Quinn was the one who drove to the hospital. Clay was in no condition to drive, and he knew this, so instead he sat as a passenger in Quinn's car, looking out the window, feeling more like a stranger to Quinn than he ever has.

"Clay," Quinn said timidly, "Are you okay?"

He thought about her question for a moment. Was he okay? The past month had been hell for him, Clay spent most of it stuck in his mind, just sitting rummaging through his thoughts. Ever since Vanessa broke up with him, he only ever thought about Quinn. He knew he shouldn't have dated Vanessa, he couldn't bring himself to love her the way he loved Quinn. The way he loves Quinn. He certainly couldn't tell her now, could he? Sitting in the passenger seat of her car, looking like an absolute trainwreck. Certainly not.

"Mhmm," he nodded, Quinn wasn't taking this for an answer.

"Words, Clay," She looked at him, he looked so small in this moment, "Talk to me," she said softly.

"I'm afraid," he admitted, "the doctors said that they were going to be okay, but there's something about seeing your little sister all bloody and bruised, that really does something to you. And my mom, oh my gosh Quinn, wait until you see her. She's hooked up to an oxygen tank, and that's the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life."

Quinn, against her better judgement, reached out and touched Clay's hand. If it was as unnerving as Clay had described, Quinn was going to need to put on a brave face for him.

"I know, Clay, I can't imagine how terrifying it must be, to get that call, to be there alone. But you're not alone, okay? I'm gonna be there with you, I'm not gonna run, I promise," Quinn was reminded of the night he called her a coward. He was right, she liked to run away from things that scared her, but she wasn't gonna run from him anymore. That was a decision she made when he said he didn't know where else to go, and came to her. Quinn was going to stop running.

"Thank you," his voice was so hoarse, it was painstakingly evident that he had been crying. Quinn held his hand the whole way to the hospital. Clay held on to her like she was his life line, having Quinn sitting next to him, taking care of him, it was keeping him grounded. Unconsciously, he was also keeping Quinn in check, reminding herself that she wanted to be there for Clay, no matter what happened at the hospital.

"Are you ready?" Quinn asked when she pulled into the car garage at the hospital, part of her wasn't even sure if they were gonna be allowed in, visiting hours had to be over.

"Can I have just one more minute," Clay asked, looking down at his hands.

"Of course, I'll wait outside the car," Quinn nodded, loosening her grip on his hand. She unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out, leaving him sitting there, with his thoughts.

Clay didn't know if he was ready. The images in his head were so vivid, so frightening, he wished he didn't have to know what it looked like. He felt so empty and so full of emotion at the same time, it was as if his whole body turned numb. Clay knew that if he lost either his mom or his sister from this, it would absolutely crush him.

Quinn could see the inner turmoil Clay was causing to himself. It was written all over his face and his body was shaking. She walked around and opened his car door, ushering him out of the car wordlessly.

Clay needed someone to lean on right now, and Quinn desperately wanted it to be her. She pulled him into a hug, feeling his arms wrap around her only confirmed what Quinn knew, she still had feelings for him, and they were strong.

Clay didn't really even know what was happening, until he felt Quinn arms wrap around his neck. Her touch seemed to make him come alive again. It's her. He knew it had always been her.

"Okay, I'm ready," Clay breathed out. He reached down and took Quinn's hand, "is this okay?"

Quinn just nodded.

One thing that was important to know about Quinn, was how much she hated hospitals. The atmosphere made the hair on her arms stand up, and she held Clay's hand a little tighter. He noticed this of course, and it made him soften, knowing that Quinn still came with him despite her fear of hospitals, made it all the more apparent how much she cared for him.

He used his thumb to rub the back of Quinn's hand, and her nerves were replaced with butterflies. He was a good comforter, even in his own misery.

The ladies at the reception desk almost didn't let them through, it took an awful lot of convincing, but Quinn also caught the vibe that they were very sympathetic to the grown man who was in tears at 10:30 p.m.

Clay's sister and his mom were in different rooms, just down the hall from each other. Walking towards their hospital rooms, Quinn asked Clay if he wanted her to go in with him.

"I'm gonna check on my sister first, will you please go make sure my mom is alright," Clay asked weakly, Quinn knew it was harder for him to see his mom.

