Final chapter as I didn't like where this story was going. I know this ending is weak but I needed a way to get them back to Toronto.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

"What's this delay now!?" Jay moaned loudly as Emma scooted off to answer a call.

"It's only five minutes, Jay!" Manny pointed out.

"You were all telling me two minutes ago that I was holding everyone up!"

"We never said that."

"Well you may as well have." Jay muttered under his breath. He sat in the unbearable silence for just seventeen seconds before he jabbed the car stereo on and turned the volume button right around. The tinny rock music bled out of the speakers at a screechingly loud rate. Manny complained loudly, and Jay could just about hear every word she said, but he still ignored her and focussed on the timely twang of the bass and the low beat of the drums in the background.

Sean elbowed her softly but warningly as Jay upped the volume a few more notches and took a cigarette out of the packet that was resting on the dashboard. Once again, all the windows were shut, despite the stifling heat. The awful quality music was bouncing off the car walls and seemed to be echoing. The cigarette smoke floated around the enclosed space too, causing Manny to cough exaggeratedly and swat at the cloudy air around her. Jay shot her a cold look through the rear view mirror and she laid her hands to rest reluctantly.

Spinner had his earphones in the whole time, so he had nothing to worry about and was dead to the world.

Sean tapped his fingers on his denim encased leg, eagerly praying for Emma's return so they could get on their way and quit this awkwardness. Manny looked slyly out of the corner of her eye at the tapping Sean was displaying. Needless to say, it was grating on her. Suddenly, the tapping ceased and Sean was hitting her arm again.

"What the hell?" Manny exclaimed.

"Look." Sean motioned outside the car door.

"What?" Manny followed his direction. Emma was approaching the car, in floods of tears with her cellphone in her right hand, held out in front of her with a horrified look on her face.

Jay immediately hit the power off button and leaped out of the car like it was on a timer. He approached Emma cautiously. "Em? What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, her bottom lip quivering. Her big, round brown eyes welled up with tears, and she could only hold it in for a second before she let it all out and broke down right there in front of him. He'd never been good with dealing with crying girls, but right now, he didn't have time to worry about that. She buckled at the knee's and Jay straight away shot out and held her up. She fell into his arms and sobbed. It was a good five minutes before he could get anything out of her.

Manny, Sean and Spinner vaulted out of the car promptly after Jay had, and stood around on the sidelines in agonizing anticipation. Jay looked back at them stood there and silently begged for someone to help him out, practically screaming out that he was uncomfortable and way out of his depth. "Em, what happened?" Jay tried again, gently tilting her head up so she was looking at him. His shirt was soaked with her tears but he ignored that.

"Sn- Snake!" Emma choked out through the tears.

Jay's face twisted into confusion. It took him a fair moment to realize that she wasn't referring to the slithering jungle kind of snake, but the man that she had come to call 'dad'.

Manny's ears pricked up at the mention of Snake. "Em, what's happened?! Speak to us, please!" She came rushing over and took over from Jay. He stepped aside and looked at Sean and Spinner in bewilderment. Manny was quickly conversing with Emma, getting more out of her in a couple of seconds than Jay had in the whole ten minutes she'd been in his arms.

"What's going on?" Sean pressed.

"What's happened?" Spinner piped up.

Jay just stood there and shrugged, feeling concerned.

"Oh my God, Em, I'm so sorry!" They heard Manny soothe Emma. The three guys turned their attention to the two emotional girls.

"Jay, she wants to speak to you." Manny turned around and revealed, sounding a little put out.

Jay was quite surprised that Emma would choose to talk to him over Sean, but he obliged anyway. "Whats up?" He asked, switching places with Manny.

"Can we go back to Toronto please?" She asked, her voice tiny like a mouses squeak.

"Sure." Jay agreed instantly. "What's wrong with Snake?"

Emma took a deep breath. Jay reached out and gently wiped away the tears from her cheek. "e... he had a heart attack. He's in the hospital."

Jay's face fell. He pulled her into a hug. "We'll go right now." He offered.

