Life is harder than Death

Disclaimer: Do not own The Invisible

Chapter Two: Deciding to Live

Ms. Powell stared down at her son, to see he was at so much peace. She wondered how he been the days he was down…No she can't think about that. Shaking her head, she rid herself of such thoughts and continued to run her hands through his hair. "Honey, I'm so glad you are alright. Now we will have the chance to make up and really talk."

"Mrs. Powell," a voice called softly interrupting the mother with much hesitation, tired eyes gazed upward to see a blond nurse with bright blue eyes.

"Ye…s,"

"The girl survived the surgery." Nick's mother didn't know whether to be relieved or… what? The girl almost killed her son, yet Nick wanted to forgive her, so…her death would not have been for the best. How would have the death affected her son? Diane could only guess. If she was alive and well the girl would have the justice system and eventually an angry mother to face. Yes, without doubt the wrath of Diane Powell would fall upon girl. She would have gotten off easy by dying.

"Alright, thank you dear," she replied looking back down at Nick. "How can you forgive that girl so easily?"

Pete was zoned out as the lady talked to his group about grieving. He had been in the mental ward for about two days now, since he tried to commit suicide, and all he could think about was how Nick was doing.

Nobody would tell him. He had asked several times, but the nurses couldn't divulge that kind of information to him.

"How about you Pete. Have you ever dealt with grief?" Looking at the woman who had a somewhat serious, but kind expression on her face. He glared at her.

"I helped almost kill my best friend and then tried to hide the body. What do you think?"

"I am here because of an overdose," an old tired man piped in. "Because I was driving when my wife died."

Pete stared at the man with astonishment. He wasn't the only one who had fucked up so bad. "So I'm not alone."

"Don't you wish you were," tears welled up in the man's eyes. It seemed there was a story of regrets there as well.

Dr. Michaelis promptly entered into Nick's room and saw his mother sleeping by his side. "Mothers are so stubborn," he stated without trying to be quiet about it.

"Yeah, she's just afraid somebody will kidnap me, again I guess," Nick stated.

"Ah, you're awake Mr. Powell. Well I hate to ask you, but you should probably wake her up," nodding towards Diane. "Mothers have tendency to want to take my head off for not letting them know every little detail about their children." Nick nodded and slowly moved his hand. The doctor watched the boy's hand. This was also so Dr. Michaelis could observe, his movement, he knew the boys legs were probably weak, but the boy still had some strength in his hands.

"Mom," Nick gently called. "Mom."

"Hmm? Nicky, just sleep, I have work in the morning," she replied.

Nick smiled, that was his mom alright. "The doctor is here," with that said the woman jerked her head up and turned to see the doctor.

"Sorry. I know you haven't slept much, but I figured you want to know what was going on with your son."

"Yes, I do." She pulled herself up and sat up in the chair. "So what is going on?"

"Well, I'm going to need to run a few more tests, but your son is pretty lucky," The doctor began, "He has cracked ribs, while those are very painful, they'll heal on their own. There doesn't seem to be any brain damage from the scans ran last night, but…"

"What?"

"Nick do you feel your legs?" Dr. Michaelis asked him. His mother looked to her son in horror. It hadn't registered to Nick, until now, that his legs felt numb.

"No."

"It may only be temporary. It could come back within months, and we need to see if it is caused by swelling or if your spinal cord is injured."

Rage flowed throw Diane. Her son may never walk again. Yes she was grateful he was alive, but he may never walk again, thanks to Annie.

"Mom, what's wrong?" She turned and glared. The doctor knew his cue when he saw it, so he left the room.

"What's wrong? Nicky! You may never walk again."

"I also could have died, but I didn't thanks to…"

"Don't you dare. It's bad enough you asked me to check on her, now you are thanking her? Please don't do this, not now Nicky." There was a flood coming and Nick reached out for his mother, but then it hit him.

"Is she alive?"

"Yes," his mother replied. "I was going to see if she had woken up yet…I don't know if I can now…"

"I understand," Nick replied, "but…"

"Give me some time. I want to be with you right now. Now, do you need anything water? Want me to sneak in some real food?"

"Actually yeah," Nick gave her a bright smile and earning one in return.

Marcus found it real easy to get help. His old friend Jillian was a genius with fixing people up, being an actual doctor who never got paid for it because she had a big heart; the poor dumb bitch, working with the homeless. She thought he was good guy at heart and was in love with him.

Her opinion of Annie was very low, she begged Marcus to drop her, but he wouldn't. He said that he had loved her. Little did Jillian, or Annie, know that he was just using Annie like he was using the beautiful little blond before him, removing the bullet from him.

"Try to hold still this will hurt like hell!" she stated as she went for the bullet. He knew it would be hell, if she said a word like that, she never used words like that, and when she yanked he let out a yell.

"Aw fuck! That hurts,"

"Yeah, it's supposed to. Anyway, I gotta get antiseptic and stuff to clean it with, and then I'll patch you up."

He gave her a wide smile. "Thanks Jill, knew I could count on you. So could you help me disappear for awhile too?"

"Why?" she wondered.

