"She's waking up!"

Nellie stood outside Shanna's hospital room, wrapped in Michael's arms. Her hands were pressed against the glass and with every breath she exhaled, a warm mist spread across the window, clouding her vision of her friend on the other side. She watched eagerly as Shanna began to flinch. The small movements turned into larger actions. Shanna began to writhe, obviously starting to notice the pain, and Nellie had to turn away and bury her head in Michael's jacket for support.

Nellie stayed silent and still for minutes, but the sounds of Shanna's gasps for breath and the hum of the nurses' conversations kept her dead focussed. Eventually, a nurse exited the room. Nellie lifted her head up and watched the nurse carefully. She was tall and had long, blonde hair. Like Shanna.

"Do you want to come in?"

Nellie looked through the glass at her friend. She was shaking violently and emitting the occasional shriek. The last thing Shanna needed right now was for Nellie to walk in and cry in front of her. Nellie looked away and breathed in deeply, then exhaled. With the out breath, she released her fears and worries. She then steeled herself, her face forming a grimace, and then nodded to the nurse. She reached for Michael's hand and let him lead the way into the room.

Maxfield wasn't shy. He'd never been quiet, and he couldn't turn away from attention. Tonight was no different. His local pub was running a karaoke night, and Maxfield owned karaoke nights. Standing on a stage and belting a song for his life was what he lived for.

Standing on top of a table, waving the microphone in front of his face, Maxfield slurred the last line of Greased Lightning.

"Thank you! That song was for my babe, who's sitting out there somewhere," Maxfield grumbled, pointing across the small audience. His hand occasionally stopped at any girl with black hair, and he had to squint to see if it was Nellie. "I—I just want to say that I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Maxfield closed his eyes as he stumbled forward. He tried to regain his balance before collapsing sideways. He then continued to roll off the stage, onto the floor. He picked himself up and scanned the people around him.

"Hey, babe, looking sexy tonight." He winked at a girl nearby. He then turned to another girl and reached for her hand. "Is your daddy a thief? He stole the stars and put them in your eyes, darling," he slurred gruffly. The girl raised her eyebrows. Taking it as a signal to move in, he leaned forward for a kiss. She slapped him.

Michael sat on the edge of Shanna's bed, still holding Nellie's hand supportively. "Shanna?" He held his mouth open, expecting more words to be released, but no words met the situation. Instead, he just sat, staring at Shanna's bruised face.

"Mi—Mikey," Shanna rasped. "What happened? Why does it hurt?"

Nellie was the next to speak. Compared to the nervous wreck that she had been outside Shanna's room, she now spoke in a calm and collected manner. "You were in a car crash, Shanna. But you're here and safe now."

Michael nodded and added, "You gave Nell and I a bit of a scare, though."

Shanna tried to smile, but winced in pain instead. It was obvious that it was going to take a long time for her injuries to heal completely. "Thank you for being here," the blonde girl spoke, her voice a whisper.

Nellie nodded with a supporting smile before leaning in for a hug. Michael joined in, careful not to put pressure on Shanna's fragile body.

Shanna was first to pull away. She laid back and closed her eyes. Michael listened as her breathing became slower and less strained and watched her chest rise and fall to a steady rhythm.

"She's really okay," Nellie spoke, brushing hair out of Shanna's face. She leaned over and kissed the blonde girl lightly on the cheek carefully. "Shanna's okay."

"Told you!" Michael beamed teasingly. "You should know I'm always right by now."

"You are not!" Nellie grinned back as she stood up. "You've been wrong on so many occasions."

"Like when?" Michael also stood up. He figured Shanna needed time to rest, and he wanted to see how Charlie was holding up.

"Uhh, every time you say calculus is cool," Nellie teased. She turned and took one last look at Shanna before continuing the conversation with Michael.

"Calculus is cool," he whined back.

Nellie smiled as she walked out the room behind Michael. As the door closed, she reached for Michael's arm and hooked hers around his. "Shanna's going to be fine, isn't she." It was no longer a question, but a statement.

Author's Note:

Sorry I haven't updated this in like, ages, but School's started again, so that must come first before writing. Updates will be infrequent, but I'll upload whenever I can.

As always, feel free to review and let me know what you think! I love hearing everyone's feedback!

~Marcalus