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"This is highly unusual, you understand? The only reason I'm speaking to you about Ms. Lord's condition is because her sister had already given permission previously," the doctor started with somewhat of a stiff note, eyeing Kevin suspiciously as he flipped through the recent vital signs the nurses had been diligently been evaluating. "The incision is actually healing nicely and there are no complications from the surgery. But, since her gastric contents leaked into her abdomen, the infection is just detrimental. Her fever continues to remain the same and the infection is ravaging her system. I'm going to try another series of different antibiotics, but if it doesn't change, I'm afraid we'll have some serious complications on our hands."

"Serious complications? What could happen?" Kevin reminded himself to keep calm and ignore the tone the doctor was using with him.

"Organ failure is what I'm most concerned about."

"Organ failure? That's really a possibility?"

"The infection overrides her immune system and, naturally, it starts to see a threat and wants to save what it can. It'll start by shutting down the less vital organs until finally..." the doctor exhaled a short breath. "I don't intend to let that happen."

"Is there any reason why the antibiotics aren't working? She's been resting and drinking fluids... everything she's supposed to."

"Sometimes some bacteria aren't susceptible to the antibiotics we deliver."

"Just do anything and everything you can. That's all her sister and I ask for."

"I'm doing my best," the doctor assured, fliping the chart shut and moving toward the nurses' station.

Kevin sighed heavily, collecting himself before pushing open the door of Stephanie's room. "Hey, Baby."

"Hey," Stephanie greeted warmly, oblivious to the raging fight in her body. Instead, she hit the TV remote to mute the show she was watching, motioning for Kevin to join her. He and the other fellows had only been the ones to really stop by and visit her. Anya had yet to make a full step into the room, causing the older sister to worry greatly.

"How are you feeling? Any better?" Kevin asked as he settled on the side of her bed, linking their fingers together.

"Feeling the same," Stephanie admitted softly, staring down at their hands. "But the pain in my stomach is a little less..."

"Well, that's good."

"Kevin, what did the doctor just tell you?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"That your fever isn't going down and he needs to start you on a new course of antibiotics," Kevin answered simply, rubbing his thumb against her hand. He didn't want her to hear the rest of the story, knowing it would probably only cause further trauma.

"Oh... that's not good, is it?"

"What?"

"That the antibiotics aren't working," Stephanie sighed heavily, closing her eyes to block the tears. It scared her to think of death. She had fought so hard during the robbery that dying now seemed to be unfair. She coudln't understand why God was letting this happen.

"Just means they're going to try something different, Steph."

"I know. I'm so tired of this hospital... I just want to go home."

"Then we've just got to work a little harder to get you better," Kevin encouraged, reaching over to brush a light kiss to her forehead. "Not that you really want to go home to your chaotic house."

"You guys haven't blown it up trying to cook, right?" Stephanie teased, wiping away the sweat collecting on her temples.

"No, but Nick's underwear is everywhere, mixing with Brian's clothing... Mixing with everything else of ours..." Kevin chuckled.

"Nick's underwear... that'll give me nightmares," she shuddered with disgust. "I don't know how you all used to stay one one tourbus."

"Very carefully..."

"Yeah," Stephanie took Kevin's hand and turned it over, making circles and hearts with her fingertip. "What's going to happen after AJ and I get better? Are you going back to Florida after your 'vacation' here?"

"I'm not sure exactly..." Kevin hesitated, recalling his almost heated argument with Brian the previous night.

"Oh..." Stephanie let go of his hand and took a long sip of water.

"Steph--"

"I understand. You've got a life down there."

"It's not that, Stephanie--"

"It was wrong for me to ask you to root yourself and move here or anything. You've got your career, your bandmates--"

"Stephanie," Kevin stressed with a slight air of annoyance, hating that she wouldn't let him speak.

"What?"

"Would you let me get a word in edgewise?"

"I'm sorry... what did you want to say?"

