Chapter Twenty-Two: Drowning in the Darkness

Austin felt like a zombie, she felt empty and angry. She sat in a chair beside Clay's hospital bed, watching him, waiting for him to wake up.

His monitor kept making a beeping sound, but she had tuned everything out. She didn't hear Olivia's crying, or her dad asking her if she was okay, all she heard was screeching tires and gunshots.

Clay looked dead. He was pale and lifeless, Patrick said he was in a coma and he didn't know when he would wake up.

Austin felt destroyed, heartbroken and devastated. She had his cold hand in hers and their was no one who was going to make her let go, she was hanging on for dear life.

"Honey." Sam said softly.

Austin turned towards her. "huh?"

"You need to get some rest, okay?" Sam nodded. "Sonny will call if anything changes."

"I'm not leaving him." She started to cry.

"You can come back, tomorrow, you don't have to go to school." Sam promised.

Austin whipped away her tears. "Okay."

"I'll give you a minute." Sam closed the door behind her.

Austin stood up and traced her thumb along Clay's face. "I love you, Clay. Please come back to me." She kissed his lips and felt a tear run down her cheek.

Jason ran down the hall as fast as he could and almost broke the door trying to get into Austin's room. He saw her tossing and turning, screaming bloody murder.

"Clay!" She screamed. "No!"

Jason grabbed her. "Austin, wake up, Austin!"

Austin fought him, still sleeping and screaming.

"Austin!"

Her eyes flew open, she fought to get away, while she screamed.

"ssshhh." Jason hugged her. "It was a dream. Sssshhhhh."

Austin realized where she was and stopped fighting and screaming. She hugged him back and cried onto his chest.

"sssshhh." Jason rocked her back and forth like when she was a baby. "sssshhhh, it's okay, your safe."

Austin kept crying. She saw her mom and brother standing at her door, with worried looks of their faces. She didn't care, she couldn't care, she couldn't even stop crying.

"Dad...what...if" She tried to say while she she cried. "What...if...he...dies!"

Jason kept rocking her, trying to calm her down. "Don't think about it, try to go back to sleep."

He held her until she fell back asleep and was sleeping quietly.

He kissed her on the head and then lingered in her doorway, afraid she was going to start crying and screaming again.

Jason finally made his way back into his and Sam's room.

"She's finally out." Jason sighed climbing into bed.

"Good." Sam said. "That was scary, she was freaking out."

Jason sighed. "If he doesn't wake up Sam, it will destroy her."

"I know."

Austin sat in the same seat she had the day before. She hadn't bothered to put on make-up, or fix her hair, what was the point?

She knew her parents were worried about her, she was kind of worried about herself too. What would happen if Clay didn't wake up, where does she go from here?

Austin jumped feeling a hand touch her shoulder.

"Sorry." Liam half smiled. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't" Austin told him.

"Oh, okay."

"Why are you here, you didn't go to school either?" She looked at him.

He looked worried, too. "Schools been out of an hour, Austin."

"Oh." She looked at the clock. 4:00. "Time just gets away from you in here, I guess."

"Have the doctors told you anything new?" Liam took a seat beside her.

She shook her head. "Just that their hoping he wakes up soon because they need to get one of the other bullets out and they can't until he wakes up."

Liam nodded. "How long have you been here?"

"Since seven."

"Wow, you must be starving."

Austin shrugged her shoulders.

"We could go get some food?"

"I can't...I mean I want too, but what if he wakes up?"

"Then a nurse will call you, come on, you have to take care of yourself or you'll be in here too."

She thought about it for a minute. Liam was right and she was starving.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like hell."

Austin cracked a smile. "Thanks."

She knew he was right, though. She was wearing a black sweat suite, tennis shoes and her hair was in a pony tail on top of her head. She knew she probably had bags under her eyes and red blotches on her face from when she was crying earlier.

"I missed you this summer." Liam said.

"Yeah, me too." Austin half smiled.

"So, you and Clay."

"I wasn't trying to hurt you, it's just, he was here and you...weren't."

"I know, I don't blame you." He told her.

Austin looked at him. She really had missed Liam, not as a boyfriend, but as a friend. Someone she could talk to and be open with, maybe this was good. They should be able to be friends.

"I should get back to the hospital." She stood up. "Thanks for this."

Liam smiled. "Anytime."

"And, Austin." He stopped her before she left. "He's gonna be okay."

She just gave him a appreciative smile before disappearing out the door.

A/N: Poor Clay:( I like the Austin/Liam interaction...what do yall think, can they/should they be friends? Thanks for reading and please review:)