Getting There

Disclaimer: If you want to know, go check the other chapters.

A/N: You guys are so awesome with reviews! They had me smiling and laughing the WHOLE time! The Song is What Hurts the Most, Rascal Flatts. I hope you guys like the chapter!

Chapter 14: What Hides in Shadows

Getting.There.

I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don't bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out

"Where am I?" Casey asked groggily as she sat up. Nora rushed to her side and pushed away the hair falling on her face.

"You fainted after the phone call. You sprained your ankle; you're at the hospital, Case." She said quietly and Casey's eyes widened when she remembered Derek.

"Derek. Where is he?" She asked and Nora looked down at her hands. "Mom, where is he?" She asked slowly.

"ICU. Casey, I don't think it's a good idea for you to see him in the condition he's in." Nora said and Casey shook her head.

"I need to see him, Mom." She said and Nora nodded as she sighed.

"Just remember that I warned you." She mumbled.

Getting.There.

I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me

Using her crutches, Casey made her way into the room Derek was in. George, Edwin and Marti were waiting at the lobby for Lizzie, Casey and Nora. Lizzie and Nora had already seen him and were waiting just outside the room for Casey. She looked at the numerous machines in the room, all beeping incessantly.

"He always hated hospitals." She whispered to herself. She had yet to look at Derek; she feared that seeing him in the hospital bed, helpless to his surroundings, would make it seem all the more real. Slowly, she followed the wire that connected him to the IV. Starting at his arm, she trailed her eyes to slowly take in his appearance.

"Oh God." She whispered; her words hung heavily in the air; they were deep with sorrow and guilt. The only sound in the room was the beep indicating Derek's vital signs. Steadily beeping. Casey's breathing was shallow as she lightly brushed her hand against his rough one. The left side of his face was covered in gashes and bruises while the right had only bruises. His neck was in a brace and his left arm in a sling.

"This is my fault." She whispered to herself as tears built up. "Oh my God, I did this to you." She sunk to the floor on her knees and sobbed as her hand remained on his. Her shoulders shook with her sobs. She put her forehead against the edge of the mattress and cried. Nora and Lizzie walked into the room and helped her up.

"Casey, sweetie, it's alright. He's going to be okay." Nora said, she tried to sound comforting and truthful but her voice cracked throughout the sentence. Casey buried her head in the hug that Nora held her in.

"It-it's my entire fault. He's like this because of me." Casey whispered hoarsely and Nora pulled away slightly to look at her.

"Casey, it isn't your fault. You weren't the drunken asshole who drove him off the road. You didn't make him leave, you weren't there when it happened and you didn't know it would happen." Lizzie said and Casey shook her head.

"But I did make him leave. W-we were arguing, and he left because he…he thought I…I…" She broke down into sobs again. A nurse stepped into the room and smiled warmly.

"Dr. Valencia asked me to inform you that it's best one of you stays over-night. If he comes out of his coma it'd be best he sees a familiar face. We aren't sure if there was any brain-damage yet, so we'd like to take precautions. If he wakes up and finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings with people unrecognizable to him, he may go into a state of shock and possibly…suffer from catatonia." The nurse said apologetically.

The three girls shared a look before Nora let out a breath.

"I should talk to George about it." She said and Casey reached out to grab her arm.

"Mom, let me stay." She whispered and Nora looked at her hesitantly.

"I don't know, Casey…I mean, judging by what just happened….don't you think it's best you come home and get some rest?" Nora asked and Casey looked at her pleadingly.

"Please Mom. It's my fault." She said and Nora glanced at Derek before quickly darting her eyes away and nodding.

"Okay." She whispered before she steered Lizzie out of the room. The nurse turned to Casey and gave her a suspicious look.

"Can I help you?" Casey asked and the nurse shook her head.

"Oh – sorry. You said it was your fault and according to Dr. Valencia he's here because of a car accident. It's none of my business, but I was just curious." She said before leaving the room.

Getting.There.

There are days every now and again I pretend I'm okay
But that's not what gets me

"Casey…Casey, wake up." Someone gently shook Casey awake. Her eyes fluttered open and she grinned.

"You're okay!" She cried out quietly. He smiled brightly.

"And you're alive. I would've figured you were the one in coma with the way you were out." He said, normally that would've gotten a rise out of her, but now, she was just so relieved and happy to see him awake.

