The first thing she thought about was how dry her mouth was and she coughed before opening her eyes. She blinked a couple times before her eyes completely focused but she felt so groggy and it took her a few moments before she started to move her limbs and look around.

         Her arms felt heavy and a strangled cry left her lips as she attempted to move them, the strain on her muscles too painful. Instead, she moved her head and looked around the room; it was plainly obvious she was in a hospital.

           She tried to recall why she was there but she couldn't remember. But she was hit with the recollection of fear, not for herself, but for Michael, her twin. It was a nerve-wracking fear, one that flooded her body with adrenaline and made her heart pump abnormally fast as a scream attempted to leave her dry throat but couldn't.

Her heart was beating abnormally fast and the alarms on the machines went off. Suddenly, the door to her room flew open and several nurses came in. One of them she recognized was Elizabeth; shock covered her face while she quickly made her way to the teenager's side.

"Hey, Brynn. I need you to calm down, okay? Take deep breaths," Elizabeth instructed while Brynn struggled to breath. She felt like she couldn't breath, she felt like her heart was thundering in her chest and disrupting her lungs, she felt her fear paralyze her.

But Brynn kept practicing the deep breaths that Elizabeth was doing with her. Finally, she calmed down and her heart went back to a normal rhythm.

"Good job, Brynn," Elizabeth smiled. "Now, we're just going to run some tests and we need you to stay calm."

Brynn looked at the other nurses or maybe they were interns. They looked amazed at her like she was some holy miracle. It made her wonder how long she had been in the hospital.

"Okay," she muttered.

_________

She didn't how long it had been since she had awoken. She took many tests and she, finally, met the doctor, Patrick Drake. It felt like it had been hours and she questioned how much water could fit inside her stomach because she gulped down every single cup she was given. Her throat was bone dry but she was starting to feel more and more hydrated.

"Every test has come back clear," Dr. Drake stated. "You're sure you're not feeling any pain?"

She shook her head. The only pain she felt was in her heart. All her memories had come back. Tears came to her eyes as Patrick questioned, "Do you remember anything before you woke up? What brought you here?"

"Michael," she answered and she started to cry as she remembered. The echo of the gunshot in her ears and how her twin collapsed moments before her world went dark. "Is he...dead?"

"No," Patrick immediately shook his head. "He's in a coma like you were."

But the tears kept falling down her cheeks, this time out of relief. Her hand came up to touch the scar on the side of her head. The scar that she would have for the rest of her life. The bullet that went through her brother's head only scraped the side of hers. She was lucky, they said, but she would gladly take his place if she could and rot in a coma for much longer. She was nothing without her other half.

Suddenly, the door to her hospital room opened and her mother, Carly, was standing there. Her mother covered her mouth with her hand, "You're really back."

             Before she could even comprehend, her mother was across the room and wrapping her in a hug. Brynn hugged her softly; she always had a gentle touch. "I'm okay, Mom."

               Her mother pulled away but put her hands on the sides of her cheeks, one hand tracing the scar. Her mother frowned, with more tears filling her eyes, at the red line that receded back into her hair.

             She pushed her mother's hand away, not liking the attention on the little flaw. "I said I'm okay," she turned her head away from her mother, moving her hair from behind her ear and letting it cover the scar as her blonde hair fell around her face like a curtain.

"I'll give you two a moment," Dr. Drake said before stepping out of the room.

"Where's Dad?" Brynn questioned.

"He's on his way, baby. I just arrived first," Carly said before smiling slightly. "I can't tell you how many traffic laws I broke getting here."

Brynn smiled slightly too before frowning, "Mom, how long was I in a coma for?"

"About three months. I kept hoping and praying you'd wake up..." Carly grabbed her hand. "...and now you have."

The door opened suddenly again revealing her father, Sonny, and her uncle, Jason. Her father walked slowly towards her like he was seeing a ghost and a silent sob left his lips before he smiled.

            "Dad," she smiled, her lips wobbling because of Michael, because of the shooting.

He wrapped her in a hug and she held onto him tightly. She had always been her father's little girl and nothing made her feel as safe and comforted than her father.

She sobbed into his chest finally letting her walls down. She'd always been honest and open with him finding him easier to talk to than her mother.

   "It's okay. You're okay now," he soothed her by rubbing her head.

She eventually calmed down and she let go of him. Her lips still wobbled and she couldn't look anyone in the eyes until her mother grabbed her hand, "Sweetheart, it's okay. We're all here for you."

She bit her lip, "I know."

            But she wished she had Michael. She wouldn't know what to do without him. They weren't even supposed to breathe without breathing in the same room as each other. But she'd have to go quite a long while without her other half; she'd have to learn to breathe on her own.