(First Class)

By Trynia Merin and Jade

07/15/01

Disclaimer: KISS, Gene Simmons, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin are real persons, and the portrayal here is purely fictitious, with no harm intended to the individuals. Calen McGregor and associated characters of Luck of the Irish are property of Jade, © The Black Rose collection. Terri Mason is property of Trynia Merin, © Trynia's Journies. Please do not use without permission from either author.

Chapter 4

Gene blinked and lifted his head to look at Terri. He felt her stroking fingers softly through his hair as she leaned her head back in the rising sun's rays. They painted her in gold radiance. For a moment he forgot where he was, but then heard the hum of an engine and the whoosh of passing objects, and he knew he was in the limousine they had chartered to take them to the hospital. The feel of her fingers against his cheeks felt like a delicious distraction, but he straightened up to blink in the morning son.

Realizing he was awake, Terri was about to move away to let him have his space. However, Gene stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. His dark eyes were full of questions, as he asked, "Why are you pulling away?"

"You just seemed to need time to yourself that's all. You must be worried sick about Calen, and if I know people they need their personal space…" Terri tried to explain.

"I need you with me, Terri," he shook his head, and grasped her hand tightly in his. "I don't want to be alone. I need to know you're here. Now more then ever."

Passing cars interrupted the beams of morning sunlight streaming into the tinted glass of the window, but the glare still made Terri squint to see Gene's anxious face. His hip pressed against hers urgently to reassure her he wanted her physical presence. Unlike others who were in need of separation to deal with their fear, Gene needed to feel the presence of another human being. It gladdened her that he needed her moral support, and eased the fear somewhat. Exactly what that fear was Terri didn't want to consider.

It wasn't long before they saw the hospital building looming up in bricks and concrete. A cloud of reporters descended on the limo, and Steve began to turn the wheel to avoid them. "Damn, we gotta get past these paparazzi," Gene snapped.

Just then, there came an electronic rendition of some odd tune from inside Gene's duster coat lying across the seat. Terri fished out the phone while Gene was glancing out the window at Cedar Sinai Medical Center, and the possible means of entrance without too much publicity.

"Hello?" Terri asked, taking the call. On the other end she heard the familiar voice of Sheri, Calen's friend. They had gotten to know each other over the last few visits that Terri had seen Calen on the set of the Practice, and other shows that Terri happened to sell scripts to.

"Thank God you two got here. I knew that your plane got in okay, but are you two out front?"

"I imagine you can see the paparazzi here," Terri muttered.

"Well just pull around back, and have Steve drop you off. There's hospital security there…"

"Sheri, how bad is it. Calen I mean…."

"Oh God Terri. I was afraid of this moment. Well… she's in surgery right now…"

"Surgery, what kind of surgery?" Terri demanded, trying to keep her voice down as she saw Steve threading their way around the paparazzi with Gene glancing over his driver's shoulder.

"It's her liver. It's badly damaged. She's already been in there for six hours…"

"Damn…" Terri got out.

"I… just get in here and I'll tell you more…" Sheri's voice broke on the phone. "See you soon…"

The phone clicked off and Terri shouted, "Gene! That was Sheri. Get around back and they'll get us in…"

"Good going," Gene nodded with approval to Terri. He saw her face blanching as she bit her lip.

"What…"

"C'mon, let's hurry…" Terri responded quietly.
 
 

Chapter 5

Around to the service entrance the limo trundled, and Gene pushed open the door. He grabbed Terri's hand and tugged her after him as he grabbed his coat. They both saw the security people waving them toward the loading dock. Gene waved to Steve, who pulled out of the alleyway with the sleek black limo.

They trotted up stairs and through a maze of hallways once inside. Immediately the antiseptic smell of clean air assaulted Terri's nostrils and she scented a waft of alcohol. It was mingled with that same odd smell of sanitation that she remembered from the dentist's office so many times, that set her teeth on edge. "This way, Mr. Simmons…" the security guards said, leading them through the laundry area, and into another world.

