**ATTENTION! This is a sequel to Not the Only One. Please please don't read any further until you read it! - SPOILERS ahead! All of the characters will be returning in some form for the sequel**
It's been two and a half years since Miles and Luke Sa...
What are they doing here? They said they weren't going to speak to me again until I got clean – and I certainly wasn't clean right now.
I don't even know what happened. I don't remember anything after kicking Jordan in the balls and driving away.
Driving.
Oh. Oh shit.
What have I done?
Is it too late?
"That's if she wakes up at all."
Luke.
Please, please don't give up on me.
"Don't say that, Lucas. She can hear you."
Yes, Rachel. I can.
"Bullshit."
"Luke!"
Miles... stop him, please.
But all I hear now are sobs. Rachel's sobs.
Luke left.
But why wouldn't he?
After all, I left him.
Rachel
I woke up what seemed like just minutes later, but Miles informed me I'd been asleep for two hours.
"God," I said, sitting up fast. "Did she..."
He shook his head. "Luke's still gone, too."
"He can't have gone far – he has no car," I pointed out.
"He may have called Ma and Pop," Miles said, and I considered this.
"Text them and ask."
He did, but they responded and said they hadn't heard from him.
"Shit," I breathed. "We have to find him."
"I'll go. Stay with her," Miles said. I nodded and got up to sit next to Brooke's bed.
Miles opened the curtain and ran right into Luke.
"Damnit," Miles muttered. "What were you doing, sitting outside?"
Luke looked sheepish. "Yeah. I couldn't go far... I wanted to be here if she... if she woke up."
I stood up and crossed the room to him. "Now you think she's going to wake up?" I asked venomously.
"Rachel, don't," Miles cautioned.
I held up my hands. "Fine. I'll shut up. But Luke, if you're going to come back in here, I need you to be positive."
"Okay. I'm sorry, Rachel," he said, holding out his hand, offering a surrender handshake.
I took it and pulled him in for a hug. "We have to stick together now, Luke," I murmured.
"I know," he responded, hugging me back briefly.
"Has anyone heard from Katherine?" Miles asked as we all sat back down.
"This is actually where she works now," I said. "She's on call right now, and had to go up to the cath lab. She'll be back down as soon as she can."
"Oh, okay." Miles looked at his phone. "Do you guys think we should email our Monday professors and let them know what happened? Just in case we don't get home in time?"
I nodded. "That's a good idea," I said, pulling out my iPhone. "Luke, I'll email Professor Fairchild for both of us."
"Okay. Thanks," he said, pulling out his phone to send his messages.
We were silent for a few minutes, sending messages to our respective professors. Within minutes, we got responses from all of them, offering their support, thoughts, or prayers.
Over the next few minutes, we all started yawning, realizing how late it had gotten.
"I think one of us needs to stay with her at all times," I said. "Miles, maybe you and I can go to my parents' house and get some sleep, then we can come back and relieve Luke. You can take my car to your parents'," I told him.
They both nodded, and after a few minutes of saying goodbye to Brooke's unconscious body, Miles and I were on our way to Seahorse Lane.
Luke
After Miles and Rachel left, I pulled my chair as close to Brooke as I could, never letting go of her hand.
I watched TV until infomercials were all that was playing, and after I turned it off, I started talking.
"Brooke... Rachel said you could hear me. I don't know if that's true, but I really, really want to believe that it is. So, I'm going to talk to you." I took a deep breath, and just let it all out.
"Brooke, you hurt me. You hurt me worse than anyone ever has, even when Miles was in his heyday. Breaking up with me was bad enough, but breaking up with me for drugs? And then sleeping with some drug dealer?" I scoffed. "You broke me, Brooke. And goddamnit if I don't still love you." I wiped a tear from my eyes and stood up. I felt a sudden need to be next to her.
I climbed in the bed beside her, resting my head on her shoulder, careful to avoid her IV and tubes.
"Brooke, baby, if you can actually hear me, hear this: I'm here when you wake up. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. We'll get through this – together. Please." I felt tears falling from my eyes onto her hospital gown. "Don't leave me again, B," I whispered.
Brooke
I'm trying, Luke. I'm trying to hang on. But I don't know how much longer I can last.
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