A/N: So, you guys are amazing. Seriously. You guys have given me so much support and positive feedback. And it means the world to me. So, thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own BTR

Chapter 19: Recovery

Leigh POV

BEEP….BEEP…

"Uhhh…not again," I thought to myself miserably, my eyes still shut tight. I was once again engaged in a war with the beeping noise, and once again, the beeping noise won. With a sigh, I opened my eyes, and my theory was confirmed.

I was in the hospital. Again.

"How did I even survive?" I wondered. I wasn't given much time to reflect upon it, for the door to my room swung open, revealing a frail-looking nurse. She approached me carefully, her brown eyes filled with relief.

"You're awake," she breathed, "how are you feeling?"

I blinked, unable to respond due to the breathing tube that was currently embedded in my throat.

The nurse giggled. "Oh silly me, you still have that tube down your throat. You must be extremely uncomfortable. You'll have to forgive me; I'm new here."

When she removed the God forsaken tube from my throat, she smiled brightly. "There…all better. I'm going to let the doctor know you're awake; he should be in here momentarily."

True to her word, in seven minutes exactly, a familiar man walked into my room.

"Long time no see, Dr. Stewart," I rasped, my voice sounding incredibly scratchy.

I tried to hide my amusement as I witnessed Dr. Stewart's eyes widen in surprise. He quickly looked down at his file before looking back at me.

"Last time you were in here," he said, "you were mute."

I smiled at him sheepishly. "Long story."

Dr. Stewart merely shrugged his shoulders, clearly used to weirder things happening while on the job. Checking his file once more, he began to inform me of my condition.

"Well, Miss Gibbs, you are incredibly lucky for surviving," he started, "In fact, you are the only one who did."

I felt the familiar sensation of my stomach knotting, the guilt making itself known once more. Keeping my face void of emotion, I watched the doctor, silently telling him to continue.

"That being said, you have a long recovery ahead of you. You have multiple second-degree burns on your torso. You also have multiple fractures in both your arms. But the thing that will take the longest to heal is your leg. When you were emitted into the hospital, the bones in your left leg were completely shattered. We did the surgery, and your leg was successfully repaired. Needless to say, you are on an excessive amount of morphine right now."

I nodded in response, conveying that I understood what he said.

"You have a couple of visitors. I told them that they may see you if you were up to it. Would you like them to come in?"

I hesitated, not sure if I was ready for the inevitable. Deciding that they have been through enough hell, I responded with a quiet a yes. Upon hearing my affirmation, Dr. Stewart left the room to retrieve my visitors.

Dr. Stewart quickly returned, followed by four very familiar faces. I watched quietly as the guys entered the room. They looked at me, and all stifled gasps. After what the doctor relayed to me, I could only imagine how awful I must have looked.

"Now, I'm only giving you guys ten minutes," Dr. Stewart warned before exiting my room.

We were immersed in silence, and for a moment I thought the boys forgot how to move. But before I could say anything, the boys each grabbed a chair in the room, and scooted them closer to me. Taking their seats, Carlos, Logan, James, and Kendall eyed me warily, as if afraid I was going to break.

The silence was getting unbearable. I was on the verge of screaming when Kendall spoke up.

"My mom and Katie say that they're glad you're awake."

I smiled weakly at Kendall. I was pretty sure that was his way of saying that while they were concerned about me, Mrs. Knight was going to keep Katie away from seeing me in my current condition. Regardless, I appreciated the sentiment. After all, I wouldn't want my impressionable ten-year-old to see someone as badly off as I was.

Once again, we found ourselves in silence. I noticed the four boys glancing at each other, as if they were discussing whether or not they should bring something up. Before I could mention my observation, Carlos opened his mouth.

"Leigh, what is going on and why do the cops want to talk to you?" he asked quickly, as if afraid someone would cut him off before he finished his question. The other three glared at him, and Logan smacked him upside the head.

"That wasn't how we were going to ask," he reprimanded. Carlos smiled at Logan guiltily, before looking back at me hopefully.

I felt trapped. For months, I've been dodging their questions and lying to their faces. But now, there was no way I could get out of it. And as I studied the remains of their injuries they sustained during the scuffle with Frankie, I knew it was time to come clean. After all they went through, they deserved that much.

"Ok," I began, "I'll tell you everything."

Tension filled the air as the boys continued to watch me, silently begging for me to continue.

"But I warn you, it's not going to be pretty. You will never see me in the same way ever again."

"We can handle it," James retorted confidently, but I heard the uncertainty in his voice.

I inhaled deeply, collecting my thoughts. "I guess I should start from the beginning…my name is not Leigh Gibbs."

A/N: Boo…another cliffhanger! But I promise…you will find out EVERYTHING in chapter 20. It might take me a while to write it, because a) I start school tomorrow and b) Leigh's past is a LOT to write about, so I have to figure out how to organize it. So, please bear with me, and I'll do my best to have it up as soon as I can.

Anyways, review if you'd like; I'd love to hear what you're thinking right now. Thanks again for reading!