Author's Note: Here it is, the next chapter. I can't promise when I will update it again. The muse doesn't seem to want to work with this story as much as it once did, but I promise there is A LOT more to this story. Please enjoy and review.

Chapter 15

Hope Resurrected

Three days later:

Annie woke up in the hospital instead of the rehab room she had been in. As she woke she had no idea where she was or even what day it was. Opening her eyes, she saw the white blank ceilings meeting white walls. Beside her she heard a heart monitor and saw the outline of what she assumed was an IV stand that had medicine pumping into her arm. Her eyesight was fuzzy and her brain was quite confused. As she began to assess herself as she always did when she woke in the hospital; panic began to overcome her as she couldn't move her legs and her wrists were restrained to the bed frame with thick leather straps. What the hell? She thought to herself beginning to become quite angry. She blinked a few times, hoping her vision would clear and her memory would return.

Her spy brain kicked in as she tried to make sense of what was going on around her. Her mind racing as she thought of the possible reasons she could be strapped to the bed. Is this a hospital or am I someone's hostage? Is this some form of torture? Did they drug me? Is that why I can't remember what's happened? A million more thoughts came to her mind as she assessed herself, the room she was in and—her thoughts paused- the person sitting next to her?

Surprise immediately came over her as her vision cleared more and she saw Auggie sitting next to her in a chair by her bed. His head thrown back against the back of the seat in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. He looked quite exhausted; the bags under his eyes evident even through her still slightly blurry vision. He looked like this was the first he had slept in days. The rattling of the restraints that prevented her from moving her arms more than a few inches must have awakened him as he slowly lifted his head toward the sound the bonds made.

"Auggie, what's going on? Take these restraints off of me!" she shouted with more anger than she intended to, but when he did not immediately move to release her from the shackles her frustration built. He was still just sitting there, moving his neck in a small circle to get the kinks out. She couldn't identify the expression on his face. He looked extremely exhausted, but under that, was, a new level of anxiety she had never seen from him. Questions assaulted her mind as she watched Auggie continue to just sit there, stretching slowly. Did he not know how to undo the restraints? Why was he making her stay restrained? Or a better question, why was she restrained at all?

"Why am I chained to this bed and what the hell happened that I'm in the hospital?" She yelled as he walked over to her bed. "Auggie, you need to undo these right now!"

By now Auggie knew Annie's room pretty well. He had taken the time the first day to learn the layout of Annie's hospital room and to make sure someone showed him where all the equipment was in the room and how it attached to Annie. He also let every nurse know that he needed them to make sure nothing was moved so that he could move around the room if necessary. They had not had a problem with his request.

Now he finds her hand despite her yelling at him and trying to get him to let go of her hand. "Annie, do you remember what happened?" Auggie stated calmly, even politely.

Annie was confused by his calmness as she yelled at him and she began to feel her face turn red and the anger inside her want to explode out of her. She didn't remember what had happened, but panic was overcoming her. She did not understand why she was in the hospital. She did not recall why she currently could not move her legs, assuming at that moment they must be broken or something to that affect. But she decided in an instant that she would pretend she knew exactly what was going on. "Auggie, stop this, of course I remem-"

Suddenly her memory started flooding back. As everything came back to her at once, a wave of emotion came over her as she remembered what had happened, what she had done, and now what she realized she put Auggie through. Sobs suddenly came over her as she realized the seriousness of what she had done-what she had done to him. She began to shake uncontrollably. Auggie quickly (well, as quickly as he could) unshackled her bonds understanding that she needed to move her hands. He did not fear at that moment that she was a danger to herself. He simply stood by her bedside as she sobbed, unsure exactly how to comfort her. He only knew that he wanted her in her arms, but he wasn't she if that was what she would want. Occasionally though the muffled sobs, Auggie heard Annie say: "I'm so sorry Auggie. It will never happen again. I'm sorry I put your through that. I'm so sorry."

Still standing by her side, he found her shoulder. "Annie, calm down. It's over now. You're fine now. Luckily I found you before any permanent damage could be done. Well, at least that's the preliminary analysis." He said as he gently rubbed up and down her shoulders and arms trying to sooth her.

As the sobs quieted and turned into slow whines, Auggie continued to comfort her the way a parent might their child. Finally, he heard her take a deep breath and he waited patiently for her to be ready to say something. She was finally back to him, back to the land of the living, the land of the conscious.

