Sorry everyone for the long wait! I didn't edit this because I just wanted to get it posted, so excuse any mistakes. I hope you enjoy this chapter, vote & comment your thoughts.
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I paced back and forth in the hallways, unable to keep still. From the second we arrived to the ER, I couldn't find it in me to sit still for more than a few moments. It's been hours since the nurses wheeled Nathan away on a gurney to asses the damage, and I was practically crawling out of my skin not knowing if he was okay. Tess, Vincent, and Asher were sitting on the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room in silence, jumping up every time a doctor came in, only to sink back into their seats in disappointment when the doctor addresses a different family. When I could no longer handle the disappointment of not knowing what was going on, I left the room all together.

Ty and Bennett were here too, as were my mom and Luke. Asher called Ty after they took Nathan away, and after an hour of unbearable waiting, I called my mom for comfort. She came twenty minutes later with a worried Luke in tow, and I met them in the waiting room, crashing into their arms. But eventually I grew too restless for the stale smell of sterilization in the waiting room, and left everyone to start pacing in the hallways. I glance over to the doorway leading into the waiting room and see my mom playing with Bennett on the floor, Ty sitting with his head in his hands, Tess leaning against Vincent silently, and Asher and Luke whispering somberly.

All at once, my exhaustion hit me. My legs almost gave out from under me, and I pressed my back against the plain white hospital wall. Slowly, I felt my knees weaken, and I slid down the wall, sitting with my knees drawn to my chest. I wrapped my arms around myself and put my head on my knees, hopelessness once again washing through me. There was nothing to do but wait, and yet waiting was the hardest thing I possibly could do. When I was waiting, I was lost in my toxic thoughts, finding myself short of breath every time I considered the fact Nathan might not be okay. The blood, there was so much blood...

No, I told myself fiercely. You can't think like that. Nathan is going to be okay.

I began repeating the same words that Asher was muttering at the racetrack. It's okay, it's going to be okay, Nathan is going to be okay. He has to be.

"Lauren?"

I lift my head from my knees hesitantly upon hearing a familiar, small voice in front of me. I came face to face with Bennett, who was standing in front of me with a deep frown etched into his features.

Because I have to be strong for Bennett, I force a smile on my lips. "Yeah, Bennett?"

He frowns deeper. "Why are you crying? Nathan's going to be okay, right?"

I reach up to touch my cheeks and sure enough, they feel wet from warm tears. I didn't even realize I was crying. I wipe my cheeks quickly and try to smile at Bennett again, my heart hurting as I did so. Bennett needed me to be strong, so I would be.

"He's going to be fine," I promise, my eyes staring into his, and I watch him relax at my words. "I'm just worried anyway."

Bennett frowns again, and shakes his head at me as if he were scolding me. "Than wouldn't want you to be sad. He doesn't like it when you're sad." He moves from in front of me to beside me, where he wraps his arms around my shoulders, and I sit there, frozen. "It's going to be okay, Lauren."

After a second, I shut my eyes tightly, willing back the tears I could feel burning my eyes. Instead of crying, I wrapped my arms around Bennett and returned his hug.

"Are you Tyler Rhodes?" I hear an authoritative voice ask.

My eyes fly open and I jump up on my feet to see a doctor in front of Tyler, who is wearing a similar expression to mine. I quickly grab Bennett's hand and drag him into the waiting room, joining the group that is now crowded around the doctor. Anxiousness and nervousness creeps through me again, and I hold my breath as I wait for him to explain.

"Yes, that's me," Tyler answers quickly. "Is Nathan alright?"

The simple question held so much weight that I wasn't sure if I was ready for the answer. My eyes flickered to the doctor to asses his reaction, but it was stone, giving away nothing, thanks to his experience with this situation. The doctors eyes flickered around to all of us, seeing as he wasn't only speaking to Ty, and then lands back to Tyler.

"He's suffered from three broken ribs, a severe concussion, a tremendous amount of blood loss, and multiple abrasions to the head," The doctor explains curtly.

Before anyone can answer, I blurt impatiently, "But he's going to be okay, right?"

The doctors gaze flickers to me, and his expression darkens. My heart clenches in my chest uncomfortably as I see the sympathy overtake his features, instead of the reassuring smile I was hoping to see. Before he even replies, my stomach drops into the depths of my chest, and it feels like the wind is knocked out of me.

