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�Better Than Best� Chapter 17: By Your Side When we arrived in LA, Mike Morin was there to meet us. We all got off the plane and kind of just stood there for a minute. �Hey Mike. Why aren�t you with Dan?� I asked. �Dan�s family arrived yesterday night. They�re with him,� Mike replied as we walked out to the parking garage. We drove to the hospital and went into the lobby. There we found Dan�s parents and brother, Adam. They looked horrible. �Jenna,� Dan�s mom got up and hugged me. �Mrs. Miller, I am so sorry,� I returned her hug. �Sweetheart, it wasn�t your fault,� Mrs. Miller replied. I didn�t say anything else as she pulled away. We greeted Mr. Miller and Adam and sat down. �Where�s the rest of the family?� Trevor asked. �They stayed home. They couldn�t make the trip,� Mr. Miller said. �How�s Dan?� Ashley asked. �He�s alert. He�s still very weak and can�t move very much,� Mrs. Miller was close to tears. �How you doing, Adam?� Jacob asked Dan�s brother. Adam nodded his head. �How about we take you to get pizza or something?� Ashley suggested. Adam perked up at the thought of getting out for a while. �Can I Mom?� �Sure, go ahead,� Mrs. Miller was grateful to Ashley for his suggestion. Adam, Ashley, Jacob, and Trevor went to get pizza while the rest of us stayed. �You want us to get you something, Jenna?� Jacob asked before they left. �Nah, I�m good. Thanks anyway,� I replied. After they left I went to Dan�s room. He was sleeping so I sat in the chair next to his bed. I watched as his body rose and fell with his steady breathing. �I�m sorry,� I thought to myself. �I shouldn�t have let you go out that night. Please get better soon, Dan. I love you. I need you in my life.� Absentmindedly, I played with my ring finger, realizing that Dan�s promise ring wasn�t there. I replayed the night in my head, remembering how I had thrown it at the door. Had I remembered to pick it up before we went to New York? I dug through my purse. At the very bottom was the ring. I replaced it on my finger. It felt good there. I stayed by his side while he slept. I stayed with him while he was awake. I stayed with him through the good days and the bad days. Slowly he began to recover. The road was hard and had many obstacles but we kept fighting. The outpour of support from the fans was amazing. We got hundreds of letters of support and encouragement. Justin & the NSYNC guys visited and expressed their deepest sympathies. Each of our families visited and supported us. Two months after Dan�s accident, he was able to walk out of the hospital by himself. His strength had returned and he was almost completely better. Any doubt I had in my mind was erased that day as I watched him walk out the doors. I loved him wholeheartedly. �Jenna,� Dan said to me later that night as he sat across from me at dinner. �Dan?� I asked. �I just wanted to tell you that I love you,� Dan said studying my face. �I love you too,� I smiled. He reached across the table and held my hand. �Thanks for staying with me through it all.� His eyes went to the ring. �I�m glad you�re better, Dan,� I said. �Jen, I have to ask you something,� Dan said out of nowhere.
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