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The first 50 pictures for the 200 stories gallery are up on the DeGrassi Saviors website and the next 10 will be up Saturday.

Ch. 44 Say a Prayer and Make it Simple

(SPINNER)

"Adam?" I ask groggily as I answer my phone. It's the middle of the night and I wasn't completely sure it was my baby brother's name I saw on my phone.

"She flatlined," Adam tells me through a torrent of tears.

"What?" I exclaim hopping out of bed.

"Spin what is it? Is it Clare?" Paige asks waking up.

"Is she…"

"I don…" Adam is trying to talk but he's so upset he can hardly breathe.

"It's Lucas, they're shocking her right now, she just suddenly flatlined."

"We're coming just stay with Adam," I tell him as I try to get my jeans on while holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere," Lucas assures me.

We hang up and I throw my phone on the bed. Paige is already up and has pulled on sweats and a t-shirt.

"Can you get Drew and Bianca up while I finish getting dressed?" I ask her.

"Yeah," Paige nods running out of the room. I hear her knock on Drew's door and tell them and she runs back to the room. "They'll be ready in a minute," Paige tells me and gets her shoes on. "What happened with Clare?" Paige asks grabbing her purse.

"She flatlined, Lucas says they're shocking her now."

"Oh no," Paige exhales.

"Oh no what? What the hell happened with Clare?" Drew asks coming to the doorway with Bianca. Both of them threw on sweats and flip-flops.

"She flatlined let's go," I reply grabbing my keys.

"Shit," Drew exhales and he goes pale.

We all run out to the car and get in, I drive as fast as I can to the hospital. We park and run in straight to Clare's room. Adam and Lucas are both in the room, Adam is sitting on Clare's bed crying but Clare is not in the room.

"Where's Clare?" I ask Lucas while Drew and Paige go to Adam and hug him tightly.

"When they got her heart beating again they said she had low blood pressure and took her for an MRI. They suspected internal bleeding," Lucas tells me and I feel my own heart start pounding and sink into my stomach.

"From the surgery? Did they do something when they took her spleen?"

"They think something could have been missed while they were concentrating on her splenectomy. Honestly they didn't really give us many answers, when she flatlined they rushed us out of the room. They shocked her four times before getting her back. All they would tell us was that her blood pressure was so low they suspected internal bleeding," Lucas informs us.

"I know it's late but we should call everyone they'll want to know that she's in such critical condition and…" Paige's words trail off before she says Clare's heart stopped.

"I'll help you call people," Lucas says.

"Yeah me too," Bianca speaks up.

Bianca hugs Adam tightly and kisses Drew's cheek before the three of them leave to call people. Now it's just me and my brothers in our sister's empty hospital room. Waiting for her to be returned or at least some news. Clare is not the next one in the room but a doctor does come in.

"Is she alive?" Drew asks barely able to get the words to come from his lips.

"Yes, she is but she's very weak. Her injuries were more severe than first suspected. She had a small tear in her large intestine, the doctor says showing us an image on a tablet of a scan they took of Clare. "Because of the bacteria and fluids that came through the tear she's gone septic. Additionally, she had a small tear in the splenic vein, likely a result of the trauma she suffered to the abdomen. This vein returns blood from the spleen, stomach and pancreas to the heart but because of the tear most of it was pooling in her stomach, her blood pressure dropped to a point that her heart could not properly pump. We're rather lucky that she had that tear or the tear in her intestine may not have been discovered in time and she would have died from septic shock. She's in surgery now, two surgeons working together but it's delicate surgery and her body has already been through a lot."

"What are you telling us Doc?" I question swallowing hard because in the pit of my stomach I already know.

"She may not survive the surgery," he tells us and I feel my heart clench up and my soul freeze. I turn pale, Drew turns pale but Adam…our kid brother looks like he's already died with her. "You need to know the severity of the situation but don't give up hope, she's young and we caught it early that's working in her favor. I have to make rounds and check on other patients but myself or our chief nurse will check on Clare's progress and keep you updated," the doctor tells us.

