He entered the doors of the hospital, his nose crinkling at the smell. He reached the waiting room, his eyes meeting Katherine’s. She ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his tall frame, tears shaking through her entire body.

Justin felt so hopeless. The woman who had comforted him so many times was crying in his arms. "She’ll be fine," he whispered, his voice shaky. "I know she will." She had to be.

"She’s stabilized now, you can go in," the nurse said curtly, before walking away.

Katherine shook her head violently as Justin looked at her. "No, I can’t, not yet," she murmured. "Not yet. You go."

Justin nodded, trudging into the room. He was momentarily blinded by whiteness of the room. His ears were met with a constant hum, a mind-numbing beep, an unnerving buzz. But his eyes found something else. Something that shook the very core of his being. Something he knew he’d have nightmares about, something that would cause sleepless nights.

There she was, his best friend, his soul mate. So weak and hopeless, so dead. He shook the thought from his head as he approached her, taking her slim fingers into his. He cringed as he examined her wounds. Long gashes ran down her arms, painfully swollen and purple. Her beautiful face was severely bruised, hints of blood seeping through the gauze wrapped around her forehead.

He sank into the chair beside her bed, his eyes stinging with tears. "Jess, when I said that you weren’t my best friend, I was lying…" he said slowly and softly, his voice almost echoing in the silent room. He half-expected her to answer, for her laugh to ring throughout the room and her smile to illuminate it. But she stayed still, in exception to the shallow rise and fall of her chest.

"…you know I love you Jess. And when you get better, I promise we can hang out as much as you want," he smiled softly. "I know you’re going to make it, I mean if you don’t…" his voice ran out for a second, knowing that the possibility was all too great. "…I know you will," he whispered, "you have to."

He stared at her for a few more seconds, the silence eating away at him. She was never silent, not even when she slept. She was constantly animated, finding it hard at times to contain herself. But she was finally still, not a sound coming from her. Her silence finally got to him, he felt as if he was going insane. She wasn’t saying a word, and it was killing him. He got up, the shuffle of his feet calming him as he left the room.

"How is she?" Katherine asked as he exited, running a hand through his thick curls.

He sighed deeply. He didn’t know what to say. "I think you should go in there," he whispered, swallowing deeply and collapsing into a chair.

She nodded, and entered the room, without saying another word.

He should call her boyfriend, he thought, finding his phone and dialing the familiar number.

He heard a soft grunt, and then a long groan, and then a deep groggy voice. "Who the hell is this? Jess? Baby is that you?"

Justin took a deep breath then swallowed. "No JC, it’s me, Justin."

"Man what are you doing callin’ me at…" he glanced at his alarm clock, "three-thirty in the morning?! Is Jess over there? She didn’t stop by and she hasn’t returned any of my calls…" his voice was concerned, his tone distinctively

"JC," Justin began.

"…and that’s really unusual for her. Maybe she’s studying…" he trailed as his mind became lost in the unknown.

"JC!"

"What?" he asked, "and why are you calling me?"

"Jess, she’s um in the hospital…" Justin said softly and gently, as if he were telling a child that their puppy had just been hit by a car. "They think that they’re losing her…" he heard his voice crack, as the words left his mouth, not believing them for one second.

He heard JC let out a soft cry and then speak, his voice quavering. "I’ll be there as soon as I can." Justin could imagine the tears streaming down JC’s face, his ears met by the deep sobs wrenching through JC’s body.

Justin hung up the phone, and leaned back in his seat. He wondered why he hadn’t started to cry, why the tears didn’t take him over as well. He loved Jess just as much as JC did, if not more, and had shared his entire life with her. But he couldn’t lose hope, he couldn’t succumb to the circumstances.

An overwhelming feeling of guilt engulfed him, knowing that if he had just shown up a few minutes earlier, she wouldn’t be in this position. He looked down at his cell phone, his fingers dialing another number.

"Hello?" Justin detected the remains of sleep with her soothing voice and smiled despite himself. He could picture her lying in bed, stretching her thin little arms above her head, her petite nose scrunching as she yawned.

