I slammed a pillow over my head, even with hardcore rock blasting, I could still hear Vanessa's screams. It was non-stop. It was worse when it switched from fierce yells to pain-filled cries. Those were the worst. Those made you feel like curling into a ball and crying with her. I desperately wished that I could take the pain away, but I couldn't. Somehow I finally managed to shut my brain off long enough to doze enough.

I startled awake and reached for my phone. 1:45. That's when I noticed it. Vanessa had stopped screaming. We all rushed to the hallway and glanced at each other, before racing downstairs. Vanessa's mom was crying and Aiden sagged against the couch. I was getting ready to cry out, thinking the worst, When I heard it.

Ba-da..... Ba-da... Ba-dum... Ba-dum... Ba-dum. Her heartbeat was steadily getting stronger. Dylan and I fell to our knees in relief, the girls started crying, and the guys let out the breath that they had all been holding. It was like an immense weight had been lifted. Later that night, we had all calmed down a bit, as Vanessa's mom went to make us all tea. We waited as patiently as we could for Vanessa to wake. It felt like we had waited for an ion when her eyes flew open.