Nathan Hockley wasn't normally a heavy drinker. He usually could hold his liquor pretty well. But that had been before his heir was killed off and he had barely been able to avoid a murder charge. Getting rid of Dewtt Bukater had been simpler than he had originally thought. The man had been a thorn in his side for years, but this time...defending his son's killer and defiling his name…it had all been too much. So he had done what he should have done years ago. He removed the thorn, and best of all, the prosecutors knew that he was behind it but knew that he was too powerful to ever get a real conviction. He should have been celebrating. He should have been happy.

But he wasn't. Getting rid of Dewitt Bukater had not brought Cal back. It had not cleared his good name. It left him feeling hollow...a hollowness that he filled with alcohol.

He tried to keep a tight reign on his drinking. He tried to only drink with meals and stop when he felt himself get more than a bit a tipsy. But tonight had been especially hard. One of the schools that Cal had applied to had written it's acceptance of him and that brought nothing but memories crashing down on Nathan. So he drank more than he should have, trying to push his grief back to a more manageable level. But all he got was falling down drunk. So drunk that all common sense was left at the door as he made his way to his car and got behind the wheel, meaning to drive to Cal's grave and tell him that he was going to Oxford and not to embarrass the family when he did.

But he didn't make it to the cemetery. It was raining, he was drunk and swerving everywhere, and most of all, he was not only singing some sailor's song very badly, he wasn't paying attention to the road, and he was speeding. He didn't even know what happened when his car crashed into another and his car did what the justice system would not.

Sadly, he had one last victim, barely hanging on to life as the police and ambulance arrived and took in the scene.

...

Rose smiled as she caught a whiff of his cologne. He always smelled so good. She couldn't get enough. She leaned in to the scent and sighed happily. How could she have gone a week without this? Without him? His voice, his touch, his scent, she had missed it all. What a fool she had been. She had obviously not been thinking very clearly.

"Jack, you're late. You said five minutes...," she opened her eyes and frowned as she found herself alone in the dark room, the music in the next room muffled, yet on going.

That was strange. She could have sworn that Jack had been there. She had felt his presence...smelled his cologne. She looked at the digital alarm clock on the dresser and her frown deepened. He's been gone a lot longer than five minutes. Where was he?

She grabbed her purse and dug out her cellphone and dialed his number, trying to ignore the ache that she had in the pit of her stomach. An ache that she only got when she felt that there was something wrong. There was nothing wrong. There was probably traffic and then Jack would probably be indecisive about what kind of coffee she liked. She'll call, tell him that she likes it with cream, and he'll be back by her side in no time.

The phone rang once, twice, finally after five rings, it was obvious that he wasn't going to pick up. What happened? Did Jack realized fully what Rose had done and was mad himself and didn't want to speak with her? Was this his way of ignoring her or was it something else entirely?

Hanging up the phone, she slipped out of bed and walked into the living room, rejoining the party. It was on the verge of dying down. Only a handful of people remained. She walked up to the DJ station where Tommy and Annabelle was discussing The White Stripes. Annabelle was the first to notice Rose's approach.

"Rose! You've finally left the guest room! How did it go?" Annabelle smiled, hoping to hear that there's been a reconciliation.

"We made up. Then he went to get coffee at the seven eleven and said he'd be back in five minutes, but that was like...twenty or thirty minutes ago. I tried calling his cell, but he never answered. I was hoping that someone out here has seen him," Rose explained, the weight in her stomach getting bigger. "Please tell me that you guys have seen him...or have heard something..."

"We haven't heard anything," Tommy frowned. It wasn't like Jack to just leave a party and not return and it definitely wasn't like him to ignore a call from Rose.

Suddenly Julie's cell phone rang. Tommy, Annabelle, and Rose watched as she answered it and her face went pale.

"I'll be right there…," Julie hung up. "It's Jack! He's been in an accident...they're taking him to the hospital now…"

"I'll drive you," Derrick grabbed his car keys and pulled Julie to the door.

Rose felt like she's just been punched in the stomach. How could this be happening? Jack had been with her, just thirty minutes ago...they had just made up...he was supposed to come back to her. This couldn't be happening! She was too shocked to hear Tommy end the party. She didn't even feel Annabelle take her hand as she and Tommy led her to his car. Reality didn't come back to her until they pulled up in front of the hospital.

They found the Dawsons and Derrick in the waiting room, waiting for word on Jack.

"What in the hell happened to Jack?" Tommy asked, leading the two girls into the room.

"Nathan Hockley decided to get drunk and drive and totaled both of their cars. He's dead by the way, but they're working on Jack," Derrick explained. "What was he doing leaving the party anyway?"

"Probably to get away from her," Julie glared at Rose, her old dislike flaring up. She was upset and needed something to blame, and she barely liked Rose anyway. So why not.

