Nita saw it all happen in slow motion. The car was coming around the corner going way too fast, and Kit wasn't paying attention. She opened her mouth – to shout a warning or a spell, she wasn't sure which – but Dairine beat her to it. The instant before the car was about to hit Kit she shrieked at it to stop in the Speech. It was a badly worded request, vague to the point of being dangerous, and Nita knew that it would cost her later, but at least it slowed the car down. It wasn't much, but coupled with the driver suddenly slamming on the breaks, it was enough to soften the impact. Kit was merely knocked to the ground instead of flying through the air, and although Nita knew it could have been much worse, she still wasn't likely to ever get the image of Kit lying motionless on the pavement out of her head.

She held his hand while they stitched them up, ignoring his assurances that he was really fine, that it was just a scratch, saving her reprimands for when she was sure he was okay. She slipped out of the room for only a moment, to call his parents. He wouldn't want them there, she knew, but they were gonna find out anyway, especially since the doctor thought he should stay overnight for observation. Overall, it was a very confusing and emotional couple of hours, and there wasn't really a good opportunity to say what she'd needed to say, between the stitches and dealing with adults who asked too many questions. She seized her opportunity when Kit's parents finally left to get something to eat, promising to return with a burger for him and a wrap for Carmela, who was charged with making sure he didn't "wander off anywhere." Nita didn't know how 'Mela managed to keep a straight face during that one, but she still felt slightly nervous as she approached her ex-boyfriend's sister, who was lingering near the door of Kit's room, making faces at the cute male nurse who had just finished checking Kit's blood pressure.

"Hey, um, 'Mela? Mind if I talk to Kit for a minute? Alone?"

Carmela looked delighted to be relieved of her babysitting duty. "No problema, Senorita Jaunita," she teased before beckoning to the nurse with a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Hey, Joel, is it? Wanna buy me a smoothie?"Nita would have laughed if she hadn't been so nervous. Instead she just bowed her head and ducked around them into Kit's room. Banged up as he was, he still lit up when he saw her.

"There's my knight in shining armor," he teased wryly, "covering my ass as usual. What would I do without you?"

He meant it as a rhetorical question, but it sounded wrong, and the silence stretched between them like a bubble they were both afraid to pop. "Actually, you should probably thank Dairine," said Nita finally, when she could no longer stand the awkwardness. "She's the one that covered your ass this time."

Kit groaned. "Great. The last person I'd ever want to be in debt to. What do you think this constitutes? Lifetime of servitude?"

He was smiling, but Nita was still hesitant. "Well, she did save your life."

The smile faded. "Nita," he began. "Kit," she said the same time. It was about this time that she lost control of her limbs. Rushing over to the side of his bed, she threw her arms around him as carefully as she was able and started to sob.

"Shhh, Nita, it's all right," he said, tracing calming circles on her back with his fingertips as he held her. Nita was instantly reminded of that other morning, not so long ago, when she'd gone to pieces in exactly the same way, if not over the same subject matter. But it wasn't all right, not really. Because she still had something to tell him. In fact, why hadn't she said it yet? What was wrong with her? With a great effort she drew away from him and looked directly into his eyes.

"There's something I have to tell you," she said, and she was pretty sure everyone on the floor could hear her heartbeat. "I love you." There. She'd said it. Well, at least she'd told him. At last, if she had regrets when she got older, they wouldn't be that she hadn't tried.

Kit's face was impossible to read for a moment, and then he did the last thing Nita expected. He started laughing. She looked at him in utter confusion. Was this his way of rejecting her? Of telling her he didn't love her anymore? Even if it was, Nita knew that this cruelty was deserved. She'd hurt him for reasons even she couldn't understand, and she deserved every bit of this pain. She hung her head, ashamed, and considered leaving. She didn't know how much more one person could take.

So she was a little surprised – okay, more like shocked – when his lips found hers. When his hand reached up to cradle the back of her head, and his other hand reached out to pull her closer to him. And then she was kissing him back, fiercely, freely, and she didn't care how much pain this caused her later, because it was worth it just to be near him, no matter how long it lasted.

All too soon, they broke apart. Or more accurately, Kit pulled away. Nita had known it would happen, but she wasn't happy about it. She sighed and leaned back, knowing he needed a moment. When he spoke, his voice was confused, but happy. "Why did you break up with me?" he asked her, his eyes sincere and searching. Nita was taken aback. This was not a question she was prepared for. She'd been expecting more like 'get out'.

"I…I don't know. I guess I was just confused about…well, you know." She blushed. Still awkward Nita. "Confused and…scared. I was terrified, Kit. I didn't know what it meant and I…well, I still don't. And to tell you the truth, I'm still scared." She felt very vulnerable admitting that, but it was true and Kit deserved total honesty from her after all the crap she'd put him through. What she didn't expect was for him to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. Tentatively, she laid her head on his chest, and he buried his face in her hair.

"There's no need to be scared, honey," he said huskily. "I'm right here. And I love you, too."

There were tears running down Nita's cheeks, but they were happy ones this time. Kit loved her and she loved him, and that wasn't going to change no matter what else happened. She shifted so that she was lying on her side on the narrow hospital bed next to him, and he shifted his neck so that his lips brushed her hair. Nita hoped she could lie there forever, because lying next to Kit with his arms wrapped around her and his steady breathing in her ear, she finally felt like everything was going to be all right.

A/N: Liked it? Hated it? Thought it was impossibly fluffy and or soap opera-ish? Leave me a review and tell me what you think! It's the only way I'll ever improve! Also, this is probably the last or second to last chapter. I may include an epilogue to explain unresolved things (such as Dairine and Roshaun), I haven't decided yet.