Thankyou so much for reviewing the last chapter. Made me so happy that I've decided to continue this story as a story. It won't be super long like my others, but it will have a few chapters, so enjoy :D X

Back inside, the five paramedics inside were tending to Lauren, Tyler and Alice respectively, as they tried to remove them from the wreckage. As the paramedics battled to figure out how seriously hurt they were without injuring them even more, one of them sighed. She hated this part of the job. She took a deep breath.

'Time of death... 12:02am' she announced...

Joey, Max and the rest of the residents were still stood waiting. Joey and Max were both absorbed in their own thoughts, wondering if they were gonna see Lauren and Alice again. Abi nudged them painfully in the ribs.

'Ow!' exclaimed Joey, holding his ribs. Abi rolled her eyes and pointed to R&R, were they were moving stretchers inside.

'OI! YOU! what's going on?' Joey shouted to the nearest policeman.

'They've managed to find a body... and its safe to bring the casualties out...' he revealed. However, Joey and Max stopped listening at the words ''bring the body out''. Joey felt a wave of nasuea overcome him and rushed to the nearest bin, to throw up. He had a gut feeling he knew who was in that body bag. He turned his head, wiping his mouth, to see black bag being brought out. Joey didn't even know he was running until a police officer hauled him back from the bag.

'LET GO! SHOW ME WHO IT IS!' Joey screamed, wrenching himself out of the policeman's grip. The paramedics shared a glance before slowly unzipping the bag...

Max watched as Joey rushed towards the bag. He swallowed his fear and prayed to God that it wasn't his neice or daughter in the bag. He couldn't deal with the pain of loosing another child. He watched as Joey staggered back and Max found himself running to see who it was. However, Whitney's scream of pain stopped him dead in his tracks.

'It's... It's Tyler' Joey gasped, as he staggered to Max. Neither of them didn't know whether to be relief or sad. Relief for the fact that it wasn't Lauren or Alice in the bag or sad for the fact that Whitney had lost her fiance, another person in her life. They watched as they put Tylers body into the back of an ambulance, Whitney following afterwards. They watched as Whitney rested her head on the bag as the doors closed. Bianca and Carol rushed down the market, no doubt to get to the hospital to be Whitney...

It was another fifteen minutes before Max felt Joey disappear from his side. He looked up and saw Joey rushing towards Lauren.

'Lauren, baby! It's okay!' Joey exclaimed as he rushed towards her. However, he frowned at how pale she was.

'What's wrong with her?' Joey asked, fear lace din his voice.

'We need to get her to the hospital now!' said the paramedic. Joey jumped into the ambulance, throwing a look at Max over his shoulder, who nodded at Joey's silent request that he was to go wih Alice when they brought her out. The ambulance doors slammed and Joey felt the ambulance screech off, sirens and all...

When they arrived at the hospital at the hospital, Lauren was rushed straight into sugery, leaving Joey in the corridor. He sat down in the plastic chairs of the hospital and put his head in his hands, feeling overwhelmed at what had happened in the short space of five hours. He had gone from working and partying slightly, to being trapped and faced with possiblitly of loosing Alice or Lauren or both. He felt his throat getting tight and his eyes burning with unshed tears. He let them fall, as there was no one around to see him in this rare vunerable state. He cried for Lauren, for Alice and the thought of being without them. Bu the time, he had managed to get himself under control, Joey relaised he wasn't alone...

Max rounded the corner to a sight he didn't think he would ever see. Joey crying. He walked down the corridor and sa down next to his nephew. He waited till Joey got himself under control before he placed a hand on his shoulder. Joey jumped slightly and offered Max a watery small grin. No words were said and there wasn't any need for them, as they both knew they needed to be strong and support each other. It was two hours later when they finally heard heard news on Lauren. Joey had fallen asleep and Max nudged him awake, as the doctor came round the corner. Joey woke with a start and blinked.

'Mr Branning?' asked the Doctor. Max nodded.

'Max please' said Max. The Doctor nodded and looked down at his notes.

'Lauren... Lauren substained a head injury along with a broken rib... which punctuaed her lung. We've managed to sort that out and everything is going to be fine. But I do have one concern...' said the Doctor, looking between Joey and Max.

'What concern?' asked Joey

'While Lauren was trapped... she was impaled on a broken piece of metal. She lost a quite a lot of blood... Which has unfortunately caused her to slip into a coma while her body reapirs its self. We've given her a blood transfusion... It's just a matter of waiting for her to wake up' said the Doctor. oey and Max nodded.

