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The Ties that Bind	By : Lady_Kae Category: +M through R > Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Views: 2280 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters used from the game Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. All characters and game related material, plus any lyrics, save for original content is property of their respective owners and no money is being made from this

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
Book II: Bond
Chapter 8: Like Sands Through the Hourglass

A Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Fanfiction

Sean was leaning against the window as he drank deeply from the snifter of cognac he had poured and he heard movement behind him. “ What is it Martin?” he said softly. He was visiting his family in Albany for the holiday weekend and Sean wiped a few tears from his eyes.
“ This is the second night in a row you’ve tried to drink yourself into a stupor, Sean. What’s going on?” Martin asked.
“ You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Marty.” Sean knocked back the rest of the contents and he began walking towards the kitchen. He needed a glass of milk after that.
“ Try me.” Martin retorted, grabbing his brother’s arm in order to turn him around. He was beyond shocked to see tears in his eyes. It had over a year since Andi had broken up with Sean. “ Sean, what’s going on?”
“ Andi’s crying herself to sleep, Martin. I don’t know how, but the two of us had always had an uncanny bond. This’ll happen maybe once or twice every couple of weeks, but I think Andi’s really feeling it with Christmas right around the corner.” Sean whispered, pouring a tall glass of milk to chase the alcohol he had been drinking. Hell, if there was a bottle of Bailey’s in the house, he’d be drinking that with the milk instead. Andi’s favorite holiday was Christmas, she had taken such great relish in decorating the apartment the last few years and Sean had missed it this year. Hence why he was visiting his parents instead of staying home. The apartment was much too empty now without Andi there. Add to the fact that he had taken her virginity only a few days before the cold holy day, and you had yourself the perfect stew of melancholy to drown in. “ That’s why I’m not sleeping. I can’t sleep knowing she’s feeling like this, knowing there’s nothing I can do to help ease the pain she’s in. I want to call her, I need to hear her voice, hell I want nothing more than to just hold her in my arms again Martin. I still love her and I can’t give up on her.”
Martin shook his head as he clapped his brother’s shoulder in understanding. “ You’re willing to wait on her? Are you sure it’s worth it?”
“ Love is always worth it. I’m just giving Andi the space she needs until she’s ready. She’ll tell me when she’s ready.” Sean replied, belief flooding him. He knew Andi would come to him when she was prepared to tell him what had gone wrong. And Sean would be waiting. He had waited the last year after all.

Andi wiped her tears away as a hand settled on her shoulder. " Why are you still haunting me?"
Amara sighed sadly and she took a seat beside Andi on the granny's nook. This was almost like Gascon's favorite reading spot in the library at the palace in Cygnus. " Andi, everything isn't as it seems. This is..." Amara paused as she thought over the best way to talk to Andi about this. " The world you have been living in is nothing short of a dream, Andi. Please allow me to explain before you interrupt me. I don't know how long I have here." Amara shifted her weight; which was difficult with as round as her belly was, as the other woman turned to face her and she gently took Andi's hands in her own. " My name is Amara Moritan, the princess of Evesta. My husband and I were making our way home when we were ambushed by an old enemy and to make a long story short, we were incapacitated when a foe we had not been expecting used a spell called Soul Rend on Gascon. The spell severs the soul from the body, but does not kill the afflicted person, or in our case, persons. I suffered the same fate as my husband due to the bond we share."
" What kind of bond?" Andi asked, her eyes narrowed a little in thought.
" My husband and I, Gascon and I, are linked at the heart and soul. I feel what he feels, I know what emotions are coursing through him...It took a while to get used to, admittedly, and I miss it greatly."
" What does this have to do with me then?" Andi asked pointedly.
" Both you and Sean are the missing pieces of Gascon and I, Andi. You both are our souls. We've been trying to reach through to you for the last five months alone."
" It's been over three years since Sean and I met, Amara." Andi snapped. She turned away from the other woman to stare out the window. A light snow was falling over New York City and the cold weather made the steel plate in her leg hurt. She had been doing wonderfully with her physical therapy, and had full use of her left arm again, but getting her leg back up to snuff was proving to be a challenge. It didn't keep Andi from attending her classes however, or tripling up on them so she could drown the pain she felt from Sean's absence in her life. The pain she had caused herself when she had let him go last year in October.
" For you, yes. Haven't you noticed gaps in your memory, or odd occurrences when it feels as if you are the only thing that is truly alive?" Amara asked her. Her hands had come to rest on Andi's shoulders and she felt the young woman tense almost immediately. " I thought as much."
" That still doesn't explai..." Andi began, only to quiet when she heard footsteps from the hall.
Slowly, the door opened and Adrian poked his head in, only to scowl a little at the sight Andi made. " Andi? Cousin, what are you still doing up?" Adrian asked softly.
" I can't sleep." Andi whispered. Sure enough, Amara had disappeared when Adrian had made his presence known. She leaned against him as he sat behind her and Adrian wrapped a comforting arm around her.
" You need to talk to him about it, Andi. Even if you two never get back together, he deserves to know." Adrian was one of two people Andi had confided in about what had led to her breaking things off with Sean. The other was Liam O'Brien, one of Andi's best friends and a fellow student at Harvard, though he was looking to become a surgeon instead.
" I'm so scared to, Adrian. I still love him. Even though it's been a year now, I can't get him out of my heart." Andi sobbed, gripping the arm around her tightly as she struggled to regain her composure. " I just want everything to go back to the way it was before. I wish that accident had never happened."
Adrian could only hold her as she cried. It was breaking his heart to see his favorite cousin in such a deep depression, but there was nothing for it. It was something she had to work through on her own.
Andi's sobs finally settled into sniffles and she grabbed her cane so that she could go back to her room. " I'm going to head back to bed." she stated softly. She winced as she settled weight on her bad leg and Adrian took her free hand in his. " I can get there. I was just sitting in one position too long." She also needed to mull over everything Amara had told her. Andi wasn't too sure if she believed her or not. I feel what he feels...Andi recalled. That would explain the uncanny way Sean and I knew how each other was feeling, or when we...Her thoughts trailed as Adrian began speaking to her again and Andi looked over her shoulder to him.
" If you're sure Andi. I'll see you in the morning." Adrian replied.
Andi nodded and silently disappeared into the darkness as he watched her. This was the last straw, Adrian speculated as he began making his way to his own guest room. He was going to find a way to get Sean and Andi into the same room.

