My Hands

Basic Summary: Ryan's two best friends are in a car accident and one of them could die from her injuries.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: High School Musical and all related characters do not belong to the author. Valeria Locke and Zack Bedingfield however, do. Danielle Lawrencia belongs to ax1000xdays.

Author's Notes: I'm pretty sure this came about when my friend and I were talking about how miserable Danielle would be if she couldn't dance. My musical inspiration for this was "My Hands" by David Archuleta.

Enjoy!

'Friday nights without Dani and Val are so boring,' thought Ryan Evans, tossing a stress ball up in the air aimlessly. 'They've constantly got dates, now... I am in desperate need of other friends.'

The male Evans twin was confined to his dorm room, hanging upside down off the edge of the couch, and to say that he was restless would be an understatement. His best friends, Danielle Lawrencia and Valeria Locke, were out on the town for the night with their respective male admirers... Again. For the third Friday night in a row. That didn't even include weeknights.

Ryan found himself in his dorm room a lot, lately.

As if cued by the blond's wish for other friends, his roommate burst through the door. Zack Bedingfield carried a large plastic bag in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, thus he had to kick the door gently to close it. Catching sight of Ryan on the couch, he scoffed.

"Okay, Ryan, you have got to quit moping around here every Friday night. Where are your girls this time?" Zack asked, tossing the bag to the floor beside his Xbox and taking a generous sip of coffee before sitting down beside his roommate. Ryan sighed, gripping the flexible material of the stress ball in one hand and running the other through his hair.

"They're both on dates," he grumbled. "Well, sort of. Valeria is with that guy she's been seeing for a while now, Greg. Danielle is with some girls from dance, but later on she may be meeting up with the guy that never seems to go away, Quinn." Zack laughed.

"You're pitiful, man. Those girls have so much control over your mood that it's not even funny," the theatre major commented, taking the stress ball - which had, ironically enough, been purchased as a gag gift for Ryan from the girls when they had begun dating - away from Ryan. "Come on. Let's have a male version of those girls' nights that they're always having. We can listen to show tunes and I'll teach you the mystical ways of the Xbox."

"Zack, I suck at video games."

"Give it time, young grasshopper. But as it stands, I think we should go over to yonder Xbox as clouds move like white crane across the sky."

Ryan laughed, deciding to give his friend's idea a try. Why not? It wasn't as if he had any other plans for the night, and one could only watch reruns of Punk'd so many times.

- - - - -

Roughly three war games - all of which Ryan had failed horribly at - and seven renditions of "If I Were a Rich Man" later, the two roommates were drawn from their bonding by a cell phone ringing.

"You're beautiful - every little piece, love. Don't you know, you're really going to be someone... Ask anyone."

Zack, who had been in the middle of saving Ryan from a sniper on the Xbox game that the two were currently playing, raised an eyebrow at the sound of Taylor Swift.

"Okay, man, that has to be yours. I don't have any fruity shit like that on my phone," the brown-haired boy said, pausing the game. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"That's Val's ringtone, don't make fun," he said, moving to retrieve his phone from the other side of the room. The blond pulled it from the charger and answered.

"Hey, Val. What's up?"

"Ry?"

At the sound of his best friend's voice, a sickening feeling of dread hit Ryan with more force than a speeding train. Her tone was shaky and strained, and he knew immediately that it meant she had been crying. His heartbeat quickened, pounding almost painfully against his chest.

"Val, what's wrong? Do you need me to pick you up? I swear, if Greg has done anything, I -"

"Ryan, you need to come to the hospital. There's... There's been an accident. Dani... They're not sure if she's going to make it."

There was a soft thud as Ryan's cell phone dropped to the carpeted floor.

Zack's head whipped around to his friend at the sound, and he was immediately on his feet. Seeing the look on Ryan's face and hearing Valeria's sobs from the abandoned cell phone, the nineteen year old put two and two together.

"Ryan? Ryan, what's wrong?" Zack asked, moving in front of his friend's stunned face. When he received no answer, he snatched up the phone, talking into it frantically.

"Valeria, what's going on?!"

Ryan barely heard him - Valeria's words kept repeating in his head.

. . . hospital. . . accident. . . Dani. . . not sure if she's going to make it. . .

The last sentence seemed to echo in every corner of his mind, reverberating painfully to make sure that the meaning sank in. Lifting a trembling hand, Ryan took his phone back from Zack, concentrating hard to keep his voice from cracking.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

With that said, he ended the call. The ashen-faced teen looked up at his roommate.

"Zack, I... I don't think I can drive."

"Say no more. Let's go."

- - - - -

The ride to the hospital was a tense one. Ryan was silent the entire time, continuously wringing his shaking hands together. Zack did his best to hurry - he weaved through traffic as efficiently as possible, running more than a few red lights and keeping his emergency flashers on. He didn't quite know what to say to his roommate, so he focused on getting to the hospital.

