"What did you do?" Mat blinked.

"Wh-me? What did I do? What do you mean?" Stephanie pointed past him.

"I heard a commotion going on, so I went out to look, and I see the house owner, a fully grown human being mind you, on the floor, crying, and you trying to comfort him!" Mat winced.

"I-I didn't do anything! At least, not deliberately, I mean- I- he thought I wasn't real, and, uh, he started crying, and-" Mat shook his head. "Steph, there's something wrong here."

"Yeah, you were seen!" Mat's gaze slid from Stephanie, and he saw that some of their stuff was already gathered.

"Steph? What...?" He looked around. "What's this about?"

"I've already started packing, but... well, I'm not as strong as you."

"We can't leave now!" Mat gasped, appalled, "We need to help him!"

"Mat, he's a human, and he saw you. There's nothing more to it," she pleaded.

"He needs my help," Mat answered firmly.

"Come on Matthew, you've heard the stories! Any borrower ever seen by a human gets captured, and I'm not going to watch you risk your life for a human that you don't even know." Mat gave her a good look and shook his head sadly.

"Then look the other way."Stephanie blinked as Mat turned away and ran back out of their house.

"Mat? Mat! Mat don't! Wait!" But Mat knew he couldn't listen to her cries to call him back. He just knew, deep down, that he needed to help Nate. And if Stephanie wouldn't help, then he would do it himself. I don't know what it is, but I feel like he's in a really bad place. How could we have been so blind? If he was a borrower, maybe Steph would think differently, but- He pushed that thought out of his mind, feeling guilty for thinking that. Sorry Steph, but I have to make sure he's okay. He came out of hiding and ran across the living room floor.

"Nate?" He called. "Nate!" He listened for a response, or some footsteps. Where the hell could he have gone? Teardrops still stained the kitchen floor, but the human wasn't there. Mat sucked a huge breath into his lungs and shouted with all his might, "Nate!?!?" He suddenly heard something shatter, followed by a heavy thud. A bolt of fear made his spine tingle with dread, and Mat took off for the source of the noise. Something bad is happening. His sensitive borrower sense was off the radar, screaming at him that something was gravely wrong. Mat sped into the bedroom as fast as his small legs could carry him, but then he came to a staggering halt and gawked with horror.

The table lamp was in pieces on the ground; the bedsheets were draped over the side of the bed and cascaded across the floor, and the guitar even was sprawled on its side. The chair and nightstand were also knocked down, and splayed in the middle of the room was Nate. "Nate!" Mat ran up to the human and ran around to the front of his head. "Nate!" The human's eyes were half-closed. His lips were slightly parted as he hoarsely breathed, but much shallower than Mat remembered. His throat muscles throbbed feebly with each weak inhale, so Mat went up to Nate's chest and listened to his heartbeat. His eyes widened. He needs a hospital! Mat ran down alongside the human's still body and pushed into his pocket. Come on, come on, please be there, please...! He spotted the thin silver box that was called a phone and tapped the screen desperately. It flashed on, blinding Mat for a second as he grumbled and pushed on the phone icon.

What was the number for emergencies? Mat froze. Shoot! What was it!?

"Mat! Call 911!" Mat turned to see Stephanie running up to Nate.

"911, are you sure?" He yelled back.

"I'm sure!" He pressed in the numbers and heard the speaker start ringing. Nate groaned and tried to move, but couldn't and only shifted a little, rocking Mat.

"Come on, come on...!" Mat muttered as Stephanie came to his side. Then there was a click.

"911, what's your emergency?" Relief punched Mat square in the chest, he was almost speechless for a second.

"Emergency, yes!" He leaned into the speaker to sound as loud as possible. "I, uh, my-my neighbor, he's on the floor and in really bad pain right now! His name is Nate, you gotta help him right now!"

"Okay sir, what's the address?" Mat checked with Stephanie for the correct address, and together they managed to inform the voice on the phone. "Alright, we're sending help right away, thank you for calling. Can you tell me any of the symptoms for us to inform the hospital about?"

"Uh, well." Mat shared a glance with Stephanie. She nodded. "He's-he's breathing really weakly, and his heart's beating irregularly."

"Uhh, Cri... Cristina..." Nate murmured in a whispery voice. "Don't... hrrgh..."

"Delusional?" Steph added.

"And pretty much unconscious, yeah," Mat agreed.

"All right you two, anything else?" The borrower bit his lip.

"Well... one time, when we were talking, he thought that I was a figment of his imagination," He admitted. 

"Has Nate been taking any medication? Overdoses are common, and it might be the answer in these symptoms." Mat went completely still. A gear in his brain had suddenly turned.

"Yeah." He swallowed, his throat feeling dry and sticky. "A-Antidepressants." His thoughts were whirling now. How did I not see it sooner!? The woman was talking to someone else and reciting the information, but Mat was so shocked now that he didn't even notice.

"Mat?" Stephanie reached over and gently grabbed his hand. "He's gonna be okay," She whispered. "You got the people who can help him coming now. But we should go before they get here." Numb, Mat stumbled after Stephanie. They climbed out of the human's pocket, and Mat gave Nate a sorrowful glance.

"You're going to be okay, Nate," He murmured, "They're on their way now." The human's lashes fluttered weakly. If he had heard the borrower, he didn't give any indication. Despairing, Mat looked away and let Stephanie lead him back to the borrowing walls as a siren wailed in the distance.

Stephanie agreed to stay until they knew whether the human was okay. The house was so empty and quiet, and even though Mat borrowed everything they needed to prepare for a long trip, he felt so down and worried. Is he okay? I hope he's okay. Too often, he would sit on the edge of the counter and look around, trying to imagine what life as a human was life. He was already really high up, and yet Mat knew that the height he sat at now was only where a human's midriff was; it was a scary thought really, but at the same time the borrower dared to imagine how wonderful it'd be to not have to climb all the time just to get from one room to another.

