Title: Left Alone
Author: BekiC
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of TFATF. I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes and no money is being made off this work.
Rating: T

A/N: This is a little one shot that came to me this morning. Something a little different. It doesn't tie into All Change (my other fic) at all. I just felt Mia gets left out quite a bit so I coupled her character with this idea and came up with this. Reviews are definately welcome, constructive criticism too. Hope you like it.

"Dom, it's over!" Mia had screamed at her brother. That was before Jesse had been shot, before Dom had taken off, before she'd had to say goodbye to everything that she had called familiar. Hesitantly, she had dragged the cell phone out of her pocket and dialled for an ambulance.

It had been four hours since she had said her last goodbyes to Jesse. Dom had yet to call to tell her where they were. With Letty and Leon having taken off hours earlier, she was on her own. For the first time in her life, there was no one around. No one to shoulder the burden. She had nothing to worry about though. There was no way anyone could implicate her with the whole sordid business her brother had undertaken. No evidence, no trace, only a common surname. Yet, she was involved and she did worry. Ever since he took on the deal, had roped the other four into doing it as well, she was an accomplice. Mia knew what they were doing, she knew that she would benefit from it when all was said and done. It didn't necessarily mean that she had to like what they were doing, but she was in no place to stop them. Yet, had she known that they would be here, now, she would have kicked and screamed until Dom got the message that this was not the way.

Walking slowly through the hospital corridor, fully intending on returning to the fort, Mia realised one of them was still unaccounted for. Vince. As he was hanging from the truck, she'd had no time to contemplate the gravity of the situation. There was only one choice, they had to get him off, one way or another. The day had gone past in a such a haze, yet she could still see the look of terror on his face, the pain he was going through. And he was so close to death. He should have been dead. What if he already was?

Mia walked up to the nurses station and looked over it timidly. The young nurse sitting behind the counter had her head down, examining some papers. Mia made a slight coughing noise to clear her throat, prompting the woman to look up at her,

"Can I help you?" She questioned, her hand holding a sheet of paper loosely.

"Vincent…I mean, I'm looking for a guy. He was brought in earlier. Vincent Cavalla." The woman looked at her, her eyebrow raising slightly before smiling slightly.

"You family?" She asked, staring at the pretty brunette standing nervously in front of her. Mia nodded softly, "Very well. Go down the corridor, you'll want to take the elevator to the fourth floor. That's ICU. If you ask one of the nurses up there, they will take you too him." ICU? Yeah, she knew it was bad, but that bad? Slowly Mia nodded once more before walking back down the corridor.

The patrons of the hospital were moving around like headless chickens. Yet in her own, quiet world, it was almost as if they were just figments of her imagination. She could see them, hear them, but nothing was really making sense. She approached the elevator and pressed the call button. Almost instantaneously, the doors slipped open and she walked in. It was a large, hollow expanse, designed to cater for hospital beds. It only sought to make Mia feel smaller than she already did. The ride up to the fourth floor was a short one. The doors opened to a much less frantic floor. It actually looked as if people were taking the time to breathe. Walking up towards one of the doctors, she paused.

"I can't do this," She said, louder than intended. Turning, her body slammed into a man carrying a clipboard. He was tall and her head came to rest just below his chin.

"Easy there. You alright?" He questioned, stepping back to look down on her. Mia nodded and proceeded to also step back, "You looking for someone?"

"Vincent Cavalla." Mia spoke quietly. The events of the day were slowly taking their toll on her, exhausting her every fibre. The doctor nodded and ushered her over to one side, "What?"

"I'm Dr Caddick, I'm the attending physician and was there when they brought Mr Cavalla in. Are you aware of how he came to be here?" Mia nodded remorsefully. She was well aware, the scene playing over in her head continuously. "Well, Mr Cavalla suffered severe injuries. He had gun shot wounds to the abdomen and leg, deep lacerations to his right arm, a punctured lung…" As he listed the various injuries Vince had suffered, Mia's heart sank. This did not sound good. Even to an untrained ear, it sounded like he was about to tell her that for the second time in that day she had lost part of her family.

