JC looked up and watched the rest of the guys try to calm down a pacing Lance while he rocked his body, and the one he was holding, back and forth slowly.  JC slowly looked back down to the body that was in his arms, clinging to him.  JC sighed softly, resting his chin back on top of her head and took a slow deep breath.  JC felt guilty on how he was feeling right at the moment.  One of his best friends was in the ER, not knowing how bad or how anything was; and here he was; enjoying the smell, the warmth, and how the body that was in his lap still fit perfectly in his arms.  JC fought the urge to kiss her head, just like he use to do when they were dating.  JC softly started humming softly while fighting the urge to brush his lips against any part of her skin.  He ran his hand up and down her arm slowly, feeling the warmth of her skin from through her shirt.  He was still in shock that she let him sit by her before; even more that she is letting him hold her on his lap, on the floor.

"You guys here for Brittney Howard?"

JC opened his eyes and jerked his head up to look at the nurse that was standing in the doorway.  Lance swallowed hard, looking at the nurse while Chris squeezed his right shoulder.

"Yes."  Lance cleared his throat as he repeated himself.  "Yes."

"She has just been brought to her room and is awake if you would like to see her now."

Lance looked back at the guys, responding to the nurse before looking back at her.

"Is there like, a limit of people allowed to be in the room."

The nurse shook her head.  "No sir there is not."

"How about...."  Chris spoke out and squeezed Lance's shoulder.  "You and Kristen go see her first.  We don't want to bombard her when she just got in.  We will wait till she is settled than all go see her.  Johnny is on his way so someone needs to be out here for her."

"You sure?"

"Totally Man."  Chris nodded his head.  Justin squatted down next to JC as he ran his hand down her arm.

"Did you hear Chris sweetie?"  Justin asked softly, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear.  Kristen nodded, slowly sitting up.  Justin stood up and held her hands in his as he pulled her up.  Justin hugged her tight, giving her a kiss on the top of her head before breaking away.

"Ready?"  Lance asked, wrapping his arm around Kristen's shoulder.  Kristen wrapped her arm around his waist and nodded her head.

"Mhm."

Lance looked up at the nurse while they followed her down the hallway.  His fingers moved slowly in a circular motion against Kristen's shoulder, his mind being flooded with possible ideas of what could of happen.

"Ms. Howard, you have some visitors."

Lance was pulled out of his clouds by the sound of the nurse's voice, soon followed by snickering coming from Kristen.

"Brittney probably wants to ring her neck for calling her Ms. Howard."  Kristen softly whispered for just Lance to hear.  Lance nodded his head, chuckling softly, walking into the room.  As soon as they saw Brittney laying on the bed, tubes in and out of her, monitors beeping, a bandage wrapped around her arm, a small bandage placed on the corner of her forehead, Kristen broke free from Lance's grasp and hurried over towards the bed, hoping on it and wrapping her arms around her best friend.

"Don't you ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER scare me like that again!"

Brittney wrapped her arms slowly around Kristen and looked up to see Lance by her side with his hand on her shoulder, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"How you feeling baby?"  Lance asked.

"Like I have a Kristen on me."  Brittney joked.

"Suck it up."  Kristen mumbled against her shoulder, never moving from her position.  "I'm not moving."

Brittney laughed, keeping her one arm around Kristen, giving her a one arm hug, and placed her other hand in Lance's.  Brittney's green eyes looked up and fell upon Lance's green eyes; she smiled softly.

"I feel like I got hit by a bus, but came out lucky."

Lance face fell with confusion.  Brittney squeezed his hand in assurance.

"It's not bad.  All I have is a slight concussion, bruised shoulder from the seatbelt, bruised ribs and just some cuts and bruises."

Brittney's eyes moved away from Lance's, falling down onto Kristen who was holding her tighter.  Brittney glanced up towards Lance one again before looking back down at Kristen and wrapped her arm around her so she could hold her.

"Hey.  I'm okay....It's alright don't worry."  Brittney said softly.

"I was just so scared...I thought what happened to Ashley happened to you."

Brittney closed her eyes, taking a sharp breath as she moved her hands up and down Kristen's back slowly.

"It's okay.  It was nothing like that hun."  Brittney opened her eyes and looked back down at Kristen.  Lance rested his hand on Kristen's back and rubbed it.  "I bet you Ashley was my guardian angel right than and made sure nothing horrible happened and kept me safe.

"You want to get the rest of the guys?"  He asked.

Brittney looked up at Lance.

"The rest of the guys are here?"

A small smile tugged at Lance's mouth.

"Of course.  They have been here for about an hour...Johnny was on his way also."

Kristen sat up and rubbed her face with her hands.  Brittney reached up and softly gripped Kristen's arms.

"Hey, go get some fresh air, have one of the guys take you and relax alright?"

