A/N: I am soooo sooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time! :(
But hey, I'm back now! I still have one more exam, but I couldn't tear myself away from fan fiction any longer. I had to update!
Oh and YAY for you guys! We're over 200 reviews now, so thank you all so much! You are absolutely amazing! And reading your reviews make me so happy! XD
Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy : )
This one is dedicated to all of my wonderful reviewers out there! Hope you're still with me! : ) You know who you are!! : D
A tense feeling flooded the hospital waiting room.
Shane paced up and down anxiously, unable to keep still.
Please be OK, Mitchie, he prayed silently.
He felt a hand touch his shoulder, and he spun around.
A woman with auburn hair was gazing at him worriedly.
"Dee! I didn't know you were here," Shane said with a weak smile.
"I came as soon as I heard. How are you feeling, Shane?" Dee asked.
The tear tracks were still visible on Shane's face.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm alright, I guess."
An empty silence followed.
"I know you're worried about Mitchie," Dee said softly. "But try to be optimistic. She'll be okay."
Shane met her gaze, his eyes brimming with tears.
"You don't know that. You didn't see her. This isn't just a bit of asthma, Dee. This is serious."
"Look, Mitchie's a tough kid," Dee told him gently. "She'll pull through this."
Shane sighed, not knowing how to reply. He wanted to believe that Mitchie would pull through, that she'd be OK, but doubt lingered at the back of his mind.
It disturbed him, but he couldn't shake it off.
Dee was watching him cautiously.
Shane ignored her, choosing to stare down the long white hallway instead. It was empty. There was no sign of Mitchie, or anyone for that matter. No bustling activity, no doctors or nurses, just… silence.
It was eerie, and Shane didn't like it.
His mind drifted to Mitchie.
Where was she?
Was she still alive?
Shane blinked back tears.
It pained him to not know what was happening to her.
"Nate and Jason flew up to help find you," Dee said suddenly, attempting to distract Shane from his thoughts.
Shane frowned.
"Yeah, I know, I saw them earlier," He murmured, not really paying attention. His mind was miles away, thinking about Mitchie, and how she had looked when she was taken away on the stretcher.
Shane shuddered.
He couldn't stand it if that was the last memory he had of her: Pale and fragile, being towed away in an ambulance full of strangers.
The thought was horrible.
It couldn't end like this, could it?
"Oh. Where are they now?" Dee asked, interrupting Shane's reverie.
Shane shook his head to clear his thoughts, and tried to concentrate on what Dee was saying.
"Where is who now?" He asked tiredly.
"Nate and Jason," Dee replied. "They came all this way to see you, don't tell me they've gone already?" Her tone was mystified, and Shane shook his head.
"No, they're with Caitlyn."
The events of earlier suddenly became sharp in his memory.
Shane froze.
How could he have forgotten?
When he looked at Dee next, there was a glint of urgency in his eye's.
"We have to call for help," He said anxiously.
"Why?" Dee asked, her eyes widening in alarm. "What happened to Nate and Jason?"
Shane shook his head.
"Not Nate and Jason," He answered darkly. "Tess."
Camp Rock was overcome with activity in the next few hours.
After Shane had informed Dee about what had happened to Tess, the seriousness of the situation had escalated. The Emergency Services had been contacted, and a helicopter and rescue team were sent out to the cliff side.
That had been half an hour ago, and there had been no news about Tess's condition.
Everyone was in a daze. The events of the last day were mind boggling. Something that Brown thought could only happen in movies.
But this was all too real.
There had been no news on Mitchie's condition either, so while Connie and Shane remained at the hospital, Brown and Dee returned to the Camp to get some rest and inform the Campers of what was happening.
It had been a long day.
As soon as they entered the cafeteria, chaos reigned.
The campers all began talking at once, yelling out questions, jumping to their feet; desperate to know what had happened.
Dee froze in shock. She hadn't been expecting this.
Luckily, Brown had.
"Quiet!" He roared over the commotion. He barely ever raised his voice with the students, but when he did, the effect was instantaneous.
A great hush overcame the room; the campers exchanged stunned looks.
"Thank you," Brown continued firmly. "Now, as you know, a lot has happened in the past 24 hours. People have been hurt, and there has been-"
"Who?" A boy with short dark hair interrupted loudly.
All eye's turned to him.
He flushed, slightly embarrassed.
"I mean, I think you owe us an explanation, Brown. We've been kept in the dark about all this. We should know what's been happening."
Many people around him nodded their heads in agreement, and he drew courage from their approval.
"All you've told us is that Shane and Mitchie have been found. Who found them? Are they alive? Injured? Where are they now?"
Brown frowned at all the questions. He exchanged a look with Dee, who bit her lip nervously.
"And why," The boy continued, "did that helicopter and an Emergency Rescue team suddenly show up out of the blue? What happened? I thought Shane and Mitchie had already been found! Who else got hurt that we don't know about?"
The cafeteria was buzzing now. All the campers were frustrated with the lack of information Brown had given them.
They wanted to know what happened.
Brown sighed.
There was no use in putting it off any longer. The campers had just as much right as he did to know what was going on.
"That's what we came to talk to you about," Brown said finally, his eyes roaming over the large crowd in front of him.
It was daunting.
A tense silence ensued, and Brown cleared his throat, unsure of how to start.
