Episode 2.01:

Waiting Room Only

Summary by Shari

The horn of the car is still blaring for Janet's bloody head is still up against it. A man who saw the accident ran up to the window. It was shattered. He saw Janet. She was blacked out. "Miss????" he starting yelling, "Miss??...Somebody get this girl help." He poked part of the glass of the broken window, just enough so he could reach his arm inside. He stuck his arm in and unlocked the door. He then opened it and got a good look of Janet. He gently rubbed her arm. Janet started to come back to reality. She slowly lifted her head up, it felt very heavy all of a sudden. She was in a lot of pain. The man noticed her stomach. "Oh my god. You're pregnant. We have to get you of here." Janet lets out of a scream of pain, "I think I am having my baby," Janet begins to cry for she is very scared. The man can't get her out and he figures he shouldn't move her anyway. "Sit tight. An ambulance is on the way," he said holding Janet's hand, trying to comfort her.

Across a stretcher laid a still, scared, bandaged Janet. It was clear that she was in a great deal of pain and she had to get to the hospital immediately. The paramedics closed up the stretcher and strapped her in. The doors closed when the last paramedic was in. The sirens started and the ambulance headed to towards Cedar-Sinai. The cop was talking to the guy that comforted Janet in the car. "I found her license in her wallet which was on the seat next to her. Also in her wallet was a picture. It was probably her husband and daughter," said the man. "Thanks for all your help. We have your number and we will call you if we need you to come down to the station," said the cop. "Ok. Glad to be of help," the man said as he walked away. Walking to his car parked on the side of the street, the man saw the other ambulence still in the middle of the road, with it's lights flashing. There was a body bag on a stretcher. In it was the other driver. He overheard the cops saying he was drunk. The man felt rage throughout his body. He felt something come over him that he never felt before. He was shocked for feeling this way for a woman whom he just met. He was getting sick of looking at the scene. He got in his car and took one last look at the body bag. "You bastard."

Steve was in the rocking chair, holding Maddy. It was 11:30. He couldn't imagine what was taking Janet so long to get home. He kissed Maddy's forehead. Just then the phone rang. He expected it to be Janet. It wasn't. It was an officer by the name of Officer Valley. He calmly broke the news to Steve that janet had been in a car accident. After hearing the news, Steve went into total shock. Tears began to form in his eyes. You could hear the nervousness and panic in his voice. All he could tell Steve was that she was in critical condition and he should go down to Cedars Sinai immediately. And when the officer hung up, nothing could be heard but Steve's heavy breathing.

Steve was in the car with Maddy, on the way to the hospital. He had already called the Sosnas. He dialed the cell phone again, this time calling Brandon. It rang a couple of times. Finally a groggy Brandon answered. He screamed into the phone everything that happened. "Janet was in a car accident. She's at Cedars. I am on my way over there now. God, Brandon. Help me! What if I lose her? I can't lose her." Brandon tells him to calm down and Brandon said he would meet him at the hospital. Brenda overheard the conversation. As Brandon got dressed, he explained to Brenda what was going on. She stayed home while he headed to the hospital. Brenda then called Kelly to let her know what had happened.

Valerie was lying in Noah's bed when she heard her cell phone ring. She looked around the room for her black capri pants where here cell phone was in the pocket. When she found it Noah had woke up. Noah wanted to talk about what had happened between them last night. Val replied, "No! Noah my head is spinning and I need to answer this. We made a mistake that should be forgotten." She left and answered the phone, "Hello?" Val said, answering the phone. "Hey, it's me Kelly. I tried calling you at the apartment but Rick said he didn't know where you were so I tried the After Dark too and no one answered there either." "Oh, I was in my car," Val said. "Well, anyways, Janet has been in an accident and she is seriously hurt. You should get to the hospital now." "What about the baby?" "We don't know; just get there fast." "I'm on my way," Val said and hung up. Val went back in and told Noah what happened. As they headed outside his apartment, they ran into Lexi. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Lexi asked. "Lexi, I don't have the time nor the energy to deal with you." "Well, I can see why after your big night." "You have no idea what your talking about." "I can't wait to tell Rick." "You can tell him whatever the hell you want to after what you two did to me. I could really care less about what you say." "Well, actually, nothing happen between us...yet! But now, maybe he'll reconsider it." "I can't take this. I have to be go to the hospital," Val walks away and gets in her car. She starts up the engine and drives to the hospital.

