“Are you sure he won’t mind?” He asked and looked at her with concern, she shook her head.

            “I’m definite, after all you are his best friend,” she smiled and placed a hand on his arm. “You’re the only person who can help us.”

            “But what about...” he began but stopped realising she was right. He smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll help you.”

            Being jolted awake by an unknown person, Madeline creaked her eyes open and came face to face with Justin.

            “Maddie, are you alright?” he asked, there was concern etched across his face. She smiled weakly and sat up, looking around her for a moment before replying.

            “Yeah,” she said in a hoarse voice and focused her eyes on Justin, “Where have you been for the past few days?” Justin shrugged and took a seat next to her, his eyes drifting to the bed where his best friend lay.

            “Making statements to the press,” he said and looked at her once again, “You sure you’re alright? You were talking in your sleep.”

            “I’m sure,” she nodded; shocked that she’d managed to fall asleep yet again. “What did you tell them? The press?”

            “Just that things we’re cool between us,” he said and looked her in the eye, “We are cool right?” She hesitated for a moment before nodding and looking away.

            “Yeah, I guess we are,” she muttered, “Is that what got you in here?”

            “Uh, yeah. Johnny told his folks about the statement, so I guess they’re cool now,” Justin replied, she sensed a hint of hesitation in his voice.

            “Good, because you know I wouldn’t want you to come in here unwarranted,” she replied and sighed heavily. Justin nodded, knowing what she meant. “They’re having a tough time with all this, they don’t need more stress.”

            “And neither do you Maddie,” Justin whispered and looked at her, “I don’t want to cause stress for anyone.”

            “I know you don’t,” she answered and looked at him finally, “But sometimes you do, even if it is unintentionally.”

            “Yeah, and I’m sorry for that,” Justin nodded and smiled weakly at her, “I just wanna be here for you guys, you know that right?” She hesitated for a moment and wondered how to answer that.

            “I know he’s very important to you Justin, even after all that we’ve been through as friends,” Madeline answered, Justin sighed with a nod before answering.

            “And so are you Maddie. You’re important to me too,” he said and caught her eye, “Even after all we’ve been through, as a couple.”

            “Justin I…” she began, she didn’t want to begin thinking about that. Because theses past few days that was all she seemed to be thinking about, “Let’s just leave what’s in the past in the past, where it belongs.”

            “We never really talked about it Mads,” Justin answered and she nodded, closing her eyes and hoping it would all go away.

            “I know we didn’t, and it was for the best,” she whispered.

            “The best for who Maddie?” Justin asked, she opened her eyes and saw the look of resentment in his eyes.

            “Best for all of us,” she said and looked over to the bed.

            “But it wasn’t best for me Mads,” Justin replied as he too looked at the bed, “You dragged him into it without ever thinking about how I would react; you didn’t need to get him involved.”

            “He was the only person I knew to turn to Justin,” she said, “He was the only one I could trust, and I only trusted him because of his relationship with you. Other wise…”

            “Otherwise things would have turned out differently,” Justin finished and forced his eyes away from the bed as he slowly stood up. “I didn’t want things to end up the way they did.”

            “I know you didn’t,” Madeline replied and reached out to take his hand, but he pulled away from her. “But they did, and for that I am sorry. But what else was I supposed to do?”

            “You could have talked to me about it Maddie,” Justin told her, there was a hint of hurt in his voice as he turned towards the door, “I would have listened.”

            Sandy entered the small, green waiting room and looked around. There were some familiar faces in there and she wondered who she should approach first.

            “Let them come to you,” Dale whispered in her ear, as if reading her thoughts. Sandy sighed, and produced a fake smile for him, sitting down on one of the empty chairs.

            “Officer?” Sandy looked away from Dale, and saw the victim’s younger sister standing before her, playing nervously with the end of her shirt.

            “Yes?” Sandy asked, the young woman smiled before continuing.

            “Uh, I know this is a bit out of line but would you mind if I spoke to you?” she asked, Sandy found the smiled returning to her face and nodded, before turning to Dale. “Alone please.”

            “Sure,” Sandy nodded and looked apologetically at Dale who just shrugged it off, “Why don’t we go speak out in the hallway?”