"I wanted to say that I really care for you and I'm not simply going to run away from that. I see something special in you; in what I could have with you. And you won't get rid of me that easily. Things will be complicated, but I want to get you better first before we dive into that. Okay?"

"Okay," she nodded softly, biting the inside of her cheek as she leaned over and dug into a large plastic bag that held her clothes and jewelry.

"What are you looking for?"

"Hold on..." she trailed off and finally pulled something out, cluthing it in her hand. "I have something for you."

"What?"

She took his hand again and placed a silver ring on it. It was thick banded with celtic knots going all around and the metal sparkled under the lights.

"Stephanie? What's this for?"

"This is my favorite ring. I bought it when I turned eighteen during my vacation in Ireland. I want you to wear it."

"...Thank you..."

"You're welcome... this is so... you know I'm always with you and how much I care about you."

"We're going to be together, Stephanie."

"I know. I just... it's hard to wait. I dream about us every night."

"I dream about us, too. But, y'know what?"

"What?"

"Dreams make reality even sweeter," Kevin promised, leaning to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. Their first of what he hoped would be many.

~*~*~*~*~

Anya chewed on her right thumb as she stood in the threshold of AJ's room. Yet another day had passed and he continued to remain unconcious. The doctors were doing miracles to reduce the pressure in his brain and assuring there would be little brain damage, but AJ would have to wake up on his own accord. Still, Anya thought she shouldn't have been there in the first place. But, since the rapes, Grace had felt like she were walking outside her body, moving along in autopilot. Nothing made sense any more, especially to her. After all, shouldn't she be visiting her sister in the first place? But, she was still afraid. Traumatized. Horrified. One of those words had to match at some point...

She looked up and down the hallway, thankful that no one had yet discovered she wasn't at the house. After locking herself in her room except to shower and make food, she hadn't seen any of the boys in two days.

She had been a clever girl in her early youth. Well behaved, safe, sweet. But, she could shimmy out of her window and escape from reality for just a few hours without harming a soul. And that's what she had done. Going to the hospital had been the last place she wanted to go. But, again, she was simply running in a zombie-like state. Though, it would have been in her best interest to stop and get the latest results of her STD Tests. But, that's if she felt like facing what actually happened in the first place. Exhaling, she finally ducked inside the dim room so no one would see her.

Her heart seemed to physically wince as she watched AJ's limp and pale body lay under the scratchy hospital sheets with all the machines still hooked up to various parts. Random noises echoed through the bleak room as she inched her way closer to the bed.

"AJ..." she called softly, carefully approaching like a nervous feline. "It's me... I just needed a place to hide..."

Taking his silence as an approval of her arrival, she quietly sat in the chair by his bedside. She mutely watched the machines and IV bags, not having a clue of what to say.

Nothing looked appealing as she watched him. Everything seemed like a sign of death, despite what was her usually cheery attitude in life. His wounds haunted her more so than anything else, because she was to blame. Hot tears began to gather against her dark blue-green eyes as she bowed her head in shame. She reached to hold his cold hand, pressing it to her lips. "I'm sorry, AJ..."

Suddenly, there was a pressure against her hand that was holding his. Gasping softly, she looked up and saw his eyes were still closed.

"AJ?"

He squeezed her hand again, letting her know that he was indeed awake, though he refused to open his eyes. He had slowly been working himself away from the darkness, Anya's voice seeming to propel him that last inch. His head throbbed with a heated pain as he lay still, realizing something was stuck inside his throat. He thought about reaching to pull it out, but Anya's lips against his hand took presidence over the tube propelling air into his body.

"It's dark in here, AJ... You can open your eyes..." Anya whispered softly, still shocked as his hand flexed slightly within hers, against her lips.

A gurgle escaped his throat as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few time to focus and turned his head to see Anya sitting beside him, squeezing her hand again.

"Hey, Handsome," Anya whispered faintly, a smile finally gracing her beautiful face. "...I can't believe you're awake..."

AJ tried to smile back and pointed to the tube in his mouth. The feeling of air being forced into his lungs was a little frightening.