"Hey baby," he said, his body relaxing at the sound of her voice. Just knowing she was on the other side of the phone calmed him to no end. "Sorry for waking you," he apologized, only half meaning it. He had wanted to wake her, to hear her voice, to imagine her face. It brought him a sense of peace that he so desperately needed.

He could see her- her long golden hair flowing past her shoulders, her crystal green eyes shining up at him. Two adorable dimples appeared whenever she smiled, her entire face lighting up.

She sighed softly, reminding him of a summer breeze. Her voice flowed over the airwaves and into the phone, her laugh echoing in his ear. "It’s okay sweetie, I was up anyways. I miss you," she cooed, her voice gentle.

"Jess, she’s in the hospital, she’s dying…" he whispered, finally allowing the tears to come. He felt safe with her, like he could tell her anything. "I need you."

Raine gasped, "sweetie, I’ll be there as soon as I can," she said as she gathered her things and searched frantically for her keys.

He nodded, feeling like a lost little boy. "Okay, I love you."

She smiled, before hanging up. "I love you too."

Justin looked up as JC rushed into the room, his eyes swollen. "Where is she?" he asked impatiently.

"Her Mom’s in there right now, It’ll probably be a few more minutes," Justin replied wearily, his eyes drooping.

JC slid down into the seat beside Justin, holding his head in his hands. He couldn’t believe this was happening. His girlfriend, the love of his life, was slipping through his fingers. Her life was slowly withering away to nothing and there was nothing he could do about it.

Katherine exited Jess’ room, fresh tears streaming down her face. She swallowed deeply as she looked at the two men. "Oh JC, it’s good to see you again…" she murmured, embracing him. "I just wish it were on happier conditions…"

He smiled weakly and without another word entered her room. He felt himself stop breathing as his eyes fell on her body. She was deathly still, her face almost transparent, her veins visible through her skin. Her eyelids were a soft plum color, her lips a faint shade of blue.

He reached out to her hands and enclosed his around them. They were ice cold, causing him to shiver as he rubbed his hands over hers; her long, slender fingers limply curving to his. They were missing something, he thought as he stared at them blankly. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a pouch that a nurse had handed him minutes before. He opened the green pouch, two rings falling onto his lap, the only two rings she had ever worn; one from Justin, the other from JC. He slipped the thinner, silver band onto her right ring finger, then the wider diamond ring around her left finger, kissing the top lightly. He held her hand back to admire it, the symbol of their love resting regally on her delicate hand.

He leaned in, his full lips meeting the soft skin of her forehead. He kissed her lovingly, tears escaping his smoky blue eyes. "Hey baby," he whispered, allowing the tears run their course down his cheeks. "I love you, I need you sweetie," he said as his voice cracked with emotion. He didn’t know what to say. It was so strange, talking to her without her having something to say right back at him.

He felt so scared. He had been scared before, fear wasn’t a foreign thing to him. But this time it was strong, so strong that tears welled up in his eyes and fell like there was no tomorrow.

He reached out and stroked her cheek, his index finger tracing the contours of her face. His forefinger traced over her lips, up the bridge of her nose then down her closed eyes. He closed his eyes, memorizing every shape of her face, every line. She was classically beautiful, the lines of face a paradox, both strong and delicate. He got up from the chair, leaning in to kiss her again, then left the room, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Oh hey Raine," he murmured, rubbing his face with the edge of his palms. His eyes stung as his hands met his eyelids, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall.

She rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "JC, I’m so sorry. I know this must be so hard on you, but if you need anything, please let me know."

JC knew Jess disliked Raine, but never understood why. "Thanks Raine," he said as she released him.

She returned to her spot on Justin’s lap, her head resting on his thigh. He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose, causing her to giggle. Her appearance was immaculate, astounding even Justin. She was dressed in a pair of black dance pants, a deep green T-shirt clinging to her rather large chest. Her long, blond hair was pulled behind her ears in a low ponytail, accentuating her beautiful green eyes.

She smiled assuredly at JC, calming him down a bit as a heavy man approached. He was dressed in a suit; a trench coat slung over his shoulder and hat covering his round head. He stepped in front of JC, a tape recorder in hand.

"JC! Jack Evans, The Times! I’d like a word with you!" he said as he stood before JC, his eyes eager to catch the next scoop. "Tom! Over here, get a picture!"

