"Enough"

Disclaimer:

You know the drill...Chapter 1.

Regrets

"I'm sorry, but, there was nothing we could do. She's gone..." Tommy snapped awake as he sat bolt up right in his bed. He'd broken into a cold sweat from fear. Looking around he realized it'd all been a dream. Dream?...Nightmare's more like it...God, how could I have been so blind I couldn't see what was right in front of me this entire time?...Tommy thought to himself trying to calm down from what he'd just seen in his nightmare. Come on, Tommy...Get a grip... He instructed himself as he went about his day as he saw the bright sunlight streaming in through his window. Later that morning, he decided to go see Kira again and see how she was doing. Hopefully the news will be a little bit better than your nightmare...He thought to himself as he walked into the hospital. To his surprise, he didn't see Misti or the others around. They'll probably be here later...He thought as he entered Kira's room. The sight of Kira's condition remained unchanged. It was still killing him to see her like this. Just as he felt tears beginning to sting in his eyes, a voice arose behind him.

"You can talk to her if you like..." the nurse told Tommy. Not turning to see who had addressed him, Tommy composed himself as he asked "Can-Can she hear me?" Half smiling as she approached him, the nurse explained "Sometimes...It never hurts..." Half smiling now himself, Tommy admitted "Outside of the classroom, we really don't know that much about each other...I wouldn't know what to say." He'd only partially lied. Or had he even lied at all...He thought he knew Kira but after she'd done this, he wasn't so sure. "Well...just talk about anything that would keep her spirits up...Does that help?" Nodding slightly, Tommy lied "Yeah...thanks." With that, the nurse left to give Tommy some privacy with Kira. Stroking some loose hair off her face as he gently caressed her cheek, Tommy took her hand and just said all he could think to say. "Kira...I know I'm supposed to be trying to keep your spirits up but...well, frankly it's not that easy for me...I just feel like you should know that it's tearing me up inside to see you like this..." God, Tommy, do you have any idea how wrong that sounds...imagine if anybody heard you saying those things...'Course you know it's true...Tommy debated within himself as he tried to fight his feelings for Kira, though he knew it was impossible. Finally unable to take the sight of Kira's condition any longer, Tommy just leaned forward and gently kissed Kira's forehead then turned to leave.

As Tommy turned and left the room, Kira felt his lips gently brush over her forehead and listened to what he'd said. He couldn't be...Could he?...God, what I wouldn't give to just hold him in my arms and tell him I'm okay and that everything's gonna be okay...Wait...What am I saying...Kira, he's your teacher for God's sake...But man he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen with a personality to match...Wait, Kira...He's your TEACHER...He couldn't possibly be falling for you...Could he?...Kira debated within her own mind as she lay there unconscious to everyone around her. Though, that would soon change.

Meanwhile, back at Tommy's house, the phone rang. Freezing at the sound of the phone, Tommy pondered whether or not he wanted to answer. What if my dream was right?...No, you're just psyching yourself out, Tommy...Maybe they have good news about Kira... Finally, Tommy stood and answered it on the third ring. Hesitantly, he greeted "Hello?" A familiar female voice answered. "Tommy? It's Hayley." Sighing with relief Tommy thought Oh, it's just Hayley...Wait, what if she's calling because she just received bad news about Kira...Stop psyching yourself out, Tommy..."Oh, hey, Hayley. What's up?" he asked, trying to sound calm. Not picking up on the pain in Tommy's voice from this whole situation with Kira, Hayley asked "Are you okay? I mean we hardly see you around anymore...I just wanted to make sure you were all right." Realizing she wasn't even really calling about Kira at all, Tommy sighed a sigh of relief as he replied "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I've just been kinda busy lately." Tommy knew he had to stay strong for the rest of the gang. If he let on that he was scared for Kira, then they would be scared, too, and he didn't want that. It was bad enough that he was in this much pain...he didn't want to make them go through it as well. Unsure of how honest he was being, Hayley asked "Are you sure?" Not wanting her to see how upset he really was, Tommy lied. "Yeah, I'm fine. Really. I've just been kinda busy lately. That's all." Feeling that Tommy was hiding something but not really wanting to push anything, Hayley added "Well, okay. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I mean, what with this buisiness with Kira and all...I think it's got us all a little shaken up..." At the mention of what happened with Kira, Tommy nearly lost it. But he managed to maintain enough composure to sound convincing. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, I appreciate the concern, but like I said, I'm fine." Sighing somewhat defeatedly, Hayley added "Well, all right then. I'll talk to ya later, Tommy." Glad to be finally getting the discussion over with, Tommy replied "Talk to ya later, Hayley." With that, both Tommy and Hayley hung up as Tommy resumed his place on the couch with his head in his hands-thinking about Kira.

