Wow, I am so sorry for the wait in this chapter. I thank everyone who has reviewed and commented in the meantime and I promise that the updates will be more frequent from here on. Its been a long couple of months, but I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. I'm really proud of the ending, mainly because it took me forever to write and I think it turned out just how it should have. :)

Let me know what you think. Enjoy!


The night had arrived and Ally found herself leaving the hospital, suffocating from the lack of news. She told his brother to call if there was an update, then took her car and drove down one the scenic routes, watching the stars become brighter as the lights diminished. Her mind was racing with thoughts, unable to calm itself down or properly form anything worth a damn. She stopped at a beach she frequented with her friends, parking the car and walking to the shore, staring off at the darkened waves, wondering why people, herself included, came to the beach when they were stressed.

It was stupid. The water couldn't talk, neither could the sky. She was alone and scared, no one to tell her how to fix something that truly wasn't in her control. Helpless as a soon to be medical student, she felt as if she should be able to do something other than sit in a chair and wait for an answer she feared, but there she was, running from that exact thing and trying to comfort herself.

How selfish.

It seemed fitting that someone like herself was alone in a time like this. She knew she had countless texts from friends and Connor's friends alike, but she couldn't answer them. While their concern was both reassuring and understanding, she didn't want anyone else to try and talk to her. Oliver was the level headed one in his family, in a sense that everything had a reason and a purpose and nothing ever had emotion. It was great other times, but the constant blaring of his black and white opinions were the furthest thing from what anyone needed.

Herself included.

Ally sat down on the sand, digging her fingers into the moist grit until she couldn't see them anymore, knowing that being alone was probably more dangerous than she realized.

"I don't mean to scare you, but I just thought you looked like you could use someone to talk to."

Ally couldn't have been more shocked to look up and see the redhead standing above her. He sat down without waiting for an answer, giving her a weak smile at the sight of her bulging eyes.

"I live down the road from here," he stated, figuring that walking up to her in the middle of a dark beach was seriously creepy and borderline police-calling worthy. "I walk the beach at night. It's the only thing I've got left at this point. My parents work nights so they never realize I've left the house and… you don't care."

"No," she admitted.

"Are you okay?"

"No."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." She glanced back at him, seeing his hurt expression and sighed. She knew she could trust Austin on that he was a good guy, but she still was sitting on a dark beach with an unfamiliar guy while her entire world was upside down. Give her a break, damn it. The constant questions were not helping things. "I don't know you and I'm not really sure I even can explain right now."

"Fair enough."

She knew she was being rude and the Austin inside of her head reprimanded her, especially considering it was his best friend sitting beside her, trying to be a decent person and help someone who probably looked less than normal. "Sorry," she finally replied, her voice less than that and she thought maybe she should stay quiet.

"I can sit here in silence. It's all good."

Ally appreciated that and somehow, his presence did give her some peace in the following minutes. He stayed true to what he said but his movements did more talking for him, as he constantly fidgeted and checked his phone, as if sitting still was an impossible task even for a second. Finally, she gave him a heavy sigh, a signal that he was heading back into that annoying territory.

"I don't do silence well," he admitted.

"My boyfriend was in a car accident."

She had no idea why she said it, or why she turned her body to face him head on. She was surprised when he didn't say a single word, especially following the previous statement and only waited for her to continue. Except, she didn't know what to say next, as it was a pretty definitive statement.

"A bad one. He's been in surgery for hours. Without an update."

There was a rush from the ocean, sending thunderous waves crashing onto the shore. They watched in unison as the waves dissipated into foam, leaving particles from their travels before heading back into the large body of water. Above them, the perfectly clear sky demanded attention too as its stars danced to the night's sounds; sounds such as the crickets near by, an owl looking to out do the insects, and the very distant sound of music on the horizon from beach homes some miles away.

This was Austin territory. Nature and all it had to offer. Somewhere in the back of her mind he was telling her stories about his adventures of his time on the beach. He looked like a surfer; she wondered if he ever attempted the sport before. Hurricanes were probably masterpieces to watch for someone to craved the adrenaline of storms… the thoughts mused through her head, and she came to a realization. Sitting there, quietly, she understood why she came to that setting; it finally calmed her… he calmed her.

"I'm sorry," Dez replied, giving her a tight smile. "I know those are the most empty words to hear at a time like this."

"Thought that counts, right?"

He shifted his weight on the sand, so that he too was completely facing her now. "I dunno. I tried to be thoughtful and it got me into a lot of trouble."

The admittance to what she assumed was the night of their accident would have been fascinating and worthy of a long discussion. Before she could even attempt to reply, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Alarmed, she stared wide-eyed at the redhead, knowing more than likely the person on the other line would be updating her on Connor's condition. "Excuse me," she murmured, getting up to find a bit of privacy and take the call.