'Can we see her?' asked Max, seeing that Joey was having trouble processing the news. The Doctor nodded and them to insentive care. Joey swallowed and froze outside the door. Max turned to loo at him when he realised Joey had followed him inside.

'Joe?'

'I can't. I can't see like this. I can't' said Joey, shaking his head. Max gripped his forearms and Joey swallowed.

'Joe, it's still Lauren'. Joey looked over Max's shoulder, seeing Lauren's hand resting on top of her bed,

'I can't see her like that Max... Not with all the tubes and wires in her...' said Joey. Max frowned. He wasn't used to this side of Joey, getting all emotional and vunerable. Max sighed as it clicked in his head.

'Your mum. Derek put her in hospital didn't he?' Joey didn't answer, but it was written all over his face.

'It'll be okay, Joey. Come on...' said Max, putting his arm round his shoulders and leading Joey into the room...

Alice slowly came round. She groaned and put a hand to her head. She blinked at the harsh brightness of the lights, until a face swam into view.

'Abi?' she groaned. Abi nodded and smiled

'Hey Alice. Don't move okay' said Abi, as she rushed for the door. Alice looked round and realised she was in the hospital. She closed her eyes adn thought back to the night events. The club collasping, her rushing out of the Vic and into R&R, Joey telling her to go. Her eyes snapped open as she realised Joey wasn't in the room.

'ABI!' she screamed. Abi rushed back into the room, thinking something was wrong.

'What?'

'Where's Joey? Did they get him out?' she asked, tears in her eyes. Abi sighed in relief.

'He's with Lauren...' she said, watching as Alice nodded slowly and smiled weakly. Abi smiled weakly back and went to find a Doctor, leaving Alice with her thoughts...

Max watched Joey through the window, as Tanya, Kirsty and Cora joined him at the window.

'How is she?' asked Kirsty, just as Tanya opened her mouth to ask the same question. Tanya scowled in Kirsty direction. Max put his arm round Kirsty and pulled her to his side, kissing the top of her head.

'She's in a coma. All we can do is just wait for her to wake up' said Max

'What? Why is she in a coma?' asked Kirsty, looking at Max.

'She lost a lot blood. She slipped into a coma, giving her body the chance to repair itself' said Max

'She's going to be okay. She's a Branning, Max. She's a fighter. And us Brannings don't quit on anything' said Kirsty. Tanya flipped at that.

'Right! you can go now and leave me and Max to look after OUR daughter' said Tanya, putting extreme empathsis on ''our''. Kirsty scoffed and looked at Tanya.

'You run away for two weeks. Leave your kids with nothing in the frisge or freezer, because your mother took all the money and spent it on fags. I've been there for Lauren and Abi when you haven't, so forgive me for caring' said Kirsty, looking at Tanya.

'Tan, Kirsty. Not here okay? If you want an argument, go do it somewhere else!' Max shouted at them. Kirsty looked at Max.

'Sorry, Max' she apologised and went back to watching Joey.

'Sorry' muttered Tanya, glaring once more at Kirsty before sitting down next to Cora...

Joey was in Lauren's room, hs hadns resting next to hers. He wasn't allowed to touch which was hard to do. He looked at the wires and tubes going in and out of Lauren's body.

'Lauren, babe... I dont know if you can hear me, but I'm here. I'm here for you. I dont know what's going on in your head, but if you can hear me, follow my voice baby. Just follow my voice and open your eyes... Please babe, for me...' said Joey, resting his head next to her hand, as tears fell from his eyes. He never thought a girl would have this much of an effect on him. He wasn't the one looking for a relationship, or commitment before he met Lauren, but the second her lips touched his that drunken night in November, he knew she was The One. With her, he saw everything. And he was going to make that a reality, one day...

Half an hours later, Abi was wondering round the hospital looking for her mum and dad. Alice had fallen asleep, so Abi decided to go and find out how Lauren was. As she passed the ICU, she heard howling tears what made her stop dead. She frowned and headed through the double doors. She followed the sounds and was met with Tanya on the floor, with Cora holding her.

'MUM! Are you okay?' shouted Abi frantically, terrified at what had happened to her mum. She knelt down infront of Tanya, who cradled her daughters face. Abi turned her head and saw Kirsty leaning against the wall, staring straight ahead. Abi frowned, and got to her ffet, ignoring her mum's shouts not to. What she saw almost made her faint. Joey was clinging to Max like a lifeline, as tears poured down both of the Branning men's faces. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a sheet been put over

'LAUREN! NO!' Abi screamed, her legs giving out from under, but Kirsty caught her and held her to chest as Abi mourned her older sister's death...

R&R *Quickly runs and hides*