I'd like to thank n8tivegurl and PurebloodPrincess09 for their reviews on this story, your feedback is much appreciated =)

There are also going to be song lyrics in this chapter from Avril Lavigne's song: I'm With You.

Chapter 4 – I'm With You

"Amy? Say something, please?"

"Say something…" I stared blankly at Jill. I couldn't fathom any words to say to her, it just wasn't registering in my head what she'd just told me. Her words bounced around inside my head, not seeming to sink in. "I'm sorry, but your family is dead." I simply pulled the blankets back and tried to swing my legs off the bed; yanking the IV wire from my arm and ripping the ECG pads from my chest, not caring about the pain. Jill jumped up to try and stop me, trying to gently coax me back into bed. I shoved her arm away and saw a hurt/concerned look on her face; I just looked away and carried on trying to stand up. Of course as soon as my bare feet touched the cold floor, my legs gave way; my muscles felt weak and my legs like jelly from lack of use. I didn't even attempt to move from my crumpled state on the floor, I saw Jill run around the bed trying to hoist me up. As I lay there in her arms; my vision going hazy, I saw the door open and a blurry figure run to my side. I could hear Chris and Jill's voices shouting for help and the alarms from the disconnected heart monitor ringing in my ears, before darkness took over me once again…

"What are we gonna do with her, Jill? We can't look after her, we don't even know her. For all we know she could be an axe-murderer."

"Don't be stupid, Chris. She's a young woman who's just been told her entire world is gone, we can't just abandon her too, you saw how she reacted to me telling her what happened; she passed out with shock! She also told me she's never even been to America before so we can't leave her to fend for herself. Imagine if Claire was taken from you; your only family, How lost would you feel?"

I opened my eyes slowly and saw Chris and Jill standing at the end of my bed, arguing in hushed voices. Chris had his arms folded and a stern look on his face whilst Jill had her arms out in front of her pleadingly. Chris gritted his teeth and let out a long sigh.

"Fine, I'll get the B.S.A.A to arrange care for her. No doubt they'll want to speak to her at some point anyway, find out what she saw."

Jill nodded and looked in my direction.

"Oh, you're awake. How're you feeling?"

I glared at both the agents staring at me intently, I was pretty pissed off that they were just going to offload me onto some strangers in the B.S.A.A when the only people I remotely knew in this country, were stood at the end of my bed.

"How do you think I'm feeling? My family, my friends and my country are all gone. I'm stuck in a foreign country with nobody I know and all I want is to just go home… And don't feel like you have to take care of me, I'll manage on my own."

"Amy, we didn't mean it like that. It's just it would be unprofessional of us to take you into our care." Chris countered.

"It's fine."

I shuffled up in my bed, getting into a sitting position. My head aching more than ever but my body didn't feel as weak as before. I looked at my clothes and noticed I was still wearing the tatty old hospital gown and noticed there were no wires attached to me this time.

"I'm feeling much better now. If you don't mind I'd like to get a shower and get dressed."

"Uhh…Sure, I guess that'll be okay. I'll be back in just a moment." Jill said before leaving the room.

The silence between Chris and I was deafening. I shifted uncomfortably in my bed and spotted a jug of water and a glass next to my bed. I poured one out for myself and drank it deeply till I was out of breath. "God that feels good." I placed the empty glass back on the bedside table and continued sitting in silence till I couldn't take it anymore, I cleared my throat and spoke to Chris.

"How long was I out for this time?"

"Only a few hours. The doctors have given you the all clear but you passed out from shock it seems."

It still hadn't sunk in what Jill said to me earlier that day…Or it may have been night, there were no windows in my room so I couldn't tell. I decided I could focus on the grieving process after I'd been discharged and I got away from everyone. "No way am I going with the B.S.A.A, I just need to get away and be on my own."

Jill entered the room again with a bag in her hand.

"I got the nurse to find me a towel and some toiletries for your shower. She said you're welcome to go in anytime, it's free now actually. Your own clothes are in the cupboard besides your bed."

I nodded and attempted a second attempt at getting out of bed. I could see out the corner of my eye that Chris and Jill were ready to pounce in case I fell again, luckily I didn't. I placed my hand on the table next to the bed to balance myself and bent down to pick my clothes out of the bottom part. I started to move my legs, they felt a bit wobbly but nothing unbearable, I carried on walking slowly towards Jill until I reached her. I took the bag from her hand and asked where the shower was.

"Thanks."

I got to the shower room not far from my room and locked the door behind me, once in I turned around and looked at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. "What the fuck." My once shiny, short blonde hair was a lot darker and practically stuck to my head it was that dirty, my skin was pale and I had dark circles under my green eyes.

"I look like shit."

