"Did you ask how long it would take?" Shawn demanded to know over the phone.

She tried to ignore the curt, borderline rude quality to his voice. He was clearly shaken. When she first told him about Van, he could barely talk. His sentences were littered with broken words and muffled sounds of distress. Knowing how upset he was and needing a distraction from her own panicked state, she concentrated on comforting him. However, she wasn't able to mask the worry in her voice and he quickly grew frantic. As the seconds ticked by that frantic feeling turned into a rage fueled by his inability to help and unfortunately for Keeley, she was the only one within striking distance.

"About ten minutes," she replied, shifting slightly. The tiled floor wrecked havoc on her knees, but she stayed where she was, determined to watch over Van.

"Who's talkin' to?" Van murmured, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Stay awake, Van," she ordered, tapping his cheek. It'd been a relief when he started to come too, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. "I'm talking to Shawn. You want to say hello?"

His black lashes lifted. "Don't wanna."

She moved the phone away from her mouth. "He's worried about you, you know."

"Pissed." Van swallowed and turned his head, wincing at each little movement. "Told him to go."

"Well, I'd be pissed too. It was a stupid move."

He made a low growl in the back of his voice. "Go to 'ell."

She flashed him a saccharine sweet smile. "I see the alcohol is still in your system."

"Keeley! Keeley!" Shawn yelled.

She brought the phone back to her ear. "Yes?"

"How is he? What is he saying?"

"He's back to his old cranky self," she replied. It was actually a relief to hear him insult her.

"It's been ten minutes. They're not there. Where are they? What's taking them so long?" Shawn barked.

"I don't know." Tension gathered in the back of her neck and started to spasms. Rubbing her shoulder, she lifted her head and glanced at the clock on the wall. Where was the ambulance? And where was Talon?

"What do you mean you don't know? Did you tell them he's unconscious? That he's been drinking and mixing that with sleeping pills?"

"I told them he's unconscious and about the drinking."

A surge of condemnation filled the line. "Why didn't you tell them about the pills? It could affect how they treat him. That's why they ask you to fill out those stupid forms every time you go to the doctor. What if—"

"Shawn!" she snapped, her nerves on a tight leash. "I did the best I could. I didn't know about the pills at the time." She was tempted to point out he obviously did and could have stopped Van from taking them, but it would have been petty to throw accusations around. Van was his own person. He made his own choices.

After a minute's silence, Shawn let out a contrite sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm yelling at you. I'm not myself right now. I'm just so...so..."

"I understand," she told him. And truly, she did. The whole situation freaked her out. "How long is it going to take you to get here?"

"I'm still half an hour away. I knew I should have stayed in town. I wanted to, but Van goaded me into going. I never should have listened to him. My gut told me something bad was going to happen tonight, but I chalked it up to a mixture of paranoia and bad burritos."

As she held the phone in one hand and listened to Shawn ramble, her other hand wrapped around Van's wrist to track his pulse. She wished she'd paid more attention in biology class when they went over basic CPR and first aid training.

A flash of red and white lights caught Keeley's attention and she sagged with relief. "They're here, Shawn."

"Thank God. Do you know where they are taking him?"

"I don't know yet. The ambulance just pulled into the parking lot. Let me get off the phone so I can talk to them. When I know which hospital I'll call you."

"Wait, wait, wait!" he yelled before she could hang up. "If you go into the filing cabinet in the back room, bottom drawer, there is a file called V-Meds. It has a list of all the medication Van's been prescribed."

"Has he been using more than one?" she asked.

A long pause. "He says no, but..."

The resignation in his voice tore at her. "He'll be taken care." It was a promise to Shawn as well as to herself. She said goodbye and hung up just as the paramedics walked through the door.

A woman dressed in a black uniform crouched down opposite of Keeley. Her gloved hands checked Van in fast, but firm movements. "What happened here?"

Injecting confidence into her voice, Keeley filled her in on the situation making sure to talk about the sleeping pills as well.

"Can you get me that list?"

Keeley's knees locked as she struggled to get to her feet. The paramedic gave her a sympathetic look and offered to help, but she refused. Through sheer willpower she forced herself to stand up. Her first steps were stiff and awkward, but then her muscles relaxed and she was able to move normally. She reached the filing cabinet and winced as she bent down. Opening the bottom drawer, Keeley pulled out the marked folder.

"Where is she?" a voice boomed.

Her head whipped to the doorway. "Talon?"

"Keeley?" he yelled. "Where are you? What's happening? Are you hurt?"

Dropping the file, she scrambled across the room and down the hallway. "I'm—"

The rest of her sentence was lost as she plowed into a hard human wall.  

"Talon," she breathed. "I—"

A pair of tan hands circling around her ribs cut her off. Startled, she looked up to see Talon's eyes wide with panic. The blue orbs followed his hands as they jumped around her body, moving from her hips to her arms, then back to her ribs.

"I..." He swallowed and then opened and closed his mouth a few times before yanking her into his embrace. Thrown off by his sudden act, she tempted to pull away, but his arms grew into manacles.

"Don't," he whispered into her neck, his voice shaking with relief.

