A/N: Thanks for the encouragement, Babes! I am always so excited to see that I have a new review or message. I love to hear what you guys think about the story! :)

Chapter 24

Sunday, October 15, 1995- continued

Carlos's POV

(right after dinner)

Les walked out the door with Steph, and Mama turned to face me. She had a hand on one hip and was pinning me with a serious stare.

"What?" I asked her.

She narrowed her eyes. "You're going to let your girlfriend go out with Lester? Alone? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Mama, they'll be fine."

She let out an exasperated snort. "I am not an idiot, Carlos! I know what the two of you are usually fighting over. Girls. Punching each other, having little contests, trying to steal girls away from each other."

I tried not to let the surprise show on my face. All of those things were true. Very true. Les and I had fought over girls more times than I could count. I was just shocked that my Mama knew about it.

"Well?" she huffed.

I shrugged. "That was different."

"What do you mean that was different?" she shouted, throwing her hands up.

"Those other girls weren't Stephanie."

My mother looked straight at me, arms crossed over her chest. "Explain." She ordered.

"I didn't care about any of those girls the way I care about Steph. Les knows that."

Mama shook her head and walked back into the kitchen. "I certainly hope you're right!" she snapped as she walked back into the kitchen. I could hear her muttering under her breath as she slammed the drawers and cupboard doors.

I definitely trusted Stephanie, and I was pretty sure that I trusted Les. But now that Mama had me thinking about it, I couldn't stop. I was remembering all of the idiotic things we'd done in the past.

Stephanie and Les would be gone for an hour. Maybe two. I decided to head up to my room and work on the English paper that was due this coming week. Hopefully it would take my mind off of what Steph and Les were doing. With any luck, I could get most of it done before they got back. Then I could spend the rest of the week with Steph.

I pulled out the assignment paper and reread it. Write an essay of at least 500 words that answers this question- Could Romeo and Juliet have escaped their fate? Consider these questions- Is the ending of the story fate, or did they cause their own downfall? Identify key points in the story where the characters made life-changing decisions. What might have happened to the characters if they had made different decisions at this point? Write a second essay of at least 500 words that answers this question- Do you believe that you have control over your own fate? Consider these questions- What things have happened to you that were "out of your control?" Is there any way that you could have prevented the outcome? Why or why not? What things that have happened to you have been within your control? What did you do to cause the specific outcome that occurred?

Groaning, I flopped onto my bed. Could Romeo and Juliet have escaped their fate? Yes. They were idiots. Of course people had control over their actions. They should have just declared their love for each other and moved on. What events were "out of my control?" None. I had control over everything that had ever happened to me, good or bad.

I sat up quickly as a thought ran through my head- except for Stephanie. That was true. I hadn't caused myself to meet her. I hadn't done anything to fall in love with her, and there was no way that I could make myself stop loving her even if I wanted to. Which I didn't. Hmmm….

I laid back down on the bed. What if I truly thought that I had lost Stephanie? Forever? My stomach knotted. I couldn't allow myself to explore that line of thought for too long, but I was definitely feeling more sympathetic towards Romeo.

I worked on my paper for a little while, but my thoughts kept straying to Stephanie and Lester. What were they doing? What was taking them so long? Why hadn't I gone with them?

I looked down at the papers spread out on my bed. I had put short answers on the direction page, but I only had a few paragraphs actually written out.

I blew out a frustrated breath and scrubbed my hands across my face. This was pointless. I wasn't accomplishing anything. It was too hard to concentrate on Shakespeare's love story when my girlfriend was out with another guy.

I gathered up the papers and books and tossed them onto my desk. Grabbing my Nerf ball, I walked across the room and aimed for the hoop on the back of my door. Swish.

I bent down and picked up the ball. I paced back and forth across the length of my room, tossing the ball up in the air as I walked. Somewhere in the back of my mind, it registered that the phone rang, but I didn't give it much thought. I was too occupied thinking about Stephanie and what I wanted to do with her on the drive back to her house.

A quiet knock interrupted my daydreams.

I looked over at the door. "Come in!"

The door opened, and my mom walked in. Her eyes looked wide and watery, and she was wringing her hands nervously.

"Carlos," she began, crossing the room towards me.

I froze. "What's wrong?" I asked quietly.

"Lester just called…" Her voice broke as she choked on a sob, and I dropped heavily onto my bed.

"There's been an accident."

