Author's note: I'm hardly awake, but I may or may not have promised a fellow Manstead fan I'd post tonight. It's short...read, review, and enjoy. I'm going to bed haha.

'Cause I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
All I know is that it feels like forever...
~Stone Sour~ Through Glass

Long after Connor had left, Natalie sat staring at Will, her heart breaking all over again. What was she supposed to do? This all felt so foreign to her. Being on the other side of things. She was a doctor damn it! Natalie was so used to having the answers and being able to "fix" people. Yet here she was, sitting beside her comatose husband, feeling powerless. Natalie sighed before carefully picking up Will's left hand and intertwining it with her own. After a few moments of her staring at their joined hands, their wedding bands glistening even in the pale light of the ICU, she couldn't take the silence anymore.

" I don't know if you can hear me or not. I hope you can. I need you to come back to me Will. I need you. Owen needs you…" she paused.

I can still remember the day we first met. It was shortly after Gaffney had been reopened following the bombing. I had just returned to work after my bereavement, feeling like I was 20 months pregnant where in reality I was only about 6 months. I was sitting in the lounge with my ridiculously swollen ankles propped up. I had heard your name and seen you briefly at various points throughout the day. You came into the lounge, asked if my name was Natalie, then introduced yourself. I wasn't paying a bit of attention until you sat down next to me with a pint of ice cream. You said it had been a long shift. Meanwhile, it was like Owen could smell that mint chocolate chip ice cream. He started kicking up a storm. I was too polite to ask for a bite from all intents and purposes a stranger's ice cream. Before I knew what was happening, you handed me the ice cream after taking a few bites. I don't know how you knew, but that was the best ice cream I had ever tasted in that moment. When I finished eating the last bite, licking the spoon of course, I found myself profusely apologizing for eating all of your ice cream. You said it was okay, that you could just sense the random craving. We sat there talking, getting to know each other. You had just moved from NYC and really didn't know anyone aside from Jay. I managed to explain my situation without crying then declared I needed all the friends I could get at the moment. From that moment on, our friendship grew into something special. We went from strangers to best friends. I knew you had feelings for me, but I didn't...I couldn't handle all of that at the moment. I wanted to, but then Owen was born and I didn't have the time to think about anything but him. Then Clark came along...looking back now I realize that the relationship was doomed from the start. I guess you could say I loved him, but nothing came close to how much I love you, right here, right now. Clark was like a band-aid, a rebound. You...you were and are a breath of fresh air. I didn't realize how much I could ever love somebody so much after Jeff passed. You not only loved me, but you loved Owen like your own. In a way you saved my life. Even when I was with Clark, I wondered if I'd ever be truly happy again…"
Natalie paused, the only sounds coming from the machines keeping Will alive.

That night at Kelani's...Noah's graduation party. I didn't think I'd see you. Then you grabbed me from behind and asked for a dance. My heart pounded in my chest as you pulled me closer. The chemistry between us felt so...electric. It was incredibly overwhelming. I knew in that moment that there was something special between us. It was a lot to take in. I hadn't felt those feelings since Jeff and I dated. There was no way I could clear my head here with you so close. So Owen and I went to Seattle. I tried to clear my head, but instead I couldn't stop thinking of you. Of us. When you stopped me in the parking lot and confessed your love to me...I was overjoyed. We kissed and it felt so right. Everything from that moment on. I feel so stupid now. That breakup was...I felt so stupid. It was childish on my part. Honestly I was running from my feelings. I didn't intend on waiting so long to accept your proposal. I just...it was a lot to process. This love we have, the connection we share. It's unreal. I've never felt so strongly connected to anyone before. Jeff and I's relationship- it was different. Not different in a bad way. It was...what you and I have is on a whole nother level. Seeing you with Owen. Watching you love him like your own is enough to make my heart burst. He loves you so much…" Natalie's words trailed off, her heart lodging in her chest.

" Owen needs you to fight. He needs his daddy. I need you to fight, but if anything...fight for him. Fight for your son."

For hours Natalie sat in silence, holding Will's hand as she watched the monitors. A tap on the glass door caught her attention. She stood so she could open the door for Jay who promptly handed her a coffee.

" Thank you," she said, eagerly accepting the much needed caffeine.

" How's he doing?" asked Jay, settling into a chair close to Natalie.

" His blood pressure is coming up which is what needs to happen. It means his body is properly absorbing the blood and plasma so there's less strain on his heart. Connor is talking about starting to wean the sedation meds tomorrow afternoon."

" Does that mean he wouldn't be in a coma anymore?"

" Do you want the medical version or the simplified version?"

" Both?"

" Will's been getting medicine through an IV that's kept him in a sedated state. They call it a medically induced coma. With the medicine out of his system, the hope is he'll awake soon."

" What do you mean 'the hope is'? Does that mean there's a possibility that he won't wake up?" Jay questioned worriedly.

" Connor summed it up perfectly. He's done his job. It's up to Will now once the meds have been titrated and stopped."

" Do you think he's going to wind up being okay?" he asked.

" I hope so. Will's a fighter and stubborn as hell."

" I'm beating his ass after all is said and done," declared Jay, sipping his coffee.