I don't own them.

Ben hated the waiting room. It made him stand out more then usual, which is why he usually avoided public places entirely. It also made him remember several past hospital visits, not all of them turning out so well.

Stop thinking like that! He ordered himself, leaning against the wall. He didn't trust the puny chairs that littered the room. The kid's going to be fine. Then I'll kill him myself.

But he wasn't so sure. There had been the previous encounter with Doom just months ago which left Johnny barely alive, his entire physique altered. Now this so soon after...He admonished himself once again for thinking so negatively, which brought him back to square one.

Susan kept shooting anxious glances at the door, willing it to open. It had been over two hours since anyone had told them anything. She chewed on her fingernail, a habit she only referred to when under stress. She leaned against Reed who stroked her hair awkwardly, his mind a million miles away.

Before when Johnny had been hurt Reed had been "playing doctor". He had forgotten just how nerve-wracking the side lines could be. He had been trying to get through the doors for about an hour after they arrived, but with no luck.

"His DNA is different then yours!" Reed had exploded at the doctor who was leading him out of the room for the thousandth time. "Drugs that make you better can kill him!" At least he had gotten through to them about the penicillin. Last time it had been tried Johnny had had such a severe allergic reaction that he nearly slipped into a coma. Ben and Sue had the same reaction. After that, no more penicillin.

The doors finally swung open and a tired-looking doctor stepped out. He looked around at the group and gave them a small smile. "He's stable now, and resting. You can go see him now if you like. And he should be ready to go home in about three weeks."

The group rushed past him. Reed found himself thinking. Three weeks? Yeah right! Another perk of genetically-altered DNA was that you didn't need even half the time to heal. Usually.

Susan gasped as she came into Johnny's room. It was filled with all kinds of machines, some putting stuff in to Johnny, some taking stuff out, and others just sitting around beeping. She went to her brother's bed and smiled when she found his eyes open. "Hey kiddo, you had me worried there."

Johnny tried to smile but ended up wincing instead. His skin was a shade of pale pink, so different from the normally tanned one they were used to. He lifted a hand in greeting, catching a nearby sheet on fire.

Reed frowned as Ben leaned forward to put out the fire. Johnny almost never lost control of his powers anymore. He was much sicker then he was letting on.

Ben sat on a stool as Johnny opened his mouth again to say one word. "Doom?"

"He was arrested." Reed said quickly. "Not that that makes any difference."

"I nearly killed him after what he did to you." Ben said, looking at Johnny. "I wanted to, the lousy, no-good―" he continued with muttered curses for about a minute before he calmed down again.

Johnny was losing strength quickly. Susan saw his eyelids droop down until he caught himself and opened them up again. "You're going to be fine Johnny." She said, kissing her brother on the top of his head, making him blanch. She left the room, casting another furtive look at Johnny.

"Yeah, you'll be fine. You only have slight repertory infection which should be fought off by your bodies natural ―" Reed was still talking to himself as he left the room after his wife.

Johnny was nearly asleep now. Ben pushed away from the bed and stood up. He took Johnny's hand gently in his own, rubbing his large hands over the scars that were embedded there for life. Ben watched as Johnny's breathing became slow and even. He let the hand drop, saying, "You did good, Kid."

Yeah, that's the end. It's over. Fin. So...review.