I want to nod and say thank you but I can't. I'm frozen, petrified by the thought of losing my baby sister and to something so mundane in a way. She ran into Reese and had some blunt trauma to her abdomen, it's not as though he stabbed her or shot her and yet it was like a grain of sand cascading into an avalanche. She was shaken after it happened but we never guessed what was happening in her body. Never guessed a fall and getting hit in the stomach could kill her. She seemed okay, shaken and slightly bruised but otherwise okay and now she's fighting for her life for the second time in 24 hours. Reese had better hope that the cops find him first because if we find him first I will kill him in the slowest and most painful way possible.

"I need to see her, to be with her, she can't die," Adam pleads with eyes full of tears. Hearing the heartbroken pleas of my brother snaps me out of my petrified state. I'm the oldest and as terrified as I am, as sick and as worried as I feel I need to be strong for my brothers.

"I know Adam," I say putting an arm around each of my brothers, "but we can't. Not right now they're taking care of her. She'll come through this, she's strong we've taught her to be strong. We'll be with her as soon as she's out of surgery."

"Johnny's on his way, he'll stop to pick up Maya, Jenna and K.C. on the way," Paige says as she comes back in.

"Owen and Jay both said they're on their way," Bianca tells us.

"Sean and Emma are coming with Fitz and Jeff is on his way. I told Jeff if he and Fitz couldn't be calm and just be here for Clare and the rest of us they'd be kicked out," Lucas tells us and I nod.

I tell them what the doctor told us and Adam breaks down. He's sobbing, sitting curled up on her bed with his arms wrapped around his legs, his head down on his knees as he sobs silently. Drew and I sit on either side holding him, doing our best to comfort our brother when we all have the same fear that we'll never see our sister again.

"Have they told you anything?" Paige asks after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah," I nod clearing my throat when the word barely comes out. "Yeah they said she had a tear in here intestine and a vein and that's why her heart stopped. The tear in her intestine caused her to go septic. They told us it was a delicate surgery and she may not survive," when I tell them this Adam starts crying harder.

Drew and I are hugging Adam, Bianca is holding Drew, Paige is holding me. Lucas is standing in front of Drew with a hand on Adam's arm. We're all silent other than sobbing while we wait for more of our friends, our family, to arrive and be here for Clare. Or waiting to hear any news on Clare.

"She's going to be just fine," Lucas assures us after a few minutes, "Clare is too stubborn to die."

I want to believe him but after talking to the doctor I'm just not sure. Time almost seems to stand still in a way, feeling like we were there alone for moments and yet an eternity before more people show up. Jay is first he comes in without a word and just comes over to hug us, his big arms almost able to get around all of us. Next in is Owen, he sees us and sits on the bed near Adam so that Adam knows he's here.

"Any news?" Owen asks quietly. Lucas repeats for him what we have heard from the doctor. "She'll make it Adam she has to," Owen tries to comfort him and all of us. I don't know that anything will comfort Adam until he can be with his twin again.

"Where is she? What did they say?" Fitz asks in a terrified tone as he rushes into the room followed by Sean and Emma.

"She's in surgery," Owen tells him but before we can tell him what the doctor said Johnny, Maya, K.C. and Jenna come in. While they're still hugging us Jeff rushes in along with Samantha and Anya.

"Have they told you anything?" Jeff questions he looks and sounds just as worried as Fitz did when he came in.

Owen repeats to all of them what the doctor told us and we wait again. The room becomes silent, people eventually begin to move away from the bed and find somewhere to sit in the room. Even Adam eventually runs out of tears to cry but stays curled into a ball on Clare's hospital bed, Drew and I stay sitting with him on the bed. I'm worried about Clare and Adam both, losing Clare will devastate us all but if Adam loses his twin, the person closest to him in the world, I'm not sure that he'll ever recover. A nurse comes in every half hour to tell us Clare's still in surgery. Then finally a doctor comes in and all of us, including Adam, look up at the doctor.