Terrance Finlay was humming to himself when a knock echoed through his office. “ Send Sean in, Lucy.” he said absently. He was in the midst of reading something over and his attention was very much divided at the moment.
“ Morning Terrance.” Sean said chipperly as he walked into the room.
“ More like afternoon, lad, but none the less, same to you as well. Just take a seat. I’ll be ready to leave here presently and we’ll talk then. I just need to finish reading this over.” Terrance replied.
Sean chuckled a little as he took the offered seat and he pulled out his cell phone. He had just gotten a text from his dad and he quickly sent back a reply. “ Peter asked me the next time I saw you to tell you hello.” He had barely seen Andi’s father for more than a few moments when Peter had gone to Steelhog to visit Victor last week.
“ Ah, how is Peter doing, and young Andrea for the matter?” Terrance asked.
Sean’s face fell a little at the mention of Andi. “ I honestly wouldn’t know about how Andi’s doing other than what Adrian’s told me. She broke it off with me eighteen months ago.” Sean’s voice alone spoke volumes of how much he missed Andi. And he did too.
The last year and a half had been nothing short of miserable for Sean, who had quickly needed to adjust not seeing Andi on a daily basis, and in an effort to drown the pain he was feeling with her now seemingly permanent absence from his life, Sean applied all his energy and effort into his schoolwork. Not that it had taken much more for him to get his degree however. Thanks to all the courses he had taken at Fordham, Sean had graduated just that summer.
Terrance’s brow furrowed at this news. He was really out of touch with both Victor and Peter to have not heard that tidbit. “ Why did she break it off with you lad? I thought things were going swimmingly between the two of you?” Terrance laid the business proposal on his desk. He was getting derailed from his train of thought as he kept talking to Sean. Making a resolution to read over it again once he returned from lunch with Sean, Terrance stood up and grabbed his coat. “ We may as well leave, Sean. I daresay I’m getting much too distracted for my own good with you here.” he chuckled.
Sean couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his face as he stood as well, though it left his face as he and Terrance began walking from the man’s office towards the parking garage. “ As for why, even I don’t know. You remember hearing about the accident she got into, right?”
Terrance nodded, though his green eyes were narrowed. “ I do remember that.” Terrance replied.
“ Andi broke it off with me just after she woke up. I don’t really know what was going through her mind at the time, but I promised her I would give her the space she needed to get herself together.” Sean said sadly. His brown eyes were a bit wet as he recalled that night. In fact, he had broken his hand when he had put it through the wall.
Terrance shook his head and he and Sean climbed into the back of his car. “ The usual place, Philip, if you could please.” Terrance asked his chauffeur.
“ At once, Mr. Finlay. And a good afternoon to you Mr. Morrison.” Philip said genteelly. He smiled a bit as Sean gave him a silent wave in greeting as well.
“ Permit me to say this lad, but it’s been nearly two years and you still don’t know why Andrea called it off between the two of you? You’ve been much more than patient in my estimation. You deserve more than anyone else to know why she called off your engagement. Andrea owes you that much at least.”
Sean looked much too pensive as he mulled over Terrance’s words. Well, he was in Boston after all. Maybe he would make a stop over at Brigham and Women’s then. Maybe, just maybe, he could convince Andi to join him for supper tonight, if just to talk things over. It didn’t have to be a date, Sean just had to know why.

Andi sneezed a little as she looked over the chart of her patient.
“ Are you okay Dr. Demmers?” came the sweet voice of the little girl in front of her. She couldn’t be any older than seven and she had bright blue eyes that made Andi think of Mitchell. She hadn’t thought about him in so long.
No, not Mitchell...She looks like a miniature version Sean, but with my eyes. Andi thought morosely. “ I’m just fine...Genevieve.” Andi replied as she looked at the chart to get her patient’s name again. “ Did you know that you sneeze when someone you care about it talking about you?” Andi giggled as she got face level with the girl. “ Well, something tells me that someone I care about is talking about me. It could be my parents, my cousins, my aunts or uncles even…”
Genevieve giggled in turn. “ What about your boyfriend?” she teased.
Andi shook her head. “ I don’t have a boyfriend, sweetie. Now, let me take a look at that arm.” she said with a little bit of melancholy, though she was smiling at the same time.

