Friends and Lovers
By Misha

Author's Notes- Three parts in two days, amazing, I know. But this part is just coming to me and I want to get it all out before I lose it, though I doubt that this streak of inspiration will last much longer, so enjoy it while it lasts. Also, this part and the last are kind of like "After All Is Lost", but don't worry I have something totally different planned for this story. You'll see at the end of this chapter. Let's just say that I don't think you'll see it coming. Anyway, that's all for now, enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Four

Friday, January 19th 2001

Shawn opened his eyes groggily. "Where am I?" He wondered out loud.

"Shawn!" His mother cried. "You're awake!"

Shawn opened his eyes fully to see that he was in a hospital room and that his parents were sitting at the foot of the bed.

"What happened?" He asked them.

"There was a car accident." Hope told him. "You've been out for the last several hours."

"Where's Chloe?" He asked.

"She's down the hall." Hope told him. "She's still unconscious. Shawn, the other car hit her side. They don't know how bad the damage was, but she lost the baby and there was some internal damage. They don't know if she'll survive. Also, even if she does, they think that there might be some brain damage."

"Oh God." Shawn whispered. "No! Can I see her?"

His parents exchanged glances. "Not right now." Bo answered. "But later, once you've seen the doctor."

"Promise?" Shawn asked.

"Promise." His mother assured him. "Right now, you need to be checked out by the doctor."

"Alright." Shawn agreed, knowing that she was probably right. "But I do want to see Chloe as soon as possible."

"Of course." His mother said softly. "I knew you would."
* * * * *

Phillip sat by Chloe's bedside, holding her hand and silently willing her to get up.

"Please, Chloe." He begged. "Wake up, baby, I need to see those beautiful blue eyes of yours."

"How is she?" Nancy Wesley asked quietly as she and her husband entered the room.

"No change." Phillip answered. "What did the doctors say?"

Craig took a deep breath. "Well, there was some internal damage, but we already knew that. They fixed what they could in surgery, but the rest will have to wait until after she wakes up. If she wakes up. They also fear that there was some brain damage, but they can't know for sure."

"And they said she lost the baby." Nancy told him coldly.

Phillip stared at her. "Baby? There was a baby?"

Chloe had been pregnant?! She was going to have his child? He couldn't believe it, yet at the same time he felt the loss overwhelmingly. For a moment he'd almost become a father, but now... Now he had lost that child, before he had even known it had existed.

"I'm sorry." Craig apologised. "I forgot you didn't know. Hope said that she was on her way to tell you."

"Hope knew?" Phillip asked.

"Yes." Nancy said bitterly. "Apparently Chloe told her."

It was obvious that Nancy Wesley was put out that her child had confided in the other woman instead of her, but Phillip didn't know why. From what Chloe had told him, it wasn't like Nancy Wesley had ever made any huge effort to be close to her daughter.

Still, he could partly understand what she was going through, because he had just realized that Shawn had probably known about the baby. He couldn't help but be upset by the fact that his rival had known about his child before he had.

But he knew that right now it didn't matter. All that mattered was Chloe. She had to be okay, because he honestly didn't know what he would do without her.
* * * * *

"Can I go see Chloe now?" Shawn asked once the doctor left.

Hope sighed. "I guess."

Shawn carefully climbed out of bed, careful not to jiggle his broken arm. He had been lucky he had only suffered that and a mild concussion. The doctor said that he would be fine. He wondered why.

He wondered why he got away with so little damage, while Chloe... She was fighting for her life. It wasn't fair.

It took him awhile, but he managed to slip a pair of pants on before heading towards Chloe's hospital room.

When he got there he saw Phillip sitting by the bed.

"Shawn." Phillip acknowledged tersely. "I see that you made it out just fine."

"Yeah." Shawn said softly. "But what I wouldn't give for it to be differently. I'd do anything to have had me the one that injured instead of her."

"I know." Phillip admitted grudgingly.

Shawn nodded, but didn't say anything else. Now was not the time nor place. He sat down on the other side of the bed than Phillip and took Chloe's hand in his own. "Chloe, this is Shawn, please wake up. I need to know you're okay."

As if on cue, Chloe's eyes flickered open.

Shawn heard Phillip take in a deep breath, but he kept his eyes glued on Chloe.

"Shawn?" She asked weakly.

"Yeah, I'm here." He told her.

She smiled, then looked around. Her eyes widened in confusion. "Phillip what are you doing here?"

Phillip looked just as confused. "Why wouldn't I be here?"

"Because I barely know you?" Chloe asked.

Phillip and Shawn exchanged startled glances. What was going on? Shawn felt the apprehension build up inside of him. Something was seriously wrong, why did Chloe say that she barely knew her own boyfriend? It made no sense.

"Chloe," Shawn asked slowly, "what's today's date?"

"September 10th, 2000." Chloe answered. "Why?"
* * * * *