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"This is just such bullshit. They won't even do anything about him hurting her! I know he did it on purpose, I could see it in his eyes! If he was alone with her... she would be dead right now!" Stephanie raved under her breath, tears in her eyes as she ran through the private parking lot. She took out the rental car keys from her pocket and pushed the button to unlock the doors.

The men in the room that had tried to assuage her anger just seemed to stew the fires deep in Stephanie's heart. They acted as if Kevin were some kind of saint. As if this whole ordeal were merely a misunderstanding. Or worse, that Ana was to blame for the civil unrest. Either way, Stephanie would not tolerate the mistreatment of her friend. Hurriedly revving the engine, she peeled away from the hotel, wanting to get to Ana's home to apologize. To tell her to stay the Hell away.

"Why do You make things so difficult for them? God, they just want to be happy together and love each other for the rest of their lives. Is that too much to ask?!" Stephanie wiped away the tears but they kept coming as she sped down the street. She weaved the SUV through the packed traffic, honking along the way.

Aggressiveness was the style of her driving on any given day. But when she was upset, it became reckless driving.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY! MOVE IT!" Stephanie screamed, finally ridding her face of tears as she sped faster down the street. Pedestrians actually jumped out of her way as she went through stoplights.

"CAN'T YOU SEE I'M DRIVING HERE, ASSHOLE?!"

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE DRIVING, BITCH!" A driver next to her shouted as he flipped her off.

"FUCK YOU!" Stephanie growled as she turned to return his egregious gesture. But as she pulled her hands from the wheel, she heard the loud blaring of another horn. Jerking back, she gasped sharply as she saw the front of a car hurdling toward her. Yanking the wheel to the right, she caused her car to spin furiously.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" Stephanie yelped as she tried to regain control. Cars behind and around her swerved out of the way to avoid her.

The harder she yanked on the wheel, the tighter the spin she was sending herself. Without warning, her car careened over the intersection through a tight weave of cars. Suddenly, there was a sharp hit of metal to metal as her car collided with the metal barrier. And, with the sound of shattering glass and a hissing engine, the world went black.


~*~*~*~*~


"She's been gone too long... I know she has the rental car, I can't find the keys and she won't answer her cell phone... where is she?" Howie muttered as he paced the living room, biting hard on his bottom lip. It had been several hours since Stephanie had stormed out of the hotel room and he hadn't heard from her since. He was definitely worried.

"She's pissed right now. Women like to disappear when they're pissed. Don't get so damn uptight," AJ muttered as he walked into the living room with a Styrofoam container of food. Sliding onto the couch, he immediately plunged into his Chinese food.

"It's called being worried, not uptight," Howie snapped, finally sitting down in the large easy chair. He pulled out his cell phone again and sighed. Still no word from her.

"She'll come back when she wants to. She's probably chasing after Ana," AJ announced as he jabbed his fork toward Howie as if to make a point.

"Yeah... I guess..."

"She'll come back when she's cooled off."

"I don't blame her for being upset."

"I think Ana has more right to be pissed. God, Kevin ripped on her..."

"I don't understand why he doesn't like her, J. Have you seen how happy Brian's been since he met her? I don't think cutting has even crossed his mind since they've been together."

"You think she knows about the cutting?"

"There's no way she doesn't know. I think she's the reason he truly stopped."

"I think Kevin's just PMS'ing..."

"I don't know if it's just PMS."

"Kevin's not a violent person, D."

"We didn't think Brian was a self-mutilator either, J."

"That was different--"

"How is that different?"

"Because--"

"You can't make excuses for him, AJ."

"You're just upset because your girlfriend left."

"And you're in denial."

"Damn straight, he's the only father figure I got."

"And no father figure is perfect."

"Howie, he was just freaked that Ana was hurting Rok."

"They were cuddling and kissing on the damn floor!"

"Maybe from his angle she--"

"Just shut the Hell up, AJ," Howie muttered, as there was a sharp ring from his cell phone. Jerking slightly, he reached to catch his cell phone from the side table.

"You shut the Hell up," AJ mumbled under his breath as Howie flipped his phone open.

"Stephanie?"

"Is this Mr. Howie Dorough?" a crisp, cold voice answered.

"Yes..."

"Is your girlfriend Stephanie Holly James?"

"Yes... who is this?"

"This is one of the nurses in the Emergency Room--"

"Emergency Room? What happened?!"

"She's been in an accident--"

"I'll be right there," Howie snapped his phone shut and stood up.

"Who's in the Emergency Room?" AJ inquired with confusion.

"Stephanie. She's been in an accident," Howie opened his phone again and dialed Brian's number. He knew the younger man had caught up with Ana and was probably at her apartment.

"Is she alright--"

"I don't know. I need to get everyone gathered together and we're going to the hospital," Howie interrupted, keeping a hard exterior when inside he was falling apart.

"D... Take a breath--"

"Brian! Are you with Ana? I know, I'm sorry to interrupt but it's important. You and Ana get ready and head to the hospital. Yes, the hospital... Steph was in an accident. I don't know... okay, we'll see you there. Bye," Howie hung up the phone and walked to Nick's bedroom door. "Nick! Come out here, we've got to go!"

"Go where?" Nick groaned from inside, his voice thick with sleep.

"The hospital. Steph was in an accident--"

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know, that's why we have to go right now! Brian and Ana are on their way there. Now come on!"


