|~ Road Rage ~|~ Coffee? Donut? Confession? ~|~ Ambulances And Gauze ~|~ The Waiting Game ~|

Pairings: Sam/Brooke

Rating: R/ Violence, language, angst, angst, and oh look, more angst. If you haven't caught on now that I like angst, I think you have problems

Spoilers: Any and all episode is fair game especially the last one

Summary: What happens after Nicole gunned the car and aimed for Brooke and the fallout from that night. This picks up from that moment on.

Warning: If the idea of two women involved in a romantic relationship together disturbs you, run, run far far away and never look back. If it's illegal where you live, move quickly. If you are under 18, age quicker. Other than that, enter at your own risk, and enjoy

Disclaimer:Oops, knew I was forgetting something on my other stories. Not mine, never were. If they were I would not be working in the jewelry section at your local Wal-Mart, bored to tears and I would have found another station to sell it to, even if it meant starting my own. Can you see it now? I'd get Melissa Etheridge and her friends to provide financial backing (if they would) and start a whole new network to save the good shows that WB and the other idiot networks throw out. Leftover TV, a division of Lifetime. :::snicker::::

Author's Notes: IMPORTANT TO READ!!! OK, I started this one on 7/25 with no idea what I was doing. I still have no idea what I'm doing, but anyway. It's different than Kimber's snippet that I finished and Just an Observation because Sam and Brooke don't argue as much in this one. Also, since presently I change watch batteries and bands for a living (snore, snooze) I have no background in anything medical other than the sticky side of a Band-Aid goes down so, I probably got some stuff wrong, sorry. I bent the rules of reality to fit my story, it's not like the writer's of Popular never did the same. ;)

Although I did draw on a little personal experience involving a stroke victim I knew. Anyhow, to make a long story short, I'm sorry if some of my facts are wrong, if any of them are glaringly physically wrong or impossible, let me know and I'll fix them and repost with a huge apology. Other than that, I think I've babbled long enough and teased you with this monstrosity for long enough as well. Enjoy.

P.S.: Oh, look, I humanized Nicole, somewhat. Sorry, must be head trauma I am unaware of. Forgive me. (VBEG)

P.P.S.:(God, do I ever shut up?) I have nothing against cheerleaders, I had several in friends in high school who were and I happen to be a Melissa Etheridge fan so no one take any comments the wrong way.

Feedback: Please, I live for it and you guys are so nice. Besides, my ego can use the boost, it's so tiny. (That didn't sound right, good thing I'm a girl)

Archiving: Ask, and ye shall recieve. Just ask first. It's the polite thing to do, after all. (BG)

ROAD RAGE

It is said that in times of violent accidents time slows down for those witnessing it. It is also said that these events happen with an acutely crystal sense of clarity. That became painfully clear to Sam as she followed Brooke out through the lobby of the building. Things had just gone downhill so quickly that she'd been unable to stop it. It was like a snowball rolling down a hill gathering speed and more snow about to collide with a brickwall and destroy them all. As much as she and Brooke fought most of the time, this was too much. She couldn't just let Brooke rush out upset like that. They'd come too far in their relationship and she truly cared for her soon-to-be stepsister. Very deeply, in fact.

Sam was upset with herself for hurting Brooke with this stupid game she was playing with Harrison. And if she was truthful, that's what it was too, a game. Something to compete with Brooke for; something to beat Brooke at. They may have come far in their relationship and gotten beyond their outright hatred but they both still enjoyed a good verbal fracas with the other from time to time. And Sam couldn't resist the chance to one-up Brooke any chance she got. In that respect, Sam was still a nine-year-old on the school playground involved in a twisted game of tag. And Sam hated to lose.

