After two months spent in a coma, Alystelle finally woke up.

Vivid cerulean gaze flitted from one location to the next; her mind cataloging and processing every piece of furniture, the color of the walls and carpet, the small Christmas tree in the corner of the room, the sound of the ventilator and cardiac monitor next to her bed, the smell of antiseptic. Confusion changed to panic as it all registered, as she realized where she was.

Then she remembered why.

Alys scrambled up into a sitting position as quickly as she could, which was not all that quick due to her weakness. Fortunately, she had excellent care during her period of unconsciousness and the physical therapist came every day to perform range of motion exercises to prevent muscular atrophy and damage to her joints. Still, she was not nearly so strong as she may have thought. Fed through the naso-gastric that was inserted into her left nostril and taped down, she had been given all of the nutrients her body needed to maintain function but her energy level was not optimum. It was because of all of this, that Alys found herself struggling to perform the most basic of actions.

This wouldn't stop her, however, as panic was an excellent motivator.

She began frantically pulling at the blue ventilator tubing that had been inserted into her throat via her mouth. Gagging and choking, she still continued, setting off the alarms in the process. The cardiac monitor began to beep it's high pitched alarm as her pulse raced past the one hundred beats per minute setting that indicated she was in tachycardia.

Muffled screams spilled past the tubes in her throat as the terror of imagined suffocation and memories of so much worse combined to leave the girl violently shaking in her hysteria. Her mind was a mass of chaos, driving her to try to free herself before something horrifying happened again.

Several nurses rushed into the room and began to try to calm the hysterical Alystelle before she harmed herself. One of the nurses whom had been on duty two months earlier when she was brought into the ICU, gently held Alys' hand and leaned over to whisper soothingly. The wild eyed young woman calmed just enough that she was no longer jerking around as another nurse injected a sedative into her IV. Mere minutes later, as Alys closed her troubled eyes, tears leaked from the corners to trail past her temples and moisten her honey blond hair. She couldn't vocalize her fears or her pain. She couldn't beg the soft-spoken nurse not to leave her alone. She couldn't even resist as the padded restraints were being applied to her wrists to secure them to her hospital bed.

Thus, Alystelle found herself just as helpless upon waking from the coma as she had been prior to the darkness of it overtaking her two months earlier.

The months since that fateful day were chaotic; a whirlwind of activity and questioning and attempting to retain a regular school schedule as well as interviews with colleges and their representatives. So far none had backed out or expressed much concern over recent events, and Danny was unsure how he felt about that. Though through it all, his concern remained on Alys' condition. News had been she had been in a coma and it was likely he was persona non grata, and though he burned at the idea he was the one who might be kept away while her monster of a father could see her, he followed the advice of his family to stay away for now, and to receive the updates from William when possible.

Regardless, it was frustrating to no end for the young man, who only wanted to make sure she was doing well and on the road to recovery; to give words of encouragement and inspire a feeling of safety. Even if she wasn't awake, he had heard people listen in their sleep and that she may hear him regardless. But so much got in the way, so much that he felt wasn't nearly important as this visit.

He had long since plotted a way to see her, and when the rumors and whispers carried through the grapevine that she had woken from her long coma earlier that day, Danny knew now was the time to put his plan into action. Late that night, about an hour before midnight and well past visiting hours, Danny made the long drive from his farmhouse to the hospital. With his black Iowa Hawkeyes hoodie on, the hood pulled over his head to slightly conceal his face, he carefully made his way through the front door. Knowing he couldn't just go up and ask which room she was in, he was able to angle himself enough to see a room listing as he peered over the receptionist's shoulder at the computer screen. Unsure of if there would be any police stationed in her door like he'd seen in the movies, he was sure to use the stairs in case a hasty retreat was in order; but he was in luck, as the hallways were empty except for a few visitors and nurses. As he made his way toward Alys' room, one nurse made eye contact with him and he almost froze. His brows upturned as a silent plea was spoken through a hopeful smile, his head nodding toward the entrance of the young girl's room. The nurse seemed to know his intentions, and maybe that Alys needed a friendly face, and smiled and waved him through.

As Danny tentatively made his way toward the bed, he could feel his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. It had felt like such a long time since he saw her, and though she looked better than the last time he saw her, she was still so much different from how he saw her in his mind's eye. It both saddened and enraged him that she was here like this... she didn't deserve it. How that monster could do that to him, he would never understand. When he reached the bed, he saw her eyes closed, and only the smallest rise and fall of the covers over her chest as he hoped she was sleeping peacefully and without nightmares. One hand covered hers, his fingers sliding underneath her palm to take a gentle hold; the other brushing hair from her face as he leaned to kiss her forehead before whispering, "I'm so sorry I didn't see you sooner. I hope you get better soon. I miss you, Alys. I'm sorry this happened in the first place, but I promise it won't again."

And there he remained, forest green eyes watching her face while his thumb stroked along the outside of her hand. He had lost all sense of time until the nurse was at the door and cleared her throat, drawing his attention. Danny broke from his reverie, blinking before nodding, understanding the nurse's unspoken command to leave. With one last squeeze of a hand and kiss to her cheek he withdrew, then reaching into the pouch of his hoodie to place a small yearbook photo with a note written to her on the bedside stand. After a large intake of breath, Danny stepped toward the door, giving another smile to the nurse with a quiet "Thank you." The nurse patted him on the shoulder before walking toward Alys for her hourly checkup. Danny made the long, painful walk back outside, before beginning the longer drive home.