in the end [sync/open]

[Onzy]

• •

Max knew that it was hard to stay from Ieuan for longer than a few hours, but he needed some time alone. It was more along the lines of he needed to clear his head, think clearly for the first time in days or weeks, whatever it was, he wasn’t sure. He did come to realise one thing though and that was that he had been a fool for leaving, even though if he had valid reason to. Reasons that he hadn’t even told Ieuan, and wished that he could, but he doubted that Ieuan would even understand. Of course he doubted the male; the idea of loving someone so volatile was new to him. Blue Ridge had been different. Love then had been his adolescent mind trying to convince him of what love was, but his year at the College had changed that when he suddenly had to grow up very quickly. So much had happened over the past few months, that he was unsure of how he was going to handle it, until he had left for the summer, spent two months trying to keep his father in jail, and one trying to mend his broken heart. All to have it unbroken at the first site of the one he truly loved.

Leading in Hawk from the pastures, he mulled over all these thoughts. For Max it wasn’t unusual to go out on the trails alone and without telling anyone. He was breaking a few rules when he did go, mainly he didn’t tell anyone, he didn’t have anyone with him and he didn’t ride with a helmet. He was also bunking out of class to go ride, but as long as he kept his grades up and did his homework, the teachers didn’t mind much. It wasn’t as if he did it every day. Ieuan would notice his absence in the subjects they shared, and he hoped that his boyfriend wouldn’t come looking for him. He just needed to be alone. Hawk nudged his shoulder and he grinned, thanking his lucky stars that she had survived the colic op nearly seven months ago, at a time when she was all he had to hold onto. She had also recovered pretty well, but it was now coming to a point where they could start competing again. “We’re just going on a trail ride today girl. Taking it easy so to speak,” he spoke gently to the horse.

Max put her in cross ties, and went to go fetch the GP saddle and snaffle bridle and added to that were the mare’s bright blue polo wraps and a tote bag with his grooming supplies. Now that winter had arrived, the horses were slightly shaggy but they still needed their winter rugs. Like everything with Hawk, it varied in shades of blue, but the rug was an ice blue, standing out against her dark bay coat. “You’re a pretty one girl,” he crooned, removing the rug and starting to give her quick rub over. Even if the competing thing didn’t work out, she would make a great broodmare. Warming the bit between his hands, he paused for a moment and slipped off the halter, quickly slipping the bridle on. Hawk looked at him patiently, knowing that they weren’t doing much more than a walk on the trails. The sand track was usually for a gallop, and Max wasn’t in the mood for that. Woodland trail made for an interesting ride, but too many bad memories for him there. That left the River Bank, and he would be able to take his time. So next to the river it would be. Putting on the navy numnah, he was looking forward to the ride more and more, and the trail had various branches that he could take.

Finally when Max had the saddle on and the polo wraps were secure, he headed to a mounting block. Hawk was as patient as ever, but once he allowed her to walk out, he grinned at the eager bounce in the mare’s walk. It was a good sign, and he appreciated that he wasn’t the only one that was in the mood to take the ride. Walking the mare on the buckle, he directed her onto the path. The deeper they went into the forest, the more Max had a feeling of unease, as if something was going to happen, but he didn’t know what. The last time he got that feeling, he had to stop Ieuan from killing his father for, for, certain things the man had said to Max. Collecting the reins, he took a turn that left the river behind and went deeper into the forest. He tried to calm himself, knowing that Hawk was starting to pick up on his anxiety. “It’s okay girly, everything’s fine,” he crooned softly to the mare, glancing around to see what was making him so anxious. Nothing visible was there just yet, and the pair proceeded uphill slightly, rocks surrounding them.

