It was late. Zoey, Dana, and Quinn all lay on the floor of Nicole's living room, sleeping soundly while bundled up in thick, cotton blankest. Quinn was snoring softly as Dana murmured random words in her sleep. Zoey slept quietly, but would occasionally roll over to make herself more comfortable.

Nicole couldn't sleep. She sat on the couch with her knees curled up under her chin. She was staring at the clock on the wall, watching the hands tick slowly forward. It was 2:00 AM. She didn't feel the least bit tired.

Zoey, Dana, and Quinn were going to go find a hotel to say at, but Nicole insisted they stay with her. She knew her parents wouldn't mind. Nicole sighed. Her parents… She wondered how they were doing. Was her mother feeling better? How was her father holding up? She wished she could be there with them.

Fragile tears began to slide down her cheeks and she buried her head in her knees, trying to stifle her sniffs. The thought of her parents made her choke up and want to crawl under her bed and stay there forever. Any place in the world would be better than here. Any place at all…

"Nicole?" Zoey's groggy voice made its way into Nicole's ears. "What are you doing? Why aren't you asleep?"

Nicole quickly wiped away her tears and faced Zoey the best she could in the dark. "Oh, hey Zo," she said, her voice cracking. "I just came downstairs to see how well you guys were sleeping. And it looks like you're sleeping fine so I'm going to go back to my room now and-"

"Hold on," Zoey said, slowing stumbling out from under her blankets and coming over to the couch where Nicole was sitting. "I know something's wrong. Tell me what's bugging you. It'll make you feel better."

"Really?" Nicole said, her eyes growing misty again.

Zoey nodded her head. "Uh huh. And if it doesn't, you can beat me in the head with a baseball bat five times. That'll make you feel better, right?"

Nicole laughed. "Make it seven times and you've got a deal."

"Six and a half," Zoey said. She flopped down on the couch beside Nicole and slung her arm around her best friend. "Now will you tell me what's wrong? I hate seeing you so sad… it tears me apart."

Nicole sighed and slowly rubbed her eyes with her hands. "I'm just… worried," she said, fumbling for the right words. "I don't know how everything's going to turn out, you know? I mean, it was all so good back when I went to PCA and my mom wasn't sink and…"

She couldn't go on. She felt her throat clog up and her breath catch. Zoey looked at Nicole, sympathy in her eyes. She leaned over and the two friends embraced. Allowing Nicole to rest her head against her shoulder, Zoey comfortingly patted her on the back and said reassuring things like, "Don't worry, it'll all be ok… don't cry. Everything will work out in the end."

"But how do you know?" Nicole sobbed into Zoey's shoulder. "How do you know everything will work out in the end?"

Zoey didn't say anything for awhile. Then she smiled and said in the softest voice she could, "I don't know. But I'm praying that everything will work out and we have to believe when we pray. So even though I don't know for sure… I'm hoping. And hoping is all we can do right now, isn't it?"

Nicole closed her eyes, tears running uncontrollably down her cheeks. "I have enough money," she whispered. "I counted yesterday. I have enough money for my mom's surgery. But I'm so scared. So damned scared that she won't make it."

"Nicole," Zoey said, staring into her friend's tear streaked face. "How about we go visit your parents tomorrow? I'm sure they'd both be pleased to see you. Huh? How about it?" She paused. "You think you're up for it?"

She didn't speak. A few moments later, her eyelids fluttered open and she mumbled, "Yes. I'd like that very much."

The next morning, after a quick breakfast of cereal, the four girls caught a taxi and arrived at the hospital at quarter after eleven. They entered through the automatic sliding doors and made their way to room 310 where Nicole knew her mother was staying.

They walked down the hallways, all of them holding their breath. They reached the door to room 310. Nicole carefully took the cold doorknob in her hands and turned it. The door squeaked open and they stepped into the room, cautiously looking around.

It was empty.

"Mom?" Nicole called out, her voice cracking. "Mother? Mommy?"

She bit her lip when she realized that no one was going to reply. No one was there. The room had been emptied out.

"Maybe… she switched rooms," Dana said, her eyes darting around the room nervously. "Uh… let's go ask one of the nurses. They'll know where your mom is. C'mon, let's go." She quickly walked out of the room.

They made their way down the hallways once again and walked down to the first floor where they ran into a nurse with a clipboard. Nicole stopped her in her tracks and began to speak in a panicked voice.

"Excuse me," she said. "But my mother- Mrs. Karen Bristow- was in room 310 and I just went to visit her and she isn't there. Has she been switched to another room or…?"

"Oh, yes, Mrs. Bristow!" the nurse said, snapping her fingers. "She went into surgery this morning."

"Surgery?" Nicole repeated. The nurse nodded her head before briskly walking away.

Nicole turned to face Zoey, Dana, and Quinn who all had terrified expressions on their faces. "Surgery," she whispered. With no make up on and her hair a frazzled mess, Nicole collapsed to the ground and brought her trembling hands up to her face. "Surgery," she sobbed as tears began to form in her eyes. "Surgery."

"Nicole, it's ok," Quinn said, feeling her heart break at the sight of her miserable friend. She bent down next to Nicole and embraced her in her arms. "She'll make it. Your mother is tough… it'll all be ok. Okay?"

"Surgery," Nicole bawled into Quinn's shoulder. "H-how? W-what if she doesn't… How could this…?"

"Don't worry Nicole… it'll be ok."

Dana and Zoey also pulled her into their embrace so the four of them were merely a heap on the ground. They comforted her and patted her on the back and tried to get her to stop crying, but she wouldn't- no, she couldn't. Zoey, Dana, and Quinn stayed on the hospital floor, trying to make a broken Nicole feel better.