"Shut up Julie! No one is in the mood," Tommy growled, seeing how pale Rose had gone. He stood in front of her, doing what he knew Jack would want him to do in this situation.

"Oh come on, he didn't leave until she showed up after a week of not talking to him! I doubt he wanted to spend his friend's party being ignored some more!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Rose glared at Julie, trying not to let Julie's words get to her, trying to be strong so she could be here for Jack.

"Why did you show up at the party anyway? I mean this is more Jack's group than yours, Jack's friends. So why did you show up, huh? You should have just stayed away like you've been doing all week. You as good as put Jack in that hospital bed yourself with how you've been acting."

"And you wonder why I dumped your sorry ass," Tommy growled, now getting up in Julie's face, having enough. "You are as evil as they come, Julie Dawson! Poor Rose has nothing to do with why Jack's in that hospital bed and you're evil for saying it and we're Rose's friend's too, for your information. Jack would hate you for your words and I will tell him once he's out of here."

"I'm just saying the truth. He's better off without her, anyway. This wouldn't have happened if she had just kept staying away from him," Julie turned her back.

Tommy turned back to Rose, more angry with Julie than he's ever been. "Don't listen to her Rose. She's full of shit."

"She's right," Rose sniffed, tears sliding from her eyes.

"What? Rose, no..." Annabelle gasped.

"She is. Jack wouldn't have been out there if it weren't for me. I should have stayed away from him. He was better off..."

"No, Rose. He was miserable without you, you know that. Come on now...don't listen to her. You know how much of a bitch she can be," Tommy scowled over at Julie.

"I have to go...before I hurt him even more...," Rose sniffed, backing away.

"What? Rose you didn't do this. Don't listen to her, Jack needs you here, not elsewhere. Come on now," Tommy tried to encourage her, reaching out for her hand, but Rose ran away instead, Julie's words playing over and over in her head. "Bloody hell," Tommy cursed. He marched over to Julie and turned her around, his Irish temper flaring up.

"You are a right bitch Julie Dawson! May the hounds of hell come after you for what you did to poor Rose! You want to take your anger out on someone, you attack me or your little boyfriend here! You don't attack your cousin's girlfriend! They had just made up and now she believes she should stay away from him for his own safety...what the hell! You better hope my anger has calmed before Jack wakes up, because if it hasn't, I'm as sure as hell going to tell him about this recent attack on Rose and he'll hate you forever! Mark my words!" Tommy yelled.

Derrick stood by watching, feeling conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to defend his girlfriend, but on the other, he felt like ripping her a new one too. Best let the Irish guy do it.

Fabrizio, who had come in to hear the whole thing also had some hot words for Julie, but they were all said in Italian, his own anger making him lose use of the English language. Helga pulled him away to the far side of the room, where he continued to glare at Julie.

"Well at least you still like me," Julie sighed to her boyfriend, not really feeling sorry at all.

"At this moment? Not really," He walked away to join Annabelle and Tommy, leaving Julie to herself.

...

Rose sat outside of the hospital on a bench near the entrance, just letting the tears flow. Jack was in hurt and it was all of her fault. It had to be. Julie was right. She had stayed away from him and she should have stayed away...if she had, he'd be healthy and at home right now.

The truth of the matter is that she was cursed. Everyone she loved had died. Her father. Katarina. And now Jack was probably at death's door, getting ready to walk through it. She knew she was cursed. She should have considered that fact before even getting into a romantic relationship with Jack.

"Rose? What are you doing here?"

She looked up to see Matthew Calvert approaching her, clear confusion in his eyes. The last time he saw her, he had been dropping her off to a party so she could make up with her boyfriend.

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked, trying, but failing to wipe away her tears.

"My mom is a doctor here. She's working the late shift, I was just dropping some dinner off to her. How about you? I thought you were at that party with your boyfriend?" Matthew explained, taking a seat next to her. Rose almost had the urge to tell him to get as far away from her as he could get. Just in case the curse worked retro and took out old boyfriend's too.

More tears flowed from Rose's eyes. "Jack...is in the hospital...he was going to get me coffee...but got a drunk driver instead."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that..."

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let him go Better yet...I should have just stayed away from him. The further away from him I was, the safer he was. My curse couldn't get him," Rose cried.

"What? Rose you're not making any sense," Matthew frowned.

"Don't you get it? Everyone I love dies. My father, Katarina...I love Jack more than anything in this world and now he may die too!"

"But that's not your fault! That's the drunk driver's! You're not cursed Rose."

"You can't possibly know that."

"I think I do, pretty much," Matthew chuckled. "Look, if you really love this guy, stop blaming yourself and get in there and be by his side when he wakes up. Tell him how much you love him and enjoy your time together. Blaming yourself is not helping him. In the end, it'd just hurt you both."

Matthew could be right, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that she was right. That she was cursed and in order to save Jack, she was going to have to let him go. That was the only thing she could do for him. She just hoped that she was strong enough to go through with it.