Hawk stopped suddenly, snorting and nostrils flaring. Nothing Max could do would coax the horse forward. As if a ghost appeared, Max’s father, or rather the man he thought to have been his father, came out in front of them. Bart had a crazed look in his eye, an evil sneer on his face and fondly cradling a gun. Max knew those features all too well. The salt and pepper hair, the cold grey eyes, the muscular frame and the hatred. If anything, he always remembered the hatred. “Y’know Max? You’ve been a thorn in my side for a while. Not only are you a faggot, you also have something I want,” the man said smoothly, his vocals slick and nonchalant. Max felt waves of nausea rolling in him, deciding that he wouldn’t even show his fear. “I have nothing,” he replied, wondering what Bart could want more than him dead. His death would give the greatest pleasure to that monster and it seemed that his day had come.

“Yes, you do boy. You are the only heir to the Bass-Carter fortune. A fortune that your mother decided you deserve and signed it away when I was still in prison. Your Uncle Chuck is nothing to me, but he has a lot more money. His life is not going to give me as much pleasure as taking yours is going to be,” Bart carried on with his tirade. The pistol was now cocked at him, and Max tried his best to remain calm. There had been one moment when he had been worse off, and that was when he had left Ieuan at Blue Ridge. Ieuan. The male’s handsome face flashed in front of his eyes, and he knew that if anything, he would die with his lover knowing that Max loved him. “Goodbye Max.”

Hawk lunged forward around the same time the gun was set off, and Max felt the bullet graze his cheek. The mare reared suddenly, her target was the man in front of them and with a brief flash of pleasure as Max saw the man dive out of the way. Hawk landed heavily, already running. Max had lost his balance, along with his stirrups and a brief moment he tried to get himself out of the tangle that he was in. Hawk was going deeper into the forest, her mad dash going to get one of them killed. All too late, Max saw a boulder coming up and as the bay mare swung out to avoid it, he ended up hitting it full force. Extreme pain registered for a moment. “Ieuan,” he whispered, before he blacked out completely.

---

Chuck led Jason back up from the indoor arena, both covered in sweat. Jason’s light grey coat had turned a dark steel grey, and Chuck’s dark hair was plastered to his forehead. Both were breathing heavily, but Chuck had a satisfied smile on his face. It had been a good workout, and like always, Jason had done his absolute best for him. Once they were at the stabling block, he removed the saddle and put a sweat sheet with a stabling rug on the gelding, and removed the bridle to replace it with the gelding’s leather halter. He took the time to walk the horse around, cooling him off properly. Everything in his life had turned out pretty well, and if all his plans went right, he was planning to ask Summer to marry him within the week.

Summer was his life now, the woman capturing his heart in every way that he never thought would be possible. Melissa was also growing up in front of him, and even though there wasn’t any way he could have known, he missed the years that he could have had with his daughter. At least there was now, and now was all that mattered. A clatter of hooves on the paving alerted him, and walking around to the front of the stabling, saw that Hawk was standing in front of her stall, sides heaving and a deep cut on her left foreleg. Crooning to the mare, he caught the reins, and wondered where Max was. Guessing from the state that the mare was in, he guessed that Hawk had thrown his nephew and had taken off.

Worry was etched in his features as he fumbled for his phone. Searching for the number he only ever really dialled when it was necessary, he hoped Dafydd would answer. The ringing was somewhat reassuring, but the situation was not. Finally he heard the vocals on the other line. “Dafydd? It Chuck speaking. Hawk came in rider less from one of the trails. I have a feeling that Max is injured,” he said quickly, praying that Dafydd was alone. The last thing that he needed was a panicked Ieuan descending on the stables.

---

Bella leaned into Kian’s arms, the blissfulness about being his again still trying to sink in. The cafeteria was still filling up, the bell only having gone about ten minutes prior. The usual crowd was already coming to the table, Ruthie and Jace looking quite comfortable in each other’s presence, but Jace keeping his affectionate side hidden. He had learned that the glares from Kian were aimed at him, but it didn’t stop him from holding hands with Ruthie or the odd kiss thrown into the mix. For Bella it was actually quite sweet, but she often heard a low unhappy murmur from her love.

