Danielle could hear something. She didn't know what or who, but she could definitely hear something. She had no idea where she was, but as Danielle tried to move her left hand she felt a shockwave of pain envelope her body; what had happened to her? What was going on?

Opening her left eye, ever so slowly and with the utmost caution, Danielle was met with a bright light ahead of her, and immediately closed it again. She could still hear the voice speaking again; it was Stacey's. She had raised her voice now. OMG, Danielle she said.

Suddenly, as if watching the previous day's events on film, Danielle saw a car rounding a corner ahead of her; she saw her own body fly in front of the car; she saw the car hit her, head on, at full speed. Winding back to earlier in the evening, Danielle saw herself in the Vic, she saw shouting and screaming; herself and Ronnie. Ronnie Mitchell.

Danielle felt sick.

Welcome back, Dan, Stacey's voice said now. Danielle peeped through her right eye this time and saw Stacey staring intently into her eyes. She had a huge grin across her face, and Danielle wondered what there was to be so happy about. Danielle knew now why she had seen the car careering towards her; she had wanted to die.

Slowly, Danielle opened her left eye and surveying the room, discovered that it was empty, apart from her and her best friend. She didn't know what else she had been expecting. Who else would have been there? Who else really cared? Certainly not Ronnie Mitchell.

"Stacey" Danielle said, as if to check that she wasn't dreaming. A tear fell to her cheek; at least there was one person in the world who cared about her.

"Oh, Danielle! What happened to you? I was so worried"

Danielle didn't know what to say. How much did Stacey know? Everything, probably, she thought. It didn't take long for news to travel around the square, and Ronnie had been pretty vocal about the way she really felt. Tear after tear fell, as Danielle silently cursed her mother. The mother she hated so much, but the mother that she still loved and longed for just as much.

At that moment the tall figure of Danielle's father appeared at the doorway, and she watched as he realised what he was seeing and his face lit up. He ran to Danielle's bedside and planted a gentle kiss onto her forehead.

"My beautiful girl" he said, simply.

It had taken Roxy another half hour after Stacey's appearance to persuade Ronnie to move from her position, cradled in her younger sister's arms, rocking back and forth on the pavement outside the hospital. Roxy realised that they had become not only an inconvenience to passers by, but also a source of entertainment. Not wanting Ronnie to have anything more to worry about, she finally managed to get her to her feet, guiding her through the swinging hospital doors, into the warm once again.

Placing Ronnie back into a plastic chair in the hospital waiting room, Roxy went to the nearest vending machine and purchased two coffees. Sitting down next to Ronnie she prised the plastic cup into her hand, and cooed words of encouragement in her ear.

"Get this down you, Ron. You look so pale. I think you need it"

Ronnie hadn't said a word for a while now. She had no words. She didn't know why she was still there; Andy didn't want her anywhere near Danielle. She had not planned for this; in truth, she hadn't planned anything after Danielle's accident, but this eventuality was the last thing she had expected. After realising who Danielle was, she had wanted never to leave her side again, and now here she was and Danielle was alone again.

"Maybe we should get you home, Ronnie. I really think you need…" Roxy babbled on, not noticing the changing look on Ronnie's face. Ronnie finally piped up.

"I've told you Roxy, I'm not going anywhere. I know Danielle will wake up soon. And when she does I'll be able to speak to her. Tell her that I love her and will never leave again" Ronnie took a deep breath, and finished, "If I'm not here when she wakes up, she'll never forgive me."

Roxy grabbed her sister and turning her towards her, wrapped her once again in a warm embrace.

"I need her Roxy", Ronnie wept into Roxy's shoulder. "I've never loved anyone so much. As soon as I knew, I wanted to be close to her. I wanted to hold her. I…"

"Shush, Ron. All those things, they WILL happen, you wait and see". Roxy prayed a silent prayer; truthfully she had no idea what was going to happen. She hoped Danielle would wake. She hoped Danielle's father would see sense, or at least, would find it in his heart to speak to Ronnie, let her explain what was going on. She hoped Danielle would forgive Ronnie. But she knew none of these things with certainty, and certainty was what Ronnie needed.