My throat was so tight that I wasn't sure I would be able to talk. "Stephanie?" I managed to croak.

"She's OK. Lester said she has a bad cut on her forehead. They're waiting for the ambulance."

I nodded woodenly.

Mama crouched down and held my hands. "Do you want to go to the hospital, Carlitos?"

I cleared my throat. "Yes." I rasped out.

She nodded. "I thought you would. Let's go. Stephanie may already be on her way there by now."

I stood up and followed my mother down the stairs. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. Each step seemed to move me only a fraction of an inch closer to where I wanted to go. Blood rushed in my ears. I could tell that Mama was talking to me, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. I just stared and nodded when it seemed appropriate.

C&S C&S C&S C&S C&S

By the time Stephanie was taken back for her CT scan, my Tia Carolina had arrived and was insisting that Lester get checked out. He was trying to wave off her worries, but his face, hands, and arms were covered in a lot of dried blood.

He finally relented, and a nurse directed him back towards a curtained area. Tia headed out to the reception area to fill out Lester's insurance forms, and I followed him back to the exam area.

The nurse raised her eyebrows at me, but didn't ask me to leave. I figured that if I stayed out of the way and pretty quiet she wouldn't kick me out.

The nurse took one look at Lester's arms and face and announced that she would be right back with some water and washcloths to clean him up.

As soon as she left, I turned towards him and hissed, "What the hell happened?"

Lester squirmed a little on the bed and looked up at me nervously. "You heard what Dominic said, man. We were just driving back to your house, and BAM! I didn't even see the headlights until about 2 seconds before the crash."

I buried my face in my hands, but I was sure that Les could feel the anger radiating off of me.

"She's gonna be OK, man." He said softly.

I lifted my head and looked at him, anguished. "She doesn't even know who the hell was in the car with her! How can you say she's gonna be OK?"

"They said that's normal. That it happens all the time, especially with head traumas. Give her a couple hours. Maybe a day." Lester paused. "Besides, did you notice that she asked about you first? Every time?"

I furrowed my brow and stared at him.

He nodded, as if reaffirming what he'd just said. "How is Carlos? Is Carlos OK? Does Carlos have any scrapes and bruises? She may not remember the accident, but she remembers you. And she remembers how much she cares about you. Isn't that the important thing?"

I blew out a frustrated sigh and flopped down in the plastic chair by Les's bed. "Yeah, you're right." I muttered.

The nurse came back in then and began washing off Lester's arms. I should have been relieved that he only had a few small scrapes and scratches, but that meant that the majority of the blood covering him was Stephanie's. I didn't know what to do with that. On one hand, I felt like I was going to be sick. On the other, I was furious.

It was a damn good thing that Dominic Rosolli had already been taken up to the pediatric floor, or I would've killed him. Personally. With my bare hands.

C&S C&S C&S C&S C&S C&S

Maria's POV

I snuck a quick glance at Carlos as we walked out to the parking lot. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his head down. He looked discouraged.

Because Stephanie had come in later in the evening and through the ER, the nurses had let us back to her room even though visiting hours were over. We were allowed to stay for just a little while, but Stephanie had been in and out for her scan and to get her stitches. She had just come back from getting stitched up when the head nurse came in to remind us that Stephanie needed her rest.

I could tell that Carlos had wanted to stay until Stephanie was more aware of what was going on. He kept ignoring the subtle hints from the nurse that it was time to go. He wanted to stay longer, but she finally came in and ordered out everyone but immediate family. Carlos had nodded wordlessly and stood up, following me to the door.

I reached out and patted his arm as we got to the car.

"She'll be OK, mijo." I said reassuringly. "And you can visit her after school tomorrow."

Carlos turned and looked at me, raising one eyebrow in silent comment. I shook my head as I started the car. I knew what he was thinking. There was no way that he was going to school tomorrow. I could either allow him to skip, or I could choose to ignore it, but he was coming to the hospital.

I blew out a defeated sigh. "Fine, I'll drive you tomorrow morning."

Carlos's lips barely tipped up at the corners, but I knew that he was grateful for my acceptance of the situation and his feelings.

Steph's POV

My head felt fuzzy. It was almost like I had just woken up, but I hadn't been sleeping. It was a peculiar, unfamiliar feeling, and I wasn't sure what was causing it. I blinked and looked around me.

