Title: Lonely No More

A/N: I received so much feedback on the last chapter, and I am so appreciative to all you ladies! Maybe I need to have more 'disruptions' for these two if it means I get that many reviews, lol :D Well, here's the much awaited next chapter. This one was tough to write for some reason, but I hope that you all will enjoy it nonetheless. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Hope you ladies have a great weekend!!! Enjoy :D

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Tim hated hospitals.

The smells. The sounds. The waiting.

He hated it all.

He sighed as he rested his elbows on his knees, dropping his head down as he sat in the hospital waiting room, nervously awaiting news on Julie.

After arriving at the hospital, they had been separated. He had last seen her being rolled through a set of double doors, still unmoving as he had been taken into a room and checked for injuries of his own.

Tim had received several stitches due to the cut on his forehead near his hairline, as well as having several other small cuts and scrapes. He also had a minor concussion thanks to the bump to the head, but no major injuries. He was pretty sure he had gotten worse injuries playing football before than he had in the accident.

Now as he sat alone in the waiting room, he couldn't get rid of the sick feeling in his gut.

He kept replaying the accident over and over again in his head. The smile on Julie's face and the laughter in her eyes, quickly disappearing as the truck plowed into the car, sending glass raining in on Julie's shocked face before everything went black.

Things had happened so quickly. One minute they were laughing and joking about Billy and Mindy, and the next Tim's world literally came crashing in around him.

There had been so much blood covering her silky skin. The amount of blood had scared him. Tim had even overheard the paramedics discussing the loss of blood on their way to the hospital.

And he still hadn't heard anything from anyone about how she was doing. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he couldn't keep his mind from expecting the worst.

Seeing her lying on that stretcher, unmoving and pale, had made Tim literally feel like he had taken a hard blow to the gut.

He felt like he couldn't breathe, and it hurt.

It hurt bad.

When had Julie become so important to him?

When had she become so important that the thought of losing her made him both angry enough to hurt someone, and sad enough to cry all at the same time?

Tim couldn't pinpoint an exact moment, or an exact time. But somewhere over the past several weeks, Julie Taylor had wormed her way into his life and he was now realizing just how much he liked having her there.

She was his friend, but it was more than that.

She listened to him. She understood him.

She got him. She really got him.

That was something that never happened.

And now, as he sat waiting, he was left wondering if that something special was going to be gone before he ever really got a chance to truly appreciate it.

"Please God…" He muttered softly, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair, as he hears the waiting room door opening.

"Tim!"

Tim looked up to find Eric and Tami entering the room, both heading toward him.

Mrs. Coach looked worried, and Tim could see that she had obviously been crying.

Coach had that wild-eyed look that he often got out on the field when he was stressed or angry. Tim hoped to God the look was due more to stress because of Julie being hurt than because of anger toward him.

"Coach." Tim said softly, standing from his seat as they reached his side.

"Tim, honey, are you okay?" Tami asked, concern washing over her face as she pushed his hair back from his face to better see the large bandage on his forehead.

"Yeah." Tim drawled softly. "Just got a few stitches and a little concussion." He mumbled, avoiding making eye contact with Coach, not wanting to see the disappointment in his eyes.

"Are you sure that's all?" Tami asked, a worried look on her face.

Tim nodded, finally lifting his head and meeting Coach's gaze.

"I'm sorry, Coach." He said, swallowing nervously.

"For what?" Coach asked, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Julie." Tim said softly, shaking his head like he didn't know what else to say. "For her gettin' hurt."

Eric stood quietly for several seconds, looking closely at Tim.

"Mac told me that somebody else ran the red light and hit you and Julie, not the other way around." Eric stated after a few moments.

Tim nodded slightly. "Yeah, but…"

"And he said that you were doing your damnedest to get her out of the car, trying to make sure she was okay." Eric said, placing a hand on Tim's shoulder.

"I, I wasn't drinking." Tim said worriedly.

"Well honey, we know that. Y'all had just left the game." Tami said quickly, a knowing look passing between her and her husband.

"Son, this is not your fault. Accident's happen." Eric stated, looking Tim in the eye.

Tim nodded slowly, dropping his head slightly. Eric squeezed his shoulder firmly, causing Tim to once again meet his gaze.

"I mean it. This is not your fault." Eric said slowly, emphasizing each word, trying to make Tim believe the words.

Tim nodded as he felt his eyes tearing up. "She wouldn't open her eyes." He whispered, his voice faltering. "And I ain't heard anything else. I don't know what's goin' on."

"Well we stopped by the nurses desk before coming in here, and all they would tell us is that they're running some tests." Tami said slowly. "And that the doctor would be in to speak with us soon."

"And that's been over fifteen damn minutes." Eric said, running his hands through his wild hair. "He better hurry the hell up." He muttered, the worry and frustration apparent on his face.

"I'm sure she's fine, hon." Tami responded, sliding her arm supportively around Eric's waist. "They're probably just running a few more tests to be cautious."

Tim couldn't help but think that Mrs. Coach sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Tim wasn't so sure. They hadn't seen Julie the way he had. He didn't want to tell them that though.

"Mr. and Mrs. Taylor?"

Tim turned toward the door, watching as a young man entered the room, a chart in his hand.

"Yes, that's us." Eric said quickly, sliding his arm around Tami's shoulders.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Bartlett." The man said, shaking their hands.

Doctor? This guy didn't look old enough to be out of college, Tim thought to himself. Julie needed a real doctor, someone older who knew what the hell they were doin'.