She wished she never picked up the phone.

From the Ground Up

When the next morning arrived and Austin woke up just after nine and Ally was not yet there, he knew the situation with her boyfriend was worse than anyone originally thought. He eased himself into a sitting position, muscles sore from a previous day's work in the rehab room, wishing she was there to help him get into his chair. Still, she was never late and her lack of appearance meant he had to find Wendy. Tired of waiting around, someone had to find out what was happening on her end. While she might be busy, he needed answers for his own sanity.

Damn legs, he thought in anger, if you only would work, this would be a hell of a lot easier! With her presence, it grew easier to forget where he was and why he was there. Oddly, they worked as a well oiled machine… you took one part away, and everything combusted.

By the time he was able to shift from bed to chair, his body was already exhausted. Annoyed on top of worried, he hurried down the hall and saw the nurses all talking at the main station, laughing and gossiping as they usually did in the mornings while it was still quiet and their patients were dozing.

"Austin!" Wendy greeted warmly—and he resisted the urge to yell down the hall to Warren that he was the favorite—coming over to adjust something on his chair. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

He knew she was aware that therapy kicked his ass last night and he was grateful for her thoughtfulness. Shrugging, he played it off as if it were nothing; he had more important things to attend to and could deal with the issues plaguing his body later. "Fine. Did Ally call?"

"No, why?" The woman then realized, "She's not here yet. Is everything okay?"

"I don't think so," he admitted. "She left early yesterday saying that her boyfriend was in a car accident. She hasn't answered any of my texts or calls. I'm worried."

"I can ask around," she said in a quieter voice, looking briefly at several young nurses he knew tended to gossip more frequently, and he was again grateful for the nurse in front of him for not being so showy. "I have friends at the main hospital. They can get the information for me. You haven't heard anything? I wonder if she called out to my boss this morning."

"I don't know," he murmured. Ally more than likely didn't, he reasoned internally. She wouldn't care enough to do that, her mind probably on more pressing matters. "I just would—"

The blond trailed off, seeing the last person he ever thought he would coming his direction. His heart jumped from his chest into his throat and his eyes welled—damn it—at the sight of him. Austin wanted nothing more in those seconds to be able to walk—no, run—to the redhead making his way down the hall. "No way."

"Dez?" Wendy whispered, as he neared them. She turned her body as if Austin hadn't already seen him and was well aware of his presence. "I thought we were going to—"

He didn't let her finish, "I'm done hiding. Life is too short, and I really need to talk to my best friend."

Maybe it was something in his tone, or maybe she understood how important it was for two best friends to be together in a time like this, but Wendy didn't argue. She did step aside and give both of them a warning look, one neither of them truly took in because they were too busy awkwardly trying to start a very long awaited conversation, one now plagued with confusion, hurt, and probably more fear than either would like to admit.

"I'm so sorry," Dez finally blubbered, and threw his arms around Austin's torso, hugging him so tightly that he swore he felt it from below his shoulder blades. Wishful thinking or not, he gripped him right back, not trusting his voice to speak just let. He wanted to relish in this moment, a pride in his heart swelling because he knew deep down that Dez would never abandon him at a time like this and truly was trying to protect him. "I couldn't let you—"

"Let's go somewhere more private," Austin quietly advised, seeing both Wendy and the other nurses eyeing them with curiosity. "My room is just down the hall."

"I know where it is," Dez admitted. He seemed to ignore the amused smile Austin shot his way, and if things were normal he would've probably cracked a joke. His friend's voice shook each time he spoke, and he didn't want anything to go out of context until everything was smoothed over.

They entered and he saw Dez glance briefly over the room, taking in the decorations and general happiness Ally and her friends tried to bring to the plain white walls. It did not have the level of quirky or downright weird that it would have had Dez took that job, but the appreciation was clear.

"I know everything," Austin finally stated, then shook his head. "Okay, not everything. But Ally and I have figured a lot of it out. I know what you did."

Dez whirled around, already on the defense, "I had to, Austin. You would have lost everything! You would've been left with absolutely nothing and I couldn't have that."

He smiled at him ruefully, "I think I sort of lost everything anyway."

"That's not true!" Dez cried back, his voice rising in the way it normally did when he was trying to make a point. "I got into the legal trouble; it's on my record."

"I'm talking otherwise," Austin responded, this time his voice much softer. "Don't take what I'm saying the wrong way, Dez. I appreciate what you did more than I could ever put into words—no matter how stupid it was." He went to protest, but Austin held up a hand. "We can talk about that later," he advised, growing annoyed with how little the redhead seemed to care for his own personal life. "I am saying that I lost a lot regardless. Beyond physically, I lost my freedom, I lost this summer… I lost Piper," he murmured, closing his eyes for just a second. "My parents… you."

