A/N: This is my second one-shot for LaPaige's one-oh-one (101) prompt challenge thing. I think I mentioned on the first one, that I like to take Disney-characters and put them in Non-Disney-esque situations. I sort of did here again. :D Well, anyway, it's a future-fic. I would say all of the Camp Rockers are somewhat famous hence the private waiting room. Hospitals do have them. I've been in one before (not cause I'm famous or anything but because we had so many people waiting). So enjoy! R&R. Thanks! –Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock. Disney gets to keep their bubble-gum and sugar-cube characters and plotlines…I'll just play with them a while (read "twist and warp them into unrecognizable, dark and sinister and sensual things") lol.

Broken

Mitchie Torres had been in a car accident. She was fragile and broken and no one was certain if she was going to make it through surgery.

The private hospital waiting room was buzzing with emotion as many of her friends and her parents waited for the news. Her parents had been pacing down the hall, every so often stopping at the nurse's station to see if there was any update. Shane had refused a chair and instead sat on the ground against a wall. He had his knees pulled up against his chest and his arms wrapped around them. His red rimmed, bloodshot eyes stared out of focus at nothing. He wouldn't admit it but they could all tell that he had been crying. None of them would say anything about it because if they were in his position they wouldn't be taking it as well as he was. That was his fiancée broken and fighting for her life. They would have been falling apart at the seams, unable to sustain the level of strength he was exhibiting.

Nate and Jason were keeping a close eye on him from their seats on the other side of the room. They were already to do anything Shane asked of them. If he needed them, they were right there waiting.

Tess sat scrunched up on one of the large cushioned chairs. She had been sitting there since the paramedics had released her—only needing to assess a few cuts and bruises, the worst damage was a gash on her forehead that required stitches. The trauma of being in the car with Mitchie at the time of the accident was enough to keep her quiet. She kept sparing nervous glances at Caitlyn a few seats down, who was glaring in her direction persistently.

Caitlyn hadn't incurred even as much injury as Tess, being in the backseat, but the skin visible around her collar was discolored black and blue from where the seatbelt caught her. Her fear and sadness over Mitchie was at the moment, overshadowed by the anger she felt radiating toward Tess.

Caitlyn's glare settled into a deep scowl. Tess noticed the change in expression and hugged herself tighter. She averted her eyes toward the floor. She didn't lift her gaze until Mitchie's parents returned from their most recent trip to the nurse's station. All eyes in the room turned toward them in question. Connie sunk into a chair, waving off their questioning stares.

Steve sat down next to his wife, putting an arm around her shoulders, "No news yet."

Shane suddenly pushed himself off the floor, taking a few steps toward the door, "I just…I need to know what's going on…"

Nate and Jason were out of their seats instantly to keep him from leaving the room.

"We know you're anxious and that the lack of an update is upsetting," Nate began, "But you don't want to go out there. They gave us a private waiting room for a reason. It will turn into a media frenzy and you don't want that. You need to stay focused on Mitchie and that means staying here. Let her parents handle it."

"Yeah man, you have to wait it out," Jason added. "We know it's hard, but that's all you can do for her right now."

"Alright," Shane agreed, allowing them to lead him to a chair. "But if we don't hear something soon…"

"We'll find out something for you," Nate promised.

"She's going to be okay Shane," Caitlyn suddenly spoke. "She has to be okay."

The whole time Caitlyn had spoken she had her eyes trained on Tess. Tess ducked her head and her shoulders began to visibly shake as she started to cry again. The tension in the room began to grow thicker as everyone became impatient for an update. Mitchie's parents began to pace the length of the room again, until Nate convinced them to take a quick trip to the cafeteria to get coffee. They were resistant at first but, as Connie's eyes began to droop with exhaustion, they gave in. Almost immediately, Shane took up where they left off. He stalked back and forth, muttering incomprehensible strings of phrases to himself. Mitchie's parents returned a short time later with coffee for all of them. Shane took his and held it for awhile. Then after not taking a sip, he sat it down on a table and forgot all about it. Nate and Jason gracefully took theirs and sipped on them generously. Caitlyn only took small sips off of hers, her stomach still uneasy with anger. Tess wasn't even aware of any of it going on around her.