"Is Shane OK?" A pretty brunette at the front asked shyly.
Brown hid a grin. The world's earnest admiration of his nephew amused him.
He nodded, and the girl smiled, relieved.
"He's exhausted, but there's no physical harm done," Brown told the campers.
"What about Mitchie?" Someone called out.
Brown swallowed nervously, and was grateful when Dee spoke up.
"Mitchie is in the hospital," She informed them gravely.
A few people gasped.
"She had a very bad asthma attack," Dee continued swiftly, not wanting to be interrupted by their questions.
"She was unconscious when she was found, and struggling to breathe. The ambulance was called, but there has been no more news on her condition. That's all we know."
The crowd was silent, struggling to take it all in.
Brown nodded at Dee, and swiftly took up the story.
"The Rescue Services were called because one of our campers was injured when they were searching for Shane and Mitchie. We're not sure what her condition is, but we will let you all know when we have more news."
"Who is it?" A voice called out, and everyone's eyes focused on Brown, waiting for an answer.
Brown looked warily at Dee, and she gave a small nod, indicating she thought it was all right to tell them.
He sighed.
"They probably already know anyway," Dee murmured in encouragement. "I mean, it's not hard to figure out which camper is missing, is it? Get the truth out before the rumours start, Brown. Just tell them."
Brown nodded reluctantly and slowly raised his eyes to the impatient crowd in front of him.
"Tess Tyler," He said gravely. His voice quivered as he fought to stay composed.
He looked away from the curious eye's which were staring back at him, eager to know more.
"That's all," Brown said firmly, and he walked swiftly out the door before anyone could argue otherwise.
Dee watched him go with a sigh. She shrugged in response to the campers questioning stares, and followed him warily out the door.
It had been a hard day, but she had a feeling it was going to get worse.
Tess heard the hushed voices surrounding her and she forced her eyes open.
She moaned softly as the world came into focus once more.
I must've passed out, Tess thought vaguely to herself as she tried to remember where she was.
"Tess?" A voice asked smoothly. "How are you feeling?"
Tess blinked in confusion.
A male in a crisp white uniform was bent over her, gazing at her with concern. Rescue Services was imprinted in blue on his collar.
Rescue Services?
Tess frowned.
What had happened?
"Where am I?" She asked quietly. Her throat felt raw. She struggled to swallow as the man replied.
"You're in the Rescue Helicopter. You fell over a cliff at your Camp's boundary. Don't you remember?"
Tess didn't reply.
"We're on our way to the hospital. Your parent's have been contacted," The man informed her. "Just lie back and rest. We'll be there in no time."
A tear ran down Tess's cheek.
The man patted her leg reassuringly, and she began to sob.
There was still no feeling in her legs.
What was wrong with her?
The rescue man was staring at her with a worried expression.
Tess was shaking violently.
She couldn't stop.
She didn't want to think about what was wrong with her, but the sharp knives piercing into her spine made it hard not to.
Tess gulped, and looked up at the stranger with red rimmed eyes.
She felt so alone.
It wouldn't surprise her if her mother didn't even show up at the hospital.
She doesn't care about me anyway, Tess thought hysterically. She doesn't give a damn whether I live or die. In fact, she'd probably be grateful to finally be rid of me if I did.
With this thought, Tess felt her world begin to cave in around her.
She choked out a finally sob before sinking gratefully into unconsciousness.
Anything was better than reality.
Shane sat distractedly beside Connie on the firm couch in the hospital waiting room.
This was torture.
An hour had passed since Mitchie had been admitted to the hospital, and there had been no news on her condition.
It was agony being kept in the dark.
Shane wanted to see her, to hold her in his arms and make sure she was okay.
But he knew there was no chance of that.
Connie patted his hand comfortingly, as if sensing his agitation.
They sat in silence for the next few minutes.
After what seemed like forever, crisp footsteps sounded from the hall.
Shane and Connie looked up, suddenly wary.
A doctor in a white coat emerged, his face a mask, devoid of all emotion.
Shane felt a flurry of butterflies as they waited for him to speak.
"Mrs. Torres?" The man said quietly.
Connie nodded, frightened.
"You're Mitchie's mother?" He asked, and when she nodded again his glance turned to Shane.
"And you are..?"
"Shane Gray. A friend," Shane said quickly.
"Right, well I'm afraid I have some bad news for you both," The doctor replied sombrely.
Shane felt his heart stop.
He heard Connie begin to sob beside him and his world fell to pieces.
Tears threatened to fall, but he blinked them away angrily.
It couldn't be true.
Shane looked up at the doctor with fear in his eyes.
"She's… gone?" He asked in disbelief.
A/N: Uh Oh.. Bad news! Is she dead? Alive? Find out next chapter! :D
Oh My Gosh, I'm so evil.. :) Sorry for leaving you with such a horrible cliffhanger! I couldn't resist!
Big thankyou to everyone who reviewed that last chapter, and especially to those people who couldn't review it, so PM'd me instead. You guys are so dedicated :D
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Now I want to have a vote:
DO YOU THINK MITCHIE SHOULD LIVE OR DIE?
I am taking your opinions into account before I write the next chapter.
So if you want her to live, I suggest you review and get your vote in! :D
Every vote counts!
Chocolate cake for all my wonderful reviewers! You guys are awesome :)
Hugs,
Kacee