LINGERER

Chapter One

Broken

Broken: adj. To be fractured, smashed or splintered; not functioning.

The air was filled with pain and the colours of red and blue.

People were watching, wide-eyed, curious, damned-to-hell people were watching the too good-looking men as they struggled with the weight in their hands and upon their shoulders.

The atmosphere was tight and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her ears were ringing with pain and pressure, and the sounds of cries in pain and sadness made her ears burst, she could hear her own heart trumping, pumping blood through the veins in her body and the slash in her forehead.

Her good, beat-up truck Casper was breathing out smoke, breathing out the last of his life, and the entire right side of him was smashed so much that it couldn't be possible for Casper to ever be the same car again. The red car wasn't nearly as ruined and neither was the couple inside of it. The woman was crying, but she looked perfectly healthy, as her boyfriend comforted her and spoke with a man all dressed in white.

She felt herself shiver and lifted her hand to brush away the blood that was streaming from her forehead and into her eyes. Everything was so cold and unpleasant, and she thought that she might never get over it. She wrapped her arms around herself and ignored the people buzzing around her, doing what they had to, and instead let her eyes wander to the big, white car that caused her ears to ring so badly.

The siren was still going and the doors were open. They were pushing the stretcher into the open back, speaking loudly across the withering body beneath the sheets. Her eyes followed the movement of a young paramedic as he ran back to Casper to look for something. There was a trail of blood coming from her good car and she swore she had seen a piece of skin on the broken window's glass before she had pulled herself out of there.

She licked her lips and didn't wince once when it wasn't the familiar taste of raspberries, but the taste of iron and blood that collided with her tongue instead. She let her gaze fall to the ground and spat it out.

"Excuse me, miss?"

The sound of an actual person, actually speaking to her during this disaster almost made her jump out of her own skin, but she appreciated the cover he put around her shoulders so she wouldn't shake so badly. She looked up at him with eyes she knew were horrified, but saw that he was another paramedic, and he did look kind.

She breathed out shakily.

He said, "Do you have any ID?"

She slowly reached into her pocket. Her fingers were stiff from the cold and it was hard for them to get into the small pockets of her black and red check patterned jeans. She got the card out of her pocket and gave it to him, before her eyes again moved to the white car, where they were now closing the door, getting ready to drive off.

She could hear another siren on the way.

The man studied the card, but looked up at her again, "Alright, Lillian Truscott," he said, he probably wanted to sound kind, but Lilly didn't think he was doing such a good job, but maybe that was because she didn't want to talk, "that's your friend over there?" he nodded towards the ambulance that now closed the last door and quickly drove off, into the night.

Lilly just watched it for more than a minute, completely lost in thoughts of what would happen, and how they ended up in this nightmare, before she tightened her grip on the cover around her body and her broken heart, "Yeah…" she whispered, finding it incredible hard to speak; her voice was hoarse and just as broken.

He placed an arm around her, and Lilly let him lead her wherever they went, because her legs almost couldn't hold her any longer and her head was pounding, and she just needed care.

"What's her name?" he wanted to know now, and Lilly knew she had to tell him, because her leg was really hurt and there had been blood and tears and pain everywhere when they crashed Casper.

She looked up at the man, and could feel the tears spilling out of her eyes, because reality could be rough and this didn't look too good, "Miley Stewart." She whispered, and as the picture of Miley's leg entered her mind, Lilly bent over and was happy that the paramedic was there to hold her upright, because she started puking every content of her stomach up, and onto the ground right beneath her feet.

He brushed her hair back slightly, and she stood there, heaving for air, "We're going to take you to a hospital, Lillian," he kindly told her, even if she had already known that and would have preferred he called her Lilly, "and then you're going to have to help us reach Miley's family."

Lilly looked up again, didn't bother wiping the drool off of her chin.

Miley's leg was hurt.

--

Robbie came rushing into the emergency room, he had fear across his face and in his body, and Lilly saw immediately that he was scared of what he would hear because the only thing she had told him in the phone was –Miley-, -hurt-, -hospital-, -now-, and so he had hung up the phone and broken possibly every speed limit on the way.

