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Chapter Six: In God's Hands


"She's right in here, Mr. Richardson. Just call me if you need anything," Nurse Conners instructed Kevin as she led him to Tierja's hospital room. Everything had been a whirlwind since the group had arrived at the hospital. There was no word on Howie or Ana, but one could only pray for the best since it was in God's hands from the very beginning.

"Do you know that damn doctor shaved a square into the back of my head just so he could put stitches in my scalp?" Tierja was quick to fume quietly when Kevin slipped into her softly lit room. She was sitting primly in an upward tilted hospital bed, resting her aching head against the pillows. A steady dosage of pain medication flowed into hand while mixing with another medication to decrease any chances of cerebral edema. It seemed to perk her up, though, slowly as the pain started to recede, although the doctors warned her she would feel awful for several days because of the severe concussion. "And I cracked my skull up, but they can't even super-glue the damn--"

"Can I just be thankful that you're okay?" Kevin breathed with an interruption, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. She still had the heavy bruising around her face and her eyes were dark with aggravation and pain, but Kevin couldn't have pictured a lovelier woman.

"But I have a bald spot in the back of my head because of that eejit of a doctor," Teagan pouted, pointing to her lips for another kiss. He immediately complied to stop her whines and protests, which seemed to work like a charm.

"Maybe so, but if it wasn't for that eejit of a doctor--"

"I know, I know. I'm just glad you're here and I have a nice stream of painkillers going through my blood at the moment," Tierja ran a fingertip over the gauze that went around her head.

"Yeah, don't touch that," Kevin commanded, reaching to take her hands away from the bandage. "We don't need any infections."

"They'll want to shave more spots into my hair if that happened," Tierja linked their hands together, his bandaged in some areas from digging the tunnel. "Were you hurt at all?"

"They just cleaned some of the scrapes on my hands and gave me a tetnus shot just in case..." Kevin trailed with a lopsided smile, gently easing his fatigued body onto the side of her hospital bed. "And I got a few stitches from when I crashed my bike."

"At least you're allowed out of bed," Tierja reached up and pushed away a few stray hairs that had fallen in front of his beautiful emerald eyes. "The only thing I can do is get up to go to the bathroom, and I have to call the nurse for help."

"Damn all the bad luck in the world," Kevin chuckled, so thankful for the significant change in Tierja's mental status. He had been so worried at her house when she continued to sleep, fearing she might slip into a coma without ever getting to say goodbye.

"The only thing I'm glad anbout right now is that you're spending the night here," Tierja smiled softly, taking his hand and tracing shapes on his palm with her forefinger.

"I am spending the night right here in that God awful chair right there," Kevin continued to jib, just to keep the smile on Tierja's face. He knew she was still uncomfortable, but wanted to make the best of the situation.

"You're a little smartass. That's what you are," Tierja concluded with a slight nod, but was still smiling. She pulled on Kevin's hand. "Lay down next to me."

"This bed is entirely too small for that. I'll fall off, take you down with me, then you'll hit your head and we'll be back to the entirely same situation all over again."

"No, no, no... I got a way we can do this," Tierja slowly stood up.

"Tier, get your ass back in be--"

"Lie down on the bed and I'll crawl on top of you. I need to be held, Baby... please?"

"Your nurse is going to kick me out of this room. Now sit down--"

"Lay down first and then I'll sit down."

"Tierja, I'm not--"

"Kevin, please. I don't think I'm asking too much," Tierja held onto the railing to keep herself upright.

Kevin was about to protest, but Tierja's dampened face made him question his thoughts. Tierja had almost died that evening. It was by the miracle of God that she managed to survive the severe head injury while the tornado passed through the entire house. Sighing heavily, he eased himself back onto the bed, taking her hands into his own. Carefully, he eased her back into the bed, wrapping his arms around her waist for safety. "I just need you to rest, Tierja. Okay? We need to get you better."

"I'll rest, I promise. I just need to be held right now," Tierja reasted her head against his chest, listening to the soft beat of his heart. She had a heard the paramedics yelling out Ana's condition and she knew it wasn't good. If she couldn't her any news for awhile, she wanted Kevin to hold her and say it was going to be alright.

"Okay," Kevin consented, making sure to keep her wrapped head gently cradled.

"Kevin?"

"Hmm?"

"Is... Is Ana going to be alright?"

"Huh?" Kevin deadpanned for a moment, not really expecting that question to be voiced so suddenly. If anything, Kevin had tried his damnest to locate information on Ana's condition, but he wasn't family. They couldn't release anything about her well being if they wanted. Besides, the entire Emergency Department was flooded with injured victims of the tornado. It was chaotic downstairs and he had barely found out that Howie had been scheduled for X-rays and MRIs.

"I heard what Billy and Josh were shouting to each other about Ana. It didn't sound very good--"

"Sweetheart, I tried so hard to get information on her down in the Emergency Room, but they couldn't tell me anything. I'm not family. Howie's getting all these X-rays done and it's crazy down there with tornado survivors."

