Justin rushed inside the crowded hospital, not caring if anyone noticed him. JC was right behind, yelling for him to slow down but he kept going. He went into the emergency room entrance and up to the nurse's station. "Is there an Elizabeth Matthews here?" He asked in a panic.
The young girl behind the desk eyed him a second, wondering why he looked so familiar but the hat he wore was hiding his face so she just shook off the feeling and went to check her computer. "Yeah, she came in a minute ago. Are you family?" She asked, raising her head to look at him.
"Um, not really but I'm her boyfriend. Look, she was brought here because she couldn't wake up and was bleeding. Please, I need to find out how she's doing." He pleaded as he reached over the desk and grabbed the girl's hands.
JC came up behind him, panting, trying to catch his breath. "Justin, have you found out anything?" He asked, doubling over to breathe easier.
Justin looked at the young girl and begged with his eyes for information. She smiled sympathetically at him but shook her head. "I'm sorry but she just got here and they haven't put anything up yet. But if you just wait over there, I'll let you know when I hear something, okay?" She instructed, feeling awful for this guy who appeared to be crumbling before her.
Justin nodded his head and he and JC walked slowly over to two vacant chairs. JC looked around and noticed the solemn faces that the emergency room held. He wondered why they were all there but his thoughts were interrupted when Julie stepped up to them.
"Guys you made it." She said as she motioned with her hands for them to stand up. "Come with me." She told them but Justin just sat there.
"I can't leave her. I can't leave until I know what's going on." He said, almost in a whisper to himself. He was self-destructing and they both could see it.
Julie grabbed his hands and pulled him up, whispering herself to him. "Justin, you can't stay out here. Someone will recognize you. I have a place you can go to be alone until we hear something, okay?" She asked as he looked at her with lost sad eyes.
He was in a daze and simply let her and JC lead him to a private room where he could wait. He sat down in one of the recliners that was in the small room and buried his head and in hands. "I shouldn't have left her. I told her I wouldn't leave and I did. I left her and now…now she might…oh God, I didn't even get to say goodbye. I won't be able to tell her that I love her." He mumbled as his hands muffled his words.
JC stood near the door and watched his best friend losing all control of the situation. He walked up to him and put his hand on Justin's shoulder. "J, she'll be fine. She's not gonna die." He started but Justin's head snapped up and he glared at JC.
"This is all your fault. I told you that she was having a bad day but you wanted me to help you with that damn song. If you hadn't come along, then she would be fine. She would be okay but you did this, JC. You did this." He said, raising his voice and letting the words spill out of his mouth.
JC felt extremely guilty at that moment and left the room before he hurt his friend anymore. Julie followed him out and merely shook her head at JC. She told him to just let Justin get it all out. He didn't mean what he was saying but his emotions were uncontrollable at the moment and he would be better when he calmed down.
JC didn't feel that way. He had only wanted Justin to get some air and away from the situation with Liz but he shouldn't have interfered. Justin was determined to be with Liz until the end and because of JC, it might be a lot closer to the end than they thought.
"JC, Elizabeth would have had this happen to her with or without Justin there. The only thing is that we might have caught it earlier but who knows. I only noticed the blood when I opened her curtains. If I hadn't, then maybe she wouldn't still be alive right now and fighting to survive. She's not going to give up. She's come too far to stop and she has someone in there to live for. She's not going anywhere."
She came up to him and tapped his shoulder as his eyes fell on Justin inside the room. His head was still down and he was shaking it back and forth. He saw him every few seconds bring his hand off his head to wipe a tear that had fallen and JC's heart broke.
There was nothing any of them could do but wait and see how Liz would be. Justin had to sit in that room, question his actions and pray that he would be given another chance with her.
Several hours later, the other guys had joined JC in the waiting room. He called them and they immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed over to the hospital. They were all careful not to be noticed but knew someone would see them and then the questions would start but they didn't care. Their friends needed them and if the press found out, then they would deal with that later. Right now, they were going to be there for Liz and Justin. They owed them that much.
