Rachel walked with trepidation down the hallway on the ICU ward toward JC's room. After days of not knowing whether JC was going to live or die, she couldn't quite make herself believe that he was okay. Waking up had tipped his prognosis in the opposite direction. Her days had been filled with trying to come to terms with the fact that she might not have JC in her life anymore. After being in each others lives for so many years, she realized it was difficult to imagine him not being there.

"Smile!" Lance told her. "You look like you're going to face a firing squad!"

"I'm nervous. I just... I can't believe..."

"Believe it!" Anita said with a wide grin from her spot behind the nurse's station. "Of all days he decides to wake up... I bet it was because he didn't hear your voice."

"After talking to him for nearly four days nonstop, it was probably concerning not to hear her anymore. He had to wake up and check it out," Michael smiled. The news had brought tremendous relief. While Lance was strong in front of his sister, behind closed doors he wasn't so strong. Michael had comforted him many times while Lance's emotions about one of his best friends bubbled over.

"You should have left days ago," Lance teased his sister.

"I don't know about that," Anita cut in, the smile staying on her face. She was happy this story would have a happy ending. Too many times that was the case in her line of work. "I'm a firm believer in talking to patients. From the moment I met Rachel, I knew they had something special. If anyone was going to pull him out of this, it was going to be her."

Rachel blushed hearing Anita's words. "You give me too much credit."

"No, she just sees what everyone else has seen from the very beginning." Lance told Rachel. "You and JC belong together."

"You're not together?" Anita gasped staring at the woman. "No way... you guys are pulling my chain."

"Nope," Michael shook his head. "They are not together."

"What are you waiting on?"

Lance and Michael laughed. "We have been asking her that question for years," Lance said. "Hopefully that will all change in the next few minutes."

"You've got nothing to worry about," Anita smiled at Rachel. "If he could, he'd get up out of that bed to find you. I know he's tired, but he's still hanging in there waiting for you to show up."

"Don't keep him waiting," Lance nudged Rachel forward.

"You're not coming in?" Rachel looked at Lance.

Lance shook his head. "You need to go in there."

Rachel took a deep breath and let it out slowly before walking down the hall to JC's room. The door was cracked, not pulled tightly shut. She closed her eyes feeling them fill with tears before she could even make it to the room. Lifting her hand, she pushed the door open. She barely noticed Roy and Karen turn their heads to look at the door from their spot by JC's bedside. She didn't notice anything in the room. She stared at the figure laying in the bed as she had many hours before. This time was different though. This time blue eyes stared back at her.

"Rachel..." JC whispered staring at her in the doorway. His mom told him she was fine. His dad told him she was fine. The nurse also told him she was fine. He couldn't let himself believe it until he saw her. Waking up not seeing her had scared him. The pain in his heart was worst than the pain he felt from his injuries thinking that Rachel had been injured. She was here. She was wearing his black zip up hoodie that he thought was in his bedroom. Least that's what he remembered. His memory was fuzzy. The doctor said that will clear up over the next day. He'd be more alert as the hours passed.

"JC..." A laughing cry bubbled up and escaped as she quickly crossed the room. Karen and Roy slipped from the room to give them privacy. She reached for his hand, holding it tightly. There was finally a pressure against her hold; a hand holding hers just as tightly. "JC..." She cupped his face with her free hand, brushing her thumb back and forth over his cheek.

"You're okay?" JC whispered. The hold he had on her hand was tight. He wasn't letting go.

"I'm okay." She whispered just as softly. "Thanks to you." She closed her eyes as tears slipped free and slid down her cheeks. "I'm so glad you're awake."

"Rachel..." He whispered, squeezing her hand. He could feel the tears in his own eyes.

She opened her eyes to stare back in to his; hers glossy with tears. His were as well. "I was so scared... there was so much blood...I..." her voice broke and she closed her eyes once again. She removed the hand from his face and covered her mouth as she fought to control her emotions.

"I'm okay..." JC felt his own tears slip free as he lost the battle. "Missing a few pieces... got a few extras holes..." The doctor had explained his injuries and the steps that had to be taken to ensure he didn't die. He was sure he would ask again later when he was more with it for the explanation again and what it all meant for him down the road. He had one thing on his mind when he woke up and that was Rachel.