Kelly slammed her cell phone down on the couch beside her. She couldn't reach Dylan. He wasn't answering his cell, the hotel said he was already gone, and yet he wasn't at home. This was really irking her. Brandon sat down beside her. The waiting room was empty. It was just the two of them. Brandon quietly made small talk about what was going on around them. When Kelly admitted that she was extremely worried, Brandon Brandon took her hand and held it in his. Kelly turned and looked at him. He pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it lightly. "I'm here for you, Kel, don't forget that." Kelly smiled. They sat there in quiet for a few minutes. Valerie was the next to come into the waiting room, Noah trailing behind her. They had no idea what was going on. No one would give them any information. The four of them sat down, silence filling the air for a very long time.

Steve ran into the emergency room carrying Maddy. He quickly looked around in a panic and saw the Triage and the Information Area. He ran to the information desk, "Where's my wife? Where is she??" "Sir, calm down," said the nurse, "What is her name?" "Janet Sanders. She was in a car accident." The nurse began typing rapidly into the computer. "Hurry, will ya!?!? She's pregnant. PLEASE, get me to her." "She was brought in just minutes ago. You should go down to delivery." "Where the hell is that?" "Down the hall, make a right, then a left." "This better be right," screamed Steve as he speed walked dwon the hallway, following her directions. Steve continued running and saw the Delivery Department desk. "I was sent down here. My...wife...brought...baby," Steve was barely able to talk for he was all out of breath. Just then, Mr and Mrs Sosna ran up to the desk, beside Steve. "Where is my daughter?" said Janet's father, "Janet Sonsa Sanders, tell me where she is, so help me god!!!" "Well," the nurse started,"She is in delivery right now. You'll have to take a seat." "What?? That's it? Now you listen to me! I want to see my wife." "Are you threatening me? Fine! But only one person can come." "I will!" said Steve and the Sosnas at the same time. "I'm going," said Steve handing Maddy to Mrs. Sosna. "Ok, follow me." Steve followed the nurse to another area of delivery. The Sosnas went around the corner, into the waiting room. They were shocked to see Kelly, Brandon and Val already there. Mrs. Sosna went over and sat next to Kelly. Kelly took Maddy into her own hands and tried to comfort her, not knowing what to do. Mrs. Sosna began crying. The nurse led Steve to another waiting room. "Now wait here," said the nurse as she walked away, out of sight. Steve sighed as he began pacing. Everytime a doctor or a nurse passed by, he tried to stop them. It was no use, all he could do was wait. He sat down and started crying, his head in his hands.

After Lexi's run-in with Val, the first thing on her mind was finding a phone to call Rick, but first, she ran into Michael. She told him she had a plan to finish Rick and Valerie off for good. Michael refused to be apart of it. Smart man.

"Ok, now Janet, breathe," said the nurse while putting a hot wash cloth on her forehead. The doctor sat down, ready to get that baby out. "Janet, I need you to push for me when I tell you to, ok?" Janet nodded. "Push!" "Ahhhh..uhhhh....get this damn thing out of me!! Owwww. I want myt husband!!" "Ok, relax." "Breathe," said the nurse. "Ok, I can see the head." All of sudden, the baby's heartbeat was no longer heard on the moniters. The oxygen level dropped. There wasn't any pulse rate showing up on the screen. The mouth of the doctor dropped open. The nurses were in shock. J Janet could tell something was wrong. "What is going on? My baby! MY BABY!" Janet was now in hyterics. "We have to get this baby out, Now, Janet push for me, push!" Janet squeezed the nurses hand, "Where....is....my...husband?" "Janet, I need one more, push. Come on, now!" "Ahhh" "That's it come on." The baby gently slid out. The doctor held it in his hands. It was still. It was cold. It was dead.

