The hospital was an austere concrete building in the middle of the downtown area. Austin took a deep breath and stepped forward. Ambulance sirens could be heard in the distance. The sliding glass door opened and he stepped into triage. Sick and injured people of all ages sat in chairs all throughout the lobby. Austin went to the window to speak to the nurse.

"My fiancé was brought in. She was in a car accident."

The nurse looked up from her clipboard. "What's her name?"

"Samantha. Samantha Montgomery."

The nurse checked some of the files she had on the desk. Her face got a funny expression and she didn't say anything for a full minute. When she spoke, there was something in her voice that Austin did not want to hear.

"Sir, if you could just wait a few minutes, I'll go get the doctor that worked on her."

Austin sank into one of the black plastic chairs and closed his eyes. Something wasn't right. He had a gut feeling. The doctor that worked on her. That could only mean one thing, right?

"Mr. Ames? Mr. Ames, I'm Doctor Harvey. I worked on Samantha when she came in."

Austin opened his eyes. Doctor Harvey was a tall, middle-aged man in green scrubs. His stethoscope hung around his neck and his face was very grave. Austin felt funny. His head felt light. He'd never fainted before but he had a feeling this was what it felt like.

"Mr. Ames, your fiancé was in a very serious accident."

"No," Austin whispered.

"When she arrived she had a very weak pulse. She had a collapsed lung, and there was a lot of blood in the pericardium, that's the sac around her heart. We were able to re-inflate the lung and we drained the pericardium, but she went into shock and her heart stopped beating."

Austin shook his head in disbelief. This was not happening. There was no way. Not his precious Sam . . .

"We gave her intravenous drugs and we shocked her, but we weren't able to get her heart to beat again. I'm very sorry, Mr. Ames."

Men weren't supposed to cry, were they? That's what his dad had always said. But there was no stopping the tears that spilled out of his eyes. His Samantha – his Cinderella – was gone.

"Is there anyone we can call for you?"

Austin shook his head. "Can I see her?"

Dr. Harvey nodded. "I want to warn you. We had to put a tube down her throat to help her breathe. It may seem strange."



Sam lay on the table in the trauma room. Bloody gloves and instruments lay all around. A thick clear tube protruded from her mouth. Austin stepped closer. Her eyes were closed. She looked like she was sleeping, except the fact that she was too still. Her chest, which only hours ago had been rising and falling gently, was now motionless.

He let out a sob and took her hand in his. It was warm. He squeezed her hand and then pressed his lips to it. Austin laid his other hand on her beautiful blond hair. He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.

"What happens now?" Austin choked.

"There will be some paperwork for you to fill out. The hospital will do what it can to help you. We can give you a list of the funeral homes in the area."

"We just graduated from Princeton," Austin murmured. "We were going to be married next month."

"I am very sorry for your loss."

"I need – can I be alone with her?"

The Doctor nodded. "Of course. Take as long as you need."

The door swung closed behind Dr. Harvey. Austin stood over the body of his beloved. He'd been right. She was gone. Gone forever. All because his car had broken down. Tomorrow he would wake up at their apartment and she wouldn't be there. Tomorrow he would have to start planning the funeral. Tomorrow he would have to call Sam's stepmother and let her know what had happened. Tonight, though, he was still with her. Tonight was for the two of them. Just the two of them.

The End.

A/N: The first chapter was originally to be a one-shot, but I decided it lacked finality.