But this time she'd gone too far and she knew it. The look on Brooke's face when Harrison gave them his decision was enough to destroy that little kick Sam got from winning. She saw the hurt and the betrayal splashed across Brooke's face and realized that maybe it wasn't a game. Maybe Brooke really wanted Harrison as more than a friend and Sam had just taken him away. (Way to go Sam!) She berated herself as she chased after Brooke. Her little exchange with Brooke as they exited the building left her confused and bewildered. But as she hit the night air, time slowed down and everything snapped into painful focus.

She saw Brooke run into the street. She saw the headlights of the car bearing down on Brooke as the girl just stood there frozen with fear and shock. If you had asked her and she had the time to answer you, Sam could have told you the make and model and color of the car. She could have told you how the headlights gleamed off of the jewelry Brooke wore and how wide Brooke's eyes had become. She also, somewhat belatedly, could see who was driving although her brain didn't make the immediate connection. All she could see was that the car was bearing down on Brooke with frightening speed and the other girl seemed unable to move. She noticed all of this even as adrenaline pumped through her veins and her legs propelled her forward as a cry born of fear escaped her lips.

"Brooke! No!" Sam's cry seemed to free Brooke from the frozen stupor she was momentarily stuck in and she screamed as she threw her hands up in defense. She turned to see Sam barreling towards her just as the speeding car came upon her. She felt the full-on body check Sam gave her and felt herself falling painfully onto the asphalt a few feet away. She watched in utter horror as the car struck Sam, who was not able to get out of the way in time. Now it was Brooke's turn to watch events unfold in aching clarity.

The sights and sounds of this night were going to haunt Brooke for the rest of her life. She knew that somewhere in the back of her mind, as she could do nothing but sit and watch events now. Time seemed to stop for one heart wrenching second and her eyes met Sam's. She could see the apology written in Sam's deep brown eyes as the car hit her but Brooke didn't have time to understand what it meant as time returned to normal.

Brooke watched as the car struck Sam on her side and sent her flying heavily into the hood. Her head impacted with the windshield with a sickening crack, shattering the glass. She slid off the hood and fell to the roadway before rolling limply to a stop a few feet away. Brooke barely noticed that the car had skidded into a lamppost further down the road as she scrambled to Sam's side.

Blood was pouring freely from numerous visible wounds and Brooke shuttered to think about the internal damage that common sense told her Sam had suffered. Reaching out a shaking hand, she checked Sam's neck for a pulse and found one faintly pulsing beneath her fingers. Releasing the breath she'd unconsciously been holding, she tore off a piece of her dress and used it to put pressure on a nasty gash across Sam's forehead. She repeated the process a few times on Sam's arms and legs to stem the bleeding, all the while talking gently to the unconscious girl.

"That was pretty stupid, Sam, jumping in front of that car like that. Not that I don't appreciate it, because I do, believe me, I do. But, oh God, Sam, risking your life for mine? That was kind of stupid."

"Brooke? Oh, God Sam! Brooke, what happened?" Harrison asked after coming out a few minutes later when he heard the commotion outside. Brooke never looked up from her administrations.

"Car came at me, Sam pushed me out of the way. Have you called 911?" she asked calmly as she brushed some hair away from Sam's still face. Harrison was surprised at how calm Brooke was as she continued to take care of Sam. The sight of Sam lying there so still and obviously gravely injured nearly made him physically sick.

"Yeah, I called as soon as I saw someone was hit. They'll be here any minute, Brooke. How is she?" Brooke shook her head and sighed.

"Bad, Harrison. But she's holding on. Can I have your jacket?" He silently took off his jacket and she draped it over Sam who was starting to stir.

"Uugg�Br�Brooke?" she gasped as her eyes opened fractionally and tried to focus as she struggled to move.

"Right here, Sammy, easy, don't move," Brooke answered with a wide but sad smile. Sam's eyes fluttered before settling on Brooke for a moment and then closing again. She seemed to relax when she saw Brooke was there.

"You�OK?" Sam asked between shuttering gasps. Brooke looked at her worriedly. There was a trickle of blood coming from Sam's mouth that was steadily getting worse. Evidence of those internal injuries Brooke had been worried about.