"What if she died? And she's laying in one of those body bags in the ER without me there to hold her?" Tierja voiced, frowning at the thought invading her already clouded mind. Painful tears started to spring to her aching eyes, causing her to sniffle hard.

"Hey, now I don't want you talking like that," Kevin gently cupped her chin and made her look into his eyes. "I barely know Ana, but she made it through that tunnel and I don't think she would just give up once she made it to the hospital. You've got to be positive at a time like this, Baby. You've got to pray."

"Praying doesn't help... I haven't done it in years, why would it do anything now?"

"Because God listens to everyone, no matter when you started praying. And, if you don't have hope, I don't know how you survive day to day. Let alone allow Ana to go off every day with the job she has..."

"It's not that I don't have hope..." Tierja trailed off, biting her lip as tears spilled down her cheeks. "He'll really listen to me if I pray for Ana to be alright?

"Yes, He'll really listen."

"Will you pray with me?"

"Yeah, I can pray with you."

"Thank you," Tierja fumbled with her hands. It had been so long, she had forgotten everything when one was to pray.

"It's not formal, Tierja. Pray however you're comfortable praying," Kevin tried to explain, reaching to take her hands into his bandaged ones. "Talk to Him like He's your best friend, okay?"

"So I can talk to Him the way I talk to Ana?"

"If you're comfortable with it."

"Just no cursing, right?"

"Yeah, no cursing," Kevin laughed, gently kissing her head as she started.

~*~*~*~

"Mr. Dorough, if you don't calm down I'm going to have to sedate you," a male nurse warned Howie as he struggled to get out of his bed, demanding for one thing. Ana.

"You need to bring me to Ana right now and I don't care how you do it! If she's dead tell me so I can go kill myself!" Howie grunted underneath the pin, flailing his arms and uninjured leg.

"Mr. Dorough, I don't even know who this Ana is. Please! We've got to get you settled before we hear back about the MRI's. All this excessive movement is just going to injure your back and knee further!" the male nurse continued to grit, fighting against Howie's strength. He hadn't really been prepared to recieve Howie from the MRI and CT Scan, not realizing that Howie had become overwhelmed with his girlfriend's sudden disappearence from the scene of the disaster. If anything, he had just been prepared to wait for necessary guidelines in Howie's care, but that seemed of least importance. "Mr. Dorough, please! I'll get an order for restraints!"

"Ana Lord, she's one of the paramedics! My girlfriend! I need to find her, let me go!" Howie ignored the man's threat, continuing to fight against him. He was going crazy and had to find out what was wrong with Ana. Or if she was even alive. He had heard the things Erik said and a deep fear was growing to consume his common sense and sanity.

"Look, I'll make you a deal! You lay down in this bed and let the pain medication do its work and I'll have one of my friends to find some information about Ana Lord while we just talk. Okay?"

"You promise?" Howie stopped struggling for a moment.

"I'll go talk to another nurse right now and come straight back. You've just got to promise to stay in this bed for me. I can't have you doing any more damage to your back or knee. Okay?"

"...Okay..." Howie relented, laying back on the bed.

"I'll be right back," he answered, leaving the room for a moment.

Seeming somewhat satisfied, Howie slowly eased his battered body back onto the stiff mattress. He exhaled a slow, painful breath as he just stared at his practically mutilated hands. That had been the first treatment the doctor insisted on, debriding and cleaning every single wound within his hand and providing stitches for some of the deeper lacerations. Then each hand had been bandaged in snow white gauze as antibiotics and a tetnus shot had been delivered. Now, Howie was just waiting for the results on his knee and back. Although, Ana seemed far more important at this moment. Heavy tears started to roll down his forlorn face, just remembering the odd signals Ana had been displaying as she lay atop the den waiting for the paramedics. He was convinced that he should have done something. He was the only one there to protect her anymore.

"Do you mind if I call you Howie?" the male nurse slightly panted, jogging back to the room after he asked one of the nurses to search out any patient by the name of Ana Lord.

"No, that's fine. What should I call you?" Howie sniffled heavily, wiping away his tears on the hospital gown they made him wear.

"The name's Drake."

"Okay, Drake. What did you find out about Ana?"

"I asked Nurse Collins to check out the patients database for Ana Lord and she'll page me once she finds it," Drake replied, walking over to Howie's bed after catching his breath.

"Don't you have other patients to take care of instead of worrying about me?"

"That's the beauty of nursing, Howie. I have other nurses taking care of my patients while I stay with you. Besides, you need it more than they do," Drake answered with a lopsided smile, collapsing into the chair beside Howie's bed. He stretched his long legs out for a moment, obviously looking pleased just to take a seat for once in the entire day.