"It's a respirator," Anya quickly explained, leaning forward as she curled his hand tighter into hers while resting them against her chest. "It's helping you breathe, which makes more oxygen in your body, and brings down the swelling in your brain..."

He tried to speak again and grunted in frustration, waving his other hand around in a writing motion. The doctor had to come and take the tube out; it was driving him crazy.

"Calm down," Anya requested as he became more resistant, his opposite hand reaching for the tube. Hurriedly, she reached to grasp his opposite hand and trigger the call bell at the same time. "AJ, stop."

He shook his head, pointing to the tube as Anya finally reached the call bell.

It took only a moment for a nurse to pop in and realize that AJ was alert. She hurriedly signaled to another nurse to find the doctor while she scurried in. Practically prying Anya away from AJ, she went about checking the man's vital signs and neurological status. Anya silently sat back and watched AJ grunt and attempt to bat the woman off him. He was aggressive to say the very least and Anya didn't know what to do to calm him. She hardly knew him.

"Mr. McLean, calm down! The doctor will be here in a moment and we'll decide on what to do with the respirator," the nurse yelped as she tried to keep AJ's hands away from the tube.

"If you're not careful, she's going to shoot some anti-anxiety drug into your ass," Anya threatened softly.

The words 'shoot' and 'ass' seemed to hit AJ and he stopped fighting the woman, looking over at Anya with pleading eyes.

"Give the doctor a few minutes to get here and calm down. Let her do her job," Anya insisted.

"Thank God you're here to talk to him," the nurse sighed thankfully as AJ began allowing her to check everything out.

"You could have threatened him just the same..."

"My threats are never taken seriously and I hate giving patients anti-anxiety shots right after they wake up."

"He's got a cute ass though... I think you could make the sacrifice," Anya attempted to tease, knowing eventually it might keep AJ calmer.

"My daughter is a fan of his... she's got enough pictures of his little tushy that I agree with you."

"Guess you could swing some real perks in this hospital if she's your nurse, AJ," Anya offered with a soft smile. "Your autograph would be golden to her."

AJ rolled his eyes and smiled back as the doctor walked in. "Mr. McLean! Welcome back."

"Want me to wait outside?" Anya suggested, instantly standing as the doctor walked in. Her lower half was still tender from the sexual assaults, so she winced slightly. But, did her best to mask the pain as she glanced to AJ. "He's really anxious to remove the respirator."

"You can stay if he wants you to," the doctor replied, flipping through AJ's chart for a moment and the nurse's latest check-up.

Anya was baffled with his invitation, just staring at the doctor for the longest moment. She even blushed when the doctor glanced up with an amused smile. Glancing away, Anya caught AJ's gaze. "Do...Do you want me to stay?"

AJ nodded, holding his hand out to her as the nurse went to get the equipment needed to remove the respirator.

"Alright..." Anya trailed, grasping his hand as she moved to stand by his side. She was silent as the doctor spoke with AJ, keeping the information as simple as possible. AJ seemed to grasp most of it while he moved his hand and her hand back to her lips. She smiled coyly against his skin, but did as he physically requested.

"Okay, Mr. McLean. I want you to blow as hard as you can on the count of three, alright?"

AJ nodded as he held Anya's hand tightly.

"One, two, three!"

Anya's blue-green eyes widened in shock as the long tube was threaded out of AJ's throat, causing the man to gag and cough. He immediately reached with his opposite hand to hold his injured head, feeling the thick bands of gauze. But, he didn't ask about it as oxygen in a nasal canula was applied to his nostrils to increase the oxygen flow still. The nurse then hurried back with pain medication and an icy drink to soothe his aching throat. Reaching down, Anya pecked a friendly kiss to AJ's forehead. "There you go, AJ..."

"Thank God that thing is out of my throat," AJ croaked painfully as he was handed the drink and medicine.

