The drive to the hospital is a blur. The rain pours heavily, making it difficult to see through the windshield. Inside the car, the tension is suffocating. Helen silently sobs in the passenger seat, her hand clutching her husband's arm. Elijiah sits in the back, staring out the window, lost in a haze of fear.

"We should never have let her leave. What if... what if we don't get to see her again?" Helen was sobbing.

Fernando grips the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white.

"Don't say that. We'll get there in time. She's going to be okay. She has to be."

Elijiah's heart is pounding in his chest. His mind races with thoughts of Stella—her laughter, her smile, the way she would light up a room. Now, all he can think about is the possibility of losing her... no. He shake his head.

"This is my fault. I shouldn't have let her go." He whispered

His aunt heared him and turns around, her tear-streaked face filled with sorrow.

"No, Eli. We're all to blame. We didn't listen to her... we let her down."

He nods, but the guilt still weighs heavily on him.

They arrive at the hospital, rushing through the emergency room doors. The cold, sterile air of the hospital hits them as they approach the front desk, desperate for news.

"We're here for our daughter, Stella Harper. She was brought in after a car accident." Fernando asked frantically.

The nurse checks her records and nods solemnly.

"She's in surgery right now. The doctors are doing everything they can. Please take a seat in the waiting area." The nurse calmy said.

Helen covers her mouth to stifle a sob, and Fernando gently pulls her into his arms, trying to hold it together. Elijiah paces back and forth, unable to sit still. The minutes feel like hours as they wait for any news.

Hours later, the sterile walls of the hospital echo with the sounds of beeping machines and hurried footsteps. Stella is out of the operating room but still unconscious, lying in a hospital bed, connected to a series of machines keeping her alive. The doctors have done everything they can to stabilize her, but her injuries are severe.

In the waiting room, Mr. and Mrs. Harper sit in stunned silence, their faces pale and tear-streaked. They had rushed to the hospital after receiving the call no parent ever wants to get.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the doctor walks into the waiting room, his expression grim.

Just then, a doctor approaches them, his expression serious.

"Can I talk to you two alone, Mr and Mrs. Harper?" The Doctor asked.

Helen looks up to Elijiah who was about to complaint.

Helen gives him a pleading look and he nodded and leave the room for a while giving them a privacy.

Helen's heart races, fearing the worst. They follow the doctor into a private room, their anxiety palpable.

Doctor said "I need to speak with you about Stella's condition. Mr. and Mrs. Harper, there's something you need to know. During the examination, we discovered that Stella is... pregnant."

The words hit them like a freight train. They exchange horrified, confused looks. Pregnant? With Elijiah's child?

Helen whispered, her voice trembling "Oh my God... she's carrying his baby..."

Fernando covers his face with his hands, overwhelmed by the reality of the situation. His daughter is not only fighting for her life, but now they know she's pregnant. The child growing inside her is a product of the forbidden love they tried to prevent.

"Right now, Stella's condition is critical. She's on life support, and there's not much we can do except monitor her. But the baby... it's still developing. We'll have to deliver the baby early to try and save it." The doctor explained.

Helen nods, tears streaming down her face. The gravity of their decisions crashes over them. They wanted to protect their daughter, but in doing so, they've pushed her away—and now she's slipping through their fingers.

The doctor explains Stella critical condition, revealing that she is three months pregnant and will need specialized care for both her and the baby.

"The accident caused significant trauma, and we need to ensure both she and the baby are healthy." The Doctor explained calmly.

Helen gasps, her hands flying to her mouth, while Fernando stands in stunned silence, the weight of their decisions crashing down on him.

"We need to see her. She needs us now more than ever." Helen voice is breaking.

IT'S BEEN a few days since Stella's accident, and she remains on life support. Elijiah has spent nearly every hour by her bedside, overwhelmed by guilt and uncertainty. Today, his four closest friends—Aston, Spade, Naveen, and Gael—visit the hospital to check in on Elijiah and Stella.

The door to Mia's hospital room creaks open, and Elijiah looks up from where he sits beside her bed, exhausted but alert. His friends enter quietly,their expressions immediately softening when they see Elijiah sitting by Stella's side.

