John had been having a very pleasant dream about white sandy beaches and an ocean so blue it could almost make you cry, so when the telephone wouldn't stop ringing from under the bed where he had dumped it fifteen minutes ago when it had started its incessant nagging he gave up and reached for it. "John here." He didn't recognize the voice on the other line but in his sleepy state that didn't seem strange to him until two words the woman said registered in his fogged brain, Betty and hospital. John sat up from the bed and began pulling some clothes together, "I'm sorry can you repeat what you just told me, please." The woman on the line began her message once more, "Mr. Rawlins my name is Melissa I am calling on behalf of Ms. Betty Suarez who has just been brought in. She is in critical condition and in surgery at this time. From what the police have informed me she struck a deer and lost control of her vehicle causing her to drive off the road and into a tree. She has listed you as her local emergency contact and we need forms and decisions made on her behalf since she will be incapable of rendering those decisions at this time. John had snagged his shoes from the front door and was half way into his car when the last sentence registered in his brain. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes but is there any decisions that need to be reached now?" John had put the question out there and hoped that the nurse would not be informing him of the worst. "It would be best if you were present to make those decisions." "I'll be there shortly." John hung-up the phone and put his car in drive and headed to the only hospital in town.

"Hi my name is John Rawlins I'm looking for Betty Suarez." An elderly nurse that reminded him of his grandma came up to him, "Hello I'm Melissa, and if you would come with me I'll take you to one of the emergency room doctors that attended Ms. Suarez when she first came in. He will be better able to bring you up to date on her condition." John nodded and followed Nurse Melissa towards the young man standing at the end of the hall. "Doctor this is Mr. Rawlins, Ms. Suarez's local emergency contact." When the doctor turned around John saw that it was his neighbor Steve, "Steve man tell me what is going on? How's Betty? The baby?" Steve took John by the arm and led him to an empty room. He had the nurse follow them just in case, "John, Betty is in critical condition. When she lost control and hit the tree her bag did deflate but the strength of the impact was too much for her body to handle. We are taking care of both of them as best as we can and while great strides have been made I don't know if the doctor's will be able to save the baby." John didn't feel the ground beneath him and it took Steve and Melissa quick reflexes to aid him to the bed. "Steve you have to. The baby is close to five months there has to be something you can do." John turned his pleading eyes to Steve and to Melissa and neither one could meet his gaze, "John I am sorry but as soon as we have more information we will tell you, for now we need you to confirm some of her information. We have most of her information from the last visit but we wanted to confirm with you some basic info." John nodded and began to pull out his cell phone. He knew who Betty's supervisor was at the newspaper so he was just going to call him so that he could confirm Betty's employment with the newspaper that the insurance was the same and her home address hadn't changed.

Patience is a virtue that John never managed to achieve but today he had obtained it. He had been lying in the same room since Melissa and Steve had left him several hours ago and he had not heard anything from either of them. He was interrupted in his thoughts when the sheriff came in, "John Rawlins?" John sat up from his spot on the bed and nodded, "Yes?" The officer stepped to the side to let his partner in the room, a woman who was carrying a box of items. "I'm Officer Williams and this is Officer O'Malley. These are the personal items of Mr. Suarez. Her car has been taken to the pound until she can come and retrieve it herself but we felt it best that we returned her purse and personal effects from her vehicle to her." John nodded his thanks and shook the officers offered hands as they left. John was about to sit back on the bed to await any news when he heard a humming coming from the box. He dug around the box and came up with Betty's phone, which had been set to vibrate. There was an incoming call from a listing named Daniel and the picture of the both of them with a snowcapped mountain in the background. John debated whether he should answer but before he could the caller hung up. He checked Betty's log and it appeared that Daniel had already called fourteen times trying to reach Betty at several times during the day.

The phone began to vibrate in John's hand and he decided to take. "John speaking." There was silence on the other line, "John, I don't know who you are but if you have stolen this phone I will have the local police track you down and arrest you immediately. Where's Betty?" John walked outside to get a clear signal and have a private conversation with Daniel. "I'll tell you where Betty is if you tell me who you are Daniel?" Daniel had sent Amanda to pick-up Betty at the airport three hours ago and when Amanda came back telling him that not only did Betty not arrive but she had never boarded the plane he had been trying to track her down. The only people that new she was coming home for an early Christmas had been him and Amanda, it was a planned surprise for her family and also his way of making up the last minute November cancellations. "John I've got the local police on the line now you have …" What Daniel was about to say died in his lips when John answered his question, "Betty is in the hospital. She hit a deer this morning and she is in surgery right now." Daniel stood ram rod straight from his chair and hollered for Amanda, "Amanda!?!?! Get me a ticket to North Carolina in the first available flight, I'm meeting Betty down there." Daniel turned back to the phone and began to speak with John, "John how is she? will she be okay?" John let out a long sigh, "I haven't been told much but if your coming I'll have Betty's phone with me so just call it when you get here and I'll pick you up at the airport and bring you straight to her." Daniel thanked John and ran out the door with Amanda close at his heels with his jacket briefcase and printed copy of this plane ticket and itinerary. The business car was downstairs waiting for him when he ran out of the elevators and Daniel had him drive straight to the airport. Daniel had thought about calling Betty's family but thought it best to call them once he had some news from her doctor's, best not to alarm them if there wasn't a need.

-/-/

Sorry about the delay but between school, home, work and my muse demanding that I write a Jared & Sarah song fic it has been a struggle to wrestle even this bit out of her. Fighting with a 3-yr old about why she can't wear her princess outfit to bed instead of pj's is a cake walk compared to my muse. Words can't express my gratitude to each and everyone of you that has posted and kept an eye out for this story. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint to many of you.