Third Person POV
Hanna had rescued Jenna, and Spencer saved them both, totally unaware Madeline was in there. By the time the fire department came, everyone on the street was looking at the burning house, whispering to one another.
The girls watched, stunned, seeing the firemen rush in, and then over one's radio they heard, "There's someone in here! A teenage girl! I'm bringing her out. Get her into the ambulance ASAP, there's some serious damage."
Jenna was already in one of the ambulances being taken care of, so Spencer and Hanna turned their heads to looks at each other, the same look of absolute horror on their faces. Madeline was in there. Spencer's sister! How could she not have checked!
"Spencer, we'd all have been hit by the explosion if we'd stayed to get her." Hanna tried to reason, but Spencer wouldn't listen.
She got into the ambulance beside Jenna with Hanna in following suit as soon as she saw a pale, lifeless Madeline being carried out of the blaze by a fireman. Her hair covered her face, but she could tell parts had been singed, even the ends burned off…and there were bad burns all over her body. And it didn't look like she was breathing.
If Spencer was taking it this bad, how would Jason? Someone who'd lost so much already…how would their mom react? Her dad…would he care? It was his daughter…just as much as Spencer and Melissa were. And Emily…Aria…Aria's brother…Mike! Oh god. The poor kid had depression, if something fatal happened to Mads…she refused to think of it for Aria's sake.
And Toby. Oh Toby…they had just gotten into a fight…and no doubt Toby would regret it and feel responsible for not saving his best friend. Toby…
Spencer shut her mind off to any thoughts, and just waited, until the text came.
"Oops! Meant for Jenna to die, but if one of the liars is dead…well, that just makes my job easier! –A."
Madeline had to make it…for everyone's sake.
At the hospital, when she got the glass out of her hand, she went to the window to see Toby run in the door. She wasn't surprised. Mads and him had each other on their emergency cards.
He saw Hanna, who was already done getting herself stitched back up, and rushed over to her to ask what had happened.
Hanna told him, and he asked in response, "How's Mads?"
"What? No asking for Jenna? I thought you and my friend "broke up."
"Shut up and tell me."
"That's a contradiction." Hanna teased.
"Tell me." Toby's face softened as he whispered the words desperately. He cared for Mads more than he'd ever cared for Jenna…and he cared more for her than Spencer. Spencer was slightly hurt, but it made the most sense. They'd been best friends for a long time. And friends came before relationships always.
"She's out of surgery now…she's pretty bad though…she's comatose I think. She's not brain dead or anything…so that's good…but it's not looking the best it could be looking now. I'm sorry Toby."
"I love her Hanna. She's my best friend. I love her and Spencer in different ways, but Spencer…I have no idea anymore…and Mads…I regret doing what I did.
"She wasn't even supposed to be there, she was supposed to be heading over to Aria's place to watch a movie with Mike."
"But she didn't go…and it's my fault for making her run home to cry."
"Toby, don't blame yourself." Hanna shook her head.
"How can I not?"
"It was A's." Hanna whispered.
"What?"
"Look." Hanna pulled out her phone and showed him the message.
His face fell. "Oh my god. No. No. She can't die. No."
He seemed totally uncaring for Jenna, which Hanna noted….Jenna was okay, but still.
"One visitor at a time for Ms. DiLaurentis." A nurse called to the nearly empty waiting room.
Toby stood from his chair immediately. "Is she awake?"
"No, but she's stable enough for someone to see her." The nurse replied. She looked over Toby, and with a twinkle of pity in her eyes, walked away. Toby was really distraught over this.
Toby did go in first, and was shocked at what he saw. Mads…burnt patches of skin, her pallor freakishly pale…she wasn't perfect looking for once.
He grabbed the chair by the side and pulled it to her bedside, grabbing her ice-cold hands and holding them in his to warm them.
"Maddie, if you can hear me, I'm so, so sorry. You're my best friend. I never should have just left you like that. You have to wake up…because we all need you." Toby's eyes filled with tears. "I need you." He began to weep, feeling all was lost.
A phone vibrated from beside him and he looked up suddenly to realize Mad's phone was on the bedside. He looked to his unconscious friend, and then at the phone. He picked it up and saw that she had a new text message. He got into her phone no problem, since her password was his birthday…sweet when he thought about it. And when he read the message, he finally understood.