Justin had gotten the news that Liz was stable and resting comfortably in a private room. He wasn't allowed to visit her for awhile but she was still alive. The doctors had informed him that she had suffered an infection in her lungs and was being treated for that. The blood was from her just coughing it up and it was under control.
Justin thanked them but had to ask if she would be fine now. They couldn't give him any answers. It all depended on Liz and if she had enough strength to make it through. They would pump her full of medicine to help the infection but her body was in control of the outcome. They would just have to wait and see.
The guys were gathered down the hall in another private room. No one knew what to say to Justin. They had all wanted him to get away from his house and Liz, to return to their world but now they each felt guilty for those thoughts. Justin was the only one thinking of what Liz needed and wasn't being selfish. He had given up his identity, his life for her and they finally got it.
They finally knew that she was the one for him. If she made it through this, they would never leave each other's side for the rest of their lives. They never thought that at such a young age, Justin would find his mate but he had and they could only pray that the two of them would have that life that they were meant to share together.
~ ~ ~
The next morning, they were still there, in that room, waiting until news on Liz came back. Julie had stayed to talk to Justin and the others to inform them of anything that they wanted to know but had left late last night to get some sleep at home.
The guys tried to get Justin to leave too but when he lifted his tired head and they saw the tear stains on his cheeks, they knew not to push it. He wasn't going anywhere any time soon.
The others decided to stay as well to show their support for their friend and the nurses set them up with pillows and blankets to make themselves more comfortable but Justin never slept.
After the others were asleep, he had wandered through the empty halls at about 3:00 a.m. that morning, searching for Liz's room. He just wanted to see her again. He NEEDED to see her again. The nurse told him that she was under observation and her room was actually inside another room. He was allowed to go into the first one and look through the glass at her.
His legs refused to leave when they told him to get some rest. He just shook his head, concentrating on the way her breathing was short and hard. He had to hit himself. She had been having a hard time breathing at his house and the pains she was complaining about weren't normal – he should have noticed it but he didn't. All he was trying to do was rub her feet and make up for smacking her leg. 'What an idiot you are Timberlake. She was showing signs but you were too busy kissing her toes to see it.'
He was punishing himself for what he had missed and wasn't going to leave her side again. The nurse had to force him out so they could take care of her and he was found outside the room, curled up in a ball when Lance finally ran into him.
"Justin, man you've been here all night on the floor?" He asked as he squatted down next to his friend.
He raised his tired eyes and looked at Lance. They were bloodshot, his body shook from the lack of nutrients in it and he merely whispered to him. "They kicked me out sometime around five."
Lance had to raise his own head to the ceiling. Justin's voice held so much emotion and he had to fight to keep it together himself. "Justin, please come back to the room with us. We have some breakfast in there. You have to eat something. Elizabeth needs you to be strong and not pass out yourself."
He knew that if he threw her into the mix, then Justin wouldn't refuse the invitation. He was right. Justin slowly stood and dragged his long legs down the hall to the room that the others were in. When he opened the door, he suddenly felt two arms encircle him and hold him up.
He looked to see his mother's face next to his. "Justin, honey I came as soon as I heard." She told him as he lost his balance and stumbled backwards. She motioned for Joey to help her get him over to the couch and she sat beside him, holding his hand and trying to calm him down. "You have to eat. You can't be getting sick on me too. Honey, have they told you anything?"
Justin looked at his mother's hand in his and tightened his hold on it. Having the touch of a woman's hand made him feel a little better. Liz's small hand would have been first on his list but his mother's was a close second. "We just have to wait and…and see if she makes it." He got out before he let the confusion associated with the tiredness overtake him and he leaned over to place his head on his mother's shoulder and cried into it.
The others took this as their sign to leave them alone and wandered out to get some air and go to the bathroom. Lynn held onto her broken son. Lance had gotten a hold of her last night and she arranged with Shey to help out with the girls until they could come home themselves in a few days. She rushed to the airport and caught the last plane out to make it to Orlando by morning.
