Chapter 18

"Okay, let’s try it again and don’t hold anything back," Doc ordered. Dan began to sing the first verse of All Or Nothing when Erik’s cell phone suddenly started ringing. Doc looked annoyed as it continued to ring. He finally stopped Dan. "I told you guys to turn those things off during practice."

"Sorry. It usually stops," Erik said. The phone kept ringing.

"Well, you might as well get it," Doc said. He turned to Trevor. "Do the bridge."

Erik walked quickly to his bag and dug out his cell phone. The voice mail hadn’t picked up. Whoever was calling wanted him to pick up. He answered. "Hello?"

"Erik? It’s Maria." She sounded winded and it was hard to hear her. There was a lot of interference.

"Hey, what’s going on? I can’t really talk now. Do you want Jake?" he asked.

"No. Something’s happened and you need to know. I didn’t want you to find out from the news or anything," Maria told him. Erik frowned. Doc motioned for him to hurry up.

"Can you tell me later? Really, Maria, it’s not a good time," he said.

"Alex is in the hospital." Erik didn’t say anything. "Erik? Did you hear me?" Erik found his voice, but it was almost a whisper.

"Yeah. What, what happened?" he asked.

"She was stabbed last night in her apartment," Maria answered. Erik felt the blood drain from his face. Alex? Stabbed? No. No one would want to hurt Alex. "I know that you’re probably shocked, but I thought you’d want to know." Erik just stood there holding the phone. He was shaky, but couldn’t bring himself to sit down.

Jacob glanced over at Erik and noticed how pale he had become. He quickly went over to him. Doc sighed. "Jacob! Get your ass over here!" Jacob held up a finger telling him to give him a minute.

"Erik? What’s wrong?" Erik looked at Jacob and handed him the phone. Jacob frowned and put it to his ear. He put his other hand on Erik’s forearm. Erik looked like he was about to pass out. "Yeah?" Jacob asked into the phone.

"Jacob? It’s me. Is Erik okay?" It was Maria. Now Jacob was really confused.

"What’s wrong? Erik is white as a ghost here," he told her.

"Alex was stabbed last night and her brother, Carlos, was shot. I’m at the hospital now. Alex is in the ICU. Can you maybe ask one of the Mikes to bring Erik here…and you, too? I need you right now, " Maria said.

"Um…yeah, of course. We have practice for another hour, though. How about after that? We can go right to the hospital from here," Jacob told her.

"Jacob! NOW!" Doc bellowed.

"I gotta go. I’m sure she’ll be okay. Pray, sweetheart. It’ll help," Jacob told her.

"I’ll try," Maria said, tears once again welling up in her eyes. She told Jacob where to find her and he hung up.

"Erik, we’ll go to the hospital later, okay? She’ll be all right," he said. Erik looked at him and nodded stiffly. The other guys were looking at them curiously. Jacob led Erik back over to them.

"Is your business done?" Doc asked. Jacob nodded, but didn’t say anything. Doc resumed practice.

Maria was putting her phone away when she realized that she had forgotten to tell Jacob not to bring any cameras with him. He probably didn’t have a choice anyway, but this whole situation wasn’t something that Maria wanted filmed. ‘Talk about having no privacy,’ she thought. Looking up, she noticed Kevin and Geoff walking toward her.

"Maria. How’s Alex?" Kevin asked, hugging her. Maria sighed.

"I don’t know yet. I just got here a little while ago," she said as he released her. She barely glanced at Geoff.

"It’s good to see you," Geoff said. Maria nodded and headed back into the hospital. Why did Geoff have to come here? She led them to the elevators.

Geoff couldn’t take his eyes off of Maria. She looked beautiful. He had missed her, but after hearing about what she’d gone through last month, he chose not to make her life any more stressful by bothering her. It didn’t mean that he still didn’t want her back. Now, seeing her again, he knew that he still cared about her. She was still mad, though. Right now, all Geoff wanted to do was talk to her, but he doubted that she’d listen.

The elevator stopped and they stepped out. Kevin walked over to Kathleen and hugged her. Kathleen started crying. Maria sat down next to Susan. Geoff stood against the wall, watching Maria. The Hernandez family was gone.

"Have you heard anything?" Maria asked Susan. Susan shook her head.