"I'll let you rest," the doctor chuckled earnestly, patting AJ's leg. "Then I'll come back in awhile and we'll talk, Mr. McLean."

"Okay. Thanks, Doc."

"How are you feeling?" Anya questioned honestly as she released AJ's hand, allowing him to clasp the cup tightly as he located some ice to chew on and soothe his aching throat. She managed some kind of smile as she took her seat beside him again, still amazed that he was awake. With all the surgery and bloody bandages wrapped around his head... Anya had thought he was a goner...

"It feels like my head was hacked into a million pieces, but I'm glad to be awake," AJ swallowed the ice and looked over at Anya. "I could hear you while I was gone in that deep sleep."

"Your head was practically hacked into a million pieces," Anya attempted to tease, avoiding AJ's last statement. Reaching up, she carefully fixed the bandages on his head. "Just wait till you see the shaved parts of your head. You'll think you could be a skunk during Halloween."

"Shaved? They shaved my head? What did they have to do?"

"When you got hit in the head... It cracked your skull and you had all this swelling in your brain... They had to relieve it through surgery... They even have a monitor implanted into your skull right now to make sure the pressure is okay..."

"There's something inside my head?"

Anya frowned with a hard groan, slumping back into her chair. She was absolutely useless. "I'm only succeeding in freaking you out, aren't I?"

"Honey, the Pope could tell me I had a monitor in my head and I would freak out. It's not something you hear everyday."

"It's just... I should definitely let the doctor talk to you..."

"Why? You can explain it in better ways than he can."

"Because I'm not a doctor."

"But you're going to medical school."

"I'm pre-med. I haven't been accepted into medical school yet... I'm still waiting for the paperwork," Anya explained, glancing down at her hands. Her entire outlook on life had shifted dramatically when they were freed from the convience store, not to mention her whol personality. Now she was shy, nervous, and jittery. She wanted to be left alone and now truly hated her decision for coming to see AJ. "...But, your friends are going to be really happy to know you're okay..."

"Anya..."

"What?"

"You haven't talked to anyone about the rapes... have you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You've changed."

"You haven't even known me for that long, so how could you possibly know if I've changed?" she accused, growing increasingly defensive.

"It's your whole demeanor. You look nervous and scared."

"AJ--"

"I may not know you very well, but I can see the change. I want you to get better, like I am."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"Would you just rest?"

"Not until you start getting better with me."

"Then I'm leaving--"

"Anya, please! I want to be with you more than anything, but in order for us to even be us, we have to get through this together."

"Your friends will be coming to visit soon," Anya mumbled, standing from her seat. She knew it was a mistake to come in visit. Everything she had been doing since the accident was a complete mistake.

"Anya! I love you!" AJ blurted.

"Excuse me?" Anya wheeled in shock, connecting her head sharply with the door.

"Ooh, Baby... are you alright?" AJ winced as he watched her stumble around, holding her head painfully.

"Damnit..." Anya cursed painfully.

"Come here, put my cup against that," AJ ushered her towards his bed again.

"I'm fine," she seethed.

"Why are you so obstanent?"

"Why are you so pushy?"

"Because I care about you and I love you. I didn't know that was a crime."

Anya didn't say anything, simply trudging back to AJ's bed. Easing herself onto the side, she allowed him to place his cup gingerly against the growing knot on her forehead. It was a small triumph for AJ to say the very least as she closed her eyes.

"I didn't mean to startle you like that... I just needed to tell you."

"It's okay... We'll call it a love bump or something..."

"Okay... we'll call it a love bump... I'm not expecting you to love me right away. But I fell in love with you the minute I saw you dancing to the music."

"Then... What are you expecting?"

"That you'll get to know me better... and love me."

~*~*~*~*~

"How's AJ?" Brian practically burst as Kevin and Howie stepped inside the Lord's cozy home, obviously returning from a late stay at the hospital. Howie had been called earlier to say that AJ was indeed awake, making a special trip down to see him. He had attempted to knock on Anya's door to tell her the good news, but she hadn't responded. So, he had left and found no trace of her at the hospital either. Needless to say, everyone assumed she was safe and sound upstairs. But, that was the least of Brian's concerns as he stumbled from the couch, anxious to know that their bandmate was fine.