"You don't have to st--"

"If I didn't want to or didn't care, I would have just strapped some restraints on you and given you a sedative without a thought of your girlfriend," Drake interrupted, pouring himself and Howie cups of cool water. "Here, you're probably dehydrated."

"Ana said there are very few nurses that really care about their patients anymore. They either lose focus of patient care over money or they have burn-out. She's ran into a couple of nasty ones," Howie commented softly, greedily drinking the water to adequately reduce the thirst burning against his dry throat.

"You said she was a paramedic, right?" Drake recalled, reaching to fill Howie's water without another thought.

"Right, she worked with Josh Waters, Billy Conner and Erik Madison," Howie replied, quickly drinking the water to get another refill. He hadn't realized how thirsty and hungry he was after being trapped for so long.

"They call her AJ Lord? The Adrenaline Junkie?"

"That's Ana, alright."

"She's crazy," Drake suddenly laughed, recognizing immediately who Ana was from their little town of Minnesota's medical department. It was almost like a homegrown family, everyone knew everyone and everyone knew everyone's business. "She's done things half these male nurses would never attempt to do in the Emergency Room Department. One of the best we have working out on the community!"

"Yeah, she really loves her job..." Howie trailed off, past rescues Ana had told him about flashing through his stressed mind. "She always told me that since she was a little girl she knew she wanted to be a paramedic."

"But you're the one that probably hates the job, right?" Drake questioned, leaning forward to refill Howie's glass again. He seemed to focus on Howie's inner being, knowing that the other physical portions would come when the doctors were able. "When she's in the medical field, we're the ones to always praise her heroics. I mean, what she does to save lives is the most amazing things. But to see her hurt or have to hear about what she's done to risk her own life? You end up scolding her for being so foolish, because those other lives mean nothing compared to what she means to you? That has to be horrible."

"It's hard... but she loves it, and I don't want to take that away from her. I only pray that she's careful and saves all the lives she can, even if it's hard for me," Howie replied softly, drinking the water as his stomach grumbled loudly.

"Hungry?" Drake guessed.

"Yeah, didn't realize it until now."

"That's what Dietary's for," Drake promised, leaning to grasp the phone from Howie's table. He hurriedly punched in the code, asking for a tray to be brought to Howie's room. Then with a short thank you, he hung up the phone and settled back. "They'll have it up in a few short minutes for you."

"Thanks, but... isn't food from the hospital rumored to be really bad?"

"Depends on the hospital," Drake laughed. "And, if the junk is good enough for your girlfriend to eat, don't you think you could do the same?"

"Well... yeah... that's true," Howie agreed, offering a crooked smile as he finished off yet another glass of water. As Drake refilled it, there was a soft knock on the door and a orderly walked in with a tray of steaming food.

Drake rose to grab the tray, thanking the orderly with a polite smile. He then moved Howie's bedside tray over his lap, sitting the tray down. He then pulled off the tops, sitting himself back down in the chair to let Howie gobble the meal down. "So, how long have you been with her?"

"Three years," Howie mumbled with a mouthful of food, forgetting to be polite. "I met her when I moved here from Florida."

"Damn, you went from Florida to Minnesota? You're crazy," Drake chuckled, pouring more water for himself and Howie.

"Meeting Ana made the move all worth it. I was going to propose to her soon, but..." Howie stopped eating for a moment and sighed heavily.

"I'm sure she's going to be alright, Howie. But I know right now she would want you to keep eating so you get more strength for when you visit her."

"You don't understand..." Howie trailed, pushing the plate of half eaten food away. His stomach clenched violently, almost as if daring him to take another bite without getting ill. He glanced back down to his heavily wrapped hands, just shaking his head in disbelief. The guilt seemed to rush back two-fold, causing him to clench his eyes shut as if trying to erase the worry.

"What do you mean?"

"Ana and I fought while the tornado was on the ground. She thinks that I don't love her, but that's not true... God, I love her more than my life. I'm just so afraid that if she doesn't make it... she'll leave thinking no one was here to love her. That she didn't mean a thing to me. She's my sun, stars and moon. I need her..."

"Oh..." Drake trailed, just glancing down at the floor for a moment. He really didn't know exactly what to say to make Howie feel better. That had to have been a tough situation, especially now that Ana was in some undisclosed portion of the hospital. Struggling, Drake tried to recall all the conversations that circulated about Ana, wondering what he could say exactly. "Did you know that Billy Conner's is one of my good friends?"

"You know Billy?"

"Since high school, sophomore year. Then we met up again when I started working here. He's a really nice guy, and he'll definitely make it into the paramedic program," Drake replied.

"Did he talk about Ana a lot?"