"Hi I'm Doctor Elizabeth Jones, Clare is being closed up and will be brought back when she's out. She came through the surgery very well but she still has a long way to go and she's still in critical condition. We were able to close both the tear in her intestine and her splenic vein. She's going to be on heavy anti-biotics due to the intestinal fluid, blood and other bacteria that came through the intestinal tear. In order for her body to heal and the anti-biotics to do their job, especially after her splenectomy, we're going to keep her in a medically induced coma for a minimum of 48 hours. Right now all we can do is wait and keep her under observation, hope that her young body does its job and helps her heal."

"Thanks Doc," I nod slowly and she leaves.

It's a relief that she's alive and came through the surgery but I'm still worried that Clare won't make it. Probably the hardest thing is feeling so helpless, I can't do anything to help Clare other than being here and I can't help Adam other than to hug him and try to assure him that Clare will make it. But I don't know that she will and I can't promise Adam that. As the oldest brother, and having raised my siblings even when Dad was alive I was helping him raise them, this helpless feeling is awful.

Knowing that Clare will be brought back to the room soon we move off her bed. A few minutes later an orderly and a nurse come in and start preparing the room for Clare's return. They finish and leave the room and it feels like a very long time before Clare is brought into the room. She's hardly visible through all the wires, IV bags and the tube down her throat breathing for her. It takes them several minutes to move her back to the bed with all the wires and everything, they have to move it all with her and it takes four people to get her onto the bed. Then they make some other adjustments before leaving, just as they finish a nurse comes in with yet more bags for her IV including one of blood.

When the nurse leaves we all gather around Clare's bed. Adam sits as close to her as he can get and takes her hand. Drew sits behind Adam and I sit on the other side, Paige behind me and Bianca behind Drew. Jeff and Fitz both go to the foot of her bed and they both look ill when they get a good look at her. Sean stands near his brother and Samantha next to her brother. Everyone else is nearby, huddled around at least to look at her and then most take a seat somewhere in the back of the room. I know they're here and I hope that Clare knows they're here and feels how loved she is and that it helps her heal.

For a while we sit there in silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts and most of us watching Clare. Watching for a sign of life or hoping we don't watch her die. The first person in the room to move is Fitz, from the corner of my eye I see him storming to the door.

"Where are you going?" Sean asks his brother.

"To find Reese and rip his intestines out," Fitz growls.

"No you're not," Sean insists grabbing his brother by the hoodie.

"I am going to find him not the cops," Fitz snarls pushing his brother away.

"Fitz you c…"

"Clare might die and I'm going to kill Reese for putting her in here a…"

"Stop," Adam snaps cutting them off and we all look at him. "Fitz come here, talk to Clare again," Adam insists.

Fitz is still stiff and he sort of glances out of the hospital room like he still intends to run and hunt down Reese. Then he looks at Clare and he relaxes just slightly, he walks over near her head and I move a little so he can get in.

"What do I say?" Fitz asks.

"It doesn't matter, tell her how you feel, how you love her," Adam replies.

"I love you Clare, more than anything" Fitz tells her.

"We're all here Clare, we all love you, we're all here," Adam says squeezing her hand a little tighter.

"Adam she's in coma I don't think she can hear us," I tell him because he seems to be getting hopeful and I don't want him to have false hope. We still don't know that she'll live.

"No watch her heart monitor when we talk to her. Clare I love you, I'm here we're all here you need to come back to us," Adam urges her. When he talks to her I watch her heart monitor and when Adam is talking directly to her I see her heart rate increase a little, when he stops it slows down again.

Everyone in the room seems to notice as everyone begins talking to her at once. So many voices and words it's hard to even hear myself. Clare must be having trouble too because her heart begins to race so much it must set off an alarm as a nurse rushes in.

"What is going on?" She questions and we all quiet down.

"We noticed that when we talked to her that her heart rate increases we think that means she can hear us," I explain.

"Yes I'm sure she can hear you it's been proven even in coma patients, as long as she's not brain dead she can hear you. It's good for you talk to her, but please one at a time," the nurse tells us while looking at Clare's equipment.

"We'll take turns," I assure the nurse.