"Not yet. A doctor came to get the family and they disappeared. It’s frustrating, but hopefully someone will come to tell us something soon," she told her. Maria nodded.

"I called Erik. He’s upset, of course. I also talked to Jacob. They’re gonna come by after practice," she said. Susan looked over at Geoff.

"What’s he doing here?" she asked. Maria shrugged.

"I don’t know. We did hang out with Alex a lot when we were together, so I guess he’s here to support her. I just hope that he doesn’t start anything when the guys get here," she said. Susan sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. Maria looked over at Geoff and they made eye contact. She looked away quickly. She hated waiting, but that’s all she could really do right now.

"Mom, I have to go to the hospital. It’s Alex!" Sarah cried. "I wonder if Maria knows." Sarah had just heard on the news about a stabbing/shooting incident and she was shocked when she had heard Alex’s name.

"Dear, what can you do if you go there? I’m sure Maria knows and she’s probably there with her already," Caroline said from her spot on the couch. She barely looked up from the magazine that she was reading when she spoke. Sarah glared at her. "It’s too dangerous to drive in this weather anyway," Caroline added.

"Where the hell is your sympathy?" Sarah shouted. Caroline frowned.

"I don’t like hospitals. With the smell and the sickness. It’s so depressing," she said. Sarah shook her head.

"You’re crazy," she said as she ran to her room. "Emily! Can you please go with me to the hospital?" Emily looked up from her guitar.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Alex was shot or stabbed last night. I want to go to the hospital, but I hate driving in the rain," Sarah replied. Emily quickly got up and pulled on a pair of tennis shoes.

"Let’s go," she said. Sarah nodded gratefully. Emily was more like a sister to her than Maria was at this point. They left the loft, Sarah slamming the door behind her.

Erik’s concentration was gone long before practice ended. Jacob tried to urge him on so that Doc wouldn’t keep them longer. Doc eventually gave up, much to Jacob’s relief. They hurried to pack up their things. When Mike C. came in, Jacob went over and backed him into a corner to talk to him.

"Mike, Alex was hurt last night. She’s in the hospital. Erik wants to go and so do I. Actually, Maria told us to meet her at the hospital," he said, very aware that there was a camera right over his shoulder. Mike frowned.

"Hurt? How?" he asked.

"Stabbed. I don’t know the details. Please, can you take us to the hospital?" he asked. Mike sighed.

"Jake, I can’t allow you guys to get involved with the cops. If she was stabbed, you’ll probably be questioned if you’re there," he said.

"We’re just friends of hers. I doubt the cops will question us anyway. If Alex’s brother was in jail, it’s pretty obvious that it involved him. Look, Erik has to go and Maria needs me. We won’t stay long," Jacob told him. Mike looked over at Erik, who didn’t look too good. He nodded.

"Okay. I’ll call Mike and have him come get the others. The cameras…"

"Stay with them," Jacob said quickly. Mike nodded again.

"Fine. Let’s go," he said. Jacob hastily grabbed his things. Erik did the same. When they were ready, they followed Mike to the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ashley called to them.

"We’ll tell you later," Jacob said, over his shoulder.

"Mike’s coming with a van to bring you guys home," Mike told them as he held the door for Erik and Jacob. He then followed them out the door into the rain that was still falling. Ashley, Dan and Trevor looked at each other, confused and a little worried.

Maria walked around the waiting area. She was tired of just sitting. The elevator doors opened and Sarah came running out, followed by Emily. When Sarah saw Maria, she quickly made her way over to her.

"How is she? How’s Alex?" she asked. Maria shook her head.

"We don’t know. No one has bothered to tell us anything," she answered.

"What’s he doing here?" Sarah asked, looking over at Geoff. Maria shrugged.

"He came for Alex," she replied. Sarah went over to sit beside Susan. Emily hugged Maria. "Has Mom driven you crazy yet?" Maria asked her.

"I think Sarah will go crazy before I do," Emily said with a small smile. "I hope that Alex is okay. What happened? Who would want to hurt her?"

"I don’t know. I think it has something to do with her brother who was shot," Maria said.

"Excuse me? Are you all here for Alexandra Hernandez?" Everyone turned to look at a young woman who was addressing them. She wore a white doctor’s coat, had a stethoscope hanging around her neck, and carried a clipboard. Maria walked forward.

"Yes, we are. How is she?" she asked her.

