Brook

It took Jack and Jenn and eventually Matt and Rian, as well, almost an hour to calm me down after overhearing Jack's recollection of what happened in the van right before the accident.

Everyone tried to convince me that Alex and me being broken up had absolutely nothing to do with the accident but it was really hard for me to accept.

"If Alex wasn't so upset, he might have been paying more attention," I argued.

"That doesn't control the weather or the ice on the road," Jenn tried to convince me.

Finally, the stress and exhaustion of the entire night got the better of me and I fell into a very uncomfortable sleep in one of the hard, plastic chairs in the waiting room. I woke up to Rian lightly nudging me and whispering my name.

"Come on," he said, taking my hand and helping me stand up.

"Where are we going?" I asked sleepily.

"We got a couple of rooms at a hotel a few miles away. You need to get some real sleep in a real bed."

I shook my head. "I- I don't want to go."

"Brook," Rian said, squeezing my hand. "There's nothing you can do here right now. You need to get rest."

I sighed. I really didn't want to leave the hospital and Alex be left alone. I know he wouldn't know any better but it didn't feel right.

"Would it make you feel better if we went back in there to say goodnight?"

I shrugged. "It's a start."

Rian nodded and went over to the nurses' station to make sure it was okay. The friendly looking nurse smiled sympathetically at me as Rian spoke to her. After a minute, the nurse gestured to the doors and Rian waved me over. I mustered up the best thankful smile I could as I passed by the nurse and followed Rian through the door and down the hall toward Alex's room.

We stood outside the room for a few minutes before Rian finally pushed the door open and gestured for me to go inside. I took a few steps in and I felt a knot in my stomach. I stopped walking and turned to Rian.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

I took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh. "Do you mind if I do this alone?"

Rian shook his head. "Of course not. I'll be right out here if you need me," he said, kissing my forehead before stepping out into the hall.

It took me a little while before I actually got the nerve to stand by Alex's bed. It was still really difficult to comprehend that this was all really happening.

I pulled one of the plastic chairs closer to the side of the bed and sat down. I stared at Alex for a while, studying his face. If I didn't think too much and ignored the bandage on his forehead and the steady beeping from the heart monitor he was hooked up to, it still just looked like he was sleeping.

"H-Hey, Alex," I said softly. I barely recognized my own voice. "It's Brook.

"Look, I don't know if you can hear me or not and this feels a bit weird, but I've always heard familiar voices can help wake people who are unconscious. So I'm going to do my best here."

I paused for a second and ran my fingertips across Alex's face. The stubble that was there was a clear indication that he hadn't shaved in a while.

"Your face is scratchy," I said, forcing a giggle. "You'll have to take care of that as soon as you get better."

It was weird waiting for him to reply when I knew that he couldn't.

"I know that the last time we spoke things didn't really end well. It seems like the last few times we spoke didn't end well, actually.

"I just want you to know that I am sorry. I totally overreacted about everything. And I love you. I love you so much, Alex. But I will totally understand if you wake up and realize that you still hate me. I'm sure I deserve it. But I really just want you to wake up..."

I trailed off realizing I'd been rambling and I felt like I was going to start to cry all over again. I sniffled, giving Alex's hand a squeeze before kissing the top of it gently. I sat in silence for a while, holding Alex's hand tightly between both of mine.

Eventually Rian came in to check on me with a nurse behind him to check Alex's vitals.

"I told everyone to head to the motel without us. Are you okay?" Rian asked.

I nodded. "Yeah." I replied, intently watching as the nurse read over Alex's chart and jotted some notes down after looking at the monitors he was attached to. "Is everything okay?" I asked her.

She smiled at me. "Actually, it's all pretty perfect. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was just taking a nap."

"I was thinking the same thing," I said, looking over at Rian. "Look at him, he looks normal, right?"

Rian nodded. "Yeah," he said. I could tell he really was trying hard to not look directly at Alex. It was in that moment that I realized how hard this must have been on him as well. "A-Are you almost done here?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit shaky. "We should say goodnight to Jack and Jenn before we go."

I shook my head. "I'm not leaving," I said. "I'll go with you to see Jack. But then I'm coming back in here. I can't leave him alone."

Rian shrugged and looked at the nurse. "I don't know if that's allowed Brook."

I snapped my head to the nurse. "Please? I'll stay out of the way when I need to. And I promise I won't cause any trouble. I just can't leave. It doesn't feel right. Please..."

The nurse smiled sadly at me again. "Just stay out of the way when you have to," she said before slipping out of the room.

I turned to Rian. "You don't mind if I stay, do you?"

He shook his head. "Of course not. I just want you to be comfortable."

"Trust me, I'll be more comfortable here where I know what's going on with him. If I was anywhere else, I'd be too worried to even think about relaxing."

Rian nodded. He knew better than to try and convince me otherwise. "Okay. Want to go see Jack?"

I nodded, kissing Alex's hand lightly and whispering that I'd be right back before I left the room with Rian. When we got to Jack's room, he had already fallen asleep and Jenn was almost there too, curled up in a chair next to the bed.

Me and Rian talked with her for a few minutes before we decided to leave her alone and get some sleep. Rian and I then said our goodbyes as well and he went to wait for a cab to take him to the hotel.

It was definitely a little creepy spending the night alone with Alex in the hospital. But nothing about leaving felt right.

I was back in the room for a little while, curled up in my own chair, one of Alex's hands in mine. I tried to attempt to fall asleep but I knew that was not going to happen. I kind of just sat there watching Alex.

I wasn't sure how long had passed when a different nurse walked in. I straightened up in the seat quickly, ready to move out of the way if needed.

"No, no," the older nurse said. "It's okay. Relax. I'm just grabbing his chart Becky left in here earlier," she said picking up the clipboard.

"Okay." I nodded. "Thank you," I said, turning back to Alex, trying to get comfortable again but it wasn't really possible.

"Have you been talking to him?" the nurse asked.

I nodded. "I was before, yeah."

"Keep trying," the nurse encouraged. "Anything familiar can trigger something in him. A voice, a smell, a song..." she explained as she made her way to the door.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

I waited a few minutes before I said anything.

"I still don't know if you can hear me but you used to sing this song to me all the time. Especially when I wasn't feeling good or was just having trouble falling asleep. I just wish there was a way to know if you hear me..."

It was awkward for me, mostly because of my own lame insecurities, but I sucked that all down and clutched Alex's hand a little tighter as I quietly started to sing.

I'll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe I want to be the air for you
I'll be there for you
I'd live and I'd die for you
I'd steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can't say what love can do
I'll be there for you

"It was worth a shot," I muttered to myself, blinking a few tears away. I realized it was silly to think that singing thirty seconds of a familiar song would pull Alex out of all this.

"Goodnight Alex," I whispered, leaning over and kissing his forehead lightly.

Just as I had settled back into my chair I felt Alex's hand very lightly squeeze my own.
***

Notes

Story Title: Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly
Chapter Title: Justin Timberlake - Pair of Wings

<3

how about that new album though?