"Surgery is the only answer for this kind of gun shot wound."

"She has some electrical bruising to the abdomen."

"I'm sorry ma'am unfortunately she requires surgery."

"The drugs did a number on her body."

"Looks like a broken ankle."

One by one the parents arrived at the hospital. Each having different explanations of their daughter's health. Sara's parents had not yet come, but told doctors that they would be there as soon as possible and was currently out of state.

Dr. Neely took one look at the waiting room and still couldn't believe the situation. The exhausted faces of the girls' parents created a deep feeling of apprehension. He felt silly for that. He didn't know anything about these girls, but it seemed as if their worst days were behind them. Moving to Rosewood from the city he thought that he would have less trauma to deal with, but as he watched one of his patients parents, Emily Fields' parents, holding hands and weeping with relief he knew that he had his work cut out for him.

He had to make his rounds two of the girls, Hanna Marin and Mona Vanderwaal were currently in surgery.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The steady pulsating of Mona's heart monitor beeped in time with Hanna's. The anesthesia knocked them out cold. Fluttering eyes alike, they were almost a mirror to one another, inhaling just enough to keep from slipping away, but not yet enough to see their determination and smarts play out.

They were free

Almost.

"Mona?" Hanna asked wondering how she woke up in Mona's room.

She spotted Mona going through her bookshelf with her head cocked slightly to the side.

"You dyed your hair back." Hanna noted.

Mona picked up a book entitled 'Lolita' and sat at her desk.

"I couldn't stand that blonde, didn't suit my skin tone at all." She did a dramatic hair flip. "Have you ever read this book?"

"Not really. Although I do remember Alison being obsessed with it. " Hanna stood and walked over to her.

"I don't blame her, good read." Mona sat the book down and headed for her room door. "Cookies?"

"No, I can't eat anything my throat still..." Hanna touched her lips which were healed and showed no sign of bruising. "Kills." She finished her thought.

They descended the stairs together and Hanna looked around disgusted. There on the walls, handrail, and floor just as she remembered it, was Mona's blood.

"My mom bakes the best cookies. She does it from scratch too."Mona held onto the handrail smearing blood all over her hands. "You can have as many as you want Hanna." She turned back with a smile.

"Mona! I don't want any friggin' cookies don't you see all of this blood? " Hanna yelled.

Mona looked around and shrugged her shoulders. "So we have oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and my favorite chocolate chunk."

Hanna grabbed a chocolate chunk and sat at the kitchen table.

The doorway to the kitchen opened and someone wearing a black hoodie and blonde hair walked right in the middle of them. Ignoring them like they weren't there.

"Who the hell was that?" Hanna yelled at Mona.

"Do you hear that?" Mona looked toward her right her face full of wonder.

"Hear what?" Hanna asked looking around.

"Alison always said to leave a pretty corpse." Mona said as a continuous beep sounded throughout the house.

Hanna stood. "What is that?" She looked over her shoulder searching for a source. "Do you know where it's coming from Mona?" Hanna yelled over the sound. She turned back around and Mona was gone, yet the beeping remained. "Mona!" Hanna yelled. Where did she go? She walked into the living room and saw her laying on the floor. "Mona! What happened?" She ran over to her.

A Cold stare and even colder skin gazed up at her. She screamed.

Hanna woke up with a start. Coming to her senses she still heard the beeping only this time it was coming from down the hallway. She saw nurses and doctors running in one direction. What is going on?

"Hanna! Hanna sweetie are you okay?" Hanna recognized the voice immediately.

"Mom?" She croaked out it hurt even worse to speak this time.

"Ah, ah, ah Dr. Neely said no speaking for at least a week." Ashley told her as she walked up to her and gathered her into a hug.

"I'm so glad that you're alright." Tears streamed down the mother's face, but Hanna was still focused on the beating of someone's heart monitor.

She tapped her mother's shoulder and pointed to the door, the urge to speak all to great.

Ashley looked In the direction of her finger. Faking a smile and creating an aversion was her way of protecting her child."oh sweetie that's nothing, here let's page a nurse so they will know you're awake okay?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The tall brunette stood idly in the middle of the hospital room. She would call it hers, but that would imply an extended stay. With every sharp turn of her maniacal pacing a new question was posed. What if Mona's dead? What happened to Charles? Did he escape that fire. Of course he escaped; he's friggin A!