Sean swallowed a bit thickly as he walked up to the nurses station in the emergency room. “ Excuse me, is Andrea Demmers on call at the moment?” he asked nervously.
The receptionist straightened her glasses and looked up at Sean curiously. “ Andi? Yeah, she’s here. I think she’s a bit busy at the moment. Let me page her.” the woman said, though her boston accent was very thick. And here Sean thought New Yorkers were bad with the way they spoke. They had nothing on the natives that had been born and raised in this city. She soon reached for the phone and she smirked when she looked back to Sean. “ Hey Andi, there’s some smokin’ hot dish here at reception here to see you. No, no name hun, but let me tell you, you’re going to want to see him yourself. Like I said...Grrrrrrrr…” She growled playfully into the receiver and then winked playfully to Sean once more. “ Alright hun. We’ll see ya in a minute.”
Sean chuckled a little at her antics. “ Thank you, ma’am.” he said.
“ Think nothing of it Mr. Morrison.” she replied as she gave Sean another flirtatious wink.
Sean’s brow furrowed as he heard the doors open. He didn’t recall giving her his name, and yet she knew him? In New York, that would be common. The Morrison’s were a very well known family in New York City alone. His worries were quickly forgotten as he looked up and a pair of red scrubs came into view. Andi loved the way she looked in that shade of red; so did Sean for that matter, and she looked around curiously, her blue eyes scanning the area for who could be here.
“ Andi?” Sean called out to her hopefully. His brown eyes were taking her in. By the stars in heaven, she had only grown more beautiful in the year and a half that he hadn’t seen her. Her long brown locks were braided down her back, and she had taken to wearing her glasses again.
Andi’s eyes went wide as they fell on Sean, though she realized he was in a business suit. Why had he stopped here of all places? Her chest grew tight as she looked at him and tears filled her eyes. “ What are you doing here Sean?” she said, though a bit harsher than she intended as he drew close to her.
“ I need to talk to you, Andi…” Sean said softly. He was resisting the urge to sweep in and kiss her after not having looked at her in so long. His brown eyes were alight as they swept over her face again. By Jove, had it only been eighteen months since he had seen her? It felt as if it had been much longer than that.
" I thought I said everything I needed to say when I called off our engagement." Andi snapped. All the heartache that she tried to keep under lock and key was coming to the fore the longer she looked at him. Not to mention the longing she felt resonating within her for his touch and kisses. She began stalking towards the doors to go outside. It wouldn't do to cause a scene in the lobby after all.
" You never gave me a reason why Andi." Sean snapped back as he strode behind her strongly. Where she was leading them to, he didn't care. One way or another he was going to get the air cleared.
" Trust me, there is a reason Sean." Andi said thickly. Just thinking about it was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She came to a stop at a table nestled out of the way. At least here they would have some modicum of privacy.
" Then tell me. I've been in the dark for nearly two years Andi. I deserve to know if I did something wrong, or if the distance just grew to be too much for you to bear. I have to know Andi..." Sean finished with his voice just barely a whisper and he stared at Andi's back. His left hand settled on her shoulder and Andi chanced looking at it.
By the gods, he was wearing his claddagh ring again. He had moved on...
Tears came unbidden down Andi's cheeks at the sight. Knowing that he had someone else in his life now, knowing that that woman was probably wearing the very ring she had adorned for two of the happiest years of her life cut Andi deep to her heart. " Why do you care Sean?" She finally said scornfully.
" Of course I care Andi..." he began, turning her to face him. He had never been able to move on because he still cared for her after all. " I still love you."
Andi shook herself free of Sean's grasp and her hand flew out to smack him across the face. Sean stood frozen as if shocked and his hand came up to gingerly touch his now stinging cheek. That had been the first time she had ever struck him like that. " How dare you tell me that." She seethed. More tears were flowing down her cheeks unchecked and she rose her hand to smack him again for his audacity.
Sean caught it this time before it could connect and he pulled Andi tight against him. If she was going to smack him, he was going to give her a good reason for it. Without missing a beat, Sean's lips crashed against Andi's, and his eyes closed almost instantly at the feeling that overcame him with the simple contact.
" Oh my stars and garters!" Came a man's voice, but with an extremely feminine lilt. " Andi, how the hell do you get that lucky!"
Andi shoved Sean away hard and this time her hand connected with his cheek once more. His head snapped to the side from the force of it and he looked at Andi with tears shimmering in his chocolate colored orbs.
" How dare you." She hissed, though she was crying at the same time. " How dare you tell me that. Liam...I'll be back inside in a moment."
" Why shouldn't I tell you that, Andi?! It's nothing but the God's honest truth." Sean countered.
" Is she nothing more than a bed warmer to you then, Sean?!" Andi spat maliciously. She needed to get away from him before she got arrested for assault, Andi was so tempted to kick his ass right now.
" What the hell are you talking about, Andi?!" Sean cried in exasperation.
" You're wearing your claddagh ring again, Sean." Andi whispered softly. It was obvious the thought of him with someone else hurt her deeply.
Liam, who had been standing on the sidelines forgotten, sighed a little wistfully. Why couldn't something like this ever happen to him?
Sean chuckled a little ruefully when he realized what it was Andi was thinking. " Andi, sweetheart...I never took it off to begin with." Sean replied gently. " You ruined me for anyone else with as much as I still love you. Now, will you please tell me why you broke it off with me?"
Andi looked at Sean as if he had grown a second head. He had stayed faithful to her all this time? Had never once tried to find comfort in someone else's embrace? More tears began streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head wildly and Andi took off in the other direction back to the hospital. She couldn't take another moment of this.
Sean sat down at the table heavily as his own unshed tears began streaming down his face. The first time he had seen her in eighteen months and he probably ruined it by admitting he still loved her. He could veritably feel Andi's heartbreak inside his own chest, reminding Sean that things would never be the same between them ever again.
" She still loves you." Liam whispered as he took a few tentative steps to sit beside Sean.
" And you know this how?" Sean said, his voice thick and downtrodden.
" Andi and I are gal pals, sug. We met at school and we've become pretty close ever since she broke it off with you. If anyone knows, it's me." Liam replied honestly.
" Did she ever tell you why she called off our engagement?" Sean asked him. He wiped his tears away and stood up. He'd wait at her apartment if he had to.
" It's her place to say, not mine. I'm sorry, but I feel Andi needs to tell you herself. She's never forgiven herself for what happened." Liam's face fell in his newfound melancholy and he laid a gentle hand on Sean's shoulder. " She only has two more hours until she's done for the day. I'm sure you know where she lives right?"
Sean nodded and he took a deep steadying breath. " Just don't tell her that I'll be waiting for her there. I don't want her to be distracted from her work."
Liam nodded. " No problem. I hope everything works out."
Sean ran his hands through his hair nervously. He was thinking the exact same thing.