Terri saw the huge hallways stretching into infinity, in a flurry of white sheets and other activity. They were led to an elevator, out of which came blue scrubbed orderlies pushing large bins of laundry. Nobody gave them the time of day fortunately. Once out of the elevator it was down a quieter hallway to a simulated wood door accessed by a slim metal handle. Inside Terri scraped her shoes against wall to wall mauve carpet, and the ultramodern low couches in salmon and brown. Decorative paintings graced the tan walls, with a row of windows overlooking a courtyard far below.

Already Sheri was there, for she rose off the couch to greet Gene and Terri. With a nod to the security guard, he left them there. "I'll be outside if you three need anything…"

"Thanks," Sheri told him. She pressed Gene's hand gratefully, and hugged Terri with relief and anxiousness. In his grasp Gene could feel her hand clammy and cold. Dark circles under her eyes and her peaked skin gave witness to the vigil she had kept.

Terri gripped Sheri's hand firmly, and gave it a reassuring squeeze as she said, "We got here as soon as we could…"

"What is going on… how is she…"

"Surgery," Terri blurted out.

"What?" Gene demanded.

"Her liver. She's had major trauma and they had to operate right away," Sheri sighed. "She's been in that operating room for the last six hours. But that's not all… she's fractured her right arm too… and her back…"

"Oh shit…" Terri shook her head, as Gene stood there in shocked silence. "How far down on her back?"

"About her mid back… about right here," Sheri said, pointing to a spot on her own back as she turned around. "About the same place as her liver…"

"Why didn't you call us sooner?" Gene demanded his eyes dark.

"I didn't know where to get a hold of you in Scotland," Sheri shook her head, her voice scratchy with frustration as she violently combed a hand through her hair.

"Gene, easy. We were in the middle of the country while they were going over the script…"

"I'm sorry. Look, they aren't sure how much longer the surgery will take, but I'm glad you finally got here…" Sheri exhaled. "I just don't know how Steve…"

"Steve… where is he?"

"Look out the window," Sheri pointed, and collapsed into a chair. Gene gripped Terri's hand, and she led him to the window. Peering down they saw the steel framework chairs and tables that stood at intervals under the shade trees. Brick bordered the cement pathways that snaked around the decorative flowerpots. Along the paths the powerful figure of Steve paced the circuit of the space. Arms folded across his chest he made circuit after circuit of the small area.

"Damn," Gene muttered. He slipped an arm around Terri's waist, pulling her close to his hip instinctively. Terri felt a lump forming in her throat.

"How long has he been here?" Terri asked.

"Since he first came in…" Sheri's voice came from across the room.

"Shouldn't one of us…" Terri began, before Gene's grip on her tightened even more. She quickly stopped in mid sentence.

"He needs to face this one alone," Gene whispered in her ear. "It's just who he is and where he is right now."

"Why don't we sit down," Terri breathed out, realizing she had been holding her breath till then.

"Okay," Gene said dully as she lead him over near Sheri. Terri sat down first, joined by Gene who pressed close against her thigh. His arm slipped around her shoulders, and she gripped his hand in hers firmly.

Time dragged in that small room. It seemed the hands on the wall clock high above dragged as slowly as the minutes. Each second seemed a minute and each minute an hour ticking away in jellified motion. Terri felt the jet lag catching up with her and couldn't resist resting her head against Gene's shoulder. No sooner had her cheek touched his shoulder then she heard a door click open.

"Any news?" came a man's voice that Terri recognized.

"Steve," Sheri's reply came. Terri's eyes flickered and she shifted in Gene's arms. Blinking, she saw Steve's large form leaning through the doorway, and Sheri standing between them and him. All his attention seemed focused on Sheri, for he didn't even register that Gene and Terri were sitting there in the lounge as well.

"Well? Haven't the doctors said or done anything? Is Calen okay or isn't she?" Steve's voice rose in volume.

"We don't know yet…" Sheri sighed.

"We're just as in the dark as you are," Gene added, slowly straightening up.

"Gene… Terri… when did you get here?" Steve asked, staring past Sheri to notice them finally.

