OKAY I am so sorry about the no-update-for-over-a-month deal. But I do have an explanation! After my last update I knew I wouldn't be updating for 2 weeks just because of final exams (considering over half my grades depended on the exam). After that I just got caught up in the first week of summer- you know, the warm weather and lack of school/homework/evil teachers. I planned to update after that, but then things got sort of rough. There was a death in my immediate family and I just sort of lost track of this whole thing. It wasn't until recently, when I was checking my e-mail, that I noticed a review alert from and I remembered this story. So now I am updating! Better late than never, right?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I'll get the next chapter up…sometime within the next week. I know it won't be tomorrow night. I'm going to see Harry Potter YEAH! Haha! But maybe Wednesday or Thursday night.

So enjoy!

Two hours had passed with no real change. Peyton would occasionally squeeze Lucas's hand, but other than that she remained completely still. He told himself that she was just taking her time to recover, that she was going to be perfectly fine. At some point, Nathan, Haley, and Brooke got up to leave, each eager to return to their homes and shower.

"Promise to call us if anything happens, okay?" Haley asked, wrapping her arms around Lucas in a tight embrace. Next to her, Brooke was smiling down at Peyton, a hand on her head, while Nathan glanced through the chart at the edge of her bed.

Lucas grinned back. "Of course I'll call," he told her, pulling away and holding her at arms length. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Are you coming right back?"

Haley glanced at Nathan quickly. He gave her a swift nod, glancing at Peyton first and then smiling at Lucas. Haley turned back to him. "Yeah, we should. I just want to take a shower, maybe take a nap." She turned to Brooke now, who was still leaning over Peyton. "What about you?"

Brooke glanced up, one hand still on Peyton's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm coming right back," she said quickly. "I'm just gonna shower and grab something to eat." She bent down to grab her purse, giving Lucas a somewhat worried glance. "What about you, Luke?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was gonna ask about you myself," Nathan chimed in. He put Peyton's chart down and began walking toward Lucas, looking concerned. "You should take a break, man," he told him, and Brooke and Haley both nodded silently. "You haven't eaten anything, haven't slept. We'll get back here as fast as we can, and then you should go."

Lucas sighed, crossing his arms. "I'm fine," he said. But truthfully, he felt extremely exhausted, and noticed that if he stood up too fast he became rather dizzy. He chose to ignore this, giving Nathan a hard glare. "Seriously, I feel perfectly fine," he repeated. "I'm gonna stay here until she wakes up and nothing's gonna change that."

Haley placed a soft hand on his arm. She was giving him a sympathetic look, a small smile on her face. "Luke, we're just worried about you," she told him quietly. "I know you want to take care of Peyton, but you've got to take care of yourself too. Don't forget about yourself. Sometimes it's okay to be a little selfish." She gave him a loving smile and pulled him into another quick hug before stepping toward the door.

Nathan pulled Lucas into a fast one-armed hug. "See you later," he said, hitting his brother lightly on the back.

"Bye, then," Brooke said, stepping forward to hug Lucas. It was a bit awkward, but none more than he had expected. Brooke pulled away rather quickly. "Don't forget to call." She hurried to the door, gave one last glance at Peyton's motionless form, and slowly exited the room, Haley in front of her and Nathan behind.

Lucas let out a heavy, tired sigh and turned back to Peyton's bed. Her eyes were closed lightly, her face still as it had been the whole night. He dropped back into the seat next to her, and feeling rather restless, reached for the remote and turned on the television. There was nothing interesting on, but Lucas felt his eyes becoming droopy and forced himself to focus on what he was watching to stay awake. Beside him, Peyton let out a small, quiet moan and shifted slightly, before falling silent once more.

Lucas paused on a music channel, which was showing the video for some dated Britney Spears song. He found himself laughing quietly, shaking his head as he compared the music blasting in his ears to that of Peyton's taste. "Great music, isn't it?" he said aloud, his eyes still on the screen.

"Stop."

