Chapter 1:

"What makes you think it's Alex?" Shahir was as careful as he could be. While one of the nurses paged both Gavin and Joel, he tried his best to help his friend.

"Because it's Alex," Charlie's eyes did not leave his fiancée's. He tried to calm her down only by looking at her, but he could easily tell it does not work. He couldn't talk to her, not while all the surgeons and nurses were in the room, but he wanted to do that so desperately that he nearly forgot that if he does that he would lose his job. His job, his life and what's left of his sanity. "Can't you see? Look at her!"

"We can't see her face clearly," Shamir's tone was calming. "I'm sure it's not Alex. She probably just looks like her."

"Look at her!" Charlie's voice was going louder and louder.

"Charlie?" She asked quietly, scared.

Charlie ignored her. He couldn't acknowledge her quite yet. "It's her clothes, it's her figure. It's… it's her." Shahir still seemed doubtful, even though he was trying to hide it. "Call her if you don't believe me." Shahir hesitated. "Call her!"

"Charlie? Is everything okay?" Gavin's voice was quiet.

"Fine." Charlie turned around, towards Joel. "I trust you to operate on her," He told Joel, who had just entered the room. "If you mess something up…"

"I won't," The surgeon promised quietly. He didn't seem to believe it was Alex either, but he treated it seriously, as did the psychiatrist.

"Good." With this word Charlie left the operating room, hoping Alex would come after him. He quickly washed his hands and changed his clothes, and then turned towards one of the private rooms in the hospital. Hearing Gavin following him, he hurried to shake him off. He walked silently, not even once turning around to check if his fiancée was following him. It was too hard to look at her and know that the one person he loved more than anybody in the whole world was now in coma and might die on the operating table.

He walked into the room and then sat down on the bed. He could sense her coming, moving towards him. She knew he saw her in that moment and he knew she would not stop until her questions would be answered. He was the only one she could turn to, and they both knew she would.

"Charlie?"

"Alex." The name came out as a hoarse whisper. "What happened?"

"I was driving home. I needed gas so I stopped the refuel. I… There was an accident by the road. I stopped to help. That's all I can remember." She stood in front of him and he had no choice but look into the eyes he loved so much. "Charlie, what's going on? What am I doing here? Why did you say this woman was me? Why could nobody else see me?"

"Because it is," He said quietly. "The woman on the operating table is you. The firemen said another car crashed into yours, apparently while you were inside. They managed to get you out right before the fire burned through the whole car and the two others that were involved. They brought you here. Joel, Shahir and Reycraft are operating on you right now."

"How is it that I can walk around? How is it that you can hear me?"

"You must have slipped into a coma," He replied quietly. "People in coma can walk around here."

"Like you remember you did?" He nodded. "But then no one could see you. How come you can see me and talk to me?" He did not reply. "Charlie."

Understanding she would not leave it, he sighed quietly before looking into her eyes again. "Ever since the accident… I have the ability to see people. Dead people. Or people in coma. I can talk to them. I've been seeing them since the day I woke up from that coma. Ever since we got back to Hope Zion I've been talking to them. Interacting with them."

"What?" She sounded shocked, but she also sounded hurt.

"I'm sorry… I didn't tell you." He said, still in the same quiet voice. He looked away, unable to look into her eyes while revealing his biggest secret. "But I couldn't. I needed to understand it before I can tell you about it. I needed to be sure I wasn't losing my mind after the coma. I needed to be certain of what it is." He paused. "After Randall… I had a feeling you might not believe me if I wouldn't show it to you. I needed to be sure that you wouldn't think I'm insane."

Alex remained silent. He hesitated before looking up, only to find out the room was empty. She was gone.

Charlie couldn't help but start hoping his fiancée was getting better as he hurried towards the operating room. He was not surprised to find out the three were still operating, working hard to try to save Alex's life. Joel was giving instructions as they went on with it, trying to make sure everything will be done with maximum efficiency. He knew he shouldn't be worried – Alex was in good hands – but he still was.

"I tried to call Alex," Gavin's voice sounded next to him. He turned around from the window of the operating room to the psychiatrist, who was standing next to him, holding a folder. "She didn't pick up the phone. While she was here we tested her blood. She's got the same blood type as Alex."

"I told you." Charlie turned back to the window.

"It doesn't mean it's Alex lying there."

"It does. It does because it's Alex. That woman is Alex Reid, no matter how hard you try to pretend she isn't." He paused. "Have you compared her DNA to Alex's?"

Charlie could see the psychiatrist shaking his head. His face reflected on the glass window, letting Charlie look at him even without actually turning to him. He was looking at Charlie, clearly worried and attempting to calm him.

"You should."

"We will." Gavin paused, looking at him quietly for a moment. "What makes you think it's Alex?"

Charlie's voice was stern. "I'm not answering that question again."

"Okay." Gavin's voice was calming. "What are you feeling right now?" Charlie turned towards him, again annoyed. "I know you think you don't need it and you're fine, but if this is really Alex in there, you could use some help."

Charlie opened his mouth to say he did not need any kind of help other than the medical one – someone else to be operating on his fiancée – when he realized how problematic this situation really was for him. On the one hand, it was like reliving last year, reliving the feeling of being away from Alex and being completely powerless. On the other, unlike the last time, he did have a way to communicate with her, a way that sometimes made him feel insane and which he still wasn't sure was completely normal. Overall, he felt like he was losing his mind.

"It feels like we're reliving last year," He said eventually, looking through the window again. He stared ahead, not seeing anything but the horror inside his mind. "Only I'm out here and she's in there."

"Nothing is certain yet, Charlie," Gavin said quietly. "She may be completely fine after the surgery."

"Maybe."

Gavin remained standing next to him, clearly unsure whether or not to speak. Charlie watched silently as they operated on Alex, only wishing she would be fine and won't remember a thing once she wakes up.