"A little while ago," Gene said, moving to get up. But Steve indicated they should stay seated, and flopped down on a chair near their sofa.

"I wish it was a better time," Terri said.

"Yeah," Steve sighed. "By the way, you heard from Calen's parents?"

"What about Calen's parents?" Gene automatically asked.

"I called them before Steve here," Sheri told them.

"Her mother's flying out and should be here in two hours. But she couldn’t' get off work till the meds were done on her unit… they're short staffed…"

"Where do they live?" Terri asked.

"Alabama," Gene answered automatically. "Her dad's afraid of flying, so that's why he's not coming probably. Besides someone needs to stay with Calen's grandmother…"

"Beverly's picking her up," Sherri supplied. "She'll come here as soon as she can, right from the airport."

"Alabama's a long way from here," Terri muttered. "But getting off work?"

"Calen's mom is a nurse," Gene further explained.

"Oh I get it…" Terri understood. She knew how difficult it was for nurses to get off work when their units needed them. Her own father and mother faced such dilemmas. Another thing she had in common with Calen was the nurse connection. Terri's father was a well-respected nursing supervisor of an OR, while her mother worked in a blood lab at one time. Hospitals were no strange environment to Terri.

"I hate to think of how she's going to take this," Terri muttered. "Considering she will know more then all of us do what's going on with Calen…"

Just then there was a click of the door handle, and the security guard admitted a silver haired woman in scrubs, dark circles under her eyes. Everyone got up when they realized it was one of the doctors.

"Any news, is she okay?" Steve asked, struggling to hold back his anxiousness.

"Well?" Gene asked, showing his own impatience.

"Calen's condition has been upgraded from serious to critical…" the doctor explained.

"What exactly was wrong with her…" Steve demanded.

"Is she all right?" Gene asked.

"What exactly are her injuries?" Terri got out.

"I will start out by saying it's a good thing she is in such excellent physical condition," the doctor took a deep breath. "But I'm afraid it's touch and go. She had a tear in her liver… that took a long time to sew up. And we had to attempt a spinal fusion to correct the fracture of her vertebrae… and three pins in her broken arm. She's in a back brace and she's remained unconscious."

A collective gasp was shared among the group. "But is she okay?" Steve asked again.

"I cannot say for certain. It will be touch and go for the next twelve hours. But she is in the ICU under 24-hour observation for now. Right now, we will do all we can to keep her going. But the rest is up to her…"

"Oh man," Gene got out, and felt his knees grow weak. He leaned heavily on Terri, who slipped her arm around his waist and hugged him close to her.

"But… will she live?" Steve demanded.

"She is alive now, Mr. Austin," the Doctor said. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to plant any false hopes."

"For crying out loud…" Steve got out, before Sheri grabbed his arm.

"I'm sorry, I can't guarantee anything. She needs your thoughts and prayers… and your hopes… the rest is up to her… I will make sure the minute I know anything more I will inform you…" the doctor said, holding up a hand. Terri knew from the pained expression in the crow's feet around her eyes she was struggling to remain objective, but time had worn her nerves thin.

"I know you've done your best," Terri said. "And for that we thank you. But we're very concerned. What are her chances?"

"I cannot say," the doctor sighed. "Calen is young and healthy, and she has those points in her favor. I would based on those qualities alone say that she has a chance of pulling out of this… but it's not always easy to tell at this point… because it is also up to the spirit and mind of the individual. Medicine and I can only bring her so far. She's unconscious, and we won't be able to tell how much further she can go till she wakes up."

"All right," Gene sighed. "I guess that's all we can know now, isn't it?"

"Yes…" said the doctor. "I'll inform you the minute we know more… Calen is fortunate to have so many friends who care for her…"

"And family," Gene added. "They haven't arrived yet…"

"Please, I just want her to be all right," Steve got out.

"I know, but the best thing any of us can do for Calen now is to think positive, and wait," said the doctor. "I have to go now…"

Steve's hands knotted into fists at his sides as he watched the doctor leave his jaw clenching. Gene sank down onto the sofa, dejected, still clutching Terri's hand. All the light went out of his eyes, leaving them dull and flat. Steve's eyes in contrast flashed in anger and frustration that frightened them all. Sheri shook her head and wrung her hands.