"I'm fine, Sam, thanks to you. You saved my life. How do you feel? Ambulance in on the way so don't worry," she rambled, trying to reassure her stepsister. Sam frowned in pain.

"Hurts�cold�" Sam shuttered. Brooke tucked the jacket in tighter around Sam's shoulders and brushed her cheek. There was barely a spot on Sam's face that wasn't either covered in blood or dirt but Brooke didn't care. She just wanted Sam to keep breathing. (Please, God let her hold on)

"It's OK, Sam. We'll get you to a hospital and you'll be fine," Brooke wished she felt half as sure as she sounded. But she wasn't. Sam was starting to shake and Brooke didn't know if it was from shock or blood loss or both. She could hear the sirens in the distance. "Hear that, Sam? They're almost here so hang on a bit longer. Hey, Harrison?" Harrison walked closer again.

"Yeah, Brooke?" he asked quietly. His stomach was turning as he watched one of his childhood and best friends lie on the pavement possibly dying. He was powerless to do anything and it was twisting him inside.

"The car is over there. Find the driver. I want to know who did this," Brooke said in a voice so full of anger and rage that it frightened Harrison. He had never, EVER heard her speak in such a voice. It sounded alien coming from her.

"Brooke, I�"

"Do it, Harrison!" Brooke commanded with such venom that Harrison jumped and walked briskly over to the oddly familiar car. As he got closer to the vehicle, he realized why he recognized it.

"Jesus, it's Nicole's car," he swore to himself. Not wanting to believe his eyes, Harrison looked into the car and saw Nicole's unconscious form slumped over the deflated airbag. He reached in and checked for a pulse and found it going strong.

"I don't know if that's a good thing for you given the way Brooke just acted, Nic," Harrison told her rather angrily. He sniffed the air and his anger rose. "Christ, are you drunk?" Unable to keep speaking to a sleeping figure, he slapped her, not too lightly. Nicole's head snapped up and her eyes fluttered open.

"Huh? Wha�?" Nicole slurred drunkenly as she reached up to wipe at the blood from a small cut on her forehead. She looked at the blood on her fingers in confusion and then at Harrison. "What're you doin' here, loser?" she spat.

"Damn you, Nicole. Damn you to Hell! Do you have ANY idea what you have done?" he screamed at her. Nicole blinked owlishly at him for a second. Then images of running Brooke down with her car ran through her alcohol-fogged mind and she couldn't surpress a giggle.

"Playing `Frogger' with Brookie? It's just a dream, Harrison. Why are you here anyway? Go away," Harrison opened the car door and roughly pulled Nicole out, not caring if she was actually hurt. "What are you doing, you psycho? Let go of me!" Nicole protested as Harrison dragged her over to the scene of her carnage.

"It wasn't a dream, Nicole. Look. Look at what you've done!" he screamed at her when they reached where Brooke still sat cradling Sam who was semi-conscious. Nicole looked at the bloodied form of her most hated enemy and her best-friend (former) sitting next to her.

"Aw, I missed Brookie and hit Spam instead. Not bad for a consolation prize," Nicole snickered. "Heh heh, Spam went splat!" Brooke looked up in shock and then stared speechless.

"It was Nicole, Brooke," Harrison said needlessly. "She's drunk and thinks this is a dream." Brooke nodded and carefully laid Sam back on the ground before she stood up to face her would-be-killer. She looked the still giggling girl up and down in distaste as if seeing her for the first time. Before Harrison or Nicole knew what was happening, Brooke pulled back and punched Nicole so hard in the jaw that Nic went flying to the ground in pain.

"OW! Jesus!" Nicole exclaimed in pain as she held her throbbing jaw. All thought that this was an alcohol-induced hallucination vanished with Brooke's action and the realization that this was real chilled Nicole to her core. She looked up at the person who was once the best friend she ever had and saw only hate and rage staring back at her.

