The hospital was quiet as Mercedes lay in bed battered, bruised and broken-hearted.

It's 12:45 am.

For the past hour she's been an emotional wreck, though she wouldn't show it. After her breakdown earlier that night she's been totally silent, reduced to quiet nods or shakes of the head to communicate with the nurses and doctors. She stared at a bouquet of roses on top of the table between the TV and a window, as memories of the accident that claimed the lives of her mother, father and brother continued to cloud her mind and heart.

She felt frozen, powerless and trapped within herself. Feelings she'd never imagine would come upon her were rushing in at an all too rapid pace and it was overwhelming.

'Why is this all happening?' was the question she asked herself over and over again. It didn't make any sense.

She began thinking about her immediate reaction to the news.

The moment she first knew things would never be the same.

*flashback*

"We need help here!"

Mercedes faintly heard the woman earlier identified as Nurse Yeadon yell out as she and a younger nurse began checking her pulse. They were able to breathe a small sigh of relief when they discovered it, though not very steady.

Her eyes remained closed as other hospital staff rushed over, Dr. Grigoryev leading the way. The nurses had Mercedes lifted and on the bed by the time the doctor made his way over. He saw his young patient seemingly unconscious and immediately took action. He lowered the rails of the bed and lifted Mercedes' head as he began speaking. "Mercedes?"

She didn't move.

The doctor began to grow concerned and spoke again. "Mercedes? Can you hear me?"

'Y-Yes….I think so.' Mercedes thought as she began to struggle with her own body, slowly willing herself awake, though the task proved to be very hard as her eyes grew increasingly heavy and her body felt numb.

The doctor raised her right eyelid and was pleased to see her slowly attempt to blink. He signaled for the younger nurse to assist him. The woman stood on the other side of the bed as Dr. Grigoryev instructed her to re-administer the IV.

Mercedes' once still face began scrunching up slightly as the needle entered her arm. Once the nurse was done Mercedes was able to clearly hear them speaking.

"Doctor, should we contact her next of kin?"

He was checking her pulse on her neck and noticed it was beginning to regain normal speed. "Yes." His eyes remained on Mercedes' face. She slowly opened her eyes and he spoke again. "I think it's important that it gets done as soon as possible."

After a short time spent answering the doctor's questions, Mercedes was taken down to get her X-Ray. Although setting her dislocated shoulder was pretty simple, unfortunately she did suffer a fracture of the ulna bone near her elbow, which accounted for the swelling and bruising. With Mercedes' history of no prior injuries, right now they weren't sure if she'd need surgery or if they'd allow the fracture to heal naturally with eventual physical therapy. Given all that she'd been through, they wanted to give her some time to rest before speaking to a specialist. She was fitted for a cast and taken to her own room on the second floor of the hospital.

*End of flashback*

Mercedes closed her eyes as more tears began to escape. She didn't want to think about anything at all, in fear that the slightest thought would lead back to that fateful crash. She adjusted her position in the bed, looking up at the cream-colored ceiling for a while before finally dosing off.

Walking quickly through the sliding glass doors of the hospital entrance, Edna-Ruth and her youngest child Marie were unstoppable as they went straight to the front desk.

A worker saw the two women heading over and spoke. "Ladies, how may I help you?"

"Yes. We got a call about my granddaughter Mercedes Jones. I was told that she was brought here. Something about a car accident?" The elderly woman said.

"Mercedes Jones? I think she was moved from the ICU. One moment please, I'll call the nurses' station on the second floor."

Edna-Ruth nodded her head and turned to look at her teary-eyed daughter.

Marie spoke up. "Mama, I don't feel good about this. Why haven't we heard anything about Alice, Alonzo or Melvin?"

Always encouraging, Edna-Ruth gave a soft smile before wrapping her arms around Marie. She felt her shaking with fear but forced herself to remain strong. "Sweetheart, I'm sure they're fine. Things might have been touch-and-go at first and the doctors chose not to say too much until they knew for sure. Besides, you know they usually don't tell much of anything at all over the phone. Things will work out, honey. Just have faith." She felt her daughter nod her head and smiled again.