"Are you sure?  I don't want to leave your side."

"Positive."  Brittney ran her hand up and down Kristen's arm.  "I want you to get some fresh air to you calm down and relax.  You are to worked up right now.....Do it for me."

Kristen nodded her head, hugging Brittney once more before sliding off the bed with Lance's help.

"I love you B-Dawg."

"I love you too K-Dawg."  Brittney smiled.  "Now get some fresh air with one of the guys or I'll woop your ass."

Brittney reached for Lance's hand and looked back up into his eyes once Kristen walked out of the room.

"I'm so glad you are okay."  Lance leaned down at kissed her.  "I was so worried."

Lance reached out with his other hand and held her face in his hand, running his thumb along her jaw line.  Brittney shifted over in her bed a bit as Lance sat down on by her side.

"Question."  Lance said, looking towards the door behind back at Brittney.

"Hmm?"

Lance moved his hand that was holding hers and rested on his lap, his eyes roaming her face before looking back in her eyes.

"Is Kristen okay?  I've never seen her act like....this before."

Brittney squeezed his hand while nodded her head.

"When she is freaked out or sad, she is like..really emotional and touchy-touchy...clingy-like.  She hates being alone and anyways, hospitals freak her out; she doesn't have any good memories in these things and only thinks of the worse."

"Ahh."  Lance said softly.  "Yeah JC was holding her out in the waiting room."

Brittney's face lit up as she looked at him.

"Um hello, explain; tell me everything!...Details baby details!"

Lance laughed, running his thumb over her bottom lip.

"I dunno, like he sat down next to her in the chair and was talking to her softly, I don't know what he said because I couldn't hear him, and next time I look over he is sitting on the floor, Indian-style, with Kristen in his lap while he held her and was humming to her."

Brittney smiled, kissing his thumb as he ran along her lips again.

"Looks like she is warming up to him, good."

Lance nodded his head before pressing his lips to hers once more.

"Mhm..Good it is."

***

She pulled her legs up until the heels of her feet softly made contact with the side of the sidewalk. Sighing, she laid her arms across the top of her knees and placed her chin on her arms as she cased a gaze out in front of her.  Chris watched out of the corner of his eye, Kristen jerking her head to the left to knock the hair out of her face before resting her chin back on her arms.

"You alright?"

Kristen shrugged, paused, than nodded her head.  Chris stretched out his legs in front of him before pulling them back up, bending them at the knees and draped an arm over his knees as his other hand rested on her lower back.

"It's either a yes or no hun; no maybe than a yes."

Kristen softly sighed, her eyes looking straight ahead of her, not looking at anything in particular.

"Yeah...I guess.  I just really hate hospitals.  Nothing good has ever really has ever come out of it for me."

Chris eyes looked around the back of the hospital, seeing nurses and doctors walking past them going in and out of the hospital doors behind them.

"Why is it when something happens to my life, it is like a thousand things at once just collide, it has never been just one thing at a time."

Chris jerked his head and looked down at Kristen; confused and surprised by her outburst.

"What you mean?"

Kristen sat up slowly, letting her arms slowly fall down to her lap, keeping her legs bent.

"Nothing ever comes easy to me when it comes to situations.  First everything with JC, than the nightmares again, now Brittney car accident...Things always happen at once, never one thing at a time.."

"Wait."  Chris turned slightly to look at her.  "What do you mean by nightmares?"

Kristen rolled her eyes, scolding herself for letting it slip out of her mouth.
"Nothing, everyone has nightmares."

"But you said again..."

"It's nothing."

"Liar."  Chris planted one of his hands on her knee.  Kristen looked down at her hands as she started to pick around her nails and sighed.

"Fine.  They are just nightmares I use to get all the time after everything with John.  It is just the same nightmare ever thing, this one time, the um.."  Kristen chewed on her bottom lip, speaking softly which was causing Chris to lean in closer to her to hear her.  "Time he uh..like.. um. well not the first time he punched me and that, but when he uh..like well um.."  Kristen swallowed, blinking her eyes a couple of times, her gazed still on her hands while Chris sat there patiently, listening to every word.  "The night when he first...raped me."  She whispered, barley choking it out clear enough for Chris to hear.  Chris scooted closer till his body was touching hers and wrapped his arm around her while he squeezed her knee with his other hand.

"Is that why you haven't been sleeping well?"

"How did you know?"

Chris smiled softly, shaking his head.

"Sweetie I see you every day and you look more warn out than ever.  We have all noticed...and Brittney has also and..."

"Yeah I know what you are going to say."  Kristen interrupted him.  "To watch me, make sure I'm okay but not to have me notice that you all are watching me.  She has been calling and texting Tom when I'm home and let him know everything I'm doing and rarely let me alone."  Kristen licked her lips before she continued.  "It's like this every time something happens, when I get sad or anything she is like on my tail and I know she is watching me, not matter what she says, I know exactly what she is doing."

