As Jackson sat there and tried to process exactly what Chris was saying, his cell phone began ringing.  Letting out a small groan, Jackson leaned to his side and pulled the small device out.  Unfortunately after glancing at the caller ID, he wished he would have just left it in his pocket.

"Are you going to answer that or what?"  Chris asked, the tone of his voice conveying that he was more than a little annoyed with the constant ringing.

Taking a deep breath, Jackson reluctantly flipped the phone open and placed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Where's my brother at?"  Cameran quickly asked.

"Why do ask?" 

"Jackson, don't play games with me.  His phone is just kicking right in to voice mail and I know you know where he is."

"Now's not a good time.  Can you call me back in about thirty minutes?"

"No, I'm not calling you back in thirty minutes!  You have five minutes to call me back and tell me where he is or I am going to make sure that I fill in the blanks concerning Wade's little accident to our local men in blue, you HEAR ME?!  And make sure you tell him I'm not fucking around either Jackson!  Call me back!"

Hearing the sound of yelling on the other end, Chris turned to face Jackson.

"Fine.  I'll call you back." 

Without saying another word or giving her the opportunity to say anything else, Jackson flipped his phone shut and let out a heavy sigh.

"What the hell was that all about?" 

"We umm....we have a little problem.  Well, more like you have a little problem."

"What do you mean I have a little problem?"

"There's something you don't know about the whole Wade situation and honestly, I don't even know where to start."  Jackson said glancing back down at his phone.

"Well I suggest you start at the beginning."  Chris said, his patience quickly growing thin. "Now who was on the phone?"

Letting out a slight chuckle, Jackson knew that the second her name left his lips that all hell was going to break loose.  Unfortunately he knew he didn't really have any other choice.  He had to tell Chris that Cameran was in town and that she was there at the club with Wade. 

"That was umm...Cameran."

"Cameran, as in my sister?"  Chris asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"Yeah.  Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush with this.  Cameran is in town.  I don't know why she is in town or how long she has been here, so don't ask.  What I do know is that..." 

"Wait...WHAT?!  She's here?  In LA?!"

"That's what I said.  She was at the club with Wade earlier too...and she knows at least something about Michelle."  Jackson continued, never taking his eyes off his best friend.  "She also said you aren't answering your phone and that she wants me to 'find' you and then call her back." 

Shaking his head in disbelief, Chris quickly pulled his cell phone out from his pocket and flipped it open.  This just had to be some kind of mistake.  She couldn't be in LA.  He had talked to her earlier on the phone and she never mentioned being in town. 

"Are you sure she said she was in LA?"  Chris asked, pressing a few buttons before placing the phone to his ear. 

"I never said she 'told' me she was in town." 

Scrunching up his face, Chris gave Jackson a puzzled look and was about to inquire on how exactly he made the determination that she was in town when he suddenly heard Cameran answer on the other end.

"Why weren't you answering your phone?!"

"Whoa, whoa!  Hold up!  Who do you think you are talking to like that Cam?"  Chris asked, slightly taken back by her tone.

"Where are you at Chris?  Just answer the question!"

"No, I think the real question is where are YOU?!" 

"Well I'm not in New York if that's what you're hoping to hear." 

"WHERE ARE YOU AT CAMERAN?!"  Chris screamed, her new found attitude with him quickly taking it's toll.

Letting out a slight chuckle, Cameran walked out of the waiting room and in to the adjoining hall.

"Well if you must know, I'm down at UCLA Medical Center praying to God that your fucking reckless behavior didn't just cost Wade his life!"  Cameran screamed in to the phone.

Realizing that he was still sitting in the parking lot of the very same hospital where she just informed him that she was, Chris flipped his phone shut and quickly turned his truck off.

"Let's go!"  Chris yelled, yanking his keys from the ignition.

"Where are we going?"  Jackson asked, jumping back out of the truck and sprinting after his best friend.

"She's up there with that son of a bitch!"

"Yeah ummm Chris....there's probably a few more things you should know before we head up there." 

"Like what?"  Chris asked, quickly making his way backthrough the main doors of the hospital and across the lobby.   "Never mind. Whatever you need to tell me, you can tell me after I find out where they have that prick at."

Spotting the patient information desk off to his right, Chris shoved his keys in to his back pocket and headed over to inquire as to where Wade was. 

As he approached the desk, the lady stopped typing and looked up from her computer.

"Can I help you sir?" 

"You had a patient brought in here ealier by the name of Wade Robson.  Can you tell me what floor he is on?" 

"Actually, I had someone stop here and ask me the same thing not that long ago.  As I told the young man, he's up on the third floor but I don't think he has been...."

Unfortunately before the lady could even finish telling him that Wade had not been assigned a room yet, Chris was already half way back across the lobby.  Every second that passed now feeling like an eternity.

"So, you care to tell my why I am just NOW hearing about Cameran being in LA?"  Chris asked, as he rapidly began pressing the up button.

"I was going to tell you man, I was just trying to find the right time."

"And when exactly did you find out Jackson?"

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to tell you." Jackson said, following Chris in to the elevator car. "Look, after you left the club with Michelle, I was waiting for the ambulance to come when a car pulled in to the parking lot.  Seconds later, she stepped out."

"So you knew she was in town for a few hours now and not once did the thought cross your mind that you should say something?!"

"I told her I wouldn't say anything to you."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"That was the deal I cut with her.  She would accompany Wade to the hospital and make sure that if anyone asked what had happened, they heard the same story as the one we gave the paramedics.  In return, I wasn't going to say anything about her being in town.  At least not yet."  Jackson said, glancing over at Chris impatiently tapping his fingers off his leg.  "If you have a problem with that, then that's just tough shit.  You left me there to handle things and that's how I handled them. I can also tell you that she knows something about Michelle, because the next question out of her mouth after she asked what happened to Wade was did you do it and was it because of her."

"She said Michelle specifically?"  Chris asked, his confusion over the situation clearly evident by the look on his face.

"Yeah.  Well her exact words went something like...Michelle, the little whore that my brother is fucking.  The one Wade used to date."

"So she's obviously had contact with him then. Great!  Just what I needed right now Jackson!  More fuckin bullshit!"

"Don't go trying to blame this on me!  I didn't bring to her Los Angeles!"

"Just...never mind.  I'll handle this shit the way it should have been handle from the beginning."

"Just don't do anything here Chris.  I mean, say what you have to say or do what you have to do.  Just DON'T do it here."

"Thanks for the heads up."  Chris replied sarcastically as he stepped off of the elevator.

"Chris I'm serious!"

Ignoring Jackson's advice, Chris quickly scanned down the list of departments on that floor.  Once he was satisfied that he knew at least something about Wade's condition based on the listings, he began trying to locate Cameran.

"Where in the hell is the fucking waiting room at?!"

"I don't know man.  Just...I'll go look down here and you go that way." 

As Jackson began heading down the right side of the hall to look for the waiting room, Chris saw Cameran step out in to the hall to his left and quickly headed in her direction.

"Cam!"