"He's awake and off the respirator. The swelling is still going down and the doctor says he'll make a full recovery. It's just going to take some time," Howie replied as Kevin shrugged off his jean jacket and hung it on the hook.

"So, no brain damage?"

"None."

"What'd he say?" Brian sighed with true relief, falling back against the couch and running his hands through his messy, blonde curls.

"He said that he beat Nick. Apparently, ten nurses slipped him their phone numbers while Nick only got five--"

"Hey! No fair--"

"And now you're free to go home," Kevin interjected, easing into the soft recliner with a weary sigh. Knowing AJ would be okay was a great relief, but he was still on a dangerous slope until the monitor was removed from his skull. He would also be faced with many months of rehabilitation following the severe brain injury. Not to mention Stephanie. The kiss had been amazing, but he feared she wouldn't get well without some guidance from her little sister.

"Free to go home?"

"You didn't want to leave until AJ woke up. Now he's awake and going to be just fine. You can go back to Leigh and Baylee."

Brian stiffened immediately with the hostile tones in his older cousin's voice. "Damnit, Kev, that's not fair and you know it."

"I'm being plenty fair. You can go home. What's not fair in that?" Kevin glanced up at Brian with dark eyes.

"You're being a complete ass, that's what!"

"I can't win with you, Brian! First I say that AJ and I aren't going home until he gets better. You call me a complete ass. Now I'm telling you that you can go home and I'm a complete ass again!"

"Because you hate me for actually still having a wife and child to take care of!"

"Are you saying I'm jealous of you having Leighanne and Baylee?"

"Ever since Kristin left you--"

"Do you mind not getting blood on this carpet? Because renting a wet vaccum is absolutely outrageous in this tiny town... Especially considering I'm driving thirty minutes just to get to the damn town..." Anya suddenly interupted as she walked through the door, causing the four men to gaze at her with a shocked horror. Immediately, she glanced behind to make sure no one was behind her, then turned back. "What?"

"Where were you? I thought you were upstairs!" Howie exclaimed.

"I was out?" she answered in obvious confusion.

"But... how did you leave without us seeing? We were out here in the living room--"

"My little secret," she murmured, moving past to run back up the stairs.

"Whoa, wait a minute! We have good news!" Howie yelped, hating that she always seemed to be running away from everyone and everything.

"I'm glad, but I need a shower--"

"Sit down," Kevin ordered, interupting Anya halfway as he grasped her upper arm. He yanked her down from the steps in one pull, sitting her on the couch next to Howie. He was tired of her anger and disgusted with life itself. He wasn't in the mood and Anya seemed the easiest to release his anger on.

"You're not my father!" Anya burst with a surge of defiance, looking as if she might swing at the man at least two times her size.

"No, but since your sister isn't here, you've got to listen to me. Now sit down and listen to what Howie has to say!"

Anya fumed with honest disgust as she pushed away his beefy hand. "You can go take a stick and fuck--"

"I am getting tired of your fucking attitude! I'm tired of your anger! If Stephanie was here, you wouldn't be like this!"

"Well, pardon me, I didn't know it was a royal code to be sweet dispositioned after being fucked seven ways from Sunday without consent," Anya growled, standing up despite Kevin's booming voice. She offered him a frosty glare of contempt as unknown tears crossed a hot path down her face. And, she ran upstairs without another word.

"I know I'm usually the one that says the wrong thing at the wrong time... But, Kev, that was way out of line..." Nick murmured softly, unable to break away the hard tension.

"She's not getting over what happened and it's not fucking healthy. It'll drive her insane if she doesn't talk about it with someone," Kevin snapped, turning to the three men.

"Kev--"

"Who's going back to Florida with Brian?"

Nick timidly raised his hand.