A/N: Thank you all for being so patient with me on this. And an even bigger thank you to everyone who reviewed. I wanted to finish this before my birthday on Monday so I've been working like mad. Plus this is my longest chapter by far. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: Can I leave it out? Just this once?
...Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock... Kevin was going to kill that damn clock. One week, three days and quick glance to the clock told him that it had been eight hours since Gwen was injured. Two hours after that Gwen was administered to hospital and after a six hour operation to stop the blood flow and heal the cut, breaks and bruises she had been in this bed ever since. For over a week Kevin had been in the same seat next to the small and very uncomfortable bed. Kevin knew from experience that hospital gurneys were not made for two. After the first week one of the nurse tried to tell him that it might be best to turn of the monitors keeping her alive. Kevin snapped, they were going to kill her so that they had a spare bed! Later, when Ben came to visit he told Kevin that Gwen's parents had agreed to turn off the ventilator the next morning.
That night Kevin couldn't take it anymore, in the morning they were going turn off the machine that was keeping her breathing! Gwen didn't even get a choice about it! Suddenly, holding her hand all night wasn't enough, he needed to hold her. After the nurses had disappeared and Kevin had broken back into the hospital he crawled over to Gwen. Being careful not to pull any wires or touch any sore spots, Kevin eventually managed to lie down on the small bed with Gwen half on top of him. Stroking her hair whispering promises that she would be okay Kevin Ethan Levin, ex-criminal and resident bad-boy, began to cry. A few hours later, when the sun began to rise Kevin looked at the angel that lay beside him. The sunlight shone on her face giving colour to her otherwise ghostly, pale complexion and twinkled in her hair. Thinking this could be the last time he ever saw her, the last time he ever her held her, he slowly leaned over and kissed her cheek. She was cold to the touch and the kiss was a little too far to the left for his liking but this was all he would be able to take. Climbing back out of the bed, Kevin crept out of the window, taking one last look at the girl who stole his heart.
Later that night, Kevin was working on his car. But every so often in the middle of repairing something he would break another part of the car just so there was something else to keep him occupied. "I didn't see you today. Where were you?" Asked a chestnut haired boy, looking toward the elder teen. "I've been busy, Tennyson." Kevin snapped, wishing that Ben would leave. "You've been here all day?" Looking around at the mess the garage was in Ben guessed that was a yes. "I thought that you would be the first one to see her." Ben carried on posing the question as more of a statement. The image came to Kevin with no warning, one that he had been trying to avoid all day. It was an image of Gwen, laying on an autopsy table, her pale flesh almost translucent emphasizing the scars on her body, peeping out from underneath the hospital gown. "I mean, the doctors recon that it's good sign. They even said she might wake up soon.."
Kevin didn't hear the rest of Ben's sentence. Gwen dying is a good sign? Noticing the confused face the older boy was pulling Ben realised Kevin hadn't heard yet. "Kevin... When they turned the ventilator off this morning she flat-lined for a moment." Kevin turned away, he didn't want to get his hopes up too high. But Ben did say that it was only for a moment... Ben carried on, looking directly at Kevin, "But.. She was..She started... Kevin go and see her. She was breathing. She'd been able to all this time, the ventilator wasn't helping. The doctors couldn't explain it, it probably has something to do with her being part Anodite but.." Kevin's face was priceless, Ben had been talking so fast that Kevin had only caught parts of what the younger teen was saying. Gwen was alive.
Moving at superhuman speed Kevin raced around to the drivers side of the car, hoping that it would still work after all the damage he had caused it. "Well Tennyson, are you coming?!" Kevin tapped thew steering wheel with his fingertips waiting for Ben to get in the car. Kevin needed to see Gwen. Right now, it was simple. Ben had only just sat down in the car when Kevin sped out of the garage, breaking more than his fair share of speed limits to get too the hospital. Swerving to a stop outside the hospital Kevin thought for a second before jumping out of the car, "Kevin! We can't park here. Where are you going?" Shouted Ben to the retreating form. "I've got to see Gwen, you can park the car!" Kevin yelled back, for once not caring about his car, right now he had something much more valuable to worry about. Running past the nurses and patients milling about the corridors taking the path to the Intensive Care Unit, the same path he'd been taking for days when he wasn't sneaking in.
Today the elevator ride seemed much longer than usual, counting the floors passing by Kevin started panicking. What was he supposed to say? Would she be awake by now? Would she be happy to see him? All these questions floating around began taking up space in the cold, metal elevator carriage making Kevin feel claustrophobic. When the doors slid open, signaling he had arrived Kevin jumped, not quite ready for it, but ran to Gwen's room anyway. Searching the all too familiar room, Kevin felt a wave of panic wash over him. The bed was empty. Gwen wasn't there. If this is Ben's idea of a joke, it's sick thought Kevin, falling to the floor, partially blocking the entry to the room. Taking the corners at high speed Ben ran to Gwen's room almost falling over the elder boy sitting in front of the door. "Kevin! I've been looking for you, where did you go?" Ben practically yelled, not expecting Kevin to jump up and grab him by the throat, "Where is she, Tennyson?" Slowly, Ben felt his feet leaving the floor. Unable to catch his breath Ben couldn't tell him where Gwen was until a young nurse walked over to them.
