Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from anything related to this series

Chapter 4

His legs were sore and the room was slowly becoming lighter. Darien had been sitting in the cold, silent room watching her sleep for hours. He hung his head and sighed. It was a long, soft sound but he needed to hear something besides the constant beeping of the heart monitor. Darien looked up at the machine monitoring Serena's life. The incessant beeping was driving him insane, he hated that sound more than anything, but he prayed with every fiber of his being that it would not stop. The silence in the room made his heart ache. It was so unnatural for any room with Serena in it to be quiet, even for an instant.

Looking down at his watch, Darien realized that he should go. As much as he hated to leave Serena's side, visiting hours would be beginning soon and he was sure Serena's friends would be back to see her as soon as they were allowed. He couldn't bear to face them again. And he had Rini to think about, he should be home when she woke up. He was about to rise to his feet when suddenly he felt it.

It was almost nothing, barely a touch, but he felt it. Her fingers were moving and slowly, ever so slowly, he felt the pressure on his palm increasing. She was holding his hand! He stared at his own fingers and at her tiny wrist. Her hand fit within his perfectly. Eventually he dragged his eyes away from her hand and looked at her eyes. His heart skipped a beat when he saw those beautiful blue irises gazing up at him. Her eyes were open, she was awake!

For a moment he was sure he was dreaming, that this was all some amazing fantasy and he would wake up on the uncomfortable couch in his living room any moment. But then she smiled and he knew it was real. Even a fantasy couldn't compare with the beauty he saw in that smile. Her face lit up when she smiled and Darien knew that now everything would be alright. As long as she was awake the world would keep on turning. Before he knew what he was doing he had gathered her up in his arms and was squeezing her gently. He knew he was talking but had no idea what he was saying. He was happier than he had ever been before in his life. Then, three small words brought it all crashing to a halt. Three small words hurled him even further into hell.

"Who is Serena?"

The second those words left Serena's lips she realized the answer with horror. The terror stricken expression on the face of the man who'd been hugging her answered her question long before he found the words. But if she was Serena, then…?

Suddenly it hit her, hard. This was all wrong; when she thought back, when she tried to search her memory, she came up with nothing. She couldn't remember anything about who she was, where she was, or who on earth this man was that still stared at her speechlessly (although she did know that she was very willing to find out).

The notion that she knew nothing about … anything overwhelmed Serena completely. She felt tears welling in her eyes but did everything she could to keep them from falling. The guy in front of her was looking at her now with an unreadable expression and she wasn't sure if she should burst into tears in front of him. She bit her bottom lip and tried to grin at him (god he was so cute) until he could find something to say.

Darien couldn't think of anything to say so he just sat there on the side of Serena's bed and stared at her face. He watched a myriad of emotions cross her face and struggled to determine how he could be so happy and so completely distraught at the same time. He saw the panic in her eyes when she realized who Serena was. Her expression was mirrored in his eyes when he realized she didn't know, but then, to his absolute amazement, he saw her expression change.

He watched the panic in her beautiful face slowly fade into worry and sadness. Her eyes welled up and Darien inwardly braced himself for the inevitable onslaught of tears. He would help her through this no matter what; he would be there for her, but what could he say to help someone who had lost everything, including themselves? Then, before he'd finished puzzling over the best things to say and do, he saw Serena bite her bottom lip and offer him the slightest of grins. He couldn't believe it. She was smiling.

"Hey there." He managed to get out.

"Hello." Her voice was weak and he could almost hear the pain she was in, but she kept the smile on her face.

"I'm glad you're awake." Darien tried to keep the conversation going while his mind continued racing in the background. "I … need to go get a doctor." The words tumbled over his tongue and out of his mouth before he'd even come to that conclusion, but even as he said it he knew that that was the best thing to do. It was important someone know Serena was awake and that she get checked out by a doctor.

The blonde's face fell slightly at Darien's words but she managed to maintain the smile as he got up from his chair and walked across the room.

"Now don't you go anywhere," Darien's attempt at a joke seemed pathetic even to him but he was thrilled when Serena kept smiling and even sent him a hint of a wink. The second he heard the soft 'click' of the door closing, he took off at full speed towards the nurses' desk.

To say the nurse on duty was surprised when a well dressed but haggard looking young man came skidding to a halt in front of her desk in the middle of the night would have been an understatement. Nevertheless she immediately called a doctor when she saw him and within two minutes the man took off again, this time with a curious doctor in tow behind him.

"I'm Doctor Kenshi" the older man offered.

"Darien" was the only reply he got as they raced down the hall.

Darien was too out of breath to explain to the doctor what was going and he was pleased the man didn't bother with any questions. He simply kept pace with Darien as he ran back down the hall to Serena's room. The doctor was unfamiliar with the specifics of the patient in room 416, he only knew that a young girl had been in an accident and wasn't expected to survive. He wrinkled his brow in worry, believing that the worst must have happened, and tried to get ready to console the young man in front of him. When the door opened and he saw a young girl sitting up in her bed he was at a complete loss for words.

"But, how can this…?" The doctor walked past Darien and went straight for the girl's chart. His mind raced back to the conversation he'd had in the locker room with a friend less than twelve hours ago.