Sean pulled up to Andi's apartment complex and he killed the engine. Damn, he felt on edge still from what had just happened at the hospital with Andi and he rubbed his tender cheek. It still stung despite the fact that it had been more than an hour and a half since she had slapped him. He exhaled forcefully as he reached for the pack of cigarettes that he had sitting in the center console. Sean didn't smoke often, but with as addled as his nerves were he needed one right about now. He exited the car as he lit up the mentholated cigarette and he took a deep calming drag.
" Yo! Esè! Mind if I bum one til I can get to the store?!" Came a voice from Sean's left.
" Here man, just take the pack. I don't smoke all that often." Sean replied. He turned around to reach back into the car for the little box and Sean recoiled as a meaty thud met his ears. Without warning pain flared from across his back and through his chest. His eyes went wide as he tried to breath again and he coughed hard, sending a blood splatter all over the driver's seat and the dashboard. " What the hell?" He wheezed.
" Courtesy of Feroz, Malico, and the other members of Los Trasgos." The man behind Sean hissed in his ear as he gave the knife in hand a none to gentle shove. It pierced through the front of his chest and Sean stumbled a bit as he attempted to throw the man off. " See you in hell, mother fucker."
Sean slumped against the car again, his brown eyes wide in shock. The scraping of metal on metal met his ears as the tip of the knife left a heavy scratch in the door and Sean looked down at his chest. There was a rapidly growing bloodstain radiating from where he could see the crimson tip. What the hell had he been stabbed with, a long ass kitchen knife or something? His vision began darkening and Sean fumbled to pull his cell phone from his pocket, only to accidentally hit the panic button on his car keys. His knees hit the asphalt and Sean teetered as the sudden blood loss started taking its toll.
Then the darkness came.

Andi nearly doubled over the lavatory sink as unspeakable pain washed over her entire torso and she clutched her heart in sheer agony. What in the hell was going on? The pain vanished almost as quickly as it had come and she panted a bit breathlessly.
Almost instantly her thoughts turned to Sean, and Andi shook it off. He was more than likely on his way back to New York now and out of her life again. " It's for the best, Andi..." she whispered to herself. She didn't have the courage to tell Sean what had happened between them, was too much of a coward to be forthright. He was right though. If anyone deserved to know, it was Sean. It wasn't as if he had come out all this way to get her back.
Andi pulled her cell from her pocket and she looked at it as if it were some alien piece of technology. She hadn't been able to bring herself to delete his number from her contact list, nor the rest of his family's for that matter. They had all been a part of her life for two and a half wonderful years. Andi sighed heavily as she put it back.
She would call him later after she finished her shift, Andi mused resolutely. He did deserve to know after all.

Andi was just preparing to leave when her beeper went off, paging her back to the emergency room. " Damn." She groused as she shoved her bag back into her locker. Duty called, yet again. That meant she would be that much more delayed in calling Sean.