"She’s still in critical condition, but is holding her own. She had to have a blood transfusion to replace all of the blood that she lost. She had some minor muscle damage, so there may be temporary paralysis when she wakes up," the woman said.

"Can she have visitors?" Maria asked. The woman shook her head.

"I’m sorry, only immediate family members are allowed into the ICU," she said. She started to walk away. Maria ran after her.

"Wait!" The woman stopped and turned around. "I’m Maria Carpenter, Alex’s best friend. Please, I’d really like to see her Dr., Dr…"

"Williams. Kristi Williams. I’m actually an intern here. Miss Hernandez’s doctor is busy right now, so he asked that I inform you of her condition." Maria nodded.

"Can I see her?" Maria asked again. Kristi sighed.

"I know how worried you must be, but the doctor’s orders are only immediate family. I’m sure they’ll contact you if there’s any change," she said. Maria nodded.

"Thank you," she said, sadly. Kristi hurried away and Maria went back to the waiting area.

"Paralysis? That sounds bad," Sarah said.

"She said ‘temporary paralysis,’" Maria told her. The elevator doors opened again and Maria turned to see Mike C. emerge with Erik and Jacob right behind him. Mike remained off to the side while the guys walked over to Maria. Jacob immediately pulled Maria into a tight hug. She was so glad that he was there. "Thank you for coming," she whispered. He let her go and she turned to Erik.

"How is she?" he asked as Maria hugged him.

"She’s in critical condition," she said. Erik backed away and Maria could see how worried he was.

"How did this happen?" he asked.

"We don’t know yet," Maria replied. Jacob put his arm around her.

"How’s her brother?" Erik then asked. Maria shrugged. No one had really asked about Carlos. Maria saw Miguel coming down the hallway. He looked much more in control now then he had been before.

"Miguel? Come here," Maria beckoned him over. "This is Erik Estrada and Jacob Underwood. They’re Alex’s friends." Miguel nodded his head at them. "Have you heard anything about Carlos?"

"He’s gonna be okay. The wound wasn’t too bad. He just lost a lot of blood," Miguel said. Maria nodded. Miguel then hurried away down the hall. "He’s very close to both Alex and Carlos," Maria told them. Erik sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Can we see Alex?" he asked.

"I talked to an intern and she said that we couldn’t. Only family. As Alex gets stronger, she’ll probably be able to have visitors," Maria told him.

Geoff watched as Maria talked with the two boy band jerks. He couldn’t believe that she was still seeing them…especially the bastard who had fought with him. ‘Punk doesn’t deserve a woman like Maria,’ he thought.

Jacob felt someone’s eyes on him. When he turned, he was looking right at Maria’s ex-boyfriend. They glared at each other. "Hi, Jacob." He was now looking at Sarah, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Hey, Sarah. How’s it going?" he asked.

"It could be better. My mom’s still here and it doesn’t look like she’ll ever leave," Sarah said. Jacob gave her a sympathetic look.

"That’s too bad," he said, distractedly. Sarah was about to say something else, but Maria interrupted her.

"Jacob?" He turned back to Maria. "We should just go. There’s nothing that we can really do for her right now," Maria said. He nodded.

"If that’s what you want," he told her. Susan and Kathleen came over. Maria turned to them.

"Susan, come on. We’re gonna go. I’ll keep checking to see how she’s doing," she said. She saw Dr. Williams coming over to them.

"Miss Carpenter?" Maria nodded. "I checked with the doctor and he said that for now, Miss Hernandez isn’t allowed visitors, but if you call tomorrow, just ask for me and I’ll update you on her condition." Maria smiled.

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it," she said. Kristi smiled, too. Maria then noticed how pretty she was. She had dark brown hair with reddish highlights/streaks and it was pulled back into a ponytail. She also had light brown eyes and caramel colored skin. She was very young and Maria supposed, very smart and intellectual.

"No problem. I’ll keep an eye on her for you," Kristi said. She smiled at everyone before turning and walking away. Maria took Jacob’s hand.

"Let’s go," she said. The guys, Maria, Sarah, Emily and Susan started to walk toward the elevators.

"Maria?" Maria sighed when she heard Geoff call her name. She turned to see Kathleen, Kevin and Geoff right behind her and Jacob. Kathleen glared at Geoff.

