A/N So I meant to post this last week, but then I saw some pictures of people that had killed themselves and couldn't write after that. I personally hate it when authors say that they just don't have the time, but I really don't have the time to write. I wake up early and go to bed late and I'm in no position to write during the week. I'm going to try to get another post this weekend, but I make no promises. Thank you for your lovely reviews, and R/R!

Operation 'Earn-Ryan's-Trust' was a lot harder than I'd initially planned. It had been two weeks since I'd last seen him and I missed him terribly. I know that two weeks is a lot shorter than the six months he'd originally been gone, but knowing that he was angry with me was harder for my conscience. Kirsten had promised she would call me when it was a good time and she thought Ryan had cooled down enough, but I still didn't have anything yet. I didn't even know how he was doing; if he was in pain or if he was even in the hospital anymore. I was beginning to wonder if she just said she'd call me to get me to go away.

I had told Sandy about Steve and he said he'd get on the case. As far as I know nothing had happened yet, but I was hoping that Steve would get arrested soon. Any day he spent with my son was a day that I risked poisoning his character, and I just wasn't ready for that. Larry did just fine without Steve and was still young enough that he'd never really know about his biological father if Steve got put away.

Imagine my surprise when my phone rang and Kirsten was on the caller ID. I quickly answered it. "Kirsten? What took so long?"

I hear her quietly whisper, "I don't really have time to talk right now, but if you could come to the hospital and I'll meet you out front."

"Wait, now?" I ask incredulously, looking around at how unproductive I was being. Larry was out and about with my mom, leaving me just sitting here looking for something to do.

She sighs and says, "Yes, now, I'll explain it all later. Okay, I have to go, I'll be outside waiting for you, so don't take too long. Bye." She hangs up the phone, not even letting me get the chance to confirm or tell her that I can't come. I sigh and look around for the car keys, my purse, and then leave.

I'd gotten my license not too long ago. I had taken Driver's Ed a while back and now I was free to drive myself around when I needed to, which I did desperately need to do now that I had a son. I arrive at the hospital quickly and see Kirsten pacing back in forth in front near a bench. I make my way over to her and say, "Okay, time to explain."

She smiles slightly at me and says, "Okay, so Ryan doesn't like being alone in the hospital, even though he won't admit to it, they scare him. Seth is busy working, Sandy's doing something with a case of his, and I really need to go do something other than stare at that TV or do a puzzle with the boy. I love him to death, but he's driving me crazy." She takes in a deep breath and then continues. "So I was thinking that you could come and keep him company."

I bite my bottom lip and ask, "Are you sure he'd even want me there?"

She laughs and says, "I know that he doesn't want you there for a fact, but he's going to get stuck with you. I already told the doctor and he agreed that it's okay for you to be there as long as Ryan doesn't start having medical problems that go along with you."

I smile slightly and say, "This is going to be fun then."

She rolls her eyes and says, "I hope so. That boy could use some fun."

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I knew she was here before I could see her, even before I could hear her. There was something different in the atmosphere; some kind of charged energy that always seemed to appear when she did. I didn't know what she'd be doing here after I obviously told her to leave me alone, but I guess I never really did expect for her to follow the rules. What I wanted to know was why she was walking in behind Kirsten and why both of them had smiles on their faces. "Kirsten," I say tensely, refusing to look at the second woman that had so viciously stolen my heart and then ripped it to shreds.

"Before you get angry, let me first say that you're driving me crazy and that your doctor said it was okay," Kirsten starts, looking over at Marissa briefly before directing her eyes back to me. "And you know that you two need to talk anyways, so why not now?"

"Maybe because I don't even want to talk to her again," I say, finally shooting a look over at Marissa who seems unaffected by my anger, or at least is really good at hiding her feelings about it.

Kirsten rolls her eyes and says, "Such a boy. They never want to talk things out." She looks over at Marissa and quietly says, "Take care of him."

"I can take care of myself," I say stubbornly, crossing my arms over my chest. Kirsten smirks and Marissa tries to hide a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. It makes me upset that I can still detect what she's feeling.

Kirsten leaves after coming over to me and sternly saying, "Be nice," leaving Marissa and me all alone in a room together. A year ago I would've relished at this and probably taken her into my arms and made love to her fiercely. Instead I wish that I was off six feet under and that my gun hadn't jammed. I begin to wonder when I can give another go at attempting to kill myself when I hear her voice and my heart starts to speed up.

"So…" She murmurs, looking at me hesitantly and playing with her fingers. It reminds me of when I'd hold her hand in mine and never want to let go. I tear my gaze from her and look down at my own empty hands. How had so much yet so little changed with them?

"I don't want you here," I say softly, refusing to look at her any longer. I know that if I do I'll get lost in those eyes that I once found myself gazing into. That maybe I wouldn't be able to form the right words to convince her to leave me alone forever.

