerked up and around again, trying to find the source of the faint sound. Laughter...? But there was no one in the room, he'd imagined it. Hadn't he? How could they be here, it was stupid...but...his eyes scanned every corner they could reach, searching for something that wasn't there. They'd gotten in before. They'd taken him out. He was alone now, Stein gone off to talk to he didn't know who. No one around. The noise from the hallway to mask anything going on in his room. And them...waiting, waiting for him to drop his guard, to steal him away again, back to the hell he'd only just escaped...

He wouldn't let them. His hands gripped the side-rails of the bed as he pulled himself up, turned to swing his legs off the side. He had to leave, run, get out now before they made their move. A faint, almost imagined footstep made him freeze, wide eyes once again scouring the room for something they couldn't see. They were coming, he had to leave. Had to get out. Had to move. Couldn't stay. Stein promised, said no one would hurt him again, but he didn't know, hadn't known the first time and didn't know now. There was no other choice. Have to run, have to leave...

He pushed himself to his feet, swaying a little as his legs reluctantly took his weight. Unsteady, so weak...but he'd made it this far, he could keep going. He had to. No choice. Keep moving. Stay free. He'd completely forgotten the beeping machine until it pulled his first step up short, the wires attached to him stopping him from going further. No...no, he had to keep moving, couldn't stay, they'd take him again, he had to get out, get to where people were, a crowd, get lost in it, hide...He reached up to jerk the wires off him when another sound made his head shoot up again. They were here, they'd come, and he was trapped...

Stein paused in the doorway, seeing his patient out of bed and looking terrified, yet defiant. "Senpai...?" he said cautiously, uncertain exactly how much of the real world the man was registering just at the moment. "Is everything all right?" It was a stupid question; obviously everything wasn't all right, but hopefully it would serve to bring the man back to the present.

It seemed to work. Terror faded from those blue eyes to be replaced by confusion tinged with relief. "Stein...?"

Stein nodded, approaching slowly. "I told you I'd be right back," he said. "You shouldn't be up."

"I...there...I heard..." The man looked down and away, as if searching for an explanation. "They..." he looked back up at Stein, eyes almost painfully confused and with a distinct note of fear in their depths. "They were-"

"You're safe," Stein cut him off, reaching up to grab the man's shoulders. The mention of they, whoever they were, had sparked the scientist's anger again, but he shoved it away. Anger wouldn't help here, and as much as he wanted to ask, to make the man tell him who they were, that wouldn't help either. The man was in no state to think about it right now. "They're not going to get you."

The man blinked up at him, his confusion growing. "But...I heard...I..." he paused, obviously trying to think through whatever haze was in his mind. "I thought I..."

Stein kept his face carefully blank. Hallucinations were never a good sign, though at least the patient wasn't full-out panicking or turning violent over them. "You are perfectly fine," he said, releasing the man's shoulders and resisting the impulse to gently push him towards the bed. As unsteady as the man was, it would most likely just send him crashing to the floor. "Now get back in bed; you shouldn't be up yet." The man didn't move. "Senpai, you're barely standing as it is. You don't need to push yourself."

"...want to stand."

"You're not in any condition to-"

"I want to stand!" The sudden burst of energy from the man nearly made Stein take a step back, surprise flickering across his face. The patient's eyes were no longer hazy, confused, or scared; they held a fire that sent a wave of relief through Stein. It wasn't exactly the fire he remembered, but it was a sign that it hadn't gone out. "I've been lying down for too long!" The fire began dying, the man's eyes widening as if he'd realized something and his expression turning just slightly hesitant. "...I want to stand. I want to move..." The fire was all but embers now, uncertainty replacing its energy. "...I don't want to lie down anymore..."

"...I understand," Stein told him, choosing his words with care, "but it will only slow your recovery if you fall and re-open one of your injuries. You're going to need physical therapy as it is, you'll get your chance to move, but right now you need to at least sit down. You're barely on your feet, and if you end up hurting yourself further you'll spend even more time in bed."

The man was silent, looking down after a moment and nodding. Reluctantly he started trying to climb back into the bed. Stein moved to help him, giving him a boost and steadying him to keep him from falling. Once back in the bed, he stared up at the ceiling and somehow managed to look at once sulky and resigned.

"Here," Stein said after a moment, and pulled the bed controls up from their resting spot in the frame. "This will let you adjust the bed to make it more comfortable." He demonstrated the controls, making the head of the bed rise a little and putting the patient in more of a sitting position. "Better?"

The man went still as the bed moved beneath him, then he blinked at Stein. Then at the control pad. Then at Stein again. Then his expression softened from surprise into what Stein just barely recognized as a smile. It was faint, barely there, but Stein knew the man well enough to know what that particular look in his eyes meant. The scientist returned it with a small half-smile of his own and watched as his patient began to relax, the man's expression shifting – as much as it ever did currently – into one of thoughtfulness.

"...What's on your mind, Senpai?" Stein asked, hoping to keep the man talking. It seemed to help, and it certainly eased Stein's own mind to hear his patient speak. Every sentence seemed to help his voice get stronger. Plus there was always the chance that he might get some information on who had done this to his partner.

