Aria followed behind the Dr. Silvers at the most brisk pace her leg would allow. She winced at the looks of sympathy she received from passing nurses, patients and fellow doctors. Suddenly she was regretting this particular step of independence and wishing that she had insisted Spencer accompany her. But on the other hand, how exactly could she expect Spencer to start seeing her as a lover or an equal if she continued to lean on her as if she were a caretaker. Of course the artistic girl was beyond grateful for her girlfriend in every way, not a lot of people would be lucky enough to have someone who not only stood by them, comforted them, refused to be pushed away and protected them but also never took any of outs Aria had provided for her. Several times she'd attempted to cut the older girl loose. Parts of her still believed that Spencer should be with someone less damaged, less broken. She could be as happy as Emily and Hanna were in their seemingly carefree bubble.

As her internal battle carried on, the doctor ushered her into an exam room far from the main areas, most likely for the sake of privacy and much to Aria's relief.

Dr. Silvers went to her computer to pull up Aria's file and gestured to the examination table. Much to her relief, the hazel-eyed girl spotted the stepping stool placed in front of the bed which allowed her to get up with less strain on her leg. She sat on the table and played with the strings of the gown next to her (she was sure she'd be asked to put it on soon but preferred to stay clothed as long as possible.) She rested her eyes on the doctor's back, which was facing towards her as she continued to click away on her computer.

Finally, the doctor picked up a clipboard and faced her young patient, giving her undivided attention.

"I'd like you to tell me what happened, whenever you're comfortable," she said gently, taking a seat across the room from the fragile girl and giving her space to collect herself.

Aria nodded shakily. She was grateful to have the gown to occupy her hands and the dreary yet distracting art hanging from the walls of the room so she had something to focus her eyes on. She's improved immensely at communicating her story since her first time with Spencer; she could now make it through with few break downs thanks to some relaxation techniques her girlfriend and the internet had taught her.

"I was walking home one day a few weeks ago, and it was pouring rain…"

Hanna shifted impatiently in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs. She threw the magazine she'd finished reading back onto the table with the rest with a bored huff. She looked over and studied Spencer's rigid posture and took in her leg bouncing with clear anxiety. The genius hadn't even noticed the blonde's lingering gaze because her attention was locked on the door her girlfriend had disappeared behind.

"You know," a sexy voice whispered in the shell of her ear. "If you don't stop looking at Spencer like that you'll be meeting 'jealous girlfriend Emily."

A full grin broke out onto the girl's face, accompanied by a slight blush.

"And what if I'd like to be introduced?" she challenged, biting her lip flirtatiously but still not taking her eyes off of the brunette.

A low rumble emanated from the black haired girl's chest as she wrapped a possessive arm around her girlfriend. "You might not like her as much as you'd think. She might lock you up in her room and keep you all to herself."

"I thought you were trying to explain why I wouldn't like her, not provoke me into begging for her to come out," she teased.

Their light banter had caught Spencer's attention and successfully broken her staring contest with the door.

"Do you guys think she's okay in there? I should've insisted on going in, she's probably so scared," Spencer stressed, bringing her left hand to drag lightly through her light brown locks.

"Spencer," Emily said softly. She reached over and lightly pulled the hand not currently knotted in her hair into her own lap and ran soothing circles with her own hands.

"You have to relax. Aria is so strong and she's doing so well right now. You have to learn how to trust her to able to take care of herself eventually, now is as good of a time as any."

"I know she's strong. But there's always going to be a part of me that feels like if I'd just picked her up that night, or even suggested we do something other than go to the park," Spencer's voice cracked at the end.

"No Spence," Hanna hushed, devastated by the idea that her best friend blamed herself for any part of this. "This is no one's fault but Ezra's. You have done everything you know how to do to make this better and the only thing you couldn't do, you brought her to someone who could."

The brunette nodded and wiped a tear beginning to form out of her eye, she was not about to break down in this moderately crowded hospital waiting room.

"Hanna's right. You've done more than anyone your age could ever be expected to do and the worst is over. Now the two of you can start to heal," the raven haired girl said, squeezing the brunette's hand reassuringly.