Spotting Chris heading towards her, Cameran adjusted her purse on her shoulder and proceeded down the hall towards him.  Both of them clearly wanting to get the first word in concerning Wade.

"Nice of you to show up?  Should I inform LA's finest that you're hear to make a statment.  A confession if you will?"  Cameran snapped, quickly getting up in Chris' face.

Not bothering to acknowledge her question with a response, Chris let out a slight snicker and quickly closed the gap between them.  After performing a quick survey of his surroundings, Chris forcefully grabbed a hold of Cameran by her upper arms and pushed her through the door that led to the stairs.  Normally he wouldn't even think of laying a hand on his sister, but given the circumstances and everything that was at stake, he knew he needed to make himself perfectly clear.

"I don't know what the hell you think you are pulling here Cam, but this shit with Wade, you're involvement with him, it's OVER!"

Struggling to free herself from his hold, Cameran placed her hands on his chest and began frantically pushing him away.

"You know, I'm sick and tired of you always telling me what to do Chris!  I can do whatever I want!  I can see whoever I want!  We're not kids anymore!"

"Then grow the fuck up Cam!  This shit isn't a game!"  he yelled, shoving her backward and snatching her purse from her arm.  "So, the uh...the phone call earlier, when you asked where I was.  Was that just a call for information?  Did you plan this shit?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."  Cameran replied, folding her arms across her chest in defiance.

Letting out a slight snicker, Chris unzipped her purse and began scanning through it's contents.  He was more than certain that something in there was going to give away her true intentions, he just wasn't truly prepared to find out how much like him she really was.

"What this?"  Chris asked, flipping over a small piece of paper.

"It looks like a piece of paper."  she repiled, smiling.

"I meant what's written on the paper.  It's a license plate number for a silver Mercedes."  he said, flipping it back over.  "Did you get in to an accident on your way here or something Cam?  You need this for..insurance reasons?"  Chris asked, continuing with his interrogation even though he knew that the license plate number more than likely matched that of Michelle's car.

Offering him nothing more than a shrug of her shoulders, Cameran continued to stand there as if the piece of paper was nothing more than garbage.  Unfortunately, being a Carbonell himself, Chris saw right through her and for the first time realized just how much damage she was capable of causing.

"I think it's about time you and I have a little talk, don't you?" Chris growled, the tone of his voice clearly displaying that his question was meant to be taken as more of a declaration as he pushed her purse in to her chest and grabbed her by her arm.  "Let's go.  We're leaving."

"I'm not leaving Chris! I'm staying here with Wade!"

"You know what, I'm not going to drag you out of here Cam because frankly, I have more important things to do with my time.  But let me make myself perfectly clear.  If you don't leave with me by your own free will, the next time you see Wade will be at his funeral.  I guarantee it.  One call is all it will take Cameran.  Of course, feel free to test me if you think I'm joking.  Just know that if you make the wrong choice, he'll be dead within the hour."

Knowing that Chris meant every word he said, Cameran threw her purse back over her shoulder and pulled the door back open.  After stepping back in to the hall, Jackson spotted the two of them walking out from the stairwell and headed over.

"So, I see you found Cameran."  Jackson said, studying the matching look of frustration that both Carbonell siblings were now sporting.

"Yeah, I found her alright."  Chris replied, pulling his keys back out from his pocket.  "Do me a favor. Take the Hummer back to the house for me.  I have to make sure my 'little sister' gets home safely and without incident."  he continued, tossing the keys over to Jackson.

"I can drive myself home, thank you very much."

"Like I would trust you to do that."  Chris growled as he gave her a slight shove forward.  "Now give me your keys.  I'm driving."

Not wanting to get involved in their family squabble, Jackson shoved Chris' keys in his pocket and headed towards the elevator.  Realizing that a lot of things were left unsaid, Jackson turned back around and called out to Chris.

"Hey, are you just dropping her off and then coming back home."

"Yeah, why?"  Chris asked, giving Cameran another slight shove towards the elevator.

"Because we never finished the conversation that we started in the truck.  You know, the one involving the issue with the paperwork."

"I think I pretty much already said everything there was to say."

"Yeah well, that isn't going to cut it.  Not after everything that happened earlier at your place."

"Look, I can't be bothered with that stuff right now, alright?!  Just...just take my truck home for me and I'll call you tomorrow."

"What about..."

"I'll handle it tomorrow Jackson!"

Throwing his hands up in defeat, Jackson glanced over at Cameran and then back to Chris one last time before pressing the button on the elevator.  After a few seconds, the small ding echoed through the hall and the elevator doors opened.

Stepping to the side, Jackson allowed Cameran and Chris to enter the car first and then followed behind them.  He hated to think that the night was ending with so many uncertainties, but given the circumstances, he knew that's exactly how it was going to go down. 

Chapter 172

As Chantal stood in the hallway just outside the elevator doors, one look at Justin's face was all it took to send her in to an instant panic.

"Justin, what's wrong?  What's going on?!"

Quickly shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts for a moment, Justin rushed forward and took a hold of Chantal's hand.  He knew he needed to go back down and see if that was in fact that was the guy Wade was arguing with a few days ago, but he also knew that he couldn't just leave Chantal standing there by herself.

"Come on."

Spotting a few nurses coming out from a set of double doors off to their left, Justin quickly headed in her direction, practically dragging Chantal behind him. Every second that passed by seemed like an eternity.

"Justin what are you doing?!"  Chantal yelled, pushing her purse strap back up on to her shoulder as she continued to follow behind him.

"Look, I have to go down stairs for a minute, but I'll be back up.  I just want to make sure that we find someone who can help you find out about Wade first."

"Why do you need to go back....."

"Because I do!  I just don't have time to get in to it right now."  Justin snapped back, stopping just a few feet short of the group of nurses.  "Excuse me.  We were told her brother was brought up here to the third floor, but that they didn't have him assigned a room yet.  Is there anyone here that can give her some infomation."

Scrunching her face slightly, the nurse realized that only one patient hadn't been assigned a room yet and curiously decided to ask her who she was looking for.  Knowing that the staff had been repeatedly trying to locate a family member to sign off on forms for the young man, she asked the girl what her brother's name was and silently said a prayed that the girl would turn out to be who they were looking for.

"What's your brother's name?"

"Wade.  Wade Robson."  she said, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

Hearing the name, the nurses eyes widened and she quickly grabbed a hold of Chantal's hand. 

"I'll catch you guys later.  I'm going to take her back and tell Kathy that we finally got in touch with someone." she said, nodding to the other nurses who had been standing there with her before turning her attention back to Chantal.  "We have been trying to locate someone in his family for the last hour, but until now we haven't been able to get in touch with anyone.  There's a lot of forms that we need someone to sign off on.  Come on.  I'll take you back there."

"Justin..."

"It's alright Chantal.  Just go back and find out what is going on with Wade.  I'll be back up as soon as I can.  I promise."

