Hey all! i'm so sorry it's taken so long for an update, but life has been and while likely continue to be crazy. thanks for reading, and hold on tight until the next update! it may be a while.

so i made a few changes to earlier chapters so that the story takes place in 2028 instead of 2027 because apparently the Liars are still just seniors in Season 4...just to let you know!

finally, thank you to everyone who reads and reviews or follows or favorites my writing! i don't really get to respond to reviews, but i read every last one, so please keep them coming! read and review; feed me!

on to the story...

I struggle for a few minutes to slip my phone out of my jacket pocket without dropping any flowers and finally manage to open up my contacts. I fumble around in the 'A' section before finally calling.

"Hey sugar, how are you doing?"

I wriggle my nose. "You too? What is with the pet names today?"

Aria huffs her confusion, and I clarify. "Hanna called me sweetcheeks. Did all of you turn gay when I wasn't looking? I want to see the complimentary toasters as proof."

"The complimentary what now? You're not drunk, are you?"

"No, but I did breathe in some Lynn vapors this morning."

She laughs. "That's fabulous honey, but I doubt tea fumes are why you called."

I sigh. "Will you come with me today? I'm in front of the shop right now."

Aria takes a moment to figure out what I mean, and then I can almost hear her nod through the phone. "Yeah, I'll meet you at the front door."

I almost miss seeing her through the multitude of roses blocking my view, but those eyes are hard to miss. She takes half of the flowers after we hug, and then I notice her tie skirt. After all these years, she still has that damned thing. And to think what Paige could have done with the poor darlings... Tears escape from my eyes as I laugh softly.

"Em?" She's looking at me, and worry is etched across her forehead. All of the girls have those lines on their faces, and it's mostly because of me. And Paige.

I smile at Aria, who squeezes my shoulder.

"You ready?"

I take a breath and look at the sign above our heads. Manhattan General. How ironic that Paige and I always hated doctors, yet here we are. I follow Aria through the sliding glass doors.

"Emily! Back for your regular visit?" Dr. Mitchell startles me out of my reverie. I give him a small smile through the roses, and he grins back before scratching his short gray hair. "And who did you bring with you today?"

Whom, I mentally correct him before sighing. Paige's studying has seriously rubbed off on me. I nod my head in the direction of the hallway. "Aria. She's in the bathroom."

Dr. Mitchell nods. "Sweet girl. They all are. Shall I take you to her then?" He starts walking from the waiting room without waiting for an answer, and I follow. Aria will find me. We all have the way to her room memorized. If it wasn't for hospital rules, well...let's just say the girls would rather have stayed with me than ever go home.

"Please Em, it's way past visiting hours." Spencer gently coaxed Emily. "It's been a long day. Let's all head back to my place and get some rest."

Emily didn't look up from her place beside the bed. "No," she mumbled with her face pressed into the sheets.

Hanna crossed and uncrossed her arms. "Em, we can come back tomorrow. Everyone's tired, including her, which is why she's sleeping and being a general lazyass, and you can talk to her in the morning after she's up."

"Hanna!" Spencer and Aria snapped.

"No. I want to be here when she wakes up. I want to be the first thing she sees." Even through the sheets, the girls could hear Emily's crying.

Aria plodded over to Emily and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Come on sweetie, the doctors need rest too."

Emily shook her head. "I'm staying. You guys go home and sleep."

But the girls glanced at each other before Hanna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's happening."

Spencer stood up with a sigh. "I'm going home to grab pillows and some blankets. You guys need anything else?"

Finally Emily looked up. "Spence? Can you grab an extra blanket? Her hands are cold."

Spencer's heart broke at the sight of Emily's tearstained face, of her desperately but oh-so-gently clutching Paige's hand, and she nodded. "Yeah."

A few hours later, Dr. Mitchell opened the door to see the four girls around the bed. The obvious love they had for each other made his heart ache. The girlfriend was slumped in a chair and had her arms protectively around his battered patient, who was mysteriously covered in a brown and white comforter. The other three girls were sprawled haphazardly on the floor in makeshift beds, their runny makeup bearing witness to the worry and pain of the day's events. He glanced at his watch and sighed. 3:04 AM. He hated playing the bad guy, but rules were rules.

"Girls, you have to get up. I promise you can come see her tomorrow. I'll open the doors for you myself so you can talk to her right when she wakes up."

Paige never woke up.

Dr. Mitchell holds the door open for me. "I'll bring lunch up for the three of you," he says before closing the door. For a few moments, I stare at where he had been standing before turning around.

There she is, my beautiful girl. I put the roses in the giant vase that Spencer no doubt prepared for me and sit in the chair to take my girlfriend's hands. They're warm for once, thank God. I stand and bend over to kiss her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose. Then gently, reverently, I kiss her pouty lips before sitting down again. Even with being thin, pale, and comatose, Paige is beautiful.

I start crying again. "Hi baby." I don't notice Aria silently entering and sitting in the chair in the corner. She's warm. Her hands, her face, they're a good temperature. It's a step.

what do y'all think? love it, hate it, want to burn it? let me know! suggestions are welcome, as well as criticism. flames are not. you know, the usual.