The ambulance was just arriving when Andi made it back to the E.R. and she hurriedly ran over to where the paramedics were unloading the stretcher. A gleaming mahogany handle could be seen even from a distance, as her new patient was face down on the rolling cot, and Andi's breath hitched in her throat. Dear god, he had been stabbed in the back?!
" What's going on here?" She asked as she began walking briskly next to the stretcher.
" Caucasian male, early twenties. Found by the tenants at Cityview." The paramedic began.
Andi's breath hitched in her throat. That was her apartment complex. She quickly dashed around the other side of the stretcher to look at his face and immediately her heart skipped a beat. " Someone get Liam to surgery right now!" Andi ordered even as tears began swimming in her vision. " The patient is Sean Morrison of Mt. Vernon, New York. Is the stab wound the only injury he's suffered?"
" Yeah. How do you know..."
" That's not important right now!" Andi snapped. " Has Liam been paged?!"
" Yes Dr. Demmers!" Came the reply.
" Good." Andi said as they stopped at the prep room to the operating room. She pulled a pair of trauma scissors from her scrubs pocket and set to cutting his shirt away. " Don't you dare die on me, Sean." She hissed.

Palisanther's ears twitched a little as the sound of leaves brushing against the forest floor met his sharp hearing. He lifted his great head and took a tentative sniff, only to growl a little once he recognized the scent. Drummond. The guardian said none too kindly in greeting.
" Your guardianship." The former thief replied as he entered the clearing where Dagaron and Palisanther had been guarding over Gascon and Amara. " How are they faring?"
Physically, it's as if they are just sleeping. I've been trying as best I can to reach them on the mental plane with no success. The great cat replied as he got to all fours. He needed to stretch a bit. You are fortunate to have switched allegiances when you had, otherwise I would have made you pay for your treachery.
Drummond's face fell a bit at this. " It's nothing I wouldn't deserve in all honesty. I know this is all my fault..."
" You are not wholly to blame for their current states, Drummond." Came Dagaron's voice.
Drummond looked around quizzically and he looked up into the tree above he and Palisanther. " Your majesty, forgive my rudeness. I wasn't aware you were aloft." Drummond said with a polite bow.
Dagaron dropped down to the forest floor and he walked silently to where Gascon and Amara lay in their repose. " Don't worry about it. The only reason I let you come as close as you do is that I know you mean them no harm. Not that any who would wish them ill could get near with Amara's enchantment in place still." The elf king replied.
" It won't last forever, your majesty. And her highness looks about ready to pop if you catch my drift." Drummond replied. He removed the pack from his shoulder and set it on the forest floor. " Tarin asked me to deliver these to the two of you. We weren't certain how much food you had left and I'll be leaving shortly to join them in tracking down the last nest of goblins that should be in these parts."
Dagaron nodded and he gently clapped the other man on his shoulder. " Give him my thanks then. And happy hunting for that matter."
Drummond nodded glumly and he began walking away. He chanced a look over his shoulder at the young couple and his head began shaking ruefully. He could only pray they survived through all this. It wouldn't lessen the guilt he still harbored however.

Andi sniffled a little as she sat in the ICU with Sean. He was still unconscious, but he was alive. That was all that mattered. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, smearing their wetness all over her already moist face and she reached for the tissues nearby. He had just come out of surgery, and had needed over three hundred stitches and sutures to close everything; internal and external, up. It was a miracle he had survived in the first place, considering how much blood Sean had lost and that the wound had been only an inch to the right of his heart.
Andi fiddled with the ring she had on, as Sean had been wearing both her claddagh ring and engagement ring on a silver chain around his neck. Now that same chain was around her own with his ring and her engagement ring hanging from it.
Now Andi had to drum up the courage to call Terri and Victor to tell them what had happened to their oldest son.