After watching Justin head back over to the elevators and press the down button, Chantal let out a heavy sigh and followed the older woman through the set of doors and down the hall to the nurse's station.  Once the nurse spotted one of the nurses that been in charge of trying to obtain someone to sign off on Wade's forms, she called out to her.

"Kathy, where's Robson's restraint paperwork?  His sister just got here so I'm going to have her sign off on it."  the older nurse asked as she began to scan through the stack of folders that were sitting in a small bin on top of the desk. 

"It's not in there.  Dr. Caufield pulled his chart about fifteen minutes ago and headed down to the recovery room with it."

"For what?"

"I don't know.  Dr. Pitalka called up here looking for a consult, but I don't know if it was for him or not.  He has a few patients down there."

"What's going on?!  Is my brother ok or not?!"  Chantal frantically asked.  The casual back and forth discussion about Wade between the two nurses slowly pushing her towards a state of insanity.

"I don't know what's going on ma'am.  You brother hasn't be officially transferred over to our floor yet so we really don't know.  I can try and call down there to see if Dr. Caufield is still with him though if you want to go and have a seat in the waiting room."

"No!  I'm not going to go sit in some damn waiting room and wonder what the hell is going on with my brother!  Call down there and tell Dr. Caufiled or whoever is treating him that I am up here and that I want some answers!"

"Alright ma'am.  Just settle down.  We'll get a hold of Dr. Caufield and see what we can find out."

"What do you need Kathy?" 

Glancing over their shoulders, both nurses saw Dr. Caufield headed back down the hall and let out a sigh of relief. 

"This is Wade Robson's sister.  She just got here and from what I understand, no one has given her any information on her brother's condition.  Can you talk to her?"

"Yeah, I can talk to her."  he said, gently placing his hand on Chantal's back to guide her over to a small room.  "But if Dr. Pitalka calls back up here, tell him if the results of this latest CT scan are the same as the one done pre-op, that he should just continue on with transport."

"Alright."

"If you want step inside I can go over Wade's chart with you."  the doctor continued, motioning towards a set of chairs off to the side of the room.

"Honestly, this whole 'have a seat' thing isn't really going to make a difference in the condition that I am in right now so why don't you just tell me what is going on."  Chantal said, the tears that had once threatened to spill from her eyes now burning trails down her cheeks. 

"If you would, please."  the doctor insisted, motioning towards the chairs once again.

Letting out a heavy sigh of frustration, Chantal headed over to one of the chairs and plopped herself down.  As she did, the doctor grabbed the second chair her and took a seat in front of her.

"I understand you're Wade's..."

"Sister.  Chantal."

"Ok Chantal. Well, what I can tell you right now is that the paramedics brought your brother in to the ER a few hours ago in critical condition. Our initial testing showed that your brother had suffered numerous facial lacerations as well as blunt force trama to both his mid section and lower jaw area that required immeadiate surgery.  Unfortunately, we were informed of the fact that your brother had flatlined on more than one occassion before he arrived at the hospital and that made our decision on whether or not to operate a delicate one.  Now, after weighing the risks of both holding off on the operation and proceeding as planned, we ultimately decided that to give Wade his best chance of survival, we needed to move ahead with the surgery." 

Hearing the news that Wade had at one point been 'clinically' dead and then right after to hear the doctor discuss what would increase his chances of 'survival', Chantal lost all resolve and just broke out in tears.  She just couldn't understand why this was all happening.  How did everything just seemed to keep going from bad to worse?!

Placing a hand gently on her knee, Dr. Caufield leaned forward and tried his best to inform Chantal of everthing she needed to know without causing her any more distress than necessary. It wasn't easy being the one to relay news such as this, but he knew it was part of the job when he decided to pursue a career in medicine.

"After the ER deemed your brother stable enough to be transported down to the operating room, the surgeon's repaired his fractured jaw and ruptured spleen, and for the most part, both surgeries went off without incident.  However, when they started to pull back on the drugs used to keep your brother sedated, his EKG started to show signs that he was in the early stages of cardiac arrest."

Hearing the frightening words fall from the doctor's mouth, Chantal looked up at him wide eyed.  Was he seriously about to tell her that Wade's heart had stopped beating? 

"Now, I'll be honest with you Ms. Robson.  There was a period of time when our outlook for you're brother's recovery was very grim.  The cardiac team had to work rather vigorously to get his heart started again and we're still not sure if he suffered any long term effects from the aggressive course of treatment."

"I don't understsand. What do you mean long term effects?"

"At this point in time, we are unable to run any test that would assess your brother's cognative skills and mobility.  Once we are able to run those, we can give you more information about his prognosis."

"Well if you need me to sign forms or pay for any testing, just tell me.  I want to know what's going on with my brother.  It doesn't matter how much it costs!"  Chantal cried, wiping the tears from her eyes to that she could see better.

"I wish it was that easy Ms. Robson.  It's not a matter of costs.  It's simply a matter of being able to physically perfom the tests."

"Well they why hasn't the testing been done if it's not a matter of costs?"

"Unfortunately, after several failed attempts to bring your brother in to a state of consciousness in the recovery room, we were forced to look at the very real possibility that you're brother has slipped in to a comatose state." 

"No.  No!  Don't say that!"  Chantal screamed.  "That's my baby brother you are talking about!" 

"I'm sorry.  I wish I had better news for you."

Unable to fully process or grasp what she was hearing, Chantal got up from her chair and began pacing the room.  This just couldn't be real.  It had to be a dream.  A bad dream.  A nightmare!

"Now if you add the fact that your brother had suffered a great deal of blood loss prior to his arrival with the fact that he didn't appear to be mentally concerned about himself or his condition when he came through the ER, I would like to think that this is just a temporary condition."

"What do you mean temporary?" 

"Sometimes, when the human body suffers a great deal of trama or stress, it can shut itself down to prevent further injury and allow itself time to heal.  It acts like a defense mechanism, if you will." 

"So you're saying that he can wake up from this and be completely fine?"

"Technically, yes.  Your brother had a CT scan prior to surgery and that test came back clean. The likelyhood that something happened after surgery is a possibility, but I would have to say that chances of that are slim."  the doctor said, getting up from his chair to walk over to where Chantal was standing.  "Plus your brother is getting the best possible care here.  If there is a chance that we can get him back, then we will."  he continued, placing his hand on Chantal's shoulder. "He's young.  He has his whole life ahead of him and I'm sure he has plenty of things to look forward to."

"Actually, right now he doesn't and that's what scares me."  Chantal said, turning around to face the doctor.  "He's been going through a lot lately and unfortunately he has pretty much pushed away just about everyone who had ever cared about him...including his girlfriend."

"Well, if there was ever a reason to rally the troops, this would be it.  Research has proven that on more than one occassion, the love of family and friends has made a world of difference in the recovery of patients.  It's something to think about.  I mean, if they ever cared for your brother, I couldn't imagine them turning their back on him now."

Knowing where he was coming from, Chantal wiped her eyes and nodded her head.

"When can I see him?"