She took a bite of her salad, listening to the conversation going around, adding her own two cents when necessary. Max still hadn’t arrived, and she was slightly worried. If anything, she knew her friend’s tendency to just disappear, and it was not helpful. Alexi had texted through that he was taking a trip to the bookstore and he would see her that evening. Andrew was also somewhere, but she chose ignore her twin, seeing that he had taken over Kian’s role of local town whore, and was sleeping with anything that wanted him. Not that he showed it, but Andrew was also the possessive type and had confessed that he still wanted to kill Kian for he did to her. Now that her mother knew it was a little easier, but Bella worried about her father. The man was old school and when he found out, she worried that it would lead to one big fight.

The pregnancy seemed to have avoided the gossipers, and the slight baby bump that she had three weeks ago, was even more prominent now. She was happy and all that mattered was that Kian seemed to be happy as well. Kissing the underside of his jaw, Bella felt a slight twinge in her abdomen. It wasn’t unusual, she had been having them for a while now, but today it was different. It was followed by a sharp cramp, and Bella hissed in pain. Ruthie and Jace looked at her worriedly, but she didn’t know what was wrong. If it was the baby then they needed to get to the hospital as fast as possible.

“I’m fine love,” she said, reassuring Kian, kissing his hand and giving him a reassuring smile. Underneath the facade she was scared to death that she was having premature contractions and that she would be losing one more thing that was binding her to Kian. When she had told him she was pregnant, he had left for a month. Theirs had been a romance that wasn’t exactly textbook, and still wasn’t, but according to those that had been around Kian before told her that she had changed him. Bella didn’t believe them. She just believed that she had brought out the real Kian. The one person he had been before the crime and prison. It was a glimpse of the person that she had seen the first time Bella had met Kian and he was fussing over Manor. That rare glimpse was what had captured her heart. The fear of losing him had been to close too many times before. First when his father had ordered him home and then with the pregnancy.

Twenty minutes passed and another cramp wracked her frame. This time she was bent double, tears coming to her eyes, no matter how much she didn’t want to show her pain and she shivered. It left her slightly breathless as well, and she faintly heard Ruthie talking to her. “Kian,” she said softly, “I think I need to go to the ER,” she carried on, cradling her stomach protectively.

[Sync]

Ieuan felt off. He wasn’t sure why, but his emotions seemed to have been thrown into turmoil today. His teeth worried his bottom lip as he sat in the back of his science class. Max hadn’t turned up to the lesson, so he wondered if it was maybe the fact that his boyfriend wasn’t there. He dismissed that thought immediately though, knowing he’d woken up with the same feeling. Sighing deeply, he ignored the irritated glare from his teacher and steadily kept his gaze on the window. Max was the only person he shared this class with, the others having taken different subjects or in Kian’s case just not turning up to lessons at all. Throwing his pen down in irritation, he leaned forward in his chair and transferred his gaze onto the clock that hung on the wall above his teachers’ head. Twenty minutes of the lesson left. He decided that he couldn’t handle being cooped up in the classroom any longer, so he clumsily dumped his book and pen back into his back and stood from his chair. The students around him didn’t acknowledge him, used to him abandoning his lessons whenever he felt like it, but his teacher did. She hadn’t been at the college long, so wasn’t as tolerant of his departures. He strode past her, ignoring her shouting, and out into the hallway. ”I‘ll be sure to tell Mr. Rees of my departure, so don‘t worry about doing it yourself.” were his parting words, slamming the door shut after him. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t feel good to do so.

