Note: I really love writing Julie as drama/angsty. It's fun and I believe that if TPTB would give her something that required loads of emotion, she could pull it off better than most actresses. So forgive me for the drama this story has. Trust me, you'll be seeing plenty of it.
A knock came from the door, jolting Neil from his thoughts. He stood up from his seat in the kitchen and strode to answer it.
Much to his surprise, he found Sandy Cohen standing on the other side.
"Sandy, come in."
Silence fell between the two as the older of the men lead them into the kitchen to sit down. It was quiet in the house; Had Sandy shown up a few hours earlier, he would have had seen and heard a much different story.
"So…" Neil poured each of them a cup of coffee. "I suppose you were just in the neighborhood?"
"No." Sandy sighed, accepting the coffee mug from Neil. "A friend of mine in the hospital called this morning to say they had someone on a slab that they thought I knew." He didn't say anything else. Just awaited a reply.
It was Neil's turn to sigh now. He couldn't seem to come up with anything to say, so he sighed again.
"How's Julie?" Sandy broke the silence.
"Bad. After the hospital called, she had to be sedated. Her doctor is in the bedroom right now, giving her a bit more." Neil sat down on one of the bar stools at the island in the kitchen.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Sandy set the mug down. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Not at the moment. I appreciate the offer. How's Kirsten? I heard Ryan was involved in the accident."
Sandy sighed again. "She's at the hospital with him now. I couldn't really tell how she was doing; She ran out of the house so fast it was hard to tell." He decided to leave out the part about Marissa dying in Ryan's arms.
Julie's doctor, a tall man with jet black hair, walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Is she okay?" Neil asked quietly.
"She's better. Asleep, at the moment. When she wakes up, she'll be groggy. Don't let her drive, and don't leave her alone." The doctor handed Neil a slip of paper. "That's a prescription for sleeping pills. She'll probably need them. Don't hesitate to call me with any questions."
With that, the man vanished from the house. Sandy chose to do the same.
"Well, if you or Julie needs anything, please, call me." Sandy nodded once to Neil, then headed for the front door.
Neil stared out the picture window, waiting for his fiancé to wake up. And whatever nightmares or tears she brought with her.