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After the doctors and nurses left the room, Brianna collapsed against the wall, slid down to the floor and cried like there was no tomorrow.

When she finally calmed down enough to think coherent thoughts, she grabbed her purse and yanked her cell phone out. She called the first person she could think of.

“Hello?” a half-asleep Nick answered.

“N….Nick?”

“Brianna? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Bre…Brent was…an accident…the hospital…you have to come.”

Nick shot straight up in bed, “What?! Brent’s in the hospital? Why?”

“Just come. Please,” she pleaded.

Jumping up Nick said, “What hospital? What room?”

“Tampa General. I’m on the seventh floor.”

“I’ll be right there.” Nick told her.

“Thank you Nick.”

Brianna took Brent’s hand in her again; she knew she had to let him go, she just didn’t want to. Brent was her everything and now she had nothing.

Five minutes later, Dr. Harris returned and told her, “Mrs. Cooper, I’m sorry but we need to move Brent’s body now.”

“Brianna looked up and nodded. She stood and kissed Brent’s forehead for the last time and whispered, “I’ll love you for always.”

She walked out of the room, looking back as she crossed the threshold of the last room Brent was ever in, she wiped the tears from her eyes and said, “Goodbye Brent,” then walked into the waiting room. Brent’s father and mother and step-father all lived three hours from Tampa; she needed to tell them about their son.

She crossed the room to the phone that was sitting on a table in the corner and dialed Brent’s father.

“Hello?” Matt answered the phone.

“Dad?” Brent’s father had told her before they had gotten married that she had to call him ‘dad.’

“Bri? What’s wrong honey?”

“It’s Brent. He was in an accident.”

“Where is he? Is he okay?” she could just imagine him sitting straight up in his bed staring at the receiver.

“He…he…he didn’t make it.” She said as the tears took over.

Brent’s father cried out and he said, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“After they hung up Brianna broke down. She was soon surrounded by strong arms.

Nick held her as she cried. He held her until she stopped.

“Brianna, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s Brent.”

“What’s wrong? Where is he?”

Dr. Harris popped his head in the door and said, “Mrs. Cooper we need you to sign a few forms.”

“Of course, I’ll be right there,” she turned to Nick and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Nick nodded and she left the room. It took her ten minutes to get the forms signed. She then returned to the waiting room and to Nick.

Nick sat facing away from the door, reading an old magazine. He turned to face her when he heard her curse after kicking a chair. “Bri, what’s going on?”

Brianna’s face was still all red and puffy because she had been crying so much. She took a few deep breaths to keep herself at least a little calm before she began, “I hate to tell you this Nick. I never thought it would happen to us. Brent…” she paused for a moment and tears began to fall silently down her cheeks. “Brent survived his accident. He was his on the driver’s side of his car by a drunk driver. The doctor said they stopped his internal bleeding, but he that his other internal injuries were too severe for them to do anything for him. They didn’t know if he was going to make it through the night,” the tears were falling freely now. “He died Nick. Brent died.”

Nick sank back into his chair and ran his hands through his newly highlighted blonde hair. “Brent’s dead?” he asked in a disbelieving tone.

Brianna opened her mouth to answer but all that came out was a heart-wrenching sob.

Nick pulled her into his arms once again and held her as they both cried.

Fifteen minutes later, after they had both stopped crying, Nick stood up and said, “Let’s get outta here.”

It was now almost two am, and all Brianna wanted to do was crawl back into bed and wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Dr. Harris was standing at the nurse’s station when Brianna and Nick reached it. “Dr. Harris?” she asked.

“Mrs. Cooper? What are you still doing here?”

“I’m leaving now. I just wanted to know if there was anything else you needed me to do before I went.”

He thought for a moment, “No. There are a few more forms to fill out and sign but you can do that another day.”

“Okay. And thank you. I know you guys did everything you could,” her voice cracked on the last word.

“You’re welcome. And I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you, so am I.”

She and nick left the hospital and walked to their cars, which, ironically, were parked next to one another.

She went to get into her car when Nick asked, “Have you told his parents?”

“Matt knows. I don’t know if he told Belle yet or not.”

“You should be the one to tell her,” Nick said.

He moved to her side as she dug in her purse for her cell phone.

She checked it, “Damn it. I did it again,” she mumbled. Turning to Nick she asked, “Can I use yours?” waving her phone she continued, “Mine’s dead again.”

He wordlessly handed her his Razr and watched as she dialed her mother-in-law and step-father-in-law’s home number.

“Hello?” an angry, sleepy voice asked after the phone had rang seven times.

“Bradley?” Brianna asked.

“Yes, who is this?”

“It’s Brianna.”

“Bri, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Brent,” she paused as the tears threatened to fall once again.

“What’s wrong with Brent?” Bradley asked his voice full of concern.

Brianna heard mumbling in the background and knew that Belle was fully awake now.

“I really really hate that I have to tell you this,” she said and the tears came once more. “Brent was in a car accident. He made it through surgery once he got to the hospital but he didn’t make it. He died a few hours ago.”

“Oh My God.” Bradley whispered.

“What?! What’s wrong with my son?!” she heard Belle ask.

Just before hanging up she heard Bradley telling her mother-in-law, “I really hate to tell you this….”