A/N OMG I am disgusted with myself! Lol I know it's been a ridonculously long time since I last updated and I know there are no excuses! I am so sorry, please forgive me and if anyone is still reading this I am so sorry and hope this new chapter will make up for the long time of no updates!

"Um yes, She's his girl…uh fiancée and I'm his future sister in law, his brother is in the relatives room." Summer said quickly taking charge seeing as Marissa wasn't in a state to answer questions right now.

"Okay, I'm Ryan's doctor, Dr Reynolds. Maybe we should speak in the relatives room so Mr Atwood's brother can know what is going on." He said kindly leading them into the waiting room. Marissa followed numbly, her legs moving on their own accord whilst her mind was still at the airport when she had gotten that phonecall. She still couldn't believe it, they had sorted things out and she was going to go away and then come back to him and things would be fine and now she didn't even know if he was alive or not and it wasn't like the doctor was giving anything away. She heard the door close behind her and was aware of Seth abruptly standing up and looking between Summer, Marissa and the Doctor searching their faces for any signs that would give something away about Ryan's condition.

"Ryan Atwood's brother I presume?" The doctor asked looking at Seth but not seeing a family resemblance, mind you with the state his brother had come in it wasn't that easy to test any likenesses. Seth nodded hurriedly and stepped forward thrusting his hand out and shaking hands with the Doctor.

"Is he okay? What's going on?" Seth asked quickly as Summer joined him at his side, squeezing his hand tightly. Marissa wished Ryan was here so she could be in his arms again, she wished he could comfort her…Tell her things were going to be okay, but if he could do that she wouldn't even be in this situation. The doctor sighed and put on his glasses as he glanced at his clipboard.

"Well Mr Atwood was brought in with a number of serious injuries, as well as many bruises and contusions his leg was broken in two places and 3 ribs were cracked as well as two being broken. One of the broken ribs punctured his lung on impact causing breathing difficulties and the lung to collapse. We have managed to stabilise his breathing using a ventilator and a chest tube but he will need surgery to rebuild part of the lung. He suffered from quite a serious head injury which has caused quite a severe concussion and some swelling of the brain but that should go down in time but we need to monitor the injury very carefully over the next few hours. After CT scans we also think that Ryan may be suffering from internal bleeding mainly around the spleen and liver but there may be some kidney damage which can be corrected in surgery. Basically he is listed as stable but critical and is currently in ICU while we prep him for surgery. He will need the emergency surgery now and then when he eventually recovers from that he will need surgery on his leg." The doctor finished hating this part of the job as the three people in front of him took in everything he said all looking horrified.

Marissa swallowed hard tears burning in her eyes, she couldn't take all of this in. How could he be this badly hurt? She had just been kissing him a few hours ago and now he needed emergency surgery and he had internal bleeding? Why was this happening to them, it wasn't fair. Ryan was a great guy, the greatest guy she had ever met and he didn't deserve this, all those people in the world who were doing terrible things and getting away with it when Ryan, a good guy was suffering. She could hear Summer softly sobbing whilst Seth stood there silently, paling visibly as he looked down at the floor. She looked up her vision blurred by tears and met the doctor's gaze.

"Will he make it through this?" She asked, voicing the question that was running through everyone's mind, her voice trembling and uneven. Seth and Summer looked up, everyone watching and waiting for the answer…Marissa felt her heart beat faster and faster pounding against her chest her blood rushed in her ears as the doctor frowned and looked down before meeting her gaze reluctantly.

"I'm afraid due to the extent of his injuries Mr Atwood has a small chance of making a full recovery…I'm very sorry." He hated this part of his job.

