"He was awake for a couple of minutes earlier but all the painkillers put him to sleep. Surprisingly he only hurt his left arm as he dislocated his shoulder and fractured his clavicle. He also suffered a concussion but nothing too major. His legs are bruised but they're fine."

Chuck let out a laugh. "He was wearing his leg pads under his suit wasn't he? He had a lacrosse injury and was going to practice afterwards."

The doctor nodded. "Lucky him. He has 6 stitches from the glass that hit him in the chest. Apart from that, he just has a few minor cuts. As soon as he wakes up you can go in and see him."

Serena waited impatiently in the waiting room. She went over to the doctor. "Can I just sit in there with him? I promise to be quiet."

He nodded and checked his watch. "He should be awake any moment now."

Serena walked into the room and sat on the chair next to him. She hated seeing him connected to a bunch of machines. She looked up when she heard a small buzzing noise and she realized it was Nate's bed angling up so that he could be sitting up. And he was awake!

Serena jumped off her seat and ran to his bedside. She didn't think of anything to say so she stood there grinning like an idiot. Instinctively, she leaned over and kissed him softly. She was surprised when she got Nate's response. He kissed her back hungrily, almost desperately; as if he was afraid he'd run out of time any moment. She climbed on top of him, careful to keep her weight on her knees instead of sitting on his lap and she was even more careful to not touch his left arm.

Nate wrapped his right arm around her and pulled her body closer to him. He didn't dare let his lips leave hers, not even for a second.

Serena kissed him until she could no longer breathe. And she pressed her forehead against his and tried to focus on his eyes but the whole room was spinning. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she could hear Nate's heart monitor beeping quickly too. She pulled away so she could look at him. He looked flushed and tired and weak but happy. She tried to regain her breath. "Natie…I…"

She heard the door swing open and she turned to see Anne Archibald in the doorway along with the Captain. They looked embarrassed to walk in to such an intimate moment. Serena carefully climbed off Nate and blushed when her eyes met theirs. She signaled to Nate that she'd be back and closed the door behind her.

…

Chuck looked out of the window and Blair wrapped an arm around him. They were both thinking the same thing but neither one of them knew how to say it. Chuck wasn't even sure what it meant.

Blair bit her bottom lip. "Maybe now that Nate's okay then…"

Chuck nodded. "Maybe."

"Have you noticed her acting differently?"

Chuck nodded again. "Have you?"

Blair frowned. It was obvious to both of them. Serena was unable to focus and they'd find her staring at the same place on the wall for periods without end. It was hard to have a conversation with her unless it was about Nate. "Maybe Nate can help more than we can."

"I think so too."

Blair thought about how the blonde had been targeted more than the rest of them had. "What the hell constitutes a mental breakdown anyway?"

Chuck wrapped his arms around Blair. "I don't know. Let's go get her, then we can stop by and see Nate."

Chuck followed Blair into Serena's room. They knocked but she hadn't even bothered to turn around. Chuck walked over to her, standing by the window. "Serena. How long have you been staring out there?"

She turned to the clock. "48 minutes and 39 seconds."

Blair went over to her. "Hey, S. Wanna go visit Nate?"

Serena smiled at them not daring to tell them about the kiss. "Sure."

…

Nate smiled as his best friends walked in. He wanted to talk to Serena alone but there always seemed to be people around and walking in or out. Serena reached out for his hand and smiled back at him.

Chuck gave Nate a signal and Nate shot him a confused look. Chuck rolled his eyes and looked at Serena. "Can you go tell the nurse Nate wants more water?"

Serena nodded and walked away. Nate turned to them. "What was that about?"

Blair looked around. "We're worried about Serena. She's acting weird. Her mind is always off somewhere else."

Nate gave her a confused look. "Huh?"

Chuck cleared his throat. "Trust us, you'll notice it soon enough. They're saying she had a mental breakdown."

Blair nodded.

Nate frowned. "They?"

"Her psychiatrist. She had to go in and get evaluated the day after you got hit."

They heard the door open and Serena walked in with a pitcher of water. She poured Nate a cup and held out the straw to his mouth. Nate took a sip and thanked her. "Blair and Chuck were just leaving. But you're staying right?"

"Right."

Chuck and Blair frowned but said their goodbyes and left them alone.

Nate looked at Serena. He could see the dark circles under her gorgeous blue eyes. "Do you want to take a nap with me?"

Serena smiled and carefully climbed into bed with him. She hadn't been sleeping much because she kept having nightmares but with Nate's arms wrapped so tightly around her she felt safe. She felt herself drifting away already. "Night, Natie."

…

Serena woke up and instantly went into panic mode when she realized Nate wasn't lying next to her. She looked around the room. "Nate…Nate!"

Nate walked out of the bathroom. "Serena, Serena. It's okay, I just had to go to the bathroom."

She let out a sigh. "Right. Sorry." She went over and helped him get back to bed. "Does it hurt?"

He shook his head. "Only my arm a bit. It's not that bad though. I'm on morphine. Let's talk about you."

She looked down at her lap. "They told you didn't they? I'm mentally unstable." She gave him a sad smile.

Nate lifted her chin up with his hand. "I don't believe that for a second."

She grabbed his hand and held it. "I need you, Natie. I realized that and it scares me. If something ever happened to you I'd…I'd…" She stopped herself before she started crying.

Nate wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here, I'm okay. It's gonna be okay."

…

Blair gave Chuck's shoulders a quick massage. "Do you think they're sleeping together?"

Chuck shook his head. Nate and Serena had been spending every second together. "He would've definitely mentioned that to me."

"Well she's doing a lot better now. We went shopping yesterday and it was perfect."

"Good. Have you gotten any new texts?"

Blair shook her head. "Do you think they're over?"

"Maybe they went somewhere for the summer."

"We need to find out who they are and make them pay."

"I'm working on it."

Blair smiled at Chuck. "Doesn't it feel good to be drama free? We can focus on important things…like what you're buying me for my birthday."

Chuck gave her a smirk. "I already have your present."

"You do? What is it?"

"Sorry, you're gonna have to wait."

She gave him a pout. "Just give me a hint!"

"You're gonna love it."

…

"You're not wearing your sling anymore."

Nate nodded. "The doctor said I could take it off."

Serena smiled at him. "How does it feel?"

He shrugged. "Sore." He started playing with a paperclip on her desk. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Serena looked at him. "Oh. Okay."

"I guess I'm just confused about what's going on with us." He didn't really know where to start. They'd been doing everything together and they'd even kissed a few times. "I'm just not sure where we stand."

Serena frowned. She knew what he was asking and she wished she could tell him what he wanted to hear. "I've really needed you these past few weeks. And you've been here for me regardless of the time or what you're doing and I am so grateful."

He knew she was avoiding his question. "I'm not asking you to thank me, Serena."

She looked away. "I'm sorry I can't tell you what you want to hear."

Nate walked over and stood in front of her. " Just tell me the truth. I can handle it."

"Nate, please, let's just eat."

"I just need to hear it so I can move on. Please, at least give me that."

"I don't know what you're asking me."

"Serena, I want to be with you. Do you feel the same way?"

"I don't know. I need some time to think about it."

"If you did, you would know it, trust me. I'm tired of waiting."

Serena grabbed his hand; she didn't want him to leave. "Please don't be mad at me."

He gave her a sad smile. "I'm not mad, Serena. I just can't keep putting so much effort into this relationship."

She nodded and felt a lump form in her throat. "I understand."