Touch and go

Sage awoke suddenly. She looked around, she was back in her room. Lance was asleep in a chair next to the bed. She felt a tug on her arm as she sat up. There was an IV connected to her arm vein.

"Sean." she said quietly. "Sean."

Lance awoke with a start.

"Oh my god! Zmayah!" he said hugging her. "Oh my god, how are you feeling? And what the hell were you thinking going out in the rain for that long?"

"Wait, what?" I don't remember....what happened? Why am I here?"

"You have been passed out for three days! We thought you were going to die!" he said, pulling away to face her with his hands on her shoulders.

"What? Why!"

"Ty found you out on the grounds underneath a weeping willow tree. You were unconscious and freezing cold from the rain. We brought you inside and the lab techs said you had a bad case of pneumonia. You had a fever so high you wouldn't wake up. There was nothing we could do to help you so we just waited it out and hoped you would wake up. We have been taking shifts night and day to monitor you."

"I remember sitting under the tree....I was really upset, I think I might have had a breathing fit which might have been why I pass out."

"Well you're a bloody idiot and I am never letting you out of my sight ever again!" He said hugging her a second time. "I thought I lost you."

"I'm sorry, I just needed time to-"

The door creaked open.

"Lance, I brought you some tea and I can-" Ty stopped and stared at Sage.

"Hi." she said waving tentatively.

Ty set down the tea on one of the small round tables and walked over to her. For a long moment he just looked at her then he leaned in like he was going to give her a hug but instead, his kissed her.

Lance looked away, he still wasn't sure about his feelings for Sage but at that moment he decided it was best to leave. He got up and left the room.

Sage pulled away from Ty.

"Wait, I'm not quite ready for that yet. I'm still mad at you."

"I know, I'm sorry, I am just happy you're okay."

"Yeah, well, thanks for saving me and stuff but I need some food, I am crazy hungry." she said as she tried to get out of bed.

"Wait, you may be weak from not eating or using your legs for three days." Ty said gently putting his hand on her shoulder and pushing her back into the pillows. "I'll get you something to eat." He left the room.

After he left, Sage sat up. She gently pulled the IV out of her arm and pressed down on the incision mark to stop the bleeding. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and slowly began to stand up. She was weak, very weak, her legs began to tremble. She stood panting from the effort it took. Ever so slowly, she shifted her right foot forward. It took all the energy she had but she eventually made her way to the closet. Now in the large walk in closet, she sat down on the ottoman in the center of the closet to catch her breath.

The door opened.

"Sage? Where are you?" It was Ty, he had come back with a tray of food.

"I'm over here, in the closet." Said Sage quietly.

"Why are you in here? I told you, you were too weak to be moving around right away." He said walking over to her and putting the tray down on the ottoman next to her.

"I wanted to get some clean clothes and take a shower." She said blushing. "I have been in the same clothes for three days."

"Oh." Now it was his turn to blush. "I can get Lyla to help you after you eat. Actually, she is on her way to see you right now, as are my parents, William and Mateo."

They sat for a moment in an awkward silence. Sage quietly eating the food he had brought her.

"Sage...I..I'm sorry. I know saying that doesn't change anything...but I am."

Sage stopped eating and looked at him.

"Ty...I-"

The door flew open.

"Sage!"

Sage was then engulfed in a mess of arms trying to grab and hug her.

"Hi, everyone. Sage said hoarsely. It is nice to see all of you and I would love to catch up but right now I really want a shower and to change out of these clothes."

"Of course dear!" said Molly. "You heard her all you boys! Out! let us ladies help her look proper!" she said as she shooed the boys out the door again.

Lyla and Molly gently helped Sage undress and re-dress after her shower. Her movements were still slow and she felt winded after walking short distances but she could feel her strength coming back to her.

"Thank you for helping me. I think I am going to rest for a bit now." Sage said sitting back down on her bed after dressing.

"Okay, dear, we will have someone bring you dinner in awhile so you don't have to walk. It is so good to have you back!" said Molly.

"Bye, Sage, I will check on you in a bit." said Lyla with a smile as she closed the door.

Sage waited a moment till she knew they had walked some distance from her room then she got up and walked to the door. She was planning on talking to Lance about everything that had happened between Ty and herself. She opened the door to find Lance standing there his hand held in the air about to knock on the door.

"I was just coming to see you." she said timidly.

Lance just stared at her, his arm fell to his side and he took a couple steps towards her. Sage stepped back to let him into the room. Before she knew it, his left hand was in her hair and his right hand was closing the door behind him. He kissed her, not like Ty, but a kiss full of passion, a kiss that seemed to last a lifetime. Sage's heart was racing as he scooped her into his arms and carried her up the stairs to her bed all while continuing to kiss her. He laid her down on the bed and pulled away to look at her.

"I..." he said out of breath. "I don't know if I can let you go. I know Ty likes you and you might like him back but... I love you, I always have. I don't know if this will last but... I want it to."

His eyes searched her's longing for her to say something.

Sage stared at him at a lose for words. She kissed him again, feeling his body relax. After a long while they broke apart again.

He smiled at her.

"Sean, I don't have any answers for you. I want to tell you that I love you back but...after everything that has happened....I don't know if I know what love is anymore. I know I care about you, and this makes me very happy." she said with a coy smile. "But I'm not sure if the feelings I have are love or me just clinging to the one person I have left from my past life." She gently pushed him off her and sat up. He sat next to her, hanging onto her every word. "Today when Ty kissed me...I felt nothing. I think I am so numb right now that I can't interpret my feelings properly. I want to give you a straight yes or no answer as to how I feel but I don't think I can do that right now. Can you wait a little longer?" she asked gazing at him.

He smiled at her.

"For you.."He leaned in and kissed her again.

"I could wait forever, even if the answer is no."

Sage smiled, then her face fell.

"I guess I should have a talk with Ty too."

Lance kissed her again, this time long and hard.

"I want you to know, whomever you choose, I will always be here for you. There is nothing you could say or do that can change that." He said softly holding her in his arms.

There was a knock on the door and they broke apart.

"Who is it?" Sage called.

"It's me, Justin and Mateo. We brought you dinner."

"Oh, come in."

They heard the door open, then Mateo ran up the stairs to Sage's bed. Sage hugged him and begin talking to him in Spanish. As Ty came up the stairs he saw Lance and his smile fell a little. Lance put an arm around Sage and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'll let you eat, come on Mateo, I want to play soccer." Lance said taking Mateo's hand and leading him out of the room.