Brandon had tried everything. They wanted to talk to Steve and find out what was going on. None of the nurses would let him past the waiting room. He asked one of them to find him and ask him to come out and let them in on what happened. He would have settled on one of them informing them, but that was over an hour ago and no one has come back with any word. Still pacing around, he began thinking to himself. He missed Steve and Janet's wedding. The birth of their child. Just about every major event in Steve's life so far. It's all been so defining for him. In school he was the joker, now he's a family man. He looked over at Kelly. She looked up at him right at that moment. Almost as if she was thinking the same thing. She smiled at him, and he did back at her. He could see that she was still very worried about Janet, and for Steve. And with good reason. They can't seem to get any real answers out of the doctors or the hospital staff. He wasn't thinking to himself anymore. It was more along the lines of feeling sorry for himself. Something he didn't usually do, but he's been doing it a lot lately. His thoughts drifted back to the life he walked away from. A family, that's something he could have had with her, but he chose otherwise. He shook off his thoughts. They should be on Janet right now, not Kelly. A doctor came out of the doors. Everyone looked up hoping for some news on Janet, and the new baby. Brandon's hopes, along with those of his friends, got raised, but were just as quickly brought down when the doctor went past him and went to the nurse's desk. The doctor handed the ladies at the desk a file folder, gave some quick instructions about a different patient, and went back to the door. He entered a four-digit number on the number pad next to the doorknob. A buzzer sounded, he opened the door and went in. Brandon got an idea. The next time the door opened he first asked his normal strand of questions. All of which were never answered or just shoved off. When the doctor went back through the door, Brandon paid more attention to the numbers being punched in. At the right moment, Kelly looked up from the magazine she was flipping through and realized Brandon was up to something. "Brandon?" she called him softly. She wasn't sure yet what he was doing so she didn't want to draw any attention to him. No one else saw him slip off. Kelly just watched and smiled. She almost expected this from him. She was surprised he hadn't tried it sooner. Something about being a newspaperman. It was a character trait he possessed. One that she admired. He needed to be there for Steve. Her parents weren't the most approving people of their marriage. He had no idea how they would act toward him during a situation like this one. He felt that he wasn't being there for him by sitting in a lobby. She didn't say anything else once Brandon put his finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. He slipped in the door, closed it behind him and went searching.

"My baby...My baby!" Janet was going into shock. Her baby was dead. The doctor handed the cold, dead baby to the nurse who quickly wrapped the baby in the blanket and left the room. The doctor then conducted a speedy doppler on Janet. "My god. Nurse, now. Get over here. It looks like we have internal bleeding. Get the Viacan here now. She is going into shock." All of Janet's vital signs were dropping...fast. The doctor quickly put the ansestics into the IV. They started to ease Janet's pain yet it was clear she was in critical condition. The doctor went behind the curtain and began talking to the nurse. All that could be heard were the words "severe...bleeding...arteries...shock...fatal."

It felt like he had been driving forever. After he left Brandon's he just got in his car and started driving. He must have read Toni's letter over a dozen times. He probably drove around their old block four times. He saw that no one was living in the house. He told everyone that he was back in Beverly Hills because it sold. He could never sell that place. He wasn't sure if he could even set foot in there, let alone live there. Brandon did a good job locking up. He put his key in the lock and prepared himself for what he was thinking about for months. He unlocked it, opened the door and took a step in. That was it. He wasn't ready. He was frozen. No matter how badly he wanted to go in farther he just couldn't. He stepped out and locked it back up. "Maybe another time," he said to himself. He drove some more. Going to all the places he had a memory of him and Toni. He found himself at his doorstep with nowhere else to drive. Dylan walked into his home and Clare, who was close to frantic, met him at the door. Clare quickly told him what happened and they got back in the car and drove to the hospital.

Kelly waited for Brandon to show back up in the lobby. She wondered exactly what he was doing. She looked around at everyone, everyone who cared about Steve and Janet had been slowly showing up. She picked up her cell phone again and tried to call Dylan's cell phone. No answer. She tried the house, it rang and rang and rang. She hung up. She could feel herself getting madder and madder at him. He had not told anyone where he was going, and apparantly was opting not to answer his phone. She got up and walked outside, a breath of fresh air was just what she needed to clear her thoughts. She was also hoping it would help time to go by a bit faster, maybe when she went in, there would be some kind of explanation. Maybe when she went back, Brandon will have found what he was going after. She headed back to the hospital enterance.

Clare and Dylan entered the waiting room. They solemnly sat down. Clare told Kelly she felt like she was intruding, staying in their house and all. Brenda suggested she stay at the Beverly Royale. Clare loves the idea and Kelly says she will talk to Dylan about getting her a deal.

Brenda paced the floor of Brandon's apartment. He had been gone for a while and had not heard anything from him. Though she did not know Janet all that well, actually, she didn't know her at all, she felt very bad for Steve. No one needed to go through this kind of pain. She picked up his cordless telephone and dialed the number to Kelly's cellular phone. She spoke to Kelly only to find out there still had been no word on Janet's condition.