"Not so funny now, is it, Nic?" Brooke growled. Nicole shook her head mutely. She'd never seen Brooke so angry or known her to hit anyone, aside from the story of the once she slapped Spam. Sobriety sped up behind Nicole and slammed into her as she realized exactly what she had done. She scrambled to her feet and looked back at Sam as Brooke sat back down and the ambulance pulled up.

"Oh, my God, what have I done?" Nicole whispered in utter horror. The paramedics began to treat Sam and Brooke turned her attention back to Nicole.

"Let me tell you a few things, Nicole," she started, her voice startingly calm. It reminded Nicole of those few minutes right before a massive thunderstorm when the wind stops, there are no birds or anything else disturbing the air and everything is just still. It was scary to hear the sound coming from the usually vibrant Brooke but she listened intently. "First off, let me tell you that no matter what happens, I will never forgive you for this. I know you were aiming for me and if it weren't for Sam, I'd probably be dead now. But that's besides the point." She took a step closer to Nicole who unconsciously took a step back.

"I think you should know that I am going to dedicate every moment I have that I don't spend helping Sam recover making sure that you get EXACTLY what you deserve. And if, God forbid, Sam doesn't make it, there won't be anywhere you can go or anything you can do that is going to stop me from making you pay." Finished, she walked back over to the paramedics, leaving Nicole with Harrison. Nicole wasn't sure what scared her more; the threat itself or the fact that Brooke's voice never changed the entire time she spoke.

Harrison watched in silence as Brooke handed down her sentence to Nicole and was just as scared as Nicole was. He had also never seen such rage and hatred come from the normally kind and gentle cheerleader. Brooke was known for her understanding and ability to forgive. And while he understood why Brooke would be upset, Nicole had just tried to run her down and nearly killed Sam by the look of it, the depth of the emotions seemed somehow out of place.

Sure, Sam was going to be Brooke's stepsister and the two were growing closer but, Brooke was acting, odd, and Harrison just couldn't put his finger in it. There was a long-standing history between Brooke and Sam and most of it wasn't good. And then there was this whole thing between them involving him. That was bound to cause even more friction between the two girls. But while he knew Brooke would never want to see harm come to anyone, even Sam, he couldn't wrap his mind around her overly hostile reaction to Nicole. Anger and outrage he would have expected, outright blinding rage and wrath was a little over the top. He was then distracted when he saw a police officer approaching.

COFFEE? DONUT? CONFESSION?

"Excuse me, I'm Officer Bennett. Can either of you tell me what happened here tonight?" Nicole heard the cop and looked at Harrison who looked back at her expectantly. She knew he was waiting for her to say something. The greedy, self-preservist side of herself was screaming at her to walk away but the other half was yelling to do the right thing and it had been a while since she'd last heard from that other half. She heard Brooke's words echoing over and over inside her mind and realized that for once, the great Nicole Julian didn't have a way out of a mess of her own creation. She couldn't shift the blame to anyone else like Mary Cherry or Sugar Daddy. She couldn't say she did it out of anger at Sam or�(Oh, God, Sam! What have I done? ) She repeated her earlier question.

True she never really liked the would-be-journalist and the girl's unique brand of vitriol but Nicole had to admit the girl was something unique herself. No matter how many doors were slammed in her face or how many times she was put upon or pushed down, Sam never seemed to get anything more than a ding or a scratch in her paint. If a door shut, Sam opened a window or made her own door and even Nicole had to admire that. And she did, not that she would admit it if you ever asked. Sam was brave and had a sort of courage most people only read about. She just kept plugging along, going after the things she believed in and not backing down or compromising her convictions. And now Nicole had gone and probably killed her. (Oh, God, what do I do now?) Nicole took a deep breath and grew up.

"I was upset and got drunk. Took my car out. Then I saw Brooke McQueen and tried to run her down. Sam McPherson pushed her out of the way so I hit her instead," she confessed softly to Officer Bennett. Harrison gaped at her in shock. Officer Bennett shook his head.