"You talked to Toby, and now look, you've gotten hurt…do you want Toby to die next because of you?"
That was all…but Toby knew it was A who'd sent it. That night, when Toby was in the bed, not Mads…she'd looked at her phone, and left suddenly, and had been ignoring him ever since. Feeling like he was onto something, he went into her past messages that she'd received, and luckily, she didn't delete them. He scrolled to the correct date, and found it. He clicked and read. She'd been trying to protect him. As if she thought she could protect him. They were in it together, why had A suddenly changed that between them?
For how long he whispered apologies to her and stayed by her side, he didn't know, but it seemed like no time had passed. But evidently, a lot of time passed, as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see a exhausted looking Mike looking down at him. He was trembling, trying his best to not let his "illness" get in the way of being there for his girlfriend, and Toby looked up to the clock to realize it'd been over two hours of precious time with her.
"I'll go check on Jenna." Toby stood. He got to the door, and turned back, Mike was beginning to sit in the vacant chair. "Mike…whatever you think, it wasn't your fault this happened. Trust me." Toby realized it wasn't his either, and he went to Jenna's room to stay with her while Mike took one of his girlfriend's hands and started to weep as he held her fingers to his mouth. She looked so awful…if only she'd left her house earlier. She would have been with him. He had thought the call from the hospital was Mads cancelling, because his mom had answered…she'd been trying to protect him by not telling him the truth. Of course, when he'd seen Aria running out the house in a hurry, almost in tears, he'd asked what happened, and without thinking she told him.
He felt betrayed by his parents, but he knew better. They were only trying to shelter him from relapsing after his slow climb out of the dark hole he'd been in for a while. He was still there, but Madeline had been his light for a while. Looking at her, he could see the little girl he used to play with, and that made it all the worse.
He actually fell asleep by Mads side, as it was probably 2 am.
Jason ran into the room breathless, just being told by the nurse he could see her, and he'd left Mrs. Hastings quickly, after a small civil chat, and she'd understood his pain- she was a parent, but he felt like Madeline's parent figure, so it was the same. The feeling of anxiety and worry for the one they loved. He felt guilt himself for leaving her by herself. His little sister…He hadn't felt this choked up over Ali…maybe it was the drugs dragging him under at the time, but he knew he'd always loved Madeline more…maybe it was because they were 100% blood related, or maybe it was because she was the better person.
Jenna was supposed to get hurt, that he'd heard from Jenna's room as he passed Toby and the girls on the way here. Poor kids. They were all hurting over this. But they hadn't need to feel guilty. It was Jason's fault, and his alone. He was her guardian, he was supposed to be there for her…and he hadn't been her savior. He may have saved her in the past, but he hadn't got there in nearly enough time tonight.
He saw Mike sleeping in the chair and felt great sadness. The kid had been through a lot, and now this. After he'd lost it on his sister and hit her, he'd almost prevented him from going anywhere near Madeline again, but he knew his sister would hate him for it, and it wasn't the right way to go either.
Madeline had to wake up. She had too. He left Mike to sleep, relating to the kid, as well as Toby, as they were the men of Madeline's world. They mattered to her, and she mattered to them. If Madeline didn't make it, Mike would get worse, Jason would probably return to his old ways…Toby…Toby was unpredictable. Madeline was their rock. Seeing Madeline so unmoving frightened Jason.
He could remember when they were very little, and he had been teaching her how to ride a bike. She'd made him let go, saying "Jay, I can do it. I don't need you." She'd laughed and smiled as she peddled, until she lost control and crashed into a fence. Jason had gone running and found her sitting on the ground in tears, with her knee bleeding, and Ali had come out of nowhere to say, "I'm telling! You knew you shouldn't have let her go too fast!" then she'd scampered off.
Back then, the comment seemed innocent, but now, the comment stung. "I don't need you…Let go Jay…You can let go."
He didn't want to let go. Not yet. She still needed him, and now more than ever. Even if she didn't realize it yet. The only human he took care of besides himself landed herself here because he didn't take enough care of her. She'd disagree, saying he was doing a great job, but that was Mads for you. He'd protect her from now on. No matter the cost. Madeline would be untouchable.
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