Marco paced restlessly back and forth outside of the emergency room door, trying to ignore a nurse that kept asking him if he was okay. Of course he wasn't okay, his two best friends were behind that door. And here he was, perfectly fine. He'd left Ellie's completely totaled car with only bruises and scratches.

"Look," Marco managed to hiss, turning to the nurse quickly. "When someone can tell me that my friends are alright, I'll be okay." The nurse blinked a few times, apologized quickly and hurried away. With a massive sigh, Marco roughly seated himself in a leather cushioned chair, one that stood right beside the door that he'd last seen Ellie and Paige disappear into. He glared at the door, as if he were able to see through it. They'd been back there for nearly three hours. They couldn't stay forever.

Putting his face in his hands, Marco fought back tears, trying to push the image of his injured friends out of his mind; Ellie's bruised and bloodied face, Paige's expression of pain as the paramedics carefully removed her from the crashed car. He remembered telling them that it would be okay, that he would see them later and they would go home just as they'd gotten there, together.

Marco was torn out of his mind as a hand rested gently on his shoulder. Whipping around, he was looking at a kind-faced woman in a white coat. A doctor.

"Are they okay?" Marco asked frantically, leaping to his feet. "Please tell me they're okay?"

The doctor grimaced and looked him straight in the eye. "Paige will be fine; she's got a nasty cut on her forehead, but it'll heal in time, as well as her collarbone."

"And Ellie?" Marco wrung his hands nervously, suddenly terrified at the doctor's pause.

"Ellie, um…" the doctor began, "is in very serious condition." She didn't break her gaze away from Marco's. "We're not sure if she going to make it."

Marco felt his heart stop and his eyes widen.

"T-t-that can't happen," he replied unsteadily. "Ellie, she's strong, she-she'll get through it."

The doctor's eyes softened as she heard him stammer, but she didn't say anything in response to his comment.

"You can come back and see her, if you'd like," she said softly.

It took him a second to take in her request, and after a moment he nodded slowly. Motioning with her hand, the doctor led him through the door. He followed her down several hallways until they reached a closed door. She twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Marco bit his lip as he took in the scene before him.

Ellie lay completely still underneath the white layers of the hospital blankets. Hanging bags of clear liquid surrounded her, leading to dozens of different places on her arms and hands. She was hooked up to countless machines that beeped continuously. Patches of gauze and tape covered the cuts on her face, and a single purple bruise was visible under one of her eyes. Most of her body was covered by the white blankets, but he was sure she was bandaged and taped up in other places as well. Blood was matted in her red hair, which the doctors had seemed to pull back away from her face. Her eyes were closed, her chest barely moving.

With a quick glance at the doctor by his side, Marco moved quickly towards the bed, hesitating as he neared the edge. He dragged a nearby chair to the bedside and sat slowly, his hands in his lap. He heard the door shut quietly and looked up to see that the doctor had disappeared. Turning back to Ellie, he tried to breathe evenly.

"Ellie?" he whispered, searching for her hand between the layers of sheets and blankets. He finally found it, warm and soft. "El, it's me," he continued, "it's Marco." He squeezed her hand gently. "Please open your eyes."

Ellie didn't move, her face completely still. Marco narrowed his eyes and stared at the floor, trying to keep back tears. She couldn't leave him like this. She had to make it.

Suddenly, Ellie inhaled raggedly and her eyes snapped open. Startled, Marco's head shot up.

"Marco!" she gasped, gripping his hand tightly.

"I'm here, El," he said breathlessly, "I'm right here."

Ellie's eyes were wild and scared as she looked him straight in the eye.

"Marco," she repeated, blinking a few times. "Marco, what is going on?" Her voice was weak and barely audible over the beeping of the machines. Marco got up from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, his free hand shaking.

"You're in the hospital, El," he told her quietly, leaning in a bit. "You're alright, you're gonna be fine."

Ellie sighed feebly and closed her eyes. Her hand was fidgeting beneath his, like she was searching for something.

"Where's Paige?" Ellie asked faintly, opening her eyes again. They were glazed over with pain.

"She's in another room," he answered, "she's okay, she just got beat up pretty bad."

Ellie's expression was anxious as she listened to Marco talk. When he finished his sentence, she lifted the hand he held to his face. As her finger touched a sore spot on his cheek, he winced.

"So you're hurt too?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Marco pursed his lips and took her hand again, shaking his head.

"It's nothing, Ellie," he murmured, "I'm fine compared to you."

Ellie flashed him a smile, and he managed to smile back.

"How long are you gonna stay here?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together worriedly.

Marco held her hand tightly with both of his.

"Until they kick me out, sweetheart," he replied, "I won't leave you."

Ellie's eyelids began to droop and one of her fingers twitched.

"Thank you," she told him before letting her eyes drop closed completely. Marco sighed, staring

down at their intertwined hands. See? he told himself, She's fine. She just needs some rest and we'll all be out of here soon.

Yawning, Marco glanced at the clock that hung on the wall beside the door. It read twelve-thirty in the morning. His limbs ached from the crash and his head was pounding. Not wanting to leave Ellie's side, he seated himself back into the chair beside her bed and turned it sideways, so that he could sit back and rest and still keep her hand in his.

Putting his back against the chair and letting his head fall to one side, Marco closed his eyes. Before he let himself sleep, he made sure Ellie's chest was still moving.