Disclaimer: Based on real events, but some things are made up to help the story. Slight AU. Goes in a different direction.

Chapter 20 - May 30th, 2017

"And what I can't be, I'm leaving behind." - Excerpt from Something About Me, Bethan Wright

"Sabotage. It had to be."

"Nick, you're overreacting." But there was doubt in Kevin's voice. Kevin was in Nick's house, trying to reassure his brother. They were contemplating going to that hospital, but Nick wasn't sure what to expect. He didn't want any of them to be injured... But if they hadn't been injured, why else would they be in that hospital? Of course, procrastinating was going to get Nick nowhere...but a dark tangle of thoughts inside his head was making him second-guess everything.

Nick inhaled sharply. "God, I hope they're all alright."

"Yeah," Kevin agreed in that quiet way of his. "It would suck if Demi and Joe couldn't have that summer wedding they wanted so badly..." Nick nodded bleakly. It was like the universe was trying to torture him or something. Kevin gave him a small hug and murmured, "We have to go eventually. Why wait? Besides..." Kevin faltered. "You don't know...you don't know if something could be—" He stopped abruptly, and Nick had the sneaking suspicion that his face said, doom.

"Yeah," Nick agreed quietly. His thoughts flashed to the blackmail video. No, that could wait—for now.

Kevin drove them over to the hospital, and though Nick's brother remained, Nick knew that Kevin was worried about him. But Nick refused to meet Kevin's gaze, scared that he'd crack before they even got out of the car. Kevin's gaze continually flicked over to him as he drove, and Nick tried to ignore his brother's burning gaze. All Nick could think was, please let them be okay, please.

They arrived at the hospital and quickly hurried to the ward that Miley, Demi, and Joe were located in. The nurse that led them there glanced over at them and said, "You might want to brace yourself..." Nick froze, exchanged a swift glance with Kevin, and turned back to the nurse. "They're extremely lucky... We think they'll be fine." There was some doubt in the nurse's voice that made Nick's blood run cold.

He quickly pushed past her and entered the room. Miley was the closest to him. She was awake. His heart leapt. She also looked extremely bored. She was reading a book that looked so battered that he felt that Miley had been reading that book over and over again. She looked fine—except for a cast around her right arm. The cast was white and went up to her elbow.

"MILEY!"

She looked up. Joy exploded in her gaze. "NICK!"

Nick rushed over to her and threw his arms around her. One person safe. He took a deep breath and cupped her face, looking at her. He caught her gaze, watching her with affection, and kissed her lightly. She smiled softly and lifted her left hand to run her hand over his curls, messing them up. "Hey," he complained, and she laughed, and he felt like melting—melting with love and joy and relief...

"Oh, Nick, I was so scared about you," Miley said, sorrow flooding her gaze.

"We'll be fine, Mi," he murmured. He touched her cast. "Looks like something's broken."

Miley looked at him stubbornly. "I just broke my wrist." She shuddered. "I don't even know why I have to stay here. It's just a broken wrist."

"Only the finest treatment for you," he teased.

Miley sighed and squeezed his hand. "I'm more worried about Demi and Joe... Demi woke up a few times—to complain, really, but Joe...he didn't wake up at all yet." There was a haunting shadow in Miley's eyes, and Nick felt a chill run through him. Miley bit her lip. "I think Demi will be fine. I heard her complaining... Very loudly." She eased herself off the hospital bed, and Nick put his arm around her waist. Miley pushed through the hospital curtain that separated them from Demi.

And there she was... Demi was sleeping and looked quite peaceful. The girl had a broken leg and some cuts but nothing that seemed too serious. Demi looked pale to him, but he felt relief flood in his heart. He exchanged a brief glance with Kevin before turning back to Miley. "Where's Joe?" he inquired, noticing that Miley and Demi were the only ones in the ward. There was no other hospital curtain for Joe...

Miley bit her lip. "I don't know... They moved him into a different ward. His injuries were more severe, I think..." Miley squeezed her eyes shut, shuddering. Nick drew his arms around her, taking comfort in her familiarity. Miley tugged herself out of his arms and headed to Demi's side. She tapped the sleeping girl. Demi jolted, and Miley stepped back, clearly taken aback. Nick caught her steadily. "Demi?" Miley said tentatively.

Demi's eyes shot open. She blinked. "Miley?" She turned and frowned. "Nick?" Disbelief as well as relief entered her voice. "Kevin?"

"Hey, Demi," Kevin greeted politely.

Demi frowned, thinking. "Where's Joe?" she demanded. Silence. "Well, don't all speak at once," Demi said sarcastically.

"Careful, Demi," Miley said in a rushed voice as Demi tried to stand. "You have a broken leg... No walking without help." She grabbed some crutches that were resting against the wall and handed them to Demi, who grabbed them viciously. Miley helped the girl, and Kevin went to Demi's other side. Nick watched Demi worriedly, ready to catch her if she was to fall.