"They actually have back downstairs running another CT scan to make sure everything is the same as it was before surgery.  If the tests come back with the same result, we'll bring him up to ICU and place him a room.  You'll be able to visit him then, but we'll want to keep the number of visitors in the room to a minimum.  Also, if you do have family and friends in the room, we ask you only focus on the positive things.  Don't bring any conversation in to the room that could cause your brother stress.  A lot of times patients are fully aware of their surroundings and have even recalled conversations their loved ones have had in the room with them."

"I understand."  Chantal said, momentarily glancing downat the floor before turning her attention back to him.  "So, should I just wait here then?"

"Yeah, you can have a seat in here.  I'll send one of the nurses in to see if there is anything they can get you or if there is someone you want them to call.  In the meantime, I'll try to get an update on your brother's recent CT scan.  Once I know anything, I'll let you know."

"Thank you Dr. Caufield."

"You're welcome.  Do you have any other questions before I leave?  Anything you aren't quite sure of?"  he asked, heading back across the room and over to the door.

"No.  Not right now anyway.  I just really want to see my brother." she replied, following behind him and back over to the chairs.

"Alright, well I'll go see what I can find out. Just hang tight."

Nodding her head, Chantal watched the doctor walk out of the room and down the long hallway.  Once he disappeared, Chantal collapsed back down in to the chair and grabbed her cell phone.  After dialing the number to Justin's phone, Chantal wiped her eyes yet again and place the phone to her ear.

Hearing the ringing sound coming from his pocket, Justin quickly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. Seeing that it was Chantal, he flipped it open and placed it to his ear.

"Hey, did you find anything out?"  he asked, glancing around the lobby area of the hospital for any sign of Chris and company.

"Yeah.   Can you come up here...please?"

Hearing Chantal's voice crack as she spoke, Justin quickly turned back around and headed towards the elevators.

"I'm on my way.  Just stay there."

Chapter 173

After hanging up with Chantal, Justin did one more quick glance around the lobby and the adjoining hallways for any sign of Chris or the people he was with.  Convinced that he was long gone, Justin shoved his phone back in to his pocket and continued over to the set of elevators along side of the wall.

"Come on damn it."  Justin groaned as he repeatedly pressed the up arrow on the silver panel. "It's only one more floor.  How much longer could it take?" 

Then, no sooner did the words come out of his mouth, a small ding echoed through the lobby to signal that the elevator car had arrived.  After stepping back slightly to allow the other passengers room to get off, Justin rushed inside, pressed the button to the third floor and then repeatedly pressed the button to close the set of doors.

As the doors finally started to close, Justin allowed his body to fall back against the stainless metal surface, if only to give himself a moment to breathe and pull himself together.

After another stop on the second floor and another heavy sigh, the elevator approached the third floor and another small bell sounded.  Pushing his body away from the wall, Justin nervously headed out of the elevator car and over to the set of double doors that he had watched the nurses escort Chantal though only minutes ago.  He knew by the tone of her voice that something was really wrong and couldn't help but wonder if he was really what she needed right now. 

Sure, things had been rough between the two lately, but he would still consider her a friend.  Wade on the other hand, he wasn't quite so sure of.  Could he really go down there and act like nothing was wrong?  Especially after knowing what he had been doing to Michelle for the last few weeks?  Just thinking about it made him sick to his stomach.

Knowing that he was brought up better than to desert a friend in a time of need, Justin pushed his anger for Wade aside and headed over to the nurse's station.  He knew that regardless of how he felt about Wade and what he had done, Chantal needed a friend and he promised her he would be there for her.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to find a friend of mine who was brought back here to get information on her brother.  His name is Wade Robson."

"Ms. Robson is across the hall to your....."  the nurse started to say, but stopped short when she heard the sound of Chantal's voice call out to him.

"Justin?"

Turning around, Justin saw Chantal standing in the doorway of the small room, her complexion was now a rosy shade of red and her eyes were quickly filling with tears.  It killed him just to see her looking that so he quickly rushed over to her side.

"Hey, are you alright?"  he asked, pulling her body against him so that he could wrap his arms around her. 

Unable to form any words, Chantal just shook her head 'no' and sobbed uncontrollably in to his chest. 

"Where's Wade?  Did you find anything out?"

After wiping at her eyes, Chantal pushed herself out of Justin's grasp and took a deep breath.  She wanted to tell him what she knew about Wade's condition, but the words just wouldn't come out.  It was like every time she went over what she wanted to say in her head, the words would jumble in to a mess and nothing would come out.

"It's alright, come on.  Let's go sit down for a minute."

Nodding her head in agreement that she should go and sit down, Chantal was on her way back over to the small room when she suddenly heard a slight commotion coming from the other end of the hall.  Quickly turning on her heels, Chantal watched as Dr. Caufield rounded the corner with another nurse and two men pushing a gurney.

"Oh my god.  Is that Wade?"  Chantal asked, not waiting long enough for Justin to answer her before she was headed down the hall towards them.  "Dr. Caufield, is that my brother?"  she called out again.

"Ma'am.  You'll have to wait there!  We need to get your brother set up in his room." the nurse next to Dr. Caufield said, quickly making her way up the hall to intercept Chantal.

"Please, just let me see him for one second.  PLEASE!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that ma'am.  You'll have to wait in the waiting room until he is cleared for visitors.  It won't be long.  Just a few more minutes."

"I'm not a visitor damn it!  I'm his SISTER!"

Seeing that Chantal was working herself in to fit of hysterics, Justin grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back towards the waiting room.

"Hey, do you think that this is going to get you in that room any quicker or that it's going to do either of you any good right now?  You can't just go down there screaming and carrying on like that.  You need to settle down and pull yourself together!"

"I need to see him Justin!  I don't want him thinking he is alone!  He needs to know that I'm here!"

"And he will.  Just let them get him situated in his room and we'll go down.  I just don't want you going down there and losing it in front of him."

"It's not like he's going to see me anyway."  Chantal snapped, her anger over Wade's current diagnosis finally making it's way to the surface.

"What do you mean he isn't going to see you?"

"He's in a coma Justin!  He isn't going to be able to see me!   He isn't going to be able to see you!  For all I know, he may never get the opportunity to see anyone ever again!"

With his eyes now wide open, Justin stood in shock and tried his best to absorb what Chantal had just informed him of.  Unfortunately, even after a few minutes of trying to come to terms with the news, Justin just couldn't quite wrap his brain around it and he continued to stand there with a blank expression on his face.

"I bet you're just loving it too, aren't you?  I mean, with Wade out of the picture now, you can have Michelle all to yourself, right?"    Hell, maybe you even had something to do with this.  Especially when you knew he was here before anyone else did!  Why is that Justin?!"

Hearing her appalling accusation, Justin instantly snapped out of his trance and stared coldly at her.  His eyes narrowing in to mere slits, as he studied the look on her face.  She couldn't be serious.

"You know what, I can't even believe you said that!  How can you even think for one second that I had anything, ANYTHING AT ALL to do with this?!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it you that had attacked him in the parking lot outside of Michelle's apartment?!  Wasn't it you that beat him in to a near state of unconsciousness?!"

Pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth, Justin continued to stand there in amazement.  He was there trying to comfort her and help her through this difficult time, and now here she was trying to blame this all on him?!

"You know what, if that's the way you feel, then maybe I should just go.  I mean, you obviously have it all figured out."  Justin said, now pacing back and forth in front of her as he tried to keep his temper in check.  "So, I guess if I'm responsible for Wade, then I'm responsible for Michelle's trip to the ER as well, right?!"

"What do you mean Michelle's trip to the ER?"  Chantal asked, glancing over her shoulder towards Wade's room.

Shaking his head with frustration, Justin ran his hand down over his face and let out a heavy sigh.  He was livid for the way Chantal was accusing him, but also knew that more than likely it wasn't intentional.  Especially given the stressful circumstances.  So after taking one more calming breath, Justin decided to just let her comments go and try to be there for her.

"Look, I don't know what happened tonight Chantal.  As far as I was concerned, tonight was just another typical night in Los Angeles.  Unfortunately once I got home, I quickly realized that this was anything but."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, after I got home, I discovered that Trace had found Michelle in the ER here earlier tonight with a set of bruised ribs and brought her home to my place."  he said, the tone of his voice shifting from anger to concern once again.  "Something happened tonight with them Chantal, but I don't know what.  That's actually one of the reasons why I'm down here.  I couldn't get her to talk to me and tell me what happened, so I was hoping to get that information from Wade.  Except, I guess that isn't going to work now either."

"Do you think Wade had something to do with her injuries?"

Raising his eyebrows questioningly, Justin let Chantal mentally answer her own question.

"You know, it's more than likely that he did.  I mean, we both know what has been going on between them over the last few weeks."

"Yeah, I know where you are coming from.  It wouldn't be the first time he hurt her, but if that's the case, then how do you explain what happened to him?  She didn't do that to him Justin.  We both know that."

"Which actually brings me to why I needed to go back downstairs a few minutes ago."  Justin said, taking a deep cleansing breath before continuing.  "Do you know anyone that Wade associates with or has associated with by the name of Chris?"

"You mean other than Cris Judd?"

"Yeah.  Other than him."

"No, not that I know of.  But then again, there's obviously a lot about Wade that I don't know anymore."  she said, dropping her gaze down to the floor.  "Why?"

"I really don't want to say too much right now because I want to try and talk to Michelle again, but I honestly think that this guy had something to do with all this."

"I don't understand.  Do you know the guy?"

"No.  Well, that's not exactly true.  I've seen him before.  I've seen him with both of them." Justin replied, watching her bring her gaze back up to his.

"Who is he?   What were they doing with him?"

"Short version, he's apparently someone you don't want to mess around with.  As for where I saw him and what he was doing with Wade and Michelle, I'd rather not say."

"Oh god.  It isn't some weird...sexual thing is it?  I mean, like both of them...and her?"  Chantal asked, scrunching up her face in disgust.

"No, it's nothing like that.  Although, I'm pretty sure this guy did have sex with her.  At least based on Wade's reaction to what he saw and the commotion that I heard when I walked in to the guy's house."

"I thought you didn't know the guy?"

"I don't!"  Justin said, quickly realizing that all he was doing was confusing her more.

"Then why were you at his house?!  You're not making any sense!  You either know him or you don't!"

"Alright look. This isn't important right now.  The only thing that matters is making sure that Wade pulls through this."  he said, his stomach instantly knotting up over the fact that he had suddenly found himself rooting for Wade's recovery.  "Let's just focus on that for right now."

"You're right."  Chantal said, glancing over Justin's shoulder at one of the nurses that were headed their way. 

"Ms. Robson, Dr. Caufield said you can go down to see your brother now."

"Thank you."  Chantal replied, quickly grabbing Justin by his and dragging him down the way with her.

"Chantal, maybe you should just go in by yourself."

"No, I need you in there with me.  Please."

Stopping a few feet from Wade's door, Chantal spun around and locked eyes with Justin.  She couldn't help but feel she was being selfish for wanting him to be there by her side,  but at the same time, she knew that she truly needed him there.  She couldn't go in there alone.

"I'll go in with you, but I can only stay for a few minutes.  I have to go home and check on Michelle."

"That's fine.  I understand."

Not wasting any time, Chantal grabbed a hold of his hand once again and continued pulling him the last few feet down to Wade's room.  Then just as she was about to walk inside, Dr. Caufield stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed behind him.

"What are you doing?  The nurse said I could see him now."

"You can see him.  I just want to make sure you're prepared for this."

"Prepared for what?  You already told me he was in a coma."

"Yeah, but I meant prepared for the way your brother looks.  I just don't want you to be alarmed by all the equipment he is still hooked up to."

"What do you mean?  What kind of equipment?"

"Well, because your brother is unable to breath on his own at this point, we kept his trach tube in place and hooked him up to a ventilator.  Also, because your brother had suffered several seizures after his arrival here at the hospital, the nurses will be regularly adding medication to his IV's to make sure that he doesn't relapse and start seizing again.  This medication is, of course, in addition to the other preventative medication he will be receiving along with the regular IV fluids we will be using to keep him nourished and hydrated."

Seeing a look of concern wash across Chantal's face once again, Justin placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"What are his chances of coming out of this?"  Justin asked, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"Actually, the initial report from his second CT scan is promising.  We didn't find any trauma or reason to believe that he can't come out of this.  I simply think it's a matter of time.  Of course, it goes without saying that a lot of the work is going to have to come from Wade himself."

Nodding her head that she understood everything he had just told her, Chantal adjusted her purse on her arm and slipped out of Justin's hold.

"Can I go in and see him now?"

"Yeah.  Just remember what I said.  Keep the visitors to a minimum and keep the atmosphere in to the room calm and quiet."

"I will." 

After placing her hand on the door knob, Chantal turned back around and offered Justin the best smile she could manage given the circumstances.

"Thanks for being here Justin.  I don't think I could do this alone."

Returning her slight smile, Justin let out a heavy sigh and mentally tried to prepare himself for what he was about to see.

Chapter 174

As the elevator doors closed shut, Cameran took a few steps away from Chris and leaned herself back against the wall.  She hated the fact that he always pulled rank with her.  It was the one thing she constantly rebelled against, yet she never seem to gain anything from it.  It would always just come down to the same thing.  He called the shots.  End of story.

"You can pout, you can throw a fit, it's not going to make a damn bit of difference this time around Cam.  You know where I stood with Wade and yet you deliberately went against my wishes and saw him."

"Oh I did more than see him."  Cameran snickered underneath her breathe.

Turning his face towards his sister, Chris' eyes narrowed into mere slits.  She was trying his patience.  He could feel it.

"Well I hope it was worth it Cam, I really do."

"It was.  Believe me."  she replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest in an act of defiance.