Though she tried hiding it, Edna-Ruth knew the truth. As she always says, "you don't live as long as I have without knowing the way of the world." Most of the time the phrase refers to her idea of following her gut instincts. They'd never failed her before, and no matter how much she hoped they would now, she knew what she knew, and nothing could change it. In spite of the harsh reality they would now face, she knew that she also had to tend to what was most important: her surviving granddaughter. Mercedes was still here and needed them. She'd save her own tears for later in the sanctity of her bedroom late at night when she's alone, the way she always has. Her family depended on her resilience and she would not fail them.

The moment was interrupted when the desk worker spoke again. "Ma'am, your granddaughter is on the second floor in the recovery unit, room 209. I can take you up there right now." She signaled for another staff worker to come over and told him to cover for her at the desk.

The women thanked her as she got up from her seat and they all walked over to elevator.

As they reached the second floor, they stepped out of the elevator. Edna-Ruth saw two police officers standing down at the other end of the hall as they walked to the nurses' station. Once there, the worker told the waiting nurse to call for Dr. Grigoryev. While waiting, Marie looked around and noticed they were in front of rooms 203 and 204 which meant they were close.

After a minute the doctor got there. He greeted the two women. "Hello ladies. My name is Dr. Efrain Grigoryev. I examined Mercedes upon her arrival earlier tonight."

"Is she okay? What happened?" Marie asked nervously.

"I'm happy to tell you she is going to be just fine, which is remarkable considering the severity of the crash. She made it out okay, with the exception of her left arm and shoulder. Aside from that she's got some cuts and bruises." He paused before speaking again. "There was one more thing. She passed out for a short moment about an hour ago." He continued before the women got too worried. "But it was only for about a minute and her vitals have been fine ever since. Trust me, there's no need to worry." He said before calling over the two officers.

The women watched as the officers made their way over. The two men stood in front of them next to the doctor. The first officer spoke. "Ladies." He greeted with a sharp nod of the head and a small smile. "I'm Officer Winston and this is Officer Enright. If now's not an inconvenient time for you, we'd like to discuss the events that transpired tonight involving your family.

The women looked at each other briefly before Edna-Ruth addressed the men. "I guess now's as good a time as any. But we'd appreciate it if you could make this as quick as possible for the time being, I'd like to see my granddaughter."

"Yes of course ma'am. We understand." Officer Winston said before taking out a notepad and pen. "As I'm sure the doctor has informed you, around 10 pm tonight, four people were the victims of an automobile accident on Goy Rd. Identified as Mercedes Jones, Alonzo Jones, Melvin Jones and Alice Geiger-Jones. Can you tell us your relation to the four people I named?"

"Certainly, Mercedes and Alonzo are my grandchildren, Melvin is my son in-law and Alice is my daughter."

He jotted down the information. "Okay. And you ma'am?" He asked while looking at Marie.

"Oh well, Alice is my sister so…" She trailed off figuring the officer got the idea. She hadn't really wanted to engage in the conversation in fear that she'd choke on her words.

"I understand." He said sensing the woman's anxiety. He figured there was no point in keeping them in suspense any longer. "Well…" He hesitated before continuing. He looked at the women. "I'm sorry to inform you both about this. But…"

"They're dead aren't they?" Marie interrupted as tears fell from her eyes. "My sister and my brother in-law? My nephew…" She wiped her eyes. "God, they're dead…right?"

Both men lowered their heads before Officer Winston spoke. "Yes ma'am. We're truly very sorry for your losses."

Marie turned to her mother and hugged her tightly as she continued crying.

The older woman shushed her daughter while gently rubbing her back. "Thank you." She gave a small smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Unfortunately, due to the nature of the incident, we have reason to believe that there might be a missing party involved," Officer Enright said.

Edna-Ruth looked at the men with a shocked expression. "What are you talking about?" She asked. "Are you saying that someone…someone HIT them? That someone else caused this? Is that honestly what you're telling me?" She shook with anger.

"Well, we're not exactly sure how everything occurred. We found tire marks a few feet away from the damaged guardrail. Based on your granddaughter's 911 call and what forensics were able to recover, we assume this is where the accident began. Although the car was heavily damaged, we have no evidence that another vehicle was the cause of any damage done."