"Well, yeah, all the time. Whenever you're on Ana's team, it seems impossible not to talk about her. But one thing really stuck out..." Drake trailed, leaning forward in the seat to make sure Howie was paying attention. "You see, Ana's squad has this special history together. Since Josh has always been a fatherly type, anyone who comes into the team gets a St. Michael pendant to wear while they're on duty. St. Michael is the patron saint of EMTs and Paramedics, so Josh thought it was a good idea to wear these pendants so they'd always be protected on duty. And, whenever they get called out, each person on the team kisses the St. Michael medallion so he or she will be protected. Only, Billy told me that Ana always pulls out this silver locket with her boyfriend's picture inside and kisses it before she kisses the St. Michael Medallion. And, when he asked her about it, Ana said that Saint Michael may be the protector of everyone in Emergency Medical Services, but she has a special angel to watch over her and love her every time she steps out of the ambulance."

"She does that? Really?" Howie whispered. He never knew that Ana and the other paramedics had this routine, or that she did the opposite with the locket he gave her for their six month anniversary.

"Yeah, that's what Billy told me... she really loves you, even if you had that fight."

"But..."

"Trust me and she's always bitching up a storm to Josh that you haven't popped the question in three years of dating," Drake continued with a kind smile. "She may be a hardass when it comes to work and trying to vent from work, but she needs you. Even if she won't admit it outwardly."

"She wants me to propose? And she needs me?"

"All girls want their boyfriends to propose, Howie. Even if they're more of a tomboy like Ana, they still want to get married, have kids and get that house with the white picket fence. And of course she needs you. She loves you."

"I--"

"Oh shit, that's my pager," Drake yelped, pulling the small, vibrating device off the hem of his scrubs. "Howie, I'll be right back. She found the news on Ana."

Howie watched wordlessly as Drake slipped out of the room in a jagged run, obviously anxious to recieve word on Ana. Only, Howie had no time to think of the possibilities when an unfamiliar doctor stepped into his room. She was a tall woman with a lean frame and slightly sharp facial features, but her gray eyes were warm and nuturing. "Mr. Howard Dorough?"

"Yes, but please call me Howie. You're my doctor?"

"Dr. Sheridan," she nodded, walking over to gently shake his hand. "I see Drake has been taking care of you."

"Yes, ma'am," Howie answered, noticing another doctor with ruffled scrubs standing just at the threshold of his doorway.

"That's Dr. Jackson," Dr. Sheridan was quick to explain, noticing Howie's slight apprehension. "He has to speak to you about some other matters. But he let me come in first so I could talk to you about your results."

"Alright..." Howie trailed off, preparing himself for the medical terms and then the translation. It was routine when he talked with Ana about work and he was used to it.

"I took a look at your MRIs and thankfully there's not too many issues we need to deal with. First off, examining your back, there was no displaced tissues or issues with any trauma to the spinal cord. Simply put, you just have some deep bruising along your back from whatever piece of debris that hit. But, that doesn't mean it isn't any less painful. It's just going to take some rest, ice, and pain medication to alleviate the symptoms. But, looking at the MRI of your knee, I noticed a mild tearing of your LCL and stretching of the opposite ligaments," Dr. Sheridan laughed lightly when Howie's face contorted into a look of displeasure. "You sprained your knee and made a tiny tear into one of the ligaments, Howie. This just means we're going to get a brace for your knee and require you to be on crutches for a few weeks before offering some rehabilitation. No surgery is required, just rest. And I know that the crutches will be difficult because of the hand injuries, but we'll try our best. So, after Mr. Jackson speaks to you, I'll finish writing your orders, wrap your knee, and you can consider yourself discharged. Any questions?"

"Um... I don't think so. Thank you for coming by so quickly, I know the hospital is busy with so many survivors," Howie offered a small smile, shaking Dr. Sheridan's hand once more before she left the room and Dr. Jackson took her place.

"Do you know an Anastacia Lord, Mr. Dorough?" Dr. Jackson was quick to ask, glancing down to Howie without a lick of emotion in his facial features.

"She's my girlfriend. Are you her doctor?"

"Yes," Dr. Jackson answered, setting her chart down on the nearby nightstand. "Miss Lord has you listed as her power of attorny and as her next of kin. You are aware of that, correct?"

"Yes, we did all that when we moved in together. What's her condition, Dr. Jackson?" Howie replied, wanting to skirt around the legal talk and just know that she was alive.

Dr. Jackson stared at Howie for a long moment as if he were judging the young man. But, whatever he thought was quickly put aside as his facial features were once again cast in expressionless stone. "To start out, Miss Lord had several lacerations on her arms that were either just cleaned and bandaged or sutured because of the depth and the laceration along her left cheekbone was sutured closed. A paramedic explained that she had been crawling within a tunnel that collapsed against her, so we did some scans to discover internal bleeding that was evacuated from her abdomen with a large syringe. Also, some debris must have collapsed against her right thigh, because there was a severe laceration that ruptured her femoral artery along with a femur fracture that had to be fixed with screws and plates in the OR."

"I'm sorry, I don't know a lot of the medical terms. That was Ana's job. Could you please translate that for me?" Howie replied, feeling slightly confused.

