"Sasha," Mrs. Tucker said quietly, putting an arm on her shoulder.

Sasha turned around. "Yes?"

"You can go see Eryn now. Her father and I already were in there. We want her friends to have time, too," Mrs. Tucker answered. "We're assuming you can be first."

"Thank you," Sasha said, hugging Mrs. Tucker. She walked down the short corridor into Eryn's room. The continuous beeping of the life support machine made her stomach ache.

She walked over to Eryn's and sucked in a breath. Her head was bandaged, with blood seeping through the gauze. Her lips were purplish-blue. She pulled a chair beside the bed.

"Well, Eryn," she said, grasping her hand. "I know that you are strong. You can do this, Er, you can pull through. We might have to dye your hair when we get back home, the blood is all in it. It might make it red." She put her other hand on Eryn's and rubbed it. "Your hands are cold. I'll buy you a fleece blanket. You're really cold." She looked at Eryn's face. "You know, Eryn, the hit on the head isn't messing up anything. You're going to come through."

Tears rose in her eyes.

"Eryn, you know you are everything to me," Sasha said. "Without you, I don't know what I would do. I mean, there goes my roomie, there goes my house cleaner... there goes my best friend in the whole wide world. My parents would laugh if I asked to move back in... I didn't leave them on good terms. Shane and Diane... they are my only other friends. If you weren't around, the guys wouldn't talk to me. Joey would break up with me, and JC and I wouldn't be friends. Chris and Lance and Justin... we wouldn't be friends. You're like the glue, that holds us all together."

She began to cry, and started to pray.

"God, if you help Eryn through this... please. Give her another chance at life. She really deserves it."

She heard a knock on the door. "Time's up," a nurse said softly.

"Thanks," Sasha said. She leaned over and hugged Eryn, then kissed her on the cheek. "I love you Eryn."

Sasha walked out of the room, and fell into Joey's arms.

"Joey..." she said, through tears. "She can't die..."

"She won't," he said soothingly. "She can pull through."

"I hope so," Sasha said. They walked over into the waiting area, and she cried quietly in his arms.

"Whoever wants to go next, go ahead," the nurse said to the remaining of the group.

Justin looked at everyone. "Can I go last?"

"Sure," JC said. "I'll go."

JC got up and walked into the room. He walked around it, looking at different things. "These are pretty nice curtains," he commented. He walked over to her, where she was breathing into a mask.

"Well, Eryn," JC said. "I know we weren't that close and stuff, but we did talk a few times that really meant a lot to me. I know you might not remember, but I do, and I always will." He sat down on the chair that was beside the bed. "I promise that if you survive... I mean, when you survive, I swear, we'll get close. I didn't realize it, until you were gone, that losing you would be losing some of me. You're a great friend, Eryn. I know you can do it."

He looked at the clock and saw that he was half done.

"Well, I heard that you and Lance are together? That's pretty funny. Thanks for helping me with Sasha, I don't think we will get back together, but I can handle it. I'm really running out of things to say, you know. I think I'll go so the others can have longer with you."

He walked over and kissed her on the cheek, then left the room.

"Joey? Chris? Lance? One of you guys can go," JC said.

"Thanks," Chris said. "But I was in there earlier, when the doctor was checking me. You guys can have time with her, okay?"

"Thanks," Joey said, walking into the room.

He looked at the machines hooked up to Eryn, then looked at the blood seeping through the gauze. His eyes shifted down to her blue lips.

"Oh... shit," he whispered. He turned around and vomited in the sink. "I can't... Sorry... Eryn, but I can't stay." He ran out of the room and found a nurse. "Um... all the machines... I am not too good in hospitals. I sort of threw up."

"Don't worry, son," she said with a smile. "Happens all the time."

"Thanks," he said, gratefully. He walked into the room. "Lance or Justin. One of you guys can go."

"What happened?" Lance asked.

"It's too hard for me," Joey said.

"Sorry," Lance apologized. "Do you mind if I go?" He asked Justin.

"Nope," Justin said. "Go ahead."

Lance walked into the room, and took a deep breath. "Whoa..." he whispered, looking at her hooked up to the machine. "Well, Eryn," he said, sitting down. "This is stupid, don't you think? It's totally obvious you are going to pull through. I'm really glad we talked on the plane, because if we didn't... we might have never talked again. I don't want to think that way or anything, but you mean a lot to me."

He smiled. "You know, that I will never, ever forget the first time you called me, when Sasha was on tour with us. I was so happy, I mean we had hardly talked, and there you were, calling me, out of any of the guys, or even Sash. I knew it was the starting of this great friendship. With you, I felt so comfortable. But, with all good friendships, there is usually a relationship. I just didn't know it was going to end so sloppy."

He stood up. "Damnit, Eryn!" He kicked the chair. "It's my fault, that you drowned. You know that? If I wouldn't have suggested that we go far apart, I could have been there right away to save you. So look what I have done. I made you almost die, or even die... and I made Chris worse. I've screwed up everything!"

He took a deep breath. "You know, ever since me and Justin were both with you, things have never been the same with him. Joey is so hooked on Sasha. Chris is sick. JC is the only one who really talks to me. If you die, that's all I'll have, is JC."

He picked up the chair off the ground and sat in it for about ten minutes breathing heavily. He took her hand, and leaned close to her. "I love you," he whispered. "I really do. If you wake up, I promise we'll never fight again." He looked up. "Please, God, don't take her away from me."

The nurse quietly knocked on the door. "Sorry, dear. Time is up."

"Thanks," Lance said, standing up and wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Justin walked in the room. "How are you doing?"

"I don't want to lose her," Lance said.

"Neither do I," Justin said, hugging him.

Lance walked out of the room and Justin sat in the chair beside Eryn.

He watched her take small breaths with help from the life support, and listened to the rhythmic beeping from the machine.

"I've always had trouble expressing myself," he told her. "So I am going to do as best as I can. I hope you can hear me, Eryn." He brushed a few stray hairs away from her face. "You're so beautiful," he whispered. "Please don't leave us. Please don't leave me."

His voice was quiet, but his words were strong. Taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her.

"Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep. Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep. When I look into your eyes I know that it's true..." tears began to spill down his cheeks. "God must have spent a little more time on you..." He held tightly on to her hand and cried softly into the sheets.

"God, why? Please..." he cried. "Don't take her. She has so much to live for. If she wakes up... I swear, I will be so good to her," Justin pleaded. "I love her. My purpose in life was to be with her. I live for her."

Through tears, he looked at her again. "Eryn..." he whispered. "You can get through this, you know you can. Don't do it for me, or for anyone. Do it for you. I love you, Eryn Tucker."

He dropped her lifeless hand and started to back away towards the door. "I love you," he whispered again, then shut it gently behind him.

End of Chapter Eighty-Two

*Okay, I was touched while I wrote this, so if you don't feel SOMETHING when you read this, you people have no emotion! *