Craving the contact, Keeley allowed her body to relax against his. She laid her head against his chest and let his scent surround her. For a few seconds, her problems faded away. She was safe in these arms—a human fortress hell bent on protecting her from the outside world.

Tightening his arms, he burrowed closer for two long beats before exhaling and pulling back. His face was stretched taut with tension. Not knowing what to do or say, she stroked his arm and smiled faintly. The lines around his mouth eased, but his grip loosened. As he looked into her eyes a hand traveled up her back and over a shoulder to curl around her nape. She started mewling like a kitten when his fingers dug into her skin and began massaging the knot at the base of her neck.  

"Better?" he asked.

She dropped her forehead onto his chest and let her arms fall to her side. "How did you know?"

He kissed the top of her head and ran his hands down her arms. Threading their fingers together, he said, "You always roll your shoulders when you're feeling tense."

"Huh. I never knew," she murmured, luxuriating in the warmth of his skin.

"I did."

A loud cough came from behind her. She looked over shoulder and saw the paramedic standing there with a clipboard. Embarrassed, Keeley spun around and stepped away from Talon, but he wasn't having any of that. With lightening speed, he hooked an arm around her waist and pressed a hand against her stomach, pulling her back till she was flush against him. A part of her was happy he was acting so possessive, but the other half was confused. Why would be so touchy-feely if he didn't want her anymore?

"I need you to sign this," the woman said, handing her the clipboard.

Keeley looked through the paper and glanced up just in time to see Van being lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled away. "Is he going to be okay?"

"We won't know until we can get him to the hospital. His alcohol level is extremely high and in combination with drugs..."

Keeley slapped a hand against her forehead. "The file. I'll get that right now."

"It's okay. We got it."

Ashamed, she lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have been paying attention. I just...I got—" Damn it. What kind of person was she? She let herself get distracted instead of paying attention to what was important.

"Honey, you did a great job. Most teenagers I know would have buckled under pressure, but you kept your cool. Don't beat yourself up."

Talon's hand squeezed her hip.

"I know, b-but I s-s-should..." Suddenly, Keeley's chest started constricting and she had a hard time breathing. Panting, she gripped Talon's arm as the room began to spin. 

"Keeley?" His voice sounded far away. "What's happening? She's pale and her skin is all cold and clammy."

Soft hands lifted her chin as a bright light shined in her eyes. "I think she's going into shock. Has she eaten recently?"

Keeley tried to answer, but her mouth felt like a cotton ball. She felt herself being lowered to the ground and hands pushing her forward so her head was between her knees.

"Breathe, baby doll. Just breathe." A hand rubbed her back in small circles. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Just breathe."

She concentrated on the low timbre of his voice, letting the sound anchor her. She didn't know how long she sat there, listening to Talon's voice, but she slowly returned to normal. Blinking, she looked up and saw Talon hovering over her.

"You okay?" His voice was rough and hoarse. She nodded and the muscles bunched under his shirt started to relax. "Don't ever do that to me again. It was freaky."

Her mouth was too dry to answer so she just nodded again.

He reached around her and grabbed a water bottle. Screwing off the top, he handed it to her and ordered, "Drink. She said you needed water and food."

The water felt so good and she eagerly drank. When she was able to talk, she asked, "Where are they?"

He took the bottle back and screwed the cap back on. "They took him to Queens Medical."

She struggled to stand. "Where's my phone? I need to tell Shawn and then meet him at the hospital."

"Whoa," he said, gently pushing her back down. "You're not going anywhere."

She brushed his hands off her shoulders. "I have to. I can't leave him there all alone."

"He's not alone. Shawn called and I answered your phone. He knows where Van is."

She frowned. "You answered my phone?" How long was she out for?

"About five minutes ago. He said to tell you thanks." Talon scowled. "If I were him, I would have a whole lot more to say than thanks. You probably saved that guy's life."

The memory of Van falling and laying on the ground so still...so dead-like...

Her heart rate spiked and she could feel a sheen of sweat break out over her skin.

"Breathe, Keeley. Through your nose and out through your mouth." She did as he instructed and her heart rate started to slow. "There you go, baby doll. Good job."

When she was able to talk again, the first words she said were, "I should be at the hospital to help Shawn."

He cupped her cheek and tilted her head up. "You almost passed out. There's no way I'm letting you get up. Besides, how would you get to the hospital? You're in no condition to drive."

"You could drive me."

"That's not happening. You're staying here."

Narrowing her eyes, she replied, "That's not your call to make."

Talon's eyes darkened. He pulled back his hand and drew himself up to full height. Glaring down at her, he said, "It is and I say you don't move."

She refused to cower. "You gave up that right when you sent me that text."

A look flared in his eyes, but he quickly masked it. Folding his arms, he told her, "Maybe, but I'm the one you called when you needed help."

"Only because you were my last resort," she snapped. His whole body flinched, but she kept on talking. "Zach and Nicky didn't answer their phones and I didn't know who else to call. Although I'm surprised you answered. I thought you'd be busy with Amber." Saying the name left a bitter taste in her mouth so she grabbed the water bottle and washed it away.