Ultimately, the doctor came to a conclusion that was not terribly different than the diagnosis Spencer has given Aria in her bathroom the very night she'd been attacked. The smaller girl couldn't help but smile as the doctor listed off her injuries and how to take care of them as she heard the echo of her girlfriend's words behind them. The red head had lead her out of the exam area after she'd – as predicted – requested the brunette put on her scratchy standard-issue hospital gown and took her to the room that contained the x-ray machine. Aria was honestly impressed with Spencer's accuracy. The green-eyed doctor confirmed that her ankle had sustained a hairline fracture – nothing too serious but it would need a split but thankfully, a plaster cast wasn't deemed necessary. As the older girl worked on her ankle, Aria sat peacefully on top of the examination table; she was surprised and grateful for whatever higher power was allowing her to react to the doctor's touches so normally. Granted, much like her girlfriend, the woman had asked permission before initiating any kind of contact and even then, her movements had been exaggerated to ensure there'd be no surprises.

She'd had slightly difficulty with allowing the kind doctor to examine and clean the superficial wound she'd creative with her frantic scratching. The doctor had gently applied a disinfectant painkiller cream and placed long, smooth Band-Aids over the more affected areas.

"What concerns me the most is your ribs," she said, not looking up from her work on the younger girl's ankle. "The x-ray showed that only one of them is very slightly cracked, the rest of it appears to just be bruising. The reason you're having such a difficult time with them is because they never really had a chance to heal properly."

Aria nodded, hanging on the doctor's calm words.

"Unfortunately there's really not much we can do about that. I can give you a binder for them if you know you'll be doing a lot of moving around –which I do not recommend for the next 7 to 10 days," she said, giving her patient a pointed look. "Beyond that, I'll prescribe you a painkiller since Advil might not do the trick and of course icing them will help."

Aria nodded gratefully, making mental notes of the doctor's advice. Finally, when the ginger was finished she looked up from the ankle and locked eyes with her patient.

"The episodes you told me you've been having in the shower are also a cause for concern," she said seriously. "I understand that it's a place that you feel safe but it's getting dangerous. What would have happened today if your friends hadn't gone in there to find you?"

Aria broke eye contact, suddenly embarrassed by her coping method of choice.

"Hey," she said gently. "I'm not saying don't shower when you need an escape. I'm saying you should pick some place less hazardous for when you're feeling panicked and out of control. You could slip in the shower and break a bone. The raw patches that you've created from scratching at the skin like that won't scar, but it's not good for your recovery and I don't imagine it's very comfortable. Like your tall friend said when you were admitted, your temp was unhealthily low and you could've caught hypothermia and most of all, I'm certain these shower set backs are why your ribs can't heal."

"I just, I don't-"Aria couldn't seem to get the words out, too overcome with an onslaught of emotions.

"It's okay," the doctor assured her gently. "You don't owe me, or anyone else, an explanation."

The pure relief she found in the injured girl's eyes at her statement flooded the doctor with a sense of confidence that she'd done the right thing. It wasn't that she didn't want to be the person that this victim opened up to; it was that she honestly didn't have proper training and the high schooler obviously needed the best. She was sure that there were many parts to this story that the younger girl was leaving out; most likely because of misplaced embarrassment, but either way it wasn't her place to push.

The doctor left the room after offering the small girl a reassuring smile and instructing her to get changed into her own clothes. She'd offered to get one of Aria's friends but she'd politely declined, insisting that she could manage on her own. Dr. Silver promised to drop off her prescription note with the hospital pharmacy and she'd return with Aria's discharge papers.

As predicted, the redressing was not without struggle but by the time the creative girl had finished she was immensely proud of herself for completing the simple task. The woman reemerged, after thoughtfully knocking and waiting for Aria's permission to enter, with a few simple forms for her to sign and a small tube of – presumably – the same cream she'd applied to her ribs earlier.

"Thank you, Dr. Silver for everything. Really," Aria said, trying to stress how grateful she was for the other woman's help and understanding.

She smiled easily and shook her head, "It's my job, Miss Montgomery."

"Just Aria. I think it's probably okay for us to be on a first name basis, don't you think?" Aria teased playfully.

"Aria then," she repeated with a grin. She reached into her white coat pocket and produced a small rectangular piece of paper that the other girl recognized as a business card. She held it out for the student to take.

"Call me anytime, I mean that."

Small tears welled up in the brunette's eyes for a moment before she quickly blinked them away. "Thank you so much," Aria muttered, overwhelmed by this woman – who barely knew her honestly – and her compassion.

The pair exited the small exam room and rounded the corner to rejoin Aria's friends and love in the lobby. The brunette was sure Spencer would have questions for the doctor and she was too tired to have to endure it again.

Sure enough, the brunette rose out of her seat the second her girlfriend and girlfriend's doctor were in her line of sight but much to her credit, she restrained herself from releasing her slew of questions until the two of them were at least within earshot.