"Tess, dear," Connie replied weakly, "We brought coffee."

Tess slowly raised her head as Connie reached out a cup to her. Tess unfolded her arms and took the cup from Connie, cradling the cup in her hands. Tess glanced around the room again. Each person had their heads lowered, except for Caitlyn, who shook her head when Tess looked her way. Tess would have cowered under the intense stare if it wasn't at that exact moment a doctor had entered the room.

"Are you the parents of Mitchie Torres?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Steve answered as he and Connie stood.

Shane stood up and stepped forward. He swallowed hard and only released a little tension when Nate and Jason came to stand on either side of him. Caitlyn and Tess both stood to receive the news. The doctor paused for a moment, before beginning to explain.

"She made it through surgery. She lost a lot of blood and the surgery put a lot of strain on her body. She's stable for now, but we need to keep a close eye on her. First things first, we need to see if she wakes up—"

"Are you saying there's a chance she won't wake up?" Connie cried out.

"Ma'am," the doctor began.

"Just answer the question," Shane choked out.

"We don't know yet," the doctor answered.

"Oh God," Connie turned into her husband's arms.

As he hugged her to him, Steve asked, "Can we see her?"

The doctor began to explain about how they could visit Mitchie. Caitlyn leaned in close to Tess, hissing in her ear, "If she doesn't pull through, this is on you."

Tess looked up to see Nate watching the exchange with a frown on his face. He had heard every word, despite Caitlyn's hushed tone. Tess let out a strangled sob before she darted from the room. Caitlyn was right on her tail. Caitlyn didn't catch up with Tess until she had excited the hospital into its garden-like courtyard.

"Where do you think you're going?" Caitlyn yelled at her.

"Away!" Tess exclaimed hoarsely, "I have to get…just away!"

"You don't get to run Tess," Caitlyn responded. "You get to face the shame and the guilt. You're going to go back in there and wait until they tell us that Mitchie is going to be okay."

"I can't be in there…I can't…" Tess's voice gave out. She continued to repeat in a near silent whisper, "I can't, I can't, I can't…"

"You will," Caitlyn corrected, moving until she was standing right in front of Tess, "because if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have even been on the road tonight."

Tess pressed her hands to her temples, "No."

The headlights were blinding as they approached the driver's side of the car. Unaware at first, Mitchie's eyes were on the passenger seat as the initial impact sends her car out of control…

"Yes," Caitlyn shook her head, "You did this. This is your fault."

"Thank you guys for picking me up," Tess murmured as she hugged herself and shrunk into the passenger seat.

"If you didn't put yourself in these kinds of situations, you wouldn't need us to pick you up," Mitchie responded.

"How many times has it been now?" Caitlyn asked sarcastically from the backseat. She leaned forward to look at Tess, "Ten, twenty? Thirty maybe?"

"It hasn't been that many times and you know it," Tess became defensive.

"It might as well be. We've dragged ourselves out of bed at ungodly hours to get in a car and drive across town to find you…" Caitlyn scoffed. "You're walking around on unfamiliar streets, looking like a whore…It's a miracle you weren't mugged or raped."

"I tried to say thank you Caitlyn," Tess sat up and twisted around in her seat to look at Caitlyn, "I'm sorry my ride bailed on me. The party was harmless. I didn't even have anything to drink. But my date disappeared in the car we came in and I didn't know anyone else there. What did you expect me to do?"

"I expected better of you," Mitchie glanced over at Tess. "After last time, I thought you were done with suspicious clubs, parties in unfamiliar places, and guys you shouldn't trust or depend on. After David and what he tried to get you to do…I thought you were done."