"Just remember this is a medically induced coma so that she can heal and she needs to rest," she tells us making a few notes in Clare's chart outside the door. We nod and she closes the door to the room again.

"Adam you talk to her first and we'll go clockwise around the room," I tell him.

We spend the next few hours taking turns talking to Clare. At six the doctor tells us that she needs her rest and asks that only family be in the room. I think she insists on only family because she knows my brothers and I aren't leaving.

"I know it's going to be hard but the rest of us should go to school and work. We can't just stop our lives and I'm sure that Clare doesn't want us to. If anything happens I know Spin will call us," Emma says.

"Yeah we will, we'll be in touch with you guys throughout the day," I assure them.

One by one they come over to say their goodbyes to Clare and everyone assures her that they'll be back later. Fitz and Jeff are the last ones out, each not wanting to leave before the other and each kissing Clare's forehead before they are pulled out by their siblings.

"Do you want me to stay? I am family now I'm sure they'll understand at work," Paige offers.

"You've always been family," I smile before kissing my wife, "but no you should go to work. She's in a coma we just need to be here with her."

"I know, I'll come here after work, call me if you boys need anything," Paige says. She kisses Clare's forehead, and Bianca kisses Drew then they leave.

I look at my brothers surrounding my sister in her hospital bed. Hoping, praying that Clare continues to get stronger and that nothing else goes wrong and threatens her health.

(MAYA)

"I can give you guys a ride to school my first class isn't until eleven," Johnny tells us when he takes us home.

"Thanks it doesn't start for a couple hours though," K.C. comments.

"Okay so get ready for school and we'll go get some breakfast," Johnny replies.

"Sounds good I'm actually pretty hungry," Jenna says.

We go back to our rooms and get ready for school, we let Mom know we're home and leaving again with Johnny but she's half asleep after a night shift. Johnny takes us to a diner near the school to get breakfast, we do eat but we don't really talk. K.C. seems to be mostly worried about Jenna and the baby. By the look in Johnny's eyes I'm sure he's thinking about Samantha, and I'm trying to just not think. After breakfast Johnny drives us to school, we wave to Johnny and walk inside. Jenna says she's tired and sits down on the steps just inside, K.C. of course sits with her and I walk to my locker.

"Hey Maya," Danny grins leaning on the locker next to mine. He grins at me and I have to admit the grin sends a thrill through me, I remember the night of the party and feel a tingle between my legs. And then remembering the night of the party I remember that my boyfriend is in the hospital right now with his critically ill twin and I feel sick with guilt.

"You can't talk to me at school," I scold Danny looking in my locker.

"Maya we have three classes together no one will be suspicious of us talking," Danny laughs, "and you can't tell me that you didn't have fun Saturday night."

"Yes I did but you know what else happened Saturday night? Clare ran into an ex-boyfriend and now she's in the hospital," I inform him.

"That sucks, who's Clare?"

"Clare as in Adam's sister, Adam as in my boyfriend," I remind him.

"After what we did Saturday night how can you still be with that trans?"

"Don't call him that Adam is a boy."

"Apparently he's not enough of a man to satisfy your needs," Danny comments brushing my hair back with his fingers. I shiver slightly at his touch yet it sends a carnal wave through my body and memories of Saturday night flood back.

"What happened Saturday night was…it was great but I'm still with Adam and I'm not breaking up with him while his sister is in the hospital fighting for her life. Just leave me alone and pretend Saturday night didn't happen," I assert.

Danny just grins and leans down close to my ear, "Not a chance."

He saunters off and I close my locker, I wish I could just stop thinking all together. Saturday night was great until Clare went missing and then we found out she was in the hospital. Now whenever I think about Saturday night I think about that and I feel guilty. At least I'm somewhat distracted by seeing Owen and Zane walk in.

"Welcome back Zane."

"Thanks," he grins.

"How's Tris?" I question.

"He's better, he gets out of the hospital tomorrow and he'll be back to school by next week," Owen tells me.

"That's good," I reply and then look at the front doors as Fitz and Jeff try to push their way in past each other. "You think they'll ever get along?"

"I think they'll probably kill each other first," Owen remarks before yelling at them, "HEY YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF!"

