AN: I am a terrible, horrible person. I can not believe how long it has taken me to update this story. I would like to thank everyone for the reviews and updates. A special thank you goes to my loyal reader The-different-child, for giving me a little kick and reminding me to update. Another special thank you goes to Brina for betaing. You rock girlie! There will be one more chapter after this, and then the story will be finished. I am already working on a sequel to this story as well as another Kristina/Flack fic. I hope you enjoy!

Kristina woke with a start. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew that something was very, very wrong. She was getting up to get a glass of water when she heard the phone ring. Glancing at the clock, Kristina saw that it was four in the morning. This couldn't be good.

Quietly, she made her way to the door of her parents' bedroom. She figured that her mother would answer the phone quickly. Her suspicions were proven correct when she heard her mother's tired voice a moment later.

"Young residence. How may I help you at this ridiculous hour?"

Kristina couldn't help but chuckle at her mother's sarcasm. Even this early in the morning. She inched a little closer to the door when she heard her mother continue.

"Oh no! Where is he? Okay, I'll wake Christopher up now. We'll get ready and then go take care of Kris. She's going to be a mess. How are you holding up? I'm so sorry honey. Thanks for calling Julia we'll see you in a little while."

Kristina froze. Julia? Why was she calling this late? And why did her mom say that she would be a mess? Oh god, something had happened to Nate!

Kristina was brought out of her thoughts by the sounds of her father grumbling in his sleep. Her mother was trying to wake him up. Kristina ran back to her room before they found her, tears stinging her eyes.

When Kristina and her father walked into the waiting room, they were met with a large crowd. Her family, Flack's family, and even the entire team had gathered and were patiently waiting for any news.

Upon hearing the pair enter the room, everyone looked up at the new arrivals. They all had the same expression. Despair. But there was also a little hope visible.

Emily Young walked up to her eldest daughter and took Kristina's face in her hands.

"I'm so sorry baby girl," she said as she pulled Kristina into a hug. Kristina let out a sob and her mother hugged her tighter. "Shh… honey it's okay. Donnie's gonna be just fine. I know he is."

Kristina pulled back and looked into her mother's eyes. They were the same jade green as her own and they were full of love. Kristina smiled and hugged Emily again.

"I love you so much Mommy. Thank you," she whispered.

"What for?" Emily asked.

"Being here for Don. And me too, I guess."

"Krissy, of course I'm here. You are my daughter and the man you love is in trouble. And you know that Donnie is like family. I am going to be here until you get to take him home."

The women moved across the small room to sit with Kristina's brothers and sister. Alan and Gavin moved to sit on the floor so that Emily and Kristina could take their seats. Once she got as comfortable as she could in the hard chair, Kristina noticed that her father had stayed by the door.

Christopher gave a slight nod to Don, Sr. and then left the room. Don gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek and followed Chris. Kristina saw the small exchange and wondered what the two men were up to. She allowed her curiosity to get the better of her and leaned over to her mom.

"I'll be right back. I'm runnin' to the bathroom," she whispered.

"Okay, do you need me to come with you?" Emily asked.

"No thanks mom," Kristina said. She smiled and added, "I'll be fine on my own."

Emily smiled and watched her daughter get up and walk out of the room. As soon as Kristina was out the door, Alan got up and took her seat.

"Ya know she's not goin' to the bathroom right? She's goin' to see what dad and Uncle Don are up to," he told his mother.

"Oh I know Al. She's like your father. They think they're sneaky, but they couldn't be anymore obvious. I just humor them to make life easier," Emily replied with a smirk.

Meanwhile, as soon as Kristina had left the waiting room she saw her father and Det. Flack turn the corner at the end of the hallway. She followed them quietly and stopped when she could hear them clearly.

"Has he gotten any better?" It was her father who had asked the question. Kristina knew exactly who they were talking about.

"No. To me, he looks paler than he did before. What did you tell her?" Don, Sr. replied.

"That he was stable, but it could change any moment."

"Well, at least you told her the truth."

"Yeah, but I still led her to believe that he would be perfectly fine. Don, I don't think he's going to make it through this."