Zack's old Volvo whipped into the emergency room parking lot at a surprising speed. He picked the closest parking space to the entrance, but before he could even shift the vehicle into park, Ryan had flung open the door and bolted toward the building.

After a near collision with the automatic doors — which definitely did not open quickly enough — Ryan found himself in the waiting room, blue eyes scanning frantically for Valeria. He found her pacing near the door to an operating room, with Greg close behind, trying to catch hold of her and murmuring something along the lines of, "Calm down, babe..."

"Calm down? You want me to calm down? My best friend could die, and I - Ryan!"

When the redhead spotted him, she quickly squirmed away from Greg, who had just managed to grab her shoulder, and ran toward the blond. Any other time, Ryan would have smirked triumphantly at the other boy, taking this as a personal victory over his friend's jerk of a date. However, he ignored Greg completely, hugging Valeria tightly as she clung to him.

He felt her wince when her forehead came into contact with his shoulder and, puzzled, he pulled her back to arm's length. Ryan carefully brushed her hair away from the right side of her forehead, revealing a thick, white bandage.

"Valeria, what happened?" he questioned, gently pulling her over to sit on a bench in the empty waiting room. Valeria squirmed a little under his worried, scrutinizing gaze.

"I... I'm not entirely sure. It happened so fast." She stared at the floor, eyes becoming unfocused as she remembered. "Greg and I were going to pick up Dani from the movie she was seeing with her friends because she was feeling a little nauseous. After we got her, she got a phone call from Quinn... He was at a party and had too much to drink, so he asked Danielle to come pick him up. We didn't want to, but she insisted. So we went to pick him up. We parked Greg's Hummer and left it - which proved to be a mistake, I suppose - and got Quinn in his car so he wouldn't have to come back and get it the next day. Greg was driving, I was in the passenger seat, and Quinn and Dani were in the back seat. Dani sitting behind me. Then..." Here, Valeria's brow furrowed as she concentrated, trying to remember the details of the accident. "I don't remember exactly what happened. We made a turn at a traffic light and there were suddenly these blinding headlights in my eyes... Horns blowing... And then a crash..." Seeming to snap back to reality, she added, "The other vehicle hit our passenger side. I only have a really sore shoulder and stitches from where the breaking glass cut me," she motioned to her bandaged forehead, "but Dani got the worst of the impact."

Ryan finally released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding, his mind reeling.

Quinn.

Of course he would be in the middle of it all. Ryan had never liked the twenty four year old, but now, he hated Quinn with every fiber of his being. If not for him, the accident would not have happened.

If not for him, Danielle wouldn't be fighting for her life.

"Where is Quinn now?" he asked slowly, straining to keep his voice calm. Valeria raised an eyebrow at this question, then winced at the pain the resulted in her forehead.

"He was talking to the police, I'm not sure about -"

Before Valeria could finish her sentence, the automatic doors opened. Zack entered, followed by a very weary-looking Quinn. Upon spotting the blond and redhead, Zack led the way toward them, while Quinn spoke up.

"Hey, Ryan," he greeted, running a tired hand through his dark hair. "How are you holding up, man? All of this is just... Insane."

The man's nonchalance, despite whether it was feigned or not, caused Ryan to snap. He was suddenly on his feet, his normally gentle blue eyes narrowed with fury, fists clenched at his sides.

"Insane? Is that all you have to say?" Ryan advanced on Quinn, his voice growing in volume. "Danielle could be dying for all we know, and all you can say is that it's insane?! She wouldn't even be in this condition if it wasn't for you! She went out of her way for you, like she always does, and look where it got her!" At this point, Quinn took a step back from the fuming blond, eyes wide in surprise. An edge of hysteria had crept into Ryan's tone, and Zack, who had never even heard Ryan raise his voice before, figured it would be a good idea to step in. He moved to stand between his roommate and Quinn.

"Ryan, calm down. Do you know why killing Quinn is a bad idea? Because you would go to prison. You are too pretty for prison, dude. You would be someone's bitch by the end of day one," Zack reasoned.

"How can you tell me to calm down?! Danielle..." Without warning, Ryan's shaking legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees. All attempts at staying strong were abandoned as the tears that had been building all night finally spilled forth. Valeria was at his side in a split second, wrapping her arms around his trembling form and guiding him to the bench with help from Zack.

"Shh, it's okay," Valeria whispered, gently rubbing his back. "Danielle is strong. She's going to pull through." Even as she said this, her voice wavered, threatening to crack as her own tears coursed down her cheeks. Trying to compose herself, she looked to the other three boys. "Greg, I think you should take Quinn home."

"I'm not leaving! I care about Danielle, too!" Quinn immediately protested, and Greg nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and I'm not leaving you, babe."

"Frankly, Quinn, I don't care how much you supposedly care about Danielle. Ryan and I care about her more, and I think it's safe to say that Ryan does want you here," Valeria said, eyes flicking to the twenty-four year old.

