Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty or any of its characters.
A/N: This story is based off of the events of the season finale (such a great episode)!!! I hope you guys like the story...I have a feeling its going to be kind of long, but first I need to know what you all think of it (hint-hint).
Betty pulled Justin's covers up around his neck, letting out a deep sigh. She closed his door behind him and slumped down the wall in defeat. She couldn't believe Santos was really gone.
Justin had surprisingly taken it better than she thought. Hilda had tried to hold it together after Justin's play was over, but she had fallen apart again. It was so horrible- that Santos was taken away from them just as they were finally becoming a family. Life was so cruel sometimes.
She wiped at her tear-streaked face and walked downstairs. Her heart ached at the sight of Hilda curled up on the couch, clutching a picture of Santos to her heart.
She sighed once more, trying to compose herself. She placed the blanket over her sister and kissed her forehead. Betty wished there was something she could do to ease the pain her sister was feeling. She knew there would be hard times ahead, but hoped they could get through them as a family.
A vibrating sound caught her attention and interrupted her thoughts. After a second she realized it was her cell phone. She rummaged through her purse and flipped it open before it stopped.
"Hello?" she answered quietly, going into the kitchen. "Hello. Am I speaking to Betty Suarez?" the unfamiliar voice asked on the other end.
"Umm…yes. May I as who's speaking?" she cleared her voice. "This is Dr. Samantha James at Memorial Hospital…I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid Daniel and Alexis Meade were involved in a car crash earlier this evening. I realize you aren't next of kin, but your number appeared quite frequently in his phone and I'm having trouble reaching his father," Betty held on to the wall for support as she felt her legs go weak.
Why was all this happening? Why now? "Hello? Ms. Suarez?" Betty clutched the phone and brought it to her ear. "Yes. I'm here…I- I'll be right there."
Betty hated hospitals. For as long as she could remember, they just gave her the creeps. She made her way to the fifth floor ICU and stepped off the elevator, not allowing herself to become immersed in the all-too-familiar smell that reminded her of when her mother died.
"Excuse me," Betty reached the nurses' station, "Dr. James called me…regarding Daniel Meade. He was-" Someone touched her shoulder, "Betty Suarez?" a tall African-American woman asked. "I'm Dr. James. May I ask how you know him?"
"I'm his assistant. We-we're friends," she answered.
"Alright…come with me please," Dr. James led her down the hall.
"Daniel and Alexis were brought into the ER a few hours ago. The car she was driving hit a tree and ended up in a ditch. Alexis had considerable swelling around her brain and she's in surgery right now," Dr. James began.
"And-and Daniel?" Betty's small voice questioned nervously. "Daniel sustained a mild concussion and fractured one of his vertebrae. We had to perform emergency surgery to repair the damage on his spine. We won't know what effect the surgery will have on his lower motor function until he wakes up. He also had a considerable amount of drugs and alcohol in his system- close to a fatal amount. He's very lucky to be alive," she explained, glancing down at her pager as it went off.
"He's still unconscious but he may respond to a familiar voice. I've got to check on this page but I'll be back as soon as I can," she told her, retreating down the hall.
Betty slowly opened his hospital door, the incessant beeping of the heart monitor the only sound in the room. Tears filled her eyes at the sight. The closer she got to his bed, the more apparent his scars became. He looked so fragile, lying there with tubes and wires running everywhere.
"Oh Daniel," she took his bruised hand and held it in her own. "How'd things get so bad so quickly?" she asked while tears streamed down her cheeks. "Santos is dead, Henry left…and now you're..." Betty didn't have the strength to finish. "Can you hear me? Please wake up. You have to wake up."
Betty returned home very early the next morning. Hilda and Justin were in the same place she had left them, thank God. She sighed deeply, treading up the stairs to her bedroom.
She removed her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes, glancing at herself in the mirror. She couldn't get the last conversation she'd had with Daniel out of her mind.
"Oh my… Daniel! What were you thinking?"
"I don't know. But at least I'm not having sex to erase my problems anymore…"
"No, you're taking drugs!" Betty yelled, crossing her arms.
"I know…you're disappointed in me," Daniel sighed, averting his gaze to the floor.
"I'm so past disappointed, Daniel," she turned on her heel, leaving his office.
He needed her help…and she'd yelled at him. Now she wasn't sure if she'd have a chance to apologize. Betty pulled her hair back and lay down to cry, finally allowing the day's events to take their toll on her.
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