"A broken back, damn…" Steve muttered. "All this damn medicine and money, and the doctor can't give us a better answer?"

"Medicine can only do so much," Gene muttered. "It's a damn fact of life…"

"We can pray," Terri muttered, half-serious. She knew that both men perhaps didn't consider such an option. But what did she know? The doctor was right that medicine could only take someone so far, that spirit was more then half of the ingredients to survival. How could Calen fight if she wasn't awake? Surely she must know of everyone who was pulling for her, and that would get her through, most assuredly.

Gene glanced at Terri, knowing she had something. He saw a side of her that he had not seen before. Just what role did religion play in her busy life, and what was it to do with the here and now.

"I know we don't have the same beliefs," she said, glancing around the room. "But even if there are some of us that don't believe in the same things we all believe in Calen, and her spirit. And we should all take a moment to pray… that she gets well, and that we all love her…"

"I know," Sheri nodded. Gene nodded slowly; muttering his silent thanks as his eyes met Terri's. The question of religion was unspoken mainly but understood between them, and they each respected each other's rights to their own beliefs. She had hers, he had his, but they both believed in some of the same basic philosophies. Calen should be afforded every chance, the spiritual especially, to hasten her recovery.

"Look, I propose that each of us now, till her mother comes, take their own time to think and pray about Calen. Hope that she will awaken, and will be able to come back to us alive and alert. Think about what makes her special to each of us and hold onto that right now… hold it close to our hearts…" Terri said haltingly at first, but then gained confidence when everyone's eyes fell on her. She seemed to be giving them something right now that they all needed, a focus for their energies. One by one they sat, closing their eyes and keeping their silent vigil. Each took their moment of silence and passed it in each other's way. Steve leaned against the wall, his lips silently pleading as his fists clenched and unclenched. Sheri whispered prayers under her breath as she implored for Calen to be well. Terri tracked through the recesses of her mind to some prayer she had recalled years ago. It had been a few years since she had regularly attended any sort of church services other then those at home with her parents or the occasional once a month foray, for her job took much of her time and energy. But she remembered something from that red prayerbook with the gold cross on its top she had known through the countless services of her youth when she'd sung with the others choirgirls so many years ago it seemed.

"Oh God… accept our prayers… grant to your servant… Calen… the help of your power…"

She pulled out each word, turning it over as best as she could remember it. There were so many prayers listed in that prayerbook, that if only she could remember one she would be lucky. She had no idea what Gene was doing, but guessed that in his own way he'd be doing his own homage to his friend. Momentarily the suspicion crossed her mind again, of what exactly Calen meant to him. How the life had gone out of his eyes when the doctor's news had reached them. It frightened her, looming, as unknown and uncertain as Calen's recovery would be.

"That her sickness may be turned into health and our sorrow into joy…" she whispered.

Slowly she opened her eyes when she reached Amen, and glanced up at the clock. A whole hour had passed in the struggle to remember one prayer from that book, and slowly she glanced around the room. Still each made their earnest pleas, and she saw Steve had left the room again. Rising, she moved over to the window to see Steve down in the courtyard, resuming his pacing like a sentry at Buckingham palace.

She noticed the door handle moving up and down when she turned around, and saw the door slowly swing open in reverence to the silence. A woman she recognized briefly from the set of some of Calen's shows peeked in, partly obscuring the view of the white haired figure behind her.

"Hello? Sheri?"

"Beverly?" Sheri asked, her eyes popping open. Gene blinked and slowly stood up as the two women joined them in the lobby.

"Calen, how is she? I came as soon as I could. I understand that she had surgery recently," asked the new woman, who Terri assumed must be Calen's mother Nancy.

"The doctors are doing all they can," Gene said, holding his arms out to her. Nancy folded him in a hug, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. Steve moved over to her and she hugged him tightly as well.

"She's still out cold," Steve said anxiously.