"I don't either Chris. And that kills me! He's my son! I can't lose my only son!" Kristina could hear Don start crying. She couldn't see the two men, but knew that her father was silently comforting him.

Deciding she had heard enough, Kristina rushed to the bathroom. She locked herself in the last stall and sunk to the floor. She thought about everything she had just heard.

Neither of the two men thought that Don would live. She couldn't believe it. Their own fathers thought that he was going to die. Just the idea of it made her angry. They were supposed to be the first people to say that he would be fine.

But then another thought occurred to her. What if Don's situation was worse than the doctors let on? What if, in an attempt to 'protect' her, they hadn't told her everything? The thought made Kristina sick to her stomach.

As she was throwing up, Kristina heard the bathroom door open. She prayed that it was just a stranger, but groaned inwardly when she heard a familiar voice.

"Krissy? Where are you?" It was her sister. Kristina just stuck her hand out under the stall door and then unlocked it. She heard her sister sigh, but also heard someone else. A few moments later she was looking up at Eileen and Sam.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sam asked as she crouched down next to Kristina. Eileen did the same and moved the hair from Kristina's face.

"I'm fine. Just got a little overwhelmed by everything. You guys can go on back. I just need a minute and I'll be back in there," Kristina replied.

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" Eileen questioned.

"Thanks Ellie, but I'm sure. I'll be there in a few minutes," she answered.

"Okay. We'll go back and wait for you," Sam said with a small smile.

Both women hugged Kristina and then stood up to leave. They gave her one last glance and then walked out of the room. Kristina stayed in the stall for a few more minutes. After she had regained her composure, she got up and washed her hands and face.

As she walked out of the bathroom, Kristina heard someone yell 'he's crashing' and saw several nurses running in her direction. She quickly moved out of their way and watched them run into what appeared to be Don's room.

Fearing the worst, Kristina rushed passed the waiting room and stopped outside of the room that the nurses had entered. She watched them pull down his hospital gown as the doctor readied the paddles. She glanced at the monitors and saw that he had flat lined.

Kristina watched as the doctor shocked him three times without success. On the fourth attempt, Don's heart started beating again and Kristina let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding.

Four Days Later

Kristina stared at the sleeping form of her boyfriend. It had been four days and he was slowly getting better. She heard someone quietly open the door, but assumed it was just a nurse. Kristina jumped when she heard a voice that she hadn't heard in a long time.

"Hi Krissy."

"Julia?" Kristina glanced up and saw Nate's mother. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mom called. She told me about Don." Julia Hastings stepped up to Kristina and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry honey. I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks Julia."

"So how is he doing? Is he any better?" Julia asked.

"Yeah, but it's slow going," Kristina answered. She glanced at Don and continued. "I think he looks better and the doctor says he's more stable now. I think he's going to wake up soon."

"I'm sure he will."

"Dad doesn't think so. And neither does Uncle Don. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who believes in him."

"But that's what is so wonderful about you. You believe in everyone. Don knows that. And he knows how much you care about him. He's going to wake up. I know he is."

"Thank you Julia." Kristina glanced at the door and saw Nate's father standing outside. He looked like he didn't want to come into the room. "Um, I think your husband wants to see you and it doesn't look like he wants to come in."

Julia noticed the look of concern on Kristina's face and patted her arm reassuringly. "Don't worry dear. It has nothing to do with you. This is all just a little too familiar to him."

"It's familiar to all of us," Kristina sighed.

Julia gave her a hug and kissed her head. "I know honey, but don't worry. It'll all be over soon. Now, I hope you know that I expect an invitation when you and this one decide to get married."

Kristina laughed. "Of course you'll get one. As long as you feel comfortable being there."

"Why wouldn't we feel comfortable? The most important thing to all of us, especially Nate, has always been your happiness. I know that my Nate is looking down on you and smiling."

Kristina couldn't help the tears that had begun falling. She laughed lightly and said goodbye as Julia walked into the hallway to greet her husband. Kristina looked back at Flack and smiled. She knew that Julia was right. Everything would be okay.