My mom and dad were sitting in plastic chairs across the room. My dad was wiping his eyes. Wait a minute. Was my dad crying? Grandma Mazur was sitting next to me, absently patting my hand.

I glanced around some more. Where was I? What was going on? I took in the IV pole next to my bed. A hospital bed? Was I in the hospital?

I looked over at my grandmother. "What happened?" I asked.

I had a feeling of déjà vu when she answered, "You were in an accident, honey."

"Have you told me that before?" I asked curiously.

She smiled. "Several times."

I made a face. That probably meant that she'd already answered the other questions I had, but I was going to ask them anyhow.

"Is Carlos OK?"

She smiled and nodded, still rubbing my arm. "Just fine, sweetie. He wasn't with you."

"Lester? Tank?"

"Lester was the only one with you, and he's just fine. They treated him for a few minor cuts and bruises, but he was released hours ago."

I nodded and looked around the room. My heart stuttered when I saw the letters on the IV pole. ICU. My eyes snapped back up to Grandma's.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked quietly.

Grandma's forehead furrowed in confusion. "Nothing, honey, why?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I'm not an idiot, Grandma! What's wrong with me?" I asked, my voice slightly raised.

Mom and Dad looked up then.

I repeated myself, louder this time for their benefit. "What's wrong with me?"

Mom walked over and sat down on the edge of my bed. Smoothing the sheets, she answered calmly. "You're going to be just fine, Stephanie. There's nothing to get all excited about."

I rolled my eyes. "My IV pole says ICU, Dad's crying, and Grandma's here. What. Is. Wrong. With. Me?"

My mom shook her head. "You're not in ICU."

I gestured to the IV pole. ICU. Right there in big black permanent marker.

"You're in Intermediate Care." She continued. "It's a step down from Intensive Care. You're right outside of the nurses' station. Listen when they answer the phone."

I listened, and sure enough, the next call was answered with, "Intermediate Care, Cheryl speaking."

I let out a relieved breath. Intermediate Care was good, right? At least better than Intensive Care. That probably meant I wasn't dying. So what was wrong with me?

I casually stretched my arms over my head and pointed my toes. Yep. I still had both arms and legs. Nothing had been amputated that I was aware of.

Mom, Dad, and Grandma Mazur were all staring at me intently as if they were waiting for me to do something.

"What?" I asked.

Dad shook his head. "We're just trying to figure out if you're really back with us."

"Huh?"

"You've been kind of stuck in a loop for a little while, Pumpkin. Asking the same questions over and over, not really aware of what was happening. Confused."

I tipped my head to the side. "Well, I'm still confused, but I think I know what's going on?" My voice raised at the end, making it a question. Did I know what was going on? I thought I did. Right?

Dad smiled. "That's good to hear."

He reached over and ruffled my hair, and I smiled at him.

"So what's wrong with me?" I repeated. It seemed like the thousandth time that I had asked the question. So far, no one had answered me. And that had caused my imagination to run wild with all sorts of crazy, terrible ideas. I still had both arms and both legs, though, so it couldn't be too bad, right?

Mom tucked my hair behind my ear. "You were in an accident, honey. Do you remember that?"

I searched my brain, trying hard to come up with pictures or memories of an accident, but I came up blank. I shook my head quietly.

"What's the last thing you do remember?" Grandma Mazur asked.

"Eating dinner at Carlos's."

They all exchanged glances.

Dad cleared his throat. "You don't remember leaving with Lester?"

I thought for a minute before finally shaking my head. "I know that Les and I had plans. I remember talking to him about picking me up at Carlos's, but I don't remember actually leaving with him."

Grandma spoke up. "You don't remember the accident at all?"

I shrugged and lifted my hands, palms up. "Nope."

They all seemed surprised by that, and now I was curious. I wanted to know what had happened, too.

"What happened?"

Dad shook his head. "Connie's brother, Dominic, went left of center and hit your friend's car head-on."

I gasped and sat up a little straighter. "Is everyone else OK? You said Lester was OK, right?"

"Shh, shh!" Mom soothed, patting my hand. "Everyone else will be just fine."

I nodded and leaned back against the hospital bed.

"What's wrong with me?" I repeated.

Dad looked confused. "Nothing, Pumpkin, why?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm in the hospital. What's wrong with me?"

Grandma's eyes lit up. "You had to have stitches to close up the gash on your forehead. Eleven of them! Must've been a real pip of a cut! And you're officially the first woman in our family to have plastic surgery!"