She prayed that Liz would hold on and fight not only for herself but for Justin. She didn't know if he would make it without her. She had consumed his whole world since the summer and their bond had been something no one expected. What would happen if that bond was broken and Liz was taken from him. Would he survive? Would he even want to?
After several minutes of her trying to console her son, Lynn heard a knock at the door and lifted her head away from Justin. She tapped him on the shoulder to do the same and saw an unfamiliar woman standing in the doorway.
She was middle-aged, probably around Lynn's age, wore a leisure suit and glasses. She appeared well put together and Justin wondered if she worked for the hospital. Lynn knew different.
This woman was the spitting image of someone she knew that was about twenty years younger. She had seen the same woman when Liz had walked into her office that Monday morning all those months ago. "Mrs. Matthews?" Lynn asked as she sat Justin back up and stood to meet this woman.
She took in the other woman and young man in the room and eyed them carefully. She was face-to-face with the two people that meant the world to Liz. "Um yes, I'm Deborah Matthews. You must be Lynn Harless." She said, sticking out her hand to shake Lynn's.
She approached this woman and wiped the wetness of Justin's tears off her hand before extending her own to Debbie. "Well, I would say it was nice to finally meet you but under these circumstances…" Lynn trailed off, not wanting to finish her thought.
Liz's mom just agreed. "Yes it would have been nicer to meet you outside of here." She started, then took a look at the younger man who was sitting so out of it on the couch. "Is that Justin?" She asked as Lynn merely nodded her head. "May I?" She asked again, motioning with her hands to go over to him. Lynn stepped out of the way for her to pass. "My husband Jack is on his way up. Would you mind keeping an eye out for him?"
Lynn was way ahead of her and was already out the door. She wanted to let Justin and Liz's mother talk.
Debbie saw the door close and slowly approached the pitiful looking man on the couch. She slid her body down next to him and wrung her hands together, just like Liz would do when she was nervous. Justin picked up on that instantly.
He watched her hands, the way they moved and looked. He raised his eyes up her body, noticing that Liz looked so much like her when they had first met. She was wearing those awful business suits and was so clean cut it made him sick but when he looked into Liz's eyes, they held so much more.
Debbie didn't have that look to her. She was aged. She was bitter at the world. But she was in control of herself and what she was doing and Justin almost felt afraid of her. She was a powerful woman who trained her daughters to do what it took to beat out any man for a position. She was a giant in the business world and no one second guessed her.
"Um, I'm Justin." He whispered as he held out his shaking hand for her to take.
She sat straight up and didn't looked fazed by his cowering appearance. "Yes I know." She stated as she grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.
This caused Justin to scoot far away from her. Her touch was cold – not literally but the way it was directed towards him, it felt like she was upset with him. "Mrs….Mrs. Matthews, I um want to thank you for coming here for…for um, Liz. She'll be happy…happy to see you…excuse me a minute." He started but saying her name made his chin tremble and he thought he was going to lose it again.
She grabbed his arm to get him to sit back down. He did so and she reached inside her purse to hand him a tissue. "Justin, I don't know what Elizabeth has told you about me but I'm not as bad as I may seem." She said as he blew his nose into the Kleenex she had given him.
"Mrs. Matthews, Liz hasn't said much about you. She only talks about the goodness in people, sorry." He started, not liking this woman at all. She didn't appear worried about Liz but bothered that she had to be here in the first place. If that was the vibe he got from her, then he wanted nothing but to leave her sight. "Please excuse me, I need some air." He said as he got up and left the room.
Debbie sat there shaking her head. She wasn't sure of what to expect from Justin but it was nothing compared to what she got.
"Deb what did you say to him?" Jack asked as he walked into the room.
She looked up at him and shrugged. "Nothing. I just handed him a tissue to wipe that snot off his nose." She stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Any word on Elizabeth?" She asked as she eyed the magazine selection to her right.