"It's difficult to say at this time," The doctor replies, then returns his attention back to Ty. "He's currently still in a comatose state, so I'm unable to determine what the outcome will be until he wakes up. With all the abrasions to the skull, it's not uncommon to see brain damage. He may not remember who you are..."

The actual words hit me like a truck. I literally staggered backwards like I had received a brutal blow to the stomach, and felt my back press against someone. I felt arms enclose around me and turned into the person, whoever it was, to let them hold me as I began crying into their shoulder. The small amount of hope I was holding onto slipped through my fingers when I thought about what the doctor had said. Broken ribs. Abrasions to the head. Brain damage.

The odds weren't in Nathan's favor.

As the doctor quietly explains to Ty what he can expect, I feel myself being pulled onto a chair in the waiting room. With all of my strength, I try to stop crying, and eventually my breaths become more even and my eyes stop leaking. My stomach was churning uncomfortably and I thought maybe I was going to throw up, but pushed the thought away. I could not go off the deep end. No matter how much it hurt to not know if Nathan was going to be okay, I had to remind myself that someone else needed me to be strong.

I look up and see that it had been my mom who took me in her arms, and Luke was sitting in the chair beside me with his hand rubbing my back soothingly. My teary eyes connect with Luke, whose cheeks are flushed and eyes bloodshot, and I have to hold myself back from crying all over again. Next I shift my gaze to Bennett, who is looking at all of us in confusion, his brow furrowed and a puzzled expression on his face. His eyes slowly scan our friends, and then Ty, then Luke and my mom until he finally lands on me.

"Why is everyone crying?" Bennett asks innocently. "Didn't you hear him? Nate could still be okay."

Although I should be the one making him feel better, Bennett's words put a little bit of hope in me again. The doctor said Nathan had sustained life threatening injuries, but he didn't say that he wouldn't get better. There was still hope, still a chance that he would be alright.

"You're right, Bennett," Tyler answers for me, giving his little brother a sad smile. "Come here."

He did as he was told, and Ty wraps Bennett into a hug, then squeezes his eyes shut tightly. I can see that he's struggling to hold back tears, and the scene pulls on my heart strings. I stare down at my hands, shaking in my lap, and try to control my breathing.

Please be okay, Nathan. You need to be okay.

After what felt like an hour but really was only a couple of minutes, Ty let go of Bennett and went to the bathroom. When he returned, he looked like he had splashed water on his face, and he no longer looked like he had been crying. He looked at all of us, silently sitting on the chairs in the waiting room, sprawled about, and let's out a deep breath.

"You guys should get out of here," Ty announces, and everyone looks at him tiredly. "You all look like shit. Go home and get some sleep. I'll call you if I hear anything from the doctor."

Everyone was hesitant, but Vincent sighed and stood up first. "He's right. We need sleep."

Tess stands up beside him, grabbing his hand tightly, and Asher slowly rises after that. Luke and my mom stand up next, and my mom looks at Ty with a sympathetic smile.

"Do you want me to take Bennett and watch him for awhile?" She asks kindly.

Ty musters up a smile and nods. "Thank you, Marie."

Vincent, Tess, and Asher give a small nod of the head before they trudge out of the waiting room. I glance at the clock and see that it's five in the morning, and I can feel my body grow heavy from built up exhaustion, but I can't bring myself to leave.

My mom looks down at me next and I see her eyes grow soft. "Come on, honey. You need to sleep."

Stubbornly, I shake my head. "I don't want to leave."

Her face falls, and Luke frowns at me. I don't even bother looking at Ty's expression, but instead sink further down into my seat. When my mom opens her mouth to object, I shake my head again, and cut her off.

"There is absolutely no way that I am leaving this hospital until I know Nathan is okay." I tell her in a steely voice.

She gives me a look, and I return it blankly, letting her know that I'm not messing around. And, after a second, she sighs in submission, and I know that I've won. Ty shifts in his seat and I glance at him to see he's giving my mom a small smile.

"It's alright, Marie, she should stay. I'll make sure she gets some sleep here." Ty assures her.