"What?" I cried.

Mom glared at Grandma. "Mother, really!" she scolded. Lowering her voice, she turned to me. "They had a plastic surgeon stitch up the cut so that you wouldn't have a scar. That's all."

I nodded. "So why am I still here? They're done with the stitches, right?"

Dad cleared his throat. "Your pupils weren't equal and reactive. They thought you had a concussion, so they sent you for a CT scan. It turns out you did have one. A very mild one, but they still wanted to keep you for observation. Especially because you were confused and couldn't seem to get your memory back."

Huh. That wasn't what I was expecting at all. Well, really, I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't that. A concussion. Huh.

I cleared my throat. "So that's all that's wrong with me? A slight concussion and some stitches?"

"You're going to have two black eyes once that swelling goes down." Grandma informed me cheekily.

I groaned and held my face in my hands. It was then that I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Bad.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, and my mom stopped me. "Stephanie, what are you doing?"

"I have to go to the bathroom!"

Mom looked nervous. "I don't know if you should be getting up without help. Can you wait until I call one of the nurses?"

I shook my head. "No! I need to go now!"

She nodded and stood up, reaching over to help me up. "Grab my arm." She instructed.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Just in case!" she insisted. "They said it wouldn't be unusual for you to be a little dizzy."

I grabbed her arm and stood. It was as if I could feel the blood draining from my face. I started to feel lightheaded, and I sat heavily back on the bed.

"Dizzy?" Mom asked quietly.

I nodded. I hated to admit that she was right, but it wasn't going to do me any good to lie about it.

I stood up again, this time holding firmly to my mom's arm, and made my way to the bathroom. Mom drug my IV pole behind us, and we paraded towards the small room. She helped me to get settled on the toilet, and then thankfully left the room so that I could have a little privacy.

"Holler when you're ready to get up." She said as she was closing the door.

When I was finished, I was tempted to try to stand by myself, but the memory of how dizzy I had been just a few minutes earlier quickly squashed that idea.

I called for my mother, and she came in, helping me to stand and guiding me over to the sink to wash my hands.

I glanced up at the mirror and gasped when I saw my reflection. At first I wasn't even sure it was me. I barely recognized the person I saw staring back at me.

My normally crazy hair looked like it had been electrocuted. It stuck out all over my head. The hair around my forehead had dried blood in it, and there was more dried blood all over my face and neck. There were pieces of black thread knotted in a row across my forehead. My stitches. My nose was swollen, making my eyes look teeny tiny, and Grandma was right. As soon as that swelling went down, my eyes would be black and blue. They were already starting to turn a little purple.

I started to cry, and mom tried to console me.

"Now, Stephanie, don't get all upset. The stitches will come out; the swelling will go down. You'll be back to normal in no time. You'll see."

I washed my hands silently, still feeling sorry for myself. I felt like Frankenstein's monster. Stitched together and looking hideous.

I climbed back into bed and stared at my lap, quietly picking lint off of the blanket.

Grandma smiled and tried to cheer me up. "Carlos was in earlier to see you, honey."

My heart stuttered. "He was?"

Grandma nodded. "The nurses made him leave, though. You're only allowed a few visitors at a time in Intermediate Care, and it was way past visiting hours."

I nodded back. I wasn't sure if I should be horrified that Carlos had seen me in my current condition or not.

Grandma leaned over and gave me a kiss. "I was waiting until you felt better, sweetie, but I should really get going. I'll be in first thing tomorrow, OK?"

I nodded, and she looked over at my parents. "Would one of you mind driving me home?"

My parents started gathering their things and stood up to leave.

"Are you all leaving?" I asked in a tiny voice.

My mom tipped her head to the side. "What's wrong, Stephanie?"

I bit my lip. I didn't want to sound like a little kid, but I wanted someone to stay with me. I didn't want to be here all alone.

I cleared my throat and looked up at my mom. "Can you stay?"

A look of surprise flitted across my mother's face. The two of us hadn't exactly been getting along well lately, and she was likely stunned that I had asked her to stay with me.

She nodded and quickly put her things back down. "Of course!"

My dad smiled and walked over to give me a hug and a kiss. When he straightened up, his eyes looked a little misty. He cleared his throat and patted my shoulder.

"Glad you're feeling better, Pumpkin." He mumbled.

I smiled back. "Night, Dad."

Grandma gave me hugs and kisses, too, and then they both headed for the door.