JC’s swollen eyes looked up at the man and groaned. "What do you want?"

"Just wanting to know how you feel about your girlfriend’s accident," he stated simply, pulling out a pen and a pad to jot down any other ideas that came to mind.

JC stood up, slowly, stretching out his sore muscles. "So you want to know about how I feel about my girlfriend, lying in a hospital bed, in a coma?"

Jack nodded.

JC slammed the man up against the wall, his chin twitching with anger. "Do you have no decency?" he asked venomously, his hands clutched reporter’s collar, his knuckles pure white. JC immediately resented the life he had chosen for himself, wishing he could act on all the emotions he was feeling.

"This isn’t a top story, this isn’t your big scoop! This is my life! My girlfriend is dying and you’re here asking me how I feel about it???" he asked, his voice echoing through the empty hospital walls. Jack didn’t respond, his bulky face set in shock, his large hazel eyes wide.

A man came running, his white doctor’s coat trailing behind him. "Excuse me! You two need to evacuate the premises. No press is allowed inside," he said pointing to the swinging doors down at the end of the corridor.

The two men nodded, still frozen with shock, then scurried down the hall.

The man turned to JC, who was seated in a hospital, trying his best to get comfortable. He slammed his head in his hands, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Look, I am so sorry about that. The press isn’t usually tipped off this late in the night. I’ll deal with that."

JC just waved his hand, not even looking up.

"I’m Jessica’s doctor, Dr. Avery," he said extending an arm.

JC looked up, taking the doctor’s hand and shaking it. "Hi. I’m JC Chasez," he said his voice ragged, "I’m Jess’ boyfriend."

Justin leaned in an extended an arm. "I’m Justin Timberlake, and this is Raine Walker," he said pointing to Raine who had fallen asleep in the chair beside him.

Dr. Avery smiled. "I know, you’re plastered all over my two daughters’ bedrooms."

He took the chart from the side of her room, flipping it over and reading the charts. "Jessica has suffered extreme trauma to almost all areas of her body. At impact, she was propelled through the windshield, fracturing a small piece of her skull. She also sustained four broken ribs and shattered her collarbone. She has also suffered some internal bleeding throughout her system. Although her external injuries may not look too serious, her internal organs were damaged greatly and at the point of impact, her entire body went into shock, and is still in shock as of now. We performed reconstructive surgery when she was admitted, to remove traces of scarring. Tonight is crucial, if she makes it through tonight, she has a better chance at surviving."

JC looked up at him. "What are her chances?"

The doctor bowed his head. "10-20%. The chances aren’t too high, I’m sorry. Her body has just been through too much, I doubt she’ll be able to handle it."

"And if she does make it through tonight," Justin said slowly, "what are her chances?"

"Better," he responded. "Probably double, maybe triple."

Justin nodded. He knew she’d make it through the night- she was a fighter, it was in her blood. "And will she fully recover?"

He nodded. "Most likely. After physical therapy she should be completely normal, or close to it."

The two men nodded silently, neither cracking the obvious joke, then stood, each shaking the doctor’s hand for the second time. "Thank you Dr. Avery."

He nodded, handing them each a card. "Please call me if you have any questions," he said pointing to a number circled in red ink." They both nodded as he walked away.

"We should call Roxy," JC said sighing.

Justin nodded, pulling out his cell phone and throwing it to JC. "I don’t want to call her!" he said looking at the phone forlornly.

"I am NOT waking her up in the middle of the night! She’s hell enough as it is!" Justin said, backing away from the phone that JC threw towards him. "Dude no. You call Roxy."

"NO! I am not calling the devil-woman at this time in the morning."

"DUDE!" Justin said throwing the phone back at JC. "You do it."

JC stared at the dark blue phone, sighing deeply. "Fine."

"Hello?" JC asked as someone picked up the phone.

"WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?" a female voice screamed.

JC backed away from the phone and stared at it. "Dude Roxy, shut the hell up!"

"JC? Jess isn’t here! I swear, I’m going to kick that pop star ass of yours…"

"Roxy, I’m not calling for Jess, I…" he tried to cut in to no avail, her babble continuing.