"Doctor, is he still alive?" Mia asked meekly. She didn't want to know, yet at the same time she needed to hear it.

"He's on life support."

"I need the truth. Will he live?" Mia stared at him, craving desperately for some good news. She knew it was hopeless raising her hopes, but at that moment, she just needed to hear something good.

"At best, he has a 20 chance of survival." That wasn't what she wanted to hear. Mia started to walk away from the doctor, "Do you want to see him now?" Pausing for a second, Mia decided that it was the one thing she knew she had to do. Walking back towards the doctor, he nodded at her and they proceeded to the room.

As they entered the room, Mia let out an audible gasp. Vince was lying on the bed, but it wasn't the Vince she knew. This Vince was fragile, broken, battered. His arm was bandaged tightly, resting by his side. His torso was encased in even more bandage. He was hooked up to a respirator, tubes coming from every part of his body, the monitors beeping incessantly but reassuringly. He may not be the Vince she was used to, but at least he was still alive. Even if it was in this state. She cautiously moved to the side of his bed. Taking hold of his hand, she went to lift it up but changed her mind.

"Take a seat. The nurse will be checking up on him in a short while. Feel free to talk to him." The doctor said quietly as he watched Mia nervously fumble with Vince's hand. He left shortly afterwards, realising that she needed to spend time with her friend.

Mia turned and saw the chair positioned on the other side of the bed. She wandered round to it, pulled it a little closer before perching upon it. Glancing around the room, it looked so sparse. There should have been more people here, get well soon cards, grapes on the cupboard, maybe even flowers. She laughed slightly as she thought of Vince's reaction if someone were to buy him flowers. Mia sighed heavily as she looked at her friend once more. '20, it isn't much, but it's something at least, surely?' she thought to herself.

"Oh Vince. You always knew, know how to get the most attention. Dom will be back soon," Mia said, knowing it was a barefaced lie. Where was he now? She had no idea, nor if he would ever be back. "Brian's gone, V. He's not coming back." That though, that was the truth. Something she feared, something she didn't want to have to contemplate. She drummed her fingertips lightly on the soft linen. It was uncomfortable in the room. He probably couldn't hear her anyway, but it was almost as if he was judging her. Mia knew he shouldn't be there and not that he should have already died. It wasn't his fault. Of all the stupid things he had done in his life, this was not one of them. Yes, they had all been willing. Vince, Letty, Leon, Jesse, Dom. They all knew what they were getting themselves into. But this was too harsh a penalty to pay. They had never hurt anyone. The losses their 'victims' suffered were financial at most. Yet, the team were paying for it now. Jesse was dead, Vince might as well be, Letty, Leon and Dom had exiled themselves from all that was familiar.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry we didn't listen." Mia whispered as she smoothed down the linen, acknowledging the fact that for once Vince had been correct. How could they have possibly known that Brian was a cop? She was certain that wasn't the case. Yes, he had given her the hope of a way out. Move away from the team, because as much as she loved them, they drove her insane. Constant talk about shop, brawling about something or other, Mia having to pretend she was their maid. Wait, that bit she didn't mind. She liked to know that they were well fed, and seen as they did the manual labour, she couldn't really complain. What a couple of shifts in the store to tide them over? It wasn't like that place was ever busy. She barely knew why they kept it open. It was there though that it all started to go down hill. Meeting Brian, shamelessly flirting with him, inviting him back. Wait, that was Dom. It was Dom who invited him back. This should all be on his head.

Mia was so wrapped in her own thoughts, she failed to notice the nurse enter the room. The nurse smiled at her and started talking.

"…better than he did an hour ago. That's a good sign." The nurse spoke, breaking Mia out of her trance.

"Huh?" She questioned, looking up at the woman stood on the opposite side of the bed.

