Chapter Thirteen: Endings and Beginnings

A/N: Yes, I know what the title says, but believe me, this isn't the end… Hell, I'm just getting started! (Well, sort of…) And yes, I've been told that I can be really mean sometimes… hey, I actually considered posting this as the last chapter before I got on that vacation, but I didn't… So who you calling mean now... :P

Okay, seriously, I don't know what's wrong with this site. It took me FOUR days beforeI could finally log in and upload this chapter. I always get this message that says 'servers overload'...sheesh...

Disclaimer: I don't own these people… The only thing I own right about now is this gum I'm chewing… and these clothes I'm wearing… and this story I'm writing… and this laptop I'm using… and those MD dvds I've been watching… and the hunky doctor that makes an appearance… and – hey, I'm actually richer that I thought… cool!

Adam was in a total daze.

He didn't even remember getting there at the hospital. All he recalled was that after what felt like an agonizing eternity of just kneeling there on cold concrete, some paramedic was tugging at his arm, trying to free Connie from his embrace and into a stretcher.

And now the next thing he knew, he was standing in the ER with surrounded by flurry of nurses, doctors and patients.

"Excuse me sir," a middle-aged nurse called and walked over to where he was standing for the last half hour or so. "Are you the friend they brought in with Miss," she looked over to the chart she was clutching, "Moreau?"

"Yes, I-I am." He answered distractedly. Adam craned his neck, trying to look over the nurse's shoulder to the trauma room where they took Connie.

"Do you know where we could contact her parents?" The nurse inquired.

"No, they're both dead… Car accident," he supplied as he shook his head lightly.

"Any other relatives?"

"She has an aunt," Adam mumbled hesitantly, "but she told me she's off somewhere in Australia with her husband. I have no idea when they're coming back."

The nurse let out a sympathetic sigh. "Well, is there anyone else you'd like us to – "

The door to the trauma room suddenly burst open, as Adam saw two doctors, a male and a female, and a nurse wheeling out a gurney with Connie on it.

"Wait, what's going on?" Panic was starting surge through him again as he quickly rushed towards them. The nurse he had been talking to followed right behind him. "Where are you taking her?"

The female doctor stopped to address him while the other doctor and nurse continued towards the elevator. "Are you the patient's relative?"

"No, she's a friend," he answered impatiently.

"Well, we've managed to stop the bleeding, but the knife wound was pretty deep." She explained to him. "We need to take her up to surgery to repair the internal damages done. Nurse Taggart here," she continued, waving towards the nurse he had earlier been speaking to, "will escort you there."

Adam could only give a feeble nod.

Damn it, damn it, damn it! He paced back and forth on the hallway, clutching his phone in frustration. "Damn it!" A few people jumped in surprise as he hurled his phone furiously on the wall.

Adam stopped short, realized what he has done, and bent to pick up the pieces of what was left of his phone. He cast a rather embarrassed glance around at the people. Some of them were looking at him reprovingly, while others just shook their head, looking pityingly.

He awkwardly made his way one of the chairs, acutely aware of the gazes being pointed his way.

For the last twenty minutes, he had been desperately trying to contact their former coach, Gordon Bombay, to inform him about their situation. But a message on his machine told him that Gordon was somewhere in Europe on an official trip. Much to his dismay, and horror, Coach Orion was currently out of the country and on vacation with his daughter, as well.

Adam brought his hands to his head. Oh god, I-I cant… I don't think I can't do this. His insides were screaming at him in panic. What was he going to do? There was no Coach Orion, and no Coach Bombay. How the hell should he know how to handle this!

Before his mind could ramble on, the kind nurse who helped him earlier returned once again and greeted him. "Here you go, hon, I found you some extra scrubs." She offered him kindly a set of scrub suit. "I figured you might want to change your clothes, since it got blood stains all over it."

