A/N: Hey! So thanks for all your reviews! They were lovely, darlings! :D So, I'm updating for you guys and gals! :D

What the hell is that noise?

Stevie opens her eyes and blinks back the pain in her eyes from the lights above her bed. She's in the hospital. The ER it seems. The noise is a loud, annoying beeping from the monitor above the bed. Stevie yawns and tries to sit up but there's an IV tube in her arm. What the hell?

"You're awake!" says a woman in aqua scrubs. Stevie nods and says, "Why am I here?" "Your friend brought you in. She said you collapsed while working out?" the nurse says. Stevie suddenly recalls earlier. "Oh... yeah... I was on the treadmill," Stevie says. "I can tell by the burn mark on your arm from the belt. Were you wearing the clip?" the nurse asks. "Clip?" "Well, they come with clips. When you lose balance, the clip slips off your shirt or whatever you attach it to, and the machine stops right away," the nurse says. "Oh. No, I wasn't," Stevie says.

"Well, no worries. We'll get you fixed up, hon. When was the last time you ate? Sometimes if you skip a meal you can get pretty dizzy," the nurse says. Stevie thinks. A while ago. "Um... a couple days," she stumbles. It's barely audible. "Days?" The nurse asks. Stevie nods her head. "What's been stopping you?" the nurse says. Stevie shrugs and says, "I don't know. I haven't felt like eating. I went through a period of consistantly eating... then I started not fitting into my clothes... and I guess I just stopped," Stevie says. "Have you been depressed?" the nurse asks. Stevie nods her head slowly. "My father... he um... died not long ago. My mother doesn't want to talk. I do... but she shipped me off to my own appartment and I've had to work, I've just graduated... it's a lot of stress all at once," Stevie says in a rush.

The nurse nods her head, sympathy etched onto her face. "So, you started eating a lot... then just suddenly stopped?" the nurse asks. Stevie nods her head again. "Well, I'm going to go get some food and have it brought up in a bit. I don't expect you to eat all of it. But just a little bit. We'll work up to a full meal," the nurse says.

Stevie watches as the nurse leaves. She hears, just before the door closes, the nurse say quietly to another nurse, "Depression. I want an extra eye on the girl."

"Last night was fun, yeah?" Justin laughs. Zander nods his head. "I think I'm going to give alcohol a break though. Too many hangovers in one week can't be good for your body," Zander says. Justin bursts out laughing. "How long are you here for anyway?" he asks Justin. "Another two weeks. So... I'm going to the hospital in a bit. I'm going to see an old friend who's been sick a while," Justin says, a bit sadly. "You'll come right?" he asks Zander. Zander can see Justin is being totally serious. He thinks quickly and nods his head. "Yeah, sure."

Claire walks into Stevie's room and nearly runs to her best friend as she sees Stevie's finally woken up. "Oh thank God!" Claire cries. She tries to carefully hug Stevie, but settles for kissing her best friend on the cheek. Stevie smiles and says, "Hey."

"What the hell happened there?" Claire cries. "I just skipped breakfast... that's all," Stevie lies. "Save it, Baskara. I overheard the nurses. Tell me what's really going on," Claire says. Stevie sighs. "I don't really know. I don't think I've ever been this sad. I mean, I feel really sad. There's so much going on and-" "Your food, Miss," a male nurse says entering the room. He moves the cart into the room and then walks up to the bed and helps Stevie sit up more. He brings the tray over to her and sets it close to the right side of her bed. "Thank you," Stevie says as the nurse leaves.

"Okay... so you're depressed..." prompts Claire. Stevie sighs, and suddenly she does something she doesn't think Claire has ever seen her do. She cries. "Sometimes I wake up at night and I can't get back to sleep and sometimes I don't even sleep! Sometimes I wish I could just sleep... forever," Stevie sobs. Claire holds her chest where her heart is. "I don't think I've ever heard something so sad..." Claire says, more to herself than to Stevie. "Why didn't you talk to me?" Claire demands, slightly hurt. "Because... I couldn't leave a room and come back without you not even noticing me gone. I mean... if I just gave up... would you even know?" Stevie yells.

Claire sits back in the chair by the bed and suddenly she looks like she's in a trance. "Is that how you feel?" Claire says quietly. Stevie nods her head. "Well... I guess that means we aren't best friends," Claire says. Claire gets up and walks out of the room. Stevie knows she's leaving. She knows Claire won't be back soon. Stevie feels the tears in her eyes.