"Well maybe I'm not." Tess snapped. "Maybe I am twenty-two and I want to be a little reckless and wild. Maybe, I am not you Mitchie Torres. Just because you've got everything figured out—your career, your future, your fiancé—doesn't mean you can try to force me into the same little box you've tucked yourself into. I'm not boring."

"That's uncalled for Tess," Caitlyn replied.

"Uncalled for? No. What's uncalled for is you calling me a whore. Just because I can have any guy I want and you can't hold down a decent man—"

"That's enough Tess," Mitchie called out.

"How long did the last one last? A month? Three weeks? Why did he leave you Caitlyn, huh? Why?" Tess taunted, "Because he met me. Because he couldn't help himself from coming onto me. Of course I rejected him. Because, really, who wants your sloppy seconds—"

"I said that's enough Tess," Mitchie nearly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"No!" Tess screamed, rounding on Caitlyn, "No it's not."

"She wasn't paying attention because of you. She took her eyes off the road because of you," Caitlyn continued.

"The other driver was drunk, he ran a red light," Tess shook her head, tears beginning to fall again.

"She would have seen him Tess. If she hadn't been worrying about you," Caitlyn said.

"You don't know that," Tess murmured.

"I do know that and you know it too," Caitlyn corrected.

"I may be boring and Caitlyn may have some relationship issues, but we don't and never will subscribe to the lifestyle you're trying to lead Tess," Mitchie continued. She turned her gaze toward Tess, "So maybe don't call us the next time your date is a worthless piece of shit. Don't call us when you've had too much to drink and you can't find a sober ride. Don't call us if you're lost in some godforsaken part of town you should never have ventured into in the first place. Just don't call us anymore, because I can't keep up with you and honestly Tess, I don't want to anymore—"

"Mitchie! Look out!" Caitlyn's voice echoed through the car, followed by the earsplitting sound of crunching metal and breaking glass.

Then there was only silence.

"You're the reason that Mitchie's parents might lose their daughter. You're the reason that Shane might lose the love of his life. You're the reason Nate and Jason and all of her other friends might lose their friend. You're the reason that I might lose my best friend…and I hate you for it. If they knew they'd hate you for it too—"

"Caitlyn," Nate's voice rang out, "That's enough."

"But she—" Caitlyn started as she whipped around to look at Nate standing in the doorway which led out to the courtyard.

Nate cut her off, "Look at what you're doing to her. Do you see her? Do you see how you're making her feel?"

"She should feel that way," Caitlyn responded coolly.

Nate shook his head, "Caitlyn, you're wrong. Just… go back to the waiting room. I will handle Tess."

"Fine, whatever," Caitlyn spat as she walked away, "I don't even want to look at her anymore."

Tess had sunk down onto one of the concrete benches that lined the courtyard. Nate walked over and sat down beside her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder only to have her jerk away from him. She slid out of his reach, her eyes wide as she turned to look at him.

"What are you doing?" Tess questioned.

"Are you alright?" Nate responded.

Tess frowned, "Why do you care? You hate me, just like Caitlyn said…"

"I don't hate you," Nate shook his head. "You shouldn't listen to Caitlyn. She's wrong."

"No, she's not. It's entirely my fault," Tess cried. "You should just go before something else horrible happens because of me."

"This isn't your fault Tess," Nate replied, "You didn't cause this. No one could control what happened. The other driver is to blame—he was drunk and ran a red light. We all know that. None of us blame you."

"But Caitlyn—"

"Caitlyn is just upset. She's hurt and angry. She needed a place to redirect all that frustration and you were an easy target. But you didn't deserve it," Nate explained.

"I did this," Tess began to mutter repeatedly under her breath.

"Tess, look at me," Nate said firmly. When she didn't, he moved closer to her and caught her chin with one hand. He forced her to turn toward him. Making sure her gaze was locked on his, he continued, "You did not do this. This is not your fault. There was nothing you could have done to stop this. You have to stop blaming yourself. This was out of your control."