With a groan, he changed the route to the cafeteria where he had been heading and diverted it to the library. Not a usual haunt for the boy, but he couldn’t face being cramped around their usual table and make small talk. He’d rather spend his lunch hour in the library alone. A sense of dread had been hovering insistently above him since he’d left his lesson, the hairs on the back of his neck standing to attention. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen, which was unusual for Ieuan. Usually, he was pretty happy to ignore the disasters that went on around him. Even when the occurred for himself, he acted as if they weren’t there as long as he possibly could. ”What the hell is going on?” he murmured softly as he let himself into the warmth of the library. The librarian gave him a shocked look, confused as to why the boy she so rarely saw unless forced by his uncle actually voluntarily turned up to the library. He failed to acknowledge her, instantly seeking the comfort of the back of the room away from everyone else. Slipping past a cluster of students leaving the library to head to the cafeteria for their lunch, Ieuan found himself stumbling upon Niall’s hiding place. The lanky teen looked up with a slight grin, causing a small smile in response to echo on Ieuan’s lips. ”I‘m invading your sanctuary.” he offered in greeting, throwing himself down unceremoniously beside Niall. ”Your company is always welcome, Ieuan.” Niall retorted sarcastically. ”Bad day? You’re never here unless Dafydd throws you in here and demands that you do work.” the curly headed teen swiftly went onto ask, not wanting to deal with Ieuan’s quick insults.

”Could say that.” Ieuan eventually answered, leaning heavily against the wall. Niall eyed him curiously, but saw that the older boy wasn’t going to expand. ”We all have bad days.” Niall offered lamely, causing Ieuan to crack a smile. ”Y‘know, if you didn‘t hide away as often we could be great friends.” Ieuan chuckled, causing Niall to laugh. ”Uh, no thank you Ieuan. I really don’t need to be pulled into your antics.” he laughed good-naturedly before the pair settled into a companionable silence. Ieuan still couldn’t shake the feeling of dread, but it had lessened now in the company of someone he was comfortable with. Niall occasionally cast sideways glances at his friend, catching the distant look on his face before he’d shake himself from it. He wondered if he should text Ruthie or Kian about it, but decided against it. He knew that Ieuan wouldn’t really appreciate it. Niall eventually became absorbed in his book, and half an hour passed uneventfully. Then, all of a sudden, ”There is something wrong!” Ieuan shouted, causing Niall to jump out of his skin. Eyes wide, he turned to look at Ieuan’s panicked expression. He’d began to scramble to his feet, causing Niall to follow, and almost sprint to the exit. ”Something wrong? With who Ieuan?” Niall called after him, doing his best to keep up. ”Max! There is something wrong with Max!” he shouted back, his heart racing with worry. ”I need to get to Max!” He had no idea what was telling him to do so, but it seemed to just have clicked in his mind. Max was hurt. Badly. He lunged from the main building, streaming past a wide eyed Kian, who was cradling Bella close to his chest, Ruthie and Jace. Niall appeared not long after Ieuan, going follow Ieuan before he noticed the startled expression of the others. ”He thinks there is something wrong with Max.” Niall explained, then took off after Ieuan. Someone needed to keep an eye on him.

It seemed to take forever for Ieuan to arrive at the barn, his heart pounding wildly in his panic. His lungs burned as he sprinted, his mind vaguely aware of someone following him. He didn’t care about these facts though. Something was telling him that he needed to be with Max. Everything else was irrelevant. Eventually, he rounded the corner to the barn at an almost impossible speed. His feet nearly caused him to fall over, but he managed to keep himself up right. His eyes locked on the worried looking Chuck and Dafydd, his own panic heightening at the sight of his uncle. ”It‘s Max, isn‘t it? There is something wrong with him!” Ieuan panted out as he came to a halt, aware that Niall had also skidded to a stop beside him. Swiping away Dafydd’s comforting hand, his eyes wildly scanned the barn for any sign of his boyfriend. ”Where is he?” he asked desperately, restlessly searching. His chest heaved painfully as he tried to regain control of his breathing, but his throat felt too tight. He couldn’t calm himself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dafydd was just settling into the chair in his office when his phone began to ring. Rolling his eyes, he lifted it from it’s cradle and held it to his ear. He winced as the shrill voice of Miss Layton, the substitute science teacher, sounded on the other side. ”That damn boy of yours has stormed out of my classroom for the second time this week!” she shouted, and Dafydd sighed. Of course he knew who she was talking about. Ieuan had been doing so well lately too, but apparently Miss Layton had been the tipping point of his good behaviour. His nephew and the new teacher just did not get on. ”He cannot come back into my classroom until he learns some manners!” Dafydd sighed again. ”Yes Miss Layton. I‘ll be sure to find him now and talk to him. I promise that he‘ll be punished accordingly.” he replied patiently, though his expression was scrunched up into a grimace.