"Did I hear you correctly Miss�?"

"Julian. Nicole Julian and yes, I'd like to make a total and complete confession. I want a blood alcohol test done now, be checked out because I crashed my car over there," she pointed at the wreckage of her car, "and then I'll go with you to the station."

"Nicole," Harrison started. He couldn't believe his ears. Nicole Julian, who always blamed everyone else for her mistakes, was taking full responsibilty for the worst one of her young life. She turned and looked at him with a small smile.

"Yeah, I know. Who'd have thought, right? Me, doing the Spike Lee `Do the right thing' crap. I'm obviously drunk and not in my right mind. I must have hit my head pretty hard," she paused and became serious. "Harrison, look, I know I have no right to ask but, would you do one thing for me?" Still in shock, Harrison nodded.

"Thanks, keep an eye on Brooke for me, would you? I know I can never fix this, God help me, but I can at least do this. I can admit that I did this. But Brooke is going to need someone to help her through it. God help us all if Sam doesn't make it." Harrison stared at her for a second like she'd grown a second head and she sighed.

"Look, hate me if you want to, that's nothing new. Now I've really given you a reason to, but please, just be there for the both of them. That's all I'm asking."

"Sure, Nicole. You know, you almost seem human," he told her humorlessly. She smiled with just as much humor.

"Thanks, Harrison. And please let everyone know how truly sorry I am for what I've done," She turned back to the police officer and held out her hands. "Book me, Danno."

Brooke stood by as the paramedics placed Sam in a c-collar and on a backboard as they treated what injuries they needed to before moving her. She was still semi-conscious, trying to answer questions when asked and calling for Brooke when the other girl lost her grip on her hand. Brooke felt it was a special kind of torture to see the kind of pain Sam was in and not be able to do anything about it.

"Brooke�" Sam called weakly as a sudden fit of coughing overcame her. Brooke watched in horror as blood poured more freely from Sam's mouth. She grasped Sam's hand tightly.

"Right here, Sammy, I haven't gone anywhere. Hang on, OK?" her calm from earlier was beginning to give way to bubbling panic. Sam visibly relaxed.

"Tell Mom I'm sorry," Sam whispered. Brooke fought down the rising panic that those words stirred within her.

"Sam, don't. You're going to be fine," she watched as Sam gave her a weak wry smile.

"Liar. You�suck�at lying," Sam managed to tease as she weakened further.

"Excuse us, miss, but we have to be going," a paramedic told Brooke gently. Sam gripped Brooke's hand as tightly as she could.

"Please�please don't leave me�" she begged. "I'm scared." Brooke felt the tears finally being to course down her cheeks at the fraility in Sam's voice.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sweetie," Brooke reassured her. She looked around for Harrison and found him standing awkwardly a few feet away.

"Harrison, please call our parents and have them meet us there. Then call the gang. We're going to need all the support we can get, OK?" Harrison nodded.

"Anything, Brooke, we'll meet you there," he told her confidently, somewhat sorry that he couldn't go with them but honored and humbled that she was trusting him with the important job of calling everyone. He knew it wouldn't be easy and he immediately decided that he would go straight over to the McQueen's house to tell them. There was no way he could tell them this over the phone. Brooke spared him a small smile.

"Thanks," she said as he watched the doors close and the bus pull away. Left alone in the street for a few minutes, Harrison took in the scene around him. There were spectators on the street with him, oggling the carnage like vultures and it pissed him off. There were scraps of clothes and bandages soaked in blood left on the ground and it took the remainder of his composure not to retch as the reality of the situation came home. He shook off his anger and disgust and the last thing he saw as he turned to leave was Nicole in handcuffs, being read her rights at a nearby squad car. Idly he wondered exactly how many lives had just been destroyed in one single instant.