"Don't worry Steve, she's in a good hospital. One of the best. And it's great to see you all here," Nancy said to Gene. Sheri joined her, and the three women exchanged anxious looks. They seemed calmer once they took in Nancy's professional demeanor. In the face of their panic she was an eye of the storm.

"The surgery, what did they say what they've done so far?" Nancy asked.

"The doctors said something about a tear in her liver… and something about her back… or vertebrae," Sheri said.

"A fracture that needed a spinal fusion," Terri blurted in. Calen's mother Nancy glanced up and noticed Terri who was over by the window.

"I was afraid of that…" Nancy nodded. "Is she in the ICU now?"

"She hasn't woken up yet," Gene shook his head.

"It takes a while for the anesthetic to wear off… I think that is why she hasn't woken yet," Nancy told him.

"The doctor said it was touch and go…" Gene shook his head. "They just don't know…"

"Gene, it will be all right. Calen's strong and healthy, like the doctor said. I've seen this happen before. It's always touchy the first few hours. Every hour she's alive she's going to get stronger. Calen's a fighter. She won't let us down."

That sense of guilt in Gene's voice made Terri flinch. As if he were taking this all on himself. She moved up and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly as she fixed her gaze into his. Something in Nancy's eyes as well alerted her that although the woman was trying to be brave and strong she was very concerned.

"But we've been praying," Terri broke in. "And the doctor said it was a good thing Calen was strong and well before the accident…"

"So have I and all of us," said Nancy, as she gripped Terri's hand with a firm gently pressure and shook it. "You must be Terri… Calen told me a lot about you… and what a sweet girl you are. I'm glad to see she was right. Gene's a lucky man…"

"Er, yes… I am sure she would have," Terri said with a hint of mixed feelings. What all had Calen said? It touched her and embarrassed her to know she was known by a family member of Calen's before she even met them.

"Can I talk to her doctor?" Nancy asked Beverly and Sheri.

"Yes, of course, I'll take you to see the nurse…" Beverly nodded. Sheri glanced at Gene and Terri.

"I want to see her too," Nancy said. "Steve?"

"Uh, well," Steve got out.

"Go on. We'll wait here," Gene said. Still he clutched Terri's hand in his, drawing strength from her as he moved right next to her.

"C'mon it's right this way…" Sheri told Beverly and Nancy. They wandered off down the hall together in search of the surgeon who had treated Calen. At first Steve followed them, but then as they approached the nurse's station he stopped.

"Wait, you go in and see her first. I think you should be with her alone," he said to Nancy.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. She's your daughter. I'll wait for a while," he said.

"Take care," Nancy kissed him on the cheek. Steve turned and moved as quickly as he could toward the stairs.
 
 

Chapter 6

Gene shook his head as he thought about how frightened Steve had looked. "He's taking it hard…"

"And so are you," Terri added.

"Well can you blame me?"

"No," Terri said, her hand still in his. "She means a lot to you. A good friend. And I'm worried too… there is no right or wrong way to take it, is there? Steve loves her, and he's probably angry at the world. And I can tell you are. But anger won't make her wake up any faster."

"No," Gene muttered. "I know it won't. But damn it, I feel… I feel…"

Pulling away from Terri he turned his back, hands at his side. His words vanished as he looked down at the floor, then to the clock.

"Tell me. Tell me what you are feeling," Terri implored him.

"I hate the waiting, that's all…" Gene growled. "This fucking goddamn waiting!"

"Wait is all we can do, save pray," Terri said. "And hope for the best. Calen needs us to pull for her."

"She's so vital and full of life," Gene said, turning to Terri slightly. "To think of her, on that bed in this hospital… with God knows what wrong with her… a back injury? It doesn’t take brains to know that it's gonna really put a crimp in her style. What if she can't walk… or worse?"

"They won't know till she wakes up Gene," Terri said. "We have to take this one day at a time… one hour at a time if necessary."

