A/N: Longer chapter. It needed to be. Keep the reviews coming!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Tony: We're untouchable; we are in the air. We have magic!
Maria: Magic is also evil and black.
- West Side Story Act I, Scene VII
Gordon came to, the car was pushed in between two trees. The windshield was cracked on both sides and his head ached.
"Bella!" He croaked and looked next to him, but the seat next to him was empty. He started to notice more of his surrounding and noticed red and blue siren lights.
"He's conscious!" He heard a paramedic say, getting him out of the car. "What's your name?"
"Where's Bella?" He asked.
"Name," the paramedic said sternly.
"Gordon Conway," he said. "I'm seventeen, I was driving home from a party and we skidded on the ice, I don't have a concussion!" The paramedic went to talk. "I know, because I've played football for ten years, and I know what one feels like, and my dad's a hockey coach, so I know what they look like. Where's my girlfriend?"
"The girl?" The paramedic said. Gordon nodded. "She's unconscious in the ambulance on her way to the hospital. What's her name?"
"Bella," he said. "Annabelle Leigh Riley." He stopped. "Is she alright?"
"She unconscious," the paramedic repeated. "You need stitches."
"I'm fine!" He insisted as they walked him into an ambulance.
"Where is she?" Rick said running into the hospital, Cassie after him. He ran up to the ER desk. "Where is my daughter?"
"Rick," Cassie said. "I'm sorry, we got a call, our daughter, Annabelle Riley," she was shaking.
"Right," the man at the desk said. "Hold on," he got on a phone. A few minutes later a doctor came over.
"Mr. and Mrs. Riley?" She said. Cassie nodded. "I think you should come with me."
"We don't really know what's happened," Cassie said. "All we know is there was an accident."
"Right," she said. "Annabelle's injuries are serious, and she hasn't regained consciousness." Cassie covered her mouth and Rick wrapped his arms around her. "Luckily there wasn't any brain hemorrhaging, from what we could see. She's still in surgery."
"Where's my son?" Charlie and Connie came running in.
"Dad," Gordon said from an exam table, where an intern was stitching up his head. "I'm here, I'm fine."
"Is your arm OK?" Charlie said. Connie hit him. "Ow. It's a viable question! It would be really hard if he didn't have a car for the rest of senior year and he lost his scholarship."
"Shut up," Connie said. "God, I was terrified!" She hugged him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Gordon insisted. "Why am I losing my car?"
"You crash the car into a tree, you lose the car," Charlie said.
"They won't let me see Bella," Gordon said softly. "Is she OK?" They looked at each other. "Is she?"
"We don't know," Connie said. "We'll try to find out, OK?" He nodded. She hugged him again. "You are not allowed to scare me like this ever again, do you understand me?"
Hours passed and Rick and Cassie were sitting next to the bed where Bella was. She'd gotten out of surgery, but was still unconscious and she wasn't breathing on her own.
"I don't care!" They heard a loud booming voice. "I'm her Uncle and a pediatrician, goddamnit! I'm going in there."
"Jimmy!" Cassie said and hugged him as he walked in.
"Hey," he said. "Let me look at her chart, OK?" Rick nodded, he still couldn't stand up. Jimmy picked up her chart and looked at it. "This isn't terrible."
"Oh thank God," Cassie said. "Jimmy, they haven't told us anything, and why isn't she waking up?"
"It's probably better that she isn't," Jimmy said. They both looked at him. "She would be in a lot of pain if she was awake." He looked at Rick. "Gordon wants to see her."
"No!" Rick said. "That boy isn't getting anywhere near my baby again! I'm finding a way to sue his little ass!"
"Rick!" Cassie said. "Jimmy, maybe tomorrow, I think that tonight it wouldn't be the best plan. Is it just you?"
"No, Julie's at your house," he said. "Cooking things. TJ and Steph are on their way." Cassie nodded. "And all the kids are downstairs."
Stephanie and TJ walked quickly from their car and stopped seeing Mikey and Denise coming too.
"I'm just going to go inside," TJ whispered, "find my parents." Stephanie nodded and kissed him.
"I'll be here if you need me, OK?" She said.
"I know," he pushed her hair behind her shoulder. "You don't have to stay honey, I know what you're thinking."
"I'll come in with you," Denise said, "find Eva." TJ nodded and they walked away. Stephanie hugged her brother tightly.
"She's going to be fine, sweetheart," Mikey whispered. "We should get in there."
"I can't," she shook her head. "We're going to go in there and everyone's going to say that Bella's going to be fine, but she's not waking up and," she choked on her words. "Mikey, it's just like Daddy!"
"It is not," he said. "And you can't say that to anyone else, especially not TJ or Eva." She nodded. "Bella is going to be fine."
"Right," she nodded.
Kevin sat in the waiting room with Connie. Casey was flipping the channels on the TV. Connie was biting her nails nervously.
"Cons, he's OK," Kevin said. She nodded.
"Bella's not," she said.
"Yeah," he whispered. "I know." He was making his nervous angry fists. Connie hugged him. "God, she has to be OK right? I mean, Bella Riley can't just die in a car accident. She needs like, a silver bullet, or a wooden stake or something." She laughed.
"Kevin," Cal walked in. He looked at him. "Um, I just wanted to let you know that we're here, I guess."
"Yeah," Kevin said. "Case, are you OK?"
"I guess so," the twelve year old shrugged. "Connie, you're not going right?"
"I'm right here," Connie said. "Until Mom and Dad get back with Gordon." Kevin walked with Cal outside.
"Where is she?" Kevin asked. Cal pointed right outside where Anne was standing. He walked over to her. She hugged him. "Anne."