He rushed to the front desk, and started to ramble off in front of the poor girl standing there, and Lilly stood up from the plastic seat she had been sitting at, and even if her head pounded beneath the tight wrap it was in, and she felt a whole lot of dizzy, she stood up and crossed the room, planting a not-so-steady, but very-shaky hand on Robbie's elbow.

He looked so worried.

"You're worried." She whispered, and dragged him with her, as he looked relieved to see her there with him, so at least he didn't seem so alone. She briefly wondered where Jackson was when they sat down on each a chair.

"Jackson is parking the car." Robbie explained, and brushed her cheek gently because it worried him to see her so pale and hurt. "Where is Miley? Is she alright? Are you alright? What the heck happened?"

He asked so much, but Lilly knew what she had to say first because that was the most important thing, "Miley's in surgery. Her leg is hurt."

The look across his face was not good and Lilly tried to smile.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright, Mr. S." she whispered, tried to console her best friend's father, he needed that, she could see it clearly.

He took in another shaky breath, "What happened?" he asked again.

"Casper crashed." Lilly explained to him, pained by the memory of her good ole car and the way that red one had smashed right into him, "This woman and this man drove right into us. They're not even hurt." She could hear that her voice wasn't the usual happy self, but she was so affected by this, "Casper is ruined, Miley is ruined, my head hurts."

"Your head really hurts."

It was like he hadn't realized that his daughter was in surgery, or maybe he had and realized that he pretty much couldn't do anything about it right now, so that was why he talked to her. She wished she could have been in surgery instead of Miley, because the other girl definitely did not deserve this; her leg had to be fine.

Lilly swallowed loudly and looked up, glancing around the room, her eyes clouded and she almost couldn't see. She should probably call her mom; she'd want to know.

"You should probably call your mom." Robbie said, his voice was low and shaky, but he looked alright, "She'd want to know."

Lilly swallowed louder and reached for her cell phone, just as Jackson came through the doors. He seemed to see them immediately, or maybe he just had a feeling where they would be sitting. He crossed the room and patted her bandaged head before he kneeled down in front of her.

"Are you alright, Lilster?" he questioned, and Lilly couldn't help but smile even if this day was messed up, because Jackson was being sweet and that didn't happen too often.

She cringed because some sort of pain shot through her bones when she pulled up her lips, and she figured she might need the doctor to take a better look at that once they got some time, "I'm alright…" she whispered, staring into the caring eyes of her best friend's brother, but Miley's leg wasn't, "But Miley's leg isn't."

"It isn't?"

"It isn't."

Robbie Ray cringed too, "She's in surgery."

Jackson nodded as if he understood everything, even if he probably didn't, but it seemed better to pretend for the sake of his father, "Have you spoken to anyone?"

Both Lilly and Robbie shook their heads, no. No, because Lilly had only seen them wheel her into some room right when someone was putting that thing on her head and she had been out of it on drugs and pain and Lilly understood that, so she hadn't questioned anything, she only knew that Miley's leg was hurt, Miley was in surgery, broken.

Broken.

Miley was broken and Lilly wondered about this, as she wondered about so many other things, she wondered if Miley would ever be whole again, and if she was the one who had to gather up the pieces and make them fit together in the right way.

"Where's Mrs. T?" Jackson wondered, looking around the waiting area, but of course he didn't see Mrs. T, because Mrs. T wasn't there, so how would he see her? She wasn't there, that's why he couldn't see her.

Lilly said, "She's not here."

"That's why I can't see her." Jackson said and stood up from his kneeling, taking a seat on another plastic chair (except this one was a different colour), he glanced at his father again, before looking at Lilly again-again, "You should probably call your mom." He said, "She'd want to know."

Lilly didn't reply because she didn't want to call her mom, since she didn't want her mom to know just yet. She would be weird and freak out, because even if she was cooler than most moms, this wasn't good and Lilly would rather her head rest in peace than having to listen to how much her mother could talk and talk and talk and babble about how she should drive safer and how she'd never get another car.