" Andi, sugar, you've been awake for almost twenty four hours. What are you still doing here?" Liam asked as he entered the room. He had a blanket in hand and had dressed down from his scrubs.
" I can't leave him like this, Liam. I know I was the one to break things off, but god...I still love him so much it hurts." Andi half sobbed. She accepted Liam's embrace as his arms wrapped around her and she began sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder. " Why was he at my complex? He should have gone home!"
Liam held her tight as she let loose the raging torrent of emotion that she had been bottling up all night. " He wanted to talk to you, Andi. It's my fault...I told him that you would be getting off soon...Told him to wait for you there..." Liam said, feeling for all the world that the lump that was in his throat wasn't ever going to go away.
Andi soon quieted a little and she pulled her phone from her pocket. " I need to call his parents. Can...can I have a moment alone?"
Liam nodded and he set the blanket down on the arm of the chair. Andi didn't look as if she was going anywhere. " Do you want me to run to your place and get you a change of clothing?" He asked her. God, he felt terrible for sending Sean over there now.
Andi fished her keys from her pocket. " Please and thank you, Liam." She replied, barely a trace of a smile on her face as she said it.
Liam gave her a quick peck on the top of her head. " Not a problem sug. Good luck."
Andi nodded and she scrolled through her contacts as Liam softly shut the door behind him. She had to call Terri now before she lost the nerve to do so.
Terri was humming to herself as she poured a glass of wine for her and Victor to enjoy while they watched Casablanca. There was a bowl of popcorn already sitting on the counter just waiting to be munched on and she heard her cell go off. Terri couldn't help but look at it curiously. She hadn't heard that particular ring tone in eighteen months. She smiled all the same though as she picked it up and answered.
" Well hello stranger." Terri said chipperly in greeting.
" Hi Terri." Andi replied somberly.
" What's wrong Andi." Terri said, her happy mood leaving her almost instantly. It wasn't a question either.
" Terri, you and Victor need to come to Brigham and Women's as soon as possible...God, I wish I wasn't the bearer of such terrible news, but Sean's currently here in the ICU." Andi sobbed out. She had started crying again the moment she began speaking.
" What happened?! Please tell me he wasn't street racing again!" Terri cried out in horror.
Street racing? Jesus Sean, just what the hell have you been up to in the last year and a half? Andi thought. " No Terri. He wasn't...He was brought into the E.R. because..." Andi choked a little as she thought of the dire condition Sean had been brought in and she steeled herself. " He was stabbed from behind Terri..."
Terri promptly dropped her wine glass and it shattered the moment it hit the tile. She gripped the counter with her free hand as her knees buckled and she began breathing heavily. " He's alive?" She barely whispered.
" Yes, and his condition is stable. We're just waiting for him to wake up at this point." Andi said soothingly.
Terri let go of the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. " Thank god." She whimpered. " We'll be there as soon as possible."
" I'll be here with him. Don't worry." Andi replied softly in turn. It sounded as if she was on the verge of breaking down herself.
" Thank you Andi." Terri said tearfully as she hung up the phone. " Vic! Call Marlene! We need an emergency flight to Boston now!"
" Why right now?!" Victor grumped from the other room. He and Terri had been planning this night for the last week!
Terri strode into the living room already stuffing her purse and she had a sweater draped over her arm. " Sean's in the hospital. He's at Brigham and Women's in critical condition." Terri said, her voice soft and stern at the same time. Raising two boys had given her that tone over the years.
Victor all but jumped from the couch the moment Terri said the word hospital and he was already dialing a number. " Marlene? I need you to meet us at the airport as fast as you can. I need an emergency flight to Boston. No, one way. I'll call when we're coming back to New York." Victor said as he called the pilot they hired to fly their personal jet. Having the wealth he did certainly came in handy.