He never heard nor saw any hints that told him of Nate's condition as the week crept by. He remembered hearing the paramedics bursting in and rushing to the bedroom, and he remembered all the flashing lights and the noises and the shouting. Mat opened his eyes and looked toward the bedroom. He remembered hearing defibrillators whine, talk of a seizure, and urgent footsteps as the other humans had wheeled Nathan Smith out of his own house. He even remembered hearing one guy mutter how abusers were like timed bombs ticking down their last tocks, but that human-talk took Mat a little bit of time to decipher.

So he was overdosing on antidepressants... but why? Mat looked up at the cabinet where he had first met Nate. The door was still wide open, and the pills were still scattered on their shelves, in as much chaos as that late morning. Antidepressants are for treating depression, that's their purpose. Mat had gone and read every centimeter of the labeling before the official humans came and collected it, and he could not find any rational reason as to why Nate took too much. The dosage amount was even on the front!

But, finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, Mat heard a car pull up late Friday afternoon. He hurried to the nearest hiding place and listened. Keys jingled in the lock. The door opened. The footsteps were accompanies by the metallic clicks of crutches.

"Tell me again," came a tired complaint, "Why do I need these stupid things?" That's Nate! Mat smiled with relief.

"In case you get weak again and decide to faceplant," a female replied. Mat shrank back as the two humans moved past his hiding place, and he looked to see a pretty young woman helping Nate across the living room. His house owner didn't look too good, but it was better than laying sprawled on the floor and fighting for your every breath. The hospital had dressed him up a bit frighteningly, but most of it was just scary to the eye. "Now, you get some rest," the woman insisted as she helped Nate sit on the couch, "And I'll make you something to drink."

"Thanks, Cristina," Nathan answered quietly. His voice was a little weak, probably exhausted after what he'd been through. Cristina simply nodded and moved on into the kitchen. Mat watched the human curiously. I think I remember him saying her name, when he was unconscious. What's she doing here? Then he looked over at Nate, analyzing the young man's condition. Well, he looks ready to take a nap, for one. I hope his head's okay. Maybe he hit the chair or nightstand during his fall, that would explain the wrappings around his head. Must have been the back of it too, otherwise I'd have noticed and tried to help. But then again, if Steph hadn't dragged me away when she did, we might have been discovered.

Mat noticed that Nate's tired eyes were in the direction of the kitchen, where Cristina was humming in lovely notes. His breath hitched when he saw Nate start bobbing his head in incredibly faint movements, and his fingers twitched with uncertainty before tapping along; he was perfectly in sync with the woman's humming. The realization hit him like a bolt; Mat started smiling so big that his cheeks hurt. He likes her!

"Here you go." Cristina returned to the living room with a steaming cup. "A nice cup of tea ought to soothe you."

"My hero," Nate murmured with a playful sparkle in his eyes. The two humans lightly chuckled as they settled down side by side, and Mat watched with a distant grin. That's how Steph and I are a lot. We're not that different, humans and borrowers. We both have feelings, people we love, people we don't like, favored activities, jobs... I just wish humans could see that. Mat's smile dropped. And he still thought I wasn't real. I guess that's for the best. He turned and left the two humans to themselves, and he returned to the small home where Stephanie was eating some bread and butter.

Stephanie looked up when he walked in, but he didn't say anything. He simply didn't look at her as he got out a serving of bread for himself, and he sat down glumly across from her. Stephanie hesitated, and then she set the bread down.

"... I've been thinking," she started, "That maybe we don't have to move." Mat looked up, surprised. She smiled kindly at him. "I know, 'If a human sees you then you have to move.' But maybe this human isn't so bad. You care for him like a friend, yet you've never even really met him." Mat sighed and messed with his hair.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered, "He won't remember me anyway. He thought I was just a hallucination or something, remember?" Stephanie bit her lip.

"Well, you could try reminding him," she suggested, "Or maybe he will remember." Mat scoffed, but his demeanor wasn't rude.

"Come on, Steph. He was overdosing on antidepressants and painkillers, you really think he'd remember me when his brain was addled with medicine?" Stephanie shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm just saying..." She sighed and clasped her hands together, leaning forward. "It's your choice. Whether we should move or not, and whether you think having Nate around is a good idea or not. But if you do trust him, then I want to know that you trust him enough to be around a baby." Mat looked up sharply.

"What do you mean?" But even as he said it, he felt his heart begin to race, like a thoroughbred galloping for first place. His eyes were wide as he stood, almost knocking the chair aside and falling over. "St-Steph?" Stephanie smiled and gave him one, simple nod. Mat took a sharp breath. "Well we can't move now, then!" He exclaimed, "Is that why you've been so sick recently?" She told him yes. "Oh my god!" Mat did a small jumping motion and whisked to the other side of the table, hugging his wife. "Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" He demanded.

"Well, I was waiting for the right moment, but then I noticed you were going out borrowing a lot." She looked up at him. "I was a bit worried, until later I saw you trying to comfort Nate when he broke down and started crying." She looked back down, hunching her shoulders with embarrassment. "I-I would have told you sooner, but that argument, and Nate..." Mat shook his head and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I should have paid more attention," he apologized.

"It's all right," Stephanie assured, "You've been so worried about Nate, I should have paid more attention to how you were feeling."

"So..." Mat smiled a little, "We're even?"

"Only if you agree to at least check on Nate before we decide whether to stay for good." Mat nodded and grabbed her hands, holding them to his chest.

"I'll talk to him," he promised.

"When?"

"Tonight."