A/N: I got this idea from last night's (emotional) episode between Martin and Ruthie. As a small bit of background info., Ruthie now knows…everything and this is basically my way of how it (should) play out.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
FLASHBACK
"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Ruthie yelled, sobbing at the same time she was pounding relentlessly on Martin's chest.
Martin, not knowing what else to do, pulled Ruthie into his chest, wrapped his strong arms around her small frame and held her tightly. "I hate me too."
They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, Ruthie sobbing against Martin's chest, Martin's tears falling onto Ruthie's mass of dark curls. He hadn't allowed himself to really cry over this impossible situation. Sure, he'd let a few tears fall talking with Eric Camden, but now, with Ruthie tucked into his arms, all he wanted to do was cry like a baby. Cry for everything that was happening and all that would probably never get the chance to.
Ruthie eventually pulled away, pushing herself off of Martin, and stepping back. She looked surprised to see Martin's tear-stained face. She'd been so caught up in her own emotional meltdown, she failed to realize that Martin was having one of his own.
Martin swiped a hand across his face. "Ruthie," he whispered. It wasn't a question. It wasn't a statement. It was more of a plead, but Ruthie wasn't sure what it meant.
"I just can't deal with this right now, Martin," Ruthie said, backing away, heading for the stairs. She didn't want to turn her back on Martin, to shut him out, when he clearly needed her, but she was embarrassed for all that had been revealed here in this kitchen.
"Can I still come tomorrow?" Martin asked.
He sounded so small that Ruthie wanted to rush over to him and wrap her arms around him. But those times were over. Ruthie wasn't sure that they would ever come back. Instead, she nodded and turned slowly, to walk up the stairs.
END OF FLASHBACK
Thanksgiving was over. Thank God for small miracles! The Camden's had had some weird holidays, but this took the cake.
Martin and Ruthie barely speaking, just exchanging looks of regret and hurt. Rose showing up without Simon. Eric saying that he was thankful for Rose's presence. Sandy and Ruthie walking into the church, ready to sit together and break bread! Martin and Sandy finally talking after all those awkward weeks.
"How's Ruthie?" Lucy asked immediately, coming through the door with Savannah in tow.
Annie smiled weakly, taking her granddaughter from Lucy. "She hasn't been down yet."
"We should be proud of how she acted on Thanksgiving at the church," Lucy pointed out. "It must have taken a lot for her to extend a hand out to Sandy."
Annie nodded. But that hurdle was over and there would be numerous ones to follow. Ruthie wasn't out of the ballpark yet and Annie worried that her youngest daughter, the one who always seemed like such a rock, would take a crushing blow.
Lucy wrapped a loving arm around her mother's shoulders. "She will get through this, Mom. Ruthie's strong and she's outgoing. She's got lots of friends. And eventually she and Martin will work things out and be good as new."
Annie had decided long ago to keep some of her suspicions to herself. This was one of those times. Something was definitely going on between Martin and Ruthie, she was sure of it. There had been subtle looks all through Thanksgiving dinner, not just from Ruthie, but Martin as well. What could be worse than Ruthie's heart getting broken? Ruthie's dreams coming true, that's what!
"Morning," Ruthie said plainly, coming down the stairs.
Ruthie, who was now starting to show the signs of her distress, with her dark eyes and pale skin, dug into the fridge immediately, grabbing her lunch and a bottle of water.
"I made French toast!" Annie smiled.
Ruthie shook her head and gave a weak smile. "I'm really not all that hungry this morning."
With those words, Ruthie disappeared out the door. Lucy gave Annie a worried look. "She didn't even look at Savannah."
"She'll come around," Annie sighed, busying herself with Simon and David's lunches.
"I'm sorry about the rumors," Meredith said, leaning against the locker beside Ruthie's.
Ruthie shrugged. "It's okay. Mistakes happen."
Meredith leaned closer to Ruthie, a look of concern on her face. "You don't look so great, Ruthie."
"I feel even worse," she admitted.
"Are you getting the flu again?" Meredith asked, stepping back.
Ruthie smiled weakly. "I wish. This is so much worse. I'm embarrassed and I feel betrayed by everyone who claims to love me."
"I would have told you, but I thought you already knew."
"It's okay. It wasn't your place to tell me anyway," Ruthie said.
"Have you talked to Martin?" Meredith asked.
"Not since Thanksgiving. Just polite hellos then. Sandy came down so he was pretty busy with her," she explained.
Meredith knew that she was feeling badly about her breakup with Martin, but clearly Ruthie was feeling ten times worse. It made Meredith's problems seem so insignificant in the face of the heartbreak Ruthie must be going through.
"Is there any way that I can help you out of this?" Meredith asked, touching Ruthie's shoulder lightly.
Ruthie smiled, her first genuine smile in a few days and thanked her friend. "I'll be fine."
"Hey, Ruthie!" came a yell from down the hall.
Ruthie turned to see Jack coming up to her. He smiled when he saw her, even though he thought she looked kind of ill.
"How are you?" he asked, slowing his pace to keep time with Ruthie's.
"Ruthie shrugged. "Okay, I guess."
"Look, I wanted to apologize for buying into all of those rumors about you and Martin. I should have just come right out and asked you, or not even believed them in the first place," Jack said.
"It's okay."
"So, look, now that everything is all cleared up, I wanted to know if you'd still like to go out with me sometime?" he asked.
Ruthie took a deep breath. She'd been waiting for this for so long and now it seemed so pointless. Jack wasn't Martin. Besides, Ruthie, while locked away in her room for most of the weekend, had come to a decision: she was swearing off of boys for a while. They were too much trouble!
"Jack, that's really sweet of you and all, but…"
Ruthie's voice trailed off. In the distance, Martin had just come around the corner and was staring in Ruthie's direction. Their eyes met and held. Ruthie forgot what she had been saying to Jack.
"Ruthie?" Jack asked, waving an impatient hand over her face. "You okay?"
"Yes!" Ruthie said, pasting a fake smile onto her face. "Yes, I would like to go out with you. How about this weekend?"
Jack's face broke into a large smile of his own. "Saturday night? I can pick you up at about seven?"
Ruthie nodded her head, touched Jack's arm lightly and smiled up at him. "Seven o'clock will be great."
Jack winked at Ruthie before walking away. Ruthie stole one last look at Martin before turning her back and heading to her first class.