"I don't give a damn what he wants! I'm Danielle's boyfriend, she would want me here!" Quinn yelled, fists clenching in anger. Valeria's eyes narrowed.

"She would want Ryan here more than she would ever want you."

Fuming, Quinn stomped out the door, grumbling something about getting fresh air. Greg looked after him for a moment, then back to Valeria. The redhead finally addressed him.

"Go on, take him home. I've got Ry, I'll be fine," she said, moving a hand up to stroke Ryan's fair hair comfortingly. Greg rolled his eyes.

"Look, Valeria, you need a real man here to look out for you right now. I'm staying," he insisted. Valeria's jaw clenched at this insult to her best friend, and she glared at Greg.

"You need to get out of my sight. Right now," she hissed. "Danielle isn't the only one who would pick Ryan over her boyfriend. Take. Quinn. Home."

Huffing angrily, Greg stormed after Quinn, shooting the two best friends a final glare before exiting. Zack, deciding it was best to make sure he didn't come back, followed. Valeria finally turned her attention back to Ryan, sighing softly. His blue eyes met her green ones, blinking away remaining tears.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, and Valeria shook her head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ry. You're worried about her... I am, too. We both love Dani and just want her to be okay. That definitely isn't something to apologize for," she said, slipping an arm around his shoulders and giving him a gentle squeeze. The blond nodded, then gave a soft, hollow laugh as he gingerly rubbed at his tear-stained cheeks.

"You're right. God, I'm a mess. Maybe Greg was right," Ryan said, only half joking. Valeria rolled her eyes.

"Greg is never right," she said irritatedly. However, her attention was drawn to the operating room door when it opened. A doctor emerged, looking rather weary but composed. Valeria and Ryan immediately stood as he made his way toward them.

"You're here for Miss Lawrencia, I assume. Are you family?" he questioned. Had the situation not been so dire, Ryan might have laughed. He, Valeria, and Danielle couldn't possibly look more different. There was no possible resemblance between them, but then again, he supposed the doctor was obligated to ask. Valeria had taken to answering during his silence.

"No sir, but we're her best friends. Her parents are in Albuquerque -"

"They moved back to Miami," Ryan corrected.

"Right. I can't think properly today. In any case, the three of us are here for college," Valeria explained in hopes that the doctor could still tell them how things were going with Danielle.

"I see. They will have to be informed. I'll send a nurse out to collect the contact information shortly. As for your friend -"

Just as the doctor was about to give them news of Danielle, a high-pitched beeping noise sounded from the operating room, followed by another, then another. In a matter of milliseconds, a symphony of numerous electronic beeps, presumably from different machines, cut through the air.

"Doctor Lee, come quickly!"

This shout came from inside the operating room as well, and the doctor quickly turned on his heel and rushed back in, pulling the door shut behind him. The two best friends slowly turned to each other, eyes wide with fright. Valeria sank back down on the bench, clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking. Ryan, who had gone quite pale, slowly sat down beside her.

Not a word was said for a very long time.

They sat on the bench for what seemed like a lifetime, neither one willing to leave. Occasionally a nurse would wander by and insist that they go home to rest - they were assured that they would be informed immediately when there was news. They adamantly refused, for both Ryan and Valeria knew that they would find no rest while Danielle was fighting for her life.

Hours passed in tense, fearful silence. Doctor Lee finally reappeared out of the operating room by the time night had begun to recede and the sun peeked over the horizon, staining the sky with brilliant shades of pink and orange. He looked mildly surprised to see the two teens still sitting on the same bench, looking incredibly tired and worried.

"She's still in critical condition, but she's stable," he said, deciding to cut right to the chase. "She's being taken to the ICU. Follow me, I'll take you to her room."

Neither Ryan nor Valeria remembered the elevator ride to the ICU. The next thing either of them knew, they were being led down a corridor, and Doctor Lee stopped at a window that allowed a view into one of the hospital rooms.

Danielle lay on the bed in the middle of the room, covered nearly from head to toe in injuries. Her right arm and leg were both encased in casts, though since the passenger side of the car had been hit, this was to be expected. Her head was swathed in thick, white bandages, and every visible bit of her skin was discolored.

"I'm sorry that I can't let you in right now. It was touch and go for a while," the doctor admitted, "but she pulled through. Her internal injuries are significant, and there's still a chance that things might go badly."

Ryan swallowed hard, trying not to look at all the wires that were hooked up to Danielle. Tears filled Valeria's eyes as she gazed at her best friend and roommate, unconsciously pressing a hand to the glass pane of the window.

"She's strong," the redhead said softly. "She'll pull through this."

The doctor nodded, seeming to take this as his cue to leave. Ryan and Valeria stood by the window, watching Danielle sleep in silence for a moment before Ryan spoke.

"You're right, you know," he said, slipping a hand into hers. "Danielle is strong. She's going to make it through this."

Ryan looked toward the monitor that displayed the Latina's vitals - they were weak, but stable. He felt Valeria weakly squeeze his hand and he softly added, "We all will."