Marissa felt like she had been punched in the stomach, her blood ran cold as she processed the possibility that Ryan might not make it through this. How could she cope if he didn't make it? She couldn't imagine life without him now…not being able to sink into his warm embrace, not able to feel his strong arms around her, not feeling his lips against hers, not hearing his laugh, seeing his smile, looking into his deep blue eyes…

"But there is still a chance, he is in ICU right now if you want to see him before surgery." The doctor said as Marissa dissolved into desperate sobs, collapsing into Summer's arms as Seth nodded numbly his face pale as he soaked up the news he had just been given. He could believe this was actually happening, the whole evening he had expected to wake up in his own bed lying next to Summer and to find Ryan making breakfast or playing with Ellie…but he hadn't woken up yet.

"We'd like that." Summer said weakly talking for Marissa and Seth who were both incapable right now. She had to be there for them, they needed her. She couldn't get upset now, she needed to be the strong one. She could grieve later but right now she needed to take charge of the situation.

"I'll take you up there, you have a little time before we need to prep him."

Marissa jumped slightly as the door to Ryan's room slid open, her legs trembling beneath her and her whole frame shaking with trepidation. She peered inside slowly, she had left Summer to comfort Seth whilst she went to see Ryan first. Ellie was in the crèche at the moment until Summer found someone to look after her. As Marissa entered the room the sounds of beeping, hissing and rhythmic buzzing assaulted her ears and she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. Drawing her gaze away from the white floors he gradually lifted her eyes to the bed that sat in the centre of the room and let out a small gasp, holding a delicate hand to her mouth as hot tears slid down her cheeks. She didn't recognise the man in the bed, it was Ryan she knew that but he looked so different. His face was ashen and pale, almost the same colour as the mass of white around him, bruises and scratches stood out starkly against his complexion, a large bruise marring the right side of his face. His blonde bangs hung over his eyes and a large white bandage covered half of his head. His mouth was obscured by a large tube which pumped and hissed loudly, forcing his chest to expand in and out. His hands were bruised and rested on top of the blanket that covered his lower half. His chest was bare and covered in wires and a large purpling bruise covered almost his entire stomach which was swollen. Two IV racks hung on each side of the bed one filled with blood. She took in the scene in front of her which blurred vision as she half sat and half collapsed into the chair by the bed. She took in his appearance again still unable to believe that this was Ryan. He looked so weak and fragile, the Ryan she knew was strong and he could reassure her. She gently took his hand in hers, scared of pulling something out she rubbed it gently with her thumb and held it to her lips, planting a soft kiss on his smooth skin. Tears burst from her eyes once more and she forced out a smile through her tears as she rested her cheek against his skin.

"Hey you…It's me, Marissa." She whispered

silence

"I know what you're thinking, I should be on a plane by now but I couldn't leave you…not like this. Look what you've done to yourself this time eh? If you don't stop ending up in here they're going to have to name a wing after you." She said laughing weakly as she looked into his still face. She paused sighing deeply, trying to pull herself together.

"I thought you'd want to know that Ellie is fine, she wants her daddy though. She wants you to be okay. We all do Ryan. You have to fight this, you have to be strong and make it through because we need you. You're a good person and so many people love you, this isn't your time to go Ryan, you have so much left to give. I love you and I'm not ready to lose you and neither is Ellie. We need you to be okay, she needs her dad and I need you because I can't live without you. You're the reason I get up every morning, you're the reason I carry on…I just want you to know that I love you more than anything or anyone in the world and I will always be here for you, through everything and I will be there for Ellie. You have to be okay Ryan because I need you and I'm not ready to let you go…I'm not ready."

"I'm not ready." She choked through her tears

Seth stared down at his brother not able to process the night's events. This had to be some twisted nightmare, he would wake up any time now, next to Summer and Ryan and Marissa would be sleeping in the next room, they wouldn't be gathered around his hospital bed wondering if he would make it through the night or not. As he stared down at the figure lying in the bed surrounded by machines and wires he couldn't believe it was really his brother, his brother was strong, in control this couldn't be him. This person was weak, barely able to breathe by himself and totally out of control. He looked so weak, so…

He swallowed hard, blinking quickly as he tried to force the tears from his eyes as they blurred his vision. The steady beeping of the machines punctuated the heavy silence at regular intervals as Seth lowered himself into the lone, hard plastic chair set aside the bed. He adjusted himself awkwardly trying to delay the inevitable, would should he say? What do you say to an unconscious person? He was lost for words, for once in his life, he could always depend on them to get him through a situation and now they had let him down. Did it matter what he said?...Of course it did, he was his brother and there was a possibility he could hear him anyway, he should just have a go…stop worrying about it and start talking.

