Kind of a quick update, but I didn't want to leave y'all on that cliffhanger forever.

That and I needed something to fuel my fire for writing right now and this was all I could think about lol.

I personally don't think this is my best work for this story, but eh. I've been putting too high of expectations on myself lately and I think this is a good way of letting myself be more okay with my writing. As they say though, the artist is their own worst critic so I doubt it'll change any time soon. I know how I want to end this though, so I at least have that in my sights unlike I do with most of my writing lol.

Oh yeah. Did I ever say I barely plan any of these out. Yeah. That's a thing lol

ANYWAY! Enough of my 1 AM rambling and here's the update! I hope you enjoy it!

"He lost a lot of blood."

I held Jim's hand in a death grip as I screwed my eyes shut.

"He needs surgery. The bullet is still in him."

I brought Jim's hand up to my lips as I pressed a soft kiss to his pale knuckles as the subtle sound of his heart monitor kept me from losing my sanity.

"He's gonna be okay, Claire." Toby rubbed my shoulders as we sat in the waiting room together. "He's been through worst."

"All because he's been through worst doesn't mean he can be as lucky the second time through."

"You've gotta have faith, Claire."

I opened my eyes as I placed my cheek against the back of Jim's hand. My gaze landing on his sleeping features.

"You've gotta have faith."

"How am I supposed to have faith right now?" My voice cracked as I rubbed my cheek against his hand to soothe myself. "You were always the one to make sure I wasn't losing myself in moments like this." I laughed desperately at myself as I felt warm tears roll down from my eyes and down my right cheek specifically. the sound of his heart monitor beating in rhythm as I looked over his sleeping features.

Ten hours since he was shot. Seven since his surgery. Six since Toby left to contact the record company about what happened. Five being alone here with my thoughts only watching him breathe and counting the seconds passing by.

I heard myself whimper as I turned my head to place a gentle kiss on his knuckles once more.

He doesn't deserve this. The bandages and scars. The pain and misery. He's been through enough hurt within his life. He deserves to be happy. To be safe. But someone just had to decide that he didn't deserve to live at all. What was it that the police said? That the woman did it out of jealousy? Something about how if she couldn't have him, then no one could. I don't remember much. My worry for Jim blinding me more than anything as they tried to inform me of the woman they had in custody. But why would she do such a thing? To him of all people?

I guess that's the price to fame, at least. Your fans adore you and you're able to create and live the dreams that you had since you were a child, but it comes with pains and dangers that no one else will ever understand.

I just guess this one is Jim's.

I sighed as I pressed my forehead against the back of his hand. I closed my eyes gently as I tried to focus on the sound of his heartbeat, but the image of his pale sleeping features was burned into my eyelids at this point.

"Here I thought that seeing you all those years ago was the day my heart broke for the first time." I chuckled darkly at myself as I opened my eyes to glance up at him. "But I don't think I knew what that even felt like until now." I gave his sleeping face a pained smile before looking away from him once more. "What am I even doing? Didn't I learn last time that you can't hear me?" I shook my head back and forth as I kept my forehead against the soft skin of his hand. "I remember that day like yesterday, you know?" I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. My hand keeping his in mine as my mind started to wonder. "I remember the pain in your eyes when you first woke up. The tears you shed when you realized what happened. The crack in your voice when you first spoke. The way you said my name, it caused my heart to nearly shatter." I tightened my grip on his hand as I continued. "I realized then how much you meant to me. That I wouldn't have known what to do with myself if I lost you that night. I would have been lost. So goddamn lost." My voice cracked on the single word, but I found myself speaking still. "But now, I know that I would be nothing without you. I-. I can't even think without you. I forgot how to even breathe when I first left your side. I-." I shook my head as I squeezed my eyes shut tight. Tears falling down my face with ease as I tightened my grip on his hand once more. "I can't lose you, Jim. I can't. I just can't."

"You won't." I shot my eyes open as I heard his voice nearly breaking as he spoke for the first time since he fell to the floor. His laugh filling the room as he just gave me his signature lopsided smile. "What? You thought I would leave you so soon?"

"I must be dreaming. The doctors said you'll be out until tomorrow at the very least." I felt him take his hand out of mine before cupping it onto my right cheek.

"I thought I was." He gave another chuckle as his smile just grew a little more. "I thought I must have been with an angel by my side." I couldn't help but smile up at him as I placed my hand on top of his.

This is real. He's awake. He's here.

I felt a sob make it's way out of me before I flung myself forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. A loud laugh shaking his chest under me as he just wrapped his arms around me in reply.

He's here and he's not going anywhere.

Not if I can help it.

"I was so worried-."

"I know."

"I thought you-."

"I know." His voice was soft as he just combed his fingers through my hair. "I know." He whispered at me gently as he spoke into the top of my hair. "Honestly though, I think I felt worse after my accident than I do right now." I raised my head from where I had it sitting on his chest to give him a confused look. "What?"

"You feel better now after getting shot than you did after you got in a car accident?" He just gave me a small shrug as he glanced down to his left side where the bullet had punctured.

"At this point, yeah. But it might also be the painkillers in my system. Whatever they have me on right now is fucking magical." I just giggled at him as I placed my head back down on his chest. The heart monitor beating gently as silence took over us. This time with his finger raking through my hair as his voice whispered sweet nothings into my hair.

He's okay.