Lucas jumped, his eyes wide in shock, and turned his head quickly to the right, almost snapping his neck in the process. He felt his heart stop. Peyton was lying flat on her back, just as she had been the entire night, but now…her eyes were open. She was staring at the ceiling, her eyes rather clouded, and a slightly confused look on her face, but she was awake nonetheless. Lucas jumped from his chair and found himself almost kneeling beside Peyton's bed, his left hand wrapped in hers again, his right stroking her hair.

"Peyton?" he asked, and his voice quavered a little when he spoke. He was silent for a moment, and in that time her eyes began to close. "Hey!" he shouted, and her eyes snapped open again. "Stay with me, okay? Stay awake. I'm right here." Peyton didn't say anything, but he could tell from the way her eyes widened that she understood what he had said. He reached above her bed and hit the call button. Peyton gave a small, wheezy cough.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly, and he mentally kicked himself for such a stupid question. "Can I get you anything?"

Peyton didn't say anything for a moment. Her eyes darted around the room, a panicked expression taking over her face. Her lips were dry and cracked and seemed to be glued together. She opened them slightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Thirsty."

"Okay," Lucas said quickly, squeezing her hand. "Okay, I'll get you some water. Don't worry, everything will be okay, I promise." He straightened up and released Peyton's hand. He turned to see a young nurse with dark hair striding into the room, looking rather bored.

"What's the problem?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

Lucas smiled in spite of himself. "There's no problem," he said quickly, glancing down at Peyton again. Her eyes were still open and had now moved to him. "She's awake." He winked at Peyton without realizing it, and watched as she gave a small smile back.

The nurse's eyes widened. "Oh," she said, and her voice was suddenly more alert. "Well, that's terrific!" She snapped on her gloves and hurried to the bedside, snatching the clipboard from the edge of the bed as she went. Peyton looked slightly startled, her eyes wide and her breathing heavier, but Lucas put his hand on her shoulder and she calmed. "Hello, Peyton," the woman said. "My name is Laura. It looks like you've been through quite an ordeal, but we're very glad to see that you're awake." She glanced quickly at the screen and smiled. "Your vitals all seem very healthy, which is good. I'd like to check you over quickly and then page your doctor." She turned to Lucas. "You're welcome to stay if you want," she informed him.

Lucas glanced at Peyton, who gave him pleading eyes. "Yeah, of course I'll stay," he replied quickly, without looking up. Peyton gave another dry cough. "Um, she said she was thirsty," he told Laura. "Can she have a glass of water?"

The nurse glanced at him. "Not at the moment," she replied. "We want to make sure she's able to swallow properly. She's receiving fluids, so we don't have to worry about dehydration, but if her mouth is dry I can swab it with water."

Peyton gave Lucas disappointed eyes, and he returned an apologetic smile. "Yeah, that sounds good," he said. "Sorry Peyt, no water for you just yet." He reached up and gently ruffled her hair, at which she gave him a friendly glare through her tired eyes.

Laura bustled around for a few more minutes, checking everything from Peyton's throat to her IV bags, all without saying another word. Lucas took a seat next to Peyton and talked with her in a low voice. Though her throat was too dry to say anything, she responded to him in her own ways, often raising her eyebrows or widening her eyes, despite her obvious exhaustion. After a few minutes the nurse swabbed her mouth, just as she said she would, and Lucas was forced to deal with the annoyed and slightly angry stare Peyton gave him at her lack of a real drink of water. "It's not my fault!" he exclaimed loudly, to which she just rolled her eyes slowly before closing them, determined for a bit of rest.

"Well Peyton," the nurse began, "everything seems to be okay. I'm going to page your doctor and he'll be up to explain your condition. Right now you're probably looking at the rest of the week in the hospital, as well as some physical therapy." She gave them each a small nod and smile before turning and exiting the room.

