Waking up hooked to machines and the annoying beeping wasn't the best experience. Neither was being in this much pain.

I sat up quickly and looked around, frowning when I saw I was in a room by myself -without Tori I meant- my mother was asleep by my bedside.

"Mum?"

My mother's head shot up from where she had it leaned back against the wall and she blinked a few times before noticing I was sitting up looking at her.

She rushed to me, stroking her hand over my face.

"What happened?"

"There was a drunk driver in a truck, it t-boned your car. You were found wrapped around Tori."

My eyes widened. "Tori? Where is she? Is she okay? Is she alive? Is the baby okay?"

"She's… she's in a medically induced coma, Jade. In the room next door, I made sure she was close seeing as they wouldn't allow you in the same room."

"I need to see her."

"Jade… you need to rest."

"How long has it been?"

"Four days. You've been in and out, but barely able to say anything. You had a glass shard stuck through your hand that would of gone through Tori's stomach if your hand wasn't there."

"So the baby is okay?"

"So far, yes. There was a lot of internal bleeding, she was in surgery for six hours. Had to be given a lot of blood, and took her appendix out cause that was inflamed."

"She did mention yester-Uh, the other day… that she wasn't feeling so good. Said the baby kept kicking one spot. I guess it wasn't the baby?"

My mother shook her head. "According to the nurse, the baby wasn't even close to that side."

"I need to be with her, please?"

"I'll get a doctor, Jade. Just sit here for a moment," she said, reaching above my bed to press a call button.

It wasn't long before a doctor came in and checked me over, asking me various questions, whining a light in my eyes, asking me the day, and date, and how I was feeling.

I answered everything as best as I could and looked to my mother at the end of it.

"Can she go see her wife?" My mother asked.

My heart flipped.

Now she was calling Tori my wife? That felt so good.

The doctor nodded and I made a move to get up but he stopped me.

"In a wheelchair or not at all," he said, and I frowned but nodded.

"So, where is the wheelchair? Or I'm gonna go without it."

"Jade," my mother said with a slight sternness to her tone.

I sighed and sat back, adjusting the bed so I was sitting up more.

The only pain I had was in my hand that had a cast on it, I looked down at it and wiggled my fingers as best as I could without causing too much pain, but it was still agony.

"This the hand that got glass in it?" I asked my mum when the doctor left to go get the wheelchair.

"No," she pointed to my other hand. I looked at it and saw the stitches through the clear bandage that looked like it was there to stop the stitches from getting caught on anything.

"What's this from then?" I asked, holding my casted hand up.

"Your hand got crushed somehow. It was on top of Tori's head, so maybe you stopped her head from hitting something and got it stuck? I'm unsure, the footage on your dash cam is a little glitchy. I've got someone at the office trying to clear it up for us. It's almost a race against David's men to see who can get the footage first."

I nodded and sighed, pulling the blanket off my legs as the doctor came back into the room.

He pushed the chair around the side of my bed that had the IV drip on it and gestured for me to get in.

"No pain?"

"Only in my hand," I said, holding the casted hand up again.

He nodded and my mother helped me into the chair and grabbed the wheelie pole that had the drip on it before she pushed me out of the room.

"I need to pee," I said before we entered Tori's room.

My mother sighed playfully and pushed me back to my hospital room and to the small bathroom.

"Want to know something weird?" She asked through the door.

"Uh, okay?"

"They didn't need to attach you to a bag for your … toilet needs. You didn't pee or anything."

"Uh, that is weird. But, can I pee in peace?" I asked, reaching across to turn the tap on so that it drowned some sound out.

Man, I really needed to pee.

"Jade?" My mother asked as I flushed the toilet.

"What?"

"Just making sure you didn't die. You've been in there for five minutes."

"What?" I pushed the door open.

"I was about to call a nurse."

"Well, I'm fine. I just really needed to pee. It has been four days," I pointed out and she nodded in agreeance.

We finally got to Tori's room after figuring out how to wash my hands around the cast and bandage on my other hand.

"Can you get me a coffee please?" I asked my mum, inching my chair closer to Tori's bed.

My mother nodded and kissed the top of my head. "I'll let Rose and Riley know you're awake."

"Thanks."

I watched her leave before looking at Tori, tears forming in my eyes.

"Vega, I'm here. I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

I carefully grabbed her hand.

"I can't believe we just spent four days apart. I wasn't even awake and I feel horrendous for being without you. I miss your smile, and hearing you sing. I miss your arms around me."

