Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS.

A/N: I wrote this at the end of vacation and am still a little rusty. I'm so glad to be back I'll probably post the four chapters I have done at once.

Dedication: To faerietaleredux for all the encouragement (and betaing the first chapter) and Loved-Invention and PurpleAngel87 for watching over Pure Horace Mantis for me while I was gone. You guys are the best!

"Joey, I need you."

Normally Joe would have not so gently reminded his best friend that he hadn't been "Joey" since the third grade, but there was something in Stella's voice that caught his attention and made everything else seem trivial.

"Where are you?"

"The hospital."

"Are you okay?" He asked with panic evident in his voice. His stomach clenched up at the thought of Stella being hurt.

"It's Macy," she replied. Even though he couldn't see her, he could picture exactly what she looked like at that moment – her eyes were crinkled and her lips pursed as she tried to keep herself from crying; he had seen her like that when her grandfather had died a few years earlier.

"Stella, I'll be there in," he glanced down at his watch, "twenty minutes. Where do I go to find you?"

"The waiting room on the third floor." He could hear her sniff before she continued, "Thanks Joe. Love you."

Hearing her say that always gave him a warm, fluttery feeling, even if she only meant it as a friend.

"You too, Stell."

Hanging up, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. He needed to at least leave his mom a note telling her where he was or she would worry and he would get in trouble. And since it was Macy, he should probably tell his brothers. They all had a soft spot for Jonas' self-proclaimed super fan; she was quirky and still tended to injure them with random sports equipment, but she always meant well and was there for them in a pinch. He grabbed a pad of paper from the counter and scrawled a message to his mom before yelling, "Guys something happened to Macy, and I'm leaving for the hospital. Come now if you want to go with me."

He could hear scrambling upstairs and in a moment two pairs of feet were coming down the fire poles.

"What!" Kevin exclaimed. "Why is Macy in the hospital?"

"I don't know. Stella just called and told me she wanted me at the hospital because something happened to Macy."

Kevin gave him a puzzled look, "And you didn't ask what happened? Even I would have remembered to ask what happened."

Joe glared at his older brother, but before he could respond Nick jumped in. "How about instead of arguing, we just get in the car and head over so we can find out what's wrong?"

Patting Nick on the shoulder, Kevin replied, "That's a great idea." He frowned before continuing, "I really hope Macy is alright."

At his brother's comment, Joe felt a small twinge of guilt; he had been so worried about Stella that he hadn't really thought about what might be the matter with Macy. Frowning, he grabbed the keys to the car and headed out the door without saying anything else. It was a good ten minute drive to the hospital, so they needed to get started if they were going to get there on time. And he really needed to see Stella as soon as possible.

Joe fidgeted in the elevator, trying to will the thing to go faster. Thanks to Kevin, he was already six minutes late. His brother had seen a huge pink, fluffy teddy bear in the gift shop downstairs and had to stop and buy it for Macy. A two hundred dollar teddy bear! Who on earth besides Kevin would spend that much money on a stuffed animal? And of course now everyone they passed was staring at them; it wasn't every day you saw a teenage boy walking around with a massive pink bear. It was only a matter of time before someone recognized them and freaked out. He should have snuck out and gone on his own.

As the doors slid open, he almost expected Stella to be standing there waiting for him, her hands on her hips, ready to scold him. She had a thing about punctuality. But as he exited the elevator, he saw her sitting in a chair in the waiting area, her head in her hands.

"Hey, Stella," he said quietly.

At the sound of his voice, her head shot up. Her eyes were glistening with tears and she bolted out of her seat as soon as she saw him. He barely had time to register what was happening before she threw her arms around his neck and began crying into his chest. He pulled her close and began to stroke her long, blonde hair in what he hoped was a comforting manner, trying very hard not to think about how nice it felt to hold his best friend.

They stood like that for a few minutes before Nick finally asked the question that all three boys had been wondering, "How's Macy? What happened?"

Sniffling, Stella pulled away from Joe, and he immediately missed having her in his arms. Briefly considering that his feelings for Stella were actually becoming an issue, he tried to concentrate on what she was saying.

"She was playing hockey and had spent most of the game skating rings around this big guy on the other team. He must have gotten tired of her out-skating him because he just smashed her into the side of the rink." She stopped for a moment and shuttered. "It was horrible. I could hear a crunch and she just fell to the ice like a rag doll."

Stella turned to Joe and looked him in the eye, "You know how tough Macy is. I kept expecting her to get up and tell him off, but she just lay there not moving." She bit her lip and leaned back into Joe as she finished talking. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Have you heard anything about how she is doing?" Kevin asked quietly. "Is she okay?"

Without lifting her head from Joe's chest, she said, "The doctor came out and got her mom about ten minutes ago, but she hasn't come back yet."

Joe went back to stroking Stella's hair and told her, "We'll wait here with you, okay?"

He felt her nod. He watched his brothers glance around the small lounge looking for somewhere to sit. Fortunately the only other occupant was an elderly gentleman who was unlikely to recognize them. They had a fairly broad fan base, but the senior citizen crowd usually wasn't among them. Nick took the seat next to the older man, allowing Kevin and the bear to sit in the seat next to where Stella had been when they arrived. Joe thought about asking Stella if she wanted to sit, but since she showed no signs of moving he decided to just let her be.

Nick had just asked everyone if they wanted him to go get them something to drink when Mrs. Misa appeared next to them. Stella moved away from Joe slightly so she faced her friend's mom, but she still kept one arm around his waist, obviously reluctant to break the contact. He draped an arm protectively around her shoulder and waited to hear what Macy's mom had to say.

"She's going to be okay."

Joe could feel the tension drain from Stella's body as she sagged against him in relief. Both of his brothers broke out in grins.

"But the doctor said she hurt her back and if she plays any more sports she could risk serious permanent injury." Mrs. Misa's voice broke as she said, "I just had to tell Macy she can't play sports anymore."

Stella immediately went to her friend's mother and hugged the older woman, while Joe and his brothers looked at each other in shock. He couldn't picture Macy without sports, and he was sure they were both thinking the same thing. While the halls of Horace Mantis would be a safer place for the members of JONAS, he realized with surprise that he would gladly take the bruises if it meant Macy could still do what she loved. Sports were part of what made her Macy.

Mrs. Misa recovered quickly, "I have to go talk to the doctors for awhile, but she should be able to have visitors soon. Do you mind waiting? Maybe a visit from JONAS will cheer her up." Then she added as almost an after-thought, "And you too, Stella dear."

"Of course we'll wait," Nick said quickly. "Just let us know when we can go see her."

Watching as the woman smiled at his brother, Joe was struck by how mature Nick was. He might be horrible with girls his own age, but he had a way of instilling confidence in adults that Joe admired. As Mrs. Misa turned and walked back down the hall, Stella moved towards Joe, snuggling up against him again. He could seriously get used to this side of her. While he didn't want Macy to be hurt, he was enjoying having his best friend lean on him.

Taking a chance and brushing his lips against the top of her head, he followed up by saying, "Don't worry, Stell. Everything is going to be okay."