"I'm so sorry, Derek. I-if we hadn't of argued you wouldn't have gotten into that accident." She said and he shook his head as his thumb ran along her cheek.

"It wasn't you're fault, Case. That other driver was drunk, and to avoid head-on collision, I swerved. I wound up flipped over in a ditch, but had I not gotten out of the way then I would probably be dead right now, as well as the other driver." He said and Casey wiped away a tear that escaped the corner of her left eye.

"Oh God, I was so scared." She whispered as he played with the tips of her hair.

Casey woke up with a quick jerk. Her eyes immediately darted over to the hospital bed, and to her dismay, Derek still lay there in a coma. The tears returned to her eyes as she lightly ran her index finger along the right side of his face. Hesitantly, ran her thumb along the left side, feeling the bandaged wounds beneath her fingers.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered as she ran her fingers along the side of his face, one by one.

"What do you think you're doing?" A stern voice startled Casey and she jumped back. She looked up with wide eyes to see an elderly nurse staring at her expectantly.

"Oh, I – um…I was just…um…" Casey stuttered as she raked her mind for an explanation. What were you doing? She asked herself. Before she could say anything comprehendible to the nurse she shook her head.

"Maybe you didn't realize that those stitches are what keep his cuts from continuing to bleed. If tampered with, they will come undone and he will suffer from severe blood loss; more so than this patient already has. Refrain from…doing whatever it is you were doing." She said before she left Casey in the room with wide eyes and a pale face.

Getting.There.

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say

"Casey, Sweetie, wake up." Nora gently awoke her and Casey blinked past the blurriness in her eyes.

"Did he…" She trailed and Nora shook her head and smiled sadly, however forced it may have been. Casey twiddled her hands in her lap and nodded okay. "Okay." She whispered lowly before standing up. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but once her eyes fell on Derek, no words came out.

"George is going to stay for awhile. Then come back for Thanksgiving dinner and we're all going to come back." Nora said, seemingly understanding Casey's question without her speaking it aloud. Casey nodded and glanced once more at Derek sadly before she left the room with her mother.

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Casey answered her ringing cell-phone with all the strength she could muster into her voice. The image of Derek's face kept taunting her in her in her mind, telling her she was guilty.

"Casey, it's Emily. How are you? What's wrong? Why haven't you answered my calls until now? Is it Derek? Oh gosh, it's probably Derek." Emily said in one hurried sentence. Casey just blinked.

"Hello?" She asked again and Emily blew out a long breath.

"What happened?" Emily asked slowly and Casey told her about how she had wanted to tell Derek that she still loved him and believed she made a mistake. How he blew up at her, how well she knew she deserved it and about the car accident.

"Oh, wow." Emily gasped out and Casey nodded, despite the fact Emily couldn't see her.

"It's my fault. I…he was mad at me…and he left because of me and…and – he's in a coma because of me." She whispered hoarsely as she buried her head in her hands.

"Oh gosh, Casey. Well, I hope he's alright. You take care, alright? And tell everyone that I'm sorry to hear about the accident. It sounds pretty awful to me, I can't imagine being in your shoes. I'll tell Sam and Kendra about it, they'll probably want to see him." Emily said before Casey said goodbye and they hung up. Casey stood up and as she did, Nora called up the stairs, telling her to head down to the dining room for dinner.

Getting.There.

And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been

"Oh my God, he was in a car accident? Is he okay?" Kendra asked as Sam continued to try to keep his breathing at a normal pace.

"He's in a coma." Emily said and Sam gasped.

"He's in a what?! Dude, just a couple of days ago he was kicking my ass on ice and shoving me into boards!" Sam said hurriedly, his voice squeaking considerably. "How?!" He asked loudly.

"Uh…car accident…drunk driver…didn't I explain this already?" Emily asked and Sam growled from his end of the three-way call.

"Stop arguing." Kendra said sternly. "Sam, you're in Orangeville, right?" She didn't wait for an answer, knowing very well that he was, in fact, in Orangeville. "Great, pick me up. You know the address, don't act like you don't, I know you do. I already told you the address, so don't even think about denying it." She said and she heard a distinct gulp, most likely on Sam's end.

"Okay." He squeaked slightly and Kendra smirked, yup, definitely from his end. She thought. The smirk wiped off her face as she became 'Stern Kendra' again.

"Good, now hurry up and get your ass over here. We'll meet you at the apartment, Em." Kendra said and Emily agreed before she hung up.