I placed the bag in the sink and moved over to the shower, turning it on and letting the water run whilst I started to remove my gown. I lifted it over my head and was shocked at what I saw in my reflection. I had a dark red scar running from just under my breasts to just past my belly button, my right leg had a nasty looking scar running from the top of my thigh to just above my knee and I had a small scar across my right collarbone. "Guess that's what you get when you pick a fight with a SUV." I shook my head and stepped into the shower. I quickly grabbed the soap and shampoo and started scrubbing my body furiously, desperate to feel clean again. I noticed my hair felt longer as I ran my fingers through it washing the grease away. Once I was satisfied I was clean enough I let the hot water run down my back while I remembered the last time I had a shower, it had been back home in England the day my world came crashing down around me. Memories of my Mam screaming at me to hurry up were running through my head, what I'd have given to hear that voice now. I could feel myself welling up but I refused to cry until I was away from here and I felt I was able to without people feeling sorry for me, I hated being pitied. I was about to step out of the shower when I heard a knock at the door.

"Yeah?"

"It's only me, Amy. I was just wondering if you're okay in there?" Jill sounded concerned.

"I'm fine." My voice cracked. "Don't cry now, Amy. Keep strong."

My answer was met with silence before she spoke again.

"…Okay, we'll be waiting in your room for you." She didn't sound convinced.

I picked up the towel and wrapped it around my frail, scarred body, I'd lost weight whilst I was in a coma and I could feel every bone sticking out. "I need a proper meal." I turned to the sink and rummaged through the bag till I found the toothbrush and toothpaste, moving onto getting dressed once I was done. As I pulled my last piece of clothing on; my skinny jeans, I noticed even those were baggy on me. I sighed and proceeded to comb my wet hair, it looked blonde and glossy once again and it had grown a hell of a lot in three months, it was down to my chin now. Another memory of my mother flashed through my head of the day I'd got my hair cut short. "I really like it Amy, you suit it but I prefer you with a bit of length, you suit it in a bob even more…" That was the last straw, something snapped inside me everything that had happened hit me like a ton of bricks. I jammed my feet into my converse before unlocking the door and sprinting down the corridor straight past my room. I didn't stop to see if Chris or Jill noticed; I just kept running as fast as my legs could carry me, keeping my eye on the fire exit sign the whole time. Nurses were giving me funny looks as I hurled past them; adrenaline surging through my body, a few shouted for me to stop running but I ignored them. Then I heard two familiar voices shouting my name.

"Amy! Wait! You don't even know where you're going!" I heard Jill cry.

I shut the voices out of my head and launched myself through the fire door; the sun dazzled me and caused me to almost fall down the first set of stairs on the fire escape but I caught myself on the banister, not waiting to regain my balance I pushed myself down the next set leading to the ground floor. I was already tearing round the corner towards the street when I heard the fire escape door slam open again above and behind me.

"Amy! Come back!" Chris yelled.

I kept running, turning round any corner I came to to make it harder for them to find me. I don't know how long I ran for but I didn't slow down till I couldn't hear their shouts anymore. I decreased my pace to a steady jog and eventually stopped, looking around frantically looking for a place to hide in case they found me, I caught sight of an alleyway and ran down it. I noticed a pile of boxes at the end and decided to hide behind them. As soon as I sat down I cracked, sobs racked my fragile frame until I couldn't breathe anymore and I greedily gulped in air and waited for the next onslaught of sobs. I must have sat there a while because it the sky started to darken and it began to rain on me. Soon after I felt the cold seeping through my clothes, I curled up into a ball trying to conserve heat. Exhausted from all my crying I started to feel tired and I must've dozed off because the next thing I heard was music coming from someone's apartment window above me.

I'm standing on a bridge,

I'm waiting in the dark,

I thought that you'd be here by now.

There's nothing but the rain,

No footsteps on the ground,

I'm listening but there's no sound.

I listened to the song as I laid there sobbing in the dark, cold alley. I figured Chris and Jill had stopped looking for me by now and I was contemplating getting up to try and find a place to stay when I realised how frozen I was, I could barely move.

Isn't anyone trying to find me?

Won't somebody come take me home.

It's a damn cold night,

Trying to figure out this life,

Won't you take me by the hand,

Take me somewhere new,

I don't know who you are,

But I…I'm with you,

I'm with you.

I managed to drag myself into a sitting position and looked around; the road beyond the alley was quiet and deserted. It gave me the creeps but I had to find somewhere to stay so I wandered the few feet to the end and peeked around the corner, looking for anywhere that looked safe to go, I didn't have a clue where I was, I didn't even know what state I was in or anything. I was scared. I could hear the music playing behind me still.

I'm looking for a place,

Searching for a face,

Is anybody here I know?

'Cause nothing's going right,

And everything's a mess,

And no one likes to be alone.

"Maybe I shouldn't have run off like I did, going with the B.S.A.A might not have been so bad after all. Fuck, Amy! You're twenty years old and you ran away like a scared kid. What would your Mam think of you now?" I began to cry again at the thought of my Mam, I wanted to see her so badly, to have her say everything was going to be okay and give me a bad hug. I wanted her to tell me it was all a bad dream and it was all in my head.