"I was at Gavin's. Today is my cousin's birthday and we spent the whole day getting the house ready for her party tonight."

So he really did have a reason for not meeting her today. Before she could get excited, she reminded herself of that last text message. No matter what, he rejected her.

A little frown appeared between his eyebrows. "Why would you think I'd be with Amber?"

"Aren't you dating her?"

"She's not exactly my type...and for that matter I'm not her type either."

"Don't be ridiculous. She's a girl. Of course she's your type."

A muscle in his jaw ticked. "You know, it'd be nice if you could have a little faith in me once in awhile."

She slammed the bottle down so hard some of the water splashed out. "It's hard to when you go out and date someone less than two weeks after we break up."

"I'm not dating her!" he roared.

Keeley's face screwed up in disgust. "So you're just going to use her and then throw her away?"

His body vibrated with anger as he pointed a finger at her. "This is what I'm talking about. Why do you always assume the worst? It amazes me that you give Zach all this credit and I get nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch."

"Don't bring him into this. And why should I give you credit when all you do is lie to me?"

He threw his hands up. "Are we seriously back here again?"

Frustrated, she pushed her fingers through her hair and blew out a breath. "This wasn't how I wanted our talk to go." When she imagined this happening, she always assumed they would hash things out calmly and rationally before making up and forgiving each other.

"That's a shocker," he said sarcastically.

Counting to ten, she focused on calming down and remembering he was hurting as much as she was. Or at least she hoped he was. Last night, she promised herself if she ever got a chance to chat with him she wouldn't blow it and what was she doing? Blowing it. There were a lot of issues between them, but placing blame wasn't going to help.

Positive her temper was in check, she leaned her head back against the wall and crossed her legs. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. That was uncalled for." Her apology shocked him. She could tell.

His forehead furrowed as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Uh...thanks. I appreciate that."

"I don't mean to think the worst of you, it just happens. My brain automatically jumps there before I even realize what's happening."

His hands clenched in his pocket and he started pacing. "So that makes it all right?"

"Not at all, but for what it's worth I'm trying to stop."

He swallowed, his Adam apple moving up and down. "I'm sorry too. Yelling at you like that..." He shook his head. "You just make me so mad sometimes, you know?"

She gave a short laugh. "I know the feeling."

The sound seemed to jolt something inside of him. He stopped pacing and stood right in front of her. Behind those blue eyes, she could see the wheels turning. What he was thinking, it was clearly an important decision for him. After several moments, he sucked his bottom lip, muttered, "I'm such a sucker," and then sat down next to her.

She didn't know what he meant by that and quite frankly, she didn't care. This was her second chance to get things right and she wasn't going to waste it. His leg brushed hers and a shot of pure adrenaline ran through her veins. The desire to reach out and touch him was so tempting that she was forced to shove her hands under her rear.

"I have a question for you," Talon said, unaware of her dilemma because he was too busy looking everywhere else, but at her. "Technically it's not any of my business, but I've been wondering why you didn't go to your Homecoming tonight?"

This was what he wanted to talk about? Keeley's heart dropped. Apparently, he didn't want to get back together after all.

"Keeley?" he prodded.

She shrugged, not knowing how to answer. "I wasn't asked."

"But you were," he shot back. She sent him a startled look and he quickly amended, "I mean you must have been asked."

Was this some sort of cruel game he wanted to play? She shut down the thought before it could begin. Talon wouldn't do that to her. She knew that now. "Well, I wasn't asked. No harm, no foul."

He whipped his head around. "But Gavin said..."

Her gaze sharpened. "Gavin said what exactly?"

His expression became unreadable. "He said two guys asked you."

"If they did, that's news to me."

His lips turned down into a sad pout. "So you didn't turn them down because you were still hung up on me? I thought for sure that was the reason."

Her mouth dropped in shock. "No," she yelled, pushing his leg away. "And how dare you even think that."

"It was a logical conclusion. There was no way you could get over me that fast."

The confidence is his voice infuriated her. "You have some nerve. I can't believe you would say that to me."

His eyes lighted up with amusement as he pointed out, "But you didn't contradict it. You still adore me."

"And you asked another girl to be your date to Homecoming so what does that say about you?" she shot back, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"I think it says I'm a horrible poker player who lost a hand and now owes a huge favor to a friend."

Keeley snorted. "Some favor."

"Trust me, she's not my ideal of an ideal date."

"Why? Because she'll be all over you." She knew how girls looked at Talon.

"I think her girlfriend would be pretty pissed if that happened."

Every cell in her body froze. "Wait....girlfriend?"

"Amber hasn't come out to her parents yet so she wanted me to be her..." He scratched his head. "...beard? Is that the proper terminology? Anyway, I owed her a favor and I wasn't planning on going so I told her yes."

Hope bubbled inside her chest. "You weren't going to ask any other girl?"

He turned his head slightly so he could look her in the eye. A quiet pain exuded from the depths. "Who else would I ask? You're the only one I want," he said in a course voice. Instead of a compliment, it sounded liked a pained confession.

Keeley's muscles clenched as she asked what had been on her mind for a while now. "Then why send me that text?"