He shook his head vigorously, "You never lost me! Wendy made sure I got updates and… I swear, I know it seems like it… but I never stopped caring."

"No, no," he defended. "That's not what I mean. I know that I never lost you in that sense, but I lost you in a physical sense… I lost the one person I know who I could count on, the one person who would make days like these so, so much easier." He took a deep breath. "You're more than a best friend to me, Dez. You're practically my brother and it's been a long ass two months without you."

"I'll make it up to you," he decided brightly. "Show you all that you've missed. And don't worry about Piper… she isn't worth your time. I saw her a couple weeks ago. She blamed me… like everyone has, but she also proved just how shallow she really is. I never would've expected it from her. But you have Ally now! Oh shit, Ally! That's part of why I came."

Austin leaned forward in his chair, ears perked at the mention of the brunette girl he'd been missing. What could his goofy best friend possibly know about her? "There's been an accident, Dez. It's not the time. I know you two ran into each other a while back but…"

"No! I saw her last night. She was by my house." He shook his head sadly. "She was a mess last night. I'm not very good at consoling anyone." He looked up with hopeful eyes. "I mean, I tried. But there's a reason half of our grade was in love with you, and not me. I suck at wooing the ladies." Austin chuckled, but didn't get a chance to respond. "I promised her I'd come today last night after she got the call. She ran off just after that, but I made that promise and swore I'd keep it."

"What call? What do you mean?"

He sighed, coming over to sit on Austin's bed. Dez lacked the concentration to sit still completely, but also knew his pacing sometimes drove Austin nuts. "Her boyfriend died during surgery last night, Austin." His jaw dropped. "She ran off before I could do much else, but she made me promise that I'd come see you and not let anyone get between our friendship anymore. That life was too short."

He glanced out the window at the city of Miami, the same window the both of them shared many stories over, and hopes and fears of their lives. Ally was somewhere out there. A part of him wanted to curse her… he knew that she was absolutely tore up inside. If anything, wherever she was he realized she was probably alone. Ally revealed that her parents worked long hours between the hospital and her mother's own practice. Her house was almost always empty unless there was some maintenance worker there. He prayed that her friends knew what was going on and came after her, but with her sharp tongue she probably had the ability to make sure no one came looking.

Despite this, he saw the deeper meaning behind her attempts to mend the boys' friendship… whatever she was going through, she couldn't be there with him. Ally might divert into her old ways, but she cared enough to look after him. She knew how alone he was, and she didn't want him to be in that headspace. Somehow, in the last month, they became closer than he ever realized, and in those moments, he would do anything to return the favor.

From the Ground Up

"You haven't said much in the last few minutes," Dez sputtered helplessly, wondering what his best friend was thinking near the window, eyes clouded over, perhaps his body in the room but mind somewhere halfway across the city. The anxiety running through him—like chemical caffeine—did not mix well with the silence. He didn't do silence suitably—much like he told Ally last night, and it was worse considering he hadn't seen Austin face-to-face in nearly two months. A part of him was relentlessly vexed that his best friend hated him, and the other part battled to not freak out because the situation was just too overwhelming.

The blond teenager's eyes flicked over to him, and Dez swallowed the lump in his throat. Coming to the rehab facility took a lot out of him; he didn't know what to expect when he marched up to the second floor fueled with adrenaline and a friendship bond and definitely hadn't expected Austin to be sitting near the nurses' station. It probably was the best thing that could have happened he reasoned internally, knowing that if he needed to enter Austin's room and reveal himself instead, he would probably still be outside. It wasn't his fault, at least somewhere in his mind he knew, that he wasn't around for Austin's worst days.

His best friend's parents hated him, he'd spent a night or two in jail, and the local newspaper about lived outside of his house. There were few days he didn't walk outside and someone not question him, snarl vicious remarks, or cast threats of bodily harm his direction. Austin was the poster boy of their neighborhood (even if he didn't know it), after all. His father was well-respected in the church and as a firefighter for the city, he practically grew up with everyone around him. They saw the blond as the sweet, lovable boy who was set for great big things, even if Austin himself never seemed ready for whatever that might be.

"You are uncharacteristically quiet yourself," Austin stated.

Dez grinned slightly, shrugging his shoulders so that he could try to start off his explanation with at least one pure thought. "I don't even know where to begin."

"I'd say the beginning, but I'm not sure where that is."