"We were fighting Nate. We were arguing and she took her eyes off the road to tell me she wanted me out of her life…if she doesn't …I would never forgive myself," Tess shook her head, "I would never forgive myself."

"Tess, this is not your fault," Nate repeated.

Tess struggled to move away from Nate but he moved his hands to hold her waist tightly. She closed her eyes, unable to look at the pure sincerity shining in his eyes. She didn't believe him, but if she kept looking into his eyes, she knew she would start to.

"Nate, please…"

"This is not your fault," Nate said one final time.

Tess's eyes snapped open to meet his. Then without warning, her body went limp and she fell against his chest. She began to shake as she cried with her face buried in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him. Her hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer. He tried to soothe her by lightly rubbing her back.

"Shhh," Nate murmured, "It's okay. It's going to be okay. She's going to be okay."

"You think so?" Tess's voice was muffled as she spoke with her face pressed against his shirt.

"She has to be okay, for Shane's sake. I don't know what he would do if she…" Nate trailed off.

"What would any of us do without her?" Tess mused.

"I don't know," Nate answered honestly, though he assumed her question had been rhetorical. "She's the reason we all became friends. Without her…I don't know where we would be."

Tess nodded slowly, "Her parents must be going crazy."

"We all are. But everyone copes with things differently. Her parents are holding strong."

"This just isn't right. This shouldn't have happened like this. She didn't deserve this. She was the strongest of all of us…if she can break so easily…" Tess began to ramble.

Nate shushed her again, "It's going to be okay."

"I'm supposed to be the broken one," Tess whispered.

"No, you're not," Nate responded, "You just need someone to believe in you."

Tess scoffed, the sound distorted by the tears that still fell, "Too bad no one does. Mitchie did at one time, but I messed that up…You don't know how much it hurt when she told me that she was done with me…"

"I know she didn't mean it," Nate hugged Tess a little tighter. "Mitchie has too big a heart to ever cut anyone out of it. You're one of her best friends. She was probably just lost at how to help you."

"Maybe I can't be helped. Maybe I'm a hopeless case," Tess mumbled.

"I don't believe that," Nate replied. "You are a good person Tess Tyler. You've hit some rough patches down the road, but you'll pull through. Just like Mitchie will. Things will get better. I believe that. I believe in you."

Tess pulled back a bit to look Nate in the eyes. She offered him a weak smile. He returned it immediately and pulled her back into his arms. He held her close as she wrapped her arms around him and tucked her head in the crook of his neck. They sat comfortably that way until the sound of footsteps running toward them filled their ears. They separated as Jason arrived in front of them, out of breath and panting slightly.

"Mitchie's awake. She's asking for you Tess. She keeps saying sorry over and over. We should hurry up there," Jason announced in one quick breath, "Come on guys."

Jason headed back in the direction he came, but Nate and Tess held back a moment. Nate called to Jason, "We'll be right behind you."

Tess breathed a sigh of relief and brought her hands up to her face, "Thank God."

"I told you everything would be okay," Nate whispered.

Tess uncovered her face and used her hands to push the hair out of her eyes. She turned back to Nate, "Thank you for this. I needed someone who could understand what I was feeling…"

Nate reached up a hand to cup her cheek, and Tess leaned into his touch, "I'm here for you. I know we haven't been the closest out of the group, but maybe we can change that…"

Tess nodded, "I'd like that."

Nate stood and offered his hand to Tess. He helped her to her feet, but didn't loosen his grip on her hand. They exchanged a small smile as they began to walk back to the waiting room so they could be directed to Mitchie's room. Just before they reached the door, Tess hesitated. Nate offered her an encouraging smile and squeezed her hand gently. It was motivation enough for her. She took a deep breath and followed him inside.

The broken pieces were on the mend.