Unable to avoid hearing the back and forth discussion going on between Chris and Cameran, Jackson let out a small chuckle and tried to look the other way.  Chris was already riding the edge of sanity and the last thing he wanted to do was be the one to push him over the edge.  At the same time though, he knew no one could get under Chris' skin like his sister and it was always amusing to watch.

"You know what..."

"What Chris?!"

Realizing that he had let her off the hook one too many times already, Chris pushed himself away from the side of the elevator and quickly tried to close the distance between them.

"No!  You are not going to do this here!"  Jackson yelled, stepping in between the two siblings.

"Move God damn it!"

"It's alright Jackson.  Let him go."  Cameran said, stepping out from behind him.  "He likes being the tough guy.  Right Chris?  I mean, from what I hear, manhandling girls is a new pastime of yours."

"Excuse me?"  Chris asked, the tone of his voice more than conveying that her comment had taken him by surprise.

"You heard me.  Is that a new fetish of yours Chris?  To get a hold of other people's girlfriends and violate them?"  Cameran said, as she quickly and fearlessly took up position in front of her brother.  "And since we're on the subject, tell me Chris, was this mess tonight because you chose Michelle to be the latest victim in your sick and twisted little world?"

Hearing his sister paint the disturbing yet truthful picture of him, Chris shook his head with disgust and looked away.  Everything he was trying to figure out and move past was suddenly being thrown back in his face and it killed him.  He didn't need to be reliving what he did or didn't do with Michelle.  Especially not right now.

"What's wrong Chris?  Can't handle the truth?" 

As an uncomfortable silence began to quickly fill the small space, the elevator car finally came to stop and Cameran looked up. Realizing they had reached the lobby, she adjusted her purse on her shoulder and started to head towards the doors, just as they opened.

"You know, maybe before you go judging other people and the decisions they make, you should probably stop and take a good long look at yourself and the ones you make."  she said, quickly snatching her keys from Chris' hand. 

Unable to even move or speak, Chris stood there in a state of shock and watched as his sister headed out of the elevator and towards the front entrance of the hospital.  It was hard to let what she said sink in, but once it finally did, he knew she was right.  He was the last person that should have been passing judgement on anyone.  Especially after what he had been doing to Michelle over the last few days.

"Are you just going to let her leave?!"  Jackson asked, quickly joining Chris' side.

"You know what, it's fuckin pointless.  I don't even give a shit anymore."  Chris said, extending his hand out towards Jackson.  "Just give me my keys.  I want to go home."

"Why don't you let me drive you home man."

"Jackson...my keys.  Now."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jackson reached in to his pocket and pulled out the keys to Chris' Hummer.  Once he reluctantly placed them in to his hand, Jackson watched Chris head across the lobby and knew without a doubt that he was hurting.  It wasn't something he would have been able to pick up on before, but since Michelle came in to the picture, this emotion was now just as distinguishable as Chris being absolutely furious.

"Chris, hold up man."  Jackson called out, quickly picking up his pace in an effort to catch his best friend.

Ignoring his request, Chris continued out the door and in to the parking lot.  He knew that more than likely Jackson was about to give him another lecture and he wasn't about to stick around and hear it.  Especially since the day had already provided more stress over the last 24 hours than he had experienced in an entire month.  He just wanted to go home.

"Chris!"

Hearing Jackson call out to him yet again, Chris let out a frustrated sigh and stopped in his tracks.  Clearly he wasn't going to let up.

After Jackson finally caught up to Chris, he took up position in front of him and gave him a good once over.  If Chris was going to insist that he drive himself home, Jackson wanted to be certain that wasn't going to get himself killed in the process.  Unfortunately it didn't take long for him to realize that despite standing mere inches away from his face, Chris' attention was clearly elsewhere.

"Seriously man, let me drive you home.  You look like hell."

Turning his attention back to his best friend, Chris looked up at Jackson and just began laughing.  It was a small laugh at first, but within seconds, it turned in to a full blown fit of laughter and Jackson knew more than ever that Chris was mentally gone.

Not bothering with the technicalities of offering to drive Chris' home any more, Jackson simply reached down and snatched the keys from his hand.

"You losing it man, you really are.  If you would have gotten behind the wheel, I'd be down here visiting your ass!  Don't you care?"

"Do you Jackson?  I mean honestly, who cares.  Michelle wouldn't care.  Cameran wouldn't care.  Why should I care?!"  Chris yelled, attempting to snatch his keys back.

"Do you even hear yourself?!  You're fuckin pathetic!"

Deciding that enough was enough, Chris reached out to snatch his keys again and this time, he was successful.

"I'm going home.  Are you coming or what?"

"I'm not getting in the truck with you all spaced out.  I like my life man."

"Then, you know what, stay here.  I don't need this bullshit."

Without saying another word, Chris disengaged his security system and unlocked the driver's side door.  After climbing inside, Chris wasted no time in starting up his truck and pulling out of the parking lot...without his best friend.

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As Chantal proceeded to push the heavy wooden door open, her heart rate all but doubled.  She tried to convince herself that she was ready for this, that she could do this, but once the sound of the equipment in the room began to fill her ears, she realized just how wrong she was.

"Justin, I can't.  I can't do this."

"Yes you can.  I'm right here." 

Feeling the tears begin to well up in her eyes, Chantal squeezed them closed and tried to get herself together.  She knew she needed to stay strong.  If not for herself, then for Wade.

After pushing the door the rest of the way open, Chantal finally laid eyes on her brother for the first time and just lost it.

"Oh my God!  Oh god!"  she gasped, quickly covering her mouth with her hands.

"Chantal, stop.  You have to get it together.  Do NOT fall apart in here."

"But..."  she started to say, as she quickly turned away.  "I can't Justin.  I can't look at him like that.  I'm sorry.  I just...I can't."

"It's alright.  Just give yourself some time to adjust to it all.  I mean, you said you wanted him to know that you're here, that he isn't alone.  Do you really want to just walk out of here?"

"No, but it's so hard to even look at him."

"I know it is, but I'm here."  Justin reassured her as he stroked her back.  "Come on.  I'll be right beside you."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Chantal took a deep breath and slowly turned back around.  When she laid her eyes back on her brother once again, she felt her heart literally break. It was almost more than she could bear to see.  He used to be so full of life.  So happy.  And now.  Now he was anything but.

"What happened to him Justin?"  she sobbed, slowly working her way across the room.  "I mean, what the hell could have possibly happened tonight that would result in something like this?" 

"I wish I knew Chantal."  he replied, walking a few steps behind her.  "I really wish I knew."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Chantal sat her purse down on one of the chairs that were positioned against the wall and hesitanttly made her way over to Wade's bed.  Once she joined his side, she gently placed her hand over his and began to look him over.

"He didn't deserve this you know.  Despite what you or anything else thought about his relationship with Michelle, he loved her.  He just fell back in to some old habits that he shouldn't have.  I told him to get help.  God!   Why didn't he listen to me!?"

"Chantal, this really isn't the time."  Justin said, his stomach now twisting in knots as he studied Wade's condition.  "There's nothing anyone can say or do to change the past, so there's no point in talking about it right now."