Fitz and Jeff look at Owen and step apart, Jeff walks off down the hall and Fitz comes over to us. He talks with us for a few minutes before he walks to his locker. Owen and Zane walk away saying they'll see me later and I walk to my homeroom class even though there's about ten minutes before class still. Danny also has my homeroom class, and he walks in with a lustful smile as he looks at me. Thankfully the only other ones in the class to see this are Tiny and Grace since Tris is still in the hospital. Danny is in most of my classes and this happens most of the day, him looking at me with a lustful smile. When school lets out Bianca drives us and Fitz to the hospital. Spin, Drew and Adam have been here all day of course and everyone else either has work or Ice Hounds practice right now. Or in the case of K.C. and Jenna have a doctor's appointment and then a dinner with Joey and Caitlin. I'm sure everyone will come by at some point to see Clare, doesn't matter that she's in a medically induced coma we'll still be here for her and for her brothers. Bianca goes to Drew and greets him with a kiss, I go to Adam and put my hand on his shoulder but Adam doesn't even seem to notice I'm here. For about an hour we sit silently with Clare, the only noises are when a nurse comes in to check Clare's vitals.

"Shouldn't we talk to her?" I question when the nurse leaves.

"I think she's asleep, she's not responding like she was her heart rate is steady but no matter how much we've talked to her today it hasn't gone up. She must be in a deeper state of unconsciousness in the medically induced coma," Adam explains in a sort of dry voice but it's also agonized with fear and hopelessness.

"I'm sure she's sleeping Adam, resting so she can get better. Have you three eaten?" Bianca asks.

"No we weren't hungry," Spinner shakes his head.

"Too bad you need to eat come on let's go get some food," Bianca asserts grabbing Spin and Drew by the jackets to pull them up. Fitz reaches for Adam but he pulls away from him.

"I'm not leaving Clare and I'm not eating," Adam says.

"I'll stay with him," I tell them. Spinner nods and they leave the room. "You know maybe you should get some coffee or something. Leave the room for a bit to…"

"No I'm not leaving her, you don't understand no one does," Adam snaps at me.

"Adam I know she's your twin but…"

"No you don't understand, if you don't want to be here then just go!"

I don't respond I just run from the room, I know he's hurting but that doesn't mean he can be hurtful to me. I run out of the hospital and start walking home, I'm almost home when I see Danny in a diner with J.T. and Toby, the latter two have their back to me and I wave to Danny. He nods a little that he sees me and then I hide in the alley.

"Maya?" He calls my name a few minutes later and I step out. I grab him by his Ice Hounds jacket and push him against the wall crushing my lips to his. He takes my waist and kisses me back until I break the kiss.

"Is there somewhere we can go?"

He grins and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, "I know just the place."

(OWEN)

"I'm starving I'm going to grab dinner," I comment when we get off the Ice Hounds bus back at school.

"Yeah me too Craig can you drop us at the Riverdale diner?" J.T. asks.

"Yeah okay but you guys need to get a ride from there," Craig replies.

Toby, J.T. and Danny follow Craig to his car and I get in my car and start driving. I pass Vanessa's house and pull over hoping she's home and hasn't eaten yet. I get out of the car and ring the bell, her grandma answers and a little boy that must be Rocky runs over and holds onto her skirt.

"Hi Owen come on inside," she smiles. "Vanessa, you have a visitor," she calls up the stairs and a second later Vanessa comes down.

"Hi what are you doing here?" Vanessa asks with a grin.

"I was thinking if you haven't eaten yet we could grab a bite to eat," I tell her and she looks at her grandma.

"Go ahead Honey," her grandma nods.

"I'll have her home in a couple of hours at the latest," I assure her grandma.

"I'll just grab my shoes and purse," she grins. She runs upstairs and returns after a moment. "Mommy's going out for a little bit I'll be back for your bedtime," she tells Rocky hugging him and giving him a kiss before she leaves with me.

Since this was a spontaneous date and nothing was planned I don't have reservations anywhere but I drive us to nice Thai restaurant I know of. When we get in I see Johnny and Samantha waiting to be seated.