"Well.."

Kristen looked down at her hands, continuing to pick at the skin.
"I swear I'm not suicidal anymore.  That was a year ago."

"It takes a while to fully get over that Kristen....and eating disorders."

"I do not have an eating disorder."  Kristen said quickly, staring at the tree on the side of the parking lot.

"What have you eaten today?"

Kristen shifted her head so her forehead was against her arms as she groaned.

"Oh my god."

"You didn't answer me...what have you eaten today."

"I'm not starving myself again."

"Just answer me."

"An apple this morning before work."

"Before work?!  That was around nine this morning Kristen, it's four in the afternoon right now."

"I'm not hungry...you know when your stressed you're just not hungry."

"Tom said you didn't have dinner last night."

Kristen sat up a bit, lifting her head up while she ran her fingers through her hair and paused.

"I was tired.  I just wanted to go to bed and try and get some sleep."

"Are you forcing yourself to throw up?"

Kristen jerked her head to look at him with a shock look on her face.
"I never was like that....and how can I when I'm not really eating?"

"That answered my question about your eating habits."

Kristen dropped her jaw slightly, realizing he tricked her.

"I hate you."

"Kristen."  Chris looked down at her sincerely.  "I don't know why you are doing this to yourself.  You're not fat, you are beautiful..."  Chris started to say till Kristen held up a hand to stop him.
"Once again, I'm not starving myself over that.  I'm just not hungry as much as before because of stress."

Chris's eyes fell upon her hand and quickly took it in his, studying it closely.

"What is this?"

Kristen tried to pull her hand out of his grip, but failed.

"Kristen...."  Chris's eyes trailed from her hand to her face, turning her hand over to look around it and her arm.

"I pick at my nails and the skin around it when I'm stressed and upset...You know that, you do it also."

Chris gave her a stern look and held her hand out, palm out, pointing to the cut that was across her palm.

"No, I mean this."

"I cut my hand while cutting up some fruit."

"Kristen...."

Kristen yanked her hand out of his and shoved it in-between her lap.

"I'm not cutting myself."

Kristen looked at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing Chris just looking at her with a look of worry over his face.  Kristen sight softly, looking down at her hands.

"It was just once."  Kristen whispered softly.  Chris sat forward, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Twice..."

Chris paused in his actions and looked at her.

"Twice what?"

Kristen pointed to the top of hand, showing him a scar.  Chris leaned over, placing her hand in his, studying the small scar on the top of her hand.

"You told us it was a paper cut."

"What you think I'm going to say?  Oh hey I decided to take the razor and cut the top of my hand?.....Riiiight."

"Maybe you should get some help..."

"Nononononono.  I'm not going back to that hell hole, fuck no."  Kristen looked back at him.  "It's not that bad, really it isn't to that expense."

"You know...I'm going to have to tell Brittney."

Kristen straighten her legs out in front of her, slowly having the back of her flip flops scratch along the concrete underneath her.

"Not now..."

Chris nodded his head, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close to him.

"Of course...Kristen..anytime you have thoughts or anything, call me alright?  I won't tell the guys till you tell me to if you even want me to, but seriously...anytime..anywhere, call me instead of doing that to yourself.  I'll help you through it."

Kristen nodded her head, burring her face into his neck.

"Good."  Chris rubbed her back as he continued to hold her, a small smile coming across his face.  "Sooo..speaking of good and talking to me..."

"Hmm?"  Kristen mumbled against him.

"That whole thing with you and Jace."

Kristen sat up straight and looked at him.
"Wipe that smile off your face."

Chris smirked.

"Get that twinkle out of your eye."

Kristen shoved his arms, moving off his lap and sitting back down on the concrete.

"There is no sparkle in my eye."

"Righhhtt."  He teased.  "Sooo.."

"So what?"

Chris rolled his eyes.

"Don't try it, tell me."

"Are you sure you're not a girl?"  Kristen joked.  "You seem to love gossip."  Kristen opened her eyes more, a smile tugging at her lips as she tried to best to hold in her laughter.  "Or gay!"

Chris opened his mouth than quickly closed it, them both falling into a fit of chuckles.

"I'm sure I'm not a girl or gay....Are you sure you're not a guy with your passion of sports and sweats?"

Kristen pulled out the top of her shirt, casting a look down her shirt.

"Yep..unless I got some pretty big man boobs."

Chris tilted his head back, bursting out laughing.

"Oh my god..that was good."

Kristen swayed her body back and forth, shaking her hair out of her face.

"I know.  Guys have told me that."  Kristen looked at him, smiling, while he continued to laugh.