"Hey man, it's Seth." He started, surprised at how quietly his voice had come out. He cleared his throat and started down at his brother's beaten, battered form with trepidation. When he received only silence in return he soldiered on hopefully.

"I thought you should know Ellie is safe, she's fine. Marissa is here and…God Ryan. Why did this have to happen to you?" He said frustratedly ignoring the burning tears in his eyes.

"Everything was going fine and…You have to make it through this. If you don't I…I don't know what would happen." He said putting his head in his hands. He left a long sielnce composing himself rubbing his eyes and resting his head in his hands as he tried to bring himself back together.

"I just need you to be okay man, we all need you to be okay. You hold everyone together and if you don't make it through this who will I play Warrior Quest with or Grand Theft Auto because let's face it Summer and Marissa suck and Ellie well, we all know she'll whip my a5s in under a second." He said falling back on the wit and sarcasm he could always rely on. He waiting for a smile, a movement…something but received nothing once more.

"I'll be here for you when you wake up, we all will and Ry…If I'm half the father you are I know me and Summer will be fine. Just make sure you fight it through this okay?" He said his voice cracking, he needed his brother. He couldn't lose him, he had been there for him for so many years and if he suddenly wasn't there he didn't know what he would do, if he lost Ryan he would lose his brother and his best friend. He wasn't ready for that.

As Summer came out from Ryan's room in floods of tears Seth got shakily to his feet and curled his arms around his fiancée, pulling her close to his chest. She buried her head in his shoulder sobbing, her shoulders shaking as she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks and staining Seth's shirt. Her breath hitched as she drew away shakily, raising her large, blood-shot, tear-filled eyes to Seth's. Her cheeks stained with black tracks of mascara.

"He looked so weak…what if he doesn't make it Seth?" She cried as Seth swallowed hard, the lump in his throat growing steadily more painful.

"He will make it, Sum. I know he will." He said resting his chin on top of her head and rubbing her back soothingly.

Kirsten let out a frustrated sigh as the tray slid open again on the seat in front, she felt tears spring to her eyes as she desperately tried to get it to fasten shut, her hands trembling. Sandy watched his wife and he reached across and fastened the tray shooting her a sympathetic look, she hadn't stopped shaking since they had gotten the call. He took her hands in his and she drew her tear-filled gaze up to face his.

"He'll be okay Kirsten." He whispered trying to reassure himself and her. He knew it was useless, they woudn't rest easy until they knew their son was going to be okay. It didn't help that they were hearing flashes and details from odd news reports telling of a Horror Car crash and every time the plane fell silent Sandy could hear Seth's panicked voice filling his head once more.

"Sandy what if he's not? If he was okay Seth wouldn't have called us, he wouldn't have asked us to take a 5 hour flight if he was okay…" She said desperately as tears began to spill from her eyes and drip slowly down her cheeks as Sandy squeezed her hands gently. Sandy knew she had a point but he couldn't let her give up hope, they couldn't give up hope on their son.

"I know honey, I'm worried too but we need to get some sleep otherwise you wont be up to seeing Ryan when we get there. We have to try and stay positive about this." He said and Kirsten nodded wiping her eyes. She just kept playing those pictures on the news over and over, the wrecked car lying on the ride side. How could anyone survive that? She wouldn't lose her son, she couldn't. What had he done to deserve this? He was a good guy, a great guy and he never did anything wrong. Why did this have to happen to him? She leant back in her chair pulling it back into recline, it was taking everything she had right now not to order a drink but she had to be there for her family when she got there. She needed to be there for Ryan.

