So here's the next chapter. sorry i couldn't put it up earlier, my 'rents computer decided not to work for a while but we figured out the problem. Now i bring you the end of the cliffie, i hope you all enjoy!

I'm really excited that most people like the twists I've put in, hopefully you'll stick around for all the twists ;)

anyway, enjoy guys!

Disclaimer: I own nothing at all

Chapter 5: The Accident

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin to Pooh" ~ A.A Milne

Bright blue and red lights burned into my closed eyelids. I breathed in a deep sigh trying to wake up but there was a sudden ache down my back that radiated down through my left leg. Where the hell-this wasn't right….I took another deep breath, trying to grip on the growing panic. Outside, I heard muffled shouts and shadowed figures that ran back and forth in front of my car-Wait, the car?!

The last thing I remembered was the black…thing in the road and the snow and the spinning sky. I reached up and pressed a hand to my aching temple and then pulled it away in horror. In the glaring red and blue lights, my hand dripped hot slick blood.

My hands shook and I suddenly couldn't breathe. But the shaking hurt even more than my head. I couldn't stop shaking and it reverberated all the way down my back. The cold and the pain swirled in my head and black spots filled my vision as the dashboard shrank down to a pin point for a moment.

I breathed deep again, ignoring the pain, and opened my eyes. Everything ached especially in the cold. I flexed my fingers on my right hand with success but when I tried with my left, I nearly screamed with the pain that ripped from the tips of my fingers to my shoulders.

Despite the discomfort, the pain helped wake me up some and I tried to sit up. But that was a huge mistake; all I was aware of was the fact that my left leg bones squealed against each other with audible cracks and snarls.

To my right, the door creaked open, bringing in a gust of cold air. I shivered and then almost screamed because it caused it caused the bones to grind against each other again. The light was bright, maybe a pair of headlights, in my eyes and a shadowy shape moved toward me.

I flinched away and pressed my face against the window away from that dark shape. I tried to breathe deeply and evenly, focusing only on the cold glass on my forehead and where it touched my face. It felt good on my temple, actually.

Suddenly a shadow crossed in front of the window. "Kayla? Kayla, can you hear me?" I knew that voice. From somewhere.

I opened my eyes and frowned. I knew that voice. Sitting up just enough to be able to discern facial features. He leaned forward and tapped the glass as if trying to wake me up. "Hey! Kayla, can you hear me?"

I nodded, letting my eyelids close. God, I was so tired all of a sudden.

"No, Kayla! Stay awake! Kayla! Open your eyes…" But I couldn't hear anymore. I fell into the darkness again.

Suddenly, the light was so bright for a moment that there wasn't anything else. Then, the smell of antiseptic and mothballs hit me. Then, I could feel the papery sheet all over me. And then there was the aching pain in my leg and lower back. I shifted a little to maybe help re-adjust my spine. It didn't help at all, instead it intensified the throbbing that radiated down to my legs.

I must have made some kind of noise because all of a sudden there was movement from the other side of the room. A human shaped stood by the bed, calling my name, rubbing my hand.

"Hey, Kayla, hey. Wake up." It was the same voice from before. I would have whispered the name and told them that I was all right but I couldn't find the name in my head. Instead of saying anything, I laced my fingers through the ones that touched my hand.

They were like leather. Not harsh or cold but tough, well-worn leather that had been left out in the sun for a while. It was nice, it took the chill off at least but it wasn't until that moment I realized how cold I really was.

"Kayla? Can you hear me?"

I wished I could have nodded at least but…I was so tired.

"Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Gathering up what little strength I had, I squeezed enough and then I couldn't stay awake.

The light was back, burning into my eyes. I reached up and pushed it away or at least tried to.

"Kayla! Kayla! Stop, honey, stop!" Dee was there. "Hey, open your eyes. I'm here, I want to see your eyes." She ran her hand over my hair. "You have such pretty eyes, Kayla."

Paul's voice chimed in. "Kay? Come on, babe, open your eyes."

I reached out with my good hand and felt that same warm hand waiting for me. "Kayla…" Oh, God, I knew that voice now. Well, there was no hiding now.