AMBULANCES AND GAUZE

Sam lost consciousness on the way to the hospital and Brooke was scared. She had no illusions about how bad Sam's injuries were, she knew enough from both her and Harrison's time in the hospital to know bad when she saw it. There was just so much blood. (How can so much blood come from such a small person) she wondered to herself. (And how could she lose that much and still live?) The very thought of losing Sam was nearly enough to destroy the small measure of control Brooke still had over her turbulant emotions.

Growing up, she and Sam were never friends. Enemies would be too soft a word. Archenemies, nemesis, whatever you called it, they never traveled in the same circles and never got along. She never understood what it was that kept them at arm's length but there was always a wall between them, either of their own creation or something elses. They both let whatever it was run their lives when there was a pretty good chance that they could have gotten along. But it was easier to hate each other than to undo years of history. And then to Brooke it was like her world collapsed in on itself when her father announced he was involved with Sam's mother Jane. That was it, her life was over because now she was going to have to put up with and, (Jesus Christ, are you kidding?), live with her worst enemy. Sam had always been out to destroy or hurt her, in Brooke's opinion. How was she supposed to live with that?

But little by little, as time wore on and they both realized that the thing between their parents wasn't going to go away, they got to know each other, albeit reluctantly at first. Brooke discovered that Sam wasn't just a cold-hearted, out-for-a-story reporter, and that there was genuine warmth and feeling underneath the kind of detacted and aloof front that Sam presented. And Brooke discovered that the death of Sam's father was one of the reasons the girl held herself a bit apart from those around her. Sam was hurt very deeply by the loss and never fully recovered from it. Brooke was beginning to see past the defenses Sam had built to prevent people from getting too close and she liked what she saw, probably more than she should.

Lately Brooke was finding more and more of her time being consumed by thoughts of her soon-to-be stepsister, and they weren't entirely sisterly thoughts either. No, most of her thoughts lately would definitely qualify her for a special episode of Jerry Springer before they'd qualify for her for anything else. `Formerly Straight Cheerleaders Now in Love with Their Straight Journalist Stepsisters-How Does Their Family Deal with It? How Do the Girls Deal with It? And Can She Still Be a Cheerleader? Next on Jerry Springer.'

(Now there's an episode Mary Cherry'd watch) Brooke scoffed to herself as she clutched Sam's frighteningly cold hand in her own. She stroked the back of Sam's hand with her thumb as she prayed to any God that would listen to help Sam through this. Not for her own selfish reasons, although they did factor in, but for the rest of the family too.

"Hang in there, Sammy," Brooke whispered, unconsciously still using an affectionate form of Sam's name. "Think about Mom and Dad, OK, Mike to you. He doesn't mind that, really. He understands. Think about little MacKenzie. I need you to help me be a big sister to her. I don't know what I'm doing. We helped bring her into this world, Sam, you can't check out on me now, OK?" The paramedic sitting nearby put his hand on her shoulder in support as she started to sob. Brooke looked up into his sympathetic green eyes and he smiled.

"She's holding her own, miss. Don't count her out. She's your sister?" Brooke nodded and smiled fondly at the unconscious girl.

"Soon to be step sister, yeah. We have a new baby sister at home and I need Sam to help me with her," Brooke explained in between tears. The paramedic nodded in understanding.

"Look, I won't lie to you. Your sister's in rough shape but the fact that she was conscious for as long as she was and is holding on now tells me that she's a fighter. Hold on to that. I know it's a clich�, and a bad one at that but it really does mean something when someone fights this hard. I've been around long enough to know." Brooke reached up and wiped away her tears with her free hand.

"Thanks," she said simply, somehow feeling a little better. She turned her attention back to the unconscious brunette lying in front of her. More and more often of late, Brooke found herself lost in thought about Sam and everything about her from her hair and eyes to her voice, laugh, and personality. It was becoming increasingly clear to Brooke that her feelings for Sam were getting very complicated. Not just because of their familial situation, which was bound to make things awkward for her to say the least if Sam ever found out, but also because she was pretty darn sure Sam was straight.