"Haven't you watched the news lately? Annie has gotten out of control again. She almost killed a guy! She was the one who shot me."

Her blue eyes widened in horror. "What!" Jillian exclaimed picking up her tools, "I told you to give up on her."

"I know and I am, but I have to find somewhere to go away for awhile." At least until I can take of Annie Newton, once and for all.

"I might know of a place you can disappear to," she held a finger on her chin in thought. "It isn't the greatest place, but perhaps it is the best, nobody will even know you exist."

"That will be perfect!" he gave a soft peck on Jillian's cheek.

Annie awoke to see that she was indeed in the hospital, and the pain in her side had let her know that she was in her body. Gazing upward she was shocked to see Nick's mother looking sternly down at her. It reminded her the first time her step-mother picked her up from jail.

"I…I," she began.

"Don't speak," the woman said firmly. "I still can't forgive you, but I can't hate you either. Oh! I can't understand him at all," tears were falling down her cheeks. "He cares for you, but let's get one thing straight I don't like you."

"I understand you shouldn't," Annie appeared so remorseful gazing downward at her gown.

"But I'm not letting you throw your life away, because of you my son is still alive. I know you weren't the only one involved. I know you could have let him die, but didn't."

"What are you talking about?" the curly haired girl looked shocked.

"Pete confessed everything to the police before he was hospitalized. Oh the things you put him through," she glared at Annie harshly. "He almost killed himself due to the guilt he carried because you didn't believe him when he said he didn't tell on you. He was so scared he said Nick did it, because Nick was supposed to be gone. I blame myself for that, if I hadn't changed his flight…," her tears began to flow again, "but luckily Pete was saved by his father." Taking a deep breath she continued, "I know the cops said they got an anonymous tip and I didn't know until now who gave it to them. It was you wasn't it?" Annie didn't answer. "And I don't quite understand what happened and how you brought him back when you came to him, but," she sighed. "So you see I can't hate you, oh I want to, but I can't. You saved Nick."

"You should hate me."

"You are right about that."

"So what are you doing here?"

"Nick was worried about you," She sighed, "I figured I'd check on you so I could tell him when you woke up."

"I see, is he okay?"

"Yes, not that it's your concern. The doctors said he'll need intense therapy, and-"

"Good, I'm glad," she said out loud, but whispered, "I did one good thing. Wait and-?" Annie looked up questionably.

"He may never walk again," Diane added bitterly.

"Oh God," Annie felt like she was choking, her one good deed failed. She cried, "I'm so sorry, I wish I…" Annie Newton didn't know what else to say.

"Yes, you should be," the woman agreed. She looked outside the window, "I think an officer wants to speak with you." Diane left and Brian Larson greeted her with a nod before she turned to go back and check on Nick.

"Hello Annie," he greeted. Gazing up, she winced a bit from the pain, wiping tears away.

"So what's going to happen to me?" Getting straight to the point, "I don't know what to do anymore."

Brian gave her a half hearted smile. "Not sure, though you'll be able to bargain with the D.A. but with your record...And you did assault Nick. I'm sure his mother will bring you on charges." He watched the woman, who seemed lost in rage and pain, disappear down the hall. She didn't hate Annie from what he could tell, but he wasn't sure what she felt.

"I know."

"So jail, but will it be forever?" Annie would never tell, but she almost thought jail been easier to deal with then anything else. She would know what to do then, she would know how to live: fight for survival.

"No," Brian shook his head, "I don't even think you'll get jail time."

"What, but the crimes I committed…," Annie retorted with a jerk, causing her to cry out, a couple of tears fell from the pain she was in.

"Annie, you need to relax. The press is spinning it in your favor. No judge is going to put a hero in jail, especially one who almost died."

"I almost killed Nick! The press can't possibly spin it in my favor."

"It's spun," Brian replied, recalling watching the news this morning. He didn't know how the reporters found out about Annie, but they did.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, Annie, think of this as a second chance. You'll do community service maybe and-"

"What?" Tears began to pour down her cheeks as she cried, "I'm a fuck up okay! There is nothing waiting for me. I'm broken, just like Nick said."

"Annie,"

"My father won't take care of me. I won't be able to walk for awhile you know that!" she yelled. "I wished had died."

"Don't you dare say that, ever!" Annie looked up to see a pair of eyes, whose life she almost stolen.

"Nick..."

When Mr. Newton got the call that morning, he didn't know what to say. Annie was alive. She had survived the surgery. Both him and Lindy were sure she was going to die, they were even sure it was for the best. Now however, Jack wasn't so sure. Annie was his daughter and he almost lost her, something precious to him. Maybe this was a second chance. Should he just let it go, act as if he doesn't care or should he try to build his relationship with Annie again?

"Who was that?" Lindy asked.

"The hospital," giving her a shock looked.

"I take it she died, like we expected."

"No, she's alive and awake."

"I see," Lindy frowned a little bit.

"Well, then, that's…what do they want us to do?"

"As her parents they were just informing us…I'm going to visit her."

"I don't think you should," Lindy crossed her arms firmly. "You can't possibly be hoping to bring her into this home. I won't stand for it."