I opened my eyes and the room spun with bright lights and white walls. For a good minute or so, my friends were simply dark blurs. I blinked a few times and finally the room came into focus. Delia and Paul were on my left, smiling uncertainly at me. To my right, as I knew he would be, was Logan, who was holding my hand.

"Kayla? Honey? Are you okay?" Delia leaned down a little closer.

"What the hell is going on?" I rasped when I looked down at the white cast plastered over my leg and my arm. And then I felt, rather than saw, the oxygen tube under my nose. Instantly, I started to reach up and pull it away.

"Oh no, no, no!" Dee pulled my hand away. "You were in a car accident, sweetheart." Delia told me with a small frown. "A bad one. You broke your left hand and leg. You're in the hospital."

I closed my eyes briefly, breathing in the hospital smell that I hated so much and tried to block out all the memories that it brought. "How long have I been here?" I whispered.

"About three days." Logan replied quietly. "Right, Paul? They pulled her out of there Sunday?"

Sunday? Three days? That meant it was. Tuesday? Wednesday? "Wait," I replied. "You were there?" I pointed with my casted hand.

"You don't remember?" Paul wondered.

"Paul, she has a concussion." Delia chastised him.

"A concussion?" I retorted. "How bad?"

Delia smiled. "You're got a nice bump on your forehead. It goes well with your black eye."

"God…"

"What happened?" Logan wanted to know. "Did you fall asleep?"

"No…" I shook my head once and then closed my eyes. It was dark and the sky and the… "There was something in the road…like an animal…a bear maybe. Anyway, I swerved-." I made the hand motion with my casted left hand. "Hit-hit the tree, I guess…." I sighed and leaned back, as I tried to re-adjust my aching leg.

"Are you hurting, Hon?" Dee asked, pressing her hand against my cheek.

"No," I insisted. "Just a little sore."

"Paul," Delia shook her head at my stubbornness. "Come on, let's go get a nurse and some coffee-"

"For me too, please!" I tried.

"Nope. No coffee for the patient." She waggled her finger. "I'm going to get a nurse to give you more painkillers so you can sleep. Logan," Dee was in full command-mode, and with his military background, Logan had immediately looked up.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Watch her. No moving, no coffee." She ordered.

"Of course, Ma'am. Very good, Ma'am." He gave her a salute as she and Paul left.

"You're such a suck up!" I snarled as soon as they were clear of the room. "Come on, you can go sneak me some coffee while they're away!"

Logan laughed. "You are something else, you know that? I mean you've been totally out of it for the past three days and the only thing you want is coffee."

Something about that reminded me of Em. "Oh geez, I need to call Emma. Tell her everything." I glanced around. "Where's the phone-?"

Logan pressed my hand down to keep me from moving. "Delia already called her."

"When?"

He thought for a second. "Yesterday. She told Emma that you would call her when you were sober enough to talk."

"I'm sober now." I insisted. "Where is the phone?"

"Kayla," he began. "For one, it's ten at night and she's probably asleep. And two, you have to sleep."

"I've been sleeping for the past three days, I'm good." I replied as I tried to sit up. As I should have known he would, Logan pushed me back down and fixed me with a glare.

"Kayla…"

I rolled my eyes at him and laid back down. "Fine, fine, you win." I sat back with a sigh. "So, how is it that I don't remember the last three days? What the hell did they give me?" I wondered.

Logan smiled that smile I hadn't realized I'd been missing. "Mostly morphine. Especially when they were re-setting your leg."

I winced. "Did I scream?"

"A little," he admitted with a frown.

"So how bad do I look? I mean Dee said I had a black eye."

He tilted his head sideways, thinking. "Sort of like a one eyed raccoon."

I laughed a little. "Really? A one eyed raccoon? Is it really that bad?"

Logan shrugged. "A little banged up but still…

I shook our joined hands, waiting for the rest of his sentence. "But still…what?"

"Beautiful," he glanced up at me. The fear I saw there almost made my heart stop. I wasn't entirely sure what he was afraid of; it was sort of like he was stepping out onto a rocky cliff with no lifeline to speak of.

