Emily wished at least one of the others had come with her as she climbed the steps to Mona's front porch. Aria and Spencer had said they wanted to come when Emily had called them. A united front would certainly be more effective, but they had already had plans. Hanna hadn't said whether or not she wanted to come, but had made up some excuse and then told Emily that they should probably listen to Spencer's mom.
Spencer had called her mother as soon as Mr. and had left after dropping the DNR bomb on them. Veronica had answered only to inform Spencer that she couldn't talk right then. She was in the middle of wrapping up a stressful case and needed to focus. They had spent their usual hour with Mona, although none of them was feeling very talkative, and had gone home with a cloud of sadness and shock hanging over them.
Emily, Aria, and Hanna had gone home with Spencer to wait for one of her mother. When she arrived, clearly exhausted from work, they had pounced on her. They had told her about what had happened at the hospital and asked if there was anything they could do to stop Mona's parents from killing her. Veronica had understood where they were coming from and agreed that the Vanderwaals seemed to be acting a little prematurely. She warned them that it was a long shot, but told them she would see if he could get a court order against the DNR in Mona's interest.
It had been a short court battle, and they had lost. The judge had sided with the Vanderwaals, ruling that they were right. Mona was their daughter, and although she was eighteen she was clearly incapable of making a decision. Therefore the choice was in her parents' hands.
The verdict didn't sit well with any of the girls, and Spencer had mentioned the fact that Mrs. Vanderwaal hadn't shown any emotion through the whole ordeal. Mr. Vanderwaal however, had shed a few tears on the stand when he had explained their reasons for wanting the DNR.
"I don't think he wants to do it." Spencer had said when Emily suggested trying to talk some sense into the Vanderwaals. "He's probably our best shot. Mrs. Vanderwaal can't do anything if he doesn't agree."
Emily had gone to see Mona by herself after that conversation and had begged Mona for some sign that she would pull through. She had broken down and cried, telling Mona that she couldn't give up yet. She was almost certain that if she could give the Vanderwaals even the slightest glimmer of hope that Mona would eventually wake up, then maybe they wouldn't do it.
Suddenly she had been overcome by a feeling she couldn't explain. Mona didn't move or utter the tiniest peep, and there was no change in her monitors. She showed absolutely no signs of waking up any time soon, but Emily had an undeniable feeling in her gut that everything would be okay. She couldn't explain how if asked, but she knew Mona was going to come out of this coma that Emily still blamed herself for. She was almost certain she had heard Mona's voice telling her not to worry, that she was okay and would be back soon, even though Mona hadn't said a word.
Now, as she rang the doorbell, she was prepared to tell Mona's parents what she had felt in that hospital room and beg them not to take any desperate measures.
Mr. Vanderwaal answered the door and greeted her with a surprised look. "Emily! Hello."
"Hi." Emily said, suddenly feeling a little nervous and like she was intruding where she didn't belong. But she shoved that feeling aside and mentally steeled herself for the battle she knew was about to start. "I need to talk to you. Is Mrs. Vanderwaal home?"
"Yes." He replied, looking baffled but stepping aside to let her in. "Come in."
Emily stepped inside the home she had never once entered and hoped she could make the Vanderwaals see it her way. She knew what she was about to tell them would be hard for them to understand. She didn't totally understand it herself, but she had to try. Ever since A had run them off the road, Emily had felt a fierce loyalty toward Mona and a need to protect her. And that's exactly what she planned to do. Protect her from her own parents' too quick judgment and from A. he simply didn't feel like it was Mona's time to go yet.