"Out!" the orderly said as he twisted Brandon's arm and pushed him out the doors. The doctor was following close behind them, "You're not helping back here. You're just in the way," he said. "Now please. Just wait out here." Dylan had just gotten to the hospital and saw the orderly twisting Brandon's arm. That wasn't a sight he needed or wanted to see. Without thought, he rushed over and slapped the orderly's hands off Brandon and pushed him. The orderly pushed back and Dylan tackled him. All the while the Doctor and Brandon were trying to separate the two. That was until security showed up and after a little tussle between the small crowd, Dylan and Brandon were drug outside. They didn't say anything. They weren't given the chance. Kelly followed them outside. She looked angry. It looked like she was collecting her thoughts before she said anything. But she finally did… "Will you two grow up," she stated. "Your best friend is in there fearing for the life of his wife and unborn child." She pointed at Dylan. "And you choose to go off on some unknown adventure. Making your self-unavailable. Whatever crisis you're going through needs to be put aside for now, Dylan." Then she turned to Brandon. "And what did you think would happen by sneaking in there? You say that you're sorry you missed portions of our lives. Well sit down and wait like the rest of us. Now that both of you have been kicked out because of your childness you may miss a lot more." They looked like two brothers who had just been scolded by their mother. "Sorry Kel. I shouldn't have snuck off." "Yeah," Dylan added. "I just rushed in with out thinking. I'm sorry." She still stood there with her arms crossed. "I'll try talking to the staff and try tell them to let you two back in. Wait here." She turned around and walked off. They stood there and watched her walk away, like they did once before, so many years ago. When she chose her, not one of them. Dylan quickly glanced over at Brandon, he didn't notice, and saw what he was feeling in his eyes. Dylan couldn't be mad. He was feeling the same way. He loved her.

Gina lays sleeping in the dark hotel room. When the phone starts ringing late in the night, she sits straight up in bed. She reaches out and gropes for the phone, knocking a glass of water off the nightstand in the process. "Damn...hello..." she says into the phone. "Gina, let me talk to Donna," David says, obviously upset. "David, why are you calling in the middle of the night? Oh, thats right, you're in love, hold on...just a sec..." Gina reaches out and clicks on the light. She immediately sees that Donna is not in the bed next to hers. Gina quickly reaches out and hangs up the phone, disconnecting the line...anything to put distance between the situation and David. The phone begins ringing again immediately. Gina just looks at it ringing, trying to figure out what to do. She knew how upset Donna was when she came home earlier. Even though Donna didn't want to talk about it, Gina could tell how torn she was over her feelings for Joe. Thinking fast, Gina picks up the phone, "Hello?" "Damn it, Gina, what is going on? I need to talk to Donna," David says angrily into the phone. "Sorry David, the phone just disconnected. Anyway, Donna isn't here right now." "Gina, it's 3 in the morning by you, where is she?" David asks, now confused. "Well, there was a party tonight after the last seminar and Donna ran into some people she knew from San Francisco and she must still be with--" Gina tried to come up with something, anything to convince David. "Listen Gina, I don't know what in the hell is going on there, but when you find Donna will you please have her call me. Tell her it's an emergency." "David, what is it? What's wrong?" Gina asks, now concerned. "Just tell her that one of her best friends is in the hospital fighting for her life and the life of her unborn child, and that her friends and her husband need her," David says, almost in tears. Gina can hear the pain in David's voice, "Oh my God, David, what happened to Janet?" "Car accident," David says simply. "Please go find Donna, Gina," David says and hangs up the phone.

Lexi decided to ruin whatever was left of Val and Rick's relationship. She went over to the beach apartment to see Rick. When Lexi tries to tell Rick where Val spent the night, Rick interrupts her. He told her he quit. He couldn't take working with Lexi anymore and Val meant too much to him. Lexi then asks why he would quit for a cheating girlfriend. Lexi tells him what happened btwn Noah and Val but Rick doesn't believe her. Lexi then says that a girlfriend would have told her boyfriend that their friend had been in a car accident. Rick doen't believe this at first either but can tell by the look on her face, that she was serious.

