"Are you all the young girl's family?" A doctor stuck her head into the room where the group was still waiting, Tyler had been gone for almost an hour, Anne Marie had run after him just a bit ago.

Dylan's head shot up.

"Can we see her?" Mr. Wales asked.

The woman frowned. "All or you? I don't think so. Just a few of her closest relatives first."

Dylan's throat was dry. "Can...can I?"

Everyone's head turned to him. It was the first thing he had said in hours. Mr. Wales locked eyes with him from across the room.

"Me too." Azmus insisted.

"Is it okay if these two go?" Mr. Wales asked the lady.

She nodded, and gestured for the two of them to come forward.

"Tell us everything." Sabine asked gently.

"I'm sensing now's not the time." James said hesitantly. "But when your other friend comes back, we need to talk."

Mr. Wales nodded. Dylan pushed himself forward and out the door as the nurse led down a few halls to where Icie was. The door opened, and Dylan saw she was lying down with a few IV's in her arm, she was touch looking and ragged, but she smiled gently when the two of them arrived.

"Hey." She smiled weakly. "If it isn't my two favorite boys."

Azmus hopped up on the bed next to her. "How are you feeling?"

Icie raised her hand weakly and made a shaky thumbs up. "Like I've just been gutted by a crocodile mutant."

Dylan could stop staring at her. This room. The smell of washed sheets and antiseptic. Icie seemed to noticed this, she reached down and wrapped her fingers around Dylan's.

"You look really good considering." Azmus noted. 

She laughed, then winced. "Yeah. The surgeons who opened me up are actually pretty cool. They thought I had some weird birth deformity with my ears."

Dylan thought he should say something. He should tell Icie how she brave she was or something. He just couldn't seem to get anything out past his lips. She looked so...frail. Icie tilted her had and looked down at him.

"Dylan? You doing okay? You look paler than me." She asked.

The two of them stared at him. Dylan panicked again as he opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Then his cheeks were wet and he realized he was crying. Icie and Azmus shared a look. Azmus nodded, giving Icie's shoulder a small pat before sliding off the bed and slipping out the door quietly.

Icie returned her attention back to Dylan who wiped his face in embarrassment.

"Hey, come on and sit up here next to me. What's wrong?" She asked, pushing herself up.

Dylan sucked in a breath, he locked the wheels to his chair then lifted himself up onto Icie's bed. Icie reached forward and brushed the hair out of his eyes and wiped the tears from his face.

"I'm just..." He chocked. "I'm scared. I've been through this already."

Icie squeezed his hand sympathetically.

"One day she was fine, I think she took me to the park that day. Then the next she was back in the hospital again. My dad didn't take me out of school because this was normal. They would give her the same medicine and then she would be out again. Only that's not...that's not what happened. I just...I keep remembering being in this same place, and still not being able to do anything."

His hands were shaking. "I can't lose you like I lost my mom, Icie."

She pursed her lips. "You guys did great though, you got me here. I'm gonna be okay."

"Lucy said you might not, because she doesn't know what Dragonfire could have done to you." He insisted, turning toward with eyes full of tears.

Icie frowned. "Lucy's here?"

He nodded.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I feel pretty good right now actually." She insisted. "I'm gonna have a wicked scar."

Dylan smiled, but it disappeared quickly. He unconsciously reached and rubbed his hand on his forearm. He did that a lot. Icie reached for his hands and brought it toward her. She wrapped both hands around his and sighed. He tensed, and her eyes drifted down his forearm, to something she had never noticed before. Dylan followed her gave and grimaced.

"They're...old." His words seemed to hang in the air. "After my mom...I just..."

"That's okay. You don't have to talk about it." She assured, looking back up into his eyes.

"You know, no one has ever really cared about me this much before." Icie spoke gently.

"I've never cared about anyone this much before." Dylan breathed.

She looked at him. Her dark eyes were wide with curiosity. Dylan bit his lip and tried to look away. He couldn't.

"What do you...what do you mean?" Icie dared ask.

His breath hitched in his throat, and his face was all hot. What was this feeling? Dylan had never felt like this before. It was confusing and weird and his didn't know what to say.

"You matter a lot to me." He admitted. "I mean, so does everyone else, but you especially. You were always kind to me. You really scared me."

Icie's face had changed, her mouth opened as she starts to say something. Before she could, something made Dylan interior her. Memories, of hospitals and Genny.

"I'm sorry." He said quickly, blushing in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, you probably hate me for saying that."

"What?" Icie frowned.

Genny had hated it. Dylan hated making her feel like that, he didn't want the same thing to happen all over again. He started to slid back into his chair.

"Sorry, I'll just... I'll just-"

Icie put a hand in his arm and made him face her again. He stopped trying to slip away. She looked like she was about to cry. Dylan's heart sunk. He should have just kept his mouth shut. He probably messed everything up again, just like he did the last time.

"Dylan." Icie started.

"Yeah?"

She was just staring at him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, nothing besides how completely flattering the hospital gown made her look. How does anyone manage to look cute in hospital clothes. Icie's hand went up into his hair and she pulled his face forward.

She kissed him.

It was soft. God, it was so different from Genny. All of this was so different. Dylan's eyes squeezed closed as he let her kiss him. It seemed to last centuries, he felt like he had aged a thousand years by the time she finally broke apart from him.

Dylan just sat there, stunned for a moment. Icie smiled and let her hands fall back down again. She looked kinda tired.

"I love you." She breathed. "Dork. Scars and all."

Love? Is that what he was feeling? No one had ever kissed him like that before. He was at a loss for words.

"Love?" He said numbly for a moment, still trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Yeah. You're special to me too." She explained plainly. "Even more than everyone else."

He stared at her. "You love me?'

She nodded. "Definitely."

"I think...I love you...too." He gasped out. "I love you. I really love you. You're so beautiful and kind and I've never met anyone like that before. I've never-"

He blushed. "I've never kissed anyone like that."

Icie smiled, she was blushing too. "I'm glad. I'm really happy in fact."

They both looked up at each other and laughed awkwardly for a bit. Icie raised and eyebrow, and started to lean in again, when the doctor form before opened the door and cleared her throat.

"Time's up. Iceland needs rest, young man." She insisted.

Dylan blushed and immediately slid back into his chair. Lucy appeared behind her.

"Sorry about this, I'm just gonna make sure she's one hundred percent okay. Better to be safe than sorry." She laughed nervously. 

Icie smirked. "See you later Dylan."

Dylan blushed, and was about to say something before one of the nurses abruptly started pushing him out.

"Alright alright! I'm leaving!" He blinked, obviously ruffled. "I can push myself."

Dylan sighed and made his way out the door. He was still kinda annoyed but after that...Well. Someone outside opened up the door for him and he looked up to see it was Tyler. He looked a little ruffled but calmed down.

"Thanks."