Rex and I sat in the waiting room of the small hospital in town. Judy still hasn't come to yet, but the doctor ensured us that her condition was stable and it would only be a matter of time before she woke up.

I rested my head in my hands, the tears finally starting to let up.

Rex placed a hand on my shoulder. "She's gonna be ok, darlin'."

I looked up at him with a sniffle and a small smile. "I know... Thanks."

He smiled back and nodded.

Just then, the front doors opened.

Rex and I looked over, only to see Ronnie standing there, looking forlornly at us.

I angrily got to my feet. "Come to finish the job?"

Rex flanked behind me as Ronnie raised his hands. "No... I, uh, came to see how she's doin'..."

"She's fine, no thanks to you." Rex said.

Ronnie nodded before looking down. "That's good... I'll just wait over here."

I grabbed his arm as he started to walk away. "What're you waiting for?"

He averted my gaze. "I'd like to talk to her when she wakes up."

I shook my head. "No way, you'll probably just make things worse. As usual."

He finally looked at me, then flicked his gaze to Rex, who folded his arms over his chest.

Ronnie looked down again before turning on his heal and heading for the door.

He pulled it open before stopping, taking a quick glance at us over his shoulder. "You know, her father and I used to be really close. Closer than brothers... I wasn't able to do anything for him and I regretted it ever since... I hoped, just maybe, I wouldn't make that same mistake twice..." Then, he continued out the door.

I stared at it for a long second before turning to Rex. "What did he mean by that?"

Rex shrugged. "I'm stumped, the way Judy talks about it, they hated each other."

I let out a small sigh before walking back to my seat, only to see a young nurse running up.

"Angela? Rex?" She asked.

We shared a glance before nodding.

"Would y'all please follow me? Judy's been askin' about you."

We nodded before following behind the nurse.

She led us down a long hallway with doors on either side, stopping in front of one. "I'll be right down the hall if you need anything."

We thanked the nurse before heading into Judy's room.

She glanced over at us as we walked in.

I felt a few tears well in my eyes as I ran to her side, kneeling down next to her bed and taking her hand in mine. "Are you ok?"

She smiled a little, a couple tears rolling down her cheek. "I am now."

I smiled back, moving a strand of hair out of her face, letting my fingers glide down her cheek afterwards. "I was so scared... I thought I'd lost you."

She cupped my cheek with her free hand. "Me to... I don't know what I'd do without you at this point."

My smile grew as I leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. "I love you so much." I whispered.

She kissed me again. "I love you to."

Rex cleared his throat then. "I'm here to, y'know."

We chuckled a little as I stood, letting Rex take my place.

"How're you holding up?" He asked.

Judy shrugged. "Pretty good, doctors say I can't leave yet though."

"How long do you have to stay?" I asked.

"A week or two at the most." She replied.

Rex patted her shoulder. "I guess The Rocket won't get her repairs for a little while longer then."

Judy looked down at the mentioning of her car. "Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you both... I'm, uh, quitting racin'..."

Rex and I stood speechless.

In the short time I've known her, all she ever talked about was racing. It was her passion, her life. And now she was ready to just give it up, for good.

Rex let out a small laugh. "You're jokin', right?"

She averted his gaze, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I just can't do it anymore... not after what happened."

Rex just gave a stern nod before exiting the room in silence.

We watched the door for a minute or two before I refocused my attention on Judy. "If that's really what you want, then I guess there's nothing we can say about it."

She took my hand in hers. "All I want is you, Angela. And I'll do anything to be there for you... I got lucky this time, but what about next time? I just can't put you through that."

The idea of Judy not being around anymore really hit hard. I don't know what I'd do without her, I'd be lost without her in my life. And, if giving up racing ensured we'd be together forever, then so be it.

I knelt down next to her. "I support you, no matter what."

She pressed a kiss to my lips. "Thank you..."

We stayed like that for a while before Rex and I headed home. Ready to put this day as far behind us as humanly possible...

After a week and a half in the hospital and a few days under house watch, Judy was finally strong enough to move around on her own.

I practically lived at her house since she got out of the hospital, but neither one of us had seen heads or tails of Rex since the day of the accident. We knew he was upset, but we weren't expecting the cold shoulder...

   I set a couple plates before placing them on the table.

   "You know I can cook for myself, right?" Judy asked.

   I smiled as I sat down across from her. "I know, but I wanted to do something nice for you."

   She smiled back. "Well, it certainly smells good, I'm not gonna complain."

   I chuckled a little, Judy laughing right along with me.

   It was nice to see her back on her feet, but eating dinner inside isn't what I missed. I missed working on The Rocket with Rex and going to the races every weekend.

   I missed the excitement, the adrenaline, the sound of the drag strip. Hell, I even missed the smell of burning rubber and racing fuel.

   I loved being able to spend time with her again, but something about it just wasn't the same...