She woke up abruptly, drenched in sweat, her recent nightmare still pounding in her head.

Howie.

Initially the only thought that got through to Dana’s mind was that her brother was in hospital, but ever so surely the more precise details of the previous night returned, and she was able to put together the pieces once more.

She remembered walking into the hospital room, seeing Howie smile weakly at her from behind all the tubes and machines. She remembered feeling helpless when she saw how frail her brother looked. She remembered Alice holding her waist, supporting her as they sat around Howie, trying to understand how such an awful thing could happen to such a wonderful boy.

Alice.

Dana quickly twisted her head to look around the room, suddenly aware she wasn’t in her own house. Her eyes scanned the place for any sign of Alice but to no avail. She had begun to get out of the double bed she had been sleeping in when a door at the far end of the room opened to reveal a silhouette of a skinny woman entering.

“Dana are you alright? I heard you yell out.” Shane’s familiar voice echoed into the room as she walked over and sat on the edge of Dana’s bed, a glass of water for Dana in hand.

“I yelled out?”

“Yeah,” Shane replied softly, handing the drink over to the brunette before placing the hand on her friend’s back. “Pretty loudly too. How are you feeling?”

“A little dazed. And tired.” The thought of Alice rang through her head again. “Where’s Alice?”

“She’s gone to your parents place to try and find them,” Shane explained. “They still haven’t been able to get in contact with them. She dropped you off here about three or four hours ago, wanting you to get a good night’s sleep.”

“And Howie?”

“Howie’s in a stable condition Dane,” Shane informed her, smiling at her in an effort to lighten the situation. “He’s fully conscious but there are still a few things that the doctors need to look over.”

Shane was lying but she only hoped that she was lying successfully for Dana’s sake. When Alice had driven a sleeping Dana to Shane’s place, she had informed her that Howie’s condition was not alright. That even though Howie was awake, there were still other problems. Namely the fact that Howie couldn’t feel his legs. But this had all been said in a matter of confidence, with Alice stressing that she’d like to be the one to break the news to Dana. Looking over at her fragile face now, Shane was secretly glad she didn’t have to explain the situation herself.