Truthfully, he didn’t really like the woman himself. But, Ieuan’s behaviour was unacceptable. ”You won‘t have to worry about him for the remainder of the week, he can do his science work in the office under my supervision. Have a good day Miss Layton.” he added, hanging up before she could argue. Standing from his chair, he began pulling on his coat once more before being interrupted by a phone again. This time his mobile though. Raising a brow, he picked up the device and checked the caller id. His other brow rose in surprise at the name flashing there, and he answered almost hesitantly. ”Hello?” His eyes widened at Chuck’s words, his lips parting in surprise. ”Okay, I‘ll be down now.” he answered, already half way through the main building as he hung up. ”Never a moments peace.” he muttered, stepping out into the cold and all thoughts of scolding Ieuan for his behaviour in lessons forgotten.

Dafydd hastily made his way to the barn, ignoring the students and staff that attempted to catch his attention as he passed them by. It took him little time to arrive at the barn, and he spotted Chuck immediately upon entrance. ”He didn‘t tell anyone he was going on the trail, I‘m assuming?” he asked in greeting, frustration etched on his expression. He made a mental note to put forward the rule that no student was allowed to ride the trails alone any longer. They had too many accidents to allow solitary rides anymore. ”So we have no idea what trail he took,” Dafydd thought aloud, managing to keep a level head. He’d need to. Someone would need to. ”I think that it‘s best that we involve the police immediately.” he added before his head snapped up at the thump of feet descending on the barn. He cringed at the sight of Ieuan, knowing nothing good would come from his nephew being here. His eyes widened in surprise though as the boy immediately asked after Max, and reached out to comfort him only to be batted away. His eyes drifted to Niall, who was standing rigidly at Ieuan’s side. The boy shrugged, conveying that he had no idea what Ieuan was going on about. How on earth could Ieuan have known? He was pretty sure that only he and Chuck knew.

”Ieuan, you have to calm down.” Dafydd said calmly, placing his hands on Ieuan’s shoulders and turning him so that he would focus on Dafydd alone. ”Max appears to have been thrown by Hawk, she turned up rider less not long ago. ” He shook the boy slightly to get him to focus again, sensing that Ieuan was about to start shouting again. ”You have to keep calm if you‘re going to remain here, your panicking will help no one.” He continued in a low, soothing voice. Dafydd could feel the boy trembling under his hold, but he still nodded his agreement. Dafydd squeezed his shoulder comfortingly before gesturing Niall forward to keep Ieuan relatively calm. He could already feel the strain that the remainder of the day was going to bring ebbing into his body.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kian absently held Bella closer to him, smiling down at her happily. He was glad that they were slowly settling back into their usual routine, though it was still a little rocky. He knew that Andrew and Alexi still weren’t exactly happy with him, and Kian tried to avoid them as much as he could. Though he didn’t let it show, the hostility was starting to get him down. He put up with it more for Bella’s benefit than anything, but he wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take. Looking up from Bella, he scowled as Jace leaned in gave Ruthie a kiss. He glared at the other boy briefly, but tore his eyes away to avoid a telling off from both Ruthie and Bella. Neither of them held back when it came to scolding him, and he was not so secretly scared of them both. Though Bella more so, as he was a lot more familiar with Ruthie’s anger. The conversation continued easily, but there wasn’t the usual teasing and sarcastic remarks that accompanied their lunch time banter. It suddenly occurred to Kian that Ieuan wasn’t in attendance. Kian’s brow furrowed, wondering where his best friend may be. It wasn’t like Ieuan to avoid the cafeteria. He glanced around the large room, wondering if Ieuan and Max may have taken up a separate table. They hadn’t, which caused Kian to frown again.