The man blinked up at him for a moment. "How," he began, but his voice was barely loud enough to hear. He paused, then tried again. "...How long was I gone...?"

Stein went still. Should he tell the redhead the truth, or make up a shorter amount of time? With the man's mental state the way it was, telling him it had only been a matter of weeks might get less of a reaction that the truth, but at the same time the repercussions of finding out he'd been lied to...no. The truth it was. "...About three months, give or take."

There was no reaction for a moment. "Three months...?" the man echoed. "That's it...?" He looked at once shaken by the revelation and relieved, as though he'd been scared of a much longer time frame.

Stein found himself reaching out to take the man's hand again, not sure even as he did so what the reason was...perhaps to keep the patient grounded in reality; it had helped before, after all. "...We looked for you," he said, wanting to reassure the man, to let him know they had tried. "Everywhere we could think of, we all did..." Stein didn't realize he was going to ask the question until the words burst out of him. "Where were you?"

"...In the dark..." the man's eyes grew distant as the soft words were spoken, and the combined effect gave Stein a slight chill. "It was always dark...a dark room...not like this one...stone...and red...so much red..." another smile began creeping across the man's face, an eerie half-smile that gave his eyes a light that had never belonged there. "Blood red..." his shoulders shook in a silent laugh as the worrying smile spread further. "And echoing...always echoing..."

It wasn't until the man's eyes suddenly closed tightly that Stein realized his grip on the man's hand had tightened to the point of pain. He quickly eased up, though he didn't let go, and looked back up to meet a scared and confused, but clearer, blue gaze. "...you're here now," he said, trying to reassure his patient while distracting himself from the signs that he didn't want to admit were there.

The man nodded a little. "I..." he began, but fell silent as something behind Stein caught his attention. Stein glanced back to see a nurse entering with a rolling tray, on which was sitting a covered bowl and a spoon, along with a pitcher, cup, and straw. Excellent.

The scientist took the tray from the nurse with a nod of dismissal and maneuvered it into position so the tray slid across the patient's lap. This got a confused blink from the redhead as Stein sat back down. "...Lift the lid," the scientist told him after a moment's pause.

The man blinked at Stein, then at the tray in front of him again. A covered bowl...there was no telling what was inside. But Stein obviously thought it was all right, which meant it was...didn't it? Hesitantly he reached out and pushed the cover off, and then went still. That smell...the liquid within the bowl was mostly colorless, but it was steaming, warm, and smelled of...

He looked up at Stein with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I..." he began, but words failed him, as they so often did right now. He looked back at the bowl, then back at the man at his bedside. "...I c-can eat...?"

Stein's expression flickered – had the question surprised him? The patient didn't know why; he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually eaten anything. The sheer idea of actually doing so was enough to shock him, and here was broth that seemed to be meant entirely for him. He could feel his mouth watering and swallowed reflexively, staring at the bowl in front of him.

"Of course," Stein answered his question, voice matter-of-fact as always. "It's just broth for now, but we'll gradually work you back up to solid food."

Comforted a bit by those words, the man reached out for the bowl, still uncertain. Was someone going to take it from him? Surely not...Stein wouldn't...would he? No. The bowl was warm as his hand touched it, heavy with the weight of its contents, and he had to use both hands to lift it steadily; spilling even a drop was unthinkable. Still moving slowly, though now out of caution rather than uncertainty, he raised the bowl to his lips.

The taste. He couldn't think of anything he'd ever had that tasted that good. Warm, just enough spice to give it more flavor than what his mind belatedly labeled as beef...all caution was gone now and he drained the bowl quickly, only setting it down once no broth remained. He wanted more, and looked at Stein in order to ask, but the scientist seemed to already know what he was going to say.

"You need to take it slow. Your stomach isn't used to food anymore...too much will make you sick." The patient opened his mouth to say something, try and talk Stein into changing his mind, but Stein held up a hand. "A little bit at a time. Someone will bring more in a couple of hours. I promise."

A promise. Stein had already kept a promise, to come back, so this one would come true too. The man nodded, a little reluctantly, and set the bowl back on the tray. A couple of hours...it seemed like such a long time. A sudden thought crossed his mind and he looked back up at Stein, suddenly worried. "...Will..." he began, trying to force the words together into a coherent sentence even as he spoke – why was that so hard to do? "Will you stay...? With me..."

Stein regarded him in silence for a moment, then reached up to turn the screw in his head once or twice. "...Of course. You should try and get some rest."

Rest...that meant sleep. The man leaned back against the bed, feeling the way the softness supported him, and nodded a little. He wasn't exactly sleepy, but there was a weight to him that he couldn't quite put a name to. Maybe sleep would help with that. And Stein would be right there...nothing was going to happen...his eyes slid closed as he felt himself relax. Everything was fine now. He was being allowed food, he was somewhere warm and soft, no one was trying to hurt him...and he wasn't alone. With that comforting thought, the man was asleep in moments.