CHAPTER 6: CLAIRE: I hadn't realized how much I really still cared for Danny until I saw him, lying in the hospital bed, wires and tubes attached to him. It was a grim sight, and I was trying to hard not to break down and cry. I could tell Ben was trying just as hard. After all, Danny had been his best friend only about a week earlier. Being at the hospital, surrounded by Asking Alexandria—old and new members—was a little awkward. Abbi kept staring at me, which I tried to ignore. I didn't want to fight with her right now, no matter how much better it might make me feel. The new guy, whatever his name was, just looked as if he felt out of place. We were in the lobby when I heard Abbi whispering to James. The nurses had told us that Danny could only have one visitor at a time, since there were so many of us now. Sam was in his room now, while the rest of us waited our turn. "Why did you invite Ben and Claire?" Abbi whispered to James angrily. "They have no business here." "Yeah, they do," James replied, in our defense. "They were a part of this band. Danny is still important to them." "Didn't seem like Danny was important to them when they were going behind his back," Abbi said out loud. Ben put his hand on mine, a silent reminder to be civil if I wanted to get to see Danny. "Abbi, please shut up," I said nicer than I would have preferred. "Claire," Abbi said my name as if it were poison. "you know it's true. What kind of friends do what you two did?" I sighed and walked away, before I did something I would regret. Ben was going to come after me, but I told him I just wanted to be alone for a bit. BEN: "What's your problem, Abbi?" I asked her after Claire had left. "Can't you just let it go? For now, at least?" Abbi smiled at me. "No, I can't," she said. "You don't belong here anymore." "If I recall, you're the one who started all this." Abbi laughed sarcastically. "I started this? You and Claire are the ones who started it, when you decided it would be a good idea to go behind Danny's back." "Don't sit there and act like it wasn't your plan to get us kicked out all along." James had a confused expression on his face. "Wait, is that true, Abbi?" he asked. "Of course it's not true!" Abbi replied defensively. "I know Claire and I were wrong," I said. "But Abbi escalated it and blew this whole thing out of proportion." CLAIRE: I sat at an empty table in the cafeteria. Being alone was what I needed right now. Everything was wrong. Ben and I were supposed to be a part of Asking; Danny was supposed to be getting sober; Abbi and that new guy weren't supposed to even be here. I laid my head on my arms and sighed. It was going to be a long day. Eventually, I got a coffee and went back to the waiting room. This time, Abbi was gone to see Danny. Ben was sitting silently, waiting for me; James, Cam and Sam were talking animatedly about something that probably wouldn't have interested me. I took a seat beside Ben and laid my head on his shoulder; he put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head lightly. "Are you okay?" Ben asked me a few minutes later. I pulled away and looked at him. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure about this relationship, or about the new band. I could feel myself getting ready to cry, but Abbi came and told me that Danny was asking for me. Without another word, I stood and started toward his room. Danny's room was just as white as the rest of the hostpital. The walls were white, as was the floor and the sink. The sheets were white and the curtain that was open to reveal Danny, lying in bed, was white. Danny was sitting up now, sipping a small carton of orange juice. He smiled grimly when he saw me. Slowly, I walked over to his bed and just stood there for a second, unsure of what to do. Then, I couldn't take it any longer and wrapped my arms around him. He winced a little at first, but then he put down is orange juice and hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry," I sobbed into his shoulder. "Danny, I'm sorry." "Claire," Danny whispered. "It's okay. I'm sorry, too." I pulled away then. "Sorry for what?" Wiping my eyes with the sleeves of Ben's jacket that I was wearing, I grabbed a tissue from the box on the table beside me. "You didn't do anything." "Claire, I promised you over and over again that I was going to stop the drugs and the drinking. I lied to you and pushed you away." Sighing, I sat on the edge of the bed and took Danny's hand in mine. "Danny, what Ben and I did...We're adults. We know the difference between right and wrong. What we did was wrong. If I didn't want to be with you, I should have told you." "Why didn't you?" Danny asked me. I swallowed hard. "Because I still wanted to be with you. I just—I was hurt and confused and I didn't know how to help you anymore." "And now?" I hesitated a second, and then I was kissing him. It felt good. I loved Danny, and I had honestly missed this. Until Ben walked in.