God, can you guys believe it? I graduated! I'm so happy and kinda sad. I'm gonna miss high school (to a degree, of course). Anyways, thanks so very much to TheDivines, Thunder Croft, and jazzybizzle. Almost seventy reviews! Wow, thanks for all the love!

17. Wrecked

Shadow shouldn't have let her ride it. He should've followed his first mind and never let her lay a hand nor finger on it, but he saw no problem with her request.

Thanks for letting me ride your motorcycle, Shadow. Trust me, okay? Nothing will happen; I'm just gonna take it for a spin and come right back. Those were her exact words, and because he couldn't find any fault in her logic as well as trusted her, he saw no harm in letting her ride it.

Oh, if only he could turn back the hands of time! Had he known this would've been the outcome, he would've never let her on it; he could've prevented this from happening. He had no one but himself to blame. After all, he was the one who promised to protect her, and he failed miserably.

Her hospital room was filled with flowers, balloons, and get-well cards, the many gifts bringing color to the otherwise plain room as well as a cozy, at home feeling. Shadow sat in a chair close by her bed, a red blanket wrapped around him. The doctor and nurses, after many failed attempts at getting the dark hedgehog to leave, had finally relented and allowed him to stay until Sally had fully recovered.

The sound of the beeping heart monitor stirred him out of his reflections. His crimson orbs immediately darted to the hospital bed, where Sally, bruised and barely alive, was sleeping. She looked fragile and broken, and his heart ached with every ragged, strangled breath she inhaled.

Warm, salty tears slid down his cheeks, and he allowed them to fall without so much as a fight. He reached for her hand and held it tightly, silently telling her that was still here and that he would always be here for her.

"I'm so sorry, Sally. If I had got there earlier, you would've never gotten hurt," he whispered, his voice hoarse from crying. Sorrow raged within the depths of his soul, and all he could do was cry. How was he supposed to know that it would rain violently that day or that a truck would come careening into her?

Sapphire eyes slowly opened and peered up at him, widening in surprise.

Shadow, are you crying for me? Sally was touched and used her other hand to wipe his tears away.

"Shadow," she murmured, weakly squeezing his hand, "it's okay. I don't blame you for any of this. It's my fault. I should've been more careful. I'm just sorry your motorcycle got, you know, smashed." Her voice was feeble, but her heartbeat was beating steadily, assuring them both that she was still alive and would recover in due time.

"Don't be, princess. I can always fix my motorcycle or simply get another one. There's no replacing you," he told her quietly, stroking her cheek with his free hand. She smiled, and though it was small, it conveyed the happiness she felt perfectly.

Shadow spent the rest of the upcoming days and nights by her side, making her road to recovery an easier, less lonely road to travel.