They shake her body violently, and Stevie pulls the IV from her arm-the clear patch too, not even bothering that it's stinging. The blood from the puncture of the tube runs down her arm, but she's not even looking. She gets out of the bed and quickly throws the food cart out of her way. Stevie lets out a loud scream. It's a scream of frustration with a loud sob mixed in. It's basically a cry for help. She runs into the bathroom across the hospital room and locks the door. She hears a nurse come into the room.

The bathroom door handle moves and the nurse cries out, "Stevie? Stevie!" but Stevie sits on the floor under the open counter. Tears streak her face and she holds the IV puncture on her arm. "Miss Baskara! Please, open the door!" the nurse cries. Stevie faintly hears the nurse say to someone else, "Go get a key."

There's shuffling outside the door and Stevie just sits under the counter sobbing. It isn't long before the lock on the door turns and a nurse runs into the bathroom. She quickly snatches Stevie up from under the counter and gently pulls her back to her bed. Stevie doesn't protest or fight. She just cries and follows, limp. "Get the doctor," the nurse says to another worker.

The nurse stays by closely, but she picks up the food from the floor and the upturned tray. Carefully fixing what can be fixed, she nurse returns to Stevie's side, putting the IV tube back in and settling Stevie onto the bed.

"What's going on here?" Justin asks. Zander shrugs and keeps looking for the room Justin's friend is in. He sees a group of nurses standing around one room. They're all whispering amongst themselves, and he happens to catch, "The poor girl. She's gone nuts. First, her father dies... then her mother just ships her off. Then some boy, or so she says, just uses her... she's only 18. That's not the life for a girl so young," one says. Zander stops in his tracks and says, "I'm looking for that girl. Is this her room?" He knows it's a terrible lie... but he feels bad. One nurse looks him up and down and says, "State your relationship."

Justin gives Zander a light whack on his arm, but Zander ignores him. "I'm her brother," he lies. "She said she didn't have any siblings," another nurse says. "I don't live at home with her. I've actually come home," Zander lies. The nurse hesitates, but says, "Maybe you can help her out," and lets him into the room. As he walks in, he sees she's not in her bed. Justin sends another whack at Zander's arm and hisses, "Dude, what the hell? Why are we even in here? You don't have a sister." "I know I don't. I'll explain later," Zander says. Justin sits down on the chair by the hopsital bed.

Zander walks up to the bathroom door which now has a hole where the lock was. The door is shut. He knocks on the wood, and the door opens after a moment. A nurse and Stevie walk out. Stevie's eyes go wide. "Hey..." Zander says. Stevie looks to the nurse. "Can we be alone?" she asks. The nurse nods, but helps Stevie to her bed. When Stevie's situated, the nurse leaves. Zander looks at Justin. He nods his head at the door and Justin sighs and leaves the room.

"What are you doing here?" she snaps. He swallows the lump in his throat and says, "I heard some nurses talking..." Stevie scoffs. "Funny, my 'friend' said that too before she walked out," Stevie snaps. Zander sits down in the chair beside her bed. "Well... when you were drunk that night... you told me you were depressed... but I didnt't think it was this bad..." he says. "I'm not here because I tried to kill myself... I'm here because I fainted while working out... I haven't really been eating..." she says, looking at her hands in her lap. "Why are all those nurses outside?" he asks. "Because I threw a fit and practically bled to death... I ripped out my IV tube... it thins the blood... so you bleed... a lot," she explains, feeling even more ashamed of herself.

"Now that you've asked all your questions," she says, "I'm going to ask some of mine." Zander nods his head. "Alright," he gulps. "Why did you come here? How did you know I'm here?" she asks. "Well... Justin, the other guy, has a friend here who's sick. We were looking for him. I didn't know you're here until I heard the nurses outside," he says. "Now to get a bit more serious... I need a place to stay..." she says slowly. Zander doesn't get it. "The nurses don't trust me in an appartment alone... unless I can get someone to look after me... I stay here. And... we already seem to know... a lot about each other in ways... so if I asked to move in... with you... what would you say?" she asks.

He gets it.

"Um... I don't really have a guest room... just a couch," he says. "That's all I need. Once I get better... I'll move out," she says. Zander nods his head and says, "When do they release you?" "Well, now that I have somewhere to go... tomorrow at noon," she replies. He nods his head again and says, "Then I'll be back at noon tomorrow, I guess." Stevie gives a weak smile and watches as Zander leaves.

Just until I'm okay...

A/N: Wow! I think this is my longest chapter in ANY of my stories! :D So, how did you like it! Seriously, you guys, your reviews sparked something in me! I just HAD to write and update ASAP! So, thanks everyone! And, only four more days until I get out of school... which means: MORE UPDATES! xD