"I'm sorry. There were a lot of cuts along her arms that had to stitched and a cut on her cheek that had to be stitched. She had some bleeding into her stomach area that had to be removed with a needle. And, she had a cut along her thigh that caused a very important artery to bleed severely. But, the bone in her thigh was also broken from the debris that fell when she was in the tunnel. So, I had to take her into surgery to repair the bone and close the artery."

"Oh... so, she's going to be alright?" Howie spoke aftwer a few moments, letting the news sink in. Ana was alive. He would be able to let her know that he loved her in every way and would never let her go.

"After several weeks of rehabilitation with the fractured femur, I would expect so. She's in Room 1006 on the Orthopedic Unit. I just transfered her from PACU, so if you visit her after being discharged with Dr. Sheridan, I suppose she should be somewhat alert."

"No problem, take care of yourself," Dr. Jackson replied, exiting as quickly as he entered.

"Good news, I hope?" Dr. Sheridan called as she entered with some supplies, Drake tagging along behind her with a wry smile.

"The best news I've heard in awhile," Howie replied, actually smiling. He leaned over and shook Drake's had. "Thank you, Drake. You didn't have to do that--"

"Anything for the man that actually somewhat tamed the Adrenaline Junkie," Drake interupted, shaking his head as if it really were nothing at all.

"Actually somewhat being the keywords there," Howie chuckled softly.

"Yeah, well, it's a start."

~*~*~*~

"I still don't understand why I have to be in this wheelchair," Tierja grumbled as Kevin pushed her down the hallway with Howie slowly crutching alongside them. They had all been given permission to visit Ana once she was settled and alert. "I can walk, it's Howie should have the wheelchair. It's so hard for him to crutch with his hands all cut up."

"You had a head injury, Tierja. You should be damn lucky that they're letting you out of bed. And consider yourself even luckier that they're actually letting you out of here in a few hours with a discharge," Kevin chided, shaking his head in disbelief at Tierja's utter defiance. She had become utterly fiery since the medications had started to work within her body, only causing Howie to grin wryly, which made Kevin think this was only the tip of the iceburg.

"I know all of that, but what the Hell does a head injury have anything to do with a wheelchair?" Tierja turned to see Howie slightly grimacing as the pressure built on his hands. "Howie, this is ridiculous. You need to get in this wheel--"

"It's your wheelchair," Kevin was quick to interupt, glancing back to Howie for a moment. "But, it might be smart to get you one, D--"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," Howie shook his head as they turned down the hallway that would lead to Ana's room. "My hands are going to hurt either way."

"But what happens if your stitches rip?" Tierja was quick to comment, turning slightly in her wheelchair. Though, it provided unneeded pain against her skull, which caused her to turn back. She slipped further in the wheelchair to sulk at her predicament. "Ana's going to be furious if you hurt yourself anymore, Howie."

"Tier, I'm fine. Ana will be furious if you hurt yourself any further," Howie retorted, slowing down to read the room numbers and they reached 1006. "Here's her room."

Kevin watched as Howie automatically paused at the threshold of the dimmed room and Tierja actually put her hand against the wall to stop Kevin from entering with the wheelchair. He stumbled back from the abrupt stop, but managed to keep his hands tight against the handles of the wheelchair. He waited for a moment while Howie and Tierja kept silent, making no move to enter. Finally, growing slightly irritated, Kevin cleared his throat. "Are we going inside or what?"

"Just wait a minute, Sweetheart. It's going to be hard for us, seeing Ana all hurt and vulnerable..." Tierja trailed off, reaching back to squeeze his hand.

"Staying out here isn't going to make it any easier," Kevin commented. "Besides, D, you were so worried about her. You need to get in there to see she's okay."

"I know. I know..." Howie took a deep breath, carefully crutching his way into the room.

Kevin glanced to see Tierja release her hands from the wall, allowing him to wheel her in behind Howie. Of course, no one was really prepared to see Ana in such a state. Even Kevin could see the drastic change from the impish woman that had been joking about the Ouiji board in Tierja's living room. She had paled dramatically from the severe loss of blood, almost allowing the group of friends to trace the outlining of her light blue blood vessels. Wraps of gauze were secured around her arms and underneath her right eye from the shattering glass. A heavy blanket had been draped over her body to circulate the warmth, blocking the friends from seeing the heavy bruising from the tunnel collapsing. But, Ana always hated to have her legs covered with a blanket when she wasn't sleeping. So, Tierja, Howie, and Kevin were able to view the starts of the large immobilizer strapped to her broken leg. Tierja had been so startled that she actually gasped. And it depressed Kevin, because she actually did look dead.

"Didn't really get impaled... Damnit..." Ana called out jokingly to Tierja, realizing her best friend was in the room. Slowly, she parted her blue-green eyes to see Tierja settled in a wheelchair with a light dressing of gauze around her head. She offered the weakest remanents of a pained smile, glad to see Tierja was well.

