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Adam's friends came to visit him two at a time, and by now, Jay and Nora stood in the doorway.

"Adam?" the petite blonde woman called tentatively. She craned her neck just a bit to get a better look at the lanky Canadian in the hospital bed, then turned to gaze over her shoulder at Jay.

"Nora..." It felt as though it were taking almost all of Adam's energy to utter the short, two-syllabled name. He was still feeling so groggy, as the effects of the anesthetic had yet to wear off.

"Come on..." he heard the diva's voice urge softly.

Nora gently tugged on Jay's hand, the blond man seeming almost rooted to his spot in the doorway.

Adam did his best to raise his head to gaze over at them, but he couldn't manage more than a few seconds of that.

"Jay, he's all right..."

Then, after about a minute that felt more like an hour, Adam looked up at the couple standing over the bed. Nora was eyeing him warmly, her blue eyes steady and definitely happier than he'd last noticed, a small but genuine smile touching her lips.

"Hey...How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like hell..." he answered truthfully. "Just...happy to be...alive..."

The little blonde's smile wavered somewhat, and she couldn't help wincing. Stephanie had taken her and Torrie aside a little earlier and explained how Adam had apparently died on the operating table for a few seconds - before the old ticker had begun beating the life right back into him.

"Understandable..." she said softly. "You've been through a lot...a lot more than anyone should ever have to endure."

Jay continued to stand there, still as a wooden soldier. His blue eyes blinked, but other than that, he showed basically no reaction to anything around him.

"Hey...pal..." Adam managed. He tried to raise his right hand to wave at his best friend, but at the moment, he was too weak to do any more than wiggle his fingers.

"A-Adam...?"

Nora turned her head sharply, staring up at Jay in surprise. This was the first time he'd spoken since they'd arrived at the scene of the shooting.

"I'm here, Jay..."

"Oh, God...Adam..." the shorter blond man breathed, and only then did he become aware of the tears streaming down his face. He reached out for his best friend's hand, not wanting to hug him out of fear of hurting him. "My God, I thought you were..."

"Me? Nah..." Adam whispered. "Well, I...was, but...not my time to go, I guess..." He managed a weak smile.

Nora and Jay continued their visit for another few minutes until Adam issued a soft request.

"Amy...I want to see...my angel..."