The people at the front desk sent me up to the ICU on the third floor when I arrived at the hospital. It was the longest elevator ride of my life. I could smell the sickness as soon as I got off. I hate that smell, it makes me want to be sick.

I stopped at the nurses' station to ask about Scott. They told me to wait a minute while they paged Scott's doctor. Just a few minutes later, a middle-aged man with graying hair and sympathetic blue eyes walked up to me.

Mr. Nash? he questioned me.

I said and shook his outstretched hand.

I'm Dr. Jones, I'm treating Mr. Hall.

How is he? I asked eagerly.

The doctor moved away from the nurses' station so we could have a bit more privacy. Scott is in critical condition, he began. He is not breathing on his own and he hasn't regained consciousness since the accident.

He stopped talking so I could absorb this information. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant in terms of recovery, but it didn't sound good to me. Is that good or bad?

It could go either way, but the next 48 hours are extremely important.

I didn't like that answer, it didn't tell me anything. Don't give me that stuff, give me the whole truth, I said.

Honestly, I've had patients worse than Scott who have lived normal lives afterward. But, I've also had patients in better condition than Scott who died.

Well, what are you doing for him? I asked.

There's not much we can do except wait for him to regain consciousness. I still have to do a few more tests, though. Maybe you should call his family, the doctor suggested.



I'll meet you in the waiting room when I'm done with the tests, he said and walked off.

I was left alone and I felt completely helpless. I wanted to see Scott. I wanted to know if he looked as bad as the doctor made it sound. The worry was already eating me alive. I was supposed to call Scott's family. His parents died years ago and he had no siblings. The Kliq is his family. I had to call Shawn, Hunter, and Sean and give them the bad news.

At the payphone I made a quick call to Sean, who got a flight out of Los Angeles immediately. It took about half an hour to get ahold of Shawn and Hunter, though. Apparently, they were too busy having sex. When Shawn finally answered, he wanted every last detail. I didn't really know much, so he was slightly disappointed. Shawn booked a flight out of San Antonio for himself and Hunter after he got off the phone with me.

I sat and waited in the waiting room for another half an hour. Nobody else was there, so I flipped through magazines not reading a word. I desperately needed someone with me, and it was going to be hours before the others' flights got in. I also needed to see Scott, to see just what kind of a condition my love was in.

Finally, Dr. Jones came into the waiting room and led me to Scott's room. He was in Room 321.

Nothing could've prepared me for the sight of Scott in that hospital bed. He was as still as I have ever seen him. His chest was rising and falling only because of the tube in his mouth. He had IVs in his arms that were feeding him medicines. There was a white gauze bandage wrapped around his head, but I didn't know why.

He has twenty stitches in his head, Dr. Jones said as if he was reading my mind. Probably from hitting the steering wheel upon impact, he explained.

I pulled a blue chair next to Scott's bed and sat down. Dr. Jones left the room and I started to cry. I put my head in my hands and sobbed for Scott. When my tears subsided, I took Scott's left hand in mine and talked to him as if he could hear me.



TBC