"Couldn't we just meet at the hospital?" Sam asked and Kendra growled. "Or, y'know, the apartment sounds nice, too…right, I'm leaving now." He said before he hung up, leaving a very pleased Kendra to herself.

"I love it when people are scared of me." She said as she waited for Sam.

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A horn honked and Kendra rolled her eyes as she closed the front door of her grandmother's house shut and walked over to the car.

"You should've walked to the door and knocked. Honking is inappropriate and inconsiderate. Not to mention rude." Kendra said and Sam drove off furiously. "Jesus, Sam, you're driving like a lunatic, slow down." She said; her eyes slightly wide. His knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.

"I wish we could tell that to the lunatic who put Derek in a coma. That jackass. He may have ruined Derek's life. What if he wakes up and finds out he paralyzed? Well, there goes hockey. Or if he's got a serious injury? There goes this hockey season, you know, the one when scouts are actually coming to UT to scout for players." Sam said and Kendra looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry." She whispered and he glanced at her before blowing out a long breath and running a hand to his already mussed up blonde hair.

"You shouldn't be apologizing. I snapped at you." He said and Kendra offered him a small sympathetic smile.

"But he's your best friend, and his life's in danger. I realize that now, but it hadn't really…appealed to me how much this can affect you. Don't even think about telling me you were out of line. I was wrong; you had every right to say that." She sent him the sympathetic smile and he smiled softly back at her.

"Thanks, Ken." He whispered and she nodded as she turned on the radio to a quiet level. It was the only sound in the car, because the two of them just sat there. At some pointed Kendra noticed Sam's already pale knuckles whitening further-more and decided to place her hand atop of his right hand. He glanced at her, but her eyes were looking out the window with a dazed look in them. He looked back at the road and squeezed her hand slightly, thanking her for the gesture without the unneeded words.

Getting.There.

And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do

Sam and Kendra stepped into the apartment, hands still linked. Emily walked out of a room at the sound of a door opening and closing shut.

"Em." Kendra greeted before engulfing her in a hug. "Do you know anything else?" She asked and Emily nodded. She was smiling as she retold the story Casey had told her, the same story Casey had cried about as she remembered it. Kendra's brows were furrowed during the whole explanation.

"So, after that, they probably aren't going to get back together. Ever. I don't think she'll ever forgive herself, and he won't think she cares about him because she won't be showing it." Emily smiled happily and Kendra's eyes narrowed.

"And…you're happy about that?" She asked and Emily rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am." She said and Sam furrowed his brows in confusion. Kendra had the same expression on for a moment before realization hit and her eyes widened. She gritted her teeth and glared at Emily briefly before lunging at her.

Getting.There.

It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I'm doin' It

The Venturi/McDonald family had decided, though Derek wasn't there, they would try their best to carry on with the family dinner. They had begun going around and each of them saying one thing they were thankful for. Marti had grabbed a hockey puck signed by Derek's favourite player from his room so they could pass it around as they gave thanks. She thought it would be a good way to have him there with them, even though he wasn't.

"I'm thankful for a family I love, and who love me." Nora said before she passed the puck to George.

"For the opportunity we have in life." He said before passing it on to Edwin.

"For being unique and being able to express ourselves through it." Edwin said before handing it to Lizzie.

"For having people who will be there for you, no matter what life throws at you." She said as she gave the puck to Casey. She took the puck at stared at it for a moment.

"For my damn health." She spat out. "For being able to sit here without having to fight for my life while Derek is in the hospital in a coma he may never awaken from." She yelled and Marti stood with such force her chair flew backwards. Everyone looked at Casey and Marti in shock as the younger girl glared at the eldest. "I'm thankful for –"

"Just stop it!" Marti screeched as she ripped the puck from Casey's grasp. "Stop!" She cried out before her tears spilled over and she looked down at the puck. She threw it in any random picture; it wound up sending a framed picture of Marti and Derek crashing to the floor, the glass shattering along with the frame structure itself. "Are you happy now?!" Marti screamed before running up the stairs. They heard a door slam shut and they all looked at Casey.

Getting.There.

It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone
Still harder

Sam reached out and stopped her just as her hands were inches from causing Emily serious harm. His arms were wrapped around her waist as a restraint, though she kept trying to move forward.