"I know you're right, love," Gene sighed. "But it doesn't the hell make it easier…"

"No it doesn't, does it?" Terri added her sadness, her voice shaking. "I hate hospitals myself. God knows I almost lost my mother in some damn accident. But she recovered. And I don't know Calen as well as you do, but I do know that she is a fighter. And she will wake up. She won't just give up, would she?"

"She sure as hell wouldn't," Gene nodded. "Not if we have anything to do about it…"

"Exactly…" Terri said. Gene moved over, gripping her hands and kissing them gently. For a moment their eyes met and he lost his fear in her. This sincerity made her shiver and quake in unease how he was seeking comfort in her now, when she had so often drawn strength from him so many times. How could she be strong, Terri wondered. Because she had to be, she answered the next minute.

**********************************************************

"Calen when are you gonna wake up. Why are you doing this?" Steve grumbled. He glanced anxiously around to see if anyone was around. The sun had risen into the zenith by now, and it was the only passage of time he had known, because he couldn't stand the dragging hands of the clock anymore. Even his wristwatch he had taken off because he didn't want to count the hours she had been under the knife, or in recovery. Those walls were closing in on him, making his skin crawl. That was why he had to get outside to open air. Pacing the yard make him feel as if he were in the ring again, a place to move around where he could think. Square areas always brought back moments of his performance, where he could focus and calm himself.

It had always worked before. Till now. Steve felt the fear building more and more, till he could hardly stand it. He felt he was going to go stark crazy if he didn't do something quickly. Maybe he could at least see her, be at her side. He moved over to the table, and plunked down into one of the chairs. Sighing he buried his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes till he saw orange through the blackness, as if trying to erase the scenes of the hospital around him.

"Steve," spoke a voice that made him flinch. It was Gene, standing there at the entrance to the courtyard.

"Gene," he said slowly. "When did you get here?"

"Just now. I don't think that tree will give you anymore arguments. Or that garbage can, now that you kicked its ass."

"I guess I did," Steve chuckled foolishly, then leaned over to pick it up and put it into place. "So… no word yet huh?"

"No. I was wondering if there was anything you needed?" Gene asked.

"Calen awake maybe?" Steve asked. "Or would that be too much to ask right now?"

"The doctors knew enough to put her liver, back and arm together. And enough to make sure she's still alive…" Gene started, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"But is she going to wake up? Will she even wake up, Gene? Answer me that? What kind of an answer is 'we'll wait and see?"

"I don't like it anymore then you do. But what the hell else can we do?" Gene asked him. "You tell me."

"I want to know why she fell down those goddamned stairs, that's why! Calen doesn't just fall down stairs Gene! Something's not right, about this. It doesn't add up Gene! And if I don't I swear I'll find out what the hell it is I will go nuts!"

"Steve…" Gene said as Steve continued to run hands over his shaven head and goatee.

"Why did this have to happen to her? She didn’t do anything wrong!" Steve repeated, shaking his head.

"She didn't," Gene said. "Shit happened. And it happened to Calen. And we are gonna find out why."

"Good…"

"What are you doing down here? I thought you were going to see Calen…"

"I wanted her… to have time alone with her mother," he said.

"Well you can see her after her mom. You can see her anytime."

"Not right now."

"Try again," Gene said firmly. "I know you. Something's stopping you from going in."

"I 'm not up to it right now…"

"Why?"

"Because, I don't want to see her like that. All broken up and helpless, that's why," Steve shuddered. "I'm just not ready yet…"

Gene inhaled deeply, and understood the other man's reasons. If it were Terri lying there would he react the same? Gene couldn't answer that, for he knew how vital and strong Calen was, and how much that vitality invigorated them all. He had to know for himself just how bad it was.

"Why don't you and Terri… go in before me?" Steve suggested. "I mean…"

"Okay. If that's the way you want it. But don't be a stranger, ok?" Gene said, patting his shoulder. "Now, are you gonna sit out here or come inside?"

"I'll just sit here for a while. It's kinda closed-in in that hospital, if you know what I mean…"

"Yeah, I do," Gene nodded, remembering Eric Carr all of a sudden.
 