Suddenly, the nurse burst through the curtain. She looked very flushed, as if she had run over. "You know Joe Jonas?"

"Of course we do," Demi snarled, shooting a sharp look at the nurse that said, are you as dumb as a troll?

"Demi," Kevin said warningly. "Yes, we are," he told the shocked nurse. "Sorry about. We woke her up, and she's all cranky... Plus, she doesn't exactly like her new, um, cast." He made a sweeping gesture over them. "I am Kevin Jonas, Joe's brother." He took a deep breath, and Nick felt his blood boil. "If you possibly know where Joe is, we'd really, really appreciate it."

"Follow me," the nurse said, biting her lip. "I know where he is... He isn't in...the best same."

Demi's eyes grew frantic. "What? What do you mean?!"

"We had to perform some surgery on him... There was an infection in his arm, and we had to amputate that arm to prevent the infection from spreading through his entire body."

"WHAT?!"

Love Will Find A Way

"You cut off his arm?!"

Miley winced at the intensity of Demi's voice. Demi looked so frantic, so shocked, so utterly devastated. Miley, despite being an actress, could not keep the shock off her face. Her jaw dropped, and the nurse looked so despondent. Miley froze, barely breathing. She felt a hand—Nick's hand—squeezing hers, gently bringing her back to life. Miley breathed again.

"Take us to him," Miley said firmly, putting some order behind her words.

The nurse nodded, biting her lip, and led them to another room. Miley ran towards the hospital bed that Joe lay in without waiting for the others. She would've helped Demi, but she needed to know that Joe was alright. He was asleep—probably some medically-induced sleep—but it wasn't just the bandaged arm that made Miley gasp. Across Joe's right cheek was a deep cut that would definitely leave a permanent scar.

"Oh my God," Miley breathed.

Nick, Demi, and Kevin arrived behind her, and their reactions were similar. Kevin's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened to such a degree that Miley didn't think it was possible. Nick put a hand over his mouth as his eyes widened as he took in his brother. And Demi... Horror and anguish raged in Demi's eyes. Demi let out a deep, keening wail as she stared at her unconscious fiance.

"Joe," Kevin said sadly, "oh my God, Joe..."

Tears stung Miley's eyes. Guilt churned deep in her blood. Why Joe? Miley wiped some tears away and leaned into Nick's arms, taking and giving comfort. Tears streaked down Nick's cheeks, and Miley wrapped her arms around him, unable to look at Joe... She closed her eyes, letting her tears fall. She heard Demi's anxious and angry sobs. Miley licked her lips and tasted tears.

"We have to tell our parents," Kevin said anxiously.

"No." Nick's voice turned cold.

Kevin looked puzzled. "What?"

Miley closed her eyes tightly. Evidently, no one had filled Kevin on what had happened. Miley turned to Kevin, seeing as Nick was stiff with rage and betrayal and Demi was still weeping—very uncharacteristic of her, but could you blame her? Miley took a deep breath, and Kevin watched her expectantly. "Your father...trapped Nick to..." Miley closed her eyes, unable to speak.

"He wanted me to forget about Miley," Nick said bitterly. "He wanted to brainwash me, and after all this, he's going to jail for a very long time."

Kevin gaped. "That...that can't..."

Nick struggled to compose himself. He turned to Miley. "It...it wasn't just something against you, Miles," he said, and Miley's frown deepened. She squeezed his hand, and Nick pursed his lips together. "He had something against your father... I think..." Nick looked so guilty that Miley just wanted to kiss his troubles away. "It's all my fault. He said that he had a plan b. I'm almost positive that he was the one who had that car crash into you."

Miley's jaw dropped. "What?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"It's all my fault," Nick said, tears glinting in his eyes. "What if I lost you? What if I lost Demi? What if Joe never wakes? What if—?"

"Nick, you can't blame yourself for something like that," Miley whispered fiercely as more tears poured down her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. Nick was shuddering. More tears fell from his face, and Miley shook her head. "It isn't your fault. And we'll be fine, Nick. This isn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself. This is Paul's, not yours."

"I don't know what I would've done if I lost you," Nick whispered, voice ragged.

Miley closed her eyes and hugged Nick tightly. "You can't blame yourself," she repeated.

Kevin's eyes were wide with shock and horror.

How had things become so messed up?

Love Will Find A Way

Demi wanted to scream. She wanted to yell. She wanted to kick things and throw things and hit anyone who told her everything would be okay.

Demi stared at Joe, who seemed so close yet so far apart from her. His eyes were closed, and she hated how she didn't know if he was going to be okay. Demi bit her lip, trying to stop herself from crying, but she couldn't because this was Joe, and she loved him... Why was everything so messed up? They were supposed to be getting married. They were supposed to have zero problems and just love each other.

Bitterness stung into Demi's heart. How could this happen to Joe? He was her Joe, and he was just...Joe. He was funny and amazing and incredible and incredibly mindless, but she loved him anyway. Why him? Demi was scared to touch Joe, scared that he would crumble to pieces under her fingers if she dared to touch him. Instead, Demi's fingers traveled to her ring. It still shone, as glowing as ever. A small comfort.