"Auggie, how did you get past it? How did you accept your disability?" Annie asked the question that had been on her mind ever since she got the news. He was one of the only people she knew that could truly understand how she was feeling

Auggie ran his hands down her arms, being mindful of the IV line he knew was in the crook of her right arm, until they met her hands. Holding both her hands in his, connecting them, brought a sense of peace over him. She always seemed to be able to do this for him, now it was his time to comfort her. "Annie, we still don't know for sure that this is permanent. You may not have to accept anything." Not releasing her hands, needing to be connected to her now more than ever.

Annie looked down at their still joined hands and stared for a moment. The truth, it was time he knew it. He had been put through enough. The revelation that he had been the one to find her was more than she could bear. She had wanted to die that night, but the last thing she wanted was for Auggie to be hurt in the way he was. She didn't need to know the details of how everything had taken place to know that he was irreparably scarred by what she had done.

"Auggie, it is permanent." She said slowly choking back another sob. "The doctor told me, well, I don't know what day it is now, but told me at my last appointment. Auggie, I'm sorry. I was trying to push you away so you wouldn't figure out my plan. I didn't want you to be hurt by my actions, but I needed to escape. I didn't see any other way."

Auggie was shocked at this news. He didn't know what to say. The last time he had spoken to the doctor he had informed him that there was still a chance she could regain some mobility. What could have possibly changed since then? Auggie felt her pain. He had been there. He had been angry when the doctor told him he would never see again. He had lashed out and be uncooperative during rehabilitation. He had pushed his family and friends away and refused them to help and support him. A decision he later regretted. This was also a decision he was not going to let Annie make.

"Annie, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you through it." Auggie said now understanding what had happened and the burden that had caused her to almost leave him forever. He now knew he needed to lay the ground work for finally expressing his feelings to Annie.

"Annie, there are some things I need to tell you, important things." Auggie confessed to her, wanting with all his heart to finally be open and honest with her, but he knew it really was not the time or place for such heart to hearts. He couldn't cause her more stress. He also wasn't a hundred percent sure that she felt the same way he did, so he didn't want to chance making the friendship awkward when she needed him so much right now.

"But now isn't the right time. You still have a good bit of recovery to do and you know they are going to make you see a shrink every day for a while, right?" He continued knowing she would get a laugh out of the last part. He imagined she felt the same way about seeing a therapist as he did, but it was a necessary evil of dealing with these kinds of life changing events.

"Haha! Thanks for that lovely reminder. Auggie, how about when I get settled back into the rehabilitation center we have that talk. I assume I'll go back there to finish rehab?"

"As far as I know yes. We were waiting for you to wake up for your coma. I assume you will be in and out for tests and assessments tomorrow. They are going to have to double check that there is no residual effects of the drugs you took." Auggie didn't like the thought of her having to do these tests because it meant that there would be times when he would not be allowed by her side. He didn't want her alone, even more a moment without him. He was terrified that there might still be a part of her that still wanted to end her own life. He couldn't imagine his life without her. The pain caused by the mere nanosecond of thought of the possibility caused him more pain than a hundred gunshot wounds.

"How long have you been here Auggie?" Annie asked recognizing again that he looked extremely exhausted.

"Well, you've been here three days, so I've been here three days." He told her openly. He would not keep things from her.

"Auggie, you need to go home, shower, and sleep in your own bed." She scolded, but softly ran her thumbs over his hand that she now held. She knew he cared for her, but never did she expect this kind of treatment from him.

"Annie, now a chance, Joan has brought me a couple changes of clothes and some basic toiletries, the nurses have been kind enough to get me towels and a washcloth to shower with, and they've brought me three meals a day. I'm not leaving until you do. And furthermore, I have already arranged with the rehab facility to stay with you for at least a couple weeks. Annie you need support. And I WILL be there. If I get annoying, tell me and I will back off, but I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone. You may not see that you need help, but Annie, your life has changed drastically and that will take time to get used to."

Auggie lifted her hand and brought it to his lips and then kissed it softly. "I'm here for you, every step of the way." Then they both grimaced as they heard at the same time the irony in what he had said. "Okay, sorry, there really was no pun intended there."

"It's okay Auggie. I'm just going to have to accept it. I'll never walk again. You'll help me through it all, right?"

"Yes, Annie. I promise I'll help in any and every way I can. You just tell me what you need and it's yours, short of me leaving, that's the one thing I won't do."

"Auggie, I don't know how I'm supposed to thank you." She said bringing his hand up to her cheek.