A/N: I know I said I would have this up over the weekend but unfortunately my computer is crap and wouldn't let me on the internet. So there I was sitting there with a chapter written and no way to post it. Were some of you thinking I had way too much fun on New Year's Eve? I probably did haha but I still managed to write something.

Who is my favorite reader? I'm not sure I can pick just one, but the top nine are CullenNumber10, onyxrush707, TK-MR, vampire's kisses 4 me, J.K. Meyer, EdwardAlways, shimmershadow30, Someone aka Me, and JmacKarla. And they're my faves because they review. Want to be in the running? Review.

Disclaimer: This isn't mine :(

Chapter 13 recap:

I moved as quickly as I could to the hospital and actually broke into a run once the entrance was in sight. I rushed inside and got Doc's attention, setting Wanda on the nearest cot. Doc ran over to me with a look of shock on his face. He surveyed Wanda quickly then faced me.

"Melanie, I'm so sorry. I never thought in a million years she would actually go through with it," he said.

I stared at him with my mouth open. "You knew they were planning this?"

"Yes."

I was shocked. I didn't know what to say or do. I thought I could trust Doc. Obviously I had been very wrong. I started scooping Wanda back into my arms. I had to get her out of here. I didn't know where we would go, but it wouldn't be here.

Doc put a hand on shoulder to stop me before I got Wanda off the bed. "Don't touch me!" I screamed. "You're just as bad as the rest of them!" I spun around and looked him straight in the eye. "I can't believe I ever trusted you," I said, barely louder than a whisper.

Doc looked hurt and I was glad of it. I was hurt too. And it was partially his fault. The worse he felt the better. "Will you at least let me explain?" he asked me, cautiously.

I didn't have time to listen to his ridiculous excuses. And I wasn't interested. Everyone had their story of how the souls destroyed their lives and how they can't be trusted, no matter how many times they prove themselves. I was sure Doc's would be no different. How could it be? There's no other possible reason for what they did to Wanda. What they were about to do to Sunny. I shuddered at the thought again.

"Why should I do that?" I questioned Doc. "What could you possibly have to say to me that could make up for what you're done? You almost got my sister killed! I have nothing to say to you."

I turned back to Wanda and started picking her up again, determined to ignore Doc as I made my exit. I would take her to my room and send Jared or Ian to get the Clean and Heal so we could reinsert her. I heard Doc moving behind me and I was just about to pull Wanda off of the bed when Doc's arm came down on Wanda's shoulders, pinning her to the bed.

"I will take care of her wound and reinsert her," he told me, malice in his voice. I narrowed my eyes at him and sized him up. I could attempt to shove him off but I wouldn't be able to pick Wanda up fast enough to get away. I knew I couldn't expect Sunny's help; she'd never be part of something violent, even to save the live of another. I groaned internally when I realized I had no choice. I had to allow Doc to do this.

"Fine!" I said angrily. I let go of Wanda and walked over to the cabinet and pulled out the Clean and brought it over to Doc, handing the can over with as much displeasure as I could convey. As he turned her over to work on the back of her neck I watched him like a hawk, making sure he wasn't pulling anything.

With Wanda in the process of being set right again I breathed a sigh of relief.

I glanced over at Sunny who was standing in the doorway still holding Wanda's tank. She had been exceptionally brave today. More brave than I gave her credit for. She still looked terrified but I would have looked the same if I had been through what she had. I made eye contact and she looked to the floor, but slower than usual. It was going to take her a long time to get over this, I was sure, but I think we had made some progress toward becoming friends.

I turned my eyes back to Doc who was shaking his head.

"What?" I asked irritably.

He took a deep breath, not really sure how to explain. Instead of speaking to me he spoke past me to Sunny. This frustrated me to no end.

"Her brainstem is swollen," he stated simply.

Sunny gasped and I knew it wasn't good.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Doc nodded to Sunny, as if asking her to tell me. I had to admit that I would probably believe her much more quickly than I would believe Doc when it came to bad news. I braced myself for bad news.

"You can't insert a soul into a host with a swollen brainstem. She wouldn't bind correctly and it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible for her to return to normal," Sunny whispered.

"So what do we do?" I asked, suddenly terrified. What if Wanda couldn't come back? Would we have to find her a new host? Would we just have to wait for the swelling to go down? I was scared of the answer I would receive.

