Mark's POV:

Glen and I arrived at the local hospital a few minutes after Dan and Aoife as we had followed behind them in a taxi. Neither of us had said anything to each other, both of us shocked at what had just happened.We rushed towards A+E without hesitation, keen to be there for our friends.

"We're here to see Aoife Quinn please " Glen told the lady at the reception desk. She checked the computer for any updates before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, She's in surgery at the moment, she'll be there for a few hours" she explained sympathetically. "However, you guys can go wait in the family room with her boyfriend " she suggested, pointing us in the right direction.

"Thank you so much " we coursed, setting off down the long corridor before turning right. We opened the door to be greeted with unfamiliar faces, old and young; waiting anxiously for their loved ones. To be honest, the atmosphere made me feel quite queasy, knowing that so many people were in similar situations to us.

My eyes scanned the room, looking for the one person we were looking for. I spotted his lanky figure sat on the floor hunched up in the corner of the room. He sat hugging his knees to himself tightly, his head buried in them. I knew Dan too well to know that he was probably crying his eyes out, but he didn't want to make it seem obvious. I nudged Glen, gesturing towards Dan before we both walked over and sitting either side of him.

"Dan?" I called. " what did they say?" I asked gently. He lifted his head to reveal his red raw eyes and puffy tear stained cheeks.

"T-t-they said that 3 of her main archeries were cut open in the attack, they're stitching her up and giving her a blood transfusion...but they've w-warned me that she has less than 40% chance of surviving ... She's lost so much blood...." He trailed off, avoiding eye contact. I glanced over at Glen to see his eyes brimming. "I can't lose her.... I just can't " Danny stated, before breaking down into broken sobs. Both Glen and I wrapped our arms around him, desperately trying to comfort him.

"Hey c'mon Dan, she'll be ok" I tried to stay positive, but I was starting to see what the outcome of this could be.

"You don't know that though" he mumbled, answer muffled by my hoodie. We sat in silence for while, neither of us knowing what to say. I suddenly had an idea on how to break the ice.

"So, who's going to the finals?" I asked Danny, seeing as both Glen and I had missed the semis.

"Andrea, she beat Karl by miles" Dan whispered, a faint smile playing on his lips. I knew that he had a soft spot for Andrea, but her voice was seriously amazing. "I'll miss Karl though, he's a top bloke" he admitted.

"Yeah, Andrea for the win aye?" Glen asked him, glad that we had all calmed down a bit.

"Definitely " he answered, as a plump nurse walked up to us expectantly.

"Are you guys waiting for Miss Quinn?" She asked. We all nodded dumbly at her, she grinned at us before continuing. "The doc told me to come and tell you that the operation went well, and that the blood transfusion was successful-"

"That's great news!" Danny exclaimed, smiling for the first time in hours. "She's going to be ok then?" I felt my blood run cold, as the nurse suddenly directed her gaze to the floor anxiously before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"That's why I came to see you.... Aoife also suffered extreme trauma to her head and... She's... She's-"

"She's what?! What's happened?" Dan pressed, the tears brimming in his eyes again.

"She's fallen into a coma"

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Danny's POV:

"She's fallen into a coma"

Her words echoed around and around inside my brain. She's in a coma. A coma. That means she might not survive. I didn't wait to hear more. I pulled myself to my feet before running out of the room, ignoring my best friends' shouts as I strided down the corridor. I have no idea where I'm going . I just need to run. Get away.

Some Startled visitors scattered out of my way as I ploughed on down the main corridor towards reception, others just gave me weird looks, confused at why the tall, lanky guy was sprinting past them, tears streaming down his face.

I finally slowed as I reached the hospital car park, the cold, crisp air piercing my lungs. It was now dark outside. I collapsed onto a nearby bench, burying my head in my hands, defeated- pathetically unable to stop the harsh sobbing and silent tears.

I heard footsteps approaching from behind me. I turned around to see Mark gazing worriedly at me. He came and sat beside me.

"Oh Dan, come here" he said sympathetically . I didn't have to be told twice. I collapsed in his arms, he hugged me tightly to his body, rubbing my back.

"She's going to die, Isn't she?" I sobbed into his shoulder.

"No, C'mon Dan don't think that, Aoife's a fighter, she'll pull through, you didn't hear what else that nurse had to say" wait what?

"What else did she say?" I pulled away to see his intense gaze.

"They induced Aoife into a coma so that she doesn't suffer from major brain damage, you know- to reduce brain swelling... She is stable though" he said, a faint smile appearing.

