I'M SO SORRY!!! I was so busy and preoccupied with personal stuff that I didn't have any time to write. Not to mention my birthday was last Wednesday, so things got a whole lot more hectic. Anyway, forty chapters! Dang, I'm impressed. Also, let's just pretend Alex wrote the following song, okay? Okay.  -S

     Peggy's POV

      We walked into the hospital and to the desk when I spotted none other than, 

     "Tailor?! Baguette?! What're you doing here?" I asked, shifting my grip on Pidge. 

     "This one," Laf said, gesturing to Herc. "Decided it was a good idea to listen to a talking black-and-white cat and come here to see John. Not that it wasn't a bad idea to visit John." He added hastily. 

     "You guys saw it too?"Maria asked, sagging slightly in relief. 

     "Yep. Y'see, Laf, we weren't crazy after all." Herc laughed. Laf merely rolled his eyes, though he let out a quiet laugh. 

     "C'mon, let's go see him." Maria said, pushing us in the direction of the desk. The receptionist barely had to look up before pointing to the double doors and handing us visitor's stickers.

      Alexander's POV

     I stared at John for a long time, willing tears not to fall, and sat slowly. As I my eyes, I began to sing a song a wrote absently, as singing was one of my few coping mechanisms. 

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You never know, dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping

I dreamt I held you in my arms

When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

So I hung my head, and I cried

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You never know, dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

I'll always love you and make you happy

Even if you don't say the same

But if you leave me to love another

I'll regret it all one day

Sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You never know, dear, how much I love you

So, please don't take my sunshine away

      Someone had laughed lightly, so I looked up in both surprise and shock. There, I noticed John was sitting comfortably on his feet. "Um, hey 'Lex," He said rather awkwardly. "Nice song," I said nothing. Once I had wrapped my head around the fact John was , in fact, alive, I wanted to apologize.

     I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. After a brief few seconds of staring at each other awkwardly, he went to speak, but the door burst open. Peggy led the way in, trailed by Hercules, Maria, and Lafayette. Peggy looked over at the bed before bursting into tears and kneeling at the side of the bed.

     "JOHN!! You're okay! It's my fault! I'm sorry!" She sobbed as Pidge squirmed out of her arms and scrambled onto John's bed. He leaned over the side of the bed and patted her back. 

     "You know as well as I that it isn't your fault at all. I should be the one apologizing to you. I-" He broke off, catching my eye. He cleared his throat slightly before looking over at me. "You have something to say, Alexander?" He teased. My face grew pink in embarrassment and I looked away. 

     "We should leave them to it," Maria said, her eyes streaming as she escorted the gang out.

     *Third Person* 

     "So," John said, leaning on the edge of the bed, staring intently at him. "I heard what you said, and it isn't you're fault at all-"

     "But it is," Alexander insisted. "If I hadn't let you go-"

     "If you hadn't let me go, I would've chucked your laptop out the window and burned your books, so you didn't really have a choice there," He said lightheartedly. "Besides, it was my own decision to go, so if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. Anyway, fill me in. I wanna know what happened while I was out." 

    "Y-you weren't afraid," Alexander asked, not answering the question. "Of death, I mean." John shrugged.

    "To be frank, not really. Y'see, there was this cat and it- don't look at me like that- told me to go through the door on the right. I was just kinda floating in an endless void of blackness until that cat came out of nowhere. So, I pretty sure the other door led to heaven or hell. Don't know which." He explained. 

     "I-i'm just so sorry, John," Alex said, his voice cracking with every other word. "I just feel so guilty." John shook his head and let out the quietest laugh. 

     "Well, you shouldn't be," He sighed, staring into Alexander's eyes in silence. "C'mere," He said after a few more seconds. As Alexander approached, John gave him a small hug. They stood there for who knows how long before a voice floated through the door.

     "Just kiss already!" Peggy yelled, opening the door. Alexander snorted and sat down. 

     "Not in front of you lot," John said, laying back onto the bed. Peggy fake pouted and put Pidge onto John's bed. Pidge immediately curled up and tiredly watched the young adults chatting and filling each other in.

     *     *    *

     John was discharged the next day and was back in the dorms. Angelica came over the second she heard and Thomas and James were both sympathetic. Angelica insisted on having a small celebration. That day, Alexander learned that no celebration was small to the Schuylers. They ended up staying up all night due to Angelica's amazingly planned, but tiring, party. 

     Now, the only problem was that John flinches at loud noises and can hardly sleep at night. This is due to the trauma of being tied up and shot at. I mean, come on, if that were you, you'd be like that too. 

Stick to the story!  

     Right, right, so Alexander drags John to the doctor and they diagnose him with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. For his case, they recommended a service dog, which he considered. Alexander occasionally presses John about it, but not often.

*    *    *

     The school year was coming to a close and finals were approaching. Alexander was stressing a lot more than he needed to and John was basically dying. They barely saw each other, or anyone else, due to being in the library 24/7. Peggy spent her time doing anything and everything, except studying. The same went for Hercules. They both were too lazy to-

Don't be biased!

     Okay, okay, jeez. They didn't feel like studying because they felt like they had the tests in the bag. Pidge was with John most of the time because Peggy felt like she would help him somewhat. Pidge's calming presence did help with John's stress and he resolved to get a service dog once he finished the school year. 

*    *    *

     Just as quickly as final exams came, they were over and John went out and applied for the service he promised he'd get himself. For now, Pidge will work. Alexander spent every spare second he had developing that song into sheet music and planned on releasing it because why not? He needed money anyway. And no, he was not about to take John's, he could never live with himself if he did. 

     Angelica spent every spare moment trying to find out about Eliza's whereabouts so she could rip off her head and leave it for the birds. She gleefully imagines tearing her limb from limb and taking out her anger on the one who caused it all. 

     Even through all this hardships, this group of friends persevered and never gave up hope that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though they were betrayed by one of their own, they coped and got through it. Through everything, they still had each other, and that's what really counts.