On his drive to the hospital, David attempted to call the hotel room several more times, by this time no one was answering. This was all very strange and very unlike Donna. David could only imagine what Steve was going through. The mere thought of something happening to Donna caused his heart to skip a beat. He had been missing her so much, the house was so empty without her. Now with this happening to Janet, he just wanted her home safe again. As David pulled into the hospital parking lot, he hit redial on his cell phone one more time. He sat there with his eyes closed listening to the phone ring in the empty hotel room. He angrily opened the car door and got out. He suddenly threw his phone out across the empty lot. "Damn it, where is she?" he wondered as he headed in to the emergency room lobby. He stopped before he went in the doors. He took a few deep breaths and tried to gain control of his emotions. His friends needed him now and he could help them even without Donna by his side.

Val was in the waiting room with the others waiting to hear any news about Janet when Rick came in. When he tried to comfort her, Val pushed him away. He tried to explain that nothing happened btwn him and Lexi. They walked out the room to talk. Val began,"I think we need a little time apart. Something happened tonight and-- " "I quit, Val. Can't you see that I really do love you! Lexi is no where in the equation." "I don't know what to think anymore, Rick! I don't know want to do either," Val said and pushed her hair behind her ears. "Just tell me you love me too." "I do," Val said and glanced through the window and saw Noah "We need to talk later. Not here, okay? My friends are going through hell right now." She leaves and heads back to the waiting room.

Gina was standing in the hotel lobby wearing only her pajamas. She was unsuccessfully trying to convince the overnight hotel staff to give her Joe's room number. Gina and the staff were getting into quite a heated discussion. The witch lady had offered to call up to the room for her but Gina didn't think that was a very good idea. She felt a strong desire to know what had been going on up there in Joe's room while Donna's husband was driving himself crazy with worry looking for her. Not that she would tell David anything, but she just wanted to know. If the lady called up there, they would be expecting her, and then she would never really know what had happened because she knew for certain that Donna wasn't about to confide in her. Gina walked away, and headed to the elevators. As she was stepping onto the elevator, a young man getting off almost knocked into her. Gina started to say something nasty to him, and then she noticed that he was wearing a hotel uniform. She stepped back off of the elevator and watched as the man greeted the witch lady, who was obviously getting off work. Gina smiled to herself. Gina waited for the witch lady to leave and then walked back over to the counter. "Hi," she said seductively to the male employee. The man looked up and was surprised that someone as beautiful as Gina was smiling at him in that way. "Hi," he stammered back at her. Gina leaned over the counter, exposing her cleavage to the young man. His eyes widened in appreciation. "I was wondering if you could help me," Gina said. "With what?" the man said, his eyes never leaving Gina's chest. Gina reached out and with one finger, lifted the man's chin so that he was looking in her eyes. "My brother is staying in this hotel and I need to talk to him. I don't know his room number. We have had a family emergency, and I must talk to him in person. I would make it worth your while..." Gina says, with tears in her eyes. The man gulped, and then said, "Well, it is against hotel policy to give out room numbers, but maybe I could make an exception...for you." "Could you, pretty please?" "Sure, what is your brother's name?" the man asked, ready to check in the computer. "Joe, Joe Bradley." Gina said with a smile.

Kelly had finally managed to talk the hospital into letting Dylan and Brandon back into the hospital. It had taken a while, but she had done it. She looked over at them, they were sitting down on a sofa talking quietly. She couldn't hear what they were saying, which was probably good. They had made her so upset earlier. She studied them. There were so many qualities about both of them that she admired and loved so much. She had such history with both of them. Yet she could feel herself being drawn into Brandon. Her thoughts were interrupted by David's voice. "Kelly, how is she? How is Steve?" he asked, walking quickly towards her. Kelly got up and gave him a hug. "We dont know, no one is saying anything." she told him. "Have you called Donna? She would want to know about this." "Oh, many many times. Suprisingly, Gina is the only one I can speak to. I don't know what's going on, but its something." Kelly didnt say anything. She motioned for David to sit beside her. They sat in silence for a few minutes. "So," David asked, attempting to make small talk, "What's going on with you? And why is Dylan over there and you over here?" "Don't even get me started. It's too confusing and too aggravating! I'll tell you what, when we have a year free to talk you'll be the first person I go to see." David smiles and laughed to himself. Then got kind of serious, "You know, I'm kind of suprised Brenda isn't here. I mean, her living with Brandon and all, seems like she would have wanted to be here for Steve. Especially since she just came back yesterday!" Kelly frowned. The same thought had passed through her mind a few times. "Maybe she thinks she has better things to do but who knows?"