"Leave her alone," she warned. Jacob had also turned and Maria squeezed his hand to keep him calm.

"I just want to talk to you for a minute," Geoff said, ignoring Kathleen. Kevin shook his head.

"Man, let’s go. This isn’t the right place or the right time," he said.

"I agree with that," Jacob said. Geoff glared at Jacob. He then looked at Maria again, a frown now on his face.

"What? Does he have you on a leash?" Geoff asked Maria. He had tried to stay calm and not let Jacob’s presence bother him, but the way that Jacob had hugged Maria and the way that he was holding onto her hand had, indeed, bothered him. Geoff still hated seeing Maria with someone else.

"I’m not doing this right now," Maria said, turning back toward the elevator. She noticed that Erik looked like he was about to cry. She took his hand with her free one and squeezed it. He leaned down to speak softly in her ear.

"I want to find the chapel before we go," he said. Maria nodded.

"Susan, there’s something that we have to do. Do you mind waiting?" she asked.

"I’ll drive her to wherever she wants to go," Emily volunteered.

"Is that okay?" Maria asked her. Susan nodded. "Okay, I’ll see you later." Maria hugged Susan and she left with Sarah and Emily. Kevin dragged Geoff into an elevator. Kathleen waved ‘goodbye’ and it was just the three of them and Mike.

"Jacob, Erik wants to go to the chapel," Maria told him. He nodded and they went to find the chapel, Mike following after them.

The chapel was empty. Mike had told them that he would wait for them in the hallway. Erik went to the front and knelt down at the foot of the altar. Maria sat down, Jacob next to her. He was still holding her hand. Maria looked at the large crucifix over the altar and sighed.

"How long has it been since you’ve prayed?" Jacob asked her quietly.

"A long time," she said. "I’m not ready yet." Jacob didn’t push her. He released her hand and knelt down, bowing his head and resting it on his folded hands. Maria closed her eyes. As far as she was concerned, the bad had once again won out over the good. Alex didn’t deserve what had happened to her and whoever hurt her was still running around loose somewhere. Where was the justice in that?

Crying interrupted Maria’s thoughts. She opened her eyes and saw that Erik had finally broken down. She went over to him and pulled him up, holding him tightly. When would the suffering end?

Jacob watched as Maria comforted Erik. He was worried about her. He suspected that she hadn’t cried for her friend; she was composed and being strong for everyone else. Maria didn’t need this right now. It was too soon after the tragedy.

"She’s gonna be fine, Erik," Maria was saying. He nodded, wiping his eyes.

"I just, it’s just that I never told her that I really care about her. She was upset about the fact that I didn’t want to make our relationship public, but I was protecting her, you know? I never thought that something like this would happen," Erik said.

"I’m sure she understood why you didn’t want people to know," Jacob told him as he walked over to them. "Maria and I, we decided to do the same thing, although I’m sure fans will pick up on us since we’re always talking about it in front of the cameras." Erik managed a small smile.

"You’re probably right," he said. They walked out of the chapel. A woman was coming in as they were going out. She looked at the guys and her eyes opened wide.

"Excuse me, are you in that group…O-Town?" she asked. Jacob and Erik looked at each other, and then at the woman.

"Yes," Jacob said. The woman put her hand over her mouth.

"Oh, my! My daughter is a big fan of yours. Can I ask you boys for a favor?" she asked, a desperate look on her face. Mike walked over to them.

"Guys, we have to go," he said. Jacob shook his head at Mike.

"Wait," he said and turned back to the woman. "Ma’am, what can we do for you?" he asked. The woman looked like she was about to cry.

"My daughter, Jessica, was in a car accident yesterday. She got cut badly on her face and hasn’t spoken to anyone since then. She is so depressed. The doctor told her she may be scarred badly and she isn’t taking it well. If you could visit her for maybe five minutes, I’m sure that that would make her feel better. But, I’ll understand if you can’t," the woman said. Jacob and Erik exchanged another look.

"We can spare five minutes, maybe even ten," Erik said, smiling. The woman was ecstatic. She smiled as she led them to the elevators to take them to the floor where her daughter’s room was. Jacob took hold of Maria’s hand again. Maria gave Erik a lot of credit for being able to put his own hurt and worry aside to visit this woman’s daughter.

"How old is your daughter?" Maria asked.