The room was oddly silent after she left. Peyton kept her eyes closed, but Lucas could tell she was still awake from the unevenness of her breathing. His hand found its way back to hers, holding it lightly, his other hand resting under his chin. His eyes refused to leave her face, watching her every movement, from the way her lips parted to the way her eyelids twitched ever so slightly. After a long moment, Peyton broke the silence.

"What happened to me?" she asked, her voice very quiet and her words spaced by heavy breaths. Her eyes were open now, gazing at the ceiling with an odd and slightly eerie blank stare.

Lucas's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he found himself pulling his hand away from hers. The question left his ears ringing. He was utterly stunned. He had not expected this at all- had not expected her to ask this question, and had not expected her to not remember the situation that had led her here in the first place. What do I say? He realized he was wringing his hands together now, his mouth agape, an unsure and hesitant expression on his face.

"I…don't really know what happened," he answered honestly. "I was hoping you could tell me." He swallowed heavily and grabbed her hand swiftly, squeezing it in support.

Peyton closed her eyes again, and he could tell that she was running over her last memories from the way her eyebrows furrowed. After a few moments, she said weakly, "I don't…"

"Its okay," Lucas said hurriedly, placing a hand on her forehead and pulling a strand of hair off her face. "You'll remember eventually. It doesn't matter right now." He gave her a small smile, even though her eyes were closed, and stroked her hair lightly.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps, and a second later Doctor Cruse from the previous night entered the room. At the noise Peyton opened her eyes, and seeing the doctor she even tried to sit up a bit, but found herself too weak and tired. Lucas placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The doctor looked utterly exhausted, more so than Lucas, making it apparent that he too had been at the hospital the entire night. He gave Lucas a small smile, his eyes twinkling. He then turned to Peyton and gave her a smile as well. "Hello Ms. Sawyer," he said. "Can I first say what a relief it is to see you awake. You certainly are a strong girl, and I'm sure all your friends are very happy to have you back." Peyton merely shrugged, her heavily-lidded eyes now on the light pink bed sheets. Doctor Cruse cleared his throat loudly before continuing. "Ms. Sawyer, I'm here to inform you on your injuries and your current state. You were admitted here late last night, with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, internal bleeding in the abdomen, minor brain swelling, and a shattered wrist."

Peyton glanced up at him, her eyes wide and fearful. She let out a soft, "What?" before glancing at Lucas, panic etched into her face. Lucas found himself avoiding her eyes and simply squeezed her hand, looking anywhere but her.

The doctor shifted uncomfortably, obviously feeling slightly awkward informing such a young girl about her horrific injuries. "We operated immediately," he said, his voice hoarse, "and were able to reverse many of the problems. We stopped the bleeding, wrapped your wrist, and placed you on a ventilator for breathing- which is the reason you're probably experiencing pain in your throat." He waited for Peyton's response- a curt nod- before continuing. "At the current time you are off the ventilator, obviously, and breathing fine. The swelling in your brain is down. Your vitals are all stable, and there's no reason to believe there will be any lasting damage." This information, at least, was much more comforting to give. He gave Peyton a toothy grin, which she returned with half-smile. "You should be able to go home by the end of the week."

Lucas got to his feet and shook the doctor's hand. "I can't thank you enough," he said in a relived voice. "You saved her life. Thank you"

Doctor Cruse gave a small laugh. "Well, it's my job," he joked. "And you are very welcome. I'm just thankful that Ms. Sawyer pulled through so well." He turned to Peyton, his eyes twinkling again behind his glasses. "I won't be back until tomorrow, but I'll be sure to check in on you." Peyton gave him a small nod and a quiet, "Thank you," in response. The doctor gave Lucas one last smile before exiting the room.

As soon as he had left, Peyton slumped back against the pillows, exhausted. Her eyes closed again as she breathed in deeply, moving her legs slowly into a more comfortable condition.

"So I guess it's just you and me now," Lucas said gently, taking his seat beside her bed. He reached for her hand again and she wrapped her fingers around his immediately. He smiled at her again and leaned in, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "That's not so bad, is it?"

"Not bad at all," she replied sleepily.