Amara sighed a bit heavily as she walked up behind Andi. " I remember when this happened to Gascon..." she whispered, laying a gentle hand on Andi's shoulder.
" I still don't believe you actually exist." Andi said to her. " Do you seriously expect me to believe that I'm some missing part of you and all that crap you told me last year?" Her tone was dripping with venom as she spoke.
Amara sighed. " That was only four days or so ago for me, Andi. And yes, because I honestly have no reason to lie to you. Don't you feel the pull between us now?" That pull was already manifesting the longer Amara stayed in Andi's presence.
" No." Lied Andi. She felt it as clear as the feel of Sean's heavy hand in hers. She was sitting right beside him at his bedside staring at him in his repose. He looked so peaceful right now, if just a bit pale. It was almost as if he was just sleeping and not fighting for his life.
" I need your help, Andi. The spell I cast to keep Gascon and I safe will not last much longer. I fear for the baby if I don't wake by the time I go into labor with him." Amara pleaded. Her blue eyes were wet as she struggled to keep her tears at bay. Seeing Sean like this brought back so many bad memories of when she had nearly lost Gascon. Even then, Amara had loved him, though she had been terrified to admit it.
" See if I care." Andi shot back vehemently. " I lost my own child, mine and Sean's child....And then I gave him up to find someone who could give him the family he always wanted. Fat lot of good that did. He's too stubborn to move on despite the fact that it's over between us. Don't even try to guilt trip me by using your baby as leverage." She hissed. " Leave me be for God's sake. I don't need you haunting me anymore."
" Fine. But this world as you know won't last much longer. I know for a fact you've noticed the times where it seems like you're the only person who is alive...Don't get too comfortable." Amara snapped. Her hormones were getting the better of her.
" If he dies, then I really won't give a damn. Let it end. I don't give a flying fuck anymore." Andi remarked nastily. Her grip had unconsciously tightened on Sean's hand the longer Amara stayed beside her.
Amara shook her head despondently and she fuzzed back into the plane she and Gascon had been residing in. She hadn't expected Andi to be so petulant about the entire situation.
Andi's head fell downward even as more tears streaked her face. She honestly didn't care anymore, though she knew Amara had to be telling the truth. She had felt a tug inside her chest pulling backwards towards where Amara had been standing. Andi stood up, only to sit directly on the bed beside Sean. She gingerly lifted his hand to set it in her lap and Andi tentatively reached out with her right to run her fingers through Sean's unruly brown locks.
" I can only imagine this is how you must have felt while I was in my coma..." Andi whispered as she smoothed her digits down his cheek and jaw. " Helpless to do anything, hopeless, useless..." She sniffled a little as she leaned in a little closer. " Don't give up, Sean. I'm so sorry it took this to make me realize just how much I still love you, how much I still need you. This is all my fault..." Tears hit unchecked onto the sheet and Andi leaned in closer still. " I love you so much it hurts. And seeing you like this..." she trailed off as she rested her head in the crook of his neck and cried softly. " I'm so sorry, Sean. Please, just don't die on me...I don't think I could go on without you any more."
Terri and Victor were standing at the door as the listened to Andi's words. Terri had tears flowing down her cheeks at the sight and Victor's brown eyes looked a little wet as well.
" I know I should have told you what happened, and you're right..." Andi whispered as her hand lovingly stroked his cheek. " You are the one person who deserves to know, even if it means you hate me for the rest of our lives because of it."
" He wouldn't hate you, Andi." Terri said softly as she entered the room. " He's been confused and angry, but never once has Sean ever said he hates you for breaking it off with him."
Andi carefully stood up and she crossed the room quickly over to Terri and Victor. Her arms flew around Sean's mother as she began sobbing again at the sight of them and Terri squeezed her tight as well. Andi had missed the other woman very much over the last eighteen months, had missed the friendship they had. It was a bridge that Andi had unceremoniously burnt when she left Sean.
It took a few moments for both of them to calm down, and Terri slowly let Andi go. Victor held his arms out as well and Andi didn't hesitate as her arms wrapped tightly around his chest. She had been a part of their family for two and a half years after all.
" What happened?" Victor asked as he looked over to Sean. His throat was tight in his apprehension and he felt Andi's shoulders shake.
" The police apprehended the man that stabbed Sean when he was picked up by the ambulance. He's a member of Los Trasgos. He had been waiting for me to get home when Sean showed up at my apartment complex and he took the opportunity to get retribution for the other gang members that were arrested after the drive by four years ago. We had no clue there was still a hit out on either of us until today." Andi pulled away from Victor as she moved back over to Sean's bedside and took a seat on the bed again. " Some of my neighbors heard the commotion in the parking lot when Sean set his panic button off. They managed to keep that bastard there until the police came."
Andi didn't dare tell them what Liam had told her. He had seen first hand the bloodstain Sean had left when he had gone to her apartment for her change of clothing. Sean's car had already been towed to the crime lab by that point as well.
Victor bristled visibly at the mention of the gang and his brown eyes narrowed further in his displeasure. " Good." He hissed. That bastard would never see the light of day again if Victor had anything to say about it. He had nearly robbed him of his eldest son, the one whom he was most proud of and treasured greatly. It was said that parents weren't supposed to have favorites, but Victor couldn't help it. Sean had grown so much in the last four years alone since Andi had come into and left his life.
Terri was scowling herself, and Andi worried a little about what the two were going to do now. She knew Terri was like a mother grizzly with her cubs. You didn't mess with her kids, or the wrath of the woman before her would be great. It also made Andi worried to be in the same room as Terri, considering the circumstances in which she had left Sean. No mother ever took kindly to a girl breaking their son's heart.
" I'll leave for now." Andi whispered. She didn't feel right being here while Victor and Terri were there with their oldest son now. She'd tell the nurses to page her when they left to find a hotel to stay in.
" Go ahead and stay, Andi." Terri said, giving her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. She didn't think Andi knew that they had heard everything she had said to Sean before they made their presence known. " Vic and I are going to find someplace to stay until Sean wakes up. Keep us posted, will you?"
Andi nodded and she felt Terri hug her from behind. " I don't deserve the kindness either of you are showing me." She whispered. And she knew she didn't, not after she had broken Sean's heart the way she had.
" You're still part of this family, even if you and Sean never tied the knot. You're the daughter I never got to have, Andi. Even though you're separated, the bonds we forged are still there. That's never going to change, even if the two of you never get back together again. Were we upset, admittedly yes, but Sean told us that you must have had your reasons. He accepted that, and so did we." Terri replied softly as she shook Andi side to side a little.
Andi felt like a blubbering mess for as much as she had been crying today and she turned in Terri's embrace to hug the woman tightly. She broke down again and Terri gingerly sat beside her on the hospital bed. Andi was repeatedly whimpering 'I'm sorry' as she cried, and Terri was doing the best she could to calm her. Victor soon wrapped an arm around both women and Andi wrapped an arm around his waist.
As much as she felt she didn't deserve the esteem Sean's parents still held her in, Andi was never more thankful that they were there for her now.

