This is why I left you all with a cliff hanger. You're all desperate for the next chapter now! Haha. Well I didn't want to make you all wait too long, so here it is :)

Did Kim die? Or is she alive?

Chapter 6 - Hospitals & Promises

Jack's POV

I couldn't stop thinking about Kim. I know that's weird since we didn't really know each other all that well, but it was all my mind could process.

Kim. Kim was hurt. Kim was in the hospital. Maybe even dying.

I wanted to go see her so bad, to make sure she was ok. But then I remembered, we were never officially friends. What if I showed up and she told me to leave? What if she thought I was a complete weirdo because of it? I wasn't trying to stalk her or make her uncomfortable. I just cared. A lot.

Things around school were pretty crazy. Everyone was talking about the accident. Some people claimed that Kim did it on purpose. Apparently having the reputation for causing trouble means you'll willingly ram your car into someone else's. Some said maybe she was trying to kill herself. And then there were those who believed it was just an accident, which was what it was. I knew Kim didn't drive into someone else on purpose and even though I only knew her for a short amount of time, Kim Crawford was not the suicidal type. I wanted all the rumors to stop. Of course, now with Kim out of the picture, Donna Tobin and her possy believed they were the rulers of the school and they were going to make sure Kim never was again.

"Can you believe Kim killed someone? I mean the girl is crazy, but I never thought she'd stoop that low." I heard Donna telling some girls in the senior class. I opened my locker and began rummaging around in it, trying to keep myself from ripping Donna's head off. Why did the girl even hate Kim?

"Oh my god, I know. I remember last year when she got into that fight with Brittany Andrews. I swear, that girl would have ripped all of Britt's hair out if Brody hadn't pulled her off." One of the other girls said.

"Oh and the time she slapped Brad Woolf across the face. Like what the hell? She had no right."

"Actually, she had every right." Another voice piped up. I peeked around my locker to see who the person was and saw Grace and Brody standing there in front of Donna and the rest of the girls. Grace looked pissed.

"Oh really? And what gave her that right?" Donna asked angrily.

"Maybe the fact that Brad said perverted things to her. Not to mention the time he tried to roofie her at a party. As for Brittany, maybe she shouldn't call other people's mothers sluts and bitches. Brittany had it coming and so did Brad. And for the record, Kim didn't kill anyone. The car did and that wasn't Kim's fault." Grace's voice dripped with venom.

"You know what-" Donna began but Grace interrupted her.

"What Donna? What other bitchy and false things do you have to say about Kim? Please, tell me. I dare you. I dare you to say one more bad thing about Kim because I'd love an excuse to rip that bleached fake ass weave right out of your head. So say it. Give me a reason." Grace threatened. She was now in Donna's face, her fists clenched ready to aim. Donna glared at her before flipping her hair and walking away. She walked past me, giving me a wink and an air kiss as she did. I gagged.

"How dare she say those things about Kim! After all Kim has been through! She's not even awake yet!" I heard Grace yell. I looked back over at her and Brody. Grace was now sobbing and Brody was holding her close to him.

"I know Grace. I know you're worried but you heard what the doctor said. Kim is going to be fine. Maybe not for awhile, but she's still alive and that's what matters. We'll go see her today after school." Brody stroked Grace's hair and hugged her as she cried in his chest. I was tempted to go talk to them but I didn't know what I would say. I gave up on debating and slammed my locker shut getting ready to head to class. I adjusted my backpack before turning to walk towards the stairs but I was quickly stopped by a small hand gripping onto my arm. I looked behind me and realized that hand belonged to Grace.

"Jack right?" She asked. I nodded.

"You're Kim's friend?" Brody questioned.

"Well I don't know if we're exactly friends." I replied. Grace smiled.

"According to her you are. She talks about you all the time." She said. I stared at her confused.

"Kim talks about me?" I was surprised. I never thought Kim ever saw me as more than just a classmate. Grace laughed and nodded.

"Yes. We're going to see her after school and we were wondering if you wanted to go?"