In the dark hotel room, Donna heard a knocking at the door. Trying to ignore the sound, she turned over and snuggled deeper into what she thought was David's arms. The knocking continued, more insistent, until Joe sat up in bed. "Hold on a minute," he hollered at the door. He reached down to the floor looking for his pants. He pulled them on as he made his way to the door. He opened the door, rubbing his eyes, trying to wake up. He hadn't been asleep for very long. Gina was standing in the doorway. "Joe, is my sister here? I need to talk to her." Joe began to make an excuse when Gina pushed past him into the hotel room. "Listen, I have to talk to her, it's an emergency." "You just can't come in here like this," Joe started to protest. Donna sat up in bed, "It's okay, Joe, let her in. What is it Gina?" "She's already in..." Joe replied. Gina got a good look at Donna sitting up in the big hotel bed, holding the sheets around her nakedness. "Really sorry to interrupt but David is trying to get ahold of you. Janet has been in a car accident and is in critical condition. He would like for you to call home." That said, Gina turned and marched out of the hotel room, slamming the door behind her.

Janet was in the Intensive Care Unit. She had tubes in her nose and machines hooked up to her. She was moaning with pain and could barely move. The doctor was conducting another Doppler test. He had a hard time finding her pulse. He eventually found it. It was low and hard to be heard. The doctor sighed and whispered to Janet to go to sleep and get some rest. The doctor then went over to the nurse, "She is making no progress. I am lost in this one. I don't know what to do. I am going to find Dr. Hales." "You better go find her husband too. I heard he is driving the floor nurse crazy." "Alright I will. This is definitely going to be a hard one to break the news to."

Donna dressed quickly, trying to explain to Joe how she was feeling, trying to just get out of there. She was confused, frightened, ashamed, worried...they both knew that this hadn't just happened for physical reasons. Neither of them were like that. But reality was staring them in the face, it was time for Donna to go home...home to her life, her friends, her husband. They would probably never see each other again. As much as he hated it, Joe understood. On her way out the door, Donna reached out and hugged Joe hard. There were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Joe." "Don't hate yourself for this, Donna." Joe said simply. "David's a lucky man." "Goodbye, Joe," Donna said, walking off.

Steve had it. It had been over an hour and he still hadn't heard anything about Janet. Steve marched right up to the nurses desk. "Ya know what? I've had it! I demand to know where and how my wife is? I can't take it anymore. Tell me! Where--" Steve was cut off by the voice of a doctor, "Mr. Sanders?"

Donna took a deep breath before entering her own hotel room. She wasn't quite sure what to expect on the other side. As she entered, she was surprised to see Gina busy packing Donna's suitcase. "I already called the airlines and have a ticket waiting for you. Go shower and get dressed, you don't have much time," Gina told Donna. Donna quickly obeyed, relieved that Gina wasn't questioning her. She knew that would come later. Donna thought about calling David and decided to wait until she was on her way home first. They rode to the airport in silence. At the terminal, Donna was preparing to board when Gina stopped her. "Donna...I don't know what happened last night and I don't care. I know you don't like to take advice from your sister and all but just listen to me this once. Don't tell David about this. You were out with friends, that is all." "Thanks Gina. I will call you as soon as I find out more about Janet," Donna said. She gave Gina a quick hug and boarded the plane. Gina watched the plane as it took off. Her thoughts were scattered but she kept remembering David's reaction when he had found herself and Dylan in bed together. It wasn't pretty and Gina knew that if David found out about this, it would be much worse. Gina prayed that Donna would keep quiet. No one needed to know about what had went on. It was between Donna and Joe, well, Joe, Donna and Gina. But she would certainly never tell David.