He'd just been putting on his coat and preparing for the start of his shift when a fellow doctor, someone he'd known for years, came into the locker room looking depressed. The man slumped onto the bench between two rows of lockers and just stared at the tiles on floor beneath his feet.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, hey Steven." The depressed response was completely uncharacteristic of Kenshi's friend. He sat next to him on the bench and tried again.

"What's wrong?"

His friend sighed. "I just had to kick four teenagers out of a room where their friend is dieing because visiting hours are over. You know sometimes I hate my job."

Kenshi was sympathetic and let his friend vent his frustrations but deep down both of them knew that that was the job and that it wasn't going to change.

This couldn't possibly be the same girl his friend had grieved over just yesterday. She looked fine. Sure she was a bit battered and bruised, but he had never seen a coma victim with such a bleak prognosis sitting up in bed before. Glancing at the girl's chart only confirmed that this should not be happening.

"So," Dr. Kenshi looked back at the file in his hands "Serena?"

"So I'm told." Serena answered, trying desperately to lighten up the mood a bit. She was horribly confused and frightened and didn't want to be alone again.

"Amnesia" Darien offered from the doorway.

The doctor looked back at Darien and then decided he had better speak with the patient alone. As politely as he could he asked the young man to leave and then began speaking to the miracle sitting on the bed in front of him.

Darien was reluctant to leave Serena's side again but did as the doctor requested. Once out in the hall he sucked in a deep breath. Sinking to knees he inhaled the sterile hospital air greedily, as if he hadn't taken a real breath all day. The guilt, panic and desperation he'd been feeling since he heard the horrible sound of screeching brakes left him in an instant and he was left with only the overwhelming joy; Serena was alive.

A single tear slipped out of the corner of Darien's eye as he sat on the white tiled floor, but he only allowed himself to wallow in the joy of Serena's recovery for a moment before the reality of her situation set in. She remembered nothing, her parents still didn't know and he had no way of informing them, and Rini was asleep in his bed at the very moment. What was he going to do?

Darien tried not to panic and focused on the only thing he knew to be true. He had to help Serena. He had to do what was best for her, what would help her through this and make her happy. After all, who was better to help her adjust to this than Darien? He'd lost his memory when he was a child and could relate to how Serena was feeling. And he loved her, god he loved her more than life itself. This time he swore to himself he would do right by Serena. He would do whatever it took to make her happy, to give her the perfect life.

In the middle of Darien's musings Dr. Kenshi came out of Serena's room and saw him sitting on the ground. Before he could stand up and much to Darien's surprise, the older man slid down the wall and sat on floor next to Darien, his coat bunched around his shoulders.

"Let me start by saying I do not understand this. She seems in fine health, except for her injuries. I can't explain why she came out of the coma."

"That doesn't matter now," Darien said. "What about her memory?"

"Frankly," the doctor answered, "I'm amazed that's the only mental damage she's suffered. With a blow to the head like that, and considering how long her brain was without oxygen…"

"So she may not regain her memory?"

"It's almost impossible to say. An hour ago I would have told you she probably wasn't going to wake up but we just carried on a five minute conversation. I can't say what will happen"

Darien decided that this was better than he'd expected and thanked the doctor profusely for coming to his aid. The doctor returned his thanks and told him that it was a nice change to be able to deliver some good news in this ward of the hospital. Both men got up, shook hands and then Dr. Kenshi walked back down the hall and Darien returned to Serena's room.

He sat down in the chair he'd been in all night and looked again at Serena's face. He concluded that her smile was the most beautiful thing on this earth and that he never wanted to see it disappear. Feeling a little awkward under this man's constant scrutiny, Serena was the first to speak.

"The doctor told me I was hit by a truck, and that you stayed with me until the paramedics came." Darien nodded. "Thank you."

"Serena you don't have to …"

"I … uh, can't remember your name." she added, almost apologetically.

Darien tried not to let her see his heart breaking as he introduced himself to the woman he loved. "Darien … Darien Shields."

"Oh," Serena said. She tried to find the name in her memory. To conjure up any images of herself with this man who so obviously cared about her, but to no avail. There was just nothing there. Her face fell. Darien looked down so that she couldn't see his eyes. She wished he would look up at her, he had such beautiful eyes. "Darien…?" She began timidly after a minute of silence.

"Yes?"

"Well, you know me well… don't you?"

"Yes."

"Can you … can you tell me? About myself I mean?"

A lump formed in Serena's throat as she spoke the words and again she fought back tears. She bit her lip again but this time couldn't keep the tears from filling her eyes until she was forced to blink and they tumbled down her face. Darien reached forward and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. The girl who sat before him was so different. She was so quiet and timid; withdrawn. There was nothing of his Serena in there. He had to help her find herself. This was his chance to make things right, to give Serena the life she deserved. He wouldn't fail her again.

"Of course," He answered, but in his mind he was already thinking about the steps he needed to take to give the girl he loved the life she deserved.

A/N: I know it's short and I apologize but the next chapter will be out in a couple of days (promise). Please review I love reading them. Thanks for reading!