Toby ran his hands tiredly through his hair, glancing at the clock. It was almost eleven, and he wasn’t tired at all. His heart was pounding, and the worst filling was rushing through his veins.

                What kind of state was Spencer in?

                How bad were her injuries?
                Why was it taking them so long?

                He was so thankful that Ezra was there too, for he was the only voice of hope at the moment. “It’s better it takes them a while,” he tried. “It means they’re spending more time to help her.”

                Toby wanted to believe Ezra so badly, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Not when Melissa was on the other end of the room with her face in her hands.

                Where would Melissa be without Spencer? She really was the only person she had. What would become of Melissa if something terrible ended up happening to Spencer?

                His girlfriend and best friend were at risk tonight, but for Melissa….it was her sister, her own blood.  “Melissa,” he said gently. “She’s going to be okay.”

                She looked up. “I know she will.” For the very first time, he was the very first genuine glimmer in her usually cold eyes.

                Just then, Dr. Mitchell, looking tired, walked into the waiting room. “You must be friends,” she gestured to Toby and Ezra with a slight smile before turning her attention to Melissa. “Hello Ms. Hastings.”

                Melissa stood up and shook her hand. “She was in bad shape when she arrived in the Emergency Room. Internal bleeding, a terrible head injury…”

                Biting his lip, Ezra spoke up. “But is she okay?”

                Finally, the first glimmer of emotion showed in Dr. Mitchell’s blue eyes. She smiled gently, proudly. “It’s a miracle.” She recognized the puzzlement in their eyes and quickly explained, “Mid-operation, her heart gave out. Considering how bad the damage was, we don’t think we’d be able to revive her.”

                Toby’s eyes went wide; he could feel his entire heart drop into his stomach. “She….died?” The room around him started to spin and he had to grasp Ezra.

                Dr. Mitchell rabidly shook her head. ”Technically. But as of right now, her heart is beating again and she is very much alive. We were able to get her heart beating again with electric paddles…it shouldn’t have worked; it’s incredible that it did.”
                Melissa opened her mouth to speak, but Toby interrupted. “Can I see her?” The words escaped her mouth in a sound that would be similar to a sob. His eyes bore into the doctor’s, and Doctor Mitchell nodded and gestured to a room a few yards down from the ICU.

                “She’s not awake,” she warned.

                Toby didn’t care.

                His Converse squeaked against the tile floors as he rushed to the room the doctor had pointed him to. He found it quickly, though he couldn’t completely bring himself to step inside. What would he see once he walked past that curtain? Would he see Spencer hooked up to an oxygen mask with wires tangling from her body? Would he simply see her lying there next to a flat-lined heart monitor?

                Toby hated it, but he had to see her. So, he took a gradual step into the room. The very first thing he noticed was the heart monitor placed by her bedside, beating every second steadily and comfortably. Then, his eyes fell on her face, her beautiful, sleeping face that had been marked up with several cuts from the crash. There was no oxygen masks, no robotic wires helping pump blood through her veins. It was simply….Spencer.

                He could feel the backs of his eyes starting to burn. When he remembered how to move, Toby approached her and took a seat on the edge of her bed. Careful not to disturb her or the IV attached to her arm, he slowly lifted his hand, ever so gently bringing it up to her beautiful face. “Hi,” he whispered.

                Her skin was smooth underneath his fingertips, warm. She died tonight. Spencer Hastings, the girl he grew up with, the woman he’s grown to love…simply gave out. But she was revived.

                What if the doctors couldn’t have her?

                Would he be touching a cold face instead?
                “You’re okay,” he whispered. “Thank you for coming back.” His emerald eyes, now brimming with tears, fell on her sleeping face. “Thank you for not leaving.” His fingers ran down Spencer’s neck to her chest; her heart was pumping, a reminder that she was here, that she was indeed alive. “Thank you…Thank you, God, for saving her.”

                Now, the tears were streaming down his face. If he’d lost Spencer, the only person who’d made him completely happy, his world would be over….she wasn’t just a girlfriend. She was his best friend; her best friend who was his other half.

                His best friend who he loved dearly, and to the lowest points of his soul.

                “I love you, Spencer,” Toby told her, although she couldn’t hear him. “I’m going to be here when you wake up. I promise.”

                He lovingly brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. “I’m going to be here for you. No matter what.”