"You horrible, sick, son-of-a-bitch!" Kendra screamed and Emily shrugged. "How…how could you do that? You told her to do the one thing you knew would backfire. You set her up!" She cried out and Emily shrugged again.

"Why do I get the feeling you have a point? Look, she had something I wanted, she wouldn't give up, so I made her. It doesn't matter. It's over. I win. She'll never be with Derek again. They're finished." Emily said happily and Kendra began to laugh bitterly.

"You stupid…stupid, little bitch. Derek will never fall for you. He loves Casey. After he hears what you did, he'll despise you and talk it over with Casey. Don't you get it? You lose. You're always going to lose." Kendra said and Emily clenched her jaw.

Getting.There.

Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret
But I know if I could do it over

A few silent minutes passed by before Casey stood up and walked up the stairs soundlessly. She hadn't thought twice about where she was headed, she barely thought about it once. It was automatic. Without knocking, she opened the door to Derek's former bedroom. Marti was sitting with her back against the headboard with one of his pillows hugged closely to her as she cried.

"I shouldn't have said that." Casey said quietly and Marti sniffed in response. "I…I was just angry that he wasn't there, y'know? It didn't seem fair that we were trying to go on without him there, even if for only a day." She said as she sat on the foot of the bed.

"I know, Casey. But…we're all thinking the same thing. Derek is like…my idol. He's my Smerek and he always will be. Even when he's eighty. Don't you think it's hard for me that he's not sitting in that seat? It's like, one of those things you take for granted. Now…I know if I look over, he won't be there. No matter how much I want him or need him to be there, he won't be. It's like a security blanket that's been ripped to shreds." Marti said.

"I know…well, I do, now. I'm really sorry, Marti. It…it was really stupid of me to say that." She said and Marti leaned over and hugged her.

"It's okay. I know you've been feeling guilty; but, Casey; it really isn't your fault. I know…it seems, a lot, like it is, but really think about it. Please. You didn't know it would happen, none of us did. Tell me this, had you known this would've happened, would you let him go out?" She asked and Casey arched an eyebrow at her.

"Of course not." She said without hesitance. Marti motioned to her with a hand.

"Then there's your answer. Casey, you need to know it wasn't your fault." Marti said and Casey thought back to it. When Marti put it that way, it made more sense. She wouldn't let it happen if she knew it would happen.

Getting.There.

I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken

"If it so happens that Derek comes out of his coma, you'll tell him about it?" Emily asked and Kendra nodded. "I highly doubt that. I gave you the next best thing to Derek, I let go of Sam for you. That's how you repay me?" She asked and Kendra clenched her jaw tightly.

"Let me set this straight for you. Derek is only the best for Casey. And Sam isn't the next best thing. There's no such thing as the next best thing. It's wither the person is for you or not. Derek will never love you, Emily." Kendra said.

"And neither will Sam." Sam piped up from behind her for the first time since they set foot into the apartment. "Let's go, Ken." He said as he led Kendra out the door to his car.

Getting.There.

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say

Sam and Kendra made their way to the room the nurse had directed then too. Kendra stepped inside and gasped. Her hand was, yet again, tightly clasped in Sam's. She felt him tighten his grip, but not so he was hurting her.

"Oh God, Derek, you moron." He whispered hoarsely as he looked at his best friend.

"Are you okay?" Kendra asked and Sam swallowed hard before he slowly nodded.

"It's just…he's my best friend. And he's done some shitty stuff in the past, but he doesn't deserve this. Not this," he motioned to Derek, "or the stupid games Emily played. He doesn't." Sam said, his voice cracking with the last two words. Kendra squeezed his hand for reassurance.

"I know, Sam. It's okay." She whispered soothingly as he sat on a chair and hung his head in between his knees. She sat next to him and rubbing circles on his back soothingly. About twenty minutes passed by before Sam gathered enough courage to look at Derek's form again. He gulped and leaned over the bed slightly.

"Come on, D. You can make it through this." He whispered as a tear fell from the corner of his eye.

Getting.There.

And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been

Casey and Marti walked back to the table and Nora smiled softly.

"Is everything okay?" She asked quietly and the two of them nodded briefly. They hadn't spoken much until Marti's fork clattered noisily onto her plate.

"I'm thankful for my older siblings, because they create security for me and keep me safe." She said and Casey smiled at her, causing Marti to smile back. The rest of the family looked on in confusion but smiled just the same.

"Are…are we going to the hospital after this?" Edwin asked and George nodded.

