Kim wasn't surprised at all to see she had woken up before Jack, after last night. He slept soundly, dead to the world in the same position Kim had laid him down in. She kissed his lips and got up to face the day.

She dressed quickly and left a sticky note on the door, explaining that she had gone to the grocery store. They had failed to do that yesterday. Kim also put a sticky note on the outside of the door, politely asking the kids to not wake Jack, that she'd be back in a bit with breakfast.

Kim was all geared up and ready to go. She got in her minivan and headed the few blocks to the grocery store. Kim looked both ways, seeing a car at the intersection to her left. The car made no sign of moving, but she could see the driver. She honked her horn and received only a stuck up finger, the driver not willing to put their phone down. Kim rolled her eyes and drove forward, but the other car decided to go as well, without looking up.

Metal crashed into metal and both cars spun out, bouncing off each other two more times like a deadly pinball game. Kim had no idea what to do as the car rotated in the street and then into a curb. She let go of the wheel, tried to hit the brakes and took her foot instantly off the gas. The car lurched violently and Kim's head hit the wheel hard. She was just glad it stopped.

Her vision swam and she felt like she was riding a carousel that was going all too fast. She fumbled to find her seat belt and fought out of it. Kim's shaking hand tried the door, but it wouldn't open. She panicked and started kicking at it until it finally gave and she was able to stumble out. She fell flat on her back and laid in the soft grass.

She closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply, trying to will the pain in her head to go away. She did too good of a job and fell asleep on a stranger's lawn.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kim was shaken awake by a John Cahill, the chief of police, she noticed as her eyes slowly open, the pain in her head feeling worse.

"Oh, hey Chief," Kim said groggily, touching a hand to her head. "What's up?" Kim tried to sit up, but got dizzy and went back down with an annoyed grunt.

"Kim, are you okay?" John asked loudly, enunciating each word.

"Yeah dude, why are you yelling?" Kim asked, covering her eyes with one arm against the brightness.

"Kim, we're going to take you to the hospital to make sure you're okay. Is there anyone we should call? Should I call Jack?" John asked. He was sure he should, but asking was protocol if she was awake.

"Uh... nah!" Kim decided, her face scrunched in pain as she thought. "He'd just freak out and stuff. I love the guy, but damn is he protective. It's cool he cares and all, but I'm grown woman, damn it!" Kim shouted before slowly rolling over and nuzzling her face into the cool grass. "This is niiiice," she drawled.

John waited patiently in the grass with her as the other officer that arrived on the scene worked with the young man that T-boned Kim.

Two ambulances arrived shortly, one for Kim and one for the other guy that was deadly quiet. He knew damn well he could have killed them both.

They got Kim up on the stretcher and wheeled her towards one of the ambulances. "Hey shit head," Kim called to the other stretcher passenger. He turned his head and looked at her, just to see her flipping him off and sticking her tongue out at him.

"I deserve that," he admitted.

"Kim, are you sure you don't want me to call Jack? He's going to want to know," John urged.

"Yeah, I get that, but like... he's going to start beating himself up because he'll find a way to make it his fault and he'll try to break up with me because he'll think it's best and urgh!" Kim tried to cover her face with her hands, but her arms were strapped. "Why the hell are my arms strapped? I don't even need an ambulance. Can I just like, go home?" Kim asked, getting angrier by the second.

"Kim, I'm certain you have some kind of head trauma and may be concussed. You couldn't even sit up on your own. You're going to the hospital," John put his foot down.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Jack, hey Jack?" Michael asked, peeking around the door.

"What's up, buddy?" Jack asked, sitting up slowly. He was still pretty knocked down after last night.

"Officer John is here to see you," Michael told him. The kids were comfortable with the chief, having seen him around town. He was always very friendly with them.

"Tell him I'll be down in a bit?" Jack asked, but it was more of a polite order.

"Yeah," Michael agreed, closing the door behind him.

Jack got dressed as quickly as he could and took the stairs at a walk, one step at a time, which was odd for him. "Chief!" Jack said like they were there for a party, trying to hide that he still felt like shit. "What can I do for you?"

"Can we talk Jack, maybe outside?" John asked quietly, not wanting to freak out whichever Brewer children might be lurking about.

