Nick's POV

I woke up in hospital the next day. The bright light of the sun reflected off the white room and momentarily blinded my sleepy eyes.

"Nick!" I heard several exclamations of. I moaned to show I'd heard and didn't feel like talking. What'd happened?

"What happened?" I repeated the question when my brain failed to answered.

"You passed out last night." Macy told me.

"Oh yeah. Why were you there at 1 in the morning?"

"Stella said she was sleeping over, still awake and bored. My parents were out." Macy shrugged. Typically girly sleepover stuff basically.

"Oh right."

"Why'd I pass out?" I asked.

"Doctor Miller says you've suffered some kind of shock." Mom explained.

"Must be late reactions from the incident outside the club." I said, though I knew it was the strangeness of the nightmare. I'd tell Joe and Kevin later.

"Aah, Mr Lucas, you're awake." A man in a long white coat said from the door. I presume he was Doctor Miller.

"Yeah. Can I go see Annie?" I asked, my mind flitting immediately back to my girlfriend. Oh how I loved to say that. Mom's face went pale white and no one said anything. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Now's not the time Nick." Dad silenced me.

"If its ok, I'd like to run some tests on Nick, just to double check everything's ok." Doctor Miller tried to distract me but now I was worried. I didn't say anything; I'd go see her later.

Doctor Miller was very thorough in his tests;' he took a blood test, my blood pressure, made me breathe into a test tube, checked my eyes, my tonsils, my reaction time (which was immaculate by the way) then he asked me a load of questions to make sure I hadn't suffered minor amnesia when I'd fallen last night.

"Why do you think you passed out Mr Lucas?" he asked.

"From the incident outside the club." I answered, sticking with my previous answer.

"That would've happened immediately Mr Lucas, I can see there's something else. A nightmare maybe?" Hit the nail on the head. I nodded. "What was it about Nick?" I sighed. "You don't have to tell me."

"It was about Annie." Doctor Miller stiffened when I mentioned her name, though I pretended not to notice. "I'd fallen asleep and in the dream I woke up in the middle of the night. Annie was there, though her condition had worsened since I left yesterday. Someone breathed on my shoulder and it was the guy from the club. He told me I got in the way of his attempted murder, and that he was coming for me. It was dark in the firehouse and it was really creepy. Annie collapsed, I ran to her side and she was dead. Then her ghost rose out of her body and she told me it was my fault she was dead. They were both taunting me. Accusing me of things that was indirectly my fault. Then he killed me, the guy. And I woke up." I finished.

"That sounds terrible Nick." Doctor Miller comforted.

"I just feel guilty. I was haunted by the images of Annie's dead body that my imagination had created."

"It's understandable Mr Lucas. Lingering heart ache over loved ones, even though yours was just a dream, a nightmare." Doctor Miller went psychologist on me.

"Can I go home?" I asked.

"We'll wait for the results of your blood test and you can try to make your way through the hordes of screaming fans if you wish, yes." Doctor Miller smiled and left me alone in my ward.

I sat in the centre of my bed, legs crossed, facing the window, my back to the door. I started humming, a mindless tune filling the silence.

Joe, Kevin, Stella and Macy appeared back at my door. I looked over at the clock on the wall. 2:00pm; Mom, Dad and Frankie must still be having lunch.

"Where's Annie?" I asked, sensing my friends presence, knowing there was something they wanted to tell me but weren't sure how to word.

None of them breathed a word. I turned to face them. Stella's eyes were red and Macy looked sad; normally she'd be all over us!

"Well?" I demanded. Joe and Kevin looked sad, guilty and still slightly hung over from the night before last.

I was starting to worry; something tragic must have happened and they didn't want to tell me.

"Please?" My voice brimmed with tears and so did my eyes, expecting the worst so the blow would be less so.

"We're sorry Nick we really are." Kevin apologised in his sincere way.

"What for?" Anger lingered on my words, I could guess what was coming but when it was said it would hurt a thousand times more.

"I don't know how to explain it." Joe muttered.

"Explain what?" Just tell me already.

"I'm going to find Doctor Miller." Kevin whispered. Joe followed. Stella and Macy came and sat on the bed with me. Stella put her arm over my shoulders and Macy placed her hand on my thigh that was dangling off the edge of the bed. I was now sitting with my feet firmly on the ground.

"What's happened?" I asked Stella; she'd tell me right?

"Doctor Miller can explain it better than any of us could." Stella whispered. Macy rubbed my leg and it was relaxing, though didn't diminish the tension all over my body.

Joe and Kevin followed Doctor Miller back into the room.

"Mr Lucas, your family inform me you had a close relationship with Miss Taylor?" I nodded at Doctor Miller's assumption.

Had?

"I regret to inform you Mr Lucas that Annabelle Taylor died last night. She caught a bad chest infection and her immune system was weak. Her parents are around, I'm not sure where." Doctor Miller informed.

I felt like my chest had punched and someone was pulling apart and ripping my heart, chipping off bit by bit with nail scissors. I forgot to breathe.

Only one more chapter! Then I'm done.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, favourited and alerted.

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~SalJCDKSL xxx