I sighed gently as I closed my eyes for the first time in nearly thirty some odd hours.

He's okay and so won't everything else.

It broke my heart seeing Claire sitting there like that. Clutching onto my hand like some kind of lifeline as she cried heavily into the back of my hand. Warm tears rolling down her cheeks and onto my cold skin being the feeling that awake me in the first place.

I did feel pain where the bullet had punctured into my skin, but all the pain I first felt was nothing in comparison to the sight of that.

I continued to toy with her hair as I let out of soft sigh into her hair as I felt her nuzzle into my chest. I just smiled at her unconscious action as I just wrapped her up in my arms.

This was a blessing, in a way. If you can even call it that.

I leaned my head back into my hospital bed's pillow as Claire's hair tickled against the bottom of my chin.

It made me realize something. When I fell, she was all I could think about. The pain in her eyes haunting my dreams when I was under. I couldn't take the way she was looking at me, even if I knew it wasn't my fault. Seeing just how hurt she was made my heart shatter like glass on concrete. It made me realize just then how much of an impact that she had on my life. How much I truly cared for her. How much I truly love her. It led me to made a promise within that moment that she would never look at me like that again.

Also to showcase how much I truly want to be with her. How much I want the rest of my life to be with hers. Even if it's just a few decades, years, months, or even mere minutes, I don't care. I want-.

No. I need Claire in my life. There's no exception. Even if we were still just friends, I would feel the same way.

Which only led me to my next goal in life.

I tilted up my chin to look down at Claire's sleeping figure as I rubbed shapeless figured into her back.

I want to be able to wake up to this every morning. I want to spend every moment I've got with her. Between tour and gigs and movie debuts and filmings, I want to know that no matter what, she'll be there to go home to. Even if I already know that for certain, I kind of want a definite showcasing of it.

And what I have in mind is definite indeed.

I leaned my head up completely and planted a kiss on her head before laying my head back down. A sudden wave of drowsiness taking over me.

But I'll worry about that later. There's so much more we've got to do before I can even think about that right now.

Also, her dad might kill me if I ask him. He'll say something along the lines of "Too soon" and "You promised me" before cutting my throat or some shit.

I closed my eyes as a content smile took over my face.

But I wouldn't mind the dangers of it all if it meant hearing her say two simple words.

I do.

"Jim, my dude, my brother, I love you man." I gave Toby and Douxie a nervous smile as Toby spoke to me in a gentle yet condescending voice. "But I think the hospital trip in England made you lose your sense of control because marriage? Already? You've only dated for what? Six months?"

"Six months, two weeks, and four days." Douxie gave me an amused look as I scratched the back of my neck nervously. "But yeah. Six months."

"Exactly. Are you sure you want this? Are you sure this isn't the near-death experience talking? It was only a week ago, dude. You might still be on edge from it or something."

"Maybe?" I gave a small shrug before dropping my arms to my side before slipping my hands into my jean's pockets. "But I've loved Claire for years and it's not like I'm going to ask her tomorrow or something. I'm just-. I don't know." I looked around the small recording room in Douxie's house as I leaned against the wall with another shrug. "The way she looked at me when I fell. The pain in her voice as she called my name. It made me realize that there's so much of me that I haven't given her yet. That there's so much I want to experience with her. You know?" I looked up toward my two dearest friends as they both gave me gentle stares. "She's already my everything. She's been my inspiration for years."

"So the natural next thought is to make it known, eh?" I gave Douxie a small smile as I just simply nodded my head in reply. "Makes sense to me then." Toby just turned his head toward the punk as if he was insane.

"You're crazy."

"Hey, all because you and Darci decided that marriage isn't your thing at this point in time don't mean that it's not for Claire and Jim." I smiled at Douxie's seeming approval as he just reached out and placed a hand onto my left shoulder. "Just whatever you do, make sure it's something you truly want for the both of you. Wait a few months and get a feel for how she's doing at this point in time. Enjoy what you two got for right now and see if you feel the same."

"Yeah. I was planning on that already."

"Then all should be fine then." He gave me a small smirk before drawing his arm back before crossing both of them across his chest. "Luckily for you, I remember Claire telling me a lot in high school that she always wanted to get married someday anyway. But even if she didn't, I don't doubt that she would say yes since it's you asking her."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! She's done worse just cause you asked!"

"You might be right on that, but this is something drastically different than asking her to take a sporadic overnight trip to Los Angles when we were seventeen."

"Wait," We both turned our attention toward Toby who was now looking between us with a curious look on his face. "Why not just ask her to move in for right now? Like, the two of you don't get to see each other unless you're out together or at each other's houses anyway. It'll make it a lot less complicated for the both of you and it'll give her a hint on what direction you're going in."

"That's actually a great idea, Tobes." I gave him a wide smile as I looked over toward Douxie once more. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a beautiful idea, actually." Douxie had a smirk appear on his face before draping an arm over Toby's shoulders and shaking him slightly. "Who knew Toby had some brains up in there." Douxie ruffled the redhead's hair as the younger man just gave him a pissed look in reply.

"I hate you sometimes."

"Love ya too, mate!" I smiled at my two friends as they turned their attention back at our task at hand to help Douxie with some music stuff on his new song.

Ask her to move in with me. Yeah. That makes sense.

I pushed myself away from the wall as I head toward Douxie's acoustic guitar that on the other side of the room.

And I know exactly how I'll ask her too.