Here's the next chapter. Sorry that it took so long. Enjoy!

"Hey Joanne, how's she doing?" Collins asked the next day when he came to visit. He nodded towards Maureen, who had fallen asleep on the couch in the other room.

Joanne sighed. "She found out about her legs yesterday morning," she sighed.

He winced. "How'd she take it?"

"I've never seen her so broken in my life," she said, sitting down at the kitchen table and putting her head in her hands. "She just sort of stared at me for a minute before she just broke down. You know Maureen. She doesn't cry, I've never seen her cry before, not like this. It was different than when she was hurt."

Collins sat down next to her. "I've only seen her cry like that once," he murmured. "It was when she had found out that her brother had died in a car accident, before she started dating Mark when she had just moved into the loft with us. She knocked on the door of my room, looked at me, and just collapsed on the floor crying."

"She never told me that she had a brother," Joanne whispered.

"It's a very sensitive topic for her," Collins said. "She walked around like a zombie for about two weeks after that, and then she just snapped out of it. It's like it never happened, and whenever I bring it up, she changes the subject or just walks away. I suggest you wait until she brings it up, or at least until she's a bit better. And don't tell her that I told you, she'd kill me."

She sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe she didn't tell me," she whispered.

"Just let it alone," Collins said. "She's still dealing with it and she'll tell you when she's ready." They sat there in silence. "How are you doing?" Collins asked.

"Fine, I guess, considering the situation," Joanne sighed. "My dad said I could have a couple weeks off work. I don't have any really big cases right now, and the cases I do have, I just started, so it'll be easy to turn those over to other people in the firm."

"No, how are you doing?" Collins asked. "How are you feeling?"

Joanne looked up into his eyes. "To be honest," she said. "I feel completely helpless right now. I see her in pain, in any kind of pain, and I want to make it all better… but I can't. Everyone says that its okay and that she'll get better, but that doesn't matter. She's hurting now, and sure, I can give her meds and stuff, but it isn't the same. I want to do something to help, but I can't do anything. I can't… can't…"

She started to cry, and Collins moved to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she just shrugged it off. "I have to be strong," she whispered. "You see, she can't see me crying, she can't see me in pain, because that will only hurt her more. She'll try to help me, try to comfort me, and that will only take more away from her."

"You can't hide your emotions from her," Collins said. "Not only will she eventually find out, but it isn't right. When you commit to a relationship, you both need to help each other, no matter what the situation is. If you hide your emotions from her, and it hurts you, it's going to hurt her, as well. You're both in a difficult situation, and you need to support each other during this time."

"Thanks, Collins," Joanne whispered. "You always make me feel better, you know. It's nice to know that you were there for Maureen before I was, and while we were broken up, even though she probably didn't say anything about the breakup. She never says anything about the people she's dated, except for Mark."

"Actually, she said a lot about you," Collins said, surprising Joanne. "You're all she talked about, when she talked, that is. She was telling everyone about how she had messed up big time. It was the only time she ever regretted breaking up with someone. She was really beating herself up about it."

"While I was at work, pretending that it had never happened," Joanne whispered to herself.

"No, that isn't true," Collins said. "Working is your way of coping with disaster, you know that, I know that, everyone who knows you knows that. You were just burying your emotions so you didn't have to deal with them. I think you would have eventually come around and gone back to Maureen."

Joanne smiled and shook her head. "Sometimes… sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Maureen had never been hit by that semi," she whispered. "I mean, where would I be right now? Where would Maureen be right now? We probably wouldn't even be back together. I have to wonder… maybe this is God's way of telling me that we were meant to be together. It's crazy, I know, but… that last time I prayed was when I was seven, and now… now I'm starting to believe in God again. And I've started praying again."

"Angel would say that was wonderful," Collins said, smiling. "But you know that I don't believe in that sort of stuff. At least, not yet. I have a feeling Angel's going to do something that's going to drag me into it. She has a way of doing that sort of stuff, you know?"

"Yeah, Maureen does it, too," she whispered. "That's the only reason I kept going back to her. I couldn't stay away, she would always drag me back. And I was always the one who was grateful that she would take me back instead of the other way around."

"Joanne!" Maureen yelled, and Joanne shot up out of her seat, rushing into the living room and to Maureen's side.