"Sure. Is everything okay?" Jack asked as the two of them went for the door.

"Honestly, I don't know yet," John said, scratching his head. "Kim didn't want me to tell you this, but there was an accident not too long ago."

"An accident? What kind of accident, and why was Kim involved?" Jack's heart threatened to burst out of his chest at the idea that Kim could be hurt or even worse.

"There was a car accident up at the intersection before the market block," John began. "From not only witnesses but the other driver, Kim was T-boned by a young man on his phone. She got out of her vehicle, but was on the grass right next to it when I found her."

"On the grass? She spun out that far?" Jack's eyes were wide, but he tried to stay as calm as he possibly could. "Is she... is she okay?" Jack asked nervously. He could tell by the atmosphere that she had survived, but he couldn't gleam how she was.

"She's at the hospital right now, getting checked in, seeing what's what. Like I said, she got out of her vehicle by herself, which was good, but she was out when I found her. She had a pretty nasty bruise on her head. Was able to wake her up and speak to her, but she didn't seem like herself, and sensitive to light and sound. I'm pretty sure she's concussed, but they'll want other scans, too.

"Why didn't she want you to tell me?" Jack couldn't seem to get himself past that part.

John ran a hand through his slowly graying black hair. "She was worried about your reaction, but I knew I had to tell you."

"She thought I'd freak out, thought I'd run down there and make a scene?" Jack asked, crossing his arms.

"A little,yeah," John admitted. "She was also afraid you'd find a way to blame yourself, that... that you'd try to break up with her?" John asked, not entirely he understood her reasoning.

"I'm gonna go talk to her," Jack told John as he stepped into his shoes.

"Jack, be careful. You don't know what state she'll be in when you get there. You have to stay calm... for her," John told him, being a lot more familiar with this situation than Jack. "Come on, I'll bring you," John offered.

Jack nodded in consent and thanks, and went to talk to the kids. "Hey guys, I have to go run a quick errand, okay? We'll hang out after that, okay?" Jack told them, hating to duck out like that.

"What about breakfast?" Marie asked. "We're really hungry," Marie rubbed her little belly.

"We'll have a nice big breakfast as soon as I get back, I promise," Jack put his hands together like he was throwing up a prayer. "Wait, Ann, can if I give you the money, can you run to the store? I'll do a bigger run later, but I really need to take care of something, and you have to eat," Jack said urgently.

"What about you?" Ann asked, not knowing when Jack had last eaten himself.

"I'm fine," Jack lied. He hadn't eaten since his lunch date with Kim yesterday. "I got a go. I love you guys," Jack said as he turned on his heels and took off.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Jack sat in the not too comfy chair in Kim's room, further unsettled by her absence. He waited for what felt like hours, though it was no more than half of one.

When they finally rolled Kim back in still in the bed, it took all the deserve and discipline to not shoot up out of the chair. He remembered John's words and what Kim had told John. He couldn't be crazy overprotective boyfriend here.

"Hey Lusa, Jack's here!" Kim said with a big smile, looking at her nurse like she should know who Jack was.

"Hi Jack," Lusa said with a smile, only familiar with Jack from one class their freshman year and from his working in the SU cafeteria. Lusa and Kim were good friends, almost the poster duo for SU's nursing program. It was an interesting poster they made, too. Kim being a 5'2" fair skinned blonde, and Lusa being 5'10" with beautiful caramel skin and dark chocolate brown hair. Kim had the body of a gymnast and a martial artist cheerleader which she was, and Lusa was more of a model/music video dancer build. They were two different kinds of goddesses, but definitely goddesses.

"How are you, Lusa?" Jack asked, returning her smile. He glanced at Kim and could tell she was pleasantly surprised at how well Jack was holding together... on the outside at least.

"I'd be better if this beautiful lady wasn't here," Lusa said with a frown.

"If who weren't here?" Kim asked and craned her neck around, trying to look behind her. "I don't see anyone!" Kim exclaimed. "Am I losing my mind? Am I going blind?!"

"No Kim, you're fine. Lusa was talking about you!" Jack assured her before she could hurt herself.

"So Jack, what brings you by?" Kim asked like Jack was an unexpected visitor she hadn't seen in a long time.