"Alright alright."  Chris took a deep breath when he finally calmed down from laughing.  "Now go on with what you were going to tell me."

Kristen shrugged, looking back out towards the parking lot in front of her.

"I dunno.  I could not push him away when he came over to me...I didn't even want to, which I was surprised by my reaction of letting him comfort me.  I was even more surprised when I let myself sit on his lap and let him hold me while I freaked out."

"We all were."

Kristen shrugged, pushing herself up from the ground.

"I dunno.  I felt safe, not scared at that moment."  Chris looked up at her before getting up himself as she continued to talk.  "It's just...I dunno how to explain it."

"You're slowly opening up to him again?"

Kristen shrugged her shoulders again, wiping the back of her pants.

"I guess?  I dunno.  It's so confusing, I love him, but I still hurt."

"I understand."  Chris held his arm out to let her link her arm with his.  Without hesitation, her arm wrapped around his and they both started to walk back inside.  "What I don't understand is how you are so damn good at changing subjects without me catching on and change the whole mood."

Kristen flashed a smile and slightly shivered when the cold air of the hospital hit her skin.

"I'm just that amazingly good baby."

"That you are my dear."  Chris glanced at her before looking down the hallway as they made their way to Brittney's room.  "That you are."

"You're not going to tell...?"  Kristen said, looking up at Chris.  Chris shook his head and looked at her.  "Nope.  Not tell I have your word."

"Thanks."  She whispered while they walked into Brittney's room.  Chris gently squeezed her arm to let her know she had his word.

"How is it in the back of the hospital?"  Joey asked as soon as Chris and Kristen walked into the room.

"Um...fine..i guess?...why?"  Kristen said with confusion in her voice.

"Because they are going to let Brittney released, we've been waiting for you two, and Mike told us how there was some reporters in the front of the hospital already."

Brittney looked over at Joey, pointing a finger at him.

"Way to make it sound like I'm an animal Joey."

Justin laughed, sliding down in the chair more as he shifted his feet on the bed.

"Maybe you are an animal."

Kristen looked around the room and tilted her head to the side.

"Where is Johnny?"

"Making a statement with Tom on why we are here."  JC answered, taking a sip of water.  "How are you doing?"

"Alright."  Kristen answered, not noticing everyone in the room looking back and forth between the two.  "Fresh air is just wanted I needed to calm down and breathe."

JC nodded, taking another sip out of the bottle of water in his hand.

"That's good.  Sometime that is all you need, some fresh air, to make you feel better."

Kristen nodded, running her hand through her hair.

"Yep, and that is all I needed."

Brittney locked eyes with Lance and smiled.

"How about I kick you all out so I can change out of this nasty...thing I'm wearing and put on some real clothes."

"Your shirt has a little blood on it."  Lance pointed out.  "You can change into the pants you were wearing but the shirt..I don't think you want to wear it."

Kristen moved her arm out of Chris arm and took off the shirt she was wearing and tossed it on the bed.

"Here,  I don't mind."

"You sure?"

Kristen waved her hand at her and nodded.

"It's not winter, I can walk around in a cami, it's fine."

"Thanks bestie."  Brittney smiled.

Kristen patted Brittney's knee.  "Anytime."

Brittney looked at her.  "Can you help me?"

"Of course."

"Good...Now." Brittney looked around the room while Lance placed the pants she was wearing before on her bed.  "Everyone but Kristen get out."

Kristen walked over to the side of the bed and helped Brittney down while everyone else walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"That gown is so ugly."  Kristen commented, lifting the shirt over Brittney's head after they discarded the gown.

"Tell me about it, and it feels nasty."

Kristen chuckled; slowly pulling the shirt threw Brittney's arms and head.  Brittney winced, causing Kristen to stop.

"You okay."

"Yeah yeah.."  Brittney nodded slowly.  "Ribs...okay go."

Kristen slowly pulled the rest of the shirt till it was fully on and grabbed the pants off the bed and lowered down, having Brittney lean against her shoulder while stepping into them.  Kristen pulled them up slowly, zipped them up and buttoned them.

"You know..you know how to put on clothes for other people way to well."  Brittney smirked.

Kristen dropped her hands and grabbed her purse off the bed, giving Brittney a glare.

"You are lucky that you are hurt, because if you weren't...I would be hurting you right now."

Brittney laughed, taking ahold of Kristen's arm.

"Right, keep telling yourself that.  Now.." Brittney slipped on her shoes and looked at Kristen.  "Let's go sign the damn release papers and get the fuck out of here."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Both girls looked around the room one more time, making sure nothing was being left behind and walked out of the room.

"How about we just never come here again?"  Kristen stated, looking up and down the hallways.

Brittney rubbed Kristen's arm while they walked down to the waiting room where everyone was standing.  "Deal"