Nodding her head that she understood where he was coming from, Chantal turned back around and gently tried to move a few pieces of hair away from Wade's forehead.  After a few attempts at trying to keep it in place, Chantal turned to look over her shoulder.

"Can you get me a damp cloth or something.  You would had thought that they would have cleaned him up a little better than this.  He's a mess."

"Yeah, I'll be right back."

After heading in to the bathroom, Justin grabbed a washcloth from the small shelf above the sink and turned the water on.  Once he managed to bring in to a comfortable temperature, he placed the cloth under the facet and then squeezed out the excess.

"Look, I can tell you're uncomfortable being here.  Why don't you just go home and get some sleep.  It's late anyway."  Chantal said, taking the cloth from his extended hand as he walked back in to the room.

"I told you I would be here for you, and I will."

"You have been here for me, and I appreciate it, but there's really no point in just standing here."  she said, wiping the cloth over the stiff pieces of blood soaked hair.

"Actually I would like to get back and check on Michelle, but I don't want to just leave you here and..."

"I'll be fine Justin.  Honest."  she said, finally managing to brush the few strands of hair away from his face.  "You know, you never did tell me what happened with her."

"And I'd rather not.  At least not now.  Not in front of him."

"Is she alright?"  Chantal asked, her voice just slightly above a whisper.

"No.  I mean, for the most part I think she is physically going to be alright.  She has a few bruised ribs and there are some other bruises on her that I saw.  I can't really say if those are something new or something well, you know, but it's nothing serious.  I more so worried about her mental state."

"Did you say that she might know what happened to him tonight?"

"Yeah, but I can't get her to say anything.  She's really a mess Chantal.  Like, I literally had to carry her out of my shower after she basically cried herself to sleep in my arms."

"Jesus Justin.  And you left her alone?"

"No.  God no.  Trace is with her.  They gave her something at the hospital to help with the pain so I'm pretty sure she is going to be out for a while.  At the same time though, I don't want her to wake up and I'm not there."

"I understand."  Chantal replied, glancing up at the monitor that reported his vital stats.  "If you find anything out though, please call me."

"I will."  Justin said, grabbing his phone from his pocket to check the time.  "Are you sure you are going to be alright here?"

"Yeah, go."

"Alright.  If you need anything, just call me."

After nodding her head, Chantal turned her focus back to her brother and Justin slowly exited the room.

Not wasting any time, Justin headed back down the hall towards the elevators and pulled his cell phone back out.  Once he pressed the button to call the elevator car, he flipped his cell phone back open and dialed the number to Trace's cell.  It only took two rings for him to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me.  I'm on my way back home.  How's Michelle?  Is she still sleeping?"

"Yeah, she's out."  Trace said, placing the remote back down on the table in front of him.  "Did you see Wade?"

"Yeah, it's not good man.  He's really messed up.  Whoever did that to him, really did a number on him."

"So no one knows what happened?"

"Well, I am starting to have a pretty good idea as to who could have been responsible but we'll talk about that when I get home."

"Alright, we'll I guess I'll see you shortly then.  Drive safe man."

"I will."

Chapter 175

After Justin hung up with Trace, he knew there was one other person he needed to call.  Glancing down at the time, Justin began going back and forth on whether or not the call could wait until morning.  Ultimately deciding that the call would be more than welcomed after everything that had been going on, Justin paged down through the numbers in his phone until he reached Marty's.  Then, taking a deep breath, Justin pressed the send button and headed back through the garage of the hospital to find his truck.

"Come on man, answer your phone."  Justin mumbled, as he fished through his pocket for his keys.

Letting out a slight groan that he still had not answered, Justin was about to hang up when he suddenly heard someone pick up on the other end.

"Hello?" 

"Hey man, it's Justin.  Sorry to call and wake you at this hour, but I really didn't think this call should wait."

"It's cool man.  What's up?  Is everything alright"  Marty asked, reaching over to turn on a small lamp before pushing himself in to an upright position in bed.

"Not really, but I wanted to tell you that I found Michelle.  Well, technically Trace found her, but she's back at my place now and I thought you should know."

"What?!  Where did you find her?  When did you find her?  Is she alright?"  he blurted out, now fully awake.

"Trace actually found her in the emergency room of UCLA Medical Center earlier tonight.  I still don't know all the specifics though, because I didn't really get a chance to talk to either one of them before I had to head back to the hospital to see what was going on with Wade.  I mean, I know she has a few bruised ribs and is a little banged up, but for the most part, I think physcially she is going to be alright.  It's her mental state that I'm concerned about.  Something happened with her tonight Marty, and although I know for a fact that Wade was involved in this somehow, I'm almost certain that he's not the one responsible for the condition that she is in right now."

"And why don't you think he is responsible?  I mean, you saw first hand what he is capable of!"

"Yeah I did, and my first instinct was to hold Wade responsible for this too.  Unfortunately once I went back to the hospital and saw him, that theory went completely out the window.  Someone did a number on him tonight Marty, but it wasn't Michelle.  And whoever did that to him wasn't looking to send him a message either, they were looking to take him out."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I mean if the looks of him alone don't convince you of that, then the fact that he is in a coma certainly should."

"He's in a coma?"

"Yeah.  He's messed up man, and to be honest, they're not making any guarantees that he is going to come out of this."

"Jesus Christ!"  Marty gasped, the sudden hatred he felt towards his former friend surprisingly turning in to one of concern.  "Any idea who would do that...or why for that matter?"

"Actually, yeah I do."  Justin said, disengaging the alarm on his Escalade so that he could get inside.  "You know that guy that attacked you the other night at her apartment?"

"Yeah."  Marty replied, tossing his covers to the side so that he could get out of bed.  "You think he had something to do with it?"

"Well I told you the shit that went down at that guy's place later that day and after piecing a few things together, including the fact that I saw him in the hospital tonight, I'm almost certain of it.  I just need to talk to Trace though when I get home to see what light, if any, that he can shed on all of this.  I am willing to bet money though that this 'Chris' guy is the one responsible for this mess."  Justin replied, pulling out of the parking garage and on to the road.

After taking a few seconds to let everything sink in, Marty began searching around his bedroom for something to wear. 

"Where are you now?"

"I just left the hospital.  I'm on my way back home.  Why?"

"Do you mind if I stop over?"

"If it's to see or talk to Michelle, then it's going to have to wait.  She's in no condition to have us interrogating her about where's she's been these last few days or about what happened tonight."

"I don't want to question her, I just want to offer my help.  Maybe between the three of us, we can try to figure this whole thing out."

"We're not going to get to the bottom of this tonight man, and honestly I just want to go to bed."  Justin replied, shifting lanes.  "If you want to come over tomorrow though, that's fine.  Just make sure you call first.  I have no idea what kind of condition she is going to be in when she wakes up and I refuse to subject her to anything she isn't ready for."

"You act like I'm the enemy here."

"It's not like that and you know it.  It's just that you didn't see her earlier.  She's hurting man...and she's scared.   More scared that I've ever seen anyone in my life.  I mean, I sat in the freezing cold shower with her as she clung on to me for dear life and cried herself to sleep."

