a/n: Izzie is finally awake so this part goes back a little bit to when she woke up. I wanted to try and explore what was going through her mind. And again thank you so much for the reviews. It's great to know that there are people enjoying the story. Please keep the reviews coming.

Izzie opened her eyes and blinked. She didn't know where she was, she didn't know how she got there. Her head was throbbing. She tried to reach up to it and touch it but she couldn't move her arms. She looked around and blinked again. Things were starting to come into focus.

She was in a hospital, in a bed. She felt her chest expand and her lungs fill without her doing anything. That's what made her aware of the tube running down her throat. She gagged on it, she wanted to pull it out but she couldn't. She felt the machine expand her chest again. She didn't like it. She used all her energy to try and stop it but she couldn't, so she did the next best thing. When the machine relaxed she tried breath against it. It hurt but it felt good to have control. She kept doing it and eventually the machine started beeping.

A team of nurses came running into her room. One pressed some buttons on the machine and made it stop beeping. Another came over to her bed and told her to relax, to let the machine breath for her. Izzie didn't want the machine breathing for her. She didn't listen to the nurse; she kept trying to breath against it.

Soon a doctor arrived. He told her his name was Dr. Shepard. He spoke to her very slowly and clearly.

"Izzie," he said. "You need to stop fighting the machine; it's here to help you."

She shook her head she didn't want a machine breathing for her. She wanted to be in control. She was scared and she didn't know what was happening, why she was there. She needed to be in control and at that moment breathing was the only thing she could control.

She kept fighting the machine and eventually the doctor changed the settings on it. He said they had to leave the tube in over night but he'd take it out in the morning if she was still going well. She nodded in understanding. There was nothing more she could do. She concentrated on her breathing all night. It felt like she was breathing through a straw. It was difficult and exhausting but she was doing it. She was in control.

In the morning the doctor came back. He told her she was doing well, that he would remove the tube. She felt happy, relieved. As the doctor was removing the tube she heard the door open and someone walk in.

The person, a man, kept asking what was going on. She recognized the voice but couldn't place it. The doctor seemed surprised that this other man was there. He finished pulling out the tube and left the room with the other man.

Izzie took her first breath on her own. It hurt, her mouth was dry and throat felt raw. She tried to speak but no sound came out. She didn't know what was wrong, what was happening to her. She tired again but still nothing. She tried to reach up to her mouth, she needed to tell someone what was wrong, but she couldn't control her body, she couldn't move how she wanted to. She lay in the bed, she felt trapped.

The doctor came back into the room and placed a mask over her face. Her instinct told her to fight it but she couldn't. Carefully he secured it to her face, as he did he spoke to her.

"Izzie," he said. "I know this is scary but you need to try and relax. The mask will help you breath."

She tried to relax but it was difficult. He was right, she was terrified. She didn't know what had happened, why this was happening. She tried to focus on her breathing again. She took a deep breath. He was right; it was easier with the mask. She focused on his eyes, begged him to tell what was going on.

"You were shot in the head." He continued. "You've been in a coma for seven days." His words soaked into her but she couldn't remember any of it. She tried to talk but again no sound came out. He understood what she was trying to do. "Don't try to talk. Your vocal cords were irritated by the ventilator. In a few days it should be okay." She nodded slowly. The doctor's words sinking it. "I'll be back later to see how you're doing. There is someone outside who would like to see you."

The doctor and the nurses filed out of the room and another man entered.

"Hey, Izzie," he said walking toward her bed and taking her hand. His voice was the one she'd heard earlier. The one she knew but couldn't place. She smiled at him and tried to tell him she couldn't talk. Her arm moved up but instead of touching her throat she hit her face. It hurt; tears started welling up in her eyes.

The man reached over her bed and took her other hand. He held both her hands tightly in his and looked her straight in the eye. "It's okay," he said. "I understand. You can't talk yet."

She smiled at him. She didn't know who he was but there was something about him that made her feel safe. She wasn't as scared when she was with him. They sat in silence for a while, just staring at each other.

Then he picked up his bag and pulled out a book. He read to her all day. She didn't understand the words he spoke. She couldn't concentrate enough to follow or even remember the story but there was something about his voice that she found hypnotic.

Everyday he came to visit. Everyday he'd bring a new book and read to her. She looked forward to his visits more than anything else. Sometimes other people would visit. She didn't know who they were but they seemed to know her. She didn't like it when they were there. She only wanted him.

As the days went by she gradually became stronger. She was breathing better, concentrating better. On the forth day a speech therapist visited. They tried some exercises and she uttered her first words since the incident. Her voice was soft, barely audible but it was still there. This was what she'd been waiting for. She anxiously waited for the man to come. He was later than he usually was but it was okay, it gave her more time to practice. She practiced making sounds and forming words.

When he arrived the speech therapist excused herself. "I'll be back later." She said, smiling at Izzie as she left. Izzie smiled back and took a deep breath. She watched the man as he took his usual seat and pulled out another book.

"Look what I have today." He said showing it to her but at that moment Izzie couldn't care less about the book. She reached for the man and pulled him close to her. She looked him straight in the eyes and spoke.

"Who are you? Why do you sit here with me every day?"

She stared at the man, beckoning him for an answer but he didn't say anything. Instead he pulled away from her and walked out the room. She watched the door close behind him. That wasn't supposed to happen. She wanted to run after him, make him come back but she couldn't. Tears stared welling up in her eyes. What had she done?