Chapter 4

Hold On

Jade lifted her head, thinking she heard something. Long seconds passed before Tori's hand moved, slightly squeezing Jade's hand. She jerked her hand away and looked up at the girl in the bed. She could see Tori's eyes moving in a REM pattern. "Oh God, Tori! Tori, please wake up." She rubbed the smaller, more fragile hand within her own, tears spilling over onto Tori's hand. "Tori, baby, can you feel me holding you? Baby, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand." Jade watched with anticipation, then she felt it a small squeeze. Jade tried to move her wheelchair back without letting Tori go, but there wasn't enough room. "You son-of-a-bitch, move." She pounded the arms of the chair, reaching down to get her cell phone that had fallen down behind her with all her movements. "Dammit! Tori please baby, keep fighting. I'm right here, I won't leave you."

With tears of happiness and a heart full of hope, she watched as Tori opened one eye, then seconds later she opened her other one. Tori's gaze was distant, blinking looking around, taking in her surroundings. The small smile on Jade's face grew bigger when she saw Tori's beautiful brown eyes, "Tori, sweetheart, you're awake..." She was cut off by the sound of machines going off and Tori gagging. She threw her head back, screaming at the top of her lungs. "BECK, HELP! BECK! HELP!" Moments later, nurses and other staff came running into the room. An orderly took Jade's hand and pushed her and her chair out of the way. "NO! No, please, I have to stay with her, please, oh God, please help her." She saw the orderlies' lips moving, but the fear roaring through her head was more effective than any mute button. Her heart lurched when Beck pushed carefully between her and the orderly, who turned back to help the nurses.

Beck moved her away from the bed, and Jade struggled to drive herself forward against his firm hand. Beck said, "Jade, stop! You have to let them help her." When Jade didn't stop trying to get back to Tori's side, "Jade, dammit, stop." He raised his voice while fighting her to stay in the chair. Robbie ran up to the fighting couple and, without a second thought, sat on Jade's lap, trying to help calm the overly emotional girl. He did succeed in stopping Jade, for a moment. Then the shocked look dropped from her face like it had been slapped, leaving black murderous rage. "Off. Now." Robbie leapt up, moving to cower behind Beck. Jade's rage fell just as quickly, and she slumped in her wheelchair in the corner, unblinkingly watching the nurses work.

Sikowitz paced back and forth waiting for Trina to answer, he let the tears fall freely as she thanked God for bring Tori back to them. "Oh Trina, she's awake, Grace is awake." So emotional, he didn't even notice he had called Tori by his passed daughter's name. He cried openly, smiling widely.

Trina jumped up from the table, knocking her drink flying to the floor. Waving her hands in the air, tears streaming down her face, she grabbed her parents' hands. "She's awake! Tori is awake." Ending the call without saying goodbye or even thanking Sikowitz, Trina, with her parents close behind, rushed out of the cafeteria, running to the bank of elevators.

Sikowitz walked over to the two boys who were still having trouble keeping Jade calm. She would sit quietly for a moment, then try to lunge out of the chair. He gently steered Beck aside. "Robbie, you take Elvis here down to Cat' room and let them know what is happening, I'll take care of Jade." He smiled down at the girl after the boys disappeared down the hall. "Now you listen to me, young lady, acting like this won't help anyone, you have to let them help her." He took her hand and helped her to stand up, pulling her into a bear hug, rubbing her back, letting her cry quietly.

"I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see them stuck in that car," Jade whimpered. "It made me sick to the point that I was throwing up to think Tori was in that coma and now that she's awake, it doesn't mean that she's going to be okay." Jade hung on the man that had become close to her like a father.

Beck walked into Cat's room with Robbie closely behind. Andre was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, rocking back and forth humming to himself. Beck looked over to the bed to see that Cat had brought the head of the bed up as far as she could stand it and had draped her blanket over the top and was now talking to no one. "This is the coolest cave I've been in," Cat said in a weird voice. Shaking his head, he turned back to Andre and stifled a laugh.

"Hey bro, you okay there?" he asked his friend, letting the laugh go slightly. Robbie started to bounce uncontrollably, hitting Beck on the shoulder and gesturing for him to get on with the news. "Damn Rob, can't you see I'm talking to my brother from another mother? So, good news everyone. Tori is awake!"

"Cricky!" called Cat. "We had lost her in the river just yesterday, now that she comes home. Twinkies are filled with sugar goo!" Cat narrated. "Someone check the toilet in the bathroom, I can't find Mr. Longneck anywhere. I need my giraffe!"

Beck slowly walked over to the bed, lifting the blanket. "What cha doin?" he asks giving her the weirdest look. "Cat, um…I found Mr. Longneck." Her eyes, a liquid black that showed only pupils, uncrossed and focused on his face. She gave a squeak of joy. "But I gotta ask you, Cat. Why do you have Mr. Longneck's tail in your mouth?" Her left hand smacked into her face, rolling her head to the side as the cast made a slight crunch. He watched as she looked at him slowly.

Cat's eyes grew wide as if she had seen a ghost. "Hi, Beck!" she chirped. Her voice dropped to a stage whisper. "Hey don't tell them, but I'm not really exploring a cave. It's more of a cavern. Under a tavern. I'm looking for a wyvern. It's like a dragon, but only two legs. And a scorpion tail with poison instead of fire. Fire is shiny. Oh, look, it's a water glass." She laughed and snorted and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

"Okay…your secret is safe with me." Beck turned to the others. "Tori is awake. She isn't in the coma anymore," he told them. He was about to go on when Cat gasped behind him. They all turned to her.

"Beck?" She blinked several times, with a flirty smile on her face. "How long have you been here?" "Okay. So you're never going to remember this. It's been really entertaining. Stop hitting on me and try to juggle some air." Cat laughed and looked back and forth at her air balls, waving her hands randomly.

Back at Tori's room, her parents had come in to see her. The doctor was just turning away from the injured girl. "You her parents?" he asked. At their nods, he continued. "Tori appears to be waking up from her coma. She'll be in and out several times. She might talk, move, appear to be fully awake. But don't get your hopes up just yet. And don't expect her to remember this time. I just got done consulting with the neurologist. Her MRI revealed a sizable blood clot in her brain. So far, it doesn't appear to be causing any damage, and she's young and strong. I've already ordered her put on blood thinners to dissolve the clot, so chances are, she's going to be fine. But until the clot is gone, we are still not completely out of the woods yet."

Jade groaned from her spot in the corner, causing the Vega family to jump. They had not noticed Jade or Sikowitz, so focused on the doctor. Jade's face was in her hands. Looking up through her splayed fingers, she lanced the doctor with eyes. "I need you to fix her. I need her back. She makes me a better person."

The doctor nodded. "I've got my team working on this. We're the best team in LA. While there are no guarantees, there is no reason to view this as anything but a positive sign. Your girlfriend will be up and about before you are."

Jade's skin paled. "She's not my girlfriend. She's just my friend. My rival. I love her and I hate her, and god life won't be any fun without her."