"I know, but Kirsten seems to think it's a good idea," She points out, slowly walking to the chair next to the bed. Every step she takes that brings her closer to me seems to take a little bit more of my breath until she's mere feet away and my lungs are completely deflated. I can't even remember how to breathe. "And you know, your parents are always supposed to know what's best for you."

"She's not my real mom," I point out bitterly, even surprised at myself for saying such a thing.

She doesn't let my statement get to her. "No, but do you think that your mom would've wanted you to forgive me if she knew that I really did love you and never meant to cause you any pain?" She asks quietly, her gaze burning into my skin. I turn and look at her briefly, our eyes connecting in a way only that two people that are meant to be can do; or at least I used to think that.

It takes everything for me to look away, but I do. "I don't know, my real mom's dead so it's not like I can ask her."

"Bitterness won't solve your problems. Neither will hating me," She say quietly. She's silent for a minute, the humming and beeping from the machines the only sound to be heard in the room. She finally says, "I would know, I used to hate the world, remember?" I roll my eyes but she continues anyways. "And I used to think that there would never be anything that could make me hate the world any less, that there was no one that could take it upon themselves to fix me…but you did." I sigh long and deep, but she doesn't seem to notice. "And falling in love with you saved me," She finishes with a small smile.

I roll my eyes and bitterly remark, "Well maybe I'll find someone soon that will fix the harm that you've already done."

My plan worked, she really does flinch his time. I smirk and look at her, only to be met with the saddest eyes I've seen for a while. I start to soften involuntarily when I hear another voice in the room that doesn't belong to either me or her. "Mr. Atwood, we meet again," I hear the doctor say. I sigh.

"I guess so Dr. So what's the plan? When can I get out of here?" I ask, tearing my gaze from Marissa's once again and instead look at the young doctor that I'd come to actually become quite fond of. He was young, yes, but that didn't mean he didn't know his stuff. So far there was nothing wrong with him. I guess I thought too soon.

"We'll discuss that in just a minute," He says, and then glances over at Marissa. A smile forms on his face and he says, "You must be Marissa…right?" He asks, his eyes looking at hers. I watch the interaction with wide eyes and an open mouth. This guy isn't serious right?

She nods and gives him a weird look. "Yeah, that's me…"

"Kirsten told me about you," He says, trying to communicate with her with his eyes about something. I stare at them bewilderedly, trying to access the potential threat I have on my hands. Not that I even want her back. Not that I care if she ever goes with another guy. Right.

"Oh," She says, obviously not getting what he was trying to say. He shakes his head, obviously giving up. He turns back to me and I give a small triumphant smile.

"So you're recovering nicely. Any pain?" He asks, the question directed towards me. He looks at my chart and I wonder what's written. It's always so nerve wracking when people have files about you in their hands.

"Um, sometimes near the wound, but that's it. It's not nearly as bad as when it started out," I admit happily. Let me tell you, getting shot hurts like hell.

"That's good," He says, then looks down at the chart some more, biting his lip. He's quiet for a second, and then says, "So I think that you should be able to leave soon. You'll have to come back in for physical therapy and such though. Recovering from this is not going to be easy…"

"Yeah, I know, long journey," I say with a roll of my eyes. If there's one thing that Atwoods can do, it's get back up on their feet after a crisis. Well, most of the time.


"This isn't to be taken as some joke," The doctor says, looking at me while shaking his head in irritation. "We've been over this before."

"I know, which is why I also know that I don't need to be lectured over it again. I could give you the whole speech again if you really want me to," I challenge, my eyes narrowing at him.

He shakes his head and says, "I have things to do…other patients to check on…" He looks at the clock on the wall and then back over at Marissa again. "Do you mind talking to me in the hall for just a second? I need to ask you something."

What the hell?!

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I look at him with confused eyes and shrug. "Um, I guess so…"

"Great," He says, and then leads me out into the hallway. He slightly closes the door so that Ryan can't make out what we're saying and then he smiles at me. "I wanted to formally introduce myself, I'm Mark Stillwater."

"Um, okay…" I say, still not getting what he's referring to.

"Wow, he really hasn't talked about me, has he?" The doctor asks, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Sounds just like him. He never talks about me!"

"Ryan?" I ask, totally confused.

He shakes his head and laughs. "No, Steve…"

"Wait, you know Steve?" I ask, my eyes widening in shock. He nods and I ask, "How?"

"I'm his brother…." He announces, nodding his head and sighing. "He never tells people about his family."

"Wow, this is weird," I say, finding it completely odd how attractive Steve's brother is compared to Steve. Mark has hair that is cut relatively short, but spiked, and is completely clean shaven. He has emerald green eyes that would make any girl's heart skip a beat (well, hearts that don't belong to someone else), and is lean but built.