"Of course," Quinn squeezed his hand, before letting go and knocking on the door that Clay's mom was in. A weak "come in" was heard from the other side, and Quinn pushed open the door meekly.

"Quinn? Quinn is that you dear?" His mom was very weak, she was connected to an oxygen tank like Clay had mentioned and she was laying back, her eyes barely opened, upon Quinn's entrance she perked up, but only slightly, "I was hoping I'd see you soon, I had a feeling you wouldn't stay gone forever."

"How are you feeling?" It hurt Quinn a lot to see his mom, one of the strongest women she knew, in such a helpless state. Quinn could understand why it wrecked Clay in the way it did.

"I'm very sore, and I have this thing, just as a precaution at night," his mom motioned to her oxygen tank, "but I'm doing okay. How's Clay? He was a mess when he left, I wasn't expecting him to come back."

"It hit him really hard," Quinn nodded, remembering how heavy he felt in her arms when she hugged him, "he came to the apartment, it broke my heart to see him hurting like that, but I think he feels better now that he's back, and knows that it's gonna be okay."

"I'm glad you convinced him to come back, that Vanessa girl would've convinced him to stay away, I was never too fond of her," Quinn was a little taken back by how openly his mom was trashing Vanessa, but honestly she was a little glad. It was nice to know that his mom didn't like Vanessa as much as she liked Quinn.

"Can I ask a favor of you?" Clay mom reached out her hand, Quinn took it, the feeling of her hand in Quinn's made Quinn tear up. It had been so long since she had the touch of a mother's hand, it was quite overwhelming.

"Of course," Quinn nodded, blinking back the tears.

"When you tell Clay that you love him, make sure he understands. He spends so much time trying to take care of everyone else, he needs someone to take care of him. So when you tell my boy that you love him, make sure he hears you."

Clay's mom just had a way of knowing. It was that motherly instinct.

Quinn nodded before wishing his mom a goodnight and stepping into the hallway. Clay had also been coming out of his sister's room.

"She's asleep," he looked more relaxed than when he went in, "she looks a little bit better. They cleaned most of her wounds, and she's on some high dosage pain medication, she's gonna be okay."

"You're mom's awake. She's doing alright, she wants to see you," The words of his mom played on loop in Quinn's head, when you tell him not if. She knew.

Quinn opened the door to Clay's sister's room, seeing the girl in her sleeping form. She picked up a napkin and wrote a little note for her to find when she woke up.

I hope you feel better

Meanwhile, in his mom's room, Clay was getting chewed out by his mother.

"You know Clay, I have always been respectful of your choices as an adult..." His mother hesitated, "But I think you stayed with Vanessa for much longer than you should have."

"Are we really doing this right now momma? Plus I cared about Vanessa," Clay was glad to see his mom was feeling good enough to scold him.

"You might've cared about her, but she did not care about you, Clay. I guarantee, if you would've gone to Vanessa instead of Quinn, she wouldn't have brought you here. We wouldn't have seen you, that girl would've made sure that you didn't come back," His mom paused, letting this sink into her son, she was right, of course.

"Well, Quinn is special, you know that," Clay bit down on his lip.

"Have you told her that yet? Because if you trust her enough to show up at her new place unannounced and hope that she would take care of you, that's something you need to make note of. You have to tell her Clay. I've watched you for almost a year now, pine after that girl without ever acting on it," His mother smiled at her son, she knew that Quinn was the only girl for Clay. She had seen the way they were together, and she picked up on that dynamic, even if he didn't know it yet, he was much too far gone to ever get over Quinn.

"I'm gonna talk to her, just not yet. I have to apologize for being an asshole to her," Clay grimaced at himself, "but I'm gonna tell her, I promise."

"And when you do, don't let her run, Clay. She cares about you too, I can see it, but for some reason, she's nervous, so when you talk to her, make sure that you are 100% committed to your words."

Clay smiled at his mom, giving her a kiss on the forehead and bidding her a goodnight.

