I am so so so sorry. I know it's been like a month since I updated and I feel so bad. Things have just been crazy busy for me. I'm like eight weeks away from the start of my January exams and I need to do well so I've been studying really hard. A levels really are a lot harder than I thought! Anyway, that coupled with a little bit of laziness is my excuse, but here is the long awaited chapter. Sorry if you don't think it's good, I always appreciate feedback so please review! Oh, and thanks also to everyone who wished me a good night at my formal...it feels like forever ago! I had a really really good night!

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Zach's POV

I genuinely don't recognise the girl lying in the bed in front of me. She looks pale and gaunt with stringy hair and sunken cheeks; she doesn't look like Cam…not the Cam I know.

Cam's been in the hospital ever since Abby found her on their bathroom floor three weeks ago, and she still hasn't woke up. The doctors had to put her in a drug induced coma because she kept taking panic attacks and hyperventilating. They say that all of the emotions regarding everything that has happened to her in the past finally surfaced, causing her brain to shut down.

I'm no doctor or anything but I'd say that a lot of this is probably my fault. I pushed her over the edge with all my mind games and lying; if I'd just been honest none of this would have happened. I can see that Abby is a little stand offish with me, and I really don't blame her; I may have ruined her closest living relative.

She hasn't left the hospital since they brought Cam in, apart to shower and grab fresh clothes, and neither have I. I want to be here when she wakes up and will stay as long as that takes.

"Zach honey, you want a coffee?" my Mum asks softly placing a hand on my arm. I shake her off immediately regretting it, and shake my head, no. "Okay, well, I'll come back later with some clothes for you."

My Mum retreats to the door and I can see her worried and anxious expression from the corner of my eye. She looks at me for a moment before backing out of the room completely and walking down the hallway, her clicking heels telling me she's gone.

Abby's down talking to Cam's doctor at the minute so it's just us. I pull a chair over to her bedside and sit, taking her hand in mine.

"This is all my fault," I murmur. "All my fault"

I don't even notice myself crying until I feel a weak hand brush across my face gently wiping my tears. This is a hand I never thought would move again: Cam. I slowly look up and see her smiling softly at me before she whispers, "It could never be your fault."

Cam's POV

I feel nothing…still. I know I'm alive because I can hear the steady beep of the monitor, reverberating around me. I keep willing myself to open my eyes and be awake but it's no use.

I am consumed by darkness; a fog that refuses to lift. I can hear everything around me, but my body just won't respond how I want it to.

I hear a female's voice close by; she sounds concerned and anxious: motherly. She speaks once more before I hear retreating footsteps, and then she's gone. Another pair of footsteps come close to me, and I can hear a chair being scraped across the room, before a hand grasps mine and a voice sounds that breaks my heart entirely.

Zach.

He sounds so hurt, so lost. Hearing his voice, him blaming himself wills me to try harder to lift this fog that continues to surround me. I slowly am becoming more aware. I can feel my eyes fluttering and my breathing quicken. I slowly open my eyes to see Zach seated at my bedside, hunched over, his hand in mine and tears streaming down his face. I reach out with my free hand, hoping that I can do this, and brush my fingertips across his cheek, startling him. He slowly looks up and into my eyes, like he can barely believe what he is seeing, and before he can utter a word, I whisper, "It could never be your fault."

Zach POV

"Cam? Your awake!" I exclaim before hugging her tightly, temporarily forgetting about her injuries until I hear her stifled intake of breath.

"Oh, God Cam I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm just so glad you're awake, you scared us all so much!"

"I'm sorry," Cam whispers in a small voice. "I didn't mean to."

She looks so lost and scared; like a child. I have never felt like this before. All I want to do right now is take her in my arms and tell her everything will be okay, but I can't. I can't do that to her again. Cam needs stability and consistency; things that I don't think I can give her right now. I know that probably sounds cowardly, but what if I end up falling for her and it doesn't work out? She couldn't take another set-back like that; heck I couldn't face another set-back like that! Its best for us both if we just stay friends and forget all of those other feelings.

I put my large rough hand over her small delicate one and give a weak smile saying, "I'm here for you. That's what friends are for."

Cam's POV

Friends? Friends? Is he serious? I can't be Zach's friend. I'm not sure I know how. There's just too much there for us to be just friends.

My face falls at his words and he tries to look as if he never saw it, but I know he did. He doesn't seem to look the slightest bit disappointed like I am, which is crushing. He's smiling softly at me, rubbing my hand, comforting me. I don't think I can do this, l think, jerking my hand from his. "I think you should leave," I say with much more conviction than I thought I had in me.

This is his chance, I think. If he tells me no then I know he still has feelings for me and that we might have a chance, but just as I thought he slowly gets up from his chair at my bed, nods once and walks from the room. He stops at the door and my heart soars as I think he's changed his mind, but he merely says, "I'll go call Abby for you and then I'll go. See you around Cam."

My face crumples and I slump into the bed as sobs wreak my body, threatening never to cease.

Zach's POV

I am an ass. Why is it that those are the four words that I am constantly thinking when it comes to Cam? Why am I always an ass to her? I saw her face fall when I told her I was her friend. She looked crushed, and it killed me to see that look on her face, but I know that in the long run this is best for her. I can't give her what she needs, so there's no point stringing her along only to completely destroy her later.

I still feel like an ass for doing what I did though.

After having left Cam's room I walk outside to call Abby.

"Zach?" I hear as I'm about to press the call button. I turn around and it's Abby.

"Oh, I was just about to call you. It's Cam, she's awake. I told her I would come get you."

"WHAT?" she screeches. "She's really awake? I can't believe it! The doctor kept saying to be positive but I really just thought he was trying to comfort me. Oh my god, I'll go right up now. You coming?"

"Eh, nah, I think I'll head on home," I say shuffling my feet. "I mean she's awake now, so they're no need for me to stick around."

"I'm sure she'd like it if you stayed Zach," Abby says lightly.

"Nah, I really don't think she would. I needa get home anyway. I haven't seen my parents properly in a while."

"Oh, well, alright Zach. If you're sure."

I nod curtly and begin my retreat, my heart breaking a little more with each step.

Cam's POV

"I'm going to kill him," Abby says venomously. She came into my room just over half an hour ago to me having completely lost it after Zach left. After she calmed me down I told her the whole sordid story, start to finish, leaving out no details.

"Abby no. that's not fair. It's not his fault I got the wrong idea, he was just being nice."

"Cam, the way he was acting around you was not being friendly…well it was, but not in the friendly you would think."

"Abby-," I scold.

"No, Cam, no boy gets to lead you on like that and crush you twice! It's his fault you're here in the first place! You nearly died for God's sake!"

I can see that Abby is getting really worked up so I go to my default response when I can see someone get angry. I apologise.

"I'm so sorry Abby," I whisper. "I've been nothing but trouble for you ever since you took me in. I've took up so much of your time and you've got nothing in return."

Abby's face immediately softens and she comes closer to me grabbing my hand saying forcefully, "Cam please listen to me because I'm only going to say this once. I have never, and will never, regret taking you in. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I know that I haven't been around much lately, but that's all going to change. It's you and me kid."

I wipe away the tears building in my eyes and look up at Abby, for the first time believing that she might actually be right.

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