Author's Note: Annie is finally fully awake! Chapter 5 and 6 going up today.

Finally, the doctor came in later that day she woke up to check on her. She had been awake for hours just holding Auggie's hand listening to him talk. He probably thought she was asleep, but since he couldn't be sure, he just talked. Sure, she could have slept while he talked, it didn't keep her awake, but she surprisingly wasn't tired right now. All she could think about was knowing what happened.

Currently, Auggie had left the room when the doctor came in. She imagined that he needed to stretch his legs. She knew that he had not been home since she arrived at the hospital. She hoped that now that she was awake he would go home to at least shower and get some sleep in his own bed.

"Okay, Ms. Walker, we're going to take the breathing tube out and see how you do breathing on your own. We expect you'll need some additional oxygen to help you out, but we still need to access how well you're lungs can do their job. You've been through quite a lot the past couple days and you've still got a long recovery before life will seem any sort of "normal" again. While the tube comes out, you're going to want to cough, you can, just not to hard. We don't want you re injuring yourself. Then we will do an exam to see how everything is healing."

As the doctor took the breathing tube out, Annie was relieved to be able to breath on her own again. After a few labored breaths breathing came slightly easier, but not much easier. She was surprised at how weakened she felt. "Breathing hurts" Annie croaked out quietly.

"That's normal. We will give you some oxygen for now, but at least you'll be breathing on your own. Try not to take breaths that are too deep, that will help. Your friend Mr. Anderson is out on the phone with someone named Joan, I believe he said. I updated him on your condition a few minutes ago. Your heart is repaired the best we could do for now. There is a lot of scar tissue around your heart that hopefully will not cause you any problems later. Let me look at your surgical wounds to see how they are healing and check you over."

The doctor removed the bandages from Annie's chest gently. After seeming to be satisfied with what he saw, he replaced the bandages with fresh gauze and then went down to Annie's feet. Suddenly, Annie began to feel uneasy. She had not noticed before, but she couldn't really feel her feet.

"Why can't I feel my feet an' legs?" Annie hoarsely stated.

"Noone has told you?" the doctor replied with concern. At this time the doctor was doing something to her feet. But whatever he was going she didn't feel.

"Told me what?" Concern feeling her question.

"Annie, you were shot twice, once in the chest, and once in the lower back. As of right now and probably permanently, you are paralyzed from the waist down."

"WHAT?! No! You're lying to me." Annie tried to move her feet and legs, but the more she tried the more frustrated she got.

"Annie, no, I am not lying to you. I was just poking your feet and legs and you made so reaction whatsoever. I assumed you would have noticed your inability to move your legs and someone told you since you had been awake for a few hours. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is the reality of the situation. You can't struggle like that to move your legs. It won't do you any good and your heart can't take a lot of stress right now. Also, a lot of unnecessary moving may move the bullet fragments still in your back. If they move, they might cause more damage to your spine. We couldn't do both surgeries at one time when you first came in."

Annie just sat there in disbelief. She couldn't comprehend what the doctor was saying.

"So, I will never walk again?" Is all she could manage to say in the barely whisper of a voice she currently had.

"No, you won't. Unless I am to witness a miracle. The damage if too extensive to heal itself."

Annie couldn't wrap her head around this. How could she live her life from a wheelchair? How would she work? Where would she live? Her mind started ponder her with questions. But one question she needed to know the answer to immediately.

"Does Auggie know?" Annie croaked out. Her throat was on fire, but she was determined to speak through the pain.

"Yes, of course. He knew the day you came in. I assumed he would tell you. You two seemed quite close."

Annie could not wrap her brain around why he wouldn't tell her. "Doctor, I want to be alone now."

"I understand. Would you like something to help you rest? You've just been given some awful news."

"I am okay for now. I need to process this." She replied much more calmly than she felt, but she had some things she needed to say to her supposed best friend that she didn't want to be drowsy for. Despite the pain in her chest and depression from learning her legs no longer worked. She needed a clear mind when she talked to Auggie.

Meanwhile, Auggie was outside the hospital making a phone call to Joan. The doctor had updated him on Annie's condition and Auggie was updating Joan. According to the doctor, Annie is showing no signs of feeling in her lower extremities and her heart is still quite weak, but seems to have begun the healing process after the early morning scare. He seems to think she will be in this facility for a couple more weeks and then moved to a rehabilitation facility to help her with learning to live life from a wheelchair. He planned to do the second surgery in the middle of next week to remove the bullet fragments from her back. They were still concern about internal bleeding if any of the fragments moved or if her heart did not continue to heal properly, but that was why she would stay in ICU for at least a week and a half.

Joan seemed to be very displeased that Auggie was refusing to leave the hospital. She wanted to insist that he take a day or so away from the hospital and then come back to work. However, she also knew that Annie had no one else right now because none of her family could know what had happened until they knew what had happened.

Joan informed Auggie to let Annie know that someone from the CIA would be by in the next few days for her statement about the night she was shot. Auggie wasn't sure that Annie remembered everything that had happened. He knew they were taking the breathing tube out as he spoke with Joan. He looked forward to finally being able to hear her voice and to finally know what she remembered about what had happened. Little did he know that when he arrived back to her room, she would be ready to tell him so much more than what had happened in her sister's kitchen three days ago.

Author's Note: What do you think?