Tina called 911 and then rushed to alert her mother. She also took the time to call Thomas and tell him to meet them at the hospital. He was attending college, but he was only a 30 minute drive away. She didn't tell him much just that Liam was hurt.

Her mother screamed when she saw him, echoing the way Tina felt inside though she was trying her best to remain calm. Liam didn't even stir at the scream, but he was breathing despite all the bruises and broken bones. Her mother repeated Liam's name over and over again in desperation for him to wake and partly like a prayer.

The ambulance's siren could be heard about 5 minutes later. After the EMT people got him loaded into the ambulance, Tina and her mother got in the car and drove to the hospital.

The nurses didn't have a lot to report about his condition. They told them to have a seat in the waiting room and a doctor would be out to talk to them as soon as he could. They weren't waiting long before Thomas rushed through the waiting room door.

"How's Liam?" he asked immediately.

"We don't know anything yet," her mother told him, standing up. "You should have seen him, Thomas. He took a hard beating. I'm so afraid."

Thomas hugged her. "It'll be okay. I'm sure the doctors will have him back to his old self in no time." Tina could tell though that he was just as worried as they all were. They sat down, and it was back to waiting.

Tina tried to clear her mind to keep from worrying and just listen to the radio that was piping into the waiting room.

There is no peace on earth I said

For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

Tina moved away from the sounds of the radio song by leaving the waiting room and going out into the hall. She couldn't think of a more fitting Christmas song at the moment, but she didn't need any reminders, and she couldn't stand the waiting. Neither Thomas nor her mother tried to stop her. She felt like ramming her fist into the wall.

She looked for signs of the doctor and was surprised to see that Mr. Sorbo was coming down the hall. "I heard what happened to your brother on my police scanner," he told her.

She nodded, giving no comment.

"I just wanted you to know that we're here for you at Olympus High if you need an adult you can talk to," he said with an emphasis on the word adult.

"That's thoughtful of you," she mumbled.

Tina didn't feel like talking. Talking wouldn't make Liam any better. She decided the song must have been off by now, so she told Mr. Sorbo goodbye and went back into the waiting room.

After about 30 minutes of pure agony, they finally received news.

"Ms. Polis," said the doctor. "Your son is alive, but he's in a coma and we're not picking up any brain activity."

Her mother covered her mouth, trying to keep the sobs from jerking out.

"You can see him now," he told her, the sorrow in his eyes said what his mouth didn't that there was no hope for Liam.

The three followed the doctor to Liam's room and the doctor left them alone.

Liam looked as white as the hospital sheets and his unmoving form showed not the least flutter of movement. Only the beeping of the heart monitor assured Tina that he wasn't dead yet.

Tina couldn't stand it more than a minute. It felt like it was some sort of wake for the living from the way that her mother and Thomas were carrying on. She refused to believe there was no hope even though her head said there wasn't. She wasn't going to stand around grieving for a body that still had some life in it. She went out the door to wait until they were through with their premature wake.

Her mother however followed her this time.

"Do you see what your fighting has done to your brother?" Her eyes glittered with both hardness and unshed tears. "Does it make you so uncomfortable that you can't even stand to be in the same room with him?"

"Why do you think this has anything to do with me?" she returned, her voice as hard as her mother's eyes. ."Are you trying to say that I did this to my own brother with my own two hands? What kind of monster do you take me for?"

"Don't be stupid. I'm saying you've picked a fight with the wrong person and they're taking revenge by taking it out on your family. I should have shipped you off along time ago."

"I wish you had," she said with a mask of coldness on her face that belied the cracking she felt on the inside. "Nothing would please me more than to be away from this crummy little town and the people in it."

Thomas had come out now and caught the last part. "Haven't you already done enough damage for one day, Tina?"

He ushered their mother back into Liam's room.

Tina took off outside to the parking lot in a cold rage where she was allowed to use her cell phone and called the number that was on the paper in her pocket. "I need to see you," she said when he picked up the phone.

"I'll be there," he responded before hanging up.

He was pulling into the hospital parking lot before even 5 minutes were up. She didn't question the quickness. She was only grateful to see him. "Liam's in critical condition. He may never wake up," she explained to him.

"That's terrible. What happened?"

"I don't know, but they're all blaming me for what happened to Liam," she said, her voice breaking though she refused to shed any tears. "And the worse part is that they might be right. I have made a lot of enemies."

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. "I'm here for you no matter how it happened. I'll always be here for you."

She pulled away from him. "I need a place to stay. My family hates me. I think what we need right now is some distance between us."

"My home is your home for as long as you want," he said, drawing her back to him in more ways than one, hiding a self-satisfied smile from her view.