 

Chapter 7

Gene moved over and took Terri's hand as he came in from the courtyard. "Do you want to see Calen now?" Terri asked him. "They said they'd let us in for ten minutes… but only ten right now…"

"Yes," Gene nodded, taking her hand in his again. "Let's go."

Together they walked into the lower lobby, stopping only at the gift shop for a few minutes to get some fresh cut flowers for her. Gene selected a bouquet of roses, six white and six pink with baby's breath for her, and a card while Terri chose several foil "get well" balloons with colorful rainbows on them.

Not a word passed between them while they made their way upstairs and met Sheri and the others in the lobby. Sheri led them to the ICU, where the nurse stopped them.

"Only two visitors at a time…" she said to them. "And no more then ten minutes…"

From the room emerged Nancy, visibly shaken. She held it together well enough to wipe a tear from her eye, and meet Gene and Terri's concerned gazes. "She's in four a…" she whispered to Gene, and squeezed his shoulder in support for what he was about to see. Sheri took her hand and they walked away together. Terri shivered at the looks on their faces, pale with worry and something akin to helplessness.

They entered another world, set to a chorus of beeping monitors and flickering screens around a central station. Small private cubicles were separated from the hallway by their wooden doors. Gene found the number Nancy had told them, and hesitated for a moment before entering. Squaring his shoulders he pushed open the door into the small compact space. A narrow window let a wealth of light into the private, shaded room, as if it were the small bedchamber of a castle long ago. And on the bed was the slumbering princess, who awaited her miraculous awakening. However, from the sight of this sleeping beauty, it would take far more then a kiss to rouse her. All they could hear was the soft rasping click of a ventilator, which snaked its long tube to a mask that slipped its end into the corner of her lips. Long tubes snaked from the clear bags on poles that dripped life-giving nutrients into her veins. They heard the beeping from the heart and lung monitors ticking away the dull seconds. What was Calen was a figure swathed in gauze and blankets, her soft hair curled around her pale face on the pillow. Pieces of tape marred one cheek, holding the ventilator tube in place.

Gene's grip on Terri's hand tightened, and he would not move from where he stood. She could not bring herself to see the look on his face, but knew from his slumped posture what must be going through his mind. It reached her too, a wave of such sadness she could hardly breath for a second.

"Oh no," Terri shook her head, memories tumbling back from long ago. "Oh no, no…"

She choked back her words, afraid to add to Gene's shock. In her mind she remembered how her mother was broken and battered after that Christmas Eve car accident so long ago. How Terri, just a child of twelve then, had held her hand, and sobbed at the senselessness of the world. Not knowing how bad her mother was broken up, but knowing that her life was forever changed in that moment in time. There were scars and wounds for both of them that night, not just a shattered leg for her mother, but a shattered world for a twelve year old girl. It took forever to meld the pieces back together for both of them. All because some twenty-year-old got drunk and smashed into her mother's van on her way home from last minute Christmas shopping.

Now before them both, in horrible duplicity, an equally senseless act had been committed. Twenty years later and Terri still felt the sting of the old memories coming back. Foolish acts of fate were at work here. Which had reduced Calen McGregor to this slumbering battered beauty.

They leaned heavily on each other, Terri's hand shaking in Gene's grasp. She willed all her strength to him, doubtful that she could give him any as they shuffled together, arms around each other's waists for support. As a unit they crossed that space of the tiny room to her bedside. Flowers sang out in the sunlight's shaft, and the glow of the monitors, amidst a dozen cards and a fountain of shiny foil balloons tied to her IV pole. Gene slowly put down a bouquet of white roses he had purchased on her bed, reaching down to take her hand that was folded on the green hospital sheet. He felt the warmth in her slender fingers, rubbing them gently. He still kept a firm grip on Terri's hand as well, pulling her to stand next to him. She needed no coaxing however.

"Calen," he whispered. "Angel, it's me. Terri's here too… we've come to see you…"

"Yes, we're both here," Terri whispered, and reached her other hand to lay on Calen's bedspread. Gene lifted Calen's hand to his lips and kissed it softly. Slowly and tentatively he reached out to touch her cheek, the one opposite the respirator tube. Only the briefest touch of his finger he caressed before slowly pulling his hand back to rest on the bedspread.