"So what's the verdict on your ankle?" she asked quickly.

Aria chuckled at her girlfriend's eagerness and instantly tension melted from Emily and Hanna's shoulders. The tallest brunette was clearly too preoccupied with the doctor's status report to notice but their friend now seemed almost entirely at ease which was a complete change from the nearly catatonic and seemingly re-traumatized friend that they'd dropped off. The couple joined the three of them and offered Aria a supportive shoulder squeeze.

"How're you feeling?" Hanna asked, uncharacteristically gently.

"I'm gonna be fine. No more flooding the Nile every time I'm upset and I'll be good as new," she answered brightly.

"That's great news!" Emily exclaimed, beaming at the girl's comfortable demeanor

One and a half doctor integrations (Hanna helped, of course) and the girls were set to go. Aria and Spencer went down to the pharmacy to pick up the former's prescription and met back up with their friends outside the hospital. Spencer claimed Aria's hand in her own, squeezing it gently and watching her walk carefully.

"You sure you're good to go? No one would blame you if you wanted to stay here overnight considering everything that happened," the older girl offered.

Aria guffawed, "As if I would willingly stay the night here when I can stay the night with you instead."

A faint blush coated the ivy-bound girl's cheeks and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling like an idiot.

"How's walking with the splint?" Emily asked from her position on Aria's other side.

"It's more comfortable than walking on a hairline fracture, that's for sure," the writer quipped.

The three girls were amazed at how well Aria was handling this night. She'd plummeted back to one of the lowest points she'd been in since the attack just hours earlier and one transparent visit with a doctor later and it was like their friend from before this incident walked out.

Emily and Hanna dropped the couple off at Aria's house, the youngest girl claiming she wanted to sleep in her own bed that evening and Spencer, being the whipped love-struck teenager that she was, instantly agreed. The blonde and the swimmer left Aria and Spencer with hugs and made them both promise to call if anything happened.

Aria and Spencer retreated up the stairs – the taller girl was amazed at how careful her girlfriend was being with herself in comparison to the reckless movements and vehement denial she'd been dealing with – and found themselves cuddled closely together in Aria's queen sized bed.

"I'm so proud of you Ar," Spencer murmured sleepily into her ear.

A shiver passed through the shorter girl's body and Spencer's raspy voice so close to her. She was still shocked by how much more herself she felt since seeing the doctor. The younger girl was so caught up in her own thoughts that she zoned out and didn't realize Spencer was still talking until she was met with very expectant chocolate brown eyes.

"Sorry what was that?" she blurted, embarrassed she'd zoned out so thoroughly.

Spencer smiled fondly and repeated her question, "Not to jinx this, but what happened in that room to bring back this version of my girlfriend?"

Aria contemplated the question for a beat before answering, "I think hearing from a real medical professional that I was okay, that I was going to heal and one day this would all just be a scar and some bad memories just made something click for me. In the next 6 weeks, I'll have healed completely. Not one single mark or injury will remain. I think having a timeline to recovery helped me a lot more than I thought possible."

"God I love you," Spencer breathed. She leaned over painfully slowly to give the other girl time to pull away and hovered her lips just above her girlfriends. Her brown orbs searched for Aria's hazel and when she found the permission she'd wanted, she gently connected their lips. Not wanting to push their seemingly too good to be true night, the older girl kept the kiss brief and pulled back.

As blissful as their evening – early morning technically as it was just after 3 am – seemed to be going, neither girl was aware but in the bottom of Aria's school bag, her cell phone laid there containing two messages that would pop them out of their peaceful bubble very, very soon.

(Unknown number) Aria we need to talk about what happened tonight, it's important.

(Unknown number) If you ignore me, I'm sure Spencer would be more than happy to meet with me. See you soon.

Hi I feel like I say this every time but I'm sorry this took me forever. I can't believe PLL is over I feel like part of my childhood is just gone because I grew up with these girls. Anyway, I think I'm going to try to start wrapping this story up soon, I don't think that's possible for at least another 5 or 6 chapters because there's so much that needs to happen still but it's been almost 6 years since I started and I think it's time. So if anyone has any last requests for a particular plot line to play out a certain way, this would be a good time for those suggestions.

I also wanted to thank everyone who has read or/and reviewed this story or personal messaged me, it's very inspiring and so humbling to hear that people enjoy this thing that you started. Rereading the first few chapters makes me physically cringe because they're so poorly written compared to the later chapters but I have high school and now college to thank for the improvements. ANYWAY thanks so much, you guys are all the best and I love you. Until next time...