"Hello, can I help you?" She asked, staring at the two with an amused look, glancing toward the floor. Kevin quickly put Ben down on the floor and turned to the nurse, she was a few years older than Kevin and had big blue eyes that he recognised from somewhere. "Yeah. Um, I'm looking for Gwen Tennyson. Do you know where she is?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Looking at Kevin, the nurses eyes widened, "It's you. You're the guy who was always in her room. Can I ask how you broke into a hospital room? On the 8th floor?" Kevin looked at the nurse in shock, he thought no-one saw him sneak in. "It's okay. You must really like that girl. I saw you sleeping next to her, I was going to tell you to get out of her bed but I didn't have the heart. She's down two floors, room R22. I hope she gets better." She had barely finished her sentence before Kevin was racing away again. Ben looked at the nurse who was wearing a strange expression, "Sorry about that. I'd better go after him. Thanks..." Ben trailed, waiting for the nurses name. "Kira." She said, staring at the younger boy before turning around, walking over to other patients. For the rest of her shift, she couldn't stop thinking about the dark haired boy and the red headed girl, Kira really did hope that everything would work out.
Ben found Kevin hovering outside of the door to Gwen's room. She looked so peaceful, as if she was asleep and not in a coma. The two of them stood there, neither daring to move. Eventually, Ben took a step forward, and another, and another. Until finally he was at Gwen's side, holding her hand, feeling her pulse beat stronger, she was fighting. Looking up, he saw Kevin had already pulled up a chair and was holding her other hand in his two large fists, whispering promises neither Ben nor Gwen could hear. They stayed that way for a while, occasionally Ben would get up and walk around for a moment or two, but in the end he would end up sat down holding Gwen's hand, whereas Kevin hadn't moved an inch. Looking at the digital clock on the bedside table, Ben saw it was almost 2 A.M. His parents were lenient, but even the parents of the great Ben Tennyson has boundaries. He doubted Kevin had such boundaries. "Kevin, we should go home. You need to sleep just as much as I do..." Kevin stopped Ben before he could go on.
"You know I can't leave her." Looking between Kevin and Gwen, he knew that Kevin would never leave her. He needed her. "I have to go. Take care of yourself. And her." Kevin hadn't looked at Ben during the entire exchange but hearing Ben's voice he looked up, "Thanks." Turning back to the girl who had caused so much trouble ever since she walked into his life five years ago. "We've got to stop doing this," Kevin whispered, half-afraid that he would wake her. Letting his head drop onto the small bed, Kevin drifted to sleep, holding on to Gwen's hand like a life-line, dreaming of the day when he would tell her how much he wanted her, needed her. One day, he vowed, I'll tell her. I'll show her.
A few hours later Kevin woke up. His pillow was moving, grabbing him. Pillows weren't supposed to squeeze your hand. Jerking upright Kevin realised he wasn't holding a pillow, Gwen was holding his hand. And she was moving. It was only slightly but that small twitch made his heart soar. "Gwen? Can you hear me, Gwen?" Again her fingers moved, her eyes were screwed up tight. "Gwen, come on. Open your eyes. Can you do that?" She moved her head to the right, squeezing his hand tighter when he tried to let go of her to get a nurse. Moving back over to her he saw her eyes watering, liquid rolling down her cheeks. Gently thumbing them away Kevin pushed her hair behind her ears, trying to persuade her to wake up, to open her eyes. All too soon she stopped moving her head. Her eye-lids relaxed. She loosened her hold on his hand, just when Kevin thought he had her back, she'd gone. The only give away that she had woken briefly was the water flowing down her cheeks. Probably just a build up of fluid, gathered there from not blinking for so long.
So why was she sobbing. Sure enough Kevin could see deep, ragged breaths shaking her small frame. In and out. In and out. Her mouth mouth was moving, she was saying something Kevin couldn't understand. Leaning down, putting his ear near her mouth to hear what she was saying Kevin pulled back in shock. It was the same word, over and over again. "Kevin." So faint you would miss it if you weren't listening for it. "Gwen," Kevin sighed before pulling her up, holding her close to him. Slowly, after what felt an eternity, Kevin felt a pair of small arms wrap themselves around him. Holding her tighter her pressed a small kiss to her neck, thanking whatever gods there were, grateful just to have her there with him. Pulling back slightly, Kevin stared into a pair of shining, emerald eyes. Something he thought he had lost forever, "Hey there," he managed to choke out, not trusting himself to speak for fear of his voice breaking. Tears fell from Gwen's eyes, confusing Kevin. Starring at him she tried to tell him just how much she needed him with her eyes, how devastated she was when she thought he had died. She was confused as to why she was in a hospital bed but wasn't questioning anything. It didn't matter, Kevin was okay.
Seeing that he couldn't read her thoughts she placed one hand on his cheek which he leaned into. Tilting his head down slightly, Gwen kissed his forehead. "I thought you were dead. I-I.. Don't do that to me. Ever, you hear?" Her voice was hoarse after being unused for days. Kevin understood exactly how she felt. He had died. For nearly two weeks Kevin had died, along side Gwen. Without her he had no reason to keep going. She was everything good about him, and when she had almost died in his arms he felt himself slip away with her. Raising his hand to cup her cheek he looked her in the eye, "Then don't you ever leave me again. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you." Looking at each other they both knew they didn't need to explain. Holding on to her, Kevin forgot about everything else, right then, the only thing that mattered to him in the entire universe was the red-headed, half-Anodite in his arms.
The two teens didn't notice the young woman stood just outside the doorway. Kira looked at they couple, rubbing her old necklace, she smiled. It seemed everything did work out for them. Walking out of the hospital she hummed a little song to herself. Once, just that once someone lived. So many people died in there everyday she was glad something went right. Just don't blow it, she thought toward the young, dark-haired teen. It turned out she had nothing to worry about. He loved her, one day her would tell her too, but not today. Right now she was alive, everything else would come in time. For now he was happy to hug her tight enough to break her and happy that she was hugging him just as hard.
A/N: Thank you. I took the time to write this so please take the time to review. I'll try and update FEUD as soon as I can but I do have another Alien Force idea... It's kind of a follow on to this. Let me know.