"I liked all your pieces where they were." Rachel sniffled. She used the cuff of the hoodie to wipe away the tears. She put her hand on his cheek again and brushed her thumb back and forth again before ducking her head. She leaned her forehead against his, her eyes closing. Fingers tangled in her hair, cupping the back of her head and held her more firmly against him. She opened her eyes and whispered, "You saved me."

JC opened his eyes and met her gaze. "I love you." A sob escaped and he watched her eyes close. Tears rolled from her cheeks dropping onto his face. Her hand squeezed his tightly. "I would do it all over again if it meant saving you."

"God JC," Rachel moved her head to his shoulder. He dropped her hand and gingerly moved to wrap his arms around her. She pressed her face against his neck. Using the hand on the bed, she kept her weight off him. She took a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier... I should have been here."

"No," JC whispered. "Don't apologize." His left hand splayed across the small of her back. His right hand was still tangled in her hair, holding her head where it was. Even with her holding her weight off him, he could feel the pull of the wounds and knew he wouldn't last too much longer before he had to settle his right arm back onto the bed or at least into a position that didn't cause too much strain. "Mom said you'd been here the whole time."

"I couldn't leave," she whispered and drew back to look JC in the eyes. His hand fell from her hair back to his side. She could see a wave of pain cross his face. "Do I need to get Anita? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." He watched as Rachel moved to sit on the edge of the bed at his waist. When he was able, he laid his hand on her thigh. She immediately put her hand over his and he turned his over. She threaded their fingers together.

"I was afraid if I'd leave, you'd die..." Rachel whispered, staring down at their entwined hands. "After everything that's happened..." She used her free hand and wiped away a stray tear before meeting JC's gaze again. "It was almost too late."

"Too late for what?"

"I love you, JC." Rachel held JC's gaze as she said the words and saw when the words sunk in. She watched as his eyes widen. She watched as his lips parted slightly before curving in to a smile. She felt his hand tightened in hers. "There is so much we have to talk about and we will... I just... I just needed to say that. I needed you to know."

JC broke the hold he had on her hand and lifted his hand toward her face. His fingertips just brushed against her jaw. "C'mere," he said. Rachel shifted forward and he was able to palm her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut at his touch. He ran the back of his fingers over her cheek before threading his fingers into her hair. Cupping her head, he drew her down to him. Her left hand moved to his face where she copied his earlier move, palming his cheek. "I love you," he whispered before he touched his lips to hers in their first kiss.

‘Lance was right,' Rachel thought as her lips moved gently with JC's. ‘This is easy.' When the kiss broke, she rested her forehead against his with her eyes closed. "We were so close to never figuring this out."

"But we did." Her right hand come up to his wrist and she slid her fingers along his until they threaded with his fingers in her hair. She pulled his hand away and leaned up. When she kissed his knuckles he smiled softly.

"Ready or not, we're coming in," Lance said as he pushed the door open. The smile on his face widened when he saw the scene in front of him. "Let me be the first to say, it's about fucking time."

"I second that," Karen said, her heart happy. She wiped a tear.

"It is so good to see you awake man," Lance moved to the open side of JC's bed. He took his hand giving it a squeeze. "I think I aged ten years over the last five days. You ever do this again..."

"I didn't plan on doing it this time," JC said dryly. "But if I have to..."

Lance could see the emotion in JC's eyes and he understood completely. Given the opportunity, he would sacrifice himself to save Michael. "Don't think this gets you out of singing at my wedding."

JC grimaced as he laughed. The movement pulled at the incisions. "Don't make me laugh."

"Like laughing hurts worse than kissing my sister."

"Incentives are a helluva better to push through the pain."

Lance laughed. "I bet they are. To show you what a fantastic friend I am, I'm going to pass along the good news."

"You just wanna find out if you won the pool." Michael said.

"What pool?" Rachel asked, looking at her brother. She hadn't moved from JC's side. She sat on the bed at his waist, still holding his hand with both of hers.

"When you guys would finally figure it out." Lance grinned.

"You bet on us? Are you kidding?" JC asked in disbelief. "Who?"

"Me, Michael, Joey, Lisa, Chris, Matt, Eric, Jimmy..." Lance started naming names of the people he knew were in the pool.

"Lauren, my parents," Michael chimed in. "Diane, Stacy..."

"Me," Karen spoke up from her position at the end of the bed. "Tyler, Heather..."

"Are you kidding me?" Rachel asked.

Lance shook his head, laughing. "Nope. Pretty much anyone who has ever met either one of you..."