(Why can't anything in my life be easy?) Brooke thought to herself as the ambulance hit a bump. (Of all the people in the world to fall head over heels for, it had to be Sam. I should have picked someone more attainable like Cindy Crawford or Gwynth herself) she laughed silently. (I'd have a better chance with either of them than I ever will with sweet, straight Sam)

Her relationship with Josh had been nice but it had always lacked something vital, something she could never seem to put into words. With Josh, Brooke always felt like she was there because it was her obligation as head cheerleader to date him. He was a nice, sweet guy and all and she really had cared for him but he didn't make her feel the way she felt she should have if she was truly in love. But the way she felt whenever Sam was near; her legs turned to jelly, her stomach did flip-flops and she got light headed all in a positive way. That was how she thought she should have felt with Josh. There was a passion involved with Sam that she lacked with Josh. It was evident in their fights. And it was like nothing she ever experienced before.

It had confused her at first, when she realized that her former rival and her father's fiancee's daughter were causing the feelings. What was it about the girl that wound her up like a brand new Christmas toy? Maybe it was the unflinching way Sam approached everything in her life or the way she refused to be unswayed or detered in her journey for the truth, even her own slightly sckewered version of it.

Maybe it was the quiet vulnerablity hidden underneath the strong front the girl presented. Brooke had spent her entire life trying to live up to the ideals others had set out in front of her while Sam did her own thing and Brooke envied that. Maybe it was the big brown eyes that exuded warmth and mischief or the long brown hair that hung around Sam's shoulders like a soft security blanket just waiting for Brooke to wrap herself in, but whatever it was Brooke had fallen and fallen hard. And she really wasn't sure she minded anymore.

So here she was, holding the alarmingly still hand of the one person she didn't have to pretend around, the one person she felt free and truly relaxed around and praying not to lose her just as she realized how deeply she cared for and needed her. (Just hang on a little longer, Sammy, please)

THE WAITING GAME or WHY ARE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINES SIX MONTHS OLD?

The ride to the hospital felt like it took a lifetime when in reality only a few minutes passed. Brooke stood to the side out of the way as Sam was wheeled into the Emergency Room and suddenly swarmed by awaiting doctors. She hated letting go of Sam's hand feeling somehow like by letting go she would lose her forever. She shifted from foot to foot and tried to get a look at what was going on around Sam but there was too much she didn't understand. As she stood there a little while later feeling lost and alone, she saw Mike and Jane come running through the Emergency Room doors towards her.

"Brooke! Good Lord, what's going on? Where's Sam?" Jane asked in a panicked rush. Mike put his hands on her shoulders to calm her. They could both see how shaken up Brooke was by the paleness of her features and the condition of her clothing. Her dress was ripped and stained in blood that was obviously not her own.

"Brooke, Harrison just came by the house and told us that you and Sam had been involved in an accident and to meet you here. What's going on?" Brooke looked at her father for a few minutes, trying to find the words to explain the horror of the nights events thus far. But she found that she was unable to speak. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before just shrugging and sitting down in a nearby chair and burying her head in her hands, her composure finally breaking down. Mike and Jane sat down next to her and let her cry for a few minutes.

"You're in shock, honey, it's OK. Harrison said something about Nicole trying to run you over and Sam getting hit instead. Is that true? Just nod or something if you can't speak," Mike said gently. Brooke nodded her head, not raising it from where it was hidden in her hands. She kept praying that this was a nightmare and someone was going to wake her up soon. She kept hoping Sam was going to walk into her room at any moment and jump on her bed and yell at her to wake up before she was late for school, anything but what was really happening.

"OK, God, I knew I should have bodily stopped Nicole when she came to the house tonight," Mike sighed painfully. Brooke looked up in confusion. "She came over to the house, obviously drunk and I thought I hid her keys from her while I called her mother. When I got back, she was gone. Oh, honey, I never thought�" Mike stopped unable to continue the thought.