Their expressions a mix of sympathy and discomfort as they take in the sight of Stella lying motionless on the bed, surrounded by machines keeping her alive.

"Elijiah..." Sky called him softly.

Elijiah looks up, his eyes red from lack of sleep and constant worry. His friends stand there, unsure of how to approach, feeling the gravity of the moment.

"Hey... you guys didn't have to come." He replied hoarsely.

"Of course, we did, man. We're your friends. You don't have to go through this alone." Spade shaking his head.

The group moves closer to Elijiah, standing around the hospital bed. They glance at Stella, seeing the tubes and machines keeping her alive, and it hits them hard. They don't say it out loud, but the sight of her like this is worse than they imagined.

Gael voice cracking slightly "How is she?"

Elijiah runs a hand through his hair, his voice quiet and tired.

"The doctors say she's stable... but it's bad. She's on life support, and they don't know if she'll wake up."

The room goes silent. The weight of Elijiah words sinks in. His friends exchange concerned looks, not knowing what to say but understanding the enormity of the situation.

"You know, she's a fighter. I've seen her push through tough stuff before. She's not going down without a fight." Spades added.

Elijiah lets out a small, tired smile, appreciating the sentiment but knowing how fragile the situation really is.

"I keep telling myself that, man. I want to believe it, but... I just don't know anymore."

Naveen, who's been silent the whole time, finally speaks, his voice firm but gentle.

"Look, Elijiah, no one can tell you what's going to happen. But what I do know is that you've done everything you could for her. You've been here every minute. That counts for something."

Elijiah glances over at Stella, her face pale against the white hospital sheets. His hands tremble as he reaches out to touch her hand, his voice breaking slightly.

"I just want her to wake up... to tell me everything's going to be okay. But she's... she's slipping away from me, and I can't do anything about it."

Elijiah stays silent, still consumed by the "what ifs" swirling in his mind. Naveen, trying to lighten the heavy mood a bit, glances around the room, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Man, hospitals... they never get easier, huh?" Naveen awkwardly said.

The boys let out a weak chuckle, but even Naveen's attempt to lift the atmosphere is overshadowed by the gravity of Stella's condition. Elijiah manages a faint smile, appreciating their effort.

"Thanks for coming, really. I didn't think I could get through this alone. It's just been... hard."

"You don't have to go through this alone, brother. We're here. We've got your back, whatever happens." Aston added.

The group exchanges helpless looks. They've never seen Elijiah like this—vulnerable, lost. They all want to say something to make it better, but no words seem strong enough to fix what's happening. Aston, sensing the weight of Elijiah's despair, steps forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You can't carry all this alone, Jake. We're here for you, man, whatever you need. Even if it's just to sit in silence."

He wipes at his eyes, trying to hold back the tears. He leans back in his chair, shaking his head.

"I don't even know what I need anymore. Everything just feels... like it's falling apart."

Gael crosses his arms, his voice steady but filled with concern.

"We're not letting you go through this alone, Elijiah. If you need to step out, take a break—we've got your back. You've been here non-stop. You need to take care of yourself too.

He shakes his head again, this time more firmly.

"I'm not leaving her. I can't. Not until I know what's going to happen."

The room falls into a heavy silence as everyone struggles to come to terms with Stella's condition. The steady beeping of the heart monitor is the only sound breaking the quiet tension.

As the group stands around Stella's bed, the door to the room opens, and a doctor steps inside. She doesn't seem to notice Elijiah and his friends at first as she looks over Stella's chart and begins discussing her condition with a nurse.

Doctor said while eading the chart "We're continuing to monitor her vitals closely, and the baby seems stable for now."

Elijiah's friends freeze, their eyes going wide with shock. They exchange confused glances, unsure if they heard correctly. Elijiah, who had been lost in his own thoughts, suddenly snaps to attention, his heart racing.

"Wait... what did you just say? Baby? What baby?"

The doctor finally notices the group and hesitates, realizing the news has not yet been shared with them.

"I assumed you had already been informed...Stella is about three months pregnant. We discovered it during the initial examination after the accident."

The room falls silent again, but this time it's a stunned, almost suffocating silence. Elijiah's looks like he's been hit by a truck, his mind racing to process what he just heard.