~*~*~*~*~


Howie got out of the car before the driver actually stopped, running through the Emergency Room doors and towards the nurses’ station. The ride to the hospital was a blur and he tried to keep it together in front of everyone.

"D! Wait for us!" AJ shouted after the Latino as he and Nick got out of the car.

"You guys hurry up!" Howie insisted, stumbling on the shift of tile and carpeting, almost spilling. But, somehow, he managed to keep up his pace as he rushed toward the nurses' station. Slamming his hands upon the desk, he caused the nurse sitting behind the desk to jerk with surprise. "Stephanie James."

"Mr. Dorough?" the woman guessed.

"Yes. Where is she? Who's her doctor? What happened? What--"

"Take a deep breath, Mr. Dorough. I'll page her doctor, just have a seat and he'll be with you shortly," the nurse interrupted gently as she made an announcement over the speaker system.

"Short as in--"

"Howie, sit down and don't pester the woman," Ana announced as she walked into the Emergency Room, tentatively holding a hand to the back of her bruised and tender neck. She gestured toward the large row of empty seats. "Doctors come when they feel like coming."

"But--"

"Come sit down," Ana persisted, grabbing Howie's sleeve and pulling him towards the chairs.

"How can you be so damn calm--"

"Because there's no use in getting worked up when you don't know anything."

"She's right, D. The only thing we can do is wait," AJ sat down in a chair next to Nick, who was slightly panting after chasing Howie.

"I think I need to start exercising," Nick complained.

"Cutting down on the Mickey D's would be a--"

"Don't start a fight. Please," Howie sighed as he wilted into the hard plastic chair, running his hands continuously through his wild curls.

"You're going to give yourself a panic attack," Ana murmured softly as Brian moved to sit next to her, though she kept her gaze trained on the glass doors as if expecting Kevin to show.

"I'm fine--"

"You're hyperventilating."

"I'm not--"

"You're going to make yourself pass out. Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths."

"Ana--"

"Don't patronize me."

"I'm just worried--"

"I know, and so are we. But panicking and hyperventilating isn't going to help, is it? Just listen to me, I know what I'm talking about."

"Such a smart--"

"AJ," Brian immediately growled.

"Nurse," AJ hurriedly finished.

"Nice save," Ana murmured as she rubbed Howie's back while he tried to control his breathing.

"I try," AJ answered with a wicked grin.

"Mr. Dorough?"

"Yes," Howie stood up quickly, thankful he had stopped hyperventilating as Stephanie's doctor came walking out of the trauma rooms. He shook the man's hand, swallowing hard as everyone stood behind him.

"Stephanie's out of surgery and heading towards our recovery room till the anesthesia wears off. She has a few bumps and bruises, cuts and scrapes, which is to be expected. What's of major concern was the several breaks to her radial and ulnar bones of her left arm. I had to stabilize them with several plates and screws internally. So, she'll have a sling and some staples on that arm for awhile."

"So... she'll be okay?"

"She's got a long road of physical therapy ahead of her but yes, she'll be just fine."

"When can I see her?"

"When she gets moved to her private room."

"When will that be?"

"I'd say between a half hour and an hour. Maybe you all should go to the cafeteria and get something to eat while you wait."

"Did I thank you, doctor?"

"No need, I'm just doing my job," the doctor chuckled, reaching to shake Howie's hand once more before moving back the hallway.

"Thank God she's alright," Brian sighed, patting Howie on the back.

"What the Hell was she doing in the first place?" Ana questioned as Nick grabbed her arm, yanking her hurriedly toward the cafeteria.

"I think she was trying to get to your apartment. After you and Brian left, she tried to fight Kevin," Nick replied, still dragging her down the hall with the others behind them.

"Is she stupid?" Ana groaned with dismay.

"She just didn't think about anything except protecting you."

"And then after he threw her out of his room, she took the rental SUV and drove off--"

"She should know better than to drive when she's angry. She doesn't pay attention."

"Well, you can tell her that," Howie announced from behind her.

"Don't worry, I will," Ana answered with a simple shrug of her shoulders, moving to seat herself at the first available tables.

"What does everyone want to eat?" Brian offered as he stood by the table.

"Cheeseburger!" Nick burst, his stomach growling.

"I'll just have a salad," AJ replied, sitting down next to Ana.

"I'm not hungry," Howie shook his head.

"You should eat something," Brian suggested.

"I'm not hungry," Howie stressed again, sliding into an empty seat and rested his head in his trembling hands.

"She's going to be alright, Howie," Ana murmured softly as Brian mentally catalogued everyone's orders before disappearing through the cafeteria line. She leaned toward him as Nick and AJ started some sort of conversation, reaching to rest a hand on his arm.

"I know... but I... when I got that phone call, I thought... I thought I had lost her. And to hear she's okay, it's..."

"The biggest relief you've ever felt?"

"Yeah..."

"Soon enough, you'll be able to hold her, kiss her and never let go. Alright? But you won't be able to do that if you hold everything in and refuse to eat."

Howie glanced toward Ana with a rueful smile. "Are you the nurse that everyone bitches about?"

"...Probably?"

"They shouldn't, because you know what you're talking about."

"I just bullshit till patients think I know what I'm talking about," Ana teased.

"Ana..." Howie shook his head with a groan, though it slowly turned into a quiet sob. His wall was breaking down with the relief that Stephanie was going to be okay.

"Just let it all out," she soothed, wrapping her arms around him as means of support.

And he did.