"What about Sam, Brooke? Where is she?" Jane asked anxiously. Brooke looked at her fearfully, her stomach churning as she told Jane Sam's condition.

"She was hurt really bad, Mom," Brooke said quietly, finally able to speak again. She watched the remaining color drain from Jane's face. "They took her into surgery right before you got here. They said they couldn't wait for consent so I let them take her. Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Jane, it should have been me!"

"What do you mean?" Jane asked between tears as she hugged the upset teen.

"Nicole was aiming for me and I froze when I saw the car. Sam didn't and pushed me out of the way, but she couldn't get herself out of the way in time. So Nicole hit her instead and if I hadn't gotten upset and run off like that in the first place it wouldn't have happened. And I never meant for it to happen and now everything's ruined and Sam might die and�" Brooke rambled on as the doors opened again and Harrison arrived with Lily, Josh, and Carmen in tow.

"What's going on? Is what Harrison said true, Brooke? Did Nic try to kill you?" Josh asked. Brooke, spent from her little rant and at the end of her emotional reserves could only nod in response.

"I'm going to find a doctor and see if I can find out about Sam's condition," Mike said as he got up and hugged Jane and Brooke. "And this isn't your fault, Brooke. It's Nicole's. Don't blame yourself." Again, Brooke only nodded.

"He's right," Jane said with a hug, "No one is going to blame you, Brooke. I don't and neither will Sam. So don't blame yourself."

"And don't worry about Sam, either. She's a tough cookie," Carmen pipped up, desperate to be helpful. "I'm sure she'll bounce right back in no time." Brooke shook her head sadly, a pitiful sob escaping her throat before she could stop it. She took a deep breath before trying to speak again.

"You didn't�you didn't see her, Carmen," Brooke said in a voice barely audible over the quiet din of the waiting room. "There was so much blood. Sam's blood. Oh, God," Brooke buried her head in her hands again and cried in earnest while curling herself into a ball in the chair. Her entire body shook with the force of her sobs. Jane rubbed her back as she too cried. No one knew what to say so silence stretched across the room until Mike returned a few minutes later with a solemn look on his face.

"She's in surgery now, Jane. It�it doesn't look good," he said sadly. Jane started crying harder and was joined by Carmen and Lily. "She was hit pretty hard according to the doctors. I hope you don't mind but I signed the papers for them to do what they have to." Jane nodded.

"OK," she sobbed. "I can't lose her. She's all I have of left of Joe. She's my first baby," she continued to cry. Mike enveloped her in a comforting hug.

"I know, I know, dear. But you have to believe that Sam will pull through this. We all have to," he looked into the grief stricken faces of the teens around him. "You all mean so much to Sam, and I can't thank you enough for being here for us right now."

"She means a lot to us, Mr. McQueen. There's no where else we'd rather be than here for Sam and you three," Carmen said as she regained some composure.

"Yeah, she's more than our friend, Mr. McQueen. You don't know us very well because you're Brooke's dad but Sam is our glue, the one that holds us together and without her we'd be lost," Lily explained as Josh held her. Jane smiled despite her tears.

"That's very sweet, Lily. I'm sure Sam would love to hear that," Jane said. Brooke nodded.

"It's true, Dad, I've seen it. The friendships these guys have with Sam are like nothing I have with any of my friends. It's really special."

"You're our friend too, Brooke," Harrison pointed out quietly. Lily and Carmen nodded.

"You bet, Brooke. See? Part of that is because you and Sam let that silly feud between you die, or least die down," Carmen laughed.

"Thanks you guys, that means a lot," Brooke smiled genuinely for the first time since being caught in Nicole's headlights earlier.

"I'm really glad that both our daughters have such kind and caring friends who are there for them when it really counts," Mike said gently, making all the teens blush slightly at the compliment. That being said, no one else had anything else to say so they all sat back and waited for word on Sam's condition and prayed.