"Can I go see Annie, too?" Victor asked. "She left pretty quickly, I don't know how though."

"What are you talking about?" Lindy softened her voice looking down at the boy, "Your sister has been in the hospital." She was meeting with him, eye to eye. "I'm not sure if you should see her. She won't look very well."

"She looked pretty earlier," Victor stated, "And I've seen her look pretty bad before."

"I'm going," Jack said firmly. "Come on Victor, you'll wait in the waiting room, and I'll let you see her if she is okay to see alright."

"Okay, but I'm sure she's fine."

"Jack don't you dare expose him!" Jack ignored his wife and grabbed his jacket hanging by the door, as well as Victor's.

Nick awoke to the sun and his mother smiling at him. "Hello honey!" she greeted warmly. For a moment, he felt like he was five and his father was still alive, breakfast was waiting on the table and his mom wasn't buried in work.

"Hi," he greeted while adjusting himself, then when the pain rushed to him, he realized he wasn't five and his father was dead. He realized he's in the hospital, on a very comfortable bed, but his mother was there not buried in her work. His face fell a little, when he saw her expression "Mom," she looked so tired.

"Yeah dear, do you need water?" He hadn't realized how thirsty he was until she said something. Nodding, she immediately went and got some water. Not too far from the hall he heard it, her voice…She was alive! He took all the strength he had and tried to crawl out of bed. When his mother turned around to bring the water she found him on the floor. The cup crashed to the floor, water splashing everywhere.

"Nicky!" she cried. "What are you doing?" She dove to his side and tried to bring him back to bed, but he begun he tried to pull his arms out of her grip. "Nicky."

"Annie," he cried.

"She's fine!" his mother assured him. "I was going to tell you, calm down."

He still fought her. "Let me see her, please mom, please! I have to," he begged.

"Nicky I need you to get back in bed!" she scolded, but was on the verge of tears. "Right now!"

"I have to see her. I have to touch her. I have to know! She was fading when I touched her last, please," he fought as hard as he could, but his body was weak. Desperation in his voice broke his mother's heart.

"Okay, only for a second," she reluctantly yelled, "Nurse!" A nurse wearing a plain purple shirt rushed over ready to help put Nick in bed, but Mrs. Powell stopped her. "I need a wheel chair!"

"But Mrs. Powell, he really should be in-"

"I don't care. Either you get him a wheel chair or we end up fighting with him for the next 30 minutes trying to get him in bed. When his request will take us ten minutes to fulfill and he'll go to bed without a fuss, won't you Nicky?" she looked sternly at him.

"Yes, mom I will."

"Okay," the nurse complied and found a wheel chair. They helped him into the wheel chair, and then Mrs. Powell told the nurse she would take it from there. The nurse look a bit nervous, but she decided fighting the determined mother was a lost cause.

Mrs. Powell wheeled Nick to Annie's room with a stern expression. "I know you hate this mom, but please know I love you, and appreciate for it." His mother took a deep sigh before heading into the room.

"I don't understand any of this Nick, but you are being stubborn and you never fought so hard for something before so, at least not so openly. I figure you really must want this, whatever this is with this girl…" she trailed off.

"I don't know what it is…I think we were both invisible to each other and I don't want to be invisible anymore. I don't want her to be invisible."

"I don't understand," his mother was confused as she stopped at Annie's door. "But we're here, and you were never invisible to me. I saw you always. Sure I may not have seen all of you, but I saw you and all you would let me see."

"I know. I don't want to hide anymore."

"I wish I had died." The words broke their conversation and Nick's heart.

He pushed the door open, "Don't ever say that." His mother was behind him, supporting him, while Annie just stared at him.

"Nick-"

"Annie, I don't ever wanna hear you say that ever again!" he yelled.

"Nick, you don't understand. You were right, I'm broken. I have no where to go. I may not even have jail to go to."

"What is she talking about?" Diane questioned. "Why does she actually sound like she wants to go to jail? What makes her think she isn't going?"

"Mrs. Powell, I-"

"Because she almost killed my son,"

"Mom, won't stop you," he looked at Annie. "You are broken."

"I know." There was something that Diane nor Brian could understand between the two young adults. An unspoken language: a connection they had together.

"Don't you want to heal?"

"I think it is too late for me," she replied. "I almost killed you. I can't go back from that." Mrs. Powell noticed the true remorse from the girl. All the anger she felt for the girl disappeared. She saved him. She didn't have to, but she did.

"You can move from it," Nick stated.

"I have no where to move to."

"You can move in with me," Brian piped up. "It's a small apartment and you'd have a curfew, rules to follow, and you'll have to do house work, but you can move in with me."

"Why?" Annie asked, "Why would you do that?"

"I want you to move on too. If a stranger can believe in you, don't you think someone who has known you for years has a lot of faith in you as well?"

"He isn't as much as a stranger as you think," Annie looked at Nick and smiled. "I'll move, I can't do it for me," she cried, "but I'll do it for Victor and I'll do it for you Nick, if you'll walk for me!" Diane didn't know what to say, she wondered who Victor was, a boyfriend maybe?

"I walk again and you move on with your life."