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Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Rated: T

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Chapter 5

A few days later, Jake met with Eve and her fiance, Flynn Rider. They invited him over their house for dinner, they made small talk over pizza and beer while Cassandra chatted in his ear the whole time, pestering him to find out what had happened to her. He did his best to ignore her while Flynn told him about his work.

It wasn't until she had served dessert that Eve finally told him the information he and Cassandra were so desperately seeking.

"She had a car accident," she told him as she scooped generous portions of vanilla ice cream and drizzled hot fudge over it. "It was a rainy night, they still don't know what she was doing. She might have been changing CDs or she just might not have been paying attention. Cassandra was a dreamer."

"I am not!" Cassandra said, crossing her arms across her chest. Jake gave her a look that silenced her right away.

"Or maybe the other driver wasn't paying attention," Eve continued. "He was a trucker, he said he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and he wasn't paying attention. Either way, she was in a car accident. Except the other driver got away with a concussion. He's home now, I don't even know if he's thought twice about what he did!"

"I'm sure he has Eve," Flynn interjected. "You don't go through an experience like that and not walk away with some sort of trauma. He'll probably spend the rest of his life wondering whether or not he killed Cassandra."

"But she's still alive," Jake said. "Right?"

"For now," Eve answered. "But she hasn't woken up and it's been a few months since the accident."

"What are you going to do?" Jake asked.

"The doctors are telling us that we might have to take her off of life support," Flynn replied, covering Eve's hand with his.

"What about her family? Don't they get a say in whether she lives or dies?"

Eve shook her head. "No, Cassandra doesn't have any family. When she was a teenager, she started to have seizures and it changed the person they wanted her to be. She wasn't the brilliant girl who could win the Nobel Peace Prize anymore, she was damaged. So, after she graduated from high school, she came here. We're her family, Jake."

"Tell them that I'm still here!" Cassandra said. "They can't pull the plug yet, I'm alive!"

"How long do you have until you make a decision about whether or not you should pull the plug?" Jake asked, cringing slightly at his own use of terminology.

"They're pushing us to make a decision soon," Eve answered.

"Come on Eve!" Cassandra said, reaching out to her. "Don't do something you'll regret."

"Maybe you should give her a little bit more time," Jake said quickly. "Maybe somethin' could happen, a miracle. . ."

"We'll need a miracle," Eve replied. "You haven't been at the hospital every day, Jake. She's not getting any better, her vitals aren't changing. . . her brain activity is still the same. I don't want to spend the next few years wishing everything will be okay when everything in medical science is against her."

"Tell them that I'm here!" Cassandra pleaded.

Jake shook his head. "Can't you give her a little more time? Maybe she's fightin' to wake up right now and you just don't know it because she can't talk to you."

"It's sweet, you trying to protect her like this," Eve said. "But I think this is what she would want, to go easily and without being a bother to anybody longer than she has to be."

Cassandra faltered beside him. "Jake. . ."

"I lost somebody!" Jake said quickly. "And I would do anything just to have one more day with her. One more conversation. . . you might have that and you're throwin' it away by taking her off of life support."

"I'm sorry Jake but I think it's time just end it all. I'm sorry that you never got a chance to know her, I think you two would have liked each other," Eve said.

.

"You can't let her pull me off life support!" Cassandra said as they drove back to her apartment after dinner was over. "I'm not meant to die, Jake! I just know it! You have to do something to stop it. . . please!"

"Do you think your friend Jenkins will know what to do?" Jake asked.

"Maybe. . . I don't know," Cassandra answered. "He can't change somebody's mind once it's made up."

"But if she knew that you're still here, maybe it would change things."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Cassandra asked. "Were you afraid she wouldn't believe you?"

"I-I-I don't know," Jake replied, sighing. "Maybe I was a little bit afraid that she wouldn't believe me. Or maybe she'd think I was crazy if I told her that I was talkin' to you."

Cassandra huffed. "I understand."

Jake got the distinct feeling that she didn't want to understand and that she was agitated with him for not saying anything to Eve when he had the chance to. He wasn't sorry for not saying anything, he knew if anyone else, including the vulnerable Cassandra, was in his position they wouldn't say anything either.

"Listen Cassie, I'm goin' to find a way to save your life. I promise!"

"How?" Cassandra asked, turning worried filled eyes on him.

"I'll think of something!" Jake said, feeling a bit desperate.

"Jake. . . earlier tonight you said you had lost somebody. . ." Cassandra hedged. "Was she special?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Jake answered. "Please."

"Okay," Cassandra replied, dropping the subject and looking out of the window.

"Do you remember anythin' about that night?" Jake asked. "I mean now that you've talked to Eve, can you recall any details?"

Cassandra shook her head. "No. I remember nothing about that night. . . except that it was raining, like it is tonight. I don't know if I was changing the CD or daydreaming like Eve said I was. I don't remember getting hit by the truck. The next thing I really remember is being in my apartment and finding you."

"Okay, okay. Do you remember anythin' about that day at all?"

Cassandra scrunched up her face and shook her head. "I can't even remember what I ate for lunch that day, Jake. And the more I think about it, I'm not even sure if I remember if it was raining or not. Maybe I'm just repeating it because I heard Eve say it."

"Well, maybe it isn't that important," Jake conceded. "But I'm still going to help you. I promise Cassandra, I am not going to let you die. Not without a fighting chance anyways."

TBC. . .

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Author's Note:

I am sorry for the delay in writing and posting this chapter. Life got completely crazy, as you know my grandmother died and then we had to plan a memorial service. Two days after that, my youngest sister had surgery and my mom started to redecorate the downstairs of the house. I won't even write the other thing that distracted me (if you follow me on Twitter or tumblr, you KNOW!)

Please forgive me for not posting, I will try to update regularly again. Sorry for the brevity of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

Until Next Time!

Love,

Holly, 2/20/2015_