Emma sat by JC's bedside for the next few days. People kept telling her to go home and get some rest but she couldn't. The last tests that were done on JC weren't very good. It showed an infection in parts of his body and Emma was scared to death.

        While she was sitting beside his bed in a chair, one eye closed but the other one completely open, watching JC, a doctor walked in.

        “He looks a little better,” the doctor said. “Good job.”

        “It was JC not me,” Emma said checking his pulse. “His fever has gone down a little.” A day earlier JC had begun a fever but now he looked a little better. “His head isn't as hot and his temperature has gone down a lot.”

        “You've taken great care of him,” the doctor said. “Why don't you just go home and rest for a while?”

        What did everyone keep telling her that? She didn’t want to, and she wasn’t going to.

        Emma shook her head. “I won't leave his side. Please don't make me.”

        “I won’t, but you need rest.”

        “Tomorrow maybe.” Emma glanced over at JC again then looked back at the doctor. “Can you watch him for a while? I need to go do something.”

        He nodded. “Sure.”


        She came back into the room a few hours later with some balloons and the bag of gifts and letters that were from his fans.

        The doctor was standing in the corner of the room, observing JC. “What’s all that?” he asked her.

        Emma smiled. “Stuff to brighten the room a bit.” She pulled out a bouquet of white roses and put them on the table. “Gifts from his fans and some ‘get well soon’ balloons.”

        “I guess he’s loved.”

        “He is.” She placed the balloons above the bed and placed the bags of stuff from the fans on the chair. “I hope he gets to see these.”

        “Remember he's just in a temporary coma. He'll be fine.” The doctor left to go check on other patients.

        “Oh JC, I hope everyone’s right and that you'll be fine,” Emma said sitting on the chair looking at JC. “I love you.” She smiled and took her hand and brushed his cheeks. “You've got more color today.”

        When he didn't respond, she just smiled. “One day I'll hear you say that you love me, then I can say it back to you.”

        The next morning around nine, Emma was still asleep leaning on the back of the chair. She had finally gotten some sleep, but it still wasn't enough.

        One of the nurses came in and tapped Emma's shoulder.

        She sat up and stretched. “Huh? Oh hey, what time is it?”

        The nurse looked at her watch. “Almost 9:30am. Doctor Smith said to go home and have a rest. He'll call you if anything changes.”

        Emma sighed. “I don't want to go home. Doesn't anyone get that?”

        The nurse helped her up. “Just for a few hours. You're not needed right now. You will be informed immidiately if anything changes. Look at you, you've got bags under your eyes.”

        “I guess you're right. I am kinda tired.” Emma went over and grabbed her coat then looked back at the nurse. “Immidiately if something happens, I want to be notified.”

        “Of course.”


        She had been sleeping peacefully for a few hours in her bed when her cell suddenly rang. Emma grabbed it immediately, but not before yawning.

        “Hello?”

        “Emma, we need you down here now!”

        “Oh God, JC!” She was panicking now. The way Joey was talking, it didn’t sound good. “Is it JC?” she asked calmly.

        “Yes. He's collapsed. They say he's gone deeper into the coma. They're using those pumping thingies right now.” Joey was sounding more and more frightened with every word he spoke.

        Emma quickly hung up the phone, grabbed her coat and keys and rushed out the door.

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