Feel free to cry a little while reading this chapter. I did while I was writing it. I think that's a pretty good sign when you can make yourself feel the emotions your characters are feeling.

Ezra waited outside while Emily went in to Mona's room and shut the door behind her. There was a chair near the bed, but she ignored it and remained standing by Mona's side. She wanted to say something to let Mona know she was there, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out.

If Mona could see herself right now she would be appalled. Her arm was in a cast, she had two black eyes, and there was a bandage on her head where she had hit it on the dash board in the accident. She had hit her head hard enough to put her into a coma. She looked awful, but Emily couldn't take her eyes off Mona's face.

Finally she pulled the chair closer and sat down, reaching with her good arm to take Mona's good hand. She squeezed gently, and although there was no response she knew Mona knew she was there.

"Hi Mona." She said quietly. "It's Emily. Ezra's in the waiting room. He says hi. He drove me down here, and you should've seen the way he stood up to Mr. Hackett when he caught us getting into his car at school. We both did. I'm glad he's on our side.

She paused for a moment, at a loss for words. The room was silent except for the sound of the machines monitoring Mona's vital signs. Emily half expected the line on the heart monitor to go flat and a loud, long beep to come out of it. Followed by a text from A, of course, smugly announcing that she had won.

But Mona's heart didn't stop. It kept beating slow and sure. Mona was unconscious, but she was alive. As long as she was alive A hadn't won. As long as any of them was alive, even if they had given up fighting, A hadn't won.

As she sat in the quiet, fluorescent lighted hospital room she suddenly had an overwhelming urge to tell Mona exactly what she thought of her and how she felt about the situation they had all found themselves in.

"Mona, I know you can hear me and I want you to listen carefully. This is important." She said, her voice strong but not loud. "The other day, before the accident, I told you that all of this was Ali's fault. And it is. I don't think you ever would have become A if it weren't for the way Ali, and the rest of us, treated you. I'm sorry about that. We all are, but it's your fault too. You had a choice. You could have ignored us. Or let it go. But you didn't.

"For whatever reason you felt you needed revenge, and you got it." her voice cracked and she paused to take a breath before continuing. "You tortured us and made our lives miserable for a year. A whole year, Mona. I really don't understand how you could do that to us. I know we were terrible to you, but we didn't deserve what you did to us.

"You keep telling us you're sorry, and I know you are. I forgive you, but I'll never be able to forget. I can try to put it all behind me and be your friend, but it will always be there. You know that, don't you? That's why you keep apologizing. That's why you're trying so hard to earn our forgiveness."

Emily paused as she voiced her realizations. She felt something wet hit her hand and realized that she was crying. She was still holding Mona's hand, and she gave it a gentle squeeze. To her amazement, Mona squeezed back ever so lightly. Emily almost didn't notice it. She gasped, expecting, and hoping that Mona would open her eyes. But she didn't.

"Mona," Emily said in a pleading voice. "Please. You have to wake up. If you don't, A wins. I know you don't want that. You have to fight, and you have to come home. Please. We need your help. We need you. I know this isn't my fault, but I still feel guilty. I'm so sorry, Mona. I need to know you understand that. Please…wake up."

Mona showed no signs of having heard a word Emily had said. She didn't move or make a sound. There wasn't even the slightest twitch. Emily let out a shaky breath and stood up, giving Mona's hand one last squeeze. Mona didn't squeeze back.

With a sniff she turned and left the room, walking back to the waiting room where Ezra was reading quietly in a corner. He looked up when she walked into the room as if he sensed her presence and instantly looked alarmed. He jumped out of his chair and rushed over to her.

"Emily, what's wrong?" he asked. "Is Mona okay?"

She nodded, and dug a small package of tissues out of her purse. "Yeah. It's just really hard to see her like that. The same thing could've happened to me."

Ezra put his arms around her and gave her a gentle hug that was only slightly awkward. She hugged him back with her good arm and smiled at him.

"Thanks." She said as they walked out of the hospital and headed back to his car. "Aria's really lucky to have you, Ezra. We all are."

He smiled. "She's lucky to have you too."