"What's wrong?" Joanne asked frantically.

"Nothing," Maureen sighed, closing her eyes. "I just wanted to know where you were. I thought… maybe you had left me again."

"What do you mean by 'left?'" Joanne asked slowly.

"I'm scared that you'll break up with me," Maureen whispered.

"Maureen, I love you, and that's never going to happen again," Joanne said. "Next time, we're just going to talk through it, okay? And I'm not going to leave you, not now, not ever."

"Good," Maureen whispered. "Hey Collins, what're you doing here?"

"I was just talking to Joanne," he said. "Just thought she would need some company that wasn't going loopy on meds. Who knows what's going on in that mind of yours?"

"So you didn't come to check up on me?" Maureen asked, feigning offense.

He shook his head. "Nope, just Joanne."

"Fine, don't talk to me then," Maureen said, turning her head away. "And get out of the room, I don't want to be near you."

"Aw, come on, of course I came to see you, too," Collins said, laughing.

"Okay," Maureen said, also smiling. "How've you and Angel been doing?"

"Pretty good," he said. "I'm taking her out on a date tonight. We're going to a restaurant and then I'm going to take her to see a show. We'll tell you how it is."

Maureen was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, tell me how it is," she whispered after a moment. "What are you going to see?"

"Les Misérables," Collins said. "We're seeing it on Broadway, I got the tickets a couple months ago, but don't tell Angel, she doesn't know yet. She thinks that we're just going out to eat."

"That's the one I tried out for," she whispered. "I tried out for Fantine. I was so sure that I was going to get the part."

"I'm sure they loved you," Collins said, sitting down next to her gently. "Once you get better, you're going to be able to try out again, and you'll definitely get the part."

Maureen shook her head. "I'm never going to try out again," she said. "Even if I heal all the way, I'm… I'm going back to college and I'm going to get a degree in something."

"Do you really…" Joanne started.

"It's the only way," Maureen whispered.

Joanne opened her mouth to speak again, but Collins shook his head at her, motioning for her to be quiet. "Hey, Maureen, I have to go meet Angel," he said. "We have a Life Support meeting in about fifteen minutes. I'll be back tomorrow to tell you how the show was."

"Bye," Maureen whispered.

"I'll walk you to the door," Joanne said, following Collins out. "Maureen, I'll be right back."

They stepped out into the hall and Joanne looked at Collins desperately. "There has to be something you can do," she whispered urgently. "You and I both know that she doesn't want to go back to college. She wants to act and sing and dance, and now she's all mixed up. Do you think hitting her head messed her up?"

He shook his head. "No, I think she wants to try out again," he said. "She's just deluding herself into thinking that she doesn't want to so that if she can't try out again, she won't be as disappointed. It happens. She'll come around, though."

"It scares me when she does that," Joanne said, and Collins pulled her into a hug. She leaned on his shoulder and started to cry, the sobs wracking her body as she clung to him. He rubbed her back comfortingly, whispering in her ear.

"Everything is going to be okay," he whispered. "It's going to be fine. Look, I'll stop by tonight after the show and check up on you two. I'm going to see Mimi at the Life Support meeting and I'll send her over afterwards, and Roger, too, if he isn't working."

"Where does he work?" Joanne asked. "He never told me."

"He sells guitars at some place," Collins said. "The guy who was working recognized him from when he used to play with a band and he almost instantly got the job. He's working a lot, now, and I think he's planning on going to college and trying to get a degree in music or something. It's kind of weird, in my opinion."

"Roger? In college?" Joanne asked.

"I know," he laughed. "I've got to get going. If you need anything, call the loft. I think Mark is there and he'll come over."

"Thanks again, Collins," Joanne said. "You have no idea how much you've helped me out."

He shook his head. "I only wish I could do more," he said. "I'll be back."

She watched him walk down the hall and then turned to go back into her apartment where Maureen was waiting for her. Collins had helped her more than he could ever know.

Hope you liked it! That's how I've always imagined Collins to be, hope you liked him! He's always seemed like the kind of guy who's really comforting and always makes you feel better. Well, anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter:

lil eimeim

CalzonaMojoFan

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And thank you to all of my other reviewers and to my readers. I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions, so REVIEW PLEASE!!! Thank you again!

ReallyObsessiveWriter

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