In the emergency department's waiting room, Jared sat on the sofa next to me, Kim kept to herself, alone in a chair, and Claire stood with Bex in the corner. No one spoke, further discussion was unnecessary. We were waiting for someone to tell us if they had saved Ryan, or if Claire would die.

Claire kept her eyes closed, concentrating on everything she felt from Ryan. Her clothes were ripped and filthy, and her platinum pony tail had given up holding her hair in place hours ago. Once in a while she would twitch, and I wondered if she could sense when they used the scalpel, or if it was difficult while he was under anesthesia to sense anything at all. Jared would have answered my questions, but it was hardly the time.

The tension in the room was unbearable, but the waiting was worse.

I watched the faces of the people walking by. Some noticed our rag-tag group, some didn't. Glancing around the room, passers-by would no doubt wonder if we'd been in some sort of large accident. The news of the wreckage that was once St. Anne's would soon spread, and I worried that the hospital would be crawling with police officer's soon.

The random thought occurred to me that those staring had no idea the pretty platinum blonde they couldn't help but notice could be dead in the next forty-eight hours. Claire was the strongest, most amazing woman I had ever met, and she looked so helpless in that moment—so hopeless.

Finally, she broke the silence. “That's it,” she snapped, stomping her way to the door.

Bex stopped her. “Whoa...where do you think you're going?”

Claire shoved at her brother, fighting to get free. “I can help him. I have to do something; I can't just sit here!”

Bex grabbed her face, cupping her cherubic cheeks in his hands. “They won't let you in there, and if force your way in, you'll just distract them from what they should be concentrating on.”

Claire slammed the side of her fist into Bex's chest. “Let me go!”

Bex maneuvered his hands to get a better grip on Claire's arms, but she stopped struggling. Her eyes grew wide with fear.

“He's fading. They're losing him,” she said, her voice sad and frightened.

Claire's body bent backwards, stiff and unnatural.

I stood, cupping my hands over my mouth. “What's happening?” I cried.

Jared stood with me, restraining me with his hands on my shoulders as Bex cradled his sister, and then helped her to the ground.

Claire relaxed, and then stiffened again.

“Help her! She's having a seizure!” I said.

Jared turned my head, refusing to let me witness Claire's body writhing on the floor. “No, she's not. They're shocking him with a defibrillator.”

“What?” I said, pulling away from him.