I stroked my thumb across her knuckles.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't prevent the crash or you being here in a coma, I tried to protect you. I know I did. I remember putting my foot on the gas and wrapping my arms around you. The truck was just faster. I'm so sorry."

I sniffled and brang my casted hand up, reaching to the bedside table for a tissue to wipe at my tears.

"I miss you, this is all my fault. If we had just taken Aoife to your place instead of home, we wouldn't have been in the crash, I'm sure of it."

"Jade?"

I looked at Tori, my heart racing.

"Jade."

I looked towards the door, a frown crossing my face as my heart sank.

"Holly, hi… I'll let you be with your daughter."

"No, it's okay. I just had to go get more magazines. Can I go get you coffee? How are you feeling? Any complications?"

I shook my head and looked at Tori.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault, Holly."

Her face softened and she moved closer, setting the magazines she had in her hand on the edge of the bed before she leaned down to hug me.

"That's not true. This wasn't your fault, Jade. You tried your best to protect her. I'm so thankful for that."

"I don't know what I'd do without her," I said honestly. "She is part of the reason I wake in the morning. She's so special to me."

"And you to her, Jade. She'll be okay. She's strong, just like you."

I looked to Tori and smiled softly. "She's so much stronger than me, Holly. I'll never have as much strength as her."

"That's not true, Jade. You're both so strong, you both just show it in different ways."

"I'm sorry I made her miss the family night."

Holly lightly hit my shoulder and shook her head with a small smile. "David was first on the scene, he was on his way home from picking up paperwork at the office, apparently got a call to do it just before he called Tori to ask about dinner. He saw the whole thing. He arrested the drunk driver and was already pulling you both from the car just in case anything else could happen before the first responder was there."

My heart stopped.

"Where is he?"

"He's out with Riley, they got even closer seeing their two favourite people in hospital with nothing they could do about it. The machines were hurting Riley's ears, so David took him out for dinner and they've been inseparable since."

Smiling softly, I turned my attention back to Tori and watched for any sign of movement.

Four more days, I stayed by Tori's side and even scared the nurses enough to convince them to move my bed into this room so I could stay with her at all times.

A noise startled me from the edge of sleep and I lifted my head, hoping that it was Tori, but saw someone walking outside the room and my heart sank.

I held her hand a little bit tighter and rested my head on the edge of her bed.

All that arguing to get the other bed in here, I couldn't bear to move away from her side. I slept there, moved only to go to the bathroom.

And when I was in the bathroom, my mother, her parents, or even Riley and Rose stopped by to bring me real food and decent coffee.

I fell back asleep listening to the beeps of her monitor and the band around her stomach that kept a close watch on the baby's heartbeat.

That night I slept worse than the other nights I'd been sleeping by her side. Something felt wrong and I couldn't place what it was.

In the morning when the nurse came in for her rounds, I got up to go to the bathroom, but a low groan coming from Tori made me spin on my heel and look at her.

I rushed to her side with tears in my eyes and squeezed her hand carefully with my good one. "Vega?"

"J-Jade?" Her eyes slowly blinked open.

My heart soared at the sight of her eyes looking back into mine.

"Hey, you're awake. Are you okay? How are you feeling? We're in the hospital, there was a car crash."

Tori nodded slowly and licked her lips before clearing her throat.

"I-" she stopped, clearing her throat again, licking her lips and looked around slowly.

"How about some water, sweetie?" The nurse asked, and Tori nodded.

I mentally facepalmed for not thinking of it and stood back a little, keeping my hand on Tori so the nurse could get to her side with a cup of ice water, lifting the end of the straw to her mouth.

"I'm just going to text our families to let them know you're awake, okay?" I pulled my hand from hers and took my phone from my pocket, sending a quick text to the group chat we'd made the day I woke with my mother, Tori's parents, and Rose.

Everyone had gotten a lot closer due to the accident, and I'm sad this is what it took to make us all closer.

I put my phone back in my pocket and grabbed Tori's hand once more.

"I'll let you two talk," the nurse said, looking at Tori. "Just press the call button if you need anything. Another nurse will be here soon to double-check on you and take some more ob's."

Tori nodded and I sat down as the nurse walked out of the room.

"What… hand?"

"This one?" I asked, holding up the hand that was holding hers. "Glass went through it. And this one." I held up the casted hand. "Got crushed. Unsure how apparently I tried to protect you?"

Tori nodded, looking around before looking back at me, forcing a smile.

"Don't worry. I won't leave your side. You won't be alone."

"Thank you."

AN: As per usual, any and all mistakes are mine. Don't come at me - they're okay, for now.