Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or any of its characters.

Chapter Nine

*Lawson Breaks It Off*

"Erwin, baby," he heard his mom say after he had just spent a few hours napping, "Honey, there's something we have to tell you."

"What is it?" Lawson groaned as he looked from his mom, to his dad, to the doctors surrounding him.

"Honey," his mom started, but then she broke down and started crying, so Lawson turned to his dad, who looked like he was about to cry, and he never cried. The only time Lawson had ever seen his dad cry was at his own dad's funeral.

"Well, Erwin, son," his dad said, clearing his throat, "Well, the lawyers have just left, and, honestly, they say you have no chance to actually not get away with any punishment. You're going to serve time in at least Juvenile."

"Juvie?" Lawson groaned, and leaned back on his pillow, then he sat straight back up, "Wait! What happened to Spin? And the people we hit?"

"Well, okay, well, the other two died, I believe one of the people that was hit was a guy from your school, somebody named Bob something or other," his mom trailed off, Lawson let out a huge groan.

"King Bob?" Lawson said, groaning again, "You've got to be kidding me, please tell me you're kidding me. PLEASE?"

"Um, well, no," his dad said, startled, "King Bob?"

"That's impossible," Lawson muttered, then looked at his parents, realizing they hadn't told him about Spinelli, "What about Spin?"

"Actually, honey, she's okay," his mom said, fearfully, after exchanging glances with his father, "But she's blind, the doctor said something about head trauma and the body's reaction, we don't really know, a girl named Gretchen had to put it into our terms."

He watched both his parents look away as he slowly realized what this meant. There would be no more basketball games with Spinelli, or at least ones he could let her win at. There would be no more of her reading his face, being able to see his emotions plain and clear. But that wasn't enough, she wouldn't be able to see him at all. They couldn't go to the movies because she wouldn't be able to see the screen, he'd have to guide her everywhere. Be there for her all the time.

But then something else struck him. He was going to prison. He wouldn't be able to be there for Spinelli when she most needed him. Sure, while his court trial and everything was going on he could be there, but when she really needed him, when the court trial was over, he couldn't be there. He was going to be gone. And she was going to have to rely on her friends all the time. For everything.

Then Lawson's mind turned to TJ, who would, of course, take care of Spinelli as if it was his own girlfriend. Lawson knew that that was what TJ wanted. To have Spinelli as his girlfriend. He didn't know when he had realized it, but it was before Spin had told TJ that they were going out. He had felt awful about taking Spinelli, his life-long crush, away from him. Maybe, just maybe, he could hand her back now. Just to ease the pain they both would later feel.

***

"Spin?" an anxious voice asked as the person walked into her room.

"Hey, Gretchen," Spinelli said, talking to the door instead of the person standing right next to her. Gretchen gently took her hand and Spinelli then turned to where Gretchen was standing.

"This sucks," Spinelli explained, "I've only been like this for a couple of hours, how do people go through their whole lives like this?"

"But honey, your lucky," Gretchen protested.

"Well, I don't feel lucky," Spinelli griped.

"You could be dead right now," Gretchen pointed out.

"Whatever," Spinelli dismissed, "Who all's here?"

"Well, everybody," Gretchen said, then hesitated, "Gus, Mikey, Teej ..,"
"And Vince?" Spinelli asked. Gretchen looked at her, surprised, forgetting Spinelli couldn't see the expression on her face.

"How did you know that?" Gretchen asked, conveying her emotion of surprise through her voice instead.

"My parents are a little slow about my social life," Spinelli explained, "So, what about Lawson? What else happened?"

"Lawson's fine, he just has a severe loss of blood," Gretchen dismissed, "But Spin, the people in the other car, they died. It was King Bob and his girlfriend."

"King Bob?" Spinelli croaked out.

Gretchen nodded, once again forgetting her friend couldn't see her, "Honey, is there somebody else you'd like to see next?"

"I wanna see TJ," Spinelli firmly said. Gretchen started to nod, but then caught herself.

"Okay, I'll send him in," Gretchen said as she left the room.

Spinelli held up three fingers in front of her face. She knew she had three of them, she knew they were right there, yet no matter how much she tried to see them she just couldn't. In her mind she couldn't see them. Just then she heard footsteps and the door open.

"Teej?" Spinelli guessed, hoping she was right.

"Nah, its me, Lawson," Lawson said. Spinelli almost groaned, it wasn't like she didn't want to see Lawson, but she figured if she could guess enough things correct then she would be able somehow gain her eyesight back.

"Lawson? You're supposed to be in a hospital bed," Spinelli scolded him, not totally facing him, "You suffered from severe blood loss."

"Yeah, well, I took a break from my bed," Lawson said softly, also smiling, but Spinelli couldn't see that, "Just to see you."

"This is all your fault," Spinelli accused him, "King Bob is dead and we're in the hospital all because you were too stubborn to give me the keys."

"Spinelli, there's something I need to tell you," Lawson said, his smile fading as he looked at his beautiful girlfriend. His soon to be ex-girlfriend.

"Yes?" Spinelli asked, somehow catching a tone in his voice that made her less than filled at the prospect of what it could be.

"I have to break this off," Lawson said, hurriedly, "I can't see you anymore."

"What?" Spinelli asked, willing herself not to cry, "Why?"

"Because," then something got caught in his throat, then he restarted, "Because your blind and I'm going to juvie for being drunk while driving and for drinking underage, so you need to be with your friends so they can help you."

"Lawson!" Spinelli protested, "I've always been able to take care of myself, I can do so now too. I don't need somebody hanging around me twenty four-seven just because I'm blind, which I might add the doctor said it could be only temporary blindness. Besides, it takes forever to take cases to court. So you had to break up with me in a hospital room? Gee, now there's a real nice guy right there."

"Spin, honey," Lawson said, "I wanted to wait until after my trial, but I knew it would be too hard and I couldn't live without you if I didn't break it off now."
"Okay, you know what?" Spinelli asked angrily, "Just leave. Okay, just leave."

Lawson hurried out of the room, practically bowling over TJ coming into the room, "I thought I told you to leave Lawson."

"Um, honey, are you okay?" TJ asked Spinelli gently, sitting down on the hospital bed beside her. Spinelli then started to cry.

"Lawson's a jerk," Spinelli said as she cried, "He broke up with me in this stupid hospital room. And I couldn't even see him to hurt him like I should've."

"Wait," TJ said, trying to get a grasp on everything, "Lawson broke up with you? Just now?"
"Yes, idiot," Spinelli murmured, then looked at TJ, "You know, this is just as much your fault as it is his."

"And how do you say that?" TJ wondered.

"You got drunk too," Spinelli pointed out.

"But I didn't drive home," TJ also pointed out, "Gretchen wouldn't let me near the driver's seat of my own car."

"But you were drunk," Spinelli protested, "You promised me you'd never do that."

"Well, I kinda didn't mean too," TJ tried to explain, "My drink got spiked."

"You know what?" Spinelli said, "I don't want to have this argument right now. Can you just hold me Teej?"

TJ wrapped both his arms around her and smiled down at the top of her head. He was sad that King Bob was gone, along with his girlfriend, and Spinelli's eyesight. But Spinelli could always gain that back. He was mad at Lawson for giving up the best thing that ever happened to him. And then there was an emotion he knew he probably shouldn't be feeling at the moment. Happiness. Maybe now he could tell Spinelli how he felt and she would feel the same.