So, I decided I should get this one out while I'm not watching the Superbowl and waiting for Glee. :) Once again, sorry these are taking so long. I have a month left of this friggin' show, and then I'll be home all day to write and not do any of my important work... Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews (and new reviewers) on the last chapter. They really pushed me to get this one out as soon as I could, lolz. Enjoy!
- Veg

Sunday- no Vera; Monday- no Vera; Tuesday...

She's back. Finally, after days of me actually worrying about someone other than myself for once, Vera's back. Of course, she's not exactly in the condition I expected her to be in. She looks awfully exhausted, almost half asleep. Not to mention, one of her arms is shielded by a plain white cast. "Oh my god," is all I can really can say upon entering. "What did you do?" She shows me this smile- half sweet, half horribly nervous, and all I can do is keep my worried gaze locked on her glassy grey eyes.

"I fell," she admits with a nervous giggle. "Slipped right down the stairs."

"...how?" I question in reply, and she shows another faint smile.

"Socks and hardwood floors...never exactly mix." The way she puts it so lightly makes me a lot less worried.

"You really are clumsy," I can't refrain from pointing out with a chuckle. She nods and her smile slowly fades as she resumes typing on her computer with one hand.

"I am," she replies, a lot more serious this time, and that's when a piece of me starts to worry again. God, calm down, you moron. You sound so dumb...well, dumber than usual.

"Vera, are you okay?" I pull a seat up next to her desk, resting my chin on my palm. She doesn't even look at me, which is rather upsetting. I mean, how could she not look at me, anyways? "Vera?"

"Yeah, sorry," she suddenly snaps back to attention. "I'm really out of it today." I want to say to her, "Yeah, I can tell," but I keep my mouth shut for both of our sakes. "Uh, you know," she quickly diverts my attention to another subject. "I met one of your friends while I was at the hospital."

"One of my friends?" I stupidly question before I'm able to make the connection. "Oh! You mean Logan?" She nods and takes a break from her typing to finally look over at me. God, she's so glued to that computer, I can't even imagine the ridiculous amounts of work she's always stuck with.

"Yeah, he's a real sweetheart, that boy," she starts, and I refrain from rolling my eyes at that one. Of course he is. "He took good care of me...better than anyone else would have."

"Wait!" I suddenly blurt out, obviously thinking out loud. "Why the hell didn't he tell me this?" She gives me an innocent shrug and resumes her computer work.

"I don't know. It's a hospital; confidential information, I'm assuming."

"Yeah," I suddenly snap, "but he knew I was worried-" That's when I stop myself. God, James...what the hell are you turning in to? Vera just shoots me this weird look, and I can't exactly do much in return. "Never mind." Note to self: beat Logan up when you get home. "So, uh, I guess we're gonna have to start changing our schedule around here, huh?"

"What do you mean?" She asks, mid-yawn.

"Well, I don't think you should be walking a bunch of bears on leashes with a broken arm," I lightly point out.

"I'll be fine." She shows me that barely-there smile again. "What am I supposed to do- make you go by yourself?" Oh, god, no, just...no. That would be just...hell.

"I sure hope not," I admit with a laugh, reaching out to push a piece of hair away from her eyes. I notice that she immediately flinches when my hand draws near to her face, but I still gently grab the strand and move it away, trying not to laugh at how nervous she looks. She quietly clears her throat and fixes the same piece of hair, tangling her fingers at the roots. "Are you sure you're okay?" Something isn't right about Vera. I'm getting a suspicious feeling that I don't necessarily like.

"Yeah," she replies again, and by her shaking voice, I can tell she's lying. I mean, even the dumbest of the dumb (which is probably what some would be quick to associate me with) can easily call that one out.

"Vera..." That's when the clicking sound of her typing slowly fades away. When I take the time to look back up at her, I immediately notice the blank expression on her face and her trembling lips. She looks like she's about to break down and cry. "What's wrong?" She's quick to shake her head and roughly bite down on her lower lip.

"Nothing," her voice cracks. Her light breaths turn faster and heavier as she bites down harder on her lip. I place a comforting hand over her's and I feel her hand clench up under mine.

"Hey," I softly say, and she looks up at me, both scared and teary-eyed. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you." I squeeze her hand a little more as she tightly purses her quivering lips together. "You know that, right?" Silence. Alright, apparently she doesn't know that. "Well, I know I'm probably not the first person you'd go to for...well, for anything, but I'm here even as a last resort." I flash her another smile to lighten the mood before noticing a single tear gleaming in the corner of her eye, about to roll all the way down her cheek. I catch it before it does so, and she immediately turns her head away in embarrassment.

If there's anything I want to know right now- anything that's bothering me and constantly on my mind- it's what's wrong with Vera. As the days fly by, she just grows more quiet and distant. Needless to say, it's worrying me.

"I don't get it," Carlos mumbles as he digs through the fridge for breakfast. "You talk about her all the time. You've actually been worrying about her more than you have yourself lately."

"And?" I mindlessly question, swinging my feet up onto the table. I notice the glare Logan gives me for doing so, and I just laugh at him. At least Mrs. Knight taught one of us well.