"I should call Hannah's bookings." Robbie whispered; he was out of it, but Lilly didn't blame him, "I have to cancel everything. She had a live appearance tomorrow with Colin Lassiter. I've got to cancel that."

He really did have to cancel that, Lilly agreed, because as for now on… Miley was broken.

"I've got to cancel that." He nodded, reached into his pocket for his cell phone, "And the next many shows. She has to rest in peace and get well again."

Lilly whispered, "We have to unbreak her," because Miley had to rest in peace too, just like she wanted her head to have peace from her mother's babbly talktalktalk.

Jackson's breathing stopped for a second and Robbie didn't say anything before he stood up to go make those calls. It seemed like an odd time to do so at, but it might have been because he was so worried that he needed to occupy himself.

Jackson's breathing seemed more normal, "He needs to occupy himself."

Explained.

Lilly nodded her head up and down, explained, explained, explained.

"You have blood in your hair."

She reached a hand up to touch her hair, now. It was resting against her chest in soft cascades, except maybe it didn't look too soft right now, but more broken, as well. She held it up and her eyes almost fell in or out or whatever when she saw how much blood that had bled from the bleeding wound in her forehead and onto the locks that used to be so golden, but now smelled more like iron and seemed more reddish (but that was probably the blood that had bled because of the bleeding).

"I do have blood in my hair."

She wondered.

How could blood fall out or stay in, because sometimes you don't bleed, but you still have wounds on your body, or more likely your soul. The blood will probably only come out when it's real wounds and not the heartbreaking kind of wounds that only emerge when you feel really sad or broken about something.

Broken.

Broken, broken, broken.

The word tasted weirdly at the tip of her tongue.

"Broken."

Jackson stared oddly at her, but it was the truth, Miley was broken, so maybe she bled on the inside, even if her leg had been hurt and she bled on the outside too?

"I should go call Oliver." Lilly whispered, staring oddly at Jackson because he stared oddly at her, and she stood up and went away just like Robbie had done, because she needed peace for her head and her conversation, and maybe Oliver would come or maybe he wouldn't and just calm her down over the phone.

But she really needed him.

"Lilly?"

It was Oliver and she had never been happier to hear his voice, "Ollie…" she whispered, because she had known him for so long and these past years they had grown so much closer, ever since she told him her secret, the secret that not even Miley knew because it was about her, and Oliver had been her confident, "Ollie, Miley is broken…" she could feel the tears building up in her throat and for a second she managed to wonder if she would be crying in front of all those people in the hospital, but it was only for a second, because then the tears started spilling and she couldn't wonder anymore since she was actually crying, even if she didn't want to.

"Lilly?" Oliver repeated, he sounded worried, and Lilly wished he could hold her in his arms, "Lilly, where are you? There was a car crash… it's in the news. It looked like Casper, I'm so worried."

"Ollie?" Lilly repeated, repeated his name because that didn't taste so weird at the tip of her tongue, "Ollie, Casper is dead… Miley is broken, we're at the hospital and my head hurts." She paused and felt the tears run freely and her contacts were itching, and her head was pounding and everything seemed wrong in the world, "Ollie, I need you to come hold me…"

Her voice was a whisper, but Oliver heard every word,

"I'll be there quickly, Lilly." He said, tried to sound brave over the phone, but it didn't work too well, because it was also his friend in there, the brown-haired, beautiful girl who always seemed to give them a smile on their face, "Have you called your mom, Lils? Have you?"

Lilly shook her head, even if he couldn't see her.

"You should probably call your mom. She'd want to know." He said.

How come everyone told her to do call her mom?

Oh right, because she'd want to know.

"She'd want to know." Lilly repeated, before she hung up the phone and stared blankly at the small screen, a picture of herself and Miley giving her the chills, itching, pounding, wrong, "I should probably call my mom." She whispered, and dialed the familiar number to her mother's cell phone, "Miley is broken. She'd want to know."

--

It felt really good to have Oliver's strong arms around her, and his whispers soothing in her ear, while he swayed them back and forth, back and forth, backandforth, really, really good.

"She's broken." Lilly told him, because they hadn't spoken since he came and Jackson was staring into space and Robbie was pacing, back and forth, back and forth, backandforth.