"I think it's best we visit him as much as we can while we're all here still." George said and they all nodded in agreement.

Getting.There.

And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

As soon as everyone was finished up and the table was clear they all rushed out to the family car. They were at the hospital soon enough and they all walked briskly to the room. When they walked in they were shocked to see Kendra and Sam already there.

"What are two doing here? Where's Emily?" Casey asked curiously and the two of them shared a look.

"I'll tell her." Kendra whispered and Sam gave her a nod in thanks.

"What's going on? Tell me what?" She asked and Kendra grabbed her forearm and brought outside of the room.

"Has he…" Lizzie trailed and Sam shook his head.

"Afraid not." He said quietly.

"No movements? Nothing?" Edwin asked and Sam shook his head. "All we can do is wait." He mumbled.

Getting.There.

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say

Kendra explained to Casey about Emily and what had happened. Casey stared at the floor as she fidgeted with her hands. Kendra thought she had been crying but when Casey looked up, all that was evident was fury.

"I…I ruined whatever was left of our relationship because of her?" Casey asked. She then grinned evilly; it was the type of thing that sent shivers through Kendra's spine. "Then I'd live to explain to her that she's the one to blame about him being here. In fact, I'd like to tell him if he comes out of his coma." She said and Kendra furrowed her brows.

"Emily told you felt guilty…?" Kendra trailed and Casey nodded.

"I did, but Marti made me realize that I would never let that happen to him." Casey said and Kendra arched an eyebrow. "Long story." She said and Kendra nodded.

Getting.There.

And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been

Half an hour passed by and some of them were slowing drifting to sleep. Nora sighed and stood up.

"George, come with me to get coffee." She said and he nodded. "Anybody else want some?" She asked and all of them raised there hands except for Marti.

"Can I have a hot chocolate?" She asked and Nora nodded.

"Of course, Sweetie." She said. "Come on, George. If anything happens, find us right away." She said pointedly and they all nodded.

"Hey, Case, are you okay?" Kendra asked and Casey gave her a half-nod, her eyes remaining on Derek.

"Just a little…shaken up." She mumbled quietly. "Are okay, Smarti?" She asked and Marti nodded as she peered at Derek with her head on Casey's shoulder.

"Really tired, though." She sighed out and Lizzie nodded.

"Me too. I need my coffee." She said.

"It must have been really freaky, getting that call and coming here when it was all so fresh. It must've been like pouring salt onto the wounds." Kendra said and Casey nodded.

"Sort of." She mumbled.

Getting.There.

And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

Another half hour had passed by, and the caffeine adrenaline was long gone already. Not that it had done much to begin with. Marti, Lizzie, Edwin and Kendra had all fallen asleep in their chairs which left Casey, Nora, George and Sam, who were watching Derek intently.

Casey put her hand on Derek's, feeling the rough skin against her soft skin. Her thumb traced random shaped along the top of his hand. She could've sworn she felt a twitch from beneath her fingers, but after a few seconds shrugged it off.

Until the whole hand jerked.

She gasped quietly and gripped his hand instead of just placing her hand on his. George, Nora and Sam all looked on intently as Casey stood slowly and prayed he would open his eyes.

Getting.There.

Not seeing that loving you
That's what I was trying to do

He felt like he was getting beat to the head with a bat. It felt like his brain was thumping against his forehead. His eyes slowly fluttered open. The lights made the pain in his head worse and he wanted nothing less than to close his eyes until he saw the form of a blurry figure watching over him.

He willed his eyes to open and for his vision to clear. Finally, it did just that and he looked up into those blue eyes he had gotten so used to. Casey grinned and her eyes sparkled happily.

"You're okay." She whispered lowly, then slightly louder. "You're okay." It looked as though realization hit her and she gripped his hand tightly, yet gently, sending the tingles through him. "You're okay!" She cried out, waking everyone in the room and making him flinch. "Sorry." She said significantly quieter.

Not thinking clearly, she pressed a kiss to the right corner of his mouth.

"Thank God you're okay." She whispered next to his ear. Her breath felt warm against his ear and jaw, it made his eyes dart to hers and lock instantaneously.

A/N: Okay, the end probably REALLY sucks but it's after 3:30 am, and I'm REALLY tired. I just didn't want to wait much longer to update. The next chapter will probably be the beginning of Christmas Vaca. Please let me know what you think!!