"Here's the new baby," Gloria smiled as she set the baby in Jenny's hands.

Jenny smiled at the little thing, "What's her name?"

"Jessica, both of you have 'J's now."

Joshua put his hand to Jenny's face, "How are you honey?"

She sighed, "All right. Just mad, I guess, that I should get used to sitting down." She tried to keep on a straight face in front of her parents but they saw right through the act.

"Don't worry, your back will heal properly and you'll be able to walk," Gloria said. "OK?"

Jenny nodded.

They all turned their attention to the door after they heard a tapping sound. Jenny handed Jessica to her mom as they kissed her goodbye and Paul entered the room. He greeted her parents before they left.

"Hey Jen," he said, moving over to her bed.

"Hi," she said softly. "Are you alone?"

"Nah, Pete's coming in right after me." He smiled after seeing her roll her eyes. "So, you still mad at me?"

"No. You think a lot when you have nothing to do. I guess I needed to hear from other people that I was the one making my mistakes and I ruined myself."

Her voice started to crack and Paul could tell that she was upset. Hearing the news about what had happened scared him. He knew that if it so much as scared him, it was killing her.

"I'm sorry Jen, for everything, for not taking your side that night. You're going to get better." He stopped talking when he heard a loud cough at the door and eased up, knowing that it was Pete. "Have fun." He kissed her on her cheek.

"Hi."

"Hi…"

Silence

"I-I brought your math homework if you feel like doing it," Pete opened his drawstring bag and took out a textbook and a folded piece of construction paper. "The class made you a card, too"

"Thanks."

More silence

"So you sleep here, huh," He asked, the only small-talk he could think of.

"Yeah, it's pretty scary if you think about it."

"I'm sorry." He blurted out.

It seemed like she's been hearing a lot of that lately. "So am I."

"For what," he asked. "You didn't do anything."

"I should've gone to the party with you instead of Joe… Paul told me you liked me and I was just too proud to admit it to myself."

"So why didn't you just say you liked me?"

"Because of that first time, I ended up hurting myself. I don't want to get hurt."

"I'm not going to hurt you, I'll treat you right this time."

"It doesn't matter anyway. We won't be able to do anything with me in a wheelchair."

"Don't say that," he said softly. "Don't think the worst of this situation, think of the better outcome."

"I'm trying to! It's hard!" She started to let it all out in tears from all that's been happening. "I'm so scared…"

"Shh," he said as he hugged her and rubber her back, "It'll get better, I promise you. It'll get better."

Author's Note: Wow, I'm getting these chapters in faster than usual.