A/N: This fic contains potentially triggering subject matter including but not limited to: suicidal references, gun violence, sexual trauma, homelessness, drug abuse, depression, homophobia, and cancer. It may contain inaccuracies. No copyright infringement intended. Thanks for reading!

BOOK ONE - PART THREE - CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

"Hello, is this Catarina?"

"Yes?"

"Hi, this is Samantha Puckett's doctor. There's been a… complication. Can you please come back to the hospital as soon as possible?"

"What? What happened? Is Sam okay?" Cat blurted worriedly. She spun around on the pathway, grabbed Jade's arm, and began leading her quickly back the way they came.

"I've just been informed she needs emergency treatment for a pulmonary embolism. She's being transferred to the ICU to remove the clot," the doctor explained.

"What does that mean?" Cat asked frantically. "I thought everything went okay with the surgery!"

"Well, apparently a blood clot broke loose during the procedure and made its way to her lung. She was vomiting blood when they found her, but was still concious," the doctor hesitantly explained. "We've restored access to her airway, but her vitals are… unstable. Just know that we're doing everything we can, alright?"

Cat started sobbing and broke into a jog, leaving Jade behind. "What happens if they can't get the blood clot out?"

"We're doing everything we can," the doctor repeated.

Cat felt sick. She took off in a sprint. "Is Sam gonna die?" she choked out.

"Our team is doing their best to ensure that that doesn't happen," the doctor replied.

"Fuck. Fuck!" Cat ended the call, shoved her phone back into her pocket, and ran faster than she ever had in her life. A couple minutes later, she made it to the hospital doors. She hurried inside and went to the correct floor, then rushed to Sam's room. The floor was covered in speckles of blood, and there was a large BIOHAZARD sign surrounding the area. Sam's bed wasn't there. "Sam," she choked out, crawling to a chair, "Sam, please don't leave me… please…"

A nurse passing by noticed the commotion and notified the doctor. He entered Sam's room and slowly approached Cat. "Catarina? You're here for Samantha Puckett?"

"Yes, is she okay?" Cat demanded with tears streaming down her face.

"She's still in the ICU. From what I understand, they're having some trouble removing the clot," the doctor calmly informed her. Then he took a deep breath and said, "Now might be a good time to let her family know. It'll make the legalities easier to handle if they're present when… if she passes."

Cat couldn't breathe. And then she was breathing too quickly, hyperventilating. Sam. Sam. Sam. Her name played on repeat in her head. The last thing she remembered was Jade rushing to her side, yelling her name. Then the lights dimmed, and she fell into unconsciousness.

"Guys, she's awake."

"Finally. Everyone chill, so we don't freak her out."

"You okay, Cat?"

Cat blinked her eyes open to find that she had been laid out on a hospital bed. Jade, Tori, Dice and Robbie were all crowded into the small room.

Right beside her, Sam was lying on her own matching bed with her eyes closed. Cat sat up immediately and reached over to very gently shake her shoulder. "Sam? Sam?!"

Sam cracked her eyes open and managed a small smile. "Hey."

"You're okay!" Cat scrambled out of her bed and into Sam's, forcing her to scoot over. She wrapped her arms around her and clung to her, trembling. "Don't you ever scare me like that again. Ever. I mean it."

Sam groaned and shifted uncomfortably. "That hurts; can you take it easy?"

Cat backed off. "Oh, I'm sorry. What even happened? Why is everyone here?"

"I invited everyone here so they could be there for you if things went… wrong," Jade explained. "They did something called fibrinolytic therapy and got the clot out. It took over an hour, but they finally got it."

"Couldn't get rid of me that easy, could you?" Sam joked weakly.

Cat cuddled up to Sam's side, burrowing her head in by her shoulder, and Sam could feel her tears on the side of her neck. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here when it happened. I should've stayed with you. Are you hurt?"

"My chest hurts," Sam stated the obvious. "But you can't blame yourself for not being here. We had no way of knowing that was gonna happen."

"I don't like when you're hurt," Cat mumbled, sniffling.

Sam sighed. "Cat, look at me." She lifted her head up, and Sam looked into her eyes. "I'm gonna be okay. I can handle a little pain. The important thing is that I'm here. And that's not about to change."

Cat gave out a choked sob. Then she pulled Sam in by the back of her neck and kissed her… and kissed her… and kissed her.

"Well, this is awkward," Robbie remarked, looking away. He was relieved that everything had worked out, but seeing Cat kiss someone like that ignited some sort of protectiveness he never knew he had. He wanted to go over there and force Sam's arms away.

"Um… I think Sam and Cat want to be alone for a while, you guys," Tori suggested, a bit uncomfortably. "Maybe we should get going."

"Dude, I still haven't even been able to talk to you," Dice said to Sam.

"Later. Tomorrow, maybe," Sam mumbled, then continued kissing Cat.

"Try not to swallow each other," Robbie teased with exaggerated disgust as he and the others headed for the door. He was extremely relieved everything seemed to have worked out.

"Cat?" Jade called from across the room before stepping through the doors. "We're all gonna go, okay? Just let us know if you want us back here. Um… you guys have fun."

Both Sam and Cat smiled at that. "We will," Cat assured her. She climbed over to straddle Sam's lap on the bed, never letting their lips part.

Somewhere in the background, they heard the shocked exclamations of their friends as they left. Some mumbled awkward goodbyes, but Sam and Cat didn't reply—they continued kissing like it was their last day on earth.