"You shouldn't be up," Veronica Hastings said with an unfamiliar soft tone.

Spencer hadn't heard her mom come in. She knew how this would go: her mother would attempt to console her, then she would be abnormally nice, Spencer would reject everything her mom does which would ultimately lead to a fight. She didn't want the sad eyes, quick stares, and hushed tones that Rosewood had to offer.

"Spence," Veronica began.

It's starting spencer thought.

" I can't say that I understand what you and your friends have -"

"Mom you don't have to do this," Spencer said playing into her role.

"Do what," Veronica pushed her hair towards the back of her head.

"Do...this" Spencer performed a grand hand trick that involved pointing her finger back and forth between her and her mother.

Veronica stood angry and pulled her brown Trench coat tighter, "and by this you mean be your mother?"

Here comes the big finale will someone please close the curtains and throw roses at her feet? The younger Hastings was not in the mood to fight with her mom.

"Where's dad," Spencer changed the subject.

Veronica visibly relaxed," he's in the waiting room I asked if I could speak with you first. You know girl to girl" she added.

Oh great she was working towards a standing ovation this time. Spencer limped her way towards the chair in the corner of the room. She sucked in her breath as she sat down, her abdomen still feeling the brunt of her experience.

Veronica quickly rushed to her side. "Let me see Spencer I'll let the nurse know if you need more medication."

Something sparked in Spencer's brain. Medication? Yes, That's exactly what she needed. Slowly she undid her robe and lifted her hospital gown. She wore shorts underneath, so there was no problem.

Veronica gasped at what she saw. Her baby girl with purple, yellow, and green bruising to her abdomen. It looked very painful. "Oh Spence." Veronica felt breathless. "I'm going to put whoever did this away for a really long time okay?" Her emotions got the best of her. Spencer laid her head on her mother's shoulder. "Okay mom." She whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dad! I don't know!" Emily yelled for what seemed like the hundredth time. His military mind set got the best of him and instead of consoling his daughter he grilled her for answers.

"How about the way he walked, did you recognize that?" It seemed as though steam were coming out of his ears as he paced back and forth the hospital room. Emily shook her head slowly.

"The way he smelled? His mannerisms? Hell his shoe size?" He yelled getting closer to Emily.

"I don't know dad! Okay? I don't know." Emily burst out in tears.

"That's enough alright? She just got back honey." Pam reasoned with her husband. "We'll let the police handle it." She added placing a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Don't touch me." Emily flinched away. It came out as reflex. Wayne and Pam turned towards their daughter. "I'm

..I'm sorry its just-" Emily began apologizing. Pam's eyes softened. "It's okay honey."

"You see? My daughter is afraid of her own mother touching her, have they handled anything before?" Wayne yelled "I want this bastard put away."

Emily shifted in her hospital bed and tried to get some sleep she was going to leave that between her parents. Turning onto her side seemed to do her some good. She felt herself nodding off.

"I'm always walkin' after midnight."

"Emily please!"

"Pretty lion."

"True or false."

"No, no, NO!"

"2 minutes."

"God, Em."

Memories echoed in her mind when the only thing she wanted to do was not think. She sat back up sleep was not in her near future.

"So no memory on how he smelled?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Aria, are you truly alright?" Ella stood at the foot of her daughter's bed and asked.

"Because it's okay if you weren't." Byron added who took post by the door.

Aria nodded her head and smiled. "Yes guys I'm fine, just trying to watch some TV." She flicked through the channels.

"How's the ankle?" Byron asked stepping closer.

"Still broken." Aria kept her eyes trained on the TV. She stopped flipping through channels when she saw her and her friends faces appear.

" Six missing teen girls were rescued tonight by a man we call a hero." The news reporter spoke directly into the camera.

"Rescued?" Aria looked to her parents.

"Yes, I heard screaming and so I pulled over and went into the woods and found the girls there fighting with some man. I immediately began fighting with him and told the girls to run. One girl was bleeding so bad she passed out and I had to carry her the 2 miles to my car." Aria recognized the man who stopped his car and called the police. He was no hero, a good civilian at best.