God...I don't even wanna think about what would happen if I lost Kira...I need her to know how I feel but if I lose her, I'll never get that chance...C'mon, Tommy, pull it together. People are relying on you to give them strength...'Course, then again...How can you give them strength when you yourself don't have any...Tommy thought to himself as he tried to process all that had happened in the past couple of days. How could everything seem to go wrong all at once? This was a lot for Tommy to take in...Especially all at once.

Tommy spent the rest of the day lost in thought. Finally darkness slowly began to overtake the bright sunlight. The sky had also become cloudy and rainy. It looked as though it would storm. The appearance of the sky seemed to mimick his mindset. As the daylight (or what would have been daylight had it not been for the clouds) hours slowly passed him by, Tommy went about his evening routine. Finally around 9:00 (which for him was rather early), Tommy began to get ready for bed. Tonight, he just lay awake for a couple of hours. Wondering and worrying about Kira. Would he ever get his chance to tell her how he feels? Even if he did, would she feel the same way? Hours later, Tommy finally found a rather restless sleep.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Kira had been trying like hell all day to wake up. After yet another failed attempt, Kira finally gave up and called it a day. Well, damn...Okay, Kira, I think it's safe to call it a day...Just get some rest...Afterall, tomorrow's another day...You can try again then...She thought to herself as she resigned herself to the fact that it would take time for her to accomplish anything that even resembled waking up. Besides, she'd really worn herself out trying as hard as she had. She could use the rest.

The next morning, Tommy had awoken early due to his restless sleep. Man, I'll be glad when this is all over...In more ways than one...He thought to himself as he climbed out of bed and got in the shower. The warm shower seemed to calm his nerves slightly, though nothing would completely relieve him of his anxieties until he knew for sure that Kira would be okay. Still, he could not figure out why she would do something like this. In all the time that he'd known Kira, she'd never seemed like the suicidal type. She always seemed more sensible than that. Though, he had to admit...she had suffered a pretty huge shock when her father had committed suicide right in front of her. That would be enough to drive anybody out of their minds. Especially at such a delicated age. After getting dressed, Tommy tried to calm himself from his anxieties but it was all to no avail. He knew it would be impossible-atleast until Kira was awake and he could tell her how he felt. Whether or not she felt the same way, she had to know-she of all people had a right to know.

Back at the hospital, Kira had resumed trying to come out of her unconscious state. Okay, Kira...Try just focusing on one thing at a time...She thought to herself, remembering that her original strategy hadn't worked very well. Concentrating harder than she could remember ever having done before, Kira focused all her energy on her right hand. Slowly, she could feel it curl up into a fist. YES!...She thought to herself in victory over her success. Having gone in to check on her, the nurse had noticed Kira's hand curling up and removed the ventilator. Soon, Kira's eyes slowly started to open. Squinting slightly from the bright rays of sunshine filing into her room through the blinds and the bright flourescent lights illuminating her room, Kira looked around the room as the nurse addressed her. "Nice of you to finally join us..." She said jokingly. After her eyes adjusted to the light, Kira asked "Would it be possible for me to see Tommy?" Smiling understandingly, the nurse answered "Sure thing." With that, the nurse left to go call Tommy and the others and Misti.

Meanwhile, back at his house, Tommy had been trying to compose himself enough to go see Kira when the phone rang. Yet again, Tommy froze at the sound of the phone ringing. God, what if it's bad?...Get a grip, Tommy...For all you know, it could be the news you've been dying to hear for the past couple of days...Nervously picking up the phone on the third ring, Tommy answered "Hello?" The person on the other end of the line replied "Tommy Oliver?" Nodding, Tommy answered "Yes, speaking. May I ask who's calling?" Smirking, the caller identified herself. "It's Dr. Brice, Kira's physician..."