His attention was snapped back by Bella when she hissed in pain, causing him to go into high alert. ”Bells?” he asked worriedly, but she immediately dismissed his concerns. He looked a little annoyed by that, not fooled by her smile but decided to drop it. Taking her hand in his, he kept a close eye on her as he fell back into conversation with Ruthie and Jace. If anyone had told him that he’d be calmly enjoying his lunch with a steady, pregnant girlfriend across from his ‘sister’ and her boyfriend a year ago, all whilst staying on high alert for any discomfort that his girlfriend may be feeling a year ago, he would have laughed in their face and told them, in no polite terms, to f**k off. But then he’d fallen head over heels in love with Bella, and everything seemed to just fall into place. They’d had their ups and downs. Extreme ups and downs actually. And he had no doubt that there would be more, but they always managed to sort them out. Eventually. A sigh fell from his lips, and a grin lit his features. Without Bella in his life, he’d knew his life would have never been as good as it was no. There was no doubt that he’d be living with his dad and working as a hitman. Heck, his dad still had that future lined up for him.

Kian was yanked from his mind as Bella doubled over with pain, his eyes widening as she tried to hide it. He knew how much she hated showing pain, but he’d grown attuned to her well enough to notice it. At her words, he nodded, and carefully wrapped his arms around her. As gently as he could, he lifted her and held her close to his chest. Even in her pain, he’d probably still get a telling off for this but right now he didn’t care. When he had made sure that Bella was safe in his arms, he began to carry her from the cafeteria. ”I‘ll get you there as quickly as I can, Bells.” he murmured, trying to keep calm. Inside, his emotions were all over the place. Just as they were coming up to the car, Ieuan flew past them. Kian’s eyes widened in surprise. Just as he was about to call out to Ieuan, Niall skid to a stop in front of them. At the lanky teen’s words, Kian’s eyes fell on Bella. He knew that she would be worried about Max, even in her condition at the current moment in time. He then glanced around at Ruthie and Jace. ”One of you should go with Ieuan and Niall, and one with us. Whichever is coming with us, we‘ve got to go.” Kian said relatively calmly, carrying Bella over to his car and placing her inside carefully. ”You can find out about Max later, we‘ve got to make sure you‘re okay first.” He told her in a tone that showed no room for arguments and got into the drivers seat. He quickly started the car and turned it out of the college as fast as he could. ”I‘ll get you to the hospital as soon as I can.” he told her, a hint of panic in his voice now. He glanced at her as often as he could, hating that she may be in any sort of pain.

[Onzy]

• • •

Chuck led Hawk to her stall, and made quick work of cleaning the wound. It was just something to keep him busy, because frankly, panic was building up inside of him the more time that passed. The cut wasn't as deep as he had suspected it to be, so it wouldn't need stitches, but it would need to be bandaged at any case. He worked quickly, the mare feeling his agitation. Chuck exited the stall about the same time Dafydd arrived and he had never been more relieved to see his boss than at that moment in time. No. I keep telling him and telling him, but with that boy, nothing works, he said, not even attempting to hide his frustration and worry. The sweat had dried by then, and when Chuck ran his hands through his hair, it stuck up at various angles.

Chuck wanted Summer more than ever, he needed her support, but there was nothing that he enjoyed more than watching her work. He nodded at Dafydd, and reached for his phone once more. The number dialled, and for some reason it reached voicemail. Hey love. We need you at the College. Max is missing. Love you, he said, before hanging up. Ieuan also skidded into the stable block, and although Hawk was pretty content and calm, her head shot up and she snorted violently. He did not have the patience to deal with his nephews boyfriend at that point in time, so he just allowed Dafydd to do the talking.