"Hung out with you guys for five minutes," Michael interrupted chuckling.

Lance nodded. "Yup. Basically anyone who has ever crossed paths with you has tossed money in."

"How long has this been going on and who started it?" Rachel narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"How long has the pool be going on? Oh jeez. Since 2000?" He laughed at the looks on Rachel's and JC's faces. "So many crew members tossed their money in. Our bus drivers... Lonnie, Mike, Melinda, Johnny... man."

"Since 2000?" Rachel whispered shocked. She hadn't even been aware of her feelings for JC back then. She wasn't even sure if she even had any feelings for him that went deeper than friendship.

"Joey started it."

"Of course he did," JC shook his head and rolled his eyes. He squeezed Rachel's hand causing her to look at him. When she did, he sent her a small smile and a wink. "Do we get a cut?"

"Fuck no. After making us wait all this time?" Lance laughed.

"How can you carry this on for fourteen years?" Rachel asked. She was kind of upset that apparently all of her friends and family members were betting on her love life.

"It was fairly easy," Lance shrugged. "Early on we were picking days and weeks. Then it was months. Last few years people were picking years. Some people even said never. After all this time they gave up hope that you guys would ever see what was right in front of your faces."

"Who?"

Lance laughed at JC's question. "I am not even going there."

It didn't take long before exhaustion crept in. JC couldn't hold back the yawns or the long blinks anymore. He had been fighting through it as long as he could. From the moment he had waken, he had been fighting to stay awake. He had needed to see Rachel. That had been his motivation in staying awake earlier. Rachel had been on her way and he needed to see her. Then she was there and he needed to stay awake to be with her. Now, it was too much. It was harder to push back. Fatigue crept around the edges.

"You should sleep," Rachel said, noticing JC's eyes closing longer and longer each blink. He had also grown quieter as the conversation went on around him. While he quieted, his thumb still caressed the back of her hand. It moved back and forth over the skin never stopping.

"Yes," Karen agreed seeing the worn out expression on JC's face. "You get some rest. Your father and I are headed back to Lance's. We were here all night last night." She moved up to JC's side, when Rachel cleared the way.

"Thank you for being here," JC whispered turning his head for his mother to kiss his cheek.

"There is no where else I would be," Karen told him, squeezing his hand before giving it a pat. "We'll be back tomorrow."

"I'll be back later," Lance told JC after Roy had said good bye to his son and they moved to gather their things. "I'll bring Joey and Chris so rest up."

"Chris is in town?" JC asked surprised.

"He's been crashing at Joey's since you've been here."

"You left them unsupervised?" JC asked to cover up the emotions he felt at Chris coming to California for him.

"LA will be feeling the effects for years to come," Lance laughed. "If you need me to bring anything, just send me a message," he told his sister. "I'll be back around dinner. Let me know what you want. If you don't, you're gonna get what I get you and you're gonna eat it."

"Yes Dad," Rachel rolled her eyes. She said her goodbyes and watched as they filed out of the room, leaving her alone with JC. When she looked back at the bed, she smiled softly seeing his eyes closed. She moved to the window and pulled the blinds closed, blocking out the afternoon sunlight.  Then she moved to the door and turned off the lights. Turning back to the bed, she saw his eyes were open and he was watching her. "I can't get it any darker in here," she apologized.

"It's fine." JC lifted his hand, reaching for her. She walked back to the bed and took his hand, moving back to his side. "I'm so glad you stayed."

"I am not going anywhere," Rachel promised. "I'll leave this hospital when you can be by my side. There is no where else I'd rather be than right here with you."

JC's lips curved in a small smile before exhaustion pulled them down. He squeezed her hand. "I love you."

Rachel's smile was wide and bright at his words. "I love you." She leaned down and kissed him. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

"Do me a favor?" JC's words were slurred with exhaustion. His eyes were closed; too heavy to keep open.

"Anything." Rachel brushed the hair off his forehead.

"Draw a happy photo this time."

Rachel was confused at first. Then she looked and saw the drawing pad resting on the bed trey. The drawings inside flashed through her mind and she cringed. Some were happy, but most were not. She hadn't thought to grab it when she left yesterday. The thought of Karen and Roy seeing... of showing JC... She looked back down at JC. His eyes were open and she could see how he was struggling to keep them open. "I will. I promise."

"Of us."

Rachel pressed another kiss against his lips. "Of us."