Oliver soothed, "Shh, I know, Lils, she's broken, I know." He was kind and Lilly felt like it would all work out now, "Talk to me about something else until your mother arrives. Talk to me about your evening, where did you girls go?"

Lilly paused, "Our evening?" it felt weird to think about the fact that something had been going on before Casper crashed, they'd had a life of some sort, been somewhere together for the evening, they'd probably had fun, but… Lilly couldn't remember where, "I can't remember where." She turned her head around and looked up at Oliver, who looked down, worried.

"Your head is hurt." He said, brushed a free finger across her covered forehead, "You can't remember right now, Lils, but it'll probably come."

She said, "Don't you know where we went?"

Her voice was as small as the one she used to have when she was little.

Oliver squeezed his eyes together, "I know you went out for dinner. Lils you… you remember how you feel about Miley, right? How you told me how you felt?"

Lilly swallowed hard, she'd always remember that, remember how she told Oliver about the secret that not even Miley knew because it was about her, "I remember…" she got out, because it sometimes pained her to say it aloud, "I remember how my heart beats faster, how I want to do good and make her proud, how I seem to fly away when she takes my hand and how my head starts spinning whenever she gives me a hug, I remember Ollie, I'll never forget."

"You shouldn't forget." Oliver reassured her, because he knew how much Lilly was in love with Miley and had been for awhile; he knew all about it, because Lilly had told him and not Miley… why hadn't she told Miley? The reasons seemed so stupid now, "Lilly, you said you would never tell her, but… but you did."

Back and forth, back and forth, backandforthbackandforth.

Confused, "I did?"

"You did." He confirmed, and Lilly swore her heart stopped.

Wondering how that turned out, "How did that turn out?" she asked.

He smiled warmly at her and she had a feeling that the answer was 'good', "You told her only yesterday, I know because you called me up and screamed it to me on the phone. I guessed you were doing a victory dance and right as I stepped by later, you were still busy doing exactly that in your backyard."

Lilly laughed, but again, her cheeks hurt.

"So today was your first date." Oliver finished, lovingly.

Lilly tasted the words at the tip of her tongue, "Today was our first date."

They didn't taste weird, and Oliver mhm-mm'd as an answer.

"But I can't remember." Lilly breathed out, watched as Robbie walked and walked (back and forth, back and forth, backandforthbackandforth), "I can't remember our first date." She blinked, "Did we tell anyone?"

"I don't think so." Oliver shook his head and Lilly smiled up at him, hoping Miley could remember when she wasn't in surgery and that even if she was broken, she'd still date her until she was unbroken again.

"Mrs. T!"

Lilly looked up at Jackson's outburst and saw her mother approach them, heels click-click-clicking against the floor as she ran, "Lillian!" she said, dropped to her bare knees and wrestled Lilly out the embrace she enjoyed so much and into her own, stroking the bandage, as if Lilly could really feel anything through it.

Lilly's eyes were going roundroundround with Robbie Ray.

Back and forth, back and forth, backandforthbackandforth, back and forth.

"Mom…" Lilly whispered, pulled back and stared into the kind eyes of her mother, who thankfully didn't babbly talktalktalk, but just seemed interested in knowing that everything was well, "Miley is broken…"

A tear fell down again and Lilly cursed herself for crying so damn much.

Heather Truscott smiled sadly at her daughter, but turned around when someone stopped behind her, and Lilly only saw a man in white.

Jackson stopped staring, Robbie stopped pacing, Oliver stopped shaking, Heather stopped smiling and Lilly stopped breathing.

"Miley Ray Stewart?"


Oh wow, can you believe that? I finally pull through with my promise of a multi-chaptered Liley fic. I had a poll in my profile on which couple I should write next and this couple was in the top three so when I got this idea I just went for it. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and please leave your thoughts in a review, I'd like to know what you think?

I can't promise to update on a regular basis, I currently have three stories of my own going on (plus joint fic), and school is taking up pretty much all my time, but I will try to write as much as possible.

Disclaimer; I don't own Hannah Montana.