By now Marie had calmed down a bit and stood straight up. "So what are you saying?"

"We do have reason to believe that the second party fled the scene. Although we don't know what part this person may have had in the incident, we are doing everything in our power to find him or her and find out."

The women listened carefully and nodded their heads. "Thank you, Officers." Edna-Ruth said as she reached out to shake their hands. "If that's all, I'd like to get to Mercedes now."

"Absolutely, you two have a good night. Best wishes to your granddaughter." The officers bid their goodbyes before heading for the elevators.

After the men left, the ladies turned their attention to Dr. Grigoryev who took them to Mercedes' room.

As they entered the room, they saw Mercedes sleeping. Edna-Ruth quietly came to stand next to her. Upon seeing her tear-stained cheeks, Edna-Ruth reached out to lend her granddaughter a comforting hand. She rubbed Mercedes' arm, which unintentionally and abruptly woke her up.

"NO! NO! NOOOO! PLEASE NO! I'M SORRY!" Mercedes yelled as she awoke from a nightmare at the feeling of someone touching her good arm. She flailed around in bed and saw her aunt, grandmother and Dr. Grigoryev.

The older woman tried shushing the girl and eventually got her relaxed. She began stroking her hair back, as it was currently matted against Mercedes' forehead due to the sweat. "Shhhh, it's okay. I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't mean to startle you." The woman said, immediately feeling guilty about the panic she caused upon the teenager. "Gran's here now." She kissed Mercedes forehead.

Mercedes had been a bit out of it when she first woke up, but she slowly became more relaxed, even smiling a bit at her grandmother's sentiment.

The older woman noticed and smiled as well. "There's my girl. She's coming back to us isn't she?"

When Marie thought she was finally able to handle it, she wiped her face with the back of her hand and came over to the bed. She casted a sad smile, her tear-filled eyes only adding to her obvious sorrow. "Hey Kiddo." She kissed her niece on the cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Mercedes looked at her and held back her tears. Her throat was scratchy so she spoke slowly. "Okay, I guess." She offered a weak smile.

Marie sat down next to her and grabbed her right hand. She gently rubbed Mercedes' knuckles as she studied the cuts and scrapes on her face. "We hear that your vitals have looked good. I think you should be due to blow this joint soon." She said while turning to look at the doctor as if asking for his permission.

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, we're waiting to hear back from the specialist in radiology. I'd like to get a second opinion about Mercedes' X-ray. But after that, if things still look okay I think she might be able to get cleared within the next 24 hours."

Marie looked back at Mercedes before kissing her knuckles with a loud pucker. "See, I told you."

Mercedes' smiled and let out a small chuckle. Marie, Edna-Ruth and the doctor laughed as well.

The officers made their way to the hospital exit. It was nearly 1:30 and they were both exhausted. They just had one more stop back to the station to fill out the appropriate information for the incident report forms while it was still fresh.

As they began discussing their plans, they were approached by a tall man with wavy black hair carrying a large teddy bear. Despite his seemingly friendly disposition, upon seeing them the man's attitude took a turn for the worse.

They both frowned a bit as they now stood face-to-face with him. Officer Winston spoke first. "LJ, hey man. We just spoke to your mother and sister."

"I know. I figured that's why you were here. Did you find out anything that could help find a lead?"

"Not yet. But we're on it." Officer Enright said. "Listen man, I know we've filled your ear with it tonight, but on behalf of the entire department, I'm really sorry to hear about what's happened. And I promise you and your family that we'll find out who's responsible for this." He placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "We take care of our own."

The former detective lowered his head briefly before looking back at his gift for Mercedes. It reminded him that he wasn't just seeking justice for himself, but for her and the rest of the family as well. His only solace in the wake of the news was hearing that his niece was okay. He sighed, trying to keep his tears at bay. "I know you will." He said before raising his head. "Because I won't let this go until we find the bastard."

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the new follows and favorites. And the authors favorites...*tear*...you all are incredible :)

As I've mentioned to a few other readers, I'm done with fall semester! So I'm super happy about having more time to write. That being said, I plan on moving this story along quicker the usual for a next couple of weeks. I mean A LOT quicker!

Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed!