AN: I know I said this chapter was going to be longer, but that was before I typed it. I guess handwritten work seems a lot longer than it actually is. Or maybe it's because I worked for so long on this chapter. Anyway, I'm sorry it's not longer. A lot of it is dialogue towards the end. I'm trying to keep a lot of details which sometimes makes it harder since I don't want to contradict myself. Thank you for all your reviews! You've done wonderfully! I am blessed to have fans like you. I know I don't usually welcome new readers, but I am a HUGE fan of his work, so welcome G-Force 4! If any of you get the chance, I recommend you check out his fic Code Lyoko: A Retelling. It's awesome! He should be getting all these reviews, not me. I'm glad you guys seem to enjoy the journal entries, dreams, and spoilers I've been trying to incorporate in this story. I'm hoping more action in Lyoko will be coming soon. I'm searching for a part where it doesn't add more confusion. There may only be one or two more visits to Lyoko in this story, but the last one will be MASSIVE action-wise, I hope. Anyway, enough with my boring talk. As always, read, review, and enjoy!

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Lightning flashed across the night sky as Ulrich reached Yumi's side. The sight he beheld was not pleasant. Yumi was sprawled face down on the sidewalk with a good sized tree branch laying across her back and shoulders. When the lightning lit up the sky again, one could see that Yumi's head laid in a small red-tinged pool. Quickly, Ulrich knelt down by the girl and felt for a pulse. At first his hands were shaking too much to find her pulse, for he was afraid of what he might, or rather might not, find.

Even when his fumbling fingers did find her slow, but steady pulse, Ulrich did not breath a sigh of relief. He knew that he needed to get the branch off her and get her some help. The problem was, he wasn't sure if he could lift a branch that size by himself. I have to try, he thought, grabbing onto the end which laid across her left shoulder. Straining his muscles, he was able to lift it a few inches. It's not enough, he thought, trying his best to keep the offending object from falling back onto Yumi. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on the branch and didn't feel the sharp bark cut into his palms. Using all his strength, he was able to tip it up on the broken end, which rested against the ground by Yumi's lower back. Giving a mighty shove, he pushed the branch away from her unconscious body and it landed with a thud on the grass.

As much as he wanted to carry Yumi away to safety, Ulrich knew the force of the blow from the branch could have caused unseen damage. He couldn't move her until he was sure. Kneeling beside her again, Ulrich felt once more for her pulse, just to be sure. Though it was still steady, Ulrich was worried. Yumi's skin was icy and he didn't know how long she had been knocked out. Peeling off his jacket and olive over-shirt, he laid them on Yumi in an attempt to keep her from getting colder. It's time to call in the professionals, Ulrich thought solemnly, pulling his cell phone from the coat that now laid over Yumi. His fingers dialed the emergency number swiftly and a dispatcher picked up on the first ring.

"Emergency services, please state your name and emergency," the female voice said.

"My name is Ulrich and I just found one of my friends unconscious on the sidewalk," he replied, a tint of panic coloring his voice as he said those words, finally bringing it home to him how serious the situation was. His heart pounded against his chest so hard it felt like it was going to break free. Ulrich's eyes were burning, but he knew this was no time to go to pieces and cry - Yumi needed him now more than ever and he wasn't going to let her down.

"Ok, Ulrich, could you tell me where you are and what happened? I'll send an ambulance immediately."

"I'm on Washington Street and the nearest house is number 243," Ulrich said shakily, "I don't know what happened. Yumi left the dance and I was worried when she didn't come back so I went to find her and at least half an hour later I found her here with a tree branch laying across her and she wasn't moving. She breathing and has a pulse, but she's really cold. I lifted the branch off her an put my coat on her, then I called you."

"Ok, I just sent the ambulance out to find you," the dispatcher said calmly, "I need you to stay on the line with me until they get there, ok? Can you do that for me Ulrich?"

"Yeah," Ulrich replied, the hand holding the phone shaking from cold and nerves.

"You said your friend's name is Yumi, correct?"

"Yeah, Yumi Ishiyama."

"Tell me about Yumi."

"Well, she has black hair and dark eyes..." Ulrich began, wondering what the woman all wanted to know, "Umm... she has white skin and is wearing a black top and skirt. What else do you want to know?"

"What's she like?" the dispatcher asked, trying to keep him calm and talking.

"She smart - funny too... She can be quiet. Yumi seems to know how you're feeling just by looking at you. She can be spontaneous at times too."

"Spontaneous? Give me an example."

"Umm.. well, after school yesterday she called me and asked if she could crash at the dorm Odd, that's one of my other friends, and I share. We're all students at Kadics," Ulrich explained.

"Kadics, huh? That's where I used to go," the dispatcher said pleasantly, "The ambulance should be arriving in a moment. Can you see it yet?"

"I can hear the sirens and see some flashing lights," Ulrich replied, looking down the street.

"Good," the dispatcher said, "Now I need you to stand by the curb so they can see you, ok?"

"Alright," Ulrich said, standing up and doing as he was told. A few seconds later, the ambulance jerked to a stop by the curb near Ulrich and the back doors opened. "They're here," Ulrich told the dispatcher, "Thanks."

"You're quite welcome," she replied, "I hope things go well for you and Yumi. Goodbye, Ulrich."

"Goodbye." As Ulrich ended the call, one of the two paramedics stopped in front of him.

"Are you the one who found her?" the man asked as his female partner attended to Yumi.

"Yes, sir," Ulrich said, trying to keep his teeth chattering from the cold.

"Would you like to ride with her to the hospital?" the man asked kindly.

"Yes, sir," Ulrich replied. By this time, the man's partner had a neck brace on Yumi and was loading her onto the stretcher. The man joined her and together they pushed the gurney to the back of the ambulance and loaded it in.

"Come on," the man said, motioning for Ulrich to get into the back, "You can ride right here beside her."

"T-thank you," Ulrich stuttered, hardly able to make his shivering body respond. Once he climbed into the ambulance, the man wrapped a warm blanket around Ulrich and spread a few on top of Yumi. While the two monitored her vitals and assessed her injuries, Ulrich slid his hand out from under the blanket and clutched Yumi's tightly. It was then that he noticed the blood smeared across his palm. The female paramedic who sat beside him saw it too and she pulled his hand from Yumi's for long enough to clean and dress it, then asked for the other and did the same. Once she was satisfied, she went back to monitoring Yumi and Ulrich grasped the unconscious girl's hand once more, this time not letting go until they reached the hospital.

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AN: Ok, I know this is pathetic. I pretty much know the whole dispatcher routine. My family used to watch a ton of paramedic shows. It's sad, I know. The feeling I was trying to convey was Ulrich being quite rattled in this chapter. Now it's that time again.. spoiler time!!!

'If only I would have left the dance right away instead of dancing with Emily, he thought, maybe I could have been there and kept her from getting hurt. It's all my fault...'

Oooo.... someone's feeling guilty. What's going to happen to Ulrich? What about Yumi? Where's everyone else? Will I ever reach the 400 review mark? Will I ever get rid of my cold (it's going on 3 weeks strong!) ? Stay tuned for the next chapter! Please leave a review before you go, thanks!