If I wasn't so tired and downtrodden, I perhaps would've smiled at Ty, but the best I could do was nod. My mom lead Bennett out of the waiting room and Steph gave me one last hug before following after her. Once they were out of sight, I slumped further in my seat, feeling the exhaustion creep through me.

Ty sighs loudly, and I glance at him to see he's running a hand down his face. "Nate's going to kill me for letting you stay here, but shit, you're stubborn."

The way he spoke, like Nathan would be alive and well soon enough to kick his ass, made a small smile finally come upon my lips. And then, without much else to say or think about except the ache in my body all over as I thought about Nathan, I finally felt my eyes slide shut and sleep overcame me.

***

"Lauren, wake up!" I hear my name being called as I get pulled out of sleep. "Shit, shit, what do I do? Lauren, get up!"

The urgency in Stephanie's voice propelled me awake, and my eyes shot open as I looked around the hospital waiting room feverishly. All of the memories from last night flooded my mind: the race, the accident, the blood, the hospital, the doctors words. One image stuck into the front of my mind painfully vividly: Nathan being dragged out of his car, a pool of blood surrounding him, his eyes shut and breaths shallow.

"Is it Nathan?" I asked immediately, shooting up in my seat, looking around for a doctor.

"No, it's Asher," Stephanie explains quickly, her voice laced with urgency. I look at her in confusion and she continues, "He's going to Thomas' house. Lauren, he's going to rip his head off or something! You need to come help talk him down!"

I look past Stephanie and for the first time notice Justin is standing by the doorway looking around nervously. I frown at his odd behavior and turn back to Steph, still not understanding.

"Why is he going to Thomas'?" I question slowly.

"Justin told him what Thomas did. He cut Nathan's breaks to win the race." Stephanie finally divulges.

It feels like my head is spinning with the new piece of information, and I suddenly feel a hot, burning rage in the pit of my stomach begin to grow. Thomas cut Nathan's breaks! All for some stupid race! My hands clenched into tight fists, and I could feel my fingernails dig into the palm of my hand as I thought about this.

"He's not going to rip his head off, because I'm going to kill him," I growl fiercely.

The thought of Asher beating Thomas senseless was too attractive, and the idea that I would watch as he did so was the icing on top. I grabbed my belongings and stormed out of the waiting room for the first time since we first arrived with Nathan. I hear Stephanie and Justin's footsteps following behind me, but don't pay attention to them.

"Lauren, wait! You need to calm down!" Stephanie shouts at me.

I feel a cold hand grasp my wrist, and I spin around to come face to face with Justin. My eyes narrow at him in a hateful glare, and I shove his chest to get him away from me.

"Get off of me," I spit. "You fucking knew what Thomas did to Nathan and you didn't stop it! You're just as bad as him!"

My anger is redirected almost immediately, and I see Justin's gaze fall to the ground in shame. The remorse in his expression wasn't enough for me, though, and I stepped closer just to shove him back again. Suddenly, Steph stepped between us and put her hand on my shoulder, holding me back from hitting him again.

"Move, Steph, he deserves it!" I shout loudly, frustrated tears welling in my eyes.

Stephanie gives me a fierce look and says calmly, "Lauren, Justin didn't know until after the accident. When Thomas told him, he went straight to Asher." As her words sink in, my anger towards Justin fades. "He didn't know."

My heavy breathing slowly calms, and I feel the tears that were stinging my eyes begin to fade. I knew I was irrationally taking my anger out on Justin, but I couldn't help it. There were so many emotions tearing through my body at once, making me feel like I was going to go crazy. My whole body ached every time I thought about Nathan's current state, and searing anger tore through me every time I thought about who caused it.

When I feel like I'm at least a little composed, I nod at Justin. "I'm sorry. Let's just go."

I turn around silently and walk out of the hospital, the both of them following in tow. Justin drove us to Thomas' house going fifteen miles an hour over the speed limit in the hopes we would beat Asher there, but if I knew anything about those boys, he would be there in a heartbeat. My mind is racing in angry thoughts as I redirect my energy from feeling sorry for Nathan to being pissed at Thomas.