Steve was frozen. He couldn't move. He was afraid of what the doctor might say. "Mr Sanders?" the doctor asked again. Steve finally came back to reality, "Yes doctor?" Steve said after swallowing a big lump in his throat. "Your--....Your--" the doctor couldn't quite get the words out, "Your wife is in critical condition. She has internal bleeding by the right artery. Her pulse is weak and she can't really talk." Steve started crying, "Will she be okay doctor? She has to be okay?" "We are hoping she will be fine once the bleeding stops. But we can't say for sure. She is bleeding heavily and there is no sign of clotting. She is on a respirator for the time being." "What about our baby?" The doctor sighed, "The baby," he paused, "Your baby died in the womb. We tried everything we could, really. We started the delivery process as soon as possible but it was too late. There was no way the baby could have been saved. I'm sorry" Steve couldn't stop crying, "I need to go for a walk." "Ok, go, go clear your head. Janet is in the ICU. When you return please tell the nurses to get me so we can talk. We need to talk." "Thanks, Doctor..." "Smith." "Dr Smith, thanks. "Your welcome," he said and walked away. Steve took a deep breath and headed around the corner of the long hall. Steve stopped dead in his tracks. He was shocked to see all his friends and family in the waiting room. Even Rush was there. No one had told him that they were all waiting there. Everyone stood up and could tell by the look of Steve's face that he didn't have good news to share. Kelly immediately walked up to Steve and hugged him. "How is she? How is my daughter?" said Mr. Sosna sternly. Steve had tears in his eyes. He wasn't sure if he had the strength or even the heart to even tell them. After a long pause he was ready. "She is in critical, unstable condition. She is internally bleeding by the right artery." Everyone gasped. Steve continued, "and the baby...the baby died while Janet was giving birth." "Oh my god," said Mrs. Sosna as she turned and hugged her husband tightly, "My poor baby! My baby!" she said in between breaths. She was hysterically crying. Mr. Sosna sat her down. "Where is she now?" asked Brandon. "In the ICU." "I'm sorry, man," said David solemnly. Kelly just stood there. She was shocked. She knew it was going to be bad news but she never thought it would be something this bad. For the first time that night Dylan went over to her and held her tightly. Val, Rick, and Clare went over to Steve and hugged him. They could all tell that Steve himself, was still in shock. "Brandon," he said. "Yeah?" he replied walking over to him. "Come for a walk with me," Steve said looking straight ahead as if he was thinking something or maybe he was just out of it. Brandon wasn't quite sure what was going through his mind right now. "Alright, let's go." They headed out of the waiting room. Mrs. Sosna was still crying. Kelly was deeply upset and was resting in the arms of the man she thought she loved, Dylan. Rick tried to comfort Val but she just pushed him away and went and sat next to David and Clare. Amazingly enough, Maddy slept through the whole thing in a makeshift crib Kelly set up in a chair.

Donna leaned back in the airplane seat and let out a long sigh. Her thoughts went immediately to David and tears came to her eyes. What had she done? And Janet...what had happened? Was she okay? Gina had said critical condition and that scared Donna. What about the baby? Donna wished she could make the plane go faster. Donna decided that she had better call David and let him know that she was on her way. She would need him to pick her up at that airport. She dialed his cell phone number. It rang and rang and rang. That was strange, he always had his phone with him. She tried the number again and no David. Oh well, she would try again later. Donna leaned back and closed her eyes. She thought about what Gina had said, not to tell David about this. Would that work? Donna knew that wasn't the right thing to do but his reaction frightened her. She didn't want to hurt him for the world. She really did love David. He was her best friend. He was her husband. She really didn't know why this had happened and she was truly sorry that it had. Maybe not telling him would be the best thing to do.

Brandon and Steve went outside. The air was cool. It felt nice after being in the stuffy waiting room for so long. They didn't say anything. Brandon had one arm around Steve and the other holding on to Steve's arm. Steve took a step back and wiped his eyes. He let him be silent for a minute. He needed a friend. "Steve?" Brandon said. It was like he exploded. He couldn't hold it in any longer. He grabbed hold of Brandon and hugged him, in a way that Brandon hugging him back made him feel better. Steve's words were hard to make out. "I'm scared, Brandon. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. They put her on a respirator. She's in a very critical condition, Brandon. I didn't want everyone else to worry. I'm just trying to do my best and do the right thing with all of this." "I know, bro. We're all here for you. You'll get through this." "I lost a child. How do I tell Maddy when she's older? What if Janet dies? What am I supposed to do then?" "You can't think about that now. You and Janet are one now. She needs you to be strong for her, right now. She can't do it alone." Steve was still hugging Brandon, tightly. Still talking to him with his face buried in Brandon's shoulder. "I saw the look on her father's face, Brandon. I know he blames me." "There's nothing to blame you for," Brandon told him. "Will you come back in there with me, to see her? And watch her?" Steve asked. "We'll go back in there together and watch over her." Steve let go of Brandon. He had a smile of assurance on his face. Brandon's shoulder had a wet spot on it from Steve crying. Just as they walked out, with Brandon's arm around Steve, they went back into the hospital. Standing in front of Janet's window they prepared themselves. "Thanks, Brandon, for being here tonight. You were who I turned to at the moment I got word of the accident." He just knodded and smiled. "Let's go. She's waiting for us."