Hey! I'm so sorry that it has taken so long for me to update! I don't really have a good excuse, except that I had a small case of writer's block. I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter! Please R&R!

Enjoy!

Chapter 16: Recoveries

Demetra sat down as the police officer walked down the hall. She had ridden with the police to the station, while Viola had gone to the hospital in an ambulance. Demetra had wanted to ride with her friend, but they wouldn’t allow her. They did, however, assure her that Viola would be just fine, which made Demetra feel a little better.

“Demetra!”

A voice broke her from her thoughts and she looked up to find her dad coming towards her.

“Dad!” she yelled, jumping up and running straight into her father’s awaiting arms. “I was so scared, Dad.”

“I know, but you’re okay now, I promise,” Daniel said, hugging his daughter tightly.

She allowed her dad to hold her for several minutes, before pulling away.

“H-How’s Gabe? The officer I rode with was able to tell me that he’s alive, but he didn’t give me very much information.”

Daniel frowned and looked away.

“Dad, what is it?”

Daniel placed his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Dem…….the doctor said that he might not even make it through the night.”

“What?” Demetra could hear the despair in her own voice as the question leaked from her lips.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.”

“I have to get there, I have to see him.”

Daniel nodded in understanding. “Let’s go.”

---

Demetra stepped into the hospital room and found everything very still. The only thing that could be heard was the gentle beeping of the heart monitor and barely audible breathing. As she walked farther in, her eyes rested on Gabe. His skin was pale, almost matching the sheets that he laid on.

She slowly sat down next to his bed and took his hand. “Gabe….” She whispered, feeling a hot tear roll down her cheek. Gabe didn’t show any signs that he had heard her, so she figured that he must be asleep. “Gabe, I’m so sorry that I overreacted about you going off to California. I just hated the idea of being so far away from you for so long. I have no idea why I reacted the way that I did. You mean the world to me, Gabe, and the thought of losing you just killed me.” She paused, letting out a shaky breath. “The thought of losing you kills me.” She laid her forehead against his hand and said, “Please don’t leave me, Gabe, you can’t leave me.” More tears slipped from her dark eyes and bounced against the back of Gabe’s hand.

Demetra felt herself shaking as she began to cry harder.

“D-Dem?”

Her head flew up and she locked eyes with those one-of-a-kind, emerald green eyes. “Gabe!” She quickly, but carefully, wrapped her arms around his neck.

Gabe’s face lightened noticeably and he smiled. “Dem, you’re okay……” his voice trailed off and a cough escaped his lips.

She pulled back. “Yeah, I’m okay, but……”

“Y-you’re worried about m-me,” he whispered, finishing her sentence.

Demetra merely nodded.

Gabe reached out and pulled her back into a hug. “I’m going to be fine,” he whispered into her hair.

Well, the doctors are thinking otherwise, she thought to herself. “Gabe, Doctor Lindstrom said that he doesn’t know why you haven’t been doing well. He said that it seems to have nothing to do with the bullet wound. Do you know what’s wrong?”

They separated and Gabe let out a sigh, shaking his head. “I-” he was cut off when he suddenly went into a bad coughing spurt.

“Gabe?” Demetra questioned.

When he kept coughing, she spoke again, her voice filled with horror. “Gabe, are you okay?”

He held up his hand, calming her. “I-I’m fine. It h-happens sometimes.”

Demetra sighed audibly and asked again, “Do you know what’s wrong?”

“No, but I’m sure I’ll be fine now.”

Her eyebrows knit together. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

Gabe reached up to brush a finger against her cheek. “Because you’re here with me.”

Demetra smiled and leaned forward, brushing her lips softly against his.

“I’ve missed you, Dem,” Gabe whispered after they had parted.

“I’ve missed you too, Gabe. Can we just forget that the fight ever happened?”

“I would like that very much.”

---

Demetra peered into Viola’s hospital room and smiled when she found her friend reading a fashion magazine. “Hey,” she greeted cheerily.

Viola looked up, a smile appearing on her face. “Hey girl!”

“How are you feeling?” Demetra asked, concern clear in her dark eyes.

“My leg hurts a little, but I’m going to be just fine. Don’t worry.”

“I can’t believe you came to get me all by yourself.”

Viola shrugged it off. “It was nothing.”

“It was too something. Viola, you came there all alone, fought with a guy that’s like three times your size, and helped me escape even after getting shot in the leg. If that isn’t something then I don’t know what is.” Demetra noticed that her words had turned Viola’s cheeks a light crimson, but she continued. “If there was an award for ‘best friend in the entire universe’, you would win. I don’t even think that a mere ‘thank you’ is enough.”

“Maybe not, but after I get better, an all day shopping trip might do the trick.”

Demetra laughed at her best friend’s suggestion, but nodded. “That sounds fair enough.”

“Yes!” Viola clapped her hands together.

“I love you, Vi,” Demetra said, giving her a hug.

“Love you too, Demetra.” Viola squeezed her friend, glad to have everything back to normal. And they both hoped that everything would stay that way, at least for a while.

---

Well, I'm almost done. I'm probaby just going to put up an epilogue and then the story will be all over, or will it? LOL! I haven't decided if I'll do a sequel, maybe, maybe not. I'll have to think it over. In the mean time, PLEASE review this chapter and check out the epilogue after I post it! Thanks!

Mrs. Teacup