Oh why is everything so confusing?

Maybe I'm just out of my mind,

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I sat down again at the edge of the alley; feeling lonely and lost, and listened to the song a bit more, the chorus was repeating in my head over and over. Suddenly the street light in front of me went dark, I thought it had gone out but when I looked up I realised I was wrong. There was a tall, muscular man stood in front of me blocking the light. I could see from the outline of his silhouette that he wasn't as muscular as Chris but had a more athletic build. I gasped in shock as he bent down and offered me his hand.

"You must be Amy, Chris and Jill called me to help look for you. You really shouldn't have run off like that, it's dangerous out here on a night, especially for one who doesn't know their way around." He spoke with a deep voice; the voice sent shivers down my spine although I didn't know why.

I gawped at the man stood in front of me, looking from his shadowed face, to his hand and back to his face again.

"Who are you?" I spoke, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Name's Leon S. Kennedy, nice to meet you."

I couldn't believe I was hearing this, I was caught between emotions; upset, shock and my girly feelings, it took all my strength to stop myself turning all fan-girl on him; he was my favourite Resident Evil character and I personally thought he was always the best looking. It was only upon closer inspection I noticed his blondey brown hair shining in the light; his bangs covered his eyes so I couldn't see them just yet. But if I could remember well enough from the games, they'd be blue. I gazed back down at his extended hand as I heard the song still playing the background.

Take me by the hand,

Take me somewhere new,

I don't know who you are,

But I…I'm with you,

I'm with you.

Without thinking I put my hand in his and he grasped it tightly before pulling me up. I must've looked frozen because within seconds his brown leather jacket was draped snugly over my shoulders. I blushed slightly at the thought of wearing THE Leon S. Kennedy's jacket; it was warm and smelt of aftershave. Leon smelled better than I could have ever imagined. I forced myself to focus on the matter at hand and I let Leon lead me towards a shiny, black SUV. I shuddered at the memory of the last time I'd saw one of those and climbed into the passenger's seat through the door Leon held open for me. As I buckled up Leon climbed into the driver's seat.

"I'm taking you to Chris and Jill's house. While you were gone Jill had a right go at Chris blaming him for you running off, she wants you to stay with them… so is he the reason you took off? I know he can be a bit of a brute at times." Leon stared at me while he spoke; piercing blue eyes felt like they were penetrating my soul, they were even more stunning than I expected them to be; so warm and inviting.

"Umm…Not exactly…Well partly. I didn't want to be carted off to some strangers in the B.S.A.A while they questioned me; I'm not ready for that. And I also kinda wanted to stick with Chris and Jill, they were the only people I remotely knew, but Chris didn't want that. When I was in the shower room I just freaked out, everything hit me all at once you know?...I just needed some space. I didn't intend on getting lost but I should have realised that would happen. I'm sorry if I caused you any inconvenience."

Leon simply grinned a crooked grin that suited his face so much better than the serious expression he normally worn in the games and turned the key in the ignition.

"It's okay, I know what you mean…Come on, let's get you home."

"Home…?"

The rest of the drive back to Chris and Jill's was silent with only the radio playing quietly in the background. Every now and again I would steal a quick glance at Leon when I thought he wasn't looking; his black fitted top clung to his athletic muscles and it accentuated his broad shoulders nicely. It was too dark to see his abs but I knew they were there somewhere. My eyes wandered down to his jeans… "Wait, jeans?" I had never seen Leon in jeans before. The jeans combined with the black t-shirt and his Nike trainers made him look almost like a normal citizen, even with the stoic expression plastered back on his face whilst he drove.

The drive took almost an hour and a half and I must've have dozed off again because the next thing I knew I was being lifted from my seat with the jacket still draped over me. I felt two strong arms wrap around my legs and torso and I heard the car door shut quietly. I opened my eyes to see Leon's face above mine staring straight ahead as he walked towards a house; a very nice house to be exact, it looked to have about four bedrooms and of the two I could see at the front of the house, they had balconies aswell. I stopped gazing at the house realised I was still in Leon's arms. I panicked and started to stutter.

"Uh…Um…Cou...Could you p-put me down please?"

Leon looked down to my face and laughed nervously.

"Uh…Sorry…ha-ha. I thought you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

He placed me carefully on the ground and looked away scratching the back of his head with his hand. If I wasn't mistaken I'd say Leon S. Kennedy was embarrassed. I couldn't help but smile at his boyish antics.

"It's okay, thank you anyway."

We walked up to the front door and stood side by side, Leon stood at about 6'2; a few inches taller than me. "He's taller than I expected."

"Well here we are."

Leon gestured to the door and I sighed. "No doubt I'm gonna get a lecture now."

"This is gonna be a long night." I exhaled.