"How is she?" Tami asked nervously, receiving a squeeze from Eric.

"I feel pretty confident that your daughter is going to be fine. She has lost a lot of blood, due to several lacerations, a few major ones on her leg and abdomen. I was worried that there may have been some internal bleeding, but luckily that is not the case." The doctor explained.

That's good, Tim thought to himself. Or at least he thought that was good from what he could tell from Eric and Tami's sighs of relief.

"X-rays show no broken bones which is a miracle if you ask me, though her ribs are bruised pretty badly. She does have a severe concussion due to some head trauma during the course of the accident. We're keeping a close watch on more severe swelling that may occur from that trauma."

"Has she opened her eyes?" Tim asked, his voice so quiet that he almost didn't hear himself speak.

The others turned toward Tim, and the doctor gave Tami and Eric a funny look. Almost as if to ask 'who's this guy?'

"Yes, has she opened her eyes?" Eric asked, nodding his head as he too wanted to know the answer to that question.

"She has." The doctor answered, giving all of them a smile. "Of course due to the pain she is in, and the pain medication, she has been in and out of consciousness. But yes, she has opened her eyes.

Tim sighed, dropping his head to look down at the floor. He didn't know why, but hearing that she had opened her eyes made him feel worlds better. Almost like that reassured him that she was going to be okay.

"Can, can we see her?" Tami asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes. When I came down they were in the process of moving her to a private room in the Intensive Care Unit. I would like to keep her here for at least 24 hours for observation, possibly more depending on the swelling around the skull."

Tami and Eric nodded, holding on to one another tightly.

"Well, if you two want to follow me, I'll lead you to your daughter's room. Only two visitors allowed at a time in those rooms."

Eric nodded, turning back toward Tim. "Son, why don't you go on home? You've been through a lot tonight and probably need rest yourself."

"No sir." Tim muttered, shaking his head slightly. "I want to stay."

I need to stay, he thought to himself.

Eric nodded, clenching his jaw as he gave Tim's shoulder a squeeze. "Alright. We'll see you in a bit."

Tim watched as the three of them walked out of the room before resuming his spot in the uncomfortable waiting room chair.

He felt better, but knew he wouldn't be okay until he saw her with his own eyes.

Tim turned as he heard the door opening once again, happy to see Billy rushing into the room.

"Tim!" Billy said loudly, taking a few large steps and engulfing Tim in a huge hug. "Damn it, Tim. I've been lookin' all over for you. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Tim sighed. He'd probably never admit it, but it felt good to have Billy there to lean on after all he had been through.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Tim responded, pulling back away from Billy. "Just banged up a little. Got a concussion."

Billy nodded, glancing at the bandage on Tim's head. "I'm sorry it took so long. It took Mac a while to track me down because I was at Mindy's. But I got here as quick as I could."

Tim nodded slowly, sitting back down in his chair as Billy took the seat beside him.

"How's Julie?" Billy asked.

Tim told Billy what the doctor had said, trying to remember all the important stuff.

"Sorry 'bout your car." Tim mumbled.

"Hell Tim, I don't care about the damn car. I'm just glad you're okay." Billy said quickly, giving Tim's shoulder a squeeze. "Now tell me what happened."

Tim told Billy about the accident, once again feeling sick as he shared the details with his brother.

Time passed slowly as they sat in the waiting room, and after over an hour of not hearing from Coach, Tim was beginning to get antsy.

Just when he had made up his mind to go ask about her at the nurses desk, Coach walked into the waiting room and asked for Tim to come with him.

Tim followed closely behind him as they made their way down the long hospital hall. Tim shuddered at the smells and noises, once again remembering why he hated the damn hospital.

"Here we are." Eric said quietly, coming to a stop outside a hospital room door. "Only two allowed at a time, so I'm gonna let you go in there with Tami for a bit."

Tim nodded slightly, taking a deep breath but not moving to go inside the room.

"She's okay, son." Eric said. "She's just banged up pretty bad, but she's okay. She's mumbled your name a couple of times, so I know she's wantin' to see you. Probably worried about you."

She's worried about me? She's worried about me?

That was almost laughable.

He had a cut on his head and a few scrapes and bruises. She was the one lying in a hospital bed.

But damn it, it did make him feel an ache in his chest to know that despite everything, she had been asking for him.

Not for her parents, or Saracen, or Lois.

But for him.

Tim Riggins.

"Go on." Eric demanded, opening the door for Tim and all but pushing him inside.

Tim walked slowly into the room, giving Tami a slight nod as he saw her sitting on the other side of the hospital bed, a chair pulled close to Julie's side.

He made his way toward the bed, coming to a stop as he looked her over slowly, a sick feeling washing over him as he sees her injuries.

She looked horrible, bruises and cuts on her face and arms. And she was so pale, her skin looking almost translucent.

Fragile. That was the best word Tim could think to describe her as he reached out and gently took her small hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

He watched as her eyelids fluttered.

He squeezed her hand again, and this time was rewarded with her eyes opening slowly.

Tim was certain that he had never felt more relieved in his whole life than right now as he looked into Julie's eyes.

There had been so many times tonight that he was sure that he would never be able to do that again.

"Jules." He said softly, running his thumb lightly over her knuckles, unsure of what else to say and not trusting his voice to crack with emotion.

"Tim." She said so softly that Tim almost couldn't hear her, as she gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand gently before closing her eyes once again.

Tim sighed as he felt his eyes tearing up yet again.

She was going to be alright.

He knew it.

She had said his name.

But more importantly, he had finally seen her open her eyes.