This time Doc answered. "There's nothing to do but wait."

"How long?" I demanded.

"I don't know," Doc said. I wasn't sure if I believed him. He had incentive to lie.

"Ballpark," I pressed.

He thought before he answered. I still didn't know if he was being sincere or not. "It could be a couple of days or a couple of weeks. It all depends on how significant the trauma was."

I stared at him open mouthed too stunned to speak. He wasn't sure of the significance of the trauma? Wanda had been knocked out and been ripped from her body. It wasn't anything short of horrifying.

A couple of weeks? Wanda's body would starve to death before then. I didn't know what to do. We should probably start looking for a new host for Wanda, but we still had Maggie and Sharon to deal with. Obviously Wanda could stay in the tank as long as it took for us to find her a new host but Ian wouldn't like that.

Speaking of Ian, where was he? Kyle couldn't be that slow, could he? As soon as Ian set foot in the game room Jared would have sent him here. And there was nothing that would get in his way when he knew Wanda was in trouble. I got worried again. What if Maggie and Sharon had somehow gotten the best of Jared and Ian had to stay and help? Whatever the reason, something was wrong.

Someone needed to find Ian. I looked at Sunny again and knew I needed to ask something of her again. I hated to do it but I really had no other choice. I couldn't leave her to watch Doc. If he tried to do something she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Sunny, can you go find Ian please?" I asked her.

She nodded slightly, knowing the urgency of the situation. She walked over to me and set Wanda's tank at my feet. She moved out the door slowly and I resisted the urge to yell at her to move faster.

I picked the tank up from the floor and set it next to Wanda on the bed. I took a seat next to her, determined to protect her from anyone and everyone until Ian could get here. Then I would go help Jared take care of Maggie and Sharon. They should be scared of me coming to help. I wanted nothing more than to pummel both of them to the ground. I would take out all of my pent up aggressions on them. I could imagine it now. I smirked a little, knowing Jared would let me get a couple of good ones before he pulled me away.

Doc's voice brought me back to the present. "I thought I'd talked Sharon out of it," he said quietly, looking at Wanda with sad eyes. He had no right to be sad. The minute he suspected anything he should have told someone. Anyone. Just because he didn't want Sharon to get in trouble he would have let my sister die. I couldn't understand someone who would do that.

Except I could. I would kill a hundred people to keep Jared and Jamie safe. I'd tried when I had been with Wanda. There was nothing that could convince me that someone else was more important that someone I loved. Maybe that meant I would go to hell. But what did I care about hell? I'd been through it on earth. I could endure it again if I got to be with Jamie and Jared a little bit longer. I couldn't judge Doc for this. I wished he wasn't protecting Sharon but there was nothing I could do. I wouldn't disregard Doc's love just because it was for Sharon.

I shook my head at Doc. "You can't talk Sharon out of anything once she sets her mind to it," I said calmly. I stroked Wanda's hair away from her face, hoping we would be able to reinsert her soon. I'd grown attached to this host, as I'm sure Wanda had too. She was so small, so fragile. She was like my younger sister, only slightly older than Jamie. I knew she was hundreds if not thousands of years older than me, but when I looked at her in that body I felt protective. I missed her dearly already and it had only been about an hour. How could I wait two weeks?

Doc sat on the next cot facing me. The look of pain on his face was heartbreaking. He truly hadn't known Sharon was serious. I looked at him with curiosity.

"You really didn't know what was going on?" I asked.

He looked to the ground as he answered. "I didn't want to see it. You can understand that, right? I wanted to see the best in her. I didn't think she could be so cruel. But I guess she proved me wrong."

I reached out and took Doc's hand. I could never really understand but I hoped to at least empathize. "I'm so sorry."

He gave me a weak smile and stood, walking over to his desk. He picked up a can and brought it over. It was Cool.

"I think this is only for fevers, but maybe it will help," he said, taking a strip and placing it on Wanda's tongue. "Maybe the cold will bring the swelling down."

I nodded at him, thankful that he was trying anything he could think of to bring Wanda back to me sooner.

A/N: So I decided to be nice and not leave you with a cliffhanger since I've had a few of those lately. Mostly it's because I can't decide whether I want to bring Kyle to the hospital with Ian or not. So that's why Ian doesn't show up at the end of the chapter. But don't worry he'll be there soon!

Remember to review (*cough*I only need 10 to break 100*cough*)