Disclaimer- Not mine, nuff said.

A/N- I really couldn't tell you how much more there is to this or how it will end. Just keep R&R and see what happens.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

She was suspended in the enveloping black. It was quiet and calm; she turned in every direction. Nothing but blackness all around. No pain registered anywhere on her body. That was odd; the last thing she remembered was pain. The black began to swallow her thoughts, just before she let them go she realized; pain was the only thing she remembered.

When her thoughts returned from the dark she could hear a voice calling out a name, but couldn't seem to answer. She tried to open her eyes to see who was speaking, but they were so heavy. Was the name hers? She didn't remember if she had one. Her body felt like lead and she was so tired. As her mind sank back down into the black surrounding her, she remembered. 'Sarah', the voice had said, that was her name, Sarah.

The light was there at the edge of her vision, when she could think again. She wanted to open her eyes, but they were still so heavy. The voice called her name, she tried to answer but something was in her throat, preventing the words from coming out. He would be angry if she didn't answer. When He was angry He hurt her. She remembered that He had hurt her many times before but this was worse than all the others. Maybe she should just drift away and let go. He couldn't find her here in the safe darkness. If she let go He wouldn't be able to follow her to hurt her ever again.

"Sarah, sweetheart." The voice was gentle and loving. It couldn't be Him; He'd never been gentle, never called her sweetheart. The voice sounded so worried, she want to tell it not to be; He couldn't hurt her here. She tried to say goodbye to the voice, to explain that she was leaving to where He could never find her.

"Sarah, open your eyes, please." Garret's voice was pleading.

Garret! The voice was Garret, Sarah suddenly remembered. She couldn't let go; leave Garret. She fought back the encroaching darkness as he called her again.

"Ungh." She tried to speak; the something in her throat must be the hose from the ventilator she heard beside her bed. Her body tried to fight the enforced rhythmic breathing.

"Sarah," Another voice spoke to her. " Hold on, I'm going to remove you from the ventilator now.

Sarah coughed furiously as the tube came out. "Yuck." She rasped weakly as she caught her breath. She tried to open her eyes but only one was cooperating. The first thing she focused on was Garret smiling at her.

"Damn, he is hot, isn't he?"

Garret's grin got bigger. "There goes the dialogue regulator again."

"Oops, hey isn't this where I came in?" Sarah whispered smiling painfully. Her smile faded. "Harrison did this."

"We know, the cops have him in custody, he was arraigned Monday on attempted murder." Garret told her.

"How bad is it?" Sarah asked.

"Dr. Matthews. I'm Mark Graham." Sarah moved her eyes to look at the tall man beside Garret. "I performed part of your surgery." He spoke for several minutes, explaining what they had done to put her back together. "Do you feel any nausea?" The doctor asked checking her pupils with a penlight.

"A little." Sarah admitted. "Mostly, I hurt all over."

"I'll order something for nausea and pain. Just let the nurse know the moment you experience any nausea or dizziness." He stepped back. "I'll check in on you from time to time today. Dr. Macy." Dr. Graham nodded his goodbyes and left.

Garret pulled a chair up to the bed and took Sarah's uninjured hand in his.

"Garret, you said Harrison was arraigned on Monday." She whispered. "The last thing I knew it was Friday. What day is it?"

"It's Wednesday, you've been unconscious almost five days." Garret couldn't seem to stop smiling. "Can I get you anything?"

"A mirror." She said

"Are you sure you want to see it?" Garret asked.

"That bad, huh?" Sarah smiled as best she could. "Yes, I want to, please."

Garret held the mirror for her.

"Wow, I certainly won't be entering any more beauty contest for a while, will I?" Sarah tried to remember the blows that caused this damage, but the only one she could recall was the one that broke her cheek.

Garret looked puzzled. "What do you mean 'anymore' beauty contests?"

Sarah looked very embarrassed. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" Garret nodded. "I was Miss Memphis and first runner up for Miss Tennessee." Garret's look made Sarah start laughing. "Oww. That hurts." She giggled and held her side. "You look like someone just hit you in the back of the head with a board, baby. Come on, I was eighteen and Southern, what do you expect." She concentrated on laughing without moving her ribcage.

"A beauty queen? Wren told me about the junior miss thing." Garret laughed. "Do you still have a tiara?"

"As a mattah of fact, sugah, Ah do." Sarah drawled. "Remind me to tell some of Wren embarassing secrets to you later. Now hold the mirror still." Sarah looked at her reflection and noticed the bandage on her head. "They did neurosurgery?" The small tone of despair in her voice stopped Garret's laughter.

"You had a subdural hematoma. Remember, Dr Graham told you that." Garret was concerned about the possible memory loss.

Sarah sniffed. "My hair. Oh Garret, they shaved off my hair." She began to cry.

Garret held her hand. "Sarah, baby. It'll grow back, please don't cry."

"Harrison got his wish. My hair!" Sarah sobbed weakly. "The only thing he never forced me to do was cut my hair, even though he hated it long, and now it's gone." She tried to gain control but the tears wouldn't stop. After everything she had endured, the loss of her long black curls seemed devastating. "I know it's silly. But it's the only control he ever let me have. It just feels like he won."

Garret sat carefully on the bed and gathered her gently into his arms. "It's not silly, sweetheart. I'm just amazed that after all that's happened, the thing that finally gets to you is your hair." He rubbed her back softly. "It will grow back Sarah. And he hasn't won; the only thing he's done is earned himself twenty years in prison. Now shh, don't cry, baby." He held her and murmured soothingly until she began to calm. "You look tired, lay down and sleep."

Sarah's eyes were drooping. "I'm just so sleepy. Will you stay with me?" she asked as she drifted off, asleep before he answered.

"Always, Sarah." Garret whispered. "Always." He sat just listening to her breathe.