When Quinn left Clay's sister's hospital room, she found Clay sitting on a chair, hunched over, his head in his hands. Quinn knew he had to be tired. This hadn't been an easy night for him, and Quinn could only imagine how he felt right now. She took in the area that he was sitting in. It was across from a big glass window, inside the room where a bunch of babies, in their little glass case, some of them hooked up to IV's, were all asleep. This must've been the Newborn section.

Quinn took a seat next to Clay. Hearing someone sit down, he shifted and looked to her, a small smile on his face when he realised it was Quinn. He returned his head into his hands. They sat in silence for a moment, and Quinn had begun to rub his back, the smallest form of comfort.

Quinn noticed a couple approaching the glass, she hadn't seen them before, but it could be because she was so focused on Clay. The woman must've sensed that someone was looking at them because she turned her head and made eye contact with Quinn. She smiled, and Quinn gave a small wave.

"Which one is yours?" The woman's smile looked almost sad, and that's when Quinn realised that these were the NICU babies, the ones who weren't ready yet, or who were at risk of dying.

Hearing a voice, Clay looked up, taking in the scenario. In response to the woman's question, Quinn hesitated, stammering.

"Oh no... we're not... I didn't... We-" She didn't know how to put it, without it sounding awkward.

"We're here visiting my mom and my sister," Clay recovered smoothly, and Quinn was grateful for his presence. She felt Clay take her hand, guiding Quinn to stand.

The closer they got to the couple, the more Quinn realised how tired they looked. She couldn't imagine the stress that must've been going on in their lives right now, it must be terrifying, not knowing if your baby will make it to tomorrow.

"I'm Ashley, this is my husband Garrett," The woman introduced, she was very friendly.

"I'm Quinn, this is Clay, which one is yours?" Quinn tried not to feel awkward as she spoke, not entirely sure on how to introduce Clay. He wasn't her boyfriend, but Quinn didn't want to risk anything by just calling him her friend.

"That's ours, Matthew, the one towards the back," The woman pointed, "the doctors were scared that he wasn't gonna make it, we've been here every night for the past month, today we finally got some hope, we'll get to hold him next week," she seemed excited by this.

"You haven't been able to hold him?" Clay frowned.

"He's been too fragile, but the doctor's say he's getting stronger," Ashley's husband Garrett explained this, and Quinn felt Clay squeeze her hand a little tighter, he was already so emotionally fragile, she was scared this would push him over the edge.

"That's so good that you finally get some hope. I know this must be hard," Quinn met eyes with Ashley, before yawning. This made Ashley yawn.

"You guys should get some rest," Ashley motioned between Clay and Quinn, "you both look like you could use it."

So, Quinn and Clay said their goodbyes and gave their sentiments, before walking out of the hospital, still hand-in-hand. Quinn's eyes felt heavy, and then it occurred to her that Ellie was probably confused out of her mind, and would be even more confused when Quinn brought Clay back.

It was in the parking lot that Clay tried to stop her.

"Quinn, I just wanted to thank you," He said, it was a very heartfelt thank you, "I don't know what I should've expected when I showed up at your door. I'm sorry that I was a wreck, there was just something in me that told me to go to you. So thank you. Really."

"Of course," Quinn felt a blush rise on her cheeks, "You can always come to me, you know that."

When she looked at him, it was like everything had paused itself. He looked so vulnerable, so hopeful, so in love.

Quinn was reminded of the night that he drunkenly confessed his feelings to her, that was the only time she had ever heard anyone say that they were in love with her. And looking at Clay right now, Quinn could tell it still held true.

"Quinn, I have to tell you something," it was like it came out of his mouth without his permission, because Clay nearly gasped at himself.

Quinn knew what he wanted to say, and she knew that if he did this right now, he would end up regretting it later.

"Not right now, Clay, not yet," Quinn made sure he knew that it wasn't a no, it was a there's gonna be a better time. She had to do something to signify that she wanted to hear this from him, just not in the hospital parking lot at midnight, so she kissed his cheek.

"Okay," he spoke softly, nodding, it must've clicked in his head. Quinn unlocked the car, and they both got in.

It was about ten minutes into the thirty minute drive when Clay asked if he could fall asleep for a few minutes, Quinn watched out of her peripheral vision as he laid the seat back and closed his eyes. Quinn took this advantage and called Ellie.