"Are you sure?" I asked cautiously.

"I think if Kim was awake, she'd want you there. It's a big thing when she thinks of someone as a friend." Brody answered. I looked up at him for the first time since they started talking to me and although his words told me it was ok, his eyes told me different. But this wasn't about him and his secret love for Kim. It was about Kim.

"Yeah, totally. I'll come." I told Grace.

"Great. We'll meet you at the front doors after school. Brody will drive. See you Jack." She waved bye as her and Brody walked away. I stood there for a minute thinking about what I was going to do. If Kim wasn't even awake, then what was I going to say or do? I wanted to tell her how glad I was she thought of us as friends, but I couldn't if she couldn't hear me.

I walked to my last class of the day, contemplating on everything I was planning to say. I ended up writing a letter that I was going to leave for Kim in case she woke up before I saw her again. I didn't even give a thought to the current assignment for class because I was too busy re reading the letter, making sure everything was perfect.

After the bell rang to dismiss school, I walked to the front doors and waited for Grace and Brody. Five minutes later they were leading me into the parking lot to an old red 69' Mustang. If Kim liked him for any reason, it was definitely this car.

We drove to the Seaford hospital in silence. Grace frantically searched through her purse for something while Brody kept his eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel. I could tell he was being extra cautious. He glanced at me a few times in the rear view mirror. It was obvious he wasn't too keen on having me come, but like any good friend, he pushed aside his own feelings and focused on what he thought Kim would want. I was grateful for that.

Once we got the the hospital, I followed Grace and Brody in and we walked to the front desk. A lady greeted us with a smile and kindly directed us to Kim's room. She had moved from ICU due to her steady heart rate and her ok vital signs.

"Do you think she's awake now?" Grace asked Brody as we made our way up to room 506. Brody put his arm around Grace and rubbed her shoulder in comfort.

"I don't know Grace, but if she's not, I'm sure she will be soon." He answered quietly. He sounded a bit unsure of himself but he hid it pretty well from Grace. We reached Kim's room and knocked on the door to make sure we were ok to go in. A man answered the door and he smiled sadly down at Grace and Brody. He looked tired. His eyes were blood shot and I could see him struggling to keep them open. His hair was messy and his clothes wrinkled.

"Hi Mr. Crawford. How's Kim?" Grace asked. The man looked back in the room, a tear slipping out of the corner of his eye. He quickly wiped it away.

"Same as yesterday. She's still not awake. I'm going down to get some coffee though. Keep an eye on her for me please." He slid past us and walked away down the hall. I watched him stand in front of the elevator as he waited for it to come. He was clearly holding back tears and it was a horrible feeling to watch him in so much pain. His daughter was laying in a hospital bed and he couldn't do anything to help her.

"Come in Jack." Brody waved at me from inside the room. I tore my eyes away from Kim's father and cautiously walked in. I braced myself for the worst but that didn't even seem to help me cope with the sight of a bruised and injured Kim laying in the bed in the middle of the room. She was pale and the only thing giving her any color were the blue and purple bruises plastered across her face, arms, and chest. You could see all the cuts where broken glass had stabbed her. Her left wrist was bandaged and her other was dressed in a brace. If the sight of her alone wasn't enough to make me sick, the IV and hundreds of other tubes connected to her was. She looked so helpless and so hurt that it ripped away at my heart.

This was not the Kim Crawford I remembered.

"Hey Kimmy. I know you're not awake but I really hope you can hear me. I love you girl. You're my best friend and pretty much my sister. I really need you to hang in there. Your dad needs you. He hasn't left since you were admitted. I'm trying to get him to go home and get some sleep but I doubt he'll listen to me. Look Kim, I know we've had our arguments and everything, but I really need you. I count on you to be there for me and without you I'll have no one to talk to. Please come back." Grace grabbed Kim's hand and rested her forehead on Kim's. She stood back up and moved away so Brody could see Kim too.

