Ash ran past the nurse’s desk and towards her friend’s room, she had heard the scream when she got off the elevator and her feet weren’t taking her there fast enough. She rounded the corner and into the room, throwing her stuff into a random chair as she watched her friend push the nurse away, she moved to the other side of the bed and reached to hold her arm down, “Shay,” she called out loudly trying to get her attention. Watching as the red head turned towards her, “it’s okay, you’re safe now,” as her hand moved to sooth her hair just as the nurse gave her the needle, “just lay back and relax okay?” as she moved her upper body with her friend resting her back against the pillow as she did.

Once she was sure that her friend was relaxed and had fallen back asleep, she looked towards the Doctor, “when did she wake up? How long as it been since you noticed her condition change?” rattling of the questions so fast, her heart was pounding against her chest and she didn’t have a moment to completely comprehend the fact that her friend was awake, she was awake and alive. It was everything she had been hoping for, everything she had been praying for.

“It just happened; her condition has been becoming more and more stable over the past hour. I called you the minute we realized that the change meant something. She woke up a minute before you walked through the door,” the Doctor replied as he made notes on her chart, “now we just have to wait and make sure that everything is okay, that her brain functions are normal and there hasn’t been any memory loss, but this is a very positive step, one that I wasn’t expecting to be honest with you Ms. Accord.”

Wiping her eyes to remove the tears that had fallen when she noticed her awake, “thank you Doctor,” she whispered as she pulled her chair close to her friend’s bed, making sure that no matter what she was here the next time she woke up. She wasn’t going to be anywhere else, she didn’t care anymore, and this was the most important thing in her life.

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Shay could hear the voice around her but for some reason couldn’t respond. The nurse had given her something against her will and it was making her docile, more susceptible to attack. She couldn’t let that happen; wouldn’t let it if she had to fight the drugs she would do it. The blond man was not going to get her this time! He wasn’t going to win no matter how much he beat her she would survive. Slowly even though she tried to fight it her mind began to shut down as she felt the tears continue to fall from her eyes. Who was the woman standing beside her? And who was Shay? It appeared to be her name, but why didn’t she remember it? Why was everything a blank?

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“You’re sure Ash got off on this floor?” Nick Carter questioned, as he stepped off the elevator along with his four brothers. It was nice to have all of them back together but he just wished it were under better circumstances. He snuck a look towards Kevin, who face was ash white and he appeared to be having trouble breathing. This was not going to be easy for his older brother; it was only two months ago that he had been in the Lexington hospital watching his wife slowly slip away. He was nowhere near ready to face this but he put on a strong front like always, never wanting to look weak around others. He’d never admit it to Kevin but he knew about all the times Kevin had cried over something while they were on tour. It was hard not to when you idolized the man and thought he was a god. He wished that they didn’t have to put his friend through this but the panic that he’d seen on Ashdonabee’s face from the phone call had been enough to have him sprinting out of the hotel after her and watch as she told the cab driver her destination was Tampa General.

“I’m sure it was but we could ask at the nurse’s station to make sure,” Howie suggested and walked towards the circular counter. The nurse behind it looked up at him and smiled then back down her clipboard only to do a double take.

“Yes, may I help you?” the blond who looked no more than twenty questioned in awe.

“I’m looking for a Shay McKenna; I think she’s a patient on this floor,” Howie replied and gave the girl a friendly smile as she stuttered off the room number, “thank you very much miss.”

“Oh but you can’t go back there, the doctor’s trying to explain things to her sister. She’d just woken up from the coma,” AJ and Brian simultaneously repeated the word coma and watched as the nurse nodded, “she’s been in a coma since she was admitted to the hospital six weeks ago. We were certain that she’d be transferred to the terminal wing any day now.”

“That a human being you’re talking about,” a gruff voice sounded from in back of them. Kevin threw the nurse a look of disgust and clinched his jaw, “she’s not a fucking number, her name is Shay McKenna and she’s our fuckin’ friend. Have some respect, even if she had woken up you should talk about her in such a flippant attitude.” With a last final seething glare, Kevin spun on his heel and headed towards room 211. The other exchanged looks and smiled apologetically at the young girl before following their friend.

“Guys let’s give them time to explain before we start jumping down there throat about not telling us okay?” Howie warned, sending Nick a particularly pointed look, “there has to be a reason they didn’t tell us. Maybe it’s not that bad.”  ‘Who the fuck am I kidding, she was in a coma. How good can it be?’ Howie thought shaking his head as he thought about the coma his sister had gone into during her last days with lupus. It was heart wrenching to watch and he wasn’t sure why Ashdonabee hadn't contacted them; after all they were employees of theirs in a matter of speaking, but most of all they were friends who had been there through the entire launch of their career.

“Oh fuck!” a voice exclaimed startling him from his thoughts. He zoned back and in and noticed that the voice was AJ’s and he was trying to keep himself up right as he looked into the room. All the guys had seemed to stop and were holding their breath. Kevin looked pale again as he rushed towards the unoccupied side of the bed, he almost collapsed before Brian pushed a chair towards him, seemingly to be the only one who was of sound mind. He wasn’t sure what expecting when he’d heard Ash mutter condition but it certainly wasn’t that of a massacre, which is what Shay appeared to have gone through. Her face was bandaged and swollen, cuts and stitches still firmly in place. The hospital gown that she was wearing was more red than blue from the blood that apparently was coming out her body. He couldn’t understand how she was alive there was that much blood.

“Ash, what the hell happened? Why the fuck didn’t you call us?” Nick raged feeling a panic settle into his mind as he took in the appearance of the one woman who’d ever been able to keep him in line. Good thing since it was her job; the spitfire that was known as Shay was now looking lifeless and paler than usually. The blood that was coating her dressing gown made it appear that they were too late. He felt the tears of turmoil and angry fall as he stalked towards the other woman and started to yell, letting all his anger out, “what happened to her? What the fuck? She could be dying and you didn’t bother to phone us? How the hell could you do that to the people who love her?”

Ashdonabee for her part was taking things in stride as she let go of Shay’s hand and turned towards the blond, whose face was red with anger, “you didn’t need to know Nick, we are your employees. She said once before that if anything ever happened she didn’t want her clients to know. It was her wishes.”

“Clients? Fucking clients? We are not clients; I’m fuckin in lo…..” Nick stopped as he noticed the woman in the bed open her eyes. They connected with his and his heart skipped a beat; she was awake and that was all that mattered. He reached for her hand and was brought back to reality when her horse voice yelled out.

“Get him away from me, you’re not going to hurt me again, I won’t fuckin’ let you!”

“But Shay……” Nick said his face falling as he saw the absolute terror in her eyes. The tears that had threatened to fall earlier, fell this time as he looked around the room at the others who were looking in horror and confusion between the two.

“I said get the fuck out!” Shay said as she grabbed the closest thing to her and weakly hurled the vase of fresh lilies towards him. They narrowly missed his head and shattered against the wall.

“Get out Nick,” Kevin commanded as he stood with an apologetic look on his face, pushing him towards the door, “get some air, she’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”

With that Nick looked back into the room where the doctors had now arrived to change the bandages and give Shay a new dressing gown. He punched the wall and cursed as he entered the elevator and punched the ground button.