"You," Jack said plainly, taking her hand.

"That's really sweet," Kim smiled and squeezed his hand. "Have I ever told you you're really sweet?"

Jack kissed her knuckles and chuckled. "Once or twice," Jack admitted. "How are you doing, Beauty?" Jack asked, keeping his voice even.

"I was in a car crash. That kinda sucked," Kim shrugged. "It was pretty wild! I pulled out and this douche on his phone was all like 'NOPE!' Then BOOM GOES KIMMY C'S CAR! I'm spinning out like Nascar, thinking 'oh shit son, what's gonna happen? Then I'm all like, best take the foot off the gas and use the breaks, right? So then BAM goes my head off the steering wheel. Hurt. Like. Hell. The car stops and my door won't open, so I kick the sucker open and crawl outside, happy cuz I'm alive and shit. Then I passed out on the grass!" Kim finished wide eyed and panting, her hands in her mussed up hair.

Jack was speechless. What was he supposed to say here? What could he say to this girl who was just in a wreck that could have ended her life? She couldn't walk, she obviously wasn't herself. How long would it be before they got final word on what was going on.

Kim composed herself and frowned. "Jack, you're not saying. Why aren't you saying anything?"

"What am I supposed to say here, Kim? I've never been in a wreck, no one close to me has been before,"Jack admitted.

"Let's see here..." Kim said, tapping her chin. "You could say 'I'm glad you're okay', 'thank God it's not worse', you look like shit with that bruise'? Anything, really."

"Okay. I'm glad you're not mad at me."

"Mad at you?" Kim asked, feeling kinda confused. "Am I missing something because my head's kinda fuckie?"

Jack could stop himself from chuckling and shaking his head. "Chief told me what you said, that you didn't want him to tell me about this, that you didn't want me down here," Jack told her.

"I'm mad at John for telling you," Kim said, crossing her arms over the hospital gown. "But no, I'm not mad at you for coming down here and seeing me. I'd wanna kick your ass up and down the hallway if you were freaking out over this," Kim said. Jack was completely taken aback by her forwardness he only saw when she got drunk.

"So we're okay?" Jack asked cautiously.

"Yeah dude," Kim said like he was an idiot for thinking otherwise. "I'm sure Chief Loud Mouth Fuck Face told you why I didn't want you to know," she said calmly, including the name she had given John.

"Am I allowed to tell you that I'm still worried about you?" Jack asked, his head ducked and his eyes peeking out from under long lashes.

"Of course. I just don't want your anxiety whipping up some bullshit conspiracy that you had some hand in this."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked with a scoff, like this hadn't been happening since he first got the news.

"Oh, I'm Jack Brewer and it's my fault Kim got into an accident! Sure there were so many forces beyond my control but maybe if it was me or if I would have purposefully missed the toilet yesterday morning this wouldn't have happened." Kim said in a ridiculously deep voice before applying a disturbingly accurate impression of his humorless chuckle he always tried to hide behind. "That's you," Kim said with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, I got that when you used my name at the beginning," Jack said, not finding it all that funny. "And yeah, as much as I hate to say it... that's fair."

"We're still good though, yeah?" Kim asked, her face and voice softening.

"Of course," Jack said and gave her a little smile.

"So do I still get kisses, or not with this giant grape on my head?" Kim asked with a pout Jack found absolutely adorable, her eyes looking up like she was trying to see the bump on her head.

"Yes you still get kisses!" Jack answered like he was offended by the idea that she wouldn't. He left his chair and pecked her lips three times and then even placed a butterfly's kiss to her purplish blue raised spot on her forehead.

"Awww!" Lusa sighed with the gushiest, dopiest expression Jack and Kim had ever seen. "You two are so freaking cute!" she exclaimed.

"Do we even try?" Kim asked, looking up at Jack.

"I think it just comes naturally," Jack said, scratching her head and smiling at the way Kim nuzzled into his hand like a cat.

Jack's stomach rumbled something fierce, just then. "Jack," Kim said with a sudden urgency.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, automatically going into caring defense mode.

"Go into the hallway. Go right at the first corner. Go down four doors, then turn left, and take the left after that, too. Then another two doors down. Open that third door, and bring back... ten," Kim ordered. Lusa mentally followed that map as Kim laid it out and she knew exactly what Kim's mission for Jack was.