She began to laugh. "People would do anything for their 15 minutes of fame."

Ella nodded and stared at her daughter. She could see the presence of her fear covering her like a cloak and eating away at her confidence and certainty.

"I see you decided to go shorter." Ella changed the subject.

The green eyed teen sat frozen blankly staring at her mother. What is she talking about? Is this bangup job of a haircut that noticeable? Even if it is why would she comment on it?

"What," Aria asked with the faintest whiff of anger.

"It's just your hair is shorter than it was when I left. You really look nice honey," Ella stroked her daughter's choppy hair.

"I didn't," the youngest Montgomery girl whispered as she turned on her side.

Ella was afraid to ask her daughter what she meant, but as long as Aria was speaking Ella wanted to get all the information. Knowing Aria she would most likely keep everything to herself until she has an all out panic attack.

"You didn't what," she asked her now silent daughter.

Aria hesitated,"Decide...I didn't decide."

"Four of the girls are said to be okay, but two of them are in surgery, one in critical condition." The reporter added.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hanna calm down!" Ms. Marin told an irate Hanna who had pulled her IV out of her arm and headed for the door. She stood in the middle of her hospital room breathing heavily and looked around the room. When she found what she was looking for she rushed over to the table.

The pen and paper shook in her hand as she began to write.

'Where's Mona?'

Ashley looked toward the door and back at Hanna. 'She's still in surgery honey."

'Is she okay?'

Ashley folded her arms. "She's not doing too well. They were touch and go for a while."

Hanna bit her bottom lip and looked towards the door.

"Now, can you please get in the bed? The doctor said minimal moving for a couple of days due to your organs. They were able to get all of the glass out, but."

Hanna darted for the door and down the hallway. She stopped when she found Mona's room, which was just one door down from her.

She looked so pale. Hanna peered through the glass of the operating. room. The sound of the heart monitor plagued Hanna. It felt as though a thousand people were whispering and screaming into her ear all of the things she did wrong. Wasn't it her fault for Mona being there?

"Just look at her she's such a nerd."

"The Pigtails make me so uncomfortable."

"Guys can I sit here?"

"If you ignore it, it will go away."

All of the taunting ran through Hanna's head as she watched the doctors try and perform miracles.

"She's not me you know." Mona said to Hanna. Hanna peered over her shoulder and saw the old Mona clad in her infamous pigtails and nurse shoes.

"What?" Hanna asked.

"She's not me, she used to be. She's smarter and stronger in many ways now. I still hang around deeeeep deep down. Waiting for when someone hurts her so I can show my face. She's scared Hanna, really scared." Nerd Mona spoke.

"How do I fix it? How do I make it right?" Hanna asked with tears threatening to spill over.

"Give her what she always wanted. What she dreamed about. She's just a normal teenage girl Hanna. She wants friends, real friends not minions. People she could cry to, laugh with, have petty fights with. That kind of thing. She wants to feel normal again. " Mona said as she turned to leave.

"Thank you." Hanna said.

"No problem. Oh and by the way congratulations on keeping the weight off." Mona smiled and then she was gone.

"Hanna do you hear me? That was a pretty dangerous stunt you pulled." Ashley stood in front of her daughter who stared through the window at Mona. The heart monitor picked up to a normal speed and the surgeons began clapping. Mona was going to be alright.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sara sat up in her hospital bed biting her fingernails in the dark. The lights were way too bright she hadn't gotten used to them yet. Sitting cross legged she bounced her foot, her nerves got the best of her. Something was wrong she could feel it. Something felt off. She glanced to her left and right growing paranoid, no one was there. Where were her parents. How far away were they? Where were her friends? Did they still look the same? Her mind was overrun by so many questions it rendered her tongue paralyzed. Where was her chalk? She needed to mark how many days she had been there? How long was she there?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Charles sat in the hospital waiting room deciding if he should admit himself for the head wound given to him by Sara. He was gonna get her back for what she did, all of them. They had to know by now that they couldn't escape. He was everywhere and no where at all because he could blend in. Adapt to any situation. People trusted him, or at least he made them feel that they did. They knew him, well some of them did. It was Just a matter of time.