"Looks like we had the same idea," I laugh and Johnny looks over at us.

"Hey we'll get a table for four," Johnny grins as the host comes back.

The host seats the four of us at a table and leaves us with menus. We look at them a few minutes before the waiter comes to get our drink order.

"You heard from Spin or Drew in the last few hours?" I ask Johnny while we wait for the waiter to come back with our drinks.

"Not since the message I got around one but I stopped by the hospital after classes before I called Sam. Clare's still in her medically induced coma, Adam won't leave her side and hasn't eaten. Spinner's getting more worried about him than Clare because she's at least remaining stable," Johnny says.

"I'll swing by after I take Vanessa home, it's gotta be really hard for Adam I've been devastated with Tris in the hospital and we're not even twins," I comment and the waiter comes to get our order.

"So Sam have you heard anything about U of T?" Vanessa questions when the waiter leaves again.

"Not yet, I went down today and met with the admissions board but since this semester has already started they told me I'd probably be waiting for summer semester. So now I'm looking for a job, something part time because I doubt I can go from full time to part time in the summer. I was going to go to the mall tomorrow and see what's available," Sam replies.

"Drew works at the mall at a cell phone kiosk," Johnny says.

"Well good then I'll know someone at the mall," Sam grins.

Johnny talks about U of T then Vanessa and I talk about school, she talks about Rocky and I talk about Tris and before we realize it almost two hours has passed. We finished eating a short time ago but we've been talking and sipping our drinks.

"I need to get Vanessa home," I comment getting out my wallet to pay for me and Vanessa.

"Yeah we should get going too," Johnny nods.

He pays for the two of them and we walk out together, we wave to them before Vanessa and I get in my car driving her home. I get out and walk her to the door.

"I had fun tonight thanks," she smiles putting her arms around my neck and bringing her lips to mine.

"I'm glad, I had fun too."

"Tris gets out of the hospital tomorrow right?"

"Yeah I'm going to skip first period to help bring him home but I'll be at school for the rest of the day."

Vanessa smiles and gives me another quick kiss before she goes inside. I grin and get back in my car driving to the hospital. Clare is still out of course and even Adam is asleep so I just poke my head in and squeeze Clare's hand so she knows I'm here and then I go home, after two hours of homework I get to sleep. I wake up early and eat some breakfast, my parents are up, Mom is getting Tristan's room ready and we leave for the hospital. Tris is still getting looked at by the doctor and Mom and Dad have discharge papers to sign.

"I'm going to go and see Clare while you're signing papers I'll be back in a few minutes," I tell my parents and they nod. When I get to Clare's room Adam is awake on Clare's bed but Spin and Paige are asleep in chairs, they must have forced Bianca to take Drew home. "Hey Adam any news?"

"She's stable, they said they'd probably bring her out of the coma tomorrow."

"So why do you look worried?"

"She's weak she's not fighting anymore," Adam whispers.

"She will Adam, Clare's a fighter you know that. I have to go Tris is getting released," I tell Adam before kissing Clare's forehead.

"Tell Tris I said hi and we'll see him soon," Adam says.

"I will," I nod leaving the room.

I go back to Tristan's room and they're getting him ready to leave. An orderly pushes Tris out on a wheelchair and we get him to the car. Dad drives us home and I help him inside to his room.

"Thanks but shouldn't you be in school," Tris says as he gets into his bed.

"I can make up homeroom on my spare," I shrug. I help Mom and Dad get him settled, Dad goes to work but Mom is staying home with him today. "Zane will be over after school and I'll be home after practice," I tell Tris tousling his hair.

"I'm okay you don't have to rush home."

"I won't be I'll see you after practice," I repeat before calling to my mom that I'm leaving for school. Tris is home and getting better but Riley is still in a coma and more importantly, at least to me and the rest of our group, Clare needs to come out of her coma and come home.

Look I didn't end on a cliffhanger. Update soon picking up probably with Fitz pov, finding out what happened to Reese and possibly getting to the Ice Hounds game.