Adrian had never driven so fast to Boston in his life. The moment he had heard from Andi what had happened, Adrian had hightailed it over to Brigham and Women's Hospital to see the condition his best friend was in. Just because Sean and Andi had broken up didn't mean that Adrian had lost touch with Sean. In fact, the two of them got together once a week to shoot hoops or work out.
Andi's head snapped up from where she had dozed off as Adrian was let into the room and she jumped to her feet to greet him.
" How is he?"
" Sean's much more stable than he was last night." Andi replied tiredly. She hadn't left the room since Sean had been brought in after surgery. " I think Marny mentioned something about transferring him over to long term upstairs in a few hours. He's breathing on his own, and his pulse hasn't dropped. Then again, if it had, I would have been calling for a crash cart." Andi sat back down in the chair and she felt Adrian's hand run through her sleep tousled hair.
" Get some sleep. I'd tell you to go home, but you're just as stubborn as Sean. He didn't leave your side until the nursed threatened to kick him out for a day or two."
" I'm not leaving him, Adrian." Andi sleepily affirmed. Her eyes were already closing as he kept lightly scratching the base of her neck. Damn it, Sean must of told him that, as he had used the same trick on her to get her to calm down and rest.
" Sleep, Andi. I'll keep an eye on him."

Andi felt someone shaking her shoulder gently and her eyes opened blearily as she fought to remember where she was at. “ Adrian! What’s going on? Is Sean alright?” she rattled off in a panicked state.
“ He’s fine, Andi. He hasn’t woken up yet, but he’s being moved upstairs here in a few minutes. I just wanted to wake you so that you didn’t have a heart attack later.” Adrian replied with a soft smile. “ I’m going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?”
Andi’s back arched as she stretched out, and she whimpered a little at the cramping she felt all through her muscles. Note to self, demand a cot when we get to Sean’s new room. Thank god Liam brought me a few days worth of clothes and my toiletries. Andi thought. She wasn’t leaving his side until he woke, just like Sean had done for her so long ago. “ Yes, please. I’m starved. Just let them know you’re picking something up for Dr. Demmers.”
Adrian shook his head. Knowing his cousin, it was probably something high in carbs and protein to keep her energy stores up. “ I’ll do that. Text me Sean’s new room number, will you?”
Andi nodded and she stood up to cross over to the bed as Adrian shut the door behind him. She couldn’t explain why she needed to keep going to Sean like this, but Andi wasn’t about to fight what her heart was demanding of her now. She had been neglecting it for the last year and a half. “ Long ago when man was young…When elf was spry playing in the sun…There came a tale of lovers two, of different worlds but love so true…” Andi sang softly as she tried to get Sean’s riotous curls to lay flat. It was reverting back to it’s original state now that Sean was unable to tend to it the way he normally did to keep it from looking like a jumble of ringlets.

Terri and Victor were chatting softly with Andi. It had been five days since Sean had been moved to long term care and he stilled showed no sign of waking yet. Considering the trauma his body had been through, Andi could understand all too well. She had been in the same position not even two years ago.
" I noticed you're wearing your claddagh ring, Andi." Victor said, though he was giving her a soft smile. It was bittersweet to see her wearing it, as Andi and Sean would have been married just a few months ago, and Terri took Andi's hand in hers as Andi looked back over to the bed.
" Just like he's never been able to let go of me, I can't bring my heart to let him go either." Andi replied. And she couldn't. Once she finally had a chance to talk to him, maybe they would be able to pick things back up. Nearly losing him had opened Andi's eyes. It had harshly reminded her that life was too short and too fragile to leave to chance. Yes, Andi would admit she had screwed up, but now, she was going to atone for those mistakes, if Sean would let her at least.
" We're going to head out now, Andi." Victor said as he stood up. " Call us if anything happens."
Andi nodded as she stood as well. She needed to stretch a little and walk around for a few minutes. " I will, Victor. I promise."
Terri gave Andi a quick peck on her cheek before she left the room. " We really can't thank you enough for staying by his side all this time."
" He did the same thing for me, Terri. It's only fair I give him the same treatment." Andi replied softly. " I'll see both of you in the morning. Good night." She was going to head down to the cafeteria for a quick cup of tea and an apple. She needed just a small snack at this time of night. Besides, she was also going to work on her report for one of her classes as well.

Andi walked back into Sean's room and she sighed sadly as she looked at him. His color was much better than it had been a week ago and Andi crossed over to the bed silently. " I hope you wake up soon, Sean. I have so much to apologize for, so much I need to say to you." Andi leaned in closer and her nose brushed against his softly as she laced her fingers with his. " I love you and need you, Sean. Please, come back." Her lips pressed to his softly and Andi felt his grip on her hand tighten as he pressed his lips back into hers. Just as she was about to pull away, Sean's other hand came up to hold her in place in an effort to keep her where she was.
Andi felt happy tears spring to her eyes as her other hand came up to rest against his neck, and Sean deepened the kiss between them. Please don't let me be dreaming this...she thought desperately.
" That's a hell of a way to wake up." Sean rasped with a small smile on his face. He hadn't needed to open his eyes to know it was Andi kissing him. He felt as if his very soul was singing it’s joy at her very presence. Slowly his brown orbs opened, though admittedly his sight was blurry and he felt Andi's free hand stroke his cheek.
" Sean! Oh thank god!" She cried happily as she gingerly embraced him.
Sean winced in pain as he felt pressure put against his wound and Andi quickly pulled away with a small scream of dismay. She hadn't meant to hurt him after all. " Where am I?" he groaned out. Andi was already pulling his sheets and hospital gown away. If he wasn’t in so much damn pain, he’d find this arousing as hell.
" Brigham and Women's. Do you remember anything?" Andi said quickly as she began checking his stitches. There was a small amount of blood seeping through and Andi's brow furrowed. His bandages would need to be changed once again.
" Not really." Holy crap his chest felt as it were on fire and it hurt to breath. More than anything Sean wanted to sit up, but Andi's firm hand on his shoulder kept him from moving.
" You've got over three hundred stitches keeping everything closed. Don't move, alright? I'm going to get some wound wash and some fresh bandages." Andi ordered.
Sean couldn't help but chuckle though he paid for it in spades as the area where his sutures were tightened uncomfortably. " Yes, Dr. Demmers." He groaned pitifully.
" I'll be right back." Andi quickly ran a comforting hand through his hair and Sean relaxed into her touch. She quickly hurried from the room to grab everything she needed with tears rolling unchecked down her cheeks. He was awake, which meant he was truly on the road to recovery now.
That's all that mattered to her.
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The Ties that Bind