"Oh my God" I heard myself whisper. "I have to see her!"

"We can't go see her yet, she's still in recovery. Glen stayed in the family room in case they called us" he explained.

"He's on his own?! C'mon then, let's go!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. I heard Mark chuckling behind me, laughing at my enthusiasm.

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When Mark and I walked back into the family room, I saw Glen curled up on the plastic chairs, fast asleep. I don't blame him though, as I glanced at the wall clock saw it was now approaching 2am. I suddenly realised how tired I was myself, collapsing on the chair next to him, Mark taking a place in a comfy looking armchair across from us.

I sat staring into space for a while, reflecting on what had happened in the last 24 hours. Aoife had flown over from Ireland, we had sex for the first time, Andrea winning the semis, Aoife being attacked...... It was all too much. The thought of not seeing those emerald green eyes again shredded my heart to pieces- no, c'mon she'll be ok, she has to be.

Keen to change my mind, I focused my gaze at Mark who had inevitably  fallen asleep in the armchair. I decided that I wouldn't follow the same path as my band mates, afraid that if I fall asleep, something will happen to Aoife. Shuddering, I recalled a similar situation we experienced many years ago....

Flashback- Balinteer, Dublin 1993

It was late July and Aoife and I were out on the streets of Balinteer with our gang of friends, doing nothing in particular. It was nearing about 10pm and the streets were progressingly getting darker with each second.

We were bored stiff, so Oisin suggested that we'd play a game of chicken (running across the road directly in front of cars without getting hit) Everyone agreed, although I could feel my stomach churning, fear that something would go wrong building up inside me.

"What if we just go play soccer in the park? It'd be much safer there" I suggested, hoping that they'd agree. Conor, the gang leader spoke up.

"Awwww is Little Daniel scared?" He teased, everyone laughed at me.

"N-no" I stammered. " I just think it's dangerous " I mumbled. Conor came closer, looking me in the eyes mockingly, before turning back to the rest.

"The whimp's scared, I can see it in his eyes" he said, before spinning around, grabbing the collar of my shirt. He pressed me up against the wall threatingly. I stared into his cold eyes, gulping nervously. "I don't like whimps, so you'll just have to grow up and play like a man" he growled, releasing his grip on me. "C'mon lads, let's go" he stated,  already leading the group down the street.  Aoife walked back to me, pulling my trembling body into her arms.

"Are you ok?" She asked, concern filling her eyes.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine" I mumbled, smiling weakly.

"C'mon, lets catch up with the rest" she  said, taking my hand and pulling me down the street after the others.

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We found ourselves stood at the side of a fairly busy street near the city centre, where the cars sped past. Conor noticed my presence.

"Yo Dan! Prove to us you're not a chicken and run across and back without getting squished? Or are you too chicken?!" He hollered. Anger bubbled up inside me. I didn't want to do this.... But I wasn't a chicken either.

"Dan, you don't have to do this" I heard Aoife whisper in my ear, pulling me closer to her.

"I'll be fine, I'll just leg it" I mumbled, letting go of her hand and striding over to where Conor stood, smirking at me. "Alright, I'll do it if it'll shut yez up" I mumbled, which only annoyed Him more.

"Watch it O'Donoghue, you're on thin ice as it is" he hissed. I ignored him and stepped up to the edge of the curb, gulping nervously. My confidence had suddenly vanished as I stood rooted to the spot, watching the cars wiz by.

"C'mon then! Do it ye weedy little twig!" He shouted. I took a deep breath and stepped out into the road, met with the sound of squealing breaks and angry shouts from drivers as I sprinted to the other side, 2 cars narrowly missing me. I composed myself again before crossing again, grinning as I strode back to the rest.

"Well played O'Donoghue, well played" Conor remarked as I walked past him, joining Aoife and Mark, who were quite hysterical. Mark high fived me.

"Ye stood up to him well dude" he stated, wrapping me in a man hug. I knew that underneath the tough guy mask he wore, he secretly was relieved that I was ok.

"Thanks man" I grinned, laughing as I hugged Aoife, who had jumped into my arms.

"Oh my God!!!! Don't ever scare me like that again!" She screamed, squeezing the life out of me.

"Yes Mam " I remarked sarcastically, earning a laugh from both of them. She looked up at me.

"Sorry, but that was WAAAY to close for comfort!" She said, letting go of me; blushing. I laughed at her before hearing a hoot of a car and a terrified scream. I turned my head towards the road and wished that I hadn't.

