The first sound Hannah heard reminded her of before her parents bought their first new car. It was like that radio that didn't usually work, that only produced static and buzzing unless it was a particularly good day. But then the static started to clear up, and she realized that she was hearing two voices.

"What were you supposed to do? It's not like you could have stopped her," one of the voices said. Hannah recognized Stephen's voice immediately, though she wasn't sure who or what he was referring to.

"But it's my fault she's in here," came the second voice, and Hannah's ears practically sang at the familiarity of his voice. Her instincts started screaming that the words were all wrong; that she needed to do something to change them. But she couldn't even find her eyes to open them, let alone her voice. The blackness was preventing her from correcting him. "It's completely my fault. I should've...should've done...something...I shouldn't have let her..." His voice was shaky, like he was about to cry, which only added to Hannah's anxiety.

"Austin, stop it. Beating yourself up won't change anything." Hannah wanted to hug Stephen for that.

Something changed, and Hannah felt a pressure against her whole body. It took her a moment to realize that the pressure was gravity. She felt her eyelids twitch, and just as she started to be grateful that she was gaining control of her body, she felt the pain. Her first, irrational thought was that an elephant had trampled her. What else could cause this much pain?

Then she remembered what had happened--the screeching brakes, the flashing lights, the sudden jolt--and realized why her whole body was aching. She'd been hit by a car. She'd been hit by the car that was aiming at him. Suddenly, the relief overshadowed the pain. He was safe. And Hannah was the one lying in what must be a hospital bed, wincing in pain. She shouldn't have been as happy as she suddenly was in that moment--for all she knew, she'd died and was about to start moving towards a light--but she couldn't bring herself to feel any other emotion.

Hannah struggled for control of her body, and finally her eyes flew open. She looked to her right, moving her head as little as possible. Austin was sitting in a chair, with his head in his hands, and Stephen was standing in front of him, looking at his brother. They were still talking in muted voices.

The pain in Hannah's chest threatened to overwhelm her but she forced the words out of her mouth anyway. "...not your fault," she gasped. They both looked over at her.

Austin was the first one to Hannah's side. "Hannah! Thank god! How are you feeling?" His voice sounded even better now that Hannah was conscious.

She ignored his question and took a deep breath, wincing as her ribs protested, right along with her chest. "Austin." She said his name firmly. "It's not your fault."

Austin frowned, confused, but Hannah was already slipping away. She heard him say her name, and then the black consumed her once again.