He looked down on himself and for the first time Adam noticed his disheveled appearance. And all over his shirt and even his pants, were stains of dried blood. Connie's blood… He painfully swallowed whatever emotion it was that threatened to overwhelm him, and reached out for the scrub suit. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"Now, why don't you go fix yourself up on the men's room, and then go sit on the waiting lounge over there. I'm sure the doctor will be out soon to inform you about your friend's condition."

Adam managed a feeble nod and walked - almost mechanically - towards what he perceived to be the right direction.

"Are you Miss Moreau's friend?"

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there in the corner, staring off into space. It felt like days, although it must have been only hours, since it happened. And already he was stuck inside a nightmare. The scene just kept on repeating itself over and over inside his head. Each time it ended differently. Each time it ended worse.

"Sir?"

Adam snapped out of his reverie, and found a person in a scrub suit peering over him.

He repeated his question. "Are you Miss Moreau's friend?"

"Yeah," Adam answered, still somewhat dazed.

"My name is Dr. Isles," the young doctor introduced himself. "We worked on your, friend, Miss Moreau."

"W-will she be alright?" he asked him, his voice hitching.

"Yes, we managed to get the internal bleeding to stop," the doctor started, but paused hesitantly. "The knife nicked the lower lobe of her right lung, and Dr. Foster, from the ER, told us that they had a hard time reinflating it. I understand that she was treated her a few days back for lung contusion, and that may have caused it."

He tried to nod his head, as if in agreement, but Adam had no idea were this conversation was going. His eyes started to glaze over.

"And what happened was that the oxygen level in her brain has dropped and…"

The young doctor had launched himself into a detailed description of what happened, and started spouting of medical terms that Adam barely understood. By this time, only snippets of information had only made its way to his ears, but even then it was not something he could process. Probably the only thing that was ringing in his head right now was the 'Yes' part of their conversation.

"…. There might be some complications, like spasms… …hallucinations… ….so I guess you could see her now."

"Huh?" Again, he snapped from his trance.

The doctor curiously narrowed his eyes at him, and repeated himself. "I said they took her to recovery, and you could see her now, if you want. Are you sure you und-"

Adam cut him off. "Yes, thank you very much. I, uh, I'll see her now."

"Right," Dr. Isles answered, but not quite convinced. "It's towards that hall, second door to the left."

"Thanks again," he quickly excused himself and strode away.

Her eyelids felt like lead. And surprisingly, so did her body.

She let out a groan. It felt like everything was mucked up into a big whirlpool of blackness and confusion.

"Cons?"

Someone was speaking to her.

She willed her hand to move, and finally after a minute of so, her hand twitched. It was then that she noticed another hand clasping hers. She tried to see who it was, but it was like her eyelids were glued shut.

"Don't force it, Cons." The voice said soothingly. "The nurse said you need to rest."

But she continued to pry them open, anyway.

And when they finally managed to flutter open, she found herself staring into the deep blue eyes of… a stranger.

"Wh-Who are you?"

Well, I guess my vacation got longer that I expected. Oh well. At least I had fun!

I can't believe it actually took me thirteen chapters just to get that out! Talk about slow!

To all my reviewers: well, I think it's safe for me to say you didn't saw that last chapter coming! Well, what about this one!

Banksiesbabe99: I know it sounds mean, but I was really on the floor laughing my ass off reading your review… just don't ask me why, 'cause I'm not sure myself… I usually don't find humor on people in distress (note: usually)… but really, you had me cracking up.. Oh well, I'm weird that way…

Yours-truly: Hey, thanks. Hope you keep on reading!

Emily: Well, I told you I had a pretty good place to hide!

Cakeeater: thanks! Yeah, I pretty much hate cliffies to, except of course, when I'm doing them. haha!

Anne918: I'm really glad you like it. I'm trying to twist this story as much as I could. I just hope I won't be confusing the readers, like I'm confusing myself right now. I still haven't decided who ends up with who…

Come on, press that tiny button for me… :P