"I said his vitals have improved. That's a good sign." The woman, whose name tag read Sara Mendez, replied with a slight smile, "You look tired sweetheart. Vincent isn't going anywhere. Maybe you should go home, have a rest." Mia stared at her for a while. No shit she was tired. She hadn't slept in over 36 hours, she had lost one of her friends, her family had abandoned her and she was stuck looking after the biggest pain in the ass of her life. She gasped at her last thought. That was true, but she knew he was crazy for her. Mia shook her head. If she could offer him anything, it was this. Staying with him was the only way she could show her remorse for what had happened.

"No, it's alright. I'll just sleep here. Can't leave him."

"You're his girl?" She questions as she checks whatever. Mia looked at him and smiles.

"No, just the only thing he has left." Mia said before coughing. That was little more than she intended on saying. The nurse was oblivious to it though. She nodded and gave Mia a weak smile.

"I'll bring in a blanket for you then." Sara responded before wandering back out of the room. A short while later, Mia was sitting in the chair, a blanket wrapped around her body. Her eyes were slowly closing before jerking open. It wasn't long though that the soft repetitive beeping of the monitors lulled her into sleep. It wasn't the comfiest of sleeps, but it was needed.

Her eyes woke to see Sara standing on the opposite side of the bed. She looked up from the notes and smiled,

"Morning. Nice sleep?" Mia made a head movement of some description that indicated that it was alright. Sara laughed quietly to herself, "I think you should take a walk or something. You haven't eaten a thing since you got here last night and that isn't healthy. Take a walk. Like I said, Vincent isn't going anywhere."

"Call him Vince or V. We only call him Vincent when he is in trouble." Mia murmured, recollecting the last time she had called him Vincent. It was usually herself using his Sunday name. He very rarely pissed Jesse off, and Letty, Dom and Leon would just knock ten shades of grey out of him. Or at least try. The last time Dom went for him, Vince had managed to get the upper hand and seen to it that the older Toretto was in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. Letty and Jesse had laughed, Leon had grabbed the camera and Mia had watched from the sidelines in shock. It was a rare occurrence for Dom to get his ass whooped. Her brother dominated everything, from racing to their home. The only one who could keep his ego from getting too big was Letty. Mia didn't know how she was always able to do it, but she was thankful for it. In that moment though, she was glad Vince had managed to get one over on her brother. Mia let out a long sigh before removing the blanket from around her waist.

"The cafeteria is on the second floor, but if you want my advice, there is a café just outside the hospital. You're less likely to become a patient if you eat there." Sara giggled as she adjusted the pillow behind Vince's head.

"Thanks. And it's Mia, by the way. I never introduced myself last night. Sorry." Mia spoke softly as she watched Sara tend to her friend. She wanted to help, but didn't feel it was appropriate.

"No worries girl, I mean Mia." Sara responded as Mia left the room.

It was a short walk to the lift. She decided to risk the cafeteria. It was closer to Vince should anything go wrong. Making her way on to the second floor, she traipsed to the cafeteria and pulled a tray from the rack. Sliding it down the metal shelf, she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out $20. Buying herself a plate of fries, a diet coke and a packet of chips, she wandered lazily over to an empty table. Plonking herself down, she played with the fries with the plastic fork. She realised that she had been in the hospital for nearly a full day as she glanced up at the clock. No one had called. No one had even bothered to call to see where she was. To see where Jesse was. She began to stab the fork into the plate, softly at first, but slowly the anger built up inside her. Slamming the fork onto the plate, she pushed it away and stood up.

