Author's Note: Spoilers for the season finale, which was episode 23. This is just a short piece about what I imagine Betty's reaction might be when she finds out about Daniel. This is the first UB fic that I have written from Betty's POV, so it was a new experience. I so get Daniel's character, but I have trouble writing Betty for some reason. Hopefully I did an okay job. Reviews are very welcome and always very much appreciated!

Betty's hand quivered as she reached for the handle on the door to room 305. She licked her dry lips and took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she might be met with on the other side.

"Betty Suarez?" the impatient voice on the phone had said.

"Yes, this is Betty. Who's this?" Betty couldn't shake that nagging feeling of dread while she was waiting for an answer. She had been lying in bed with Hilda, holding her shattered sister until Hilda's tears had finally run out and she had drifted into sleep.

"This is Pine Crest Hospital." Betty's heart instantly began to race. "We have a patient here under the name of Daniel Meade. He was in a car accident and you're his emergency contact."

"What?" Betty found it hard to breathe as she thought of Daniel alone and hurt. "Is…is he okay? He's okay, right?"

"He was unconscious when they brought him in, ma'am. He's lost a lot of blood."

"Oh my god," Betty said. "Oh my god…" Betty flipped her cell phone shut and tried to catch her breath.

Hilda stirred next to her and said in a weak voice, "What was that all about?"

"It's Daniel," Betty said with a catch in her voice, "he's been in an accident."

"Oh my god…"

"I'm so sorry Hilda, but I've got to go. I have to be with him. He doesn't have anyone else."

"No, of course, Betty, go. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

Hilda's eyes filled with tears as she said, "I'll be as fine as I can be. Go, he needs you."

"Go ahead, Aunt Betty," said a voice from the doorway. "I'll take over from here."

Betty smiled at Justin and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She had no idea how he could be so strong. He was the kid. He had just lost his father. He was supposed to be falling apart, too. But there he was, ready to take care of his mother. "I love you, you know that?"

Justin smiled back at Betty and said, "I know." He climbed into the bed with his mother and held her tight as a new storm of tears rolled in.

Betty took one last look at them and thanked God for her family. Then she turned around and headed out the door. Her only thoughts then were of Daniel.

The door to the hospital room swung open and Betty's breath caught in her throat at her first glimpse of Daniel. He was so pale, and he had tubes coming out of him from all angles. Betty hesitantly stepped over to the bed, and when she got there she grabbed hold of his cold hand, careful not to disturb the IVs. She reached her other hand to his forehead and sighed, "Oh… Daniel." She smoothed back the hair from his face, noticing that even his usually spiky hair was lifeless. Her lower lip trembled as she softly traced the small cuts on his face, and a tear fell when she reached the bandaged gash on his forehead. She listened to the steady beeping of his heart monitor as her fingers drifted to his broken lips, and she was so thankful to feel the warmth of his shallow breath on her skin. At least he was breathing on his own.

"I'm here, Daniel," Betty said with a shaky voice. "I'm not going to leave you." She lifted his hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles. She felt guilty for not having been there. She felt guilty that her last words with him hadn't been pleasant. She felt guilty for avoiding him. Most of all, she felt guilty for chasing after Henry when she should have been focused on getting Daniel help.

Betty sighed. She shouldn't have to feel guilty about having a life outside of Daniel, but she couldn't help it. Her friend was in need of help, and she had abandoned him. He was just lying there motionless, his stomach pumped of the pills that he had overdosed on, his IVs steadily dripping new blood into his system. He looked so frail…and alone. Betty had thought that maybe, just maybe Bradford Meade would care that his son was nearly killed, but apparently not. The nurse had told her that Alexis Meade was in the accident too, she had been the one driving. She should probably check on Alexis. Betty was sure that Alexis would be just as alone as Daniel. But Betty couldn't bring herself to leave Daniel's side. She wasn't going to abandon him again.

Betty sat down in the chair that was next to Daniel's bed and she stroked his knuckles with her thumb as he slept. His fingers seemed to be the only parts of him that were undamaged.

Betty's heart leapt as she heard Daniel groan in his sleep. His grip on her hand tightened and the beeping of his heart monitor sped up. His eyebrows were drawn together and his face had a pained expression. He wasn't waking up, he was just stuck in some awful nightmare. Betty stood up and smoothed his brow, and for some reason she hummed a familiar lullaby as she stroked his hair. Daniel's face relaxed and his hand went limp. His heart monitor calmed down and his breathing became steady again. Betty leaned down to kiss Daniel's forehead, then she sat back in her chair and eventually drifted off into her own sleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night she could have sworn that she heard a hoarse voice whisper, "Betty…"