            “Thanks,” the woman mumbled and followed Sandy out into the hallway where there were hardly any eavesdroppers.

            “So what did you want to talk to me about?” Sandy asked turning to face the young woman. The young woman stopped playing with her shirt and looked at Sandy, her blue-green eyes fixed with confidence.

            “It’s about my sister-in-law,” she stated and Sandy raised an eyebrow.

            “Miss James?” Sandy questioned and the woman nodded before continuing.

            “She knows a lot more than she’s letting on,” she began, “But you need to give her time to tell you. I know Maddie, she doesn’t come out with things that easily, especially things that have a lot to do with her emotions.”

            “But Miss Chasez, we might not have that much time,” Sandy commented and the woman sighed with a nod.

            “I know, but it’s for the best,” she added hesitantly and looked away.

            “Miss Chasez, I know you want to wait for Miss James to tell me what I need to know...” Sandy began; the young woman cast a look back at Sandy and shook her head.

            “I can’t tell you anything officer. I’m sorry, I wan to but I promised Maddie I wouldn’t,” she said and looked down the hall to her brother’s room, “Maybe if she hasn’t said anything in a few days, maybe then you can come back and talk to me. We’ll see. I just wanted to tell you to back off Maddie and let her come to you on her time.”

            Sandy sighed and nodded in defeat, knowing it was useless to argue with her, “Yeah alright. Thanks for the info.” The young woman smiled, and without saying anything else she turned and walked down the hall, to enter her brother’s room. “Well that was useless,” she muttered to herself and re-entered the waiting room.

            Heather quietly opened the door to her brother’s room and peaked in; Madeline was curled up on the chair beside the bed, fast asleep. Even though she had gotten some rest at the hotel, it seemed as if the drowsiness of waiting for something to happen was dragging her down. Heather smiled to herself and stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind her and walking over to the bed.

            She watched her brother’s lifeless figure for a while, and kept sneaking glances at Madeline. Heather wondered if Madeline truly did love her brother, besides she did sit with him day and night, and had to be forced to get some rest. But Madeline had refused to tell anyone what she knew, and that, Heather feared, might cost her brother his life.

            Heather sighed softly and leant forward, brushing away the hair from her brother’s eyes and kissing his forehead. She really missed him, because unlike her other brother Tyler, he was the only one who could make her feel as if they belonged together as a family. A part of Heather felt as if Madeline would be taking that away if she kept the information to herself.

            “Heather?” Heather pulled back softly and turned around to see Madeline sitting up slowly and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

            “Hey Maddie,” Heather smiled and stepped back so she could sit on the chair next to Madeline, “I just came to check up on him, how’s he doing?” Madeline shrugged and stood up slowly, walking over to his side.

            “He’s doing the same,” she said her tone was flat and void of any emotion.

            “What happened Maddie?” Heather asked, knowing that Madeline was keeping something from her. Madeline sighed and shook her head, before planting a kiss on her brother’s lips.

            “I spoke to Justin about an hour ago,” she replied and straightened out his bed sheets before moving back to stand next to Heather. Heather frowned and looked up at her sister-in-law.

            “Yeah, I saw him leaving the room. What did you guys talk about?” Heather questioned remembering how angered and sad Justin had looked leaving the hospital earlier.

            “Just about things before all this you know?” Madeline asked and Heather nodded in understanding, “He told me I shouldn’t have dragged Josh into all of it.” Heather bit her tongue, knowing that for once Justin was right.

            “What else did he say?” Heather asked, forcing herself off the topic. Madeline sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

            “He said he would have listened to me if I gave him the opportunity,” Madeline sighed, Heather looked at her and nodded. “But before all this, he was a different person.”

            “And now he’s changed?” Heather whispered and Madeline whispered.

            “I’m beginning to think he has,” Madeline nodded and looked over to the bed, “Before all this he wouldn’t even be here with us.”

            “But if it weren’t for him,” Heather said and looked at Madeline, “We wouldn’t be where we are today Maddie, and Josh wouldn’t be lying in the hospital. You know that, we both know that.”

            “I know,” Madeline sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, “I know it better than anyone else. If it weren’t for him. We wouldn’t be here, none of us would.”