The sight in front of me literally made me want to throw up. Sean, one of my best friends, had just been hit by a car, his lifeless body lay limp in the middle of the road. He didn't get across in time. Blood already pooled around his body, he had hit his head hard.

"F*ck!!! Let's go, let's go, LET'S GO!" I heard Conor scream, before they all legged it, leaving me, Mark and Aoife in shock. I approached his body, shakily crouching down beside him.

"Sean? Dude can ye hear me?" I shouted, panic clear in my voice. "Seany, c'mon wake up!" My voice cracked as I shook his shoulders, yet no response. The driver who hit him approached Mark.

"I-I d-don't know what happened.... He just appeared in front of me" he stuttered. He turned towards me " is he ok?"

"Is he ok? Does he look ok?!" I spluttered, failing to keep my composure. Aoife came back after running to the telephone box to call the ambulance.

"The - ambulance-is -on -it's- way-" she gasped from all the running, dropping to her knees beside me. I noticed that her cheeks were tear stained and her eyes puffy. I wrapped an arm around her to comfort her, she rewarded me by flashing me a tired smile.

Shortly, the paramedics arrived and we all jumped into the van, Sean wired up to a heart monitor. But after a few minutes, his heart rate dropped, despite all the drugs they were pumping into him. Suddenly, his heart flatlined, a dull sound bleeping. One of the paramedics turned to us sadly "I'm sorry, but he's gone"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

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Glen's POV

I awoke to the sound of someone mumbling and whimpering beside me. That's odd. I opened my eyes and recognised the family room at the hospital and looked across to see Mark fast asleep in an armchair , before looking to my left to see a very distraught Danny, who was also sleeping. He was the source of the whimpering and sobbing.

It seemed like he was having a nightmare, his eyes squeezed tight, face twisted in fear, fists balled up. He was fidgeting around an awful lot too.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" He screamed at the tops of his lungs, startling me. I quickly sat up beside him, shaking his shoulders. He suddenly bolted upright, his eyes like saucers, breathing heavily. He noticed me beside him before calming down a bit, leaning back in his seat.

"F*ck, I didn't mean to wake you up" he whispered guiltily.

"It's ok, I was already awake" I lied, smiling reassuringly at him. I noticed that he was as white as a sheet. "Are you ok? You look like ye'v seen a ghost " I stated worryingly.

"Yeah I'm fine, just a bad dream" he shrugged, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Dan always had a habit of bottling everything up inside of him and it literally tore him to pieces- that's why he had music, to let his emotions out. I suddenly had an idea....

"Do ye remember what me Da used to tell me when we were kids?" I questioned.

"No, what did he say?" Dan had now shifted his gaze towards me, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"He told me that a problem shared is a problem halved " I said, smiling at the memory. It was something he always told me and my siblings if he saw us down or troubled. Soon enough, Dan realised what I was suggesting before yawning, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"So I guess ye wanna know what that nightmare was?" He asked. I nodded in response, gesturing him to carry on. He took a shaky breath.

"Do ye remember Mark telling you about a kid called Sean McCormack getting hit by a car?" He asked. I nodded, recalling the memory. "And how he.... Well ye know...." He struggled.

"Died?" I said, knowing the story all too well. But I was confused at why he was thinking of this. Sean had died 20 years ago, for Christ sake! But the look in Dan's eyes told me that I didn't know the full story.

"Y-yeah.... We were playing chicken and he didn't get across in time..... I'll never forget the sound of his head smacking on the Tarmac " he whispered, pausing to wipe a tear away. "He died because of the extreme head trauma and excessive blood loss-" he broke down into his hands, I pulled him into a hug, realising the similarities between both situations.

"Hey, hey, hey.... Shhhh, S'ok...." I soothed.

"I'm scared, Glen" he sobbed. " I'm scared that She'll die..... She can't die...." I bit my lip to stop the tears falling, I had to stay strong for my friend.

"And she won't.... You heard what Mark told ye , the nurse said that she's stable " I remarked softly. I saw that it was only 4am and we were shattered. I pulled away from Dan, who had stopped crying by now.

"How about we have a snooze for a few hours?" I suggested, pleading that he'd agree. He nodded, before settling back in his chair, closing his eyes. He was asleep almost straight away. I soon followed suit.

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Hey guys!

Sorry if this isn't very interesting, it's another filler chapter! Let me know what yez think! Don't forget to vote and comment!

Thanks for reading!

Love Ffion xxxxxxx

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