I wished that there was something that I could say, but there were no words that I could find that would be fitting. He trusted me with this small truth and I could destroy him so easily. Pushing back all thoughts of Stryker or Victor, I smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thank you."

Just then a nurse came in. And I pulled my hand away as Logan leaned backward almost on instinct. The nurse took down a few notes on her clipboard and then pulled out a syringe and injected it into the IV bag nearest to my bed. Within a few seconds, I could feel the medicine swirling in my veins. I tilted my head back towards Logan, whose normally solid form blurred a little. I smiled, telling him everything was all right. My tongue was heavy and slick against my teeth as I mumbled out: "Donna go…"

"What?" he came a little closer.

I swallowed hard and focused on pronouncing the words. "Don't …go…please…Don…don't wanna be alone…" My eyelids slid closed of their own volition. Even though the heavy darkness, I felt his hand laced with mine, a link while I floated in a drug-laced stupor. He never left.

"Dee, please! I'm dying for some real food!" I complained a few days later. "Paul, come on! Sneak me in a burger or something…I'm begging you!"

"Nope." Dee shook her head. "I promised Emma that I would take care of you."

"But this food is inedible! It's torture!"

"The jell-o's not so bad," Paul said through a mouthful.

"Yes, thank you, Paul. And now you've eaten the only thing that's edible."

Paul shrugged and then exited.

"Wait! Paul! Come back here! Please?!" I reached out with my good hand but only grabbed thin air. "You've always been my favorite!"

Delia looked at her watch. "Are you sure you're okay with us going?" She asked me again. "I feel bad for leaving you again, but we sort of planned this whole thing with Paul's parents and mine now that it's official."

"Go, go! Leave me to my tortuous hospital room. I'll be fine." I patted her hand.

"Are you sure? I know how much you hate hospitals."
"I told you I'll be fine. Logan said he'd come sit with me…" I twisted my fingers in my sheets to avoid looking at her.

"When did he say that?" Delia wondered innocently.

I shrugged. "The other day."

"Why Kayla Rose Silverfox! You tramp!" She howled.

"Delia!" I smacked her hand. "Quiet! Someone will hear you!"

"Who? Logan!" She skipped out the door.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back down against the pillows. Over the last few days, I realized that there was some kind of chrome metal finish on the cabinets over my bed and I tried to fix the rebellious strands that decided to escape my ponytail.

Suddenly I heard Delia giggle loudly and I knew who was here. Two seconds later, Logan strolled through the door. "Hey," he waved and then produced a brown paper bag from underneath his jacket. "I brought the goods."

"You are the perfect man!" I insisted as I grabbed at the bag he handed to me.

Inside, there was a piece of rhubarb pie, a packet of extra greasy fries and a burger dripping with barbeque sauce with a few extra pickles just the way I liked it. "Burger, fries and pie….I owe you big time."

"You better eat that quick. Dee said she'd be back as soon as possible." He'd even picked up on my nickname for Delia.

I opened up the fry packet. "Help me?"

"I can't believe you eat this stuff…" and yet he took a few.

"Because it's better than that crap." I pointed at the food tray where a grey lump, a brown lump and a green lump all sat on the plate. "I don't even know what that is. This…" I took a huge bite of the burger. "This is amazing!"

"Jesus, look at you." He sat back with a huge smile. "I never would have pegged you as such a carnivore."

"I need real food. This, right here," I pointed to the crumpled bag in my lap. "This is what's keeping me alive. You are doing me a life-saving service here, friend."

"Is that my nickname?" he wondered.

"Huh?" I stuffed a few fries in.

"Everybody's got a nickname; Dee. Em. You."

I dropped a few fries onto the bed. "Oh no, she didn't…."

He nodded smugly. "Oh yes she did."

"When did you talk to Em?" I whispered with wide eyes.

Logan shrugged, being the picture of nonchalance. "The other day…Makalya Rose…" He grinned wolfishly at me.

I groaned and slapped my good hand over my eyes. "That child had better find a new place to sleep when she comes home for Christmas break because she's not going to be sleeping in my house!"

Now go push that GREEN BUTTON give me something to work for!!!!!