Collapsing back down on to his bed, Marty's heart literally broke.  He had been witness to more than one of Michelle's breakdowns, but not once could he recall a time when he felt she couldn't bounce back from it.  To hear Justin though, he couldn't help but think that she had finally reached her breaking point. 

"Well, if you think it's best, then I'll wait until tomorrow.  Just make sure you keep an eye on her Justin.  If that Chris guy did have anything to do with this and he is still out there walking around...then she isn't safe."

"And you are telling me this because...you think there is a chance he is going to come looking for her?"

"I'm just saying that he obviously wasn't about to let anyone or anything stand in his way when Wade wanted to him to go and get her.  And if I'm not mistaken, didn't he mess around with her and tell Wade that he would see her again?" 

"Yeah, I think so."  Justin breathed out slowly, his heart suddenly sinking in to the pit of his stomach. 

"Just keep her safe Justin, that's all I'm saying.  Don't let her out of your sight."

"That mother fucker isn't getting in this house.  I can guarantee you that much!  And if I have to hire someone to keep an eye on her while I'm gone, then that's what I'll do.  I'm not going to let anyone hurt her Marty.  Not on my watch."

"I'm not trying to get you all worked up or anything Justin. I just know the kind of shit I went through trying to protect her, and I wasn't dealing with some gun wielding pyscopath.  I'm just trying to look at the worst case scenerio so we are prepared." 

"I don't think it can get any more 'worst case scenerio' than what we are dealing with right now."

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After pulling out of the parking lot, Chris just shook his head and immeadiately reached for the volume control on his radio to turn it up.  He needed something, anything to drown out the thoughts that were quickly filling his mind or he was going to go crazy.  He was certain of it. 

The mess with Tanner, that wasn't anything new.  Yeah, it was a little more advanced that he was used to dealing with, but nothing he couldn't handle.  The sudden surge of independence from his sister?  He could find a way to tolerate that as long as she knew her boundaries...and his limits.  That left Jackson.  Shaking his head once again, Chris let out a small laugh and knew that whether or not they were on the best of terms or the worst of terms, they would always remain friends.  This was just another one of those times when they didn't see eye to eye.  It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't the last.

Briefly glancing down at the paperwork that he had tossed on the dashboard before heading back in to the hospital, Chris realized that there was still one situation that he didn't have an answer for.  A situation that, as much as he hated to admit it, was out of his control.  At least for now.

Letting out a heavy sigh at the realization, Chris reluctantly reached forward and plucked the few pieces of papers from their resting place.  After shifting to his left, Chris slid the papers in to his back pocket and continued to head home.

After a surprisingly uneventful, and phone call free trip home, Chris finally reached his house and turned up the driveway.  Shaking his head with utter disbelief, Chris suddenly realize that any plans of turning in for the night were completely out of the question when he spotted Cameran's car parked outside his garage.

"Great.  Just what I needed right now."  he groaned, pulling up beside her and placing his truck in park. 

After turning off the ignition, Chris stepped out and proceeded to head to the front door.  As he suspected, he didn't even make it up on to the first step before Cameran was quickly pulling the front door open.

"It's about time you got here!"

"Don't start your shit with me Cam.  I'm not in the mood."  Chris snapped back, quickly making his way past her and heading down the hall.

"Honey, we've already started.  I'm just here to make sure you know where I stand."  she continued on with her rant, as she followed behind him.

"Where you stand?  Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"I'm serious Chris!  Leave Wade alone!  I don't care what the hell happened or who did what to whom.  I just want it to end.  Right here, right now."

"You must be out of your God damn mind!"  Chris shouted, quickly turning back around to face his sister.  "Since when do you get to call the shots around here Cameran?!"

"Chris, despite what you think, you never truly called the shots where I was concerned.  You may have thought you did, but you didn't.  Trust me.  I'm not the sweet little baby sister that you think I am."

"Yeah, well given the fact that you hooked up with that no good mother fucker, I can believe that!  He just always seems to come across these girls who don't know any better.  Obviously you weren't any exception."

"Look, I know there is a lot that is going on, and I'm not even going to pretend that I know all that there is to know, but I'm pretty sure that together we can both get what we want out of this mess."

"And that is?"  Chris asked, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the wall.

"Well I think it's only obvious that I want to be with Wade and..."

"No!  Absoultely not!  You're not getting involved with him again Cameran!"

"Hear me out first."

"No!  He's a fuckin piece of shit!  I knew it then, and I know it now!  It's not going to happen.  It's just...not!  Not as long as I am still living!"

"So then, I guess you're basically telling me that your perfectly fine letting things run their course.  That you have no problem watching Michelle end up right back by his side.  Is that right?"

Quickly pushing himself away from the wall, Chris instantly took up position in front of his sister and began yelling.

"How you dare try and use my feelings towards her to benefit yourself!"  he screamed, his face only inches from hers as he continued to shout.  "Whatever plans you are thinking about putting in motion, stop them right now.  You're not bringing her in to this!"

"So then I'm right.  You don't care.  Because if you did, then you wouldn't just stand by and let him win her back.  I mean, that's going to happen.  You know that.  Right?"

"God!  You're so damn clueless Cameran!  She doesn't want him back!  She's fucking terrified of him because he beat the living shit out of her!   She wouldn't take him back even if he fuckin begged and pleaded!"

"Are you really sure of that?  Because I'm not."

Unable to listen to the nonsense spilling from her mouth any longer, Chris just ran his hand briskly across his face and then turned to head towards the kitchen.

"You know I am right Chris!  Just admit it!  You know damn well that if given the opportunity, those two will works things out and end up back together."

"And you're assuming that he is actually going to make it."  Chris snapped back, a satisfied smile plastered across his face as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"Look, all I am asking is that you hear me out.  You don't have to decide tonight, but I also want you to keep in mind that time is of the essence.  I don't know what it is about her that you find so appealing, but if that's what you like and you really want to be with her, then we can make it happen."

Turning back around, Chris let out a heavy sigh and proceeded to had back over to where his sister was still standing.

"You have five minutes."

Not wasting any time, Cameran quickly walked past her brother and in to the formal livingroom.  After patting the space on the sofa beside her, she watched as her brother reluctantly headed towards her.

"Trust me, once I say what I need to say, you'll agreee that this is the best thing for both of us."

"And you think that after hearing this great...master plan, that I'm just going to suddenly be alright with the idea of you being with Wade?"

"When it comes right down to it, what's more important?  That I'm NOT with Wade, or that you ARE with Michelle?"  Cameran asked, scooting over slightly so that Chris could sit down. 

"Is that a serious question?"

"Yeah, it is."  Cameran continued as he studied the odd look on her brother's face.  "So then, let me ask you.  How bad do you really want her Chris?"

Letting a slight snicker escape his lips, Chris leaned back against the sofa and kicked his feet up on to the coffee table.

"I'm still sitting here listening to you Cam. What do you think?!"