How could he intentionally sabotage Nathan's safety just for a race and some cash? Sure, ten grand is a lot of money, but to Thomas' family, it was hardly anything. He could ask his father for that much money; he didn't have to win it in a race. Correction: he didn't have to cheat to win it in a race. By the time we were rolling up to Thomas' large home, I was absolutely fuming, and made the decision to let Asher beat Thomas into oblivion.

I saw Asher's car out front first, before I realized the front door was wide open, and there they were, going at it on the front steps. My eyes bulged out of their sockets as I see Asher draw his fist back and sock Thomas in the jaw, and then watch him stagger backward in pain. The second the car stopped, I jumped out and ran over to them, unsure if I was going to stop Asher or beg him to keep going. As I neared the boys, I could hear Asher's harsh screams, and Thomas' spluttering words.

"Do you think it was worth it now? Huh?" Asher shouts, his face red with anger to match the crimson blood on his knuckles.

"Definitely," Thomas splutters, and then grins an evil, bloody smile.

Asher drills his fist into his jaw again, and Thomas' head whips back until his body collapses onto the pavement. I stand a few feet away, idle as I stare at them, my anger towards Thomas being the only thing keeping me from stopping Asher.

"Dude, stop it," Justin steps in, putting a hand cautiously on Asher's shoulder. "He isn't worth it."

Asher turns to Justin to look at him, and I'm surprised by the plain rage in his face. I've never seen him this angry before, and it was almost scary. His eyes were ablaze, his breathing staggered, and his bloodied hands clenched tightly into fists by his side. For a second I recoil and just stare at him with wide, scared eyes, unsure who he was.

His eyes flash to me, standing behind Justin, and it's as though a switch goes off in his head. Upon seeing my fearful expression, he softens a little, unclenches his hands, and straightens up, but the fury is still there. He points at Thomas, still siting on the ground and now cradling his jaw, and looks at me.

"Do you want to hit him?" Asher surprises me by asking in a surprisingly calm voice. "You can do it, you know. You deserve to."

"Asher, stop." Justin says in a steely voice.

He doesn't even glance at Justin, but instead takes a step toward me, shrugging off Justin's hand. "That son of a bitch is the one that put Nathan in that hospital."

Similarly, a switch went off in my head too. All of the anger I had felt in the car ride came surging through me, and my eyes narrowed at Thomas. He looked up at me curiously, clearly doubting I would ever do a thing. My fury only grew each second I spent looking at him and, as I thought about Nathan lying in that fucking hospital bed fighting for his life, I couldn't keep my anger in check any longer.

I stepped toward him, my fists clenching by my sides, and I hear Stephanie and Justin both protest, but I can't help it. I suddenly need Thomas to feel as bad as Nathan did. All rationality is thrown out the window, and all I can think about through my blinding rage is how much I wanted to hurt him for hurting the person I love.

"You really think you can hurt me, princess?" Thomas laughs humorlessly. "I'd like to see you-"

His words died when I reached down, grabbed him by the collar, and threw my fist into his face with as much force as I could muster. I can hear the sickening crunch of his nose underneath my hand, and although I've never been much of an enthusiast for violence, I couldn't help but appreciate the sound.

Stephanie and Justin pull me off of him before I can get in another punch, which is probably for the best, considering I can feel my hand begin to ache. As I'm being pulled away from Thomas, I fight with the two of them to stop, and they cautiously let me stand on my own. I look down at Thomas and give him a murderous glare, one with all the hatred I can muster in my being.

"Fuck you, Thomas," I spit. "You've always been a scumbag and that's all you'll ever be."

I turn around feeling highly impressed with myself, and when I look at Asher, I see his eyes are zeroed in on my hand, which I have to cradle with my other. His eyes are wide and he looks guilty when he meets my gaze again.

"Shit, Lauren, we have to get you to the hospital," Asher speaks quickly, snapping out of his furious rage.

I look down at my hand and see the beginnings of dark purple bruises form on my hand to accompany the swelling. Almost immediately after seeing my damaged hand did it begin to ache even worse, and I realized at once that I had broken my hand.

"Fuck," Asher curses again, and comes near me to guide me by my shoulder. "Fuck, I'm sorry."

Even though I'm in excruciating pain that only seems to worsen as the seconds pass, I can't help but smile a little. "It was worth it."

A smile quirked on Asher's lips, too. "Let's get you to the hospital."

Stephanie and