"Oh, Missy..." Tierja shook her head, smiling softly to reassure Ana as Kevin wheeled her closer to the bedside. She reached over and took Ana's bandaged hand into hers very carefully. "You know I don't like your jokes about being impaled and all that gory stuff you see in those horror movies you love so much."

"Randy told me I was close to getting impaled with that huge ass needle they dug into my stomach to get out the blood," Ana attempted further, allowing Tierja to bring her hand to her lips. She briefly glanced toward her IV pole to see a fresh bag of blood draining into her system. She then just lay extremely still, trying to forget about the pain searing through her body. She didn't want alarm to Tierja.

"You're lucky you're lying in this hospital bed or else I would kick your ass for talking about that stuff," Tierja warned, trying to ignore the blood flowing into Ana's IV. "They need to give you a new nickname. The Crazy as Hell Adrenaline Junkie."

"I had to do it," Ana stated simply, gently easing her free hand to her throat to feel the silver locket. Carefully, she brought it into her hand, rubbing her thumb against the smooth back. "I had to make sure you guys would be safe..."

"We're all very grateful, but wish you didn't have to be in this condition just to make sure we would be safe," Tierja watched Ana play with the locket Howie gave her and hid a smile. Her best friends were going to get back together, she knew that for sure.

"I'm fine, Tierj," Ana promised, trying to provide herself with some kind of comfort as she rubbed the locket. She could feel the indentation of Howie's lovely enscription against the back, which caused her to inhale deeply. Pain flared and she winced with regret at the memory.

"I know," Tierja nodded, reaching up to smooth back a few curls that had fallen in front of her eyes.

"Good..." Ana trailed, allowing her eyes to close with Tierja's motherly intentions. She already knew that Tierja was patronizing her. Tierja didn't have the heart to disagree with Ana when she was in so much physical pain. So, Ana sidetracked her thoughts away from the pain. "How are Kevin and--"

"You can ask them, they're in the room."

"They are?" Ana's eyes snapped open and she scanned the room, finally settling on Howie and Kevin's forms.

"Hey," Kevin was quick to respond when Howie remained silent within the room. He stepped alongside Tierja to see Ana, thinking about how to appropriately respond to the young woman. He thought about kissing her cheek and thanking her for her bravery, but decided against it. He had barely known her for an entire day and didn't know exactly how she would accept the affection with the pain spoiling her tolerance. So, Kevin just reached down to affectionately squeeze her hand. "And I'm just fine. Just a few stitches and a wrap on my hand because of the cuts. And one huge ass tetnus shot."

"I was asleep for that," Ana teased, smiling appropriately at the older man as he reached to settle his hands gently against Tierja's shoulders. She could already tell that something special had happened between the two, but decided not to spoil it for once. Swallowing a ball that had formed in her tender throat, she glanced to see Howie loitering almost in the threshold of her doorway. He looked extremely unsure of himself, causing a knot to form within her already painful stomach. Slowly, she eased herself up into a semi-sitting position, releasing the pendant to hold her aching stomach. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry for fighting, but she couldn't exactly ignore what he had said before the tornado. As much as she hated to admit it, he had broke her heart. But, like usual, her thoughts focused on his well being. "Are you okay, Howie? Your back and knee?"

"Yeah... I'm alright, I guess. They're just bruised and strained," Howie replied, slowly crutching his way towards her bedside. He wanted to lay next to her and bring her into his arms, saying how sorry he was for the words he didn't mean. But he knew that a touch from his was the last Ana wanted, so he knew he had to talk to her. "Ana, I need to apologize--"

"Howie, we don't need to talk about this--"

"Yes, we do. I said something that I didn't mean and it hurt you. I don't regret a single day moving here, because I have you. Ana, you're the reason I wake up every morning. The reason I breathe. You're my everything and I don't want to lose you because of what I said."

"I wasn't hurt," Ana attempted to cover, shifting her eyes away from Howie's pained form. Her eyes started to burn with tears at the mere thought of his words, so she quickly closed them. Howie had been the last person she thought of when she passed out near the ambulance. She wanted to tell him that she needed him forever and always, which made her heart throb from him saying he lost everything important from Kevin. Though, Tierja had been right, again. Ana had been looking for an excuse to break away from Howie, because they were getting closer as each day passed. And, she was scared. She carried so many ghosts within her heart, afraid to let someone heal them. Swallowing painfully, she subconciously reached to grasp her pendant, rubbing her thumb across the lettering to soothe her emotional hurts.

"I think I've known you and loved you long enough to tell when you're lying," Howie saw right through the cover up, carefully sitting down in the chair next to her. He reached out and took her free hand into his. "Ana, I love you. I need you. I didn't mean what I said before the tornado. I was so uptight about Kevin being there that I lost my mind for a moment and hurt the one thing that's important to me."

