No Escape

Breaking Point

"Excuse me. Who here is Emily?"

The brunette immediately stood. "How is she? How's Alison?"

The doctor eyed her. "Are you her girlfriend?" There was no judgment in the question. They probably occasionally saw gay couples in the ER, and they weren't suprised anymore. It took Emily a while to respond, and she wondered why she was even unsure. She'd pushed Ali away before the blonde had run off. She was partly to blame for all that's happened.

The doctor must have thought Emily was hesitating because she was embarrassed. "The medics said Ms. DiLaurentis was calling your name on the way over the hospital."

Emily lifted her shoulders and let the fall limply. "I'm not."

The doctor nodded. He motioned for the other girls so they would listen in. "I can't disclose information to non-family members, but I can tell you that Ms. DiLaurentis is going to be ok. She has been sedated and will be on a constant dosage of sedatives until tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, it's past visiting hours and only family members and life partners are allowed inside their rooms outside of that time. You will have to come back in the morning to check up on her."

Emily's eyebrows furrowed. So that was why she was asked if she was the girlfriend. She pursed her lips as she saw the other girls move sluggishly to retrieve their things.

"I hate that hospital rule," Hanna muttered, slipping her jacket on.

"It's to keep the patients safe. At this point, Ali needs that. -A failed to-" Spencer stopped, her eyes settling on Emily who was still looking at the space where the doctor had been.

The three girls exchanged uncertain glances, before Aria chose to be the one to speak for the rest. "Emily? We should go. We'll come back in the morning."

Emily was silent for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No. No, I'll-" She turned towards them, and she felt like she was about to collapse in her own feet but forced herself not to. "I'll wait for visiting hours." Her head turned to look at the door of the room that Ali had been assigned to. She wanted to sneak in, wait by the bedside for Alison to wake up. It was the least she could do. And after tonight, Emily didn't think she had enough in her to keep Alison at arm's length.

Hanna sighed. "Em-"

But it was Spencer who cut off her next comment. "Then, we'll wait with you."

Emily looked like she was about to argue, but then she only nodded, appreciating the support. Before that night, all Aria, Hanna and Spencer knew was that Emily and Alison were trying to sort through their feelings. But then, Emily started going out with Paige again. It was becoming a little clearer to them why she'd made that decision.

It was Aria who stepped forward to offer Emily a hug, and she accepted it gratefully. Emily was tired. She was so tired. She watched Alison getting hung that night. She didn't think she would be able to sleep while that image of Ali was fresh on her mind. She closed her eyes, and she felt two extra pairs of arms surround Aria and her, and she finally let the first few tears slip through.

"She's going to be all right, Emily."

~~~~~~~~~~

She felt someone shaking her shoulder, and she sat bolt upright. She fell asleep. She must have been more tired than she thought she was, thinking she would be able to stay up all night waiting. The rest of the girls were still asleep, but the doctor was already saying that Ali was awake. I was up and walking towards her room in a few seconds, ignoring anything else the doctor was about to say. He should wake the others up. Emily needed to see Ali.

When she entered the room, Ali was sitting up, a neck brace around her head, but she was trying her best to look out the window. She was deep in thought, Emily assumed, and the door closing behind the brunette was what made Ali look away from the morning sky. Emily felt something in her constrict at the blank stare Ali gave her. The last time Ali had looked at her, she had looked at Emily with love.