"Are you OK?" She said. He looked at her. "Are you?"
"Of course," he said. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Your best friend was in a serious car accident!" She said.
"Gordon's fine," he said.
"But Bella isn't!" She whimpered, he looked at her. "Don't say you don't care. I know you care about her." He hugged her closely and started crying.
"She might die, Anne!" He whispered. Anne nodded and buried her face in his chest.
Eddie lay in bed with Erica, who had already fallen asleep when his phone rang. He looked at it and then took it and walked into the hallway.
"Ellie?" He answered it.
"God, finally," she squeaked. "Me and your mom have both been trying to call you!"
"My mom?" He said. "I was with Erica. What is it?"
"Um," she said. "Eddie, Gordon crashed his car."
"So?" Eddie said, and then he stopped. "Oh my God! Is she alright?"
"Not exactly," Elisa squeaked, "Eddie, she's not waking up." He stood, unable to move. "Eddie?"
"Where?" He whispered.
"Eddie, I don't know if you should," she said softly.
"Ellie," he said, far too calmly. "Where is she? I have to see her."
Eva was standing outside of Bella's room, watching her parents sitting.
"Evie," she jumped hearing the voice behind her.
"Oh God, Mike!" She whispered and hugged him around the waist. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course baby," he said. "Where's David?"
"Getting things for my parents," she said softly. He nodded. "He was here. I told him to go. Someone had to. You know, toiletries, a change of clothes, that kind of," he looked at her. "God, how are you and Stephie doing this, Mike?"
"It's not the same," he said. "Bella's going to be fine." She swallowed. "She is. Jimmy said that she didn't hemorrhage in her brain at all, right?" She nodded. "Dad bled into his brain for like three hours. She's going to be fine."
"Mm, it just sounds better when you say it," she said softly. He just held her for a minute or so. "My dad won't let Gordon in."
"I heard," he said softly. "Julie's going to try to talk to him in the morning. About how he used to hate her too or something." Eva laughed.
Gordon sat in the waiting room with Kevin, Anne and Elisa. Cal had gone with David Portman to get things from the Rileys for Rick and Cassie. Anne had her head in Kevin's lap.
"Where is she?" Eddie burst in. They all looked at him. "Ellie," he grabbed her shoulders.
"They're only letting family in now," Kevin growled.
"I didn't ask you," Eddie glared at him.
"It's true though," Elisa said softly. "I mean, they won't even let me and Anne in there and we are family." Eddie collapsed in a chair.
"OK, we have coffee and donuts from across the street," TJ said walking in. "Eddie? What are you doing here?"
"I called him," Elisa said. "That's OK, right?" TJ looked at Eddie and then at Gordon.
"Neither of you are going up there tonight," TJ said. "You understand that, right?"
"TJ," Eddie started.
"I'm not kidding," TJ said. "Elisa, Anne, your parents want you to go to the house and get some sleep." He looked at the boys. "My guess is yours feel the same way." The girls stood up.
"Kev," Gordon said softly. "You can go man."
"I'll go when you do," Kevin said, staring at Eddie. He thought of Bella the night he'd kissed her, bitter and angry because of Eddie's neglect. Who did this guy think he was showing up here now?
"Kevin," Anne said. "You should probably, I mean, your mom's up from Washington." He looked at her.
"Yeah," he said, "sure, OK." He put his arm around her and they walked out. Eddie and Gordon sat glaring at each other for a minute.
"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Gordon finally said.
"Taking care of Bella," Eddie said. "Do you really think they'll let you see her after you almost killed her?" Gordon formed a fist and then relaxed.
"What don't you get?" Gordon said. "She's with me now."
"She's with you for now," Eddie smiled, "I accept that. But you don't know how stubborn Rick can be. You might never see her again." Gordon swallowed.
"Eddie," Cassie walked in. He stood up. "Go home." He stared at her. "I'm serious, I just spoke to your parents. I want you to go home. I'll call you if anything changes."
"Cassie," he said. "She's,"
"I will call you," she said simply. "You don't belong here." He swallowed and nodded and left. She sighed and sat down. Gordon looked at her and she finally looked at him. "Come on," she stood up.
"Mrs. Riley, I don't understand," he shook his head. "Why did you make him leave?"
"Because TJ told me he was here," she explained. "And you already have a bump on your head, and a fist fight won't help Bella get better." Gordon looked at her. "Come on, Rick's finally asleep so you can come upstairs now with only limited risk to your health."
"But, then why," he pointed to the door.
"Gordon," Cassie said. "I love Eddie, everyone in our family does. But as far as I can see, you've never made my baby cry, and he has. If she wakes up tonight, my guess is his isn't a face she's going to want to see. Based on how she's been for the past few months, all she'll want is to know that you're OK. So you're coming upstairs."
"Oh," Gordon said. "OK." They walked up and into the room. Rick was now awake again.
"What's he doing here?" He asked.
"It's not your decision," Cassie said simply. "She's my daughter too."
"To hell it's not my decision!" Rick said and stood up. Cassie stared him down.
"We're going to get some coffee," Cassie said, "and Gordon is going to sit with Bella for a while. It's done." She turned out the door. Rick sent a withering glance at Gordon, who felt about two feet tall. He sat down next to Bella's bed.
"You gotta wake up Leigh," he whispered. "You just have to, because we're not done. There's a lot more we have to do." He reached in his pocket. "I was gonna give you this tonight, and," he pulled out a box. "It's a promise ring. I just wanted there to be something tangible about us." He opened it and slid it on her finger. "I love you. I'm sorry." He started crying. "I'm so sorry, Leigh."
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