"Then why say it if you didn't mean it?" Ana questioned softly, still refusing to gaze into his dark eyes. All the muscles in her body seemed to tense directly underneath his stare and the feeling of his hand hold hers. Only, to tense her body caused large waves of pain to rush along the nerves of her already beaten body, causing her to whimper slightly. She didn't want to talk about this in front of Tierja and Kevin. She didn't even want to deal with it openly.

"I don't know why I said it. All I know is that I didn't mean it and I could never mean it. I don't want to lose you, Ana."

"I really don't want to talk about this..."

"Listen, I think I'm going to take Tierja back to her room. The doctor wants her to rest until she gets discharged in a couple of hours," Kevin spoke softly, grasping the wheelchair's handles.

"No, Kev--"

"Ana, I know you may feel it's not my place to say this, but you and Howie need to talk."

"I'll be back in a little bit, Missy. Please just hear the boy out. He nearly killed his hands because he had thought you were trapped in the tunnel," Tierja blew Ana a kiss as Kevin scooted her out of the room.

"Were you discharged?" Ana questioned, trying to skirt around the topic that Howie was aching to reach. She downcast her eyes to her gauzed hands, deciding to ease them back against her tender abdomen for comfort. Mostly, she just wanted Howie to stop touching her hand. Whenever he touched her, electricity seemed to spark throughout her body. But with their hearts being distanced, it only caused an ache to settle over her other pains.

"Yes, but that's not I'm trying to talk about--"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I want to because I don't want to lose you!" Howie burst, running a hand through his wold curls. "I love you, Anastacia Grace! I'll always love you. I want to marry you. I want us to have children together! You're the one woman I want to spend the rest of my life with!"

"Howie..." Ana whispered after several moments of silence had lapsed from his outburst. For the first time, she actually glanced up to catch his watery brown eyes. All his emotions seemed to flow out from those final words, actually demanding that she say something in return. Only, she found no words to reverberate from his statement. She was actually shocked.

"I need you, Ana. More than anything in this world. I can't lose you... I can't," Howie sniffled, reaching for her hand one more time.

"Howie, don't," Ana stalled, withdrawing her hand from his grasp. She hated to see him so downtrodden and afraid of life. She was convinced at points that her heart would bleed because of his suffering. Only, Howie mistook her rejection of his hand, causing him to slump forward in shame. Sluggish from the morphine and sedation, it took her a few moments to realize her mistake. Frowning, she reached to flatten her hand against his rough cheek. It was her way of showing endearing affection - to touch his face. Many occasions, she would simply lay with him, running her fingertips gently across his face almost like a misting of her adoration. "Please, Howie, no..."

"Don't leave me, Ana. I need you so much," Howie whispered, pressing her hand closer to his cheek with a gauzed hand. The simple act of affection was a good sign but he was still scared.

"I can't exactly leave. I don't have two good legs to run away with," Ana attempted to joke, although she knew halfway through her sentences that Howie wasn't exactly cheered by the news.

"Are you going to run away when you have two good legs again?"

"That's a long while away."

"Ana--"

"I'm not leaving," she interrupted softly.

"You're not leaving?"

"No... I can't keep telling myself that you didn't have a life before me. I mean, you had to have friends, lovers, family, a home... You had to have a terrific life in Florida... I couldn't have expected you to be automatically happy when you moved here. You had every right to say that Kevin ruined everything you had. I just wish I wouldn't have to think about myself as second best..."

"Then don't. You're not second best in my life. You're the best thing I've ever had, Ana. I still have my family, but I'm nothing without you."

"Howie--"

"You'll never be second best. Never. D'you hear me?"

"I hear you..."

"God, Ana, I love you so much. You couldn't be anything but the best for me."

"Okay," she accepted after a brewing turmoil within her brain. Exhaling slowly, she decided to give Howie the benefit of the doubt. He had been so devastated when the tunnel initially collapsed. She had heard him still calling through the darkness of her surgery, screaming for any kind of answer. His fear had actually sent ripples of disbelief down her spinal nerves. Slowly, she moved her thumb across his cheek to soothe his fears. She had to trust what Tierja said - she needed Howie. "...And I really didn't want to throw you out into the tornado..."

"I had hoped you didn't want to," Howie actually laughed, closing his eyes as he felt her soft touch. He felt a huge relief lift off his shoulders and he was convinced once more that Ana was the one.

"Yeah, I needed something to cover me. You were my little hide out," Ana answered with a sly grin, thankful that he produced some type of laugh. She always felt rejuvenated that she could bring someone a smile, but more so when she saw Howie's handsome smile because of her silliness.

"I'll always be your little hide out, hopefully it'll happen at different times besides when a tornado strikes," Howie leaned over and kissed her unscathed cheek.