"What? Why am I..." Kim clapped a hand over his mouth.

"There isn't much time, damn it! Now go!" Kim barked.

"Come on Jack, I know what Kim needs," Lusa said as she opened the door out of the room.

"Yeah she does!" Kim said like it was some hidden innuendo. Jack laughed aloud and Lusa just rolled her eyes. "He gets it. Jack gets it," Kim was obviously pleased with herself.

"We'll be back soon, Beauty," Jack kissed her head and went to leave.

"If you get to call me Beauty, can I call you Dr. Sexy?" Kim called after him.

"Um... no, no you can't," Jack shot her down politely yet firmly.

"Fair enough," Kim yielded as Jack closed the door behind him.

"What the hell is happening in their?!" Jack whispered to Lusa as they walked the halls together. "This isn't permanent, right?"

Lusa laughed aloud at that, her head tilting back slightly. "Dr. Parker, the trauma specialist here said no," Lusa informed him. Lusa was whip smart, as well as a master of digging up information on things and people she cared about. A regular sleuth. "It's pretty temporary, we think. Parker says he thinks it's something that'll fix itself, but he doesn't know how long it'll be. Could be tonight, could be tomorrow, maybe a week."

"Tonight would be nice," Jack added. "What about her being able to walk?" Jack asked, a little more nervous.

"I haven't heard Dr. Parker talk about that yet, but I have a hypothesis," Lusa said, but kept her eyes straight ahead because that's all it was, a hypothesis.

"Go on..." Jack subtly nudged her.

Lusa sighed and bit her lip the way Kim always did. These two did have a lot in common, Jack noticed. "Well, I think it's a shock/trauma thing, you know? Like people with anxiety," she caught Jack tense a little and immediately relaxed. Note to Lusa: Jack has anxiety and gets nervous just hearing about it. "People have an attack and they can kind of lock up, they get tingly and can't move sometimes, almost like a temporary arthritis."

"Really? I never knew that. That sounds really rough," Jack threw in, a pained look on his face. Second note to Lusa: Jack is a liar and a decent actor.

"I think Kim's walking may be like that. She may need a bit of physical therapy and her mind needs to unlock."

"Unlock?" Jack asked.

"I think Kim's, uh... issues, may be like a lock and key. I think we're seeing what Kim's mind is really like. Her usual filter is busy trying to keep her mind away from a traumatized state," Lusa summed up her thoughts.

"So you think that in order to keep Kim from completely losing her shit, her mind is... reallocating itself? Kim's 'filter' is the key, but it's busy keeping the trauma gate closed?" Jack asked, thinking he understood but wasn't quite sure.

"Exactly," Lusa confirmed. "I think Kim will have to know that she is fine before she can hope to successfully ingest what happened to her. If I'm right about all of this, it means that Kim has quite the remarkable brain."

"So you think Kim will be back to her old self again?" Jack asked with a fresh light in his eyes.

"I hope so, but don't quote me on it. Everything I just told you are just my ideas. I'm just a stupid nursing student," Lusa said and shyly looked at her feet.

"You seem like more than a stupid nursing student to me. I'm starting to see why Brody says you're a genius," Jack told her and Lusa looked up with a smile. Jack had also noticed that they had stopped walking a few minutes ago and had been standing in front of a particular door. "Is this Kim's door?"

"Yep," Lusa said with an eye roll, remembering why they were here.

Jack opened the door to find it was just a closet, but more like a pantry. It was loaded with little dry foods for patients that got a little squeamish or wanted a little something without needing a full meal. Jack's eyes raked over the contents, passing over Pop Tarts, applesauce, Jell-O, juice boxes and the like. He knew what Kim wanted as soon as he saw them. Pudding snack packs.

"Does she really need ten snack packs?" Jack asked Lusa with a raised brow.

"The girl just survived a car crash, give her a break," Lusa said as she pushed past Jack and grabbed half of Kim requested number, leaving Jack to grab five more of the various flavor.

The pair walked back to Kim's room only to find her sleeping. Jack's eyes walked up and down the petite girl's frame, assessing for damage he didn't get a chance to look for earlier.