Distantly, Demi felt Miley hugging her. The embrace felt far away, like something utterly alien to her. Demi just needed Joe. She needed to see his beautiful eyes. She needed to hear him joke about some random nonsense. She needed him to just effing wake up and shoot her a matter-of-fact look. She could hear him saying, "You were worried about me? I'm touched." The thought was comforting.

"Look at his face," Demi whispered to Miley, who nodded numbly.

"I know, right? Doesn't it make me look manly?" Demi froze. She shut her eyes immediately. She was hallucinating. She hadn't eaten anything in a while—unless you counted having fluids and other things pumped into her, and she definitely didn't count that. So probably not eating had made her imagine Joe's voice. But it sounded so clear, so beautiful. "Open your eyes, Demi."

"No," Demi whispered.

"Demi," Miley whispered, "open. Your. Eyes."

Demi did.

Joe was staring back at her, looking tired but affectionate. He smiled at her, but it looked like it hurt to smile. Demi felt a mix of emotions explode within her because he was okay, but he was injured, but he was awake. Buckets of tears poured down Demi's face, and Joe whispered, "Demi, don't cry. I don't like it when you cry." He paused, reconsidering. "Well, unless they're happy tears."

"These are happy tears," Demi thundered. She sniffled. "Sort of."

Joe smiled shaggily. Still the same smile. "A girl like you is hard to find—did you think I was planning on leaving?"

"I—I didn't know if—if..." Demi bit her lip.

"I'm okay, Demi," Joe murmured, a soft look in his eyes. "I'm fine. I can breathe—"

"—you have an amputated arm—"

"—I can move—"

"—you have a ginormous cut on your face that's going to scar forever—"

"—nothing hurts—"

"You SHOULD hurt—after everything you've been through!" Demi yelled, voice shrill and high with terror. Joe looked rather amused at her, and Demi felt like screaming at him because he didn't effing get it. Demi crossed her arms and swayed a little. She felt Miley catch her, holding her steady. Demi was careful not to crush Miley's arm. "You got into a car crash and—"

"—so did you—"

"He has a point."

"No, you're not supposed to be on his side, Miley! Joe, you don't get it—"

"—actually, I think I do—"

"You almost died."

Silence fell in the room.

Demi stared daringly, almost challengingly, at Joe. He met her gaze steadily, and she swore inwardly because she usually intimidated people (not in the scary way but in the awed sort of way) but seemed to have no effect on Joe. It appeared that, even after everything Joe had been through, he would still never shy away from her intense stares. She supposed it was too much to hope for.

Joe sighed. "I'm injured, Demi, I'm not going to deny that." He raised both palms up in defense. "But I'm going to heal, and I'm going to be fine." Joe regarded all of them calmly. Demi pursed her lips. "We're all going to heal—you included, Demi. We all could've died, but we didn't. Maybe it's times like these when we realize how lucky we've been. We're alive, Demi. Should we stop living because of an accident?"

Joe's words were...different. Awe-inspiring.

"It wasn't an accident," Nick growled stiffly. "It was Paul." His fists were clenched. "I know it was."

Joe met Nick's gaze steadily. "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But let's not shy away from our scars—they define us. Demi, Miley—we got in a car accident. It had nothing to do with your driving, Demi, and it had nothing to do with you either, Miley. Maybe it was sabotage, Nick, and maybe it wasn't. Why should we waste our lives on 'maybes'? It's pointless. Which is why I don't."

Miley rolled her eyes and smiled weakly. "You are...absolutely ridiculous."

"Yeah, because we totally expected a whole life-changing speech after you almost die," Demi retorted sharply.

Joe smiled cheerfully. "But I'll bounce back. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Demi shook her head, amazed. "Why would I ever want to?"

"Oh? But I think I recall you saying you hate me and never wanted to see me again some days."

"You know what, Joe? I really missed you."

"Of course you did."

QotD: Will Paul end up behind bars?

#I don't know.

A/N: Hey, it's Darky! Now, as you can see, everyone is alright...sort of. I really wanted to put the wedding in this book (somewhere, I don't know where), but now we've got Demi with a broken leg and Joe...with...um, an amputated arm. I was actually contemplating killing someone off (don't hate me for that) to make things more exciting (or tragic, really), but I figured that I'll put in a few chapters explaining Paul's disgust for Billy and when/if he's going behind bars.

Now, as for Joe, you really can't put him in a box. He does the unexpected, even if it doesn't make any sense. Also, I put Kevin in this. I don't know... Now, has anyone heard those new Malibu remixes? Dude, I CANNOT stop listening to the Alan Walker remix. That is so GOOD. Nothing beats the original because MC's the queen, but wow, that remix was pretty effing amazing.

Review your answer to the QotD! Tell me your thoughts? I appreciate it though you don't need to. But who doesn't love reviews? ;)

- Darky