Jack Matthews was so tired of his wife's insensitive tone and shut the door behind him then made his way to the couch. He sat down and turned to glare at her. "Deb, I haven't heard anything yet but you have to give up this bitch attitude you've got going on. Your daughter is laying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. Her boyfriend, who opened his home to her so he could take care of her, is out there praying that she makes it. His mother and his friends are all here to show their love and support for Lizzy while her own mother sits in here, reading a DAMN MAGAZINE!" He finished in a scream as she put the latest issue of Cosmo down and turned to him.
"Don't you raise your voice at me Jack. I am just as worried about our daughter as they are but I don't get all mushy. You know that I'm not an emotional person. Now, I'm here to support my daughter too, so get off my back." She scolded him as she stood to leave the room.
He quickly followed and spun her around by the arm. "Deb, Lizzy is dying. Do understand that? OUR DAUGHTER IS DYING! She may not make it to see tomorrow so for once in your life, show a little EMOTION before it's too late." He told her as he pushed her away and left to find the others.
She stood there alone in that room, thinking about what he said. Letting his words penetrate her tough outer shell and go straight to her heart. She was a proud and stubborn woman who hadn't given her daughter much more than a roof over her head. She wasn't around to help her through her teenage years, her first crush, her first date, or even her first love. She had been too wrapped up in her own affairs to notice that her baby had grown up, became a woman and had fallen in love with the young man who had given her more than her own mother had.
She shook her head to clear the thoughts running through and held it high to the ceiling. She wasn't going to let anyone see her crumble. She wouldn't allow herself to do that. She was the strong one in the family. She was the power behind the Matthews' name. She wasn't going to fall now.
She sniffed then turned to open the door and find her husband.
When she reached the hallway, she noticed a small group of men surrounding her husband and Lynn. She assumed they were the other members of Justin's little boy band group and simply walked up to them. A doctor stopped any conversation that was to take place when he appeared in front of them all.
"Doctor, is there any change?" Jack asked as all eyes fell on Liz's physician.
He looked at the faces of all the people that seemed to care a great deal for the young woman laying in that hospital bed. He smiled slightly at them before giving them an update. "Well, it looks like Elizabeth is doing much better. The medication we gave her is helping and she is breathing easier on her own."
He heard a round of sighs and so much air let out into the hallway that a dozen or so balloons could have been filled up. "But, she's not out of the clear just yet. This infection is still inside and it has pushed back her last two treatments until she is better. She needed to stay on schedule but it looks like she won't be keeping them. Now that does concern me a little. I don't know how the last treatments will affect her so we may have to keep her in here after each on."
"But she's okay?" Lynn asked, hugging Justin closer to her.
The doctor nodded his head and smiles were shown from them all. "Now, she'll have to stay here another day just for observation but then she is free to go home. I want her to continue to take the medicine I've given her and she'll need to go to the clinic every other day to make sure she is okay but she's looking better and ready for round two."
Justin was the first to speak up. He wiped his cheek one last time and approached the man. "Thank you for saving her life." He said as he extended his hand out for the doctor to shake.
He smiled warmly at the young man and shook his hand. "I didn't do anything, it was all her doing. You have one strong young lady in there." He replied and Justin just chuckled in relief at that. "Now, she's awake and although I would like her to rest a little more, I will allow one of you at a time to go see her – but NO upsetting her. She still has a long battle ahead of her."
Everyone agreed and the doctor told them all what room she was in then left.
All eyes looked around to see who was going to go first. Lynn thought Justin should go, as did the guys, but he suggested that her parents go in ahead of him. He was too emotional at that moment and needed to calm his nerves before he saw her. Jack nodded and motioned his wife to join him.
She appeared beyond nervous but cleared her throat and walked away from the group. "Please don't let her upset Liz." Justin said aloud for the others to hear. They turned to watch her father walk in first while her mother waited outside. This would be the true test of Liz's strength – she would have to deal with seeing her mother.