"She’s sixteen. She just got her driver’s license not so long ago. The accident wasn’t even her fault. I just hope that she won’t be afraid to drive anymore. She was so excited to get her license," the woman said. "I’m Evelyn, by the way."

"I’m Erik-Michael, that’s Jacob and Maria." Erik introduced them.

"Thank you so much for doing this. Jessica will be thrilled," Evelyn told them. The elevator stopped and Evelyn led them to a private room. She opened the door and went in. Erik, Jacob and Maria were right behind her. Mike, once again, stayed in the hall. "Jessie? Sweetheart, it’s me. I brought some friends." Jessica was lying in the bed in a hospital gown. The right side of her face was heavily bandaged and there were dark bruises around her eyes. Her arms had scratches all over them and her left forearm was wrapped in another thick bandage. It must’ve been a bad accident.

Jessica opened her eyes and looked over at her mother. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the guys. Maria stayed back by the door.

"Er…Erik? Jacob? Oh, my God!" Jessica turned over to see them better. She winced slightly as she moved. Erik and Jacob walked over to the bed.

"Hey, Jessica. Your mom said that you weren’t feeling well," Erik said, smiling.

"Why? How? Oh, my God!" Jessica exclaimed, looking from Erik to Jacob and back again. Jacob laughed.

"How do you feel?" he asked. Jessica looked shocked.

"Um…bad," she said. Erik carefully sat down on the bed.

"That’s too bad," he said.

"I look horrible." Jessica reached up to touch the bandage on her face.

"No, you don’t. You look good to me. How about you, Erik?" Jacob asked.

"You look beautiful," Erik told her. Jessica frowned.

"Nice try. I love you guys but I know when you’re lying," she said. They laughed.

"We’re not. Honest," Erik told her.

"Why are you in the hospital? You’re not hurt are you?" Jessica asked.

"No. I have a friend who was hurt pretty badly and we’re here for her. She’s in the ICU," Erik told her. Jessica looked at the sheet that was covering her.

"Oh, I’m sorry. You must think I’m a jerk for worrying about a cut face when your friend is, like, so much worse," she said. Erik put a finger under her chin and lifted her head so that she was looking at him.

"No. I think that it must’ve scared you to be in an accident, but you’re going to be okay," he said. Tears fell from Jessica’s brown eyes. She swallowed hard.

"I don’t…I don’t want a scar on my face. I know it sounds selfish, but I’m on the cheerleading squad at school and everyone will think I’m ugly," she said.

"Not your real friends," Jacob told her. Jessica looked up at him.

"Thank you," she said, softly. Evelyn came over to the bed.

"The doctor said that there may be a scar, but that there are plastic surgery procedures that can make it practically unnoticeable," she said. Maria then walked over to the bed and stood beside Jacob. Jessica noticed her for the first time.

"Hi, Jessica. I’m Maria, a friend of the guys. Listen, a friend of mine taught me lots of make-up techniques that can hide the worst facial blemishes. I can bring some make-up when you’re feeling better and make you up if you want," she said, smiling. Jessica almost smiled.

"You would do that? Why? You don’t even know me," she said.

"Well, I do now. And you know what? Maybe my friend will feel better by then and she’ll come help me. She’s a stylist," Maria told her.

"Wow. That sounds great," Jessica said. She looked again at Erik and Jacob. "Can Ashley come, too?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face. They laughed.

"I knew it! Everyone’s an Ashley fan!" Erik said, pretending to be hurt. Jessica did smile now. Evelyn had tears running down her cheeks.

"I love you guys too!" Jessica said happily.

"Okay, we feel better," Jacob told her. Mike stuck his head in indicating that it was time to go. "We hope that you feel better soon," Jacob said, taking her hand. Erik gently put his hand on her arm, careful not to hurt her.

"You take care," he said. Jessica was beaming now. They signed her bandaged arm and waved as they left the room. Evelyn followed them out.

"Thank you, boys!" she exclaimed, hugging them one at a time.

"You’re welcome," Jacob said.

"I will keep my promise about doing her make-up," Maria said. She got Evelyn’s address and phone number. Mike then led them to the elevator. Once inside, Maria’s thoughts turned again to Alex. She still wasn’t out of the woods. She was still critical and a long way away from being okay. Maria shivered.

"Are you all right?" Jacob asked her. Maria shook her head.

"Not really," she said quietly.