Chapter 3

There was a crash. The other car hits Nick's side. Sara was still conscious, but just barely. "Nick" She mumbled. She tried to move, but was stopped by immense pain creeping up one of her legs. Her head hurt. She reached up to rub it and felt that she was bleeding. "Dammit!" She yelled. "Nick can you hear me? Nick please come back to me!" Sara turned and saw that Nick was unconscious. His head was bleeding and the car door was jammed up against him.

"Ma'am are you alright?" Someone ran up to Sara's side of the car.

"Yea, I think so, but Nick, he needs help…soon."

"Someone has called an ambulance. Let me see if I can get you out of this car." The opened the door and reached in for Sara.

"No! I could be hurt worse, and there is something wrong with my leg. I need to wait."

"OK." The man stopped, they could hear an ambulance approaching. Sara was starting to fall asleep. "Ma'am you gotta stay with me! Come on…uh what's your name?"

"Sara" She said barely above a whisper. The ambulance pulled up, and the man backed away. The paramedic began to pull Sara out when she stopped him. "Help Nick first, he's badly hurt, please?"

"OK miss, just hold on." Sara watched out of half open eyes as the medics and firemen pulled Nick out of the truck. The medic came back to Sara's side. "OK miss your turn, you're going to ride in the same ambulance as your friend OK."

"OK, is Nick alright?"

"We don't know. I'm sorry" The man shook his head and helped Sara into the ambulance. She looked in and saw paramedics already tending to Nick. She climbed in and sat down by Nick's left side. He was still unconscious. She took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. She silently cried to herself. Everything began to spin, and then blackness.

+l+l+l+l+l+l+l+l+l+l+l+

"Sara…Sara, come on Sara come back to us…" Sara could hear a calm voice trying to wake her up. It sounded familiar. To familiar, she had to see the face that the voice belonged to. If only she could open her eyes. Her eyes began to flutter open. "That's it Sara come back to us." She heard the calm voice again. And a gentle hand brushed her forehead. Sara opened her eyes, everything was blurry. She saw a figure sitting on the bed. Dark clothes, and light hair. Catherine? Sara thought, she tried to speak.

"Cath, is that you?" Her voice was raspy, but her vision was becoming clearer.

"Yeah…Sara hey how do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by an 18 wheeled truck."

Catherine smiled a little. "Actually it was an SUV." That got a little smile out of Sara.

"Oh my god how's Nick?" Sara saw Catherine frown.

"He's…he's not so good. There was some swelling around his brain. I'm so sorry Sara he's in a coma." Sara began to cry.

"No, you're lying, he was going to be OK. Oh god what if he never wakes up? It'll be all my fault!"

"No Sara it won't. Warrick is coming in. I've got to go call Nick's parents. They should be with him right now. You get some sleep, and I'll be back in a little bit." Sara was still crying, but not as much. Catherine gave her a quick hug and left the room. Sara closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

+l+l+ Meanwhile In Nick's Coma NICK'S POV +l+l+

"Where the hell am I?" I asked myself. What the hell happened? The last thing I remember was being in the car with Sara. Yes Sara. And then there was a crash. Damn a crash, am I dead? Well let's examine the evidence. There was a crash, I'm not in a hospital room, and everything is really bright, and I think I'm in a tunnel.

"You are in a tunnel Nicky"

"What? Who are you? Why am I not with Sara?"

"Nick you're in a coma, and I'm sorry but your on your way to death, you might not make it." I fell to my knees.

"No, I have to get back to Sara." I was screaming at the top of my lungs, I had to get back to Sara, I have to tell her how I feel, and she has to know!

+l+l+ back in the real world +l+l+

"Nurse? Nurse?" Sara called from her bed.

"Yes Ms. Sidle?"

"I want, no I need to go see Mr. Stokes."

"Umm OK, let me go get you a wheel chair." The nurse turned to leave.

"No, it's OK I can walk." Sara began to get up, but fell back down. "Maybe I could use that wheel chair." Sara said with a small smile.

"OK, I'll be right back." A few minutes later the nurse came back. She helped Sara into the wheel chair, and wheeled her down many halls.

"Are we there yet?" Sara was getting impatient.

"Yes, we're here." The nurse wheeled Sara into the room. "I'll leave you alone, call me when you'd like to go back to your room."

"OK thanks." The nurse left and Sara sat beside Nick and took his hand. "Nick…Nick…can you hear me?" Tears were slowly flowing down her cheeks. "Nick you have to come back to me! I came back, now you have to! Please Nick, you owe me breakfast." She began to cry harder. The machine that Nick was hooked up to that monitored his heart began to slow down. "NO! NICK! PLEASE COME BACK TO ME I LOVE YOU! NICK COME BACK! NURSE!" The nurse ran into the room and called for a doctor. Sara was pushed out of the way, she couldn't see anything.

+l+l+ Back in Nick's Coma +l+l+

"Hey what's they light up there? It's really pretty." I was smiling, why am I smiling I'm dead!?

"No Nick! Stay away from the light!" I heard the voice but I ignored it. "Nick you're going back now!" I still ignored it

"I can't help it it's so beautiful!" What was I doing I didn't want to go to the light?

"NO bad Nick! NO get over here!! Right now! Do you want a cookie?" The next thing I knew I was staring some doctor straight in the face.