Jade didn't mind staying with Cat; it made her happy the girl had asked for her, and so she sat with the little redhead through the rest of the exams and tests that night. She had always been a light sleeper; she had been lightly dozing off around midnight, when she heard mumbling. Her eyes snapped open and flicked over to the smaller girl, quickly assessing her for damage. What she saw was the redhead thrashing left and right, brow furrowed.

"NO!" She screamed, and Jade jumped in her seat, shocked into motion. Quickly, she leapt onto the bed, kneeling beside the wriggling body and grasping Cat's forearms, shaking her gently.

"C'mon, Cat. Wake up. It's just a dream. You're in a hospital with me. It's Jade. C'mon, baby girl, just open your eyes for me. Cat, just open your eyes. It's just a dream." Jade yelled over the screaming, wondering if she should call for a nurse. Right when she decided to reach for the call button, the redhead's eyes flew open. She blinked a couple of times, taking in her surroundings, and Jade sighed in relief, dropping the plastic module in her hand and collapsing back into her chair. After a minute, the initial shock and disorientation wore off, and Cat burst into tears. When the other girl sat up, concerned, the redhead waved her off.

"I..I j-just need a m-m..m-minute…" She sobbed, hysterical. Disregarding her plea for personal space, Jade hopped onto the bed, seating herself next to the crying girl. She pulled Cat into her arms, and the redhead cried into her neck.

"It's okay. You're safe now. He's not gonna come after you. We'll make damn sure of it." The taller girl soothed, rubbing her back reassuringly. She held the girl until she cried herself to sleep, exhausted. Tucking her in, she gingerly eased off the bed, careful not to disturb the slumbering redhead and grabbed her buzzing phone, slipping from the room. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. How is she?" Tori's concerned voice filtered through the speaker. Jade sighed, and dragged her fingers through her hair carelessly. "That bad, huh?"

"I mean, she's not doing too badly. I'm sure nightmares are normal. I just hate seeing her like this, you know?" Jade mumbled, shaking her head.

"You okay?" The singer asked gently.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay with a couple of hours of sleep at a time." The Goth replied distractedly.

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh." Jade blinked, surprised. "Yeah. I'm okay. It's just not easy to hear her screaming sometimes."

"So you're okay to stay the night?" Tori confirmed through the phone.

"Yeah. I might need to talk to someone afterwards, but I'll be fine tonight." The Goth sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Talk to me." The singer prompted patiently.

"I don't know, Tor. It's just…I feel really bad not having noticed before, you know?" She burst out, frustrated. There was a short silence, before the half-Latina spoke again.

"I think that you said that to yourself when I was in the hospital, too." Tori finally said, sighing. "I also don't think you owe anybody anything. You keep saying that you should be doing more, but I think the fact that Cat asked for you shows that she needs you, and that she thinks you're doing a good job doing whatever it is you do."

"You think?"

"Yeah, I do. Don't beat yourself up, Jade. It's not worth it. Besides, we've both been on a good path for a couple of weeks, it'll be nice to keep it up, right?" The singer offered.

"I was so down last week." Jade sighed, unconsciously tracing a thumb along the healing cuts on her arm.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is now, and that little redheaded girl inside the hospital room who thinks you're the bomb. And you are." Tori refuted strongly. "You're the best person I know, Jade. For real."

"Thanks, Tor. I'm gonna go back in." Jade smiled. "See you tomorrow morning."

"See ya." As the singer hung up, the Goth sighed and slumped against the wall. Fear crept its way onto her chest, sitting heavily on it. The uncertainty of what lay behind the door to the hospital room introduced anxiety gradually, and Jade found herself doubled over, gasping for air. Sadness gripped her as she sat, alone, in the hallway, silent tears travelling down her face.

"Jade?" Her hoarse voice echoed in the empty room, as the redhead slowly awoke, blinking lethargically and fumbling beside her for water. As she struggled to sit up, she realized that the Goth had left, and loneliness grabbed at her. Just as she wanted to close her eyes and pretend the day never happened, Tori slipped into the room and quietly sat down beside the redhead.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" She asked softly, dropping her school bag onto the ground. It was noon, and Tori had left campus to visit the redhead, having checked in before school earlier that morning. The singer reached over to help Cat sit up, adjusting her pillows.

"Not…great." The redhead cleared her throat and winced, drinking some water. "Where's Jade?"

"Oh, she's…well she hasn't been feeling so hot, so she's getting lunch." Tori glossed over the truth, refilling the other girl's water.

"Oh, is she sick?"

"…yeah. I guess she is sick." The singer nodded thoughtfully.

"Tori, don't lie to me…" Cat warned, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not lying to you…it's just…I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say right now." She tiptoed around her words carefully. Cat's eyes widened.

"Is she mad at me?" She asked, full of fear and trepidation.

"No!" Tori quickly corrected, shaking her head adamantly. "Not at all. It's not you at all, Cat. She's just having some issues right now."

"Well…if you see her will you tell her I miss her?" The redhead pleaded.

"She'll be back as soon as she can." Tori reassured, patting her hand. "I gotta get back. Sorry, I'll be back later." She picked up her bag and smiled apologetically, before slipping out the door.

"How is she?" Jade muttered. They were sitting in a history class as interesting as drying paint and the Goth was fidgeting.

"Fine. She says she missed you this morning." Tori mumbled back, eyes glued to her notes; not seeing a thing. "How much caffeine have you had today?"

"Not that much." The Goth immediately replied quietly, quivering in her seat.

"How much sleep have you had?"

"Not that much."

"Jesus, Jade." The singer breathed, shaking her head slightly.

"I said not that much caffeine." Jade whined under her breath.

"You have four cups minimum every day." Tori hissed. "I mean, would it kill you to have a cup of tea?"

"Maybe." The Goth grinned to herself, flipping a pen around her fingers. Solemnly, she asked. "But she's doing okay, right?"

"I still think you should tell her the truth." Tori shrugged, tapping her pen against her teeth and trying to look interested in what was being projected onto the wall in front of them. "I mean, physically she's fine. I just feel like she really wants you there." The singer emphasized.

"I just don't want her to think it's her fault." The Goth grumbled quietly. "We've talked about this already."

"Yep, and I think she thinks it's her fault you're not there. You should tell her so she doesn't feel bad." The singer doodled idly in her notebook, giving up on taking notes altogether.

"I can't." Jade stilled, finally looking at the other girl.

"Why not?" Tori asked, glancing quickly at the pale girl.

"I'm scared." Jade said hoarsely, fear rising in her throat. Discretely, the singer grabbed her hand.

"I'll go with you. We can do it together. You'll be fine." She reassured, squeezing the Goth's hand quickly before grabbing her pen again.

"Fine. We'll go after school." Jade acquiesced reluctantly.