Chapter 3

Angel couldn't believe it. He knew his older brother was taking Jack's condition more difficult than anyone. Still the fact that he would say something like that—to the supposed mother of Jack's baby of all people—it frustrated him so much. He buried his face in his hands, trying to take in the situation that was developing before him. The long list of issues for the Mercer's not only consisted of their brother Jack. Now they had a pregnant woman in their care, and Bobby seemed to have psychological issues.

Not wanting to make their first meeting anymore awkward, Natalie put hand on Angel's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Angel said. It was then he decided to bring Natalie straight to the root of their problems. "Look you need to come with me."

"Where?" Natalie asked taken a back at Angel's sudden demand.

"If you're going to stay here, even if it's just for the night…you have to know."

Natalie was completely perplexed. There she was staying in the home of three men whom she just met. She had just discovered the death of her child's father, and then there was the fact that she was pregnant. Natalie could barely deal with everything already in front of her…but apparently, there was more…

"Hold on, can't you just tell me what's going on?"

Angel shook his head. "It's a short drive. Come on I'll explain in the car."

Natalie was still unsure of all that was happening, but she agreed to go with Angel anyway. As Natalie and Angel put on their coats, Bobby and Jerry walked in.

"Where you two going?" Bobby asked.

"To see your little Brother Bobby. Something you should do more often. Piece of shit…" Angel scoffed, and slammed the door behind him.

Natalie felt like she was getting into a car with a complete stranger, but what else could she do? Jack had spoken so highly of his brothers so she knew that they were trustworthy. She put her seat belt on and stared over at Angel as he put the keys in the ignition. He maneuvered the vehicle with much more ease and smoothness than Natalie expected. She giggled softly to her self, remembering how she hated driving with Jack. She could remember him laughing at her, as she screamed and cursed at him.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Are you crazy!" Natalie screamed.

Jack laughed. "I'm not the one screaming like a crazy person."

"Well if you would just slow do—Jack! Watch out for that truck!" She covered her eyes.

"Chill, I saw it. You know if you knew how to drive, you would know that I can't drive as slow as you seem to like. We're driving on a highway."

"Not this fast and---Waaah!" Natalie shifted in her seat as Jack pulled a sharp turn.

"That was close, I almost missed the exit…"

"I almost died…" Natalie grumbled.

"Oh man!" Jack laughed. "Make sure you never drive with my older brothers."

"What are you smiling at?"

"Hmm?" Natalie said coming back into the present. "Oh nothing…it's just, Jack once mentioned that his older brothers weren't the calmest of drivers. But you're a pretty good driver."

Angel chuckled. "Well, let's just say you're very lucky that you're carrying that baby…"

"Oh…" Was all Natalie could say. "Angel? Where are we going?"

"The hospital."

"Oh…" Natalie looked straight ahead. "Umm look, I don't really no what's going on anymore…but is Jack alive? Or dead? Or I don't know was he even shot?" Natalie prepared herself for the worst possible answer.

"Yeah." He said. Hopelessness immediately filled Natalie's heart. He's dead! She thought. Oh my God! He's really gone. But Angel spoke again. "He was shot, but he's not dead."

Tears dripped down Natalie's cheek. Some were tears of sadness, because for a second the idea of Jack being dead actually sunk in. She would never see him again. She would never hear him laugh or cry. She would never hear his music. But there were tears of happiness too, because Jack wasn't dead. "He's alive..."

"Yeah, he's still breathing…he's in a coma Natalie."

As if this were the most beautiful news in the world, the smile on the girl's face grew brighter. "But he's not dead! He's alive."

Angel kept a solemn expression. "Yeah, he's alive. But the doctors aren't sure if he will ever wake up. Bobby doesn't have any hope left in him. Still, I had no idea he was declaring Jack's death."

"I don't understand. From what Jack told me Bobby and him were very close."

"They were." Angel said. "But Bobby blames himself for what happen, because he wasn't there to protect him. Stupid ass. He's acting like a little drama queen."

"Oh come on, loosing someone close can cause serious emotional damage." Natalie tried to reason. "Maybe you should try to help him out."

Angel shook his head. "No. We're the Mercer brothers. All four of us have gone through serious shit. But Jack needs us the most right now, and Bobby's being a bitch."

Natalie didn't respond to that. Angel was too angry with his brother at that moment and Natalie was not looking to add to the heat. Ten minutes later they reached the hospital. Angel led the way without saying much. They walked down the long corridor of the 9th floor until Angel came to a halt.

He put a hand on Natalie's shoulder and asked "Were you close to Jack?"

Natalie being caught off guard by his question began to sputter out an unclear answer. "Close? Well sort of—I mean we knew each other well—I guess you could say we're close, I mean, well – you know what happen – and…"

Angel chuckled. "Ok then. Relax girl, I'm not asking if you married the guy. But, do you care about him?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, prepare yourself. It sucks ass to see him like he is…."

Natalie nodded and Angel pushed the door to Jack's room open. Natalie bit her lip. There he was, Jack Mercer, lying in a hospital bed. She watched his chest move up down as she walked closer to his bed. She touched his face gently with the back of her hand. It felt just as soft as always. "He's beautiful…" Natalie choked as her eyes began to water.

Angel didn't yet trust Natalie enough to leave her alone with Jack. So he leaned up against the wall, thinking that giving her space was the least he could do. He could see it the girl's eyes, Natalie genuinely care about Jack. However it still struck him odd that up until that day he had never heard of her. Jack never mentioned her before. Angel would definitely have to keep an eye on her to make sure that those genuine feelings weren't simply terrific acting skills.

Natalie wanted to hug him, but his current state made him look so fragile. When she discovered her pregnancy, the only thing she was sure of was finding Jack. However she was not expecting to find him unconscious in a hospital bed. He looked so peaceful, it almost seemed as if he didn't want to wake up. She bent down and whispered into his ear. "Jack, please you have to wake up. I need you…"

I am sooo sorry for the long update! I thought I would be able to finish this by the end of the summer, but well, my summer was a lot busier then expected. Even though its over I'm happy to say I had an awesome summer! I'll be starting university next week, but I'm going to try and update this story twice a month at least… for those of you still reading, please read and review!