The five of them jumped back into the car and Jay began the drive back to Degrassi. He was going to say he'd never seen the Civic go so fast, but that was a lie. The drive back was awkward and silent, but no-one in the car felt much like driving. Emma was in the back seat with Manny and Sean and Spinner was sleeping in the passenger seat next to him. Jay kept one eye on the rear view mirror, checking up on Emma. Her tears had dried as tracks on her cheeks. She wasn't crying anymore, she just had her head resting on the glass, her brown eyes glazed over watching the sidewalk fly past as Jay drove them closer and closer toward home.

Jay didn't get out of the car when they pulled up adjacent to the revolving doors of the hospital. Emma had flipped the handle and opened the door before the vehicle even came to a halt. She was out the car and in the building in the time it took Jay to apply the hand break. Manny shuffled along from her place in the middle and followed Emma in, who was then followed by Sean.

Jay leaned forward and checked on Spinner, who was still snoozing. Jay exhaled loudly, then jumped out of the car and shut the door softly. He didn't want to wake Spinner, he just wanted to be on his own for a moment. He locked the car, just to be on the safe side, and took the short walk over to a bench. He sat down achingly and yawned widely. He dug deep in his pockets and produced his packet of cigarettes. He opened them and realized after this one, he'd only have one left. He made a mental note to himself to buy more at the next available minute.

He lit the end and breathed in the nicotine rush that he'd been craving the whole three hour drive. He wondered if Simpson would be OK. He had never seen eye to eye with him; in class, the aftermath of the shooting, after the ravine incident...

Jay ended up crossing the road to the gas station to buy more cigarettes. After an hour of sitting in the sun waiting, he'd gotten very restless. No-one had been down with news in this time, Spin was still asleep and Jay was bored. He felt guilty for thinking it, but at the end of the day it was true.

He moved from his bench and decided to do a walking lap of the building. He walked fast, but nonetheless, when he arrived back at his starting point, Emma was stood in the shade from the fierce sun. "Em..." He greeted her cautiously as he walked up to her.

"Jay. Where have you been?"

"Getting cigarettes." Jay admitted, feeling stupid killing himself at a hospital.

"Sorry its been so long. You've been great, you really have."

"How did it go up there?" Jay asked nervously.

Emma sighed and smiled for the first time in hours. "He's gonna be fine, they got him stable, and he'll pull through."

"Oh, that's great, Em. I'm glad." Jay smiled and touched her arm lightly. Emma moved her arm slightly so his hand fell away but as it did she caught hold of his wrist and pulled him in closer and placed a small kiss on his lips.

"Thanks for everything, Jay."

Sean wasn't sure why, but this health scare with Simpson made him glad to be alive. It also made him realize that life was too short to live in fear of regret, and to let what could happen get in the way of what should happen. He took hold of Manny's hand as they stood together in the elevator. She looked up at him and smiled. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed him softly.

- - - - -

Spinner woke up slowly from his deep sleep and realized he was alone in Jay's car. It took him a while to realize what was going on. He sat up in the seat wearily and looked around. He watched as an attractive redhead girl walked past the window and smiled through the glass at him. He smiled back, then checked in the mirror at her reflection walking away.

- - - - -

Sean and Manny stepped out of the elevator still hand in hand toward the exit where Emma had told them she'd be waiting. They turned the corner to see her in a warm embrace with Jay. They both turned simultaneously to each other and smirked at the irony of the couples that had resulted from this road trip.

- - - - -

Sean, Emma, Manny and Jay all stood together in the warm sunshine, happy to be back in familiar territory. As in Toronto, not the hospital parking lot. One person was missing... Spinner! They all turned toward the Civic, and realized Spinner had been banging on the glass to be let out.

Jay strolled casually over to his car and released Spinner. "Sorry, buddy. Forgot about you in there."

"Sleeping Beauty is back!" Manny commented as Spinner and Jay approached.

"Dude, did you check out that chick back there?"

"Buddy, I'm spoken for." Jay said, putting his arm around Emma and smiling proudly.

Spinner looked utterly shocked and confused. "What the-"

"Better believe it, man!"

"Sean? Don't tell me you and Manny are-"

"Guilty as charged!" Manny answered for Sean, smacking a big kiss on his cheek. Sean just laughed.

Had to wrap this up, and after about three weeks of debating how to, this is what I came up with. Hope you guys liked it, review maybe?

And I hope it wasn't too unrealistic and mistake riddled.