The doctor run some test and check Stella how's she doing, no one from the group move due to the shocking news.

Aston seems to be the one who recovered. Awide-eyed, whispering to himself "Pregnant...Stella's pregnant?"

Spade still in shock "Holy... I didn't see that coming."

Elijiah stands up suddenly, his legs shaky, as he faces the doctor.

"Why didn't anyone tell me? How could I not have known? How is she pregnant?"

The doctor, understanding the gravity of the situation, speaks calmly.

"Given the urgency of her condition after the accident, our priority was stabilizing her. We told her parents already and assumed they tild you about it. The pregnancy complicates things, but as of now, both Stella and the baby are stable. The baby is healthy, but we'll need to continue monitoring her closely."

Elijiah's hands fall to his sides as he stares blankly at Stella. His mind spins. Not only is Stella lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life, but she's carrying their child. A child he never even knew about.

"She didn't tell me... She was going to tell me, right? Why didn't she tell me?" Elijiah's shaken with the news.

Gael steps forward, putting a hand on Elijiah's shoulder, trying to ground him.

"Man, maybe she was waiting for the right time. Or maybe she didn't know yet herself... either way, we'll figure this out together. Right now, you've got to stay strong for both of them." Naveen said.

The group is still reeling from the news. Aston, trying to process everything, looks over at Stella, his voice quiet but full of disbelief.

"I can't believe this... she's carrying your baby, Elijiah." He said soflty

Spade who still in shock "This changes everything, man. You're going to be a dad..."

Elijiah's sinks back into his chair, overwhelmed by the flood of emotions—guilt, fear, and love all battling for control. He shakes his head, unable to fully grasp the reality.

"I didn't know... I had no idea. I should have known, I should've been paying more attention. Now she's... she's like this, and I don't even know if she's going to wake up."

Gael, standing against the wall, speaks up, his voice steady despite the turmoil in the room.

"You didn't know, Elijiah's. And even if you did, none of this is your fault. The accident—it wasn't something you could've stopped. Now, all you can do is be here for them. For Stella and the baby."

He runs a hand through his hair, visibly shaking from the weight of it all.

"What if she doesn't make it? What am I supposed to do? How can I raise a child without her?"

Spade, trying to keep everyone grounded, speaks firmly but compassionately.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, Elijiah. Right now, you need to focus on Stella. She needs you. The baby needs you. You're not alone in this—we're all here to help you through it."

Elijiah looks at each of his friends, feeling the weight of their support even as he struggles to come to terms with the news. His gaze drifts back to Stella, his heart breaking all over again. He reaches out and takes her hand, gently squeezing it.

"I can't believe we were going to have a baby... I didn't even know. I should have been there for her. I should have known something was different."

"There's no way you could've known, man. You've been doing everything you can for her. And you'll keep doing that. We'll all help you, whatever happens next." Gael said.

"She would want you to stay strong. For her, and for the baby." Aston.

Elijiah nods, his grip on Stella's hand tightening. He leans down, resting his forehead against her hand, the tears finally spilling over.

"Babe... if you can hear me, please, wake up. I need you. The baby needs you. I can't do this without you."

His friends exchange glances, the heaviness of the moment overwhelming them all. They don't know how to comfort him in this moment—there are no words strong enough for what Elijiah is going through.

After a few minutes of silence, Naveen breaks it, his voice gentle but firm.

"You're not doing this alone, Jake. We're all in this together. We'll be here every step of the way, no matter what happens. You've got a whole family around you—don't forget that." Naveen said encouragingly.

Elijiah sits up, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He knows they're right. He's not alone, even though it feels like the world is crashing down around him.

"I just want her to be okay. I want her to wake up, for us to be a family... I don't know what I'll do if that doesn't happen."

"We'll take it one day at a time. But right now, you need to focus on the hope that she will wake up. Mia's a fighter, remember?" Gael said full of hope.

Elijiah nods, holding on to that small sliver of hope. His friends give him reassuring looks, standing by his side. They know the road ahead will be tough, but they're ready to face it together.

——
A/n: Hi.. sorry for the long update. I'm trying to finish this book by the end of this week. Hope you like it.

Enjoy!