The machines beeped and whirred around Rae; there was a tube down her throat and oxygen being fed into her nose. Her mom had passed out on the cot they had brought in and Kester and Karim were sitting in opposite ends of room, both asleep as well.

Finn sat next to Rae's bed, his head resting on the mattress near her hand. He thought maybe if he got closer to it he could somehow will it to move; wishful thinking he had. Soon, he slipped his hand into hers and held it there for what seemed like days. The sun came up and Finn was somewhere in between asleep and awake, the exhaustion finally taking over, when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder; Rae's mum had woken up.

"Go home. You look like death." She said, groggily. "I'll call you if there's any change."

Finn hesitated, not wanting to leave Rae's side, but then he thought about his parents and how worried they'd be and the gang. He'd have to fill them in, get a few hours of sleep and then he'd come straight back.

"Okay, I'll be back around noon, yeah?" he said, lifting himself up, his muscles weak with exhaustion, grabbing his bag off the floor.

"Finn?" Rae's mum started. "I just wanted to thank you. For everything you've done for Rae or tried to do for her. You really changed her. You made her happier. She really loves you, you know? I just wish I knew what went wrong. "

Finn wished to know the exact same thing. She did seem a bit off at the game, but that was the only time he noticed something. Was he not paying attention? Were there signs that he didn't see? She seemed so happy when they were together, he thought. Maybe she was putting up a front.

"Yeah, me too." Said Finn, simply. He gave Rae's mum a hug and walked out. His throat tightened up and his eyes began to burn; not again, he thought. He'd been in that state most of the night as he thought about how his life would be without Rae. The mere image of it was too much to bear.

He made his way home, his dad sitting on the table stirring a cup of tea.

"Son." He said, standing up and hugging him.

Finn held onto him for a while, not sure what else to do, not sure what to say.

"It's alright son, it's alright." Finn's dad said, stroking his back. "She's going to be fine."

The pain of it all cut through Finn like a hot knife through butter. He sobbed in his father's arms, the despair weighing him down like an anchor. His best friend, the love of his life was in a coma and there was nothing he could do. Finn went on like that for a while and after there were no more tears left to cry his dad made him a cup of tea and set him up on the couch; he passed out within minutes.

Finn's subconscious ran rampant as he slept. He saw Rae and she wasn't in a coma. She was laughing and listening to music and they were together. Then she collapsed in her bedroom and the scene changed to the hospital and there she was just as he left her. She laid there, still as stagnant water, just as she had in the waking world and then there was a long, loud constant beep that could have only meant one thing.

Finn broke from his sleep, covered and sweat and gasping for air. The phone was ringing and his heart leapt out of his throat with the thought that it was Rae's mum telling him she had woken up.

"Hello?!" he managed to splutter out, nearly knocking the phone off the wall.

"Finn?"

"Archie?" asked Finn.

"Finn, it's about time. I've been calling all morning." Finn walked around the corner to look at the clock in the kitchen to see that it was past 3 in the afternoon.

Finn's heart dropped, anything could have happened in the hours he slept away. He never did get a chance to tell his dad to wake him up at a noon.

"Shit, man. I was supposed to be back at the hospital by now. I fell asleep-

"It doesn't matter, just get here. The gang is all here. Rae is awake! She's been asking for ya!

Finn dropped the phone without a word and ran out of the house and onto his scooter; he practically ran over people on his way out of his driveway.

The automatic hospital doors couldn't open fast enough for him as he ran through the entrance. The elevator seemed to take a year to reach the lobby and if it wasn't because Rae was on the 9th floor he might ran all the way up there.

Finally, he exited the elevator and ran down the hall, past the nurse's station to Rae's room only to slow down just at the doorway to hear laughter and talking. He almost needed to make sure it wasn't a hoax, that was true, that she was really awake.

Slowly, he stepped into the room, reaching his neck over Chop and Izzy who were closest to the doorway. No one noticed he had come in and he didn't want to say anything just yet. He just wanted to look at her, to appreciate what he had almost lost. She looked okay. She wasn't her old self; the loud, funny, mad girl he knew, but she was still there, he could see it in her eyes.

"I'm sorry everyone, really, I am. After I had taken the pills I realized it wasn't what I wanted, I wanted to live. But it was too late and they took me under before I could try and do anything about it. I didn't mean to cause any of ya any pain. I didn't realize when I was taking the pills that I love all of you too much not to be here with you. "

Rae began to scan the room looking at all the faces that stared back at her. Finn moved then, stepping forward, head drooped and hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Hey Rae." He said, his voice cracking, tears welled up in his eyes.

"Finn…I-" Rae began.

"You don't need to say anything, Rae."

"Everyone, can we have a minute?"

Sures and yeahs were heard through the room as everyone filed out and left just the two of them staring at each other.

Moments passed before anything was said and then Finn rushed towards the bed and kissed Rae, hard on the lips. They kissed for what felt like seconds to Finn, but they were a little out of breath when they broke away from each other.

He rested his forehead on hers, "You scared the living shit outta me, Rae. How could do you that? When you know how much I fucking love you?"

"Finn, I'm so sorry. I just couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe how much everyone… liked having me around.

"You really are fucking mad, Rachel Earl. Everyone loves you to pieces."

Rae chuckled and Finn kissed her once more. "After thinking I wasn't ever going to be able to kiss you again, now I don't want to stop." He laughed softly against her lips.

"Finn…"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." said Rae. "I've loved you since played that crap song in the car on the way to Knebworth. And I should have told ya sooner, but I didn't know how. I didn't think it was real, I didn't think you loving me was real, but I do now. And I hate that I had to do something so stupid to realize it. "

Finn didn't say anything, he just kissed Rae again, and felt the warmth of her body radiating off her like the sun on a winter day.