"I don't know, it's weird," he continues. "You're making out with some...bimbo one minute, and the next it's Vera, Vera, Vera...and then it starts all over again."

"I don't see your point," I reply, staring up at the ceiling.

"His point is that no matter how many hot girls you get with, the only one that ever really matters at the end of the day is Vera," Logan interjects, and I honestly just kind of want to hit him. I'm still kind of pissed about him not telling me about meeting her in the hospital. "She might actually be- slowly but surely- changing you for the better." I really just ignore the points they're trying to make, although I do kind of believe them.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," is all I tell the two, mid-yawn.

"You're an idiot," Logan plainly replies before rolling his eyes and making his abrupt exit.

"Tell me something I don't know!" I call out after him with a chuckle. Logan is almost too easy to antagonize.

"You love Vera," Carlos teases and I refrain from hitting him, too.

"He's only capable of loving something with a reflection!" Logan shouts back from his room, and I ignore the fact that it's most likely true. Carlos snickers as he takes a seat across from me. I glare at him in return.

"Don't you have an old person's life to risk or something?"

"Not today," he explains before shoveling a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. "Gustavo gave us the day off, remember?" I furrow my brow in confusion- the day off?

"He gave all of us the day off?" I inquire and Carlos nods. "I don't remember that."

"You were probably too busy daydreaming about Vera," he then mumbles under his breath. I shrug him off before standing up to grab my car keys off the counter. "Where are you going?"

"The shelter," I simply reply as he laughs and teases me as I make my way out the door.

While on my drive, I literally tried everything to get ahold of Vera- calls, texts...I even sent her an e-mail. I want her to know I'm showing up today, just because...well, I don't know, but I just do.

I take it upon myself to enter through the back door of the shelter, just because I can at this point. There's something I like about using a door that says "staff only." It makes me feel special in a weird way. Anyways...whatever- I guess that's not really important. I go through the back, where I immediately see Zach upon entering. He just simply nods to acknowledge me while holding something that's bundled up in s towel. With closer inspection, I'm able to make out that it's actually a cat- a kitten, actually, and I just shudder at the sight and continue walking. If there's a pet I hate slightly more than others, it's a cat. The guys kind of ruined my childhood when they made me watch Pet Sematary one night at Kendall's, then proceeded to make jokes the old lady down the street's cats. Needless to say, I hate them, no matter how ridiculous my reasoning is. If there really is some Indian Burial ground out there somewhere that brings the dead back as ruthless killers, then I'm not gonna take my chances.

When I burst through the door that leads me out to the front desk, I'm in for quite a surprise- Vera and David. Vera's sitting up on her desk while her boyfriend's lips are all over her- her lips, her neck, her shoulders- while his hands roam...the rest of her. Just as I walk in, they seem to be creeping up the bottom of her shirt, but Vera timidly pushes them away. His lips move up from her collarbone to her ear, where he softly whispers something to her with this horribly arrogant smirk on his face. Vera's head just drops, and I although I can't see her face, I can only imagine how red it must be right now. Clearly wanting this to stop, I loudly clear my throat to make the two aware of my presence. "James!" Vera nervously gasps after whipping her head back to look at me. "I-I, um..." She stutters. "I...thought you weren't coming in today." I simply shrug and flash her a smile while slowly stepping closer towards her desk, ignoring the "back the F off" look her boyfriend shoots me.

"Yeah, I decided against it," I reply. I wonder if Vera will ever realize that I'm not as selfless as I always seem to make myself appear around her. "I wouldn't have known if someone didn't tell me ten minutes ago."

"Well, that was, um, nice of you," She looks down and purses her lips together. "Oh, um, you remember my boyfriend, David, right?" I just nod and give him an awkward, two-fingered wave and he actually just rolls his eyes in return.

"Well, I have better things to do," he mumbles, then moves back over to his girlfriend's ear and lowers his voice to a whisper. "I'll see you later." Vera's face then does just what I was anticipating- transforms into that bright shade of scarlet as he storms out the inferior front entrance.

"I'm sorry about him," Vera sweetly tells me. "He doesn't exactly know how to...behave himself sometimes."

"Don't apologize," I reply with a shrug before suddenly blurting out, "It's not your fault he's a jerk." Damn. I should've kept that one to myself.

"He's not a jerk," she argues back, keeping her gaze locked on the tiled floor. "David's just...well, he has some issues. He has problems at home and he's under a lot of pressure at school and...he just needs someone there for him. I really worry about him."

"I don't care how awful his life is; he doesn't have to take it out on you." Maybe I should have kept that one to myself, too. I really need to start thinking before I speak. Maybe I just need to start thinking period.

"He doesn't," her shaking voice replies. You're lying. "I'm here to help him. He needs me."

Maybe as a girlfriend, but not as a punching bag.

My gaze shifts from Vera's sad, grey eyes and over to her white plastered arm. You didn't fall down the steps, Vera. I know you didn't. David's a bigger jerk than I thought he was.

"You're right. I'm sorry."