"Was that a sexual innuendo?" Ana questioned with an obvious amusement crossing through her cloudy blue-green eyes. The smallest reminents of a smirk drew upon the corners of her light rose colored lips. She was absolutely exhausted from the surgery, but found it far more comforting to keep a sweet conversation with her boyfriend. Since arriving at Tierja's home to discover Kevin, he had pulled away as if she were diseased. She lacked in his affection and needed his attention to soothe her pains.

"Even if I said it wasn't, you would still think it is," Howie laughed again, tracing her unmarked skin with a fingertip, followed by a sweet kiss. He wanted to give her as much attention as he could since their brush with death.

"But I would like to know your opinion," Ana murmured against his lips, gently reaching to rub the back of his neck with her free hand. She could feel him leaning against the bed for support as he continued to offer the best of his love, wondering if it was hurting him.

"It's an innuendo," Howie admitted after a moment of silence, kissing her once more. He didn't even feel the warning sharps of pain in his hands as he continued to put his weight on them. "Is that alright?"

"With all the innuendos I throw at you, I doubt one of yours could be considered heinously sinful," Ana answered, frowning when she glanced down at his hands. Shifting slightly with a large grimace of pain, she removed a pillow from behind her back. Gently, she helped Howie lift his hands to rest upon the pillow after motioning for him to move the chair closer to the bed so he wouldn't have to lean.

"I'm still learning from the master," Howie smiled after getting situated, pressing a few kisses onto her neck. He made sure to pay special attention to the spot that made her shiver with delight.

"We are just going to be two pitiful souls for the next few weeks," Ana commented, tensing her shoulders as the excitement raced down her spine. She felt like firecrackers were exploding within her body as her mind reflected back to Howie saying he wanted to marry her. Though, the thought actually caused a rosy blush to hint along her cheekbones, which only seemed to entice Howie further. It was almost as if the tornado never happened and they weren't even in her hospital room.

"We can still do some things... just not everything. I'm content just kissing your sweet, little neck," Howie smiled at her reaction. He had to propose to this woman as soon as possible, and knew who to talk with to plan it all.

"Well, I'm definitely not."

"You're not?"

"No..." she trailed with an impish smile.

"Uh-oh. What's that smile for?"

"I love you kissing my neck, but I love kissing you more," she explained, reaching to depress the button that released morphine into her system. "But... I'm wondering if you're not hurting right now and should at least try to go home, if we even have a home, and rest..."

"I don't want to leave you alone with the hos--"

"You know better than to finsih that sentence. I know almost every single person on staff. I want you to go and get some rest. You'll need it for when I finally go home," Ana interrupted, bringing their lips together for a soft kiss.

"Why will I need it for when you come home?" Howie questioned, frowning with obvious displeasure at her suggestion. He had no will to actually travel to their lonely home without her, especially if it had been destroyed. He wanted to stay by her side, because he was still frightened at the possibility of losing her during the night. He could see the pain etched in her exhausted face, though she refused to comment. He needed to stay.

"You're going to be taking care of me because I won't be able to walk much--"

"I don't want to be alone tonight. Can I please stay here?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ana stated flatly, glancing to him with disbelief. It wasn't that she didn't want him there, because she actually needed him more than he realized. Only, she knew the pain would become worse as the post-op medications and anethesia dissipated from her system. Her pain tolerance was wide, but she didn't want to cry in front of him.

"No... I don't want to be that far from you after all that's happened. It'll be too hard to go back to our place. What if it's not there? I need to stay here with you, Baby. Please?"

"Howie, you're not going to be comfortable--"

"Drake will bring a cot in here for me."

"Howie..."

"Don't you want me to stay?"

"It's not that..."

"What is it, then?"

Ana glanced away for a moment, just exhaling slowly as if that might treat the pain elevating in her body from the stress. She had been so independant in her life and didn't want Howie to think she might be weak. She hated to lean on others for support, knowing that most of her life had been surviving on her own. "I just hurt a lot..."

"And you don't want to show it in front of me. Right?" Howied guessed, gently bringing her head back so he could look into her eyes.

Ana swallowed hard, "...Right..."

"Showing pain doesn't mean you're weak. I would be worried if you didn't," Howie kissed her furled forehead.

Ana blinked back hard tears at Howie's sweetly sentimental words. She felt him ease into a standing position, actually moving to rest on the side of the bed. She wanted to comment that he needed to watch his injuries, but Howie's presence seemed to indicate that he wanted to take care of her instead. She immediately bit down hard on her bottom lip, trembling slightly. "It hurts so much..."

"I know, Baby. I know it hurts," Howie whispered, running his hands through her locks as he continued to place loving kisses on her forehead and the bridge of her nose. "But day by day the pain is going to be less and less. I'll be here to help kiss the pain away."

"Okay..." she murmured, succumbing to Howie's love as she gently rested against him as to not aggravate any troubles.

"I love you, Ana. So very much."

"I've always hoped."

"And now you'll never forget."

"I love you, too, y'know?"

"I know. And I also know something else."

"What?"

"That we'll always be together."