Running down the corridor, she rushed to the payphone and dialled her brother's cell phone number. It rang and rang and no one answered. Hanging up she tried the house phone, then the house in Mexico, then Letty's cell, then Leon's, then Vince's. It took her a moment to realise what she had done, and when she did all she could do was laugh. Shaking her head before placing it against the wall, she exhaled noisily. Yeah, she was frustrated and tired, but at least she still had Vince. As ironic as that was, she still had him to look after. Mia rolled her eyes and walked back into the cafeteria. The food was still sitting on the table but she didn't want to lay claim to it. Those who hadn't been there beforehand would have assumed she was some random person stealing leftovers. She shook her head and realised that a trip outside of the hospital was in order.

The warm air felt good against her skin. Air conditioning had a habit of drying out her throat, so it was nice to have a less artificial source of oxygen. The café was easy enough to spot. Wandering in, she ordered herself a large coffee and grabbed a sandwich. Sitting in one of the booths, she supped back the drink and relaxed slightly. 'They'll come back, soon enough, they will be back,' she thought to herself. It was one thing for them to hightail it out of LA, but they wouldn't just leave her. Letty and Leon had left as was the plan. Dom had gone after Tran with Brian in pursuit. But they would be back soon. They had to.

She drank the last of the coffee and ate the final bite of her sandwich. Feeling slightly better for the little sleep and food she'd recently had, she wandered back towards the hospital. Stopping briefly to buy a bunch of flowers, Mia laughed at the thought of Vince waking up to a vase of gerberas. Walking through the entrance with a little more spirit than she had left with, she smiled brightly at the various people. The elevator ride was swift and she was soon back on the fourth floor. Something was wrong though. She could see the door to his room. It was closed but through the window she spotted the curtain drawn around his bed. Dismissing the thought absentmindedly, she walked closer to the room. She glanced at the nurses station and noticed Sara. Her face looked different, almost exhausted and despondent. Slowly, a sickening feeling crept through Mia's body.

"No," She gasped, her breathing having quickened as her pace did the same, her head shaking in denial. She walked up to the door and pushed it open. Sara was behind her in an instant.

"Mia, Mia stop."

"No, no this can't be happening. I can't go through this again." Mia cried as she pushed through the door. Her tried body could no longer carry the weight of her pain and she fell to the floor, "It's all my fault. I should never have left." Sara looked down on the grief-stricken woman and crouched beside her. A doctor approached them and proceeded to stand nearby.

"Mia, it wasn't your fault. Vincent, I mean Vince, his injuries were just too severe. The trauma he suffered put a lot of strain on his body. He didn't feel a thing, sweetheart, but there was nothing more we could do. It was him time, sweetheart." Sara spoke tenderly, her hand gently rubbing Mia's back. It was no comfort to her though. She had lost two members of her family in one day but she might as well have lost all of them, considering the other three were AWOL. Her body shuddered under the stress of emotion. Tears wrecked her eyes as tiredness coupled with deep, unrelenting sorrow. Sara wrapped her arms around the young woman as she rocked back and forth.

"It was my fault." Her words were punctuated with sobs. As much as she tried, Sara could not calm Mia, "It was all my fault."

There wasn't a moment in time when the crying stopped. It seemed like it was a sudden thing, but it may have progressed from sobs to whimpers to a stony calm over a number of minutes, possibly hours. Mia was sitting in the chair in the relatives room, the same blanket covering her delicate body. She stared at the floor, not wishing to move but hoping that when she did this would all be a dream. As her mind rushed through a multitude of factors, one thought was making itself perfectly known. She should have tried harder to stop them. She should have listened to Vince. For once in her life, she should have paid attention to what he was saying. He had been right.

"I'm sorry, V." She whispered to no one. He was gone, Jesse was gone and the other three were somewhere she did not know. And they did not know. They were unaware that Vince had died. They should have been there, they should have called or something. Yet, they weren't and she doubted they would be anytime soon. Sara pushed open the door and sat down on the chair next to Mia,

"Mia, is there anyone I can call?" The nurse said quietly. Bringing her knees up to her chest, Mia rested her chin on them and let the tears fall from her eyes once more.

"No, there's no one." Mia replied, resigning herself to the reality that she was on her own, "Just me."