AN: Hi again. Thank you all so much for the reviews for the last chapter. I was very uncertain about that chapter and you guys helped put me at ease. I noticed that there were some questions as to why Jason wasn't on Sam's next of kin. This story starts right after Sam and Drew get a divorce. I didn't think it was logical for Sam to then all of a sudden list Jason as her next of kin. But I'm not sure exactly how that all works so I apologize if that's not how the system works.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it and thank you again for the reviews!

Chapter 12

"For now, we can only allow one visitor in at a time. If one of you could wait here?" the nurse informed Alexis and Jason as they entered the ICU. It was surprisingly quiet and yet also somehow unnerving. And there seemed to be this expectation that one must remain calm and quiet, as if walking into a law library. It was intense. "Perhaps that's why they called it the 'intensive' care unit," Alexis thought to herself.

Alexis turned to Jason and gave him a nod as if to say he could go first. "I'll call the girls and let them know what's going."

"Thank you."

The nurse went on to explain that within a few hours they'd allow for two visitors at a time but the staff still needed more time to get Sam settled. She warned that Sam may not appear well; he was going to see a lot of tubes and wiring and he was going to hear a lot of alarms and sounds. "The alarms don't always necessarily indicate that there is something wrong. It's simply a way to let the staff know what's going on," the nurse continued as she walked Jason down the hall into an open space. The smell of anti-septic managed to somehow be stronger than it did downstairs. The unit was set in a semi-circle such that the nurse's desk was in the center and the patient rooms, each with glass sliding doors, lined the outside of the circle so the staff was able to keep a watchful eye on all the rooms from the center desk.

"We'll need for you to put on a gown," the nurse explained to Jason. It was to prevent infection for Sam, she explained. The nurse took him through all the steps, from the handwashing, to putting on the yellow disposable gown and the nitrile gloves, before finally bringing him over to Sam's room.

It felt as if his breath was stolen from him and like someone was kicking him in the back of his knees. He stood there, looking through the glass and a wash of fear flooded him.

"Sir?" the nurse was very familiar with this reaction. No one could ever be properly prepared for such a visual of their loved one. She had opened the door and was waiting for him to enter. "It's a lot, I understand. Do you want to go in? I'm sure she'd love to hear from you," she said when he still didn't move. Jason couldn't utter a word and simply nodded, keeping his eyes on Sam. He thought he'd seen the worst back down in the ER several hours ago, but he was wrong.

The pair of them walked into the dimly lit room and each rounded the bed. "She'll most likely be on the ventilator for the next 24 hours to allow her to recover and then we'll start weaning her off depending on her condition," the nurse explained. Again, Jason could only nod as he was at a loss for words. "She's not in any pain. We have her on a whole host of analgesics, anxiolytics and painkillers," she continued, trying to somehow lessen the worry that was painted on Jason's face.

"Hold her hand, it's okay." She reached over the bed to pull away some of the several layers of blankets that had been laid on top of Sam to reach her hand. Jason looked up at the nurse before then looking down at Sam's hand. He was almost afraid to touch her, so fragile she looked. Reaching out, Jason gently grabbed Sam's hand careful of the IV that was placed on the top of her hand. He'd wish he could hold onto her with both hands, he'd somehow be closer to her, but with his arm in a sling, it wasn't possible.

"She's pale," Jason finally uttered.

"It's from the blood loss. Once we replace the volume she's lost and her blood pressure comes back up, her color will come back," the nurse explained. Sam also had a large black eye that darkly contrasted with the paleness of her skin. The cut above her eye seemed to have been cleaned up and stitched. There was now a large bandage covering it. Her hair was pulled back into a bun that sat atop of her head. He noticed the tube coming out of her mouth and taped to the side of her face, running above her, connecting to a large noisy rhythmic machine on the side of the bed. And then there was the tube still stuck to the side of her neck that he had seen in the ER. He couldn't see much else as she was covered in what he felt was a mountain of blankets. Nevertheless, it was still overwhelming. He wasn't sure what he could say that could make this better and go away. As if there was anything to say.

"I'll give you two a moment alone. Hit the pager over here if you need anything," she said as she pointed to the small button next to the bed. Jason once again nodded and the nurse quietly left the room.

Turning to face Sam, Jason reached out and brushed away a stray piece of hair that was lying on her forehead and across her cheek. He hated that he was wearing gloves. It created a thin barrier between the two of them. Touching her didn't feel genuine and he was afraid she couldn't truly feel him, like there was an invisible wall between them.

"Sam," he started, taking a deep breath before continuing, "it's me, Jason. I'm here. Your mom's here. Everything is going to be alright. You're going to be alright."

He couldn't imagine what she was feeling at that moment. The doctors and nurses told him that she was unconscious and drugged up. She wouldn't feel anything and that she most likely wouldn't remember anything. And he hoped that it was true.

"I don't know if you can hear me or not, but…" he stuttered, "there are so many people that need you. Including me." He took another deep breath. "We've already lost so much time together. I'm not going to beg you to wake up because I know the doctors said you need to get a lot of rest, but I want you to get well soon. So that we can be together again. So that we can finally be the family that we've always talked about. We can go camping with Danny and maybe take Scout on a boat trip one weekend. I'd love to see you teach Scout how to captain a ship, though she's probably still a little too young to understand all the controls. Danny's probably old enough. I'm sure he'd really like it. Or Danny and I could be your deckhands. He could help me tie the boat to the docks. Scout could be with you giving you a heart attack every time she presses another button or wants to reach the steering wheel" he laughed. "I'm rambling. How many times has that happened?"

He knew that Sam was going to be okay. That was the only way this would end. Alexis was right. Sam had nine lives and he was certain that this wasn't her ninth. She looked fragile, ill and frail but it was temporary. Soon she'd be awake and asking about her car. She'd be disappointed that her favorite SUV was totaled and then immediately start researching new cars.

"You've always been stubborn, Sam. Now's the time to show me how stubborn you are," Jason continued. "I know it'll annoy the heck out of everyone when you start trying to get out of bed or asking when you can go home. I'm sure I'll be one of those that'll be annoyed but I'll be smiling on the inside."

Jason stood by Sam's side for some while more before a yawn could no longer be restrained. Straightening his back, Jason let go of Sam's hand.

"I'm sure your mom is dying to see you and the nurses are only allowing one of us to see you right now, so I have to go. I love you so much Sam and you need to promise me that you'll make it through this," Jason said before running his hand on Sam's cheek one more time. He walked slowly towards the sliding door and exited the room. He gave one last glance into the room before sighing and ripping off his gown, throwing it into the nearby bin.