*Shadow's POV*
"Why don't you go in?" I looked up to see Rouge walking towards me with a cup of coffee in hand and a small bag of coffee beans.

It was currently 4 in the morning. It had been two days since it all happened. I was at the hospital for the past two days, waiting, yet I never went inside the building. I was outside, too scared to go in and face his family. Too scared to go in and see him, it had been my fault he was this way anyway.

"Any news?" I asked as she handed me the bag of coffee beans, and I started to eat them slowly. I couldn't really sleep, I kept having nightmares that Sonic would die, so I was just here, waiting. Waiting until I was strong enough to go in and look at him, apologize to him. But I knew the moment I went in, the moment his family saw me, they would hate me, they would kick me out, and we would have to break up.

"Sally got arrested. She's a minor, so I don't think much will happen to her, but Eggman got taken by G.U.N. From what I heard from Espio, he was trying to take control of the entire school. By getting to the students, he could get to the parents and then expand his power from there even more. We stopped him in time, and we saved millions of lives, Shadow." Rouge sat beside me.

"Yeah." I mumbled and looked down at my hands.

"You need to go in. He's waiting for you." She rested her hand on my shoulder. I put the bag down and rubbed my face.

"I can't. It's over if I go in, and I am not sure I am ready to let go just yet." It felt weird talking about how I was feeling. It was strange, something I never did, but I needed to talk. "It was my fault."

"It was not your fault, and he's not going to break up with you. He's been worried about you. He's been waiting for you."

"His family hates me." I mumbled.

"They don't hate you. Stop getting in your head and just go." She pushed me off my seat. I got up, nearly falling, and glared at her. "Go!" She pointed at the doors.

I took in a deep breath and finally decided to walk in. Whether she was right or wrong, I still wanted to see for myself that he was okay. I've only been told he was okay and that he wasn't in any serious danger or that he was awake and asking about me.

"Shadow?" I looked up and froze when I saw his mother and his uncle in the waiting room. I couldn't get myself to get closer, I suddenly felt scared. But I guess they noticed because they shared a look, then Aleena walked to me and gave me the visitor pass she had. "Room 209. Second floor and take the left." She pointed at the elevator. "He's awake."

"Thank you." I nodded and walked to the elevator. The way up felt nauseating, felt scary, and felt like I was about to step into my own death. I walked to the room when I got off the elevator and stared at the number on the door for a bit. I could hear a TV on inside, I sighed and knocked on the door then grabbed the door handle.

"Come in!" Sonic said so I did. There was a curtain covering the way, so he didn't see who it was, nor was I able to see him, but I could hear him typing on his phone. "He's still not answering."

"Maybe because my phone broke when I was fighting with Eggman." I said as I moved the curtain out of the way. His ears perked up, and he dropped his phone on the floor and smiled brightly at me.

"Shadow?" He let out a weak laugh. "Oh, thank chaos, you're okay!"

"Me? You're worried about me? Look at you, hedgehog." I stayed where I was. Too afraid to get closer to him. He was covered in bruises and cuts. He looked exhausted.

"You weren't here when I woke up, and no one would tell me anything other than 'he's okay'. What happened?" He lowered his ears.

"I have been here." I confessed. "But I was too scared to come inside the building to see you." I always felt like I could talk to him, trust him.

"Come here." He patted the spot beside him. I hesitated but I walked closer, he reached for my hand but I moved mine away. "Shadow?" He looked at me, sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sonic." I lowered my ears as well. It hurt seeing him this way. "You're like this because of me."

"Are you crazy?" Sonic shook his head. "You're forgetting my crazy ex-girlfriend was also involved here. You didn't cause this. It wasn't your fault. You saved me. You and our friends did."

"But -" I couldn't finish my sentence because pain be dammed, Sonic got off the bed and kissed me.

He cupped my face, moving one hand behind my head as he messed with my quills and pulled me closer to him.  I kissed back instantly, and I couldn't help it. A single tear escaped my eyes but I didn't move away, I deepend the kiss, placing my hands at his waist and pulling him closer to me to where there was absolutely no space between us anymore. When I heard him groan in pain, I pulled away and made him lay down in the hospital bed again.

I looked at him, he was madly blushing and I knew I was too. This hedgehog could easily make me forget about everything else. He didn't need a mind control device. He could tell me exactly what he wanted after he kissed me, and I would do it just for him. He held too much power over me. And for once in my life, I was not afraid.