"Where are you? And why is Clay's car out front?" The blonde roommate had Quinn on speaker, Nick sat next to her on the couch, eavesdropping.

"Long story short, I'm driving Clay and I back from the hospital. His mom and his sister got into an accident, and he showed up at the door in tears, completely freaked out. I convinced him to go back up there, and now we're on the way back. So don't be shocked when he walks in with me," Quinn tried to speak quietly, "He's asleep right now."

Quinn looked at her dashboard, quickly noticing that her gas light came on.

"Okay, make it back safely please, Nick and I were a little freaked out to see that you were just gone," Ellie relaxed knowing that Quinn hadn't just up and left.

"Nick's there?" Quinn asked, before hearing him say hi to her over the phone, "El, I gotta get gas really quick, we can talk when I get home. Love you bye." Quinn hung up quickly, pulling into the gas station.

"Where are we?" Clay sat up sleepily, the light had shone in his face and woke him up.

"Sorry, I have to get gas," Quinn explained, "You can go back to sleep."

Instead of laying down again, Clay got out of the car, doing something that Quinn should've guessed he would've done.

"No way," Quinn also got out of the car, "I'm not letting you pay for my gas."

"It's the least I could do," Clay responded honestly, "you've done a lot for me already, let me do this one thing."

Quinn was stubborn, but the look in Clay's eyes was enough to make her melt.

"Go get back in the car," He said, before boldly kissing the top of Quinn's head. She tried not to shiver.

She watched him out of her mirror fondly. Now that he knew everything was alright, his charm was starting to make an appearance, and Quinn had missed it. He must've seen her staring.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," He smiled when he said it, and Quinn really wanted to. She pulled out her phone, and snapped a picture when he wasn't looking, before tweeting it with the caption Reunited :).

Clay didn't see the tweet until he got back in the car, but he laughed loudly when he saw it, and for the second time that night, Quinn felt her stomach flutter. She hadn't heard him laugh like that in a long time. She missed his laugh.

When they got back to the apartment, Clay was feeling so much better. He had regained some of his energy, and he was smiling. Quinn liked that she was the reason that he smiled, it felt good.

"Are my keys inside?" Clay asked, "I need them to drive home."

"There is no way I'm letting you drive home right now, it is way too late," Quinn knew that Clay had driven at later times, but part of her wanted him to stay.

"Oh? Is this your invitation for me to stay the night?" Clay was being goofy, and Quinn picked up on it quickly.

"We lived together you idiot, but yes, come inside," Quinn should've expected Ellie and Nick to be waiting, but somehow she was still surprised to see them up.

"Young lady," Ellie fake reprimanded her, "No note, car gone, you broke curfew. Your father and I were very worried about you."

Quinn wanted to laugh, Clay wanted to laugh, even Nick was trying his best not to break character.

"Your mother and I..." Nick faltered slightly, almost laughing, "we try to be respectful. We know you're a teenager and your freedom is important to you, but this is unacceptable."

"Oh my gosh, I hate you guys," Quinn laughed, putting her keys on the counter, "Did you really stay up so you could scold me like I'm seventeen and snuck out?"

"Not only did you sneak out," Ellie turned her attention to Clay, "You brought a boy home!"

"Oh shut up," Quinn rolled her eyes. Nick approached Clay and asked him how he was feeling, and they hugged.

It wasn't much longer before Ellie and Nick had said their goodnights and went to bed.

"It's like he lives here now," Clay pointed out.

"You're telling me," Quinn had yet to think about how this whole sleeping situation was going to go down.

"Speaking of living," Clay offered, he had spent a lot of time thinking about this, "Would you be interested in moving back in?"

The question had caught Quinn off-guard, "I don't- I don't know..." She answered honestly, "I hadn't thought about it. Maybe? In the future, but not right now, I don't think so."

"Okay," Clay had been expecting an answer like that, "Well just know, you will always have your room at the house."

Quinn nodded and silence filled the space between the pair. It was a very exhausted silence, seeing as both Quinn and Clay were yawning intermittently.

"Okay, I'm exhausted," Quinn stood up, "You can sleep in my room, if you want," She pointed at her door, as if Clay didn't know where it was.