Hey everyone, sorry about the constant delays in updating, but I've been really busy. L Love ya for sticking with me!

Chapter 6- Discovery

Bad news for Dominic…

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"Where the hell is she?" I asked, pacing the living room in front of the team. Melanie had gone for beer an hour ago, and she still hadn't come back. I didn't want to be worried, maybe she just got sidetracked or something. Maybe she was coming home as I was thinking.

"Oh, come on, Dom. You know that girl. She probably saw something pretty in a store window and stopped in," Leon said, obviously trying to stop my burning a hole in the rug from my constant pacing.

I came to a stop and slumped into my favorite chair. "Yeah, you're right. She could at least call though, you know, just to let us know that she's okay."

As if on cue, the phone rang and I reached to answer. "Hello?"

"May I please speak to Dominic Toretto?" The voice wasn't familiar, but it was some guy with a calm tone. Must've been a telemarketer.

"Speaking."

"Mr. Toretto, I'm afraid that I have to be the carrier of bad news. There was an accident earlier today, near Publix. Would you happen to know the owner of a black Nissan 300ZX? There's a distinguishing trail of blue flames along the doors."

My heart froze, and I had to lick my lips before I could speak again. "That's…that sounds like my girlfriend's car. Melanie Greenman... Is she okay?"

"I'm sorry. She was involved in the accident, as you may have guessed, and she is in a poor state. At the moment, she is unconscious- the doctors cannot classify her case as a coma yet. However, she will be taken into surgery soon, where I assure you we will do our best to restore her as best as we can."

"Oh…G-d, no. What are her…chances?" She couldn't leave me…not after she promised never to go…

*flashback*

"Dom, what's wrong? You've been distracted all evening," Melanie asked, worried about me.

She was right; I'd been keeping my mind away from her all night- I'd barely talked to her. She was anxious about what was going on with me; she always worried about one of us on the team.

"You're a smart girl, and believe me, there are millions of men out there that could give you a life I could only dream of giving you. Why are you still with me? How can you choose me over someone who can give you the world?"

She had pulled away from me; I'd hurt her. "How can you think that I'm that shallow? Dominic, I love you, more than anything. I'd never want more because you're already giving me everything I want. You're smart and sweet, and you're perfect for me. What brought this about?"

"I don't know, I just started thinking when you were telling me about your family. I…I guess I got scared that you'd leave me like all the others did."

She kissed my cheek, softly and pulled my hand to her, saying, "Dom, I promise, I'm all yours, I love you, and I'd never leave you. I promise that we'll be together forever- you'll always be a part of my life."

Grinning, I pulled her closer until I closed the gap between us with my lips. I'd never leave you, still buzzing in my ears. I loved her so much.

*end flashback*

"Like I said, she's in a poor state, we'll have to wait until the surgery is over to find out. In the meantime, you may come here to gain more information from her doctor when he's done taking care of her. Once again, I'm sorry for having to inform you of this sad matter, but I'm sure it'll all work out for the best. Take care."

All work out for the best?  What was that? Putting it out of my thoughts, I turned to the expectant eyes before me.

"She wasn't shopping." I fell back into my chair; hand over my eyes. I'll never leave you, Dominic…

"What happened, bro?"

"She…when she went to get the beer, there was an accident. She got hit. They don't know if she'll be okay." I stood back up, grabbing my keys. "I'm going down there."

"We're coming with you, Dom. She's as much a part of us as she's a part of you!" Mia yelled out, Brian at her heels, and everyone else following suit.

All eight of us packed into cars and drove down the street like some kind of parade. I rode alone, stuck with the smell that Mel's perfume had left on the passenger seat over the years.

*****

Dominic and the others reached the hospital in record time, Dom nearly flying out of his car to get to the glass doors of the large white building. Dom stood for a second, pulling in a few breaths to gather more energy.

He hurried to the nurse nearest him, getting directions on where to go, and, having reached his destination, paced around the waiting room.

He continued to pace throughout the night, into the next morning.

What if she's not okay? What if- no, I can't think like this. Stop thinking negative thoughts, Toretto! She'll be all right, Melanie will recover, and she'll come home…

"It'll be okay, Dom. She's a fighter, I mean, she's stuck with you all these years, hasn't she?" Mia smiled weakly, trying to cheer up her brother a little bit. He only returned the smile, even fainter than hers was, and said, "I hope you're right, Mi."

"Hey, is that the doctor?" Mia asked, pulling away from Dominic's hug. She was looking at a man approaching them, wearing a white coat.

"Mr. Toretto, I presume?" The doctor questioned as he came near a worried looking man, pulling his hand across his head every few minutes.

"Yeah. Are you Melanie's doctor?"

"Yes, but first, tell me how you are related to the patient."

"She's my girlfriend. Is she okay?" He didn't want to say, "Is she alive?"- the prospect of a negative answer scared him more than anything.

The doctor took a breath before speaking, and Dominic winced, preparing himself for the worst. "She's awake now, although she does have a slight headache. Howev-" The doctor never finished his sentence.

Dom ran down the hallway, towards the room where Melanie was staying.

"Wait! Mr. Toretto, there was a complication!"

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TBC

What do you think?

Sorry it's so short, but I'll get to working on Chapter 7 ASAP!