"Well, you see, about eighteen years ago, there were these two new parents who couldn't decide on a name for their baby boy…"

This seemed to crack the heavy atmosphere and the two friends laughed, the redhead momentarily taken out of the spotlight by request of Austin's questions. He leaned over the bed, staring sadly at his friend's deteriorated body. If anything, he wished he could take the actions of that night back, stop the two of them from getting into that truck and being masculine fools. It certainly didn't help his love life anyway, that was pretty much wrecked by the accident too. Carrie wouldn't even look him in the eye.

"Did Ally say anything else before she ran off last night?"

Dez watched Austin's face as he asked the question, saw the obvious and well known signs his friend showcased while trying to hide emotions from everyone else. "Not much. She was really upset, as you might guess. I tried to follow after her, but she got into her car and her rear lights were gone before I could keep up." He was curious to how Ally came into his life, mainly because the girl seemed to have a way about her. "I know how you guys met, but you seem to be opposites in every way."

His best friend snorted, "You have no idea, man. I was sure that I was gonna take this chair and run her over with it."

Dez raised his eyebrows. "That bad?"

"It seems more like a show now that I've really gotten to know her. I've never admitted that to her though. She just absolutely rock solid sometimes. I thought it might've been true at first, but she's softened a lot. Her parents are both big-time doctors. I think she was raised by them from a distance, so she never really had someone to give her that kind of emotion."

"Like being raised by a nanny?"

"Similar, I guess. Even a nanny shows a kid love, you know? She can be very cold when she wants to be."

He thought back to her short answers and lack of feeling in her returns, noticing himself how cut off she was. He assumed it had to do with the situation, but never would've thought it was just how she was with strangers. He shook his head at the thought, what a sad way to go about your life.

"I wonder where she is."

Austin gave him a grave look, one that he felt from across the room. "I'm worried about her. I just hope wherever she is, she's not alone."

From the Ground Up

Austin could not take the voice in his head once Dez left the room. His best friend did not want to get caught by his parents, despite Austin's assurances that they would not show their faces anytime soon. There was still much to catch up on in each other's lives, and he realized the redhead did not know how strained his relationship with them was. Still, sitting alone left him with only the thoughts of Ally, and he rolled over to his dresser to grab his phone, staring at the lit up screen for several minutes before he worked up the nerve to call her.

The phone rang and went to voicemail, not that it surprised him. He knew the chances of her answering it were slim, though there was a small part that hoped he was different enough that she'd be willing to answer. He waited through her girly voicemail and then heard the beep. He took a deep breath and then began to speak.

"Ally, I know you're going through hell. I know a phone call isn't going to change that. I just know what I felt following the accident, how shitty it was to be alone. Your thoughts will consume you and it makes everything worse. I speak from experience there. And I'm not saying that I get what you're going through—because it's two different things and I just want you to know I'm here—and we both know I'm not going anywhere, so come by any time. I mean it. You don't have to talk. I won't either. I just want to know you're okay and I can't come to you, so I just… alright. I'm going to shut up. Please, I'm so sorry but I … don't know what else to say. I know how superficial anyone's words seem at a time like this. I really just wanted to say from one friend to another, I care."

He hung up the phone and wrung his hands together, using his upper body to shift the weight of his lower body over. It was only the middle of the day and there was not much to do. He didn't have any appointments to get to, or anyone to entertain him. Ally would still be there at this time, so he would usually be doing something with her. There was no doubt something missing without her around.

He considered finding Warren, learning more about his new friend. But he also knew the first few days at the facility were filled with appointment after appointment and it could be exhausting. He also figured things like that probably exasperated his condition and did not want to make it any worse.

The shifting of light in his room sent his eyes from his hands and he never expected Ally to take a seat next to his bed, the brunette in a pair of worn sweatpants and a sweater he assumed belonged to her boyfriend. He was too shocked to say a word to her, though the girl could clearly feel his eyes on her. He opened and shut his mouth several times before he decided to keep it shut, slowly inching the chair closer to her, while still giving her a distance.

He could tell she hadn't slept since last night. Everything about the Ally sitting in front of him was not the girl he met the first day almost a month ago. She was beyond disheveled. If it had been any other time, he would've felt a pride inside of him that she didn't care enough to alter her appearance anymore, but it was not the time to even consider thoughts like that. He wanted instead in the worst way to consul her and give her some peace in such a horrid time, but he knew better than to speak empty words that she really didn't need to hear. How many cards and phone calls would she get from well-meaning friends and family that were nice, but were not going to bring back her boyfriend? He refused to be one of those.

He was still debating with what to do when her shoulders rose every so slightly and then there was a tiny noise from her throat. He realized seconds before the sobs started that she was cracking and he wheeled himself over as quick as he could, grabbing her as close as his lacking body would allow him to shelter the girl whose walls couldn't even hide that kind of heartache.