"Jack, she's okay," Lusa whispered. "I know you're worried and scared, but she's okay," Lusa put a comforting hand on his shoulder, Jack putting his hand on hers in thanks.

"I know, it's just that I can't turn off my 'what ifs', you know? I look at Kim here in this bed, in a gown I know she hates."

"She was trying to turn it around so the part and tie were in the front. She asked if it made her butt look big and if it did, if you would like it anyway," Lusa filled him in.

"Okay, maybe she doesn't give a shit about the gown," Jack said with a chuckle.

"I know you don't even want to think about this, but I'm sure you have," Lusa said cautiously, "what if this is just the way Kim is now?" Lusa swallowed hard, hating the idea herself.

"I have been thinking about it," Jack said seriously, his eyes never leaving Kim's closed ones. She looked so sweet and angelic even after what she had been through that morning. "Not a thing would change, Lusa. She's still Kim. And if you're right, hell, she's more Kim than I've ever seen her."

"Kim's lucky, Jack."

"What?" Jack asked, turning to the girl in scrubs.

"She's a lucky girl. She has a hell of a guy in you, Jack. You two are so cute together, but I can see there's so much more to this. Kim hasn't told me in great detail, but she has told me bits of what's going on at home. I love her for it, and now you're standing here for her," Lusa said with a light, caring smile.

"Where else would I be? The way I see it, the kids and Kim are all I really have. They're the biggest factors in my life, and I want to be there for them."

Kim shifted in her sleep before her eyelids fluttered open. "Oh, you're back," she smiled sweetly. She looked between the two and saw that they had completed the mission she had entrusted them with. "Jack, can I have my pudding now?" Kim asked, biting her lip like the question was something to worry over.

"Oh, of course!" Jack said, forgetting they had gotten the pudding. Jack even took the time to peel the top back for her.

"Now who's babying?" Kim said as she outstretched her arms to receive the rich chocolate treat. She took the little container and plastic spoon happily before slumping back down.

Jack frowned as his eyes watched for any inkling of movement from Kim's lower half as she moved. Not even a twitch, he noted. "You're in the hospital, I'm allowed to baby you."

"Jack, can you help me move my legs, please?" Kim asked before plopping the spoon back in her mouth. She withdrew it and added, "I want you to sit up here with me," she patted the bed where she wanted him. "I can appreciate you more when you're over here than when you're over there."

Kim's newfound bluntness was something he would have to get used to for the time being, he thought as he cradled Kim's body and ever so gently moved her over. He sat next to her and put the rest of the pudding down on the little nightstand next to the bed.

Kim lightly pushed on Jack's chest, pressing him down onto the bed. "I've been tired since they got me here. I don't know if Lusa's drugging me to have her way with me, or if I'm actually hurting."

Jack wanted to chuckle at the bit about Lusa, but Kim's missing awareness cut him deep. He hated the thought of Kim in pain, and he hated that she couldn't tell one way or another. Kim was his little blonde angel who could have been taken from him and the world today. Here was his blonde angel, weak and vulnerable who Lusa thinks is hiding in herself to try to ignore the ordeal.

"It's okay Kim, I'm here," Jack told her and kissed her hair.

"Just like I'm there for you?" Kim asked, her brown doe eyes like that of a child, playing on his own.

"Yeah, just like you are for me. Nothing's going to change that," Jack assured her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Nothing's going to change that? Even if something did happen to me?" Kim asked and tried to pull away from Jack's embrace.

"No, not even that. You're stuck with until you can't handle me. We'll get through this together, and everything is going to be okay. I swear to you," Jack said with a devotion and conviction Kim had never heard.

"I'm holding you to that," Kim whispered and nuzzled into him now.

"I'll come back and check on you guys later," Lusa told them quietly, not wanting to kill the moment.

"Alright, but when you do, hands off the both of us. Got it?" Kim said seriously, but this time Jack did allow himself to laugh.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

So do you guys like the new curve ball, or do you want me to just remove this chapter? If you did like it, how do you feel about Kim's friend Lusa? I personally love her and wouldn't mind bringing her back along with her hinted at boyfriend Brody. I think that could be fun because he'd be just one of the guys this time. Let me know on all of the above, and sorry about the long end note.