It all started out just a normal night. I had a paper due for one of my classes, and Cory was studying for a test he had to take. We all lived in the same apartment building, Shawn right across the hall. Originally he was going to live with us, but he insisted that he needed his space, and we needed ours too. So he moved across the way, got a job and paid the rent for his own room. I knew that it was the fact that he needed his space, and a matter of pride. He owned that living space, for once it was his, paying for it with his own money, and that made him feel good. And that's where he was; at work.

He got off at 8:00, so Cory and I were going to meet him outside and walk to the deli together for a late dinner of sandwiches and maybe some of those honey roasted nuts from a street vendor. I hate them; they seem so dirty, but Cory and Shawn both think they're great. They're always insisting that if we ever do leave the city, they'll have to take one of those carts with us. Then we were going to go to Central Park while it was still light out and eat outside. I just wanted to proofread my paper one more time before we left, so I sent my husband ahead of me and said I'd meet the both of them out on the street.

Then I heard sirens. But the city is a very loud place where you very often hear sirens so I didn't think much of it. I grabbed my purse and headed outside. That's when I saw the commotion on the street. People were yelling and cars were honking more so then usual, and a crowd was gathered under a traffic light down the street. I scanned the crowd for either Cory or Shawn and got nervous when I didn't see them. So I ran toward the light with a sense of foreboding. Then my eyes got wide as I placed a hand over my mouth to stare at what I saw before me.

"Shawn! You're gonna be alright. C'mon buddy, don't do this to me, you're gonna be alright!" My husband was shouting at our lifeless friend who literally was lying splattered across the pavement. Cory was holding his hand and shaking it as if to coax Shawn to wake up. The gaping human sized dent in the green car, and the truck with a cracked windshield were enough for me to realize what had happened, even without noticing Shawn's signature motorcycle a few feet away, parts of it twisted and cracked pathetically.

"Shawn!" I screamed, throwing myself to to my knees next to my husband, who looked up at me with panic written across his face.

"He's gonna be alright! Topanga, tell me he's gonna alright!" Cory practically begged me, going to pieces right here in the street.

My heart broke into a thousand pieces right then. I placed one hand on his shoulder, rubbing it consolingly, and I placed the other in their hands, so that the two of us were holding onto Shawn's limp hand. Then I looked in Cory's eyes and whispered the words I desperately wanted to believe, "Cory, He's going to be fine." And then I think I burst into tears.

Cory rode with the ambulance, and I grabbed the keys to Cory's and my car and rode behind, my hands shaking on the wheel. I looked down at them at one point trying to take deep breathes and remain calm. that's when I noticed the blood on my left hand - the one that had just been holding Shawn's. The blood wasn't mine. My stomache turned painfully. And that's how we wound up here.

For hours we sat just waiting. Cory was a mess, sobbing with abandon and unable to form even minimally coherent sentences. I talked to him, but I doubt he heard a word I said, and he had this sickening look of fear in his eyes. At one point I went to the lobby and I called Eric. Eric lived in our building, and was wondering where we all were.

"An accident?! Well is he alright?" Eric had said immediately on his end of the phone and bringing fresh tears to my eyes.

" Well, we just don't know. I'll give you a call when we know more."

"Do you want me to call anyone? The family back home?"

I shook my head, before deftly realizing Eric couldn't see my negative gesture and stumbling over my words, "No.. that's, that's ok. Once we find out more if you wouldn't m-mind calling around.. but first let's find out what to tell them."

"Alright Topanga." Eric said after a second soothingly, "Look, he's gonna be fine, alright? Hunter's a fighter, he'll be fine. Just take a deep breathe and calm down. I won't call anyone but I'll be there soon."

I sniffled praying that he was right. It was unnerving to hear him so uncharacteristically serious, his voice wasn't light and happy and a second away from cracking a joke or some air headed comment. I almost wished he would. Then I took his advice, and took a deep breath and managed a more coherent response of "Ok. See you in a few."

Just as I made it back to the waiting room the doctor walked in, looking down at a clipboard in his hands. "Family of Shawn Hunter?" The doctor asked, looking around the room at all the faces of numerous families awaiting information of their loved ones. Cory got up and I immediately interlocked my arm with his taking his hand. The doctor had a somber look on his face as we walked over.

"Alright, well, I won't lie- he's in pretty bad condition. His left leg in broken in three places, and we had to place a pin in to hold the remaining bone intact. Three of his ribs on his right side were snapped, and one on his left. The three on his right punctured his lung. But we managed to fix that and he'll only be on a breathing tube for a few days. His right wrist is sprained, and both his arms are heavily bandaged due to the cuts from the glass. Only one or two were deep enough to require stitches. However on top of all that. Shawn seems to have suffered a massive concussion. We've run an MRI, …and it seems that he's in a coma."

Cory's arms tightened themselves around me out of fear. The doctor continued, with a look of remorse on his face. "Unfotunately, we can't determine how bad the brain damage might be, if there is any at all," he added probably registering both Cory's and my faces, "-until he wakes up. But we don't know when that will be," he paused, " and honestly, if it will ever happen at all. We've had a few patients like this, and some have made it out fine, some with a significant amount of brain damage, and some…some have never woken up." Cory began hyperventilating next to me, I stroked his hip with my thumb as he held my shoulder tightly.

"I will tell you one thing though; the sooner he wakes up, the better a chance he'll have. We did the best we could."

"Thank-you." I choked out with a weak voice but Cory cut me off, "Can we see him?"

The doctor nodded, "Yes, he's just been moved into a more permanent room, you can see him now if you like. Follow me."

And with that Cory and I supported each other down the hospital corridors, until the doctor stopped in front of a closed door that read "715". He gestured to the closed door and said, "He's right in here." Then nodded condolingly and walked away back the way we came scribbling something down on his clipboard.

Cory stood paralyzed before the door.

"Cory?" I asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" He responded, I could hear the fear.

"We have to go in." I said softly. He had no reaction. I sighed, then turned the handle of the door. Then he grabbed my hand in need and we walked in together to see our friend.

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a/n : Hey, I hope you like so far. Please review to let me know how I'm doing and how I can make my writing better. Gosh, Shawn is just my absolute favorite and I can just see this happening to him. A little bit of Shawn-whumpage never hurt anyone... you know, except the fictional Shawn. =P. Well please review I already have the next two chaps written, and you get to see Angela's reaction next. Again, please review - and thanks for reading =). -FA