"Why are you calling me at 4:30 in the morning? What are you doing up at 4:30 in the morning?" And then it occurred to her that something might actually be wrong. JC calling her? That alone rarely happened, and never at this hour.

"What’s wrong?" she asked slowly, her anger fading into a deep feeling of fear.

"Jess is in the hospital...She might not make it."

Her heart stopped momentarily as her brain processed the information. "What? What happened?" she stammered, as she leaned her forehead into the palm of her hand. It was way too early in the morning to be dealing with all of this. Her brain didn’t function normally on eight hours of sleep, much less two.

He swallowed. He hated thinking about what Jess had been put through. "It’s not too clear exactly," he said as he started at the black and white flecks in the tile below him, "but her car was smashed by a big rig and she was thrown through the windshield. It doesn’t look too good…"

He heard her drop the phone and the shuffling of items around it. "JC?" she asked after a second.

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?" she asked after a second, taking deep breaths.

"Saint Mary’s Hospital," he said as he paced down the hall.

"Okay," she said talking to herself. "I’m going to get all my stuff and go over there. She’s going to be fine."

"Okay Roxy, I’m going to go," he sighed.

"NO YOU ARE NOT HANGING UP THIS PHONE," she screamed as she gathered her clothes and got dressed. "YOU HANG UP THIS PHONE AND I WILL KICK YOUR ASS CHASEZ! AND YOU KNOW I CAN!"

And for once he knew how she felt. He understood every emotion that was streaking through her body, he still felt every nerve on end, every part of his body at it’s peak. "Okay," he said knowingly.

She sighed into the phone as she started her car. "Thanks."

JC leaned back into hard, green plastic of the chair, and pulled out a pad of paper and pen from the breast pocket of his jacket. He let the phone rest on his shoulder as he wrote, tuning out Roxy’s mindless chatter that was streaming over the phone.

"Dude what are you doing?" Justin groaned as he ran his hands over his face, tiredly. He downed the last of his coffee, the bitter taste stinging his taste buds.

"Song," JC answered, his forehead set in thought. He bit his bottom lip, churning out every feeling he was experiencing onto the page with lightning speed.

Roxy came streaming down the hall, her wild curls flying behind her. "So what’s going on?" she asked as she reached JC. They both dropped their phones, realizing they were no longer necessary.

He looked up at her and shrugged. "I don’t even know." He leaned back into the chair, studying her as she stood before him.

She looked frazzled as usual, her long curlicue hair streaming around her. "Way to keep tabs on what’s happening, JC," she muttered as she sat across from him, her head in her hands.

She looked up through her hands and stared at Raine’s sleeping form across from her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, "glad that bitch showed up to the party," she muttered, her dark hazel eyes pounding into the small woman’s body.

Justin looked up, shooting a glare towards Roxy. "What’d you say?"

"I SAID, glad the bitch showed up to the party!" Roxy repeated slowly and loudly, her eyebrows raising as she spoke. "And I bet you, Raine’s the reason this all happened isn’t she Justin? Why don’t you tell me exactly why this happened! Did you show up late again? Did you make her cry? You bastard!" she spat, shaking her head.

"Fuck you Roxy. If I never saw you again, it’d be too soon. You’re such a fucking bitch!" he retorted, his eyes narrowing in anger. He knew damn well that she was right, but he wasn’t about to admit it to her. Never. Never in a million years.

"Face it Justin! You’re an asshole! I swear, when Jess gets out of this, I’m going to have a long, hard talk with her," she screamed standing up.

JC just glanced at them, then turned away- he witnessed this too often to care. He just repositioned himself in his chair then turned back to his pad of paper, ignoring the two to his left.

Justin’s jaw clenched tightly, fighting to keep himself from smacking her. "Right Roxy, and who do you think she’s going to pick? Me or you? We’ve been best friends since we were like born!"

"Well at least I can treat my friends right! You call yourself her best friend," she scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "I’m the one who has to pick up the pieces, I’m the one she cries too because of you two!!" she yelled, pointing to he and Raine.

A nurse approached JC, a chart in her hands. She glanced at the pair, too deep within their argument to notice her. "Excuse me sir…" she murmured. He looked up at her warmly, his eyes apologizing for the pair. "She’s awake."

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