For Chuck it felt like karma was getting him back for everything he had done wrong in life, but why did it have to be Max that had been the one to disappear and get hurt. For some reason he had had a niggling feeling the whole day long, and now he knew why. Another person he loved had gotten hurt, and he didn't know if he could handle waiting beside another bed for the person to wake up. It had happened to Melissa and it had almost killed him. Now Max? This was becoming his nightmare, and he stood up suddenly. Anger and fear radiated throughout his system, and he started pacing the length of the stabling block.

The arrival of another student made him hiss, but it seemed that Max was much more loved by the people around him than the boy realised. The dark haired student also looked worried, but between Niall, Ieuan and the other there seemed to be a lot of underlying tension. The other looked familiar as well. James, Jay. Jace. That was the one. Jace. He was waiting for people to arrive. For Summer and the paramedics. What else could go wrong?

---

Jace and Ruthie followed Kian and Bella out of the cafeteria to the car when Niall and Ieuan ran past them. Niall was the one who offered the explanation however. Suddenly Ruthie looked torn as where to go, and Jace knew that she would need a lot of guidance in making the right choice. Go with Bella love. I'll be with Max's gang, he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. He made sure that she was in the car, before he took off at a steady jog towards the stables. The school horse barn was not far off, and as much as he would have loved to go to Jack, and find comfort in the solace of the horses, he would have to face Niall and Ieuan, get over their dislike for him and just help in all ways possible.

Jace came to the stables, glancing around at the people gathered there, wondering who would be able to give him the best information, then he realised that Dafydd wouldn't know about Bella just yet, and that Niall probably hadn't noticed much when it came to that situation. Walking up to the man, he wondered what the principal thought of him. After all, Ruthie was just as much a daughter to Dafydd than Bella. Er, Dafydd. Max isn't the only casualty. Kian just took Bella to the hospital. Ruthie is with them, he said quietly, before finding a quiet spot where he could observe and wait to pass on news.

---

Bella couldn't even find the words to reprimand Kian for making her feel like an invalid. The sharp pain from before had gone, but it didn't mean anything. She retreated into herself, worry on her etched on her face. She pulled herself into Kian as they made their way to the car. She wanted the tears to stop, but now they were just coming out of their own will. Bella couldn't control anything any more it seemed and she was panicking like crazy. She didn't know if Kian would stay or not, her mind already spewing out the worst case scenarios, and none had Kian in them.

The words that Niall got out hardly registered, but when they did, she started fighting Kian's hold on her. It wasn't a strong fight, but it was a fight nonetheless. Kian. Please. I need to go, she pleaded, but got only an answer that had no further arguments attached to it. A slam of a back door alerted her that someone else had joined them, but curled in the seat, Bella focussed only on the next cramp that wracked her frame. This time, no sound came out of her, only the gasps as she tried to get in as much air as possible to keep her head clear.

The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever, everything going by in slow motion. She hated to be so much trouble, and her mind wondered to Max. She didn't know what she would do without him, but that wasn't the focus of the whole trip. Bella glanced at Kian, and caught his worried gaze. She couldn't even tell him that she was going to be fine, because she didn't know. She didn't know if they'd even still be parents after this episode. What would happen if she lost the baby. That kind of loss was unimaginable for her, even faced with the prospect of it now. She reached for a part of Kian to hold onto, to keep her focussed, but she lost consciousness on the way to the hospital, too tired to keep fighting the pain.

---

Bella! Ruthie called in worry, looking at Kian with shock and surprise. Seeing her friend blank out in the car was even scarier, but she didn't know how she could help the situation apart from being the messenger. She didn't know how such a good day could turn into such a nightmare. First Bella and then Max. What else could happen? Ruthie felt the sting of tears in the corner of her eyes, and she quickly wiped them off. Casting her glance outside, she avoided Kian's eyes. The same worry was echoing in his features, and Ruthie worried that he would go off and do something stupid. Something that Jace would do if she was the one that was hurt.