Mom patted my arm. "I'm just going to walk with them to the elevator and down to the lobby. I'll be right back."

Mom closed the door on her way out, and I leaned back against the bed. I fumbled for the bed controls and figured out how to lay the bed down a little more. Finally comfortable, I stared up at the ceiling.

My eyes started to well up with tears. I tried to stop them from falling, but a few leaked out around the edges anyway. Frustrated, I threw my arm over my eyes and rubbed furiously, but that only made me wince in pain when I pushed against the bridge of my nose.

I felt like my world was spinning out of control right now. I wanted to be better. I wanted to look normal. I wanted to be back at Carlos's laughing and joking and getting ready to eat dessert. Most of all, I wanted Carlos's arms wrapped around me.

I looked over at the phone that sat on my nightstand table. I wanted to call Carlos more than anything. I searched around my room for a clock, but I couldn't find one. It was dark outside, but I had no idea what time it was. 9:00? Midnight? 2 am?

I bit my lip as my hand reached for the phone. Should I risk it? I picked it up and held it gently in my hand. It was Sunday night. What if I woke up Carlos's parents? They probably wouldn't appreciate that very much. Surely his dad had to work tomorrow.

I hung up the receiver, but kept my hand on it. Taking a deep breath, I picked it up again. This time I quickly dialed his number before I could talk myself out of it.

"Hello?" a gruff voice answered.

Oh no! It was Carlos's dad. And he did sound like he'd been sleeping. My heart sank. Crap! I hoped they would forgive me for this.

"Hello? Who is this?" he asked, his voice becoming a little louder as he woke up.

"Mr. Manoso? This is Stephanie. I'm so sorry to wake you. I just wanted to talk to Carlos if I could. I don't have a clock in my room here, and I didn't know what time it was. I'm so sorry if I woke you…" I spoke in a jumbled rush, trying to apologize and explain why I was calling.

"Stephanie?" Mr. Manoso interrupted.

"Yes."

I could hear someone talking in the background, and then Mrs. Manoso came on the line. "Stephanie? Is that you, dear?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm so sorry to wake you all up. I just wanted to talk to Carlos if I could. I can't find a clock in my room here, so I didn't know if it would be too late. If he's sleeping, can you just tell him that I called?"

"Hold on, dear. I know he'll want to talk to you, and I doubt that he's sleeping. But if he is, I'll wake him up. He'd never forgive me if I made him miss your call!"

I could hear her shuffling down the hallway. She knocked lightly and then called, "Carlos?"

I could hear a muffled reply.

"Stephanie is on the phone."

She must have passed Carlos the phone, because the next sound that I heard was, "Babe?"

As soon as I heard his voice, I felt a huge smile plaster itself across my face.

"Hey, Batman!" I whispered.

"Hey, yourself." He responded.

I twirled the phone cord around my finger. "I heard you came to see me tonight."

"Yeah, I did."

"Sorry I wasn't very good company. My parents said I was kinda out of it for a while there." I apologized.

"Not your fault. How are you feeling now?"

I shrugged. "OK, I guess. A little confused about what happened, but other than that I feel fine."

He was quiet for a minute. "You scared the crap outta me, Babe."

I smiled. "I know. I saw myself in the mirror. Very scary!"

Carlos snorted. "Not what I meant, Babe, and you know it!"

I smiled. Yeah, I did know it. We sat quietly for a few seconds until Carlos let out a yawn.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Mmmm…" he mumbled, and I heard him roll over to check his alarm clock. "About 2:30."

I gasped. "2:30 am?"

"That'd be the one." He confirmed.

"Crap! I'm sorry, Carlos! I didn't realize it was so late! I'll let you go. Tell your mom and dad I'm really sorry to call so late. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you called. If you hadn't, I would have spent the rest of the night tossing and turning and worrying about you. Now that I know you're OK, I can finally get some sleep."

I shook my head. "You're crazy."

"Crazy about you, Babe. Go to sleep. I'll see you in a few hours, OK?"

"After school?" I asked.

"Instead of school."

I frowned. "Carlos, you can't skip school just to come and see me! I'll probably be out of here tomorrow anyhow."

"Not negotiable, Steph. I'm coming. Period. Go to sleep."

"Fine." I grumbled.

Carlos laughed at me. "Good night, Stephanie. I love you."

I grinned stupidly at the phone. "Good night, Carlos. I love you, too."

TBC