"Kim, we've been through a lot. You were the first person to welcome me here and it meant so much to me that you were there when I was dealing with my parent's divorce. You're an amazing person and I'm not ready to lose you. You have to come back because you give us so much to look forward to everyday. Don't leave us here." Brody kissed Kim's cheek and went to sit down in a chair next to Grace. They looked up at me ready to hear what I had to say. I took a deep breath and pulled out the letter from my back pocket.

"I haven't known you for that long Kim, and I really didn't know what to say. Instead, I wrote everything down in this letter and I really hope you read it when you wake up because I know you will. You've shown me you're really strong in only the few times that I've talked to you." I set the letter down on the table beside Kim's bed and gazed down at her. It scared me to see her in this condition. It reminded me too much of my father when he was dying.

"Guys I have to go." I said to Grace and Brody as I quickly walked over to the door and left. I made my way down the hallways of the hospital desperately trying to get out. I was starting to feel like I shouldn't have come. It was too much for me. Once I was outside I called my mom for a ride but she didn't answer. Great. Of course the one time I don't want to walk when the clouds began to roll in and threaten to pour rain, she doesn't answer. What was I going to do now?

"Hey kid." I turned around and saw Mr. Crawford sitting by the entrance of the hospital with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Weren't you in my daughter's room visiting?" He asked eying me suspiciously. I nodded.

"Uh yeah. I'm a friend of hers. I just wanted to drop something off." I replied.

"Waiting for a ride?" He questioned. I looked down at my phone in case my mom had called back.

"Well I would be if my mom would answer. But I guess I'll just have to walk." I said as I zipped up my hoodie. Mr. Crawford shook his head.

"That won't be necessary. I'll give you a ride. It doesn't seem to be doing me or Kim much good just sitting around here." He stood up and threw his coffee away. He walked over to me and took his keys out of his pocket.

"Well thank you sir, but are you sure?" I asked.

"You're a friend of Kim's, so of course. Come on." Mr. Crawford led me through the parking lot to his car. It was the same car I had seen Kim driving on my first day at Seaford. I climbed into the passenger's seat and told Mr. Crawford that I lived right by him.

"Well then, this will be easy." He replied as he started the engine and began driving. We remained quiet for awhile. I wasn't sure how to start a conversation with him and he didn't seem like a big talker anyways. After a few minutes, Mr. Crawford decided to break the tension.

"Look Jack, I have something to ask of you." He said. I glanced over at him and saw his eyes beginning to gloss over.

"Yes sir?" I asked.

"I would ask Grace or Brody since I've known them longer, but seeing as you live right across the street I figured you'd be able to help a little more. I'll be going away for awhile and I need someone to look after Kim. I mean just check up on her and make sure she's ok. My sister will be coming in and staying with her, but I think having a friend around that she has easy access to when she needs to talk is a must." He looked over at me, his eyes now red and his cheeks wet from the few tears that fell.

"Of course I'd be there for her, if she wants me to be. Kim knows she can talk to me anytime. But sir, can I ask where you're going?" I asked.

"That's not important. Kim will know and if she feels like revealing it to you, then so be it. But all you need to know now is I've done something I regret terribly and I really need to sort myself out before I come back home to my daughter." He pulled up in front of my house and parked the car. He turned to me with a sad face.

"Please say you'll do it Jack. Please watch out for my angel." He begged. I nodded quickly.

"Yes Mr. Crawford. I promise I will. Don't worry." I replied. He slightly smiled at me. I got out of the car and waved goodbye as he drove off. I walked up to the front door and dug around in my pocket for my key. I unlocked the door and stepped in to a dark and empty house. I flipped the lights on and checked every room. No one was there. I walked back into the living room and spotted a small white piece of paper sitting on the counter with my name in big letters.

Jack, went out for some drinks with Peter. Be home late so be good.

Love, Mom.

Not again...

Ahhhh! Kim is alive! Aren't you all relieved now? :) I wouldn't kill Kim off, not in a story like this. So review. Tell me what you think.