He nods and laughs a little. "Yeah, I guess so…"

"And Ryan doesn't know?" I ask, my heart speeding up at just the thought of the boy in the room located to my left.

He shakes his head and says, "No one does, except for Steve of course. How's he doing by the way? I haven't spoken to him since he got together with your mom, assuming he's still with her…"

I sigh and wonder how much to tell this guy. I decide on the truth. "Well, congratulations, you're an Uncle."

He smiles widely and says, "That's great. When'd your mom have the baby?"

I sigh loudly and say, "That's the problem; the baby is mine."

He stares at me flabbergastedly. "What are you talking about?"

"Your brother raped me," I announce, a nurse staring at me as she passed by. I nod and shrug at her, warranting a weird look.

Mark doesn't say anything, but then nods and sighs. "He's a registered child-molester," He announces gloomily. "I just thought he was over this."

"Apparently not.."

"I know," He says, then looks back at Ryan's room. "Look, I'd love to talk about this some more sometime. Maybe I could help you a little bit. I'd love to meet my nephew…" He looks at me blankly, not sure of what my son's name is.

"Larry," I fill in with a smile.

"Yes, Larry," He says, and then murmurs, "Laugh and touch my arm."

I stare at him with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"Just do it, Ryan's looking…" he says, giving me a fake smile.

I laugh and put my hand on his arm, then ask, "Was that okay?"

He glances towards the room quickly and then says, "It was great. He totally bought it." He smiles at me, this time for real, and then says, "Whatever is going on with you two.." he jerks his head in Ryan's direction. "I hope it works out."

I smile and look back towards the room, seeing a glaring Ryan. "Me too."

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Marissa walks back into the room and the doctor says, "So is tonight fine?"

She nods and smiles softly at him. "Yeah, it sounds great. I'll let my mom know about dinner." He nods and then walks away, leaving Marissa alone in the doorway staring at me.

She laughs and walks towards the chair, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "What's so funny, something your new buddy told you?" I mumble, crossing my arms over my chest; a habit I picked up from Marissa.

She shakes her head and says, "No, you're just so cute when you get all worked up and jealous."

"I am not jealous," I stubbornly say.

She nods and sarcastically says, "Uh huh."

"Why would I be jealous of you and the older doctor? There's nothing going on with you and me, and so what if you have a relationship with a guy that's over ten years older than you and the relationship is illegal? It's all fine with me…" I say, rolling my eyes at her, attempting to block out my obvious annoyance.

"You know, technically me and you are illegal now?" She asks, a smile playing on her lips.

"That's not even the point," I say with another roll of my eyes, meanwhile calculating to see if what she said is correct. It doesn't take me long to realize it is.

"Then what is the point?" She asks with a smirk.

"The point is that I don't care if you date some guy that's twenty years older than you…"

"Ten," She corrects amusedly.

I glare at her and then say, "Anyways, I don't care if you date some guy that's twenty years older or twenty minutes older…"

"What about younger?"

I narrow my eyes and say, "You're not listening to me."

"That's not true, I know everything you've ever said to me," She says, her voice obviously softening and losing its amusement.

"I still don't care if you're with someone else," I mumble.

She smiles again and says, "I know." We both know that it's a lie.

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"She touched his arm. She laughed and just reached out and touched it."

Seth rolls his eyes. "You've said that how many times already?"

"That's not what's important," I point out, pointing my spoon at him.

"Then what is important, Ryan?" Seth asks with a sigh. "Because I have no idea what is."

"What's important is that Marissa might be dating some guy that's over ten years older than her," I say.

"So what? You guys aren't together, so you shouldn't care right?" Seth asks with a smirk.

"I don't care," I say belligerently.

"Then why are you bringing this up so much?" Seth asks, looking back at the TV. "Because you know, the Valley marathon doesn't last forever and this is a really good episode…"

"Fine," I say, taking another bite of my Jell-O. Seth leans back in the chair and watches the TV for a while, but then I can't help myself. "And what's up with all the smiles and the obvious flirting? That guys is so not professional."

"And you're so in love with your ex-girlfriend," Seth remarks.

"I am not," I say, shooting a look in his direction.


"Dude, don't even deny it. You've done nothing but talk about her for the last two hours that I've been here," Seth says, laughing to himself. "You know you're just causing yourself heartache. Even my mom thinks that you guys belong together, and two weeks ago she could've created some random 'I-hate-Marissa' club on the internet."

"Whatever," I say, staring at the TV.

"I thought so," Seth says, turning up the volume.

I'm quiet for another five minutes before saying, "But seriously, touching the guy's arm? Who does that?"

Seth rolls his eyes and groans. "Here we go again…"

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I'm too tired to do the individual replies, so please try to understand! If you have any questions/concerns/etc, email me or PM me. Otherwise, review, review, review!