Sandy watched as his wife began to drift off into sleep and he glanced at his watch impatiently, he wished the boys didn't live so far away. He kept replaying the call over and over, he couldn't believe this was really happening. He was just praying that Ryan would be okay, if they lost him this whole family would fall apart. Kirsten and Himself would lose a son, Seth would lose a husband, Ellie would lose a Dad, Marissa a boyfriend, Summer a friend. He meant too much to too many people for him to be taken away like this. He had barely lived half a life yet. He deserved a full chance at life and it shouldn't be taken away from him like this. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping during this flight but maybe if Kirsten was he wouldn't have to put on a brave face and he wouldn't have to hide how scared he really was for his son. He wouldn't have to hide that he wasn't as strong as everyone thought. He just wanted to get to New York and see his family.

Marissa curled her arms around her knees as she drew them tightly up to her chest. She leant against the wall, dropping her head down onto her knees, shutting out the over bright walls of the waiting room, Summer's soft sobs as she felt her baby kicking and Seth's gently murmurings to Summer. They had each other to get them through this, she had no one. The person who was always there to comfort her was fighting for his life. She had tried to sleep but every time she closed her eyes she saw his face, every time she tried to sleep she heard his voice. She had been sitting here for three hours and there was still no word on his condition. But maybe no news was good news, no news meant he wasn't dead. She thought hopefully as she sniffed wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. The mascara had long been cried from her eyes and now she was just left with dirty smudges that stained her flawless cheeks. People had come and gone from the room but she was left here waiting, she couldn't stand this. She had just gotten him back after everything they had been through and now he was being ripped away from her. She let a weak sob escape her throat before closing her eyes. Images filled her eyes and she relished in the happy memories of each other…

She rolled over, sleepily opening her eyes to come face to face with Ryan. He was watching her with a smile on his face. He reached out slowly and brushed a stray strand of golden hair from her face and smiled. She found herself flushing and grinning back.

"Were you watching me sleeping?" She teased playfully as Ryan's smile widened. The sun was rising through the gap in the curtains, bathing the entire room in golden light. His blue eyes sparkled slightly as he kissed her lips lightly causing her smile to widen.

"Maybe, I can't help it. You look so cute when you're sleeping." He said softly. She traced her hands softly over his bare chest and she rested her head softly on it, listening to the steady beat of his heart as he cradled her in his arms, entwined in each other's embrace.

"I love you Marissa." He whispered, she felt his warm breath tickling the side of her face and she smiled, sitting up and looking deeply into his dark blue eyes.

"I love you too."

Present

She chewed on her thumbnail her eyes brimming with the tears at the memory of when things were perfect between them, it was moments like those that made life worth living. She knew it sounded corny but she didn't care. She loved him. She stopped biting her nails remembering what Ryan had told her about fingernails.

Marissa jumped slightly when Ryan took her hand from her mouth and pulled it out staring down at her fingernails with a frown.

"You still bite your fingernails?" He said with a slight smile as she withdrew her hand flushing slightly and picking at her nails.

"What can I say? Old Habits Die Hard."

Ryan grinned and looked down at her hands, tracing his fingers delicately over the backs of her hands causing tingles to shoot up her arm.

"Did you know that if you swallow fingernails they stay in your stomach for 7 years. This guy had stomach pains and he went to the hospital, he ended up having surgery to see what was wrong and they found over a pound of fingernails in his stomach." He said as Marissa wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"That is so gross. Ok, by the end of the year I will have grown my nails…naturally. No extensions." She said as Ryan raised an eyebrow. She stuck out her hand and he took it gently giving it a shake.

"Deal."

Present

Marissa was pulled by her reverie by the door opening revealing Ryan's doctor standing in the doorway, dressed in blood soaked scrubs and wearing a grim expression. Her heart stopped as she scrambled hurriedly to her feet.

"Miss Cooper…"

Okay I know this is short but it's better than nothing right? I will try to update really quickly this time...

Next Time: Marissa gets news on Ryan's condition...good or bad? The Cohens arrive