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"Son, maybe you should wait outside, we're about to shock her," the doctor said softly. Jerome looked up at him, red eyed.

"I want to stay here." He stated, voice croaky and hard.

"I can't let you stay in here, it's dangerous."

"Oh and it isn't dangerous for her?" he stood angry. The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile and Jerome felt the urge to punch him, punch him hard in the face

"Jerome dear," Mrs Jaffray walked in, wrapping her arms around him "Come on, come on now," and she led him out of the room, Jerome let her.

WAY EARLIER THAT DAY

"You're lucky I love you Jaffray," Jerome sighed and laughed at the same time as they walked through the snow

"And why is that?"

"Because you look like an Eskimo!" Jerome patted her head through the bright red hat that matched her insanely bright red coat.

"So? I don't want to die due to the cold," she scoffed at him, Jerome just laughed

"You're an embarrassment Jaffray," he laughed, wrapping an arm around her. She just shook her head.

They came to a frozen lake "Want to skate across?" he asked, hand out. Mara peered at the ice curiously

"It's very thin…" she trailed off.

"Please?" he asked, smiling. She gripped his hand through her red gloves

"I might fall,"

"Don't," he whispered, kissing her softly, then stepping gracefully onto the ice, waiting for her to follow. Jerome let go of her hand, enjoying it.

He was athletic and graceful, walking across the lake like he had solid ground beneath his feet. Whereas Mara on the other hand, stumbled and skidded, arms out at her sides like she was walking on a tight rope.

Mara soon got to the middle, where Jerome was waiting for her. The ice looked dangerously thin. "Watch where you're going," Jerome said, reaching out to hold her arm

"I want to go back," Mara whimpered. She was close enough to make out the cars on the road behind the snow. Jerome dropped his arm and skated forward a few feet.

"I'm not dead," he grinned. "Come on,"

Mara shook her head, wrapping her arms tight around herself.

"Hey!" Fabian called from the other side, Nina beside him "Having fun?"

"Oodles," Jerome cried back "Come on," he said to Mara. Mara shook her head, Jerome sighed, running a hand through his hair, before sliding easily over to their side and off of the ice.

Mara now stood all alone in the centre of the lake. She slowly turned herself in a circle, seeing which was the quickest way to get back to the side. Just by a hair, she was closer to Jerome's side.

"Come on Mara!" Nina called encouragingly

"We don't have all day!" Jerome laughed teasingly. Mara scowled at him ever though he couldn't see it.

"Coming!" she mumbled. And then she walked faster than she should have in shoes that had bad grip.

She slipped.

She reached out her hands for Jerome, even though she knew he was so far away, and took a hard fall to the side, there was a crack. Only Mara knew the sound wasn't a bone, it was the ice.

No.

Her ear was presses against the surface, and although it was numbing, she could hear the water sloshing around beneath it, so close. Even closer.

There were faint crackles everywhere. The ice was breaking fast. She opened her eyes to see Jerome running towards her, rope tied around his waist, but before he got to her, she fell beneath the icy waves.

The water felt thick and heavy all around her. She panicked.

First came the pain, everything folding in on itself, trying to escape the cold. Water rushing in and out, her ear drums thudding. Pain had a sound, it was a high pitched shrieking.

She instantly regretted wearing the coat now, she couldn't swim up, it was so heavy, drowning her further down.

Black water churned all around her. Her brain told her legs to kick, to kick and kick harder, but they only fluttered gently in response. She couldn't find the whole she fell through in, she pounded at the ice above her, with all she had left. No even making a dent.

Her lungs burned, she coughed, only choking.

Then her limbs went still.

Jerome had tore across the ice, Nina and Fabian holding the rope that was around his waist, he couldn't fall in too. He reached the whole sliding onto his stomach. But Nina and Fabian had thought he'd fallen, they pulled the rope back, trying to drag him back, but he dived into the water, reaching out.

Thanking god that she had worn the bright red coat, it was the first thing he saw. And because Nina and Fabian were pulling so hard, they pulled him and the seemingly lifeless Mara across the ice, onto the shore.

She was blue, she was literally blue.

"Oh my god," Jerome's teeth chatted "What do I do? Fabian! What do I do?"

Fabian was taking deep breaths, ripping open her red coat and pressing and ear to her chest, "No heart beat," he whispered.

"That helps!" Jerome screamed at him.

"Mouth to mouth," Nina offered, although she wasn't sure. Jerome did it anyway. He blew into Mara's mouth, the way they had been taught to in health class. Her chest moved up and down.

Fabian was working on keeping her warm.

Nina was struggling to call the ambulance, it was bad reception.

"It's not working!" Fabian screamed at Jerome, "Her hearts not pumping, you need to pump her heart for her!"

Jerome nodded, pressing his hands over one another then thumping evenly into her chest

"No reception!" Nina cried, hot tears streaming down her face. She tried again.

A few stressful moments went by

"Jerome!" Fabian called, Jerome just shook his head, he was blank to the world, all that mattered was Mara, only Mara. Just Mara. "Jerome stop! You're going to hard! It's not working!" Jerome kept thumping evenly "You've broken two of her ribs!" Fabian roared, shoving Jerome away from her, Jerome fell onto his back, and passed out.

BACK AT THE HOSPITAL

"Any news?" Candy asked, Jerome was sat in the waiting room, head in his hands, no longer crying, he had nothing left. He would be empty till he saw her awake

"They're shocking her now," he whispered. Candy sat beside him, and placed a reassuring hand on his back

"She'll get better,"

"It's all my fault," Jerome cried

"No, no it's not. It could have happened to anyone," Candy soothed.

"No, it's my fault. I made her go ice skating, I left her at the centre of the lake, alone. I broke two of her ribs,"

"….It's still not your fault." Jerome looked up at her, eyes shimmering, and found she was telling the truth.

He leaned forward and kissed Candy hard on the mouth. Candy seemed shocked, but she kissed back, kissed back hard. Placing a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

Jerome may have been kissing Candy. But he was thinking of Mara, loving Mara, crying for Mara, wishing for Mara, hoping for Mara. Praying for Mara.

They pulled away, and Jerome refused to meet her eyes "Fuck." He managed. Candy stood, getting the message

"Um, I won't tell her, if you don't want," she offered in a small voice. He knew how she felt, she felt used, violated, yet at the same time, happy she could help.

"Thank you Candy, I owe you one," Candy smiled at him, expecting a dismissive response

"What are friends for?" and with that she turned and walked out.

Line Break

"Jerome?" she whispered, smiling. Loving that the first thing she saw was him. Jerome stood from his long time position on the chair.

"Mara?" he asked hopefully

"What time is it?"

"7:20,"

"Am?"

"PM,"

"So I wasn't out for more than a day," she smiled.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at her, running a hand through her hair.

"What for?" she asked curiously

"Forcing you to skate, leaving you along, breaking your ribs,"

"You did all that?" she asked in shock, disbelief clouding her usually warm eyes

"Yes," Jerome hung his head down in shame "That and more, so much more,"

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