"Calen, you've got to get out of this," Gene said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "You have to fight. Come out of this. I know you can here me. We're all waiting for you… waiting…"

Gene's voice choked off as he let go of Terri's hand, and gripped the railing. Slumped over the bed, he took in huge gasps of air when his eyes passed over the length of her blanket swathed body. As if trying to grab control desperately as his whole body shook.

"Please, Angel. You've got to wake up…" Gene repeated, voice quavering. "I…"

Terri felt as if she was intruding on a bond far deeper then she initially realized. A lump rose in her throat, and choked off any words she could form. He called her 'Angel'. Why? What could she possibly say, she wondered? Tears burned hot between her eyelashes, and she pulled off her glasses to blur the sight before her. Gene lay his head on Calen's bed railing, his whole body heaving with sobs he tried to choke back. Terri reached behind him, and lay her head on his back, passing her arms around his chest as she gripped him tightly to her. All she could do was hold on tightly, as her own tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Oh Gene," she whimpered. "I'm here… God I'm here…"

"Terri," he choked, not looking at her but gripping her hands with one of his tightly. The other he kept around Calen's good hand. "I didn't think… it would be this bad… I didn't…"

"Gene, sweetheart… I'm here… I don't know what to say… I just…"

"Just be here, with me," he whispered. "Be here with me, with Calen…"

Memories surfaced in Gene's mind, hauntingly fresh and painful now. Evoked by the scene they flooded his thoughts. A good friend slowly succumbed to a time bomb locked in his chest. His heart and his playing seemed so strong for so many years. All Eric Carr ever wanted was to play, and play damn well. He was a ray of sunshine to so many people, and helped to heal some of the deep wounds caused by the loss of Peter. Even when Ace left Eric's laughter was a balm for Gene and Paul, when they found Bruce.

Why Eric, Gene had thought. Of all the sons of bitches that deserved death, why Eric? His was a light that was snuffed out way too soon. Everyone loved him, and it was amazing how only ten years seemed like yesterday.

Ten minutes had soon passed, and Terri and Gene were ushered out with the whisper of a nurse. They clung to each other, holding hands as they left Calen behind.

**********************************************************

Still their hands shook when they sat together in the lounge. Gene's hand stroked Terri's, and she shook visibly, yet not so much as he.

"I hate hospitals," Terri said slowly. "It makes me think of that night in 1984…"

"Your mother in that accident, right?" he said.

"She lived… but she was never the same woman… and I was never the same after that. I don't regret the strength I gained from overcoming that moment in time, but my mother. What the hell did she do to deserve that? I guess… that it never does make sense…"

"Eric died," Gene muttered, looking back in time.

"I know… you all loved him…"

"You would have liked him, Terri, and I know he would have really liked you too, doll," Gene said, stroking her cheek. As if Eric was not a celebrity but a good friend that Terri should somehow have known. She flushed with some pride at being included in the same thought as he.

"He seemed like such a sweetheart," she laughed lightly. "I was remembering when you were telling me about some of his practical jokes…"

"I still remember that damn smoke bomb one…" Gene shook his head. "Shit, he got me there…"

"Doubtless you all got back at him I hope?" Terri nudged him.

"Well there were some times when we tried. But nobody could top him. He was a master…"

Steve wandered in, carrying a cup of coffee in one hand. He sat before Terri and Gene, and took a sip of java. Nervously he coughed, "So, you saw her?"

"Yes," Gene nodded.

"It's really bad, isn't it?"

"I won't lie to you man," Gene said.

"I want to see her… but dammit…"

"Want one of us to go with you?" Terri asked him.

"Would you?" Steve asked, glancing at Gene and Terri.

"I would… if that would help you feel better," Terri said, her voice a bit shaky.

"God, that would be… thanks…" Steve breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't mind Gene, do ya?"

"No way," Gene said. "Hey, stay strong okay?"

"You don’t have to tell me," Steve said, as Gene gripped his hand.