John walked back to the hospital room with coffee in hand. He'd sat with Natalie for a few hours now, leaving to take calls from Price regarding the security footage which had been a dead end since there were no cameras pointed towards the parking lot.

Price had found where Natalie came in and left the store-seeming her normal happy self, but John wanted to see it for himself and was planning on going by the station to review the tape before heading home to Liam.

The thought made him smile-though nothing had changed in his feelings towards the boy since this morning, knowing that he was his somehow helped through all this. He'd told Roxy none of this when he'd called to check on him-worried that Brody might show up and she would blab the truth to him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a scream coming from Natalie's room and he took off. Reaching the room she looked white as a ghost, and though he was glad she was finally awake he was frightened by her reaction, "Hey-I'm right here," he said as he came over and sat on the bed.

"Where's Liam? Where's my son?" she demanded.

"He's with Roxy. Calm down, drink this," he said as he poured her a cup of ice water from the pink pitcher at her bedside.

"I-I woke up and was here. What happened? How long-?"

"Just a couple days. Your brakes were cut-did you know?" he said as he pushed her hair out of her face, something he'd been wanting to do since he got here earlier.

"No-Liam was having a reaction and I took off down the mountain. It was a-."

"Bee sting," he said as he completed her sentence, and smiled at her surprised reaction. "Did I ever tell you my old man had a bee allergy? So is Michael, but it's leveled off since he's gotten older. I talked to him-he's actually already got a child's Epipen for Gabe just in case. Guess the allergy switched itself to Liam instead."

"What-what are you saying?" she asked and took another sip of water before putting it on the table, grimacing at the pain that radiated her body. Between the accident and lying motionless for two days it ached horribly.

"I-I'm not sure, but I think Liam is mine. Marty told me the truth-she changed the test."

"And what if she's lying John? What if this is another way to stick it to me, because despite your BBF status you have with her-she seems to enjoy making my life a living hell. Besides-."

"Besides what?" he asked, anger at her reaction to what he thought was wonderful news.

"I'm not sure I want this anymore."

"This?" he said, still confused as to what she was trying to get across.

"Us. If you are Liam's father then you can have access to him all you want, but I don't think I want to be a part of your life anymore, John."

"How can you say that?" he stammered. He'd been picturing this scene for hours now, of him telling her the truth and it never went like this. "We-we were going to be married-we were starting our family."

"You think I don't know that? That suddenly I forgot your reaction at Liam's first kick, or how you constantly said we were a family-that this was meant to be. But you learned the truth and I knew it'd kill you-but it killed what we had also. I had realized it up in the cabin-that I have only one thing to live for now, and that's Liam."

"You don't give up-you told me you'd never give up on us."

"I guess I lied. You said I was getting good at it," she said as she looked him in the eye and John saw she was serious with her words.

John mused at her words, "I guess so-I'll have Price come by and get your statement tomorrow. Glad you're ok," he said as he got up and left the room without looking back.


It had been an hour since John left and Natalie just kept her eyes closed. She would let herself begin to go to sleep, but then she would relive the feeling of unable to stop the car before it went off the road and the crunching metal sound would startle her enough that she feared to close her eyes.

Hearing a soft knock on the door she opened her eyes to see her mom peeking into the room, "Mom," she smiled.

"Oh baby," she said as she rushed to the bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I was so worried. How are you feeling?"

"Sore," nodded Natalie. "I-I still don't understand everything. Who would cut my brakes?"

"John didn't tell you? I was expecting him to still be here, did he go to get something to eat?"

"No-he left. He didn't say much about the accident-just that the brakes were cut. There were a few other things more important."

"Like him being Liam's father after all?"

"How-?"

"I was at St Anne's when Marty told him. I don't know what was said, but he left and she had a breakdown. She was yelling she did it to protect him. I don't think he ever heard a word she said, or cared. Why did he leave?" she asked, surprised that he would unless asked to do so.

"I pretty much pushed him away. Told him I didn't want us after all-all I want is my son," she said as her eyes started to fill with tears.

"Oh honey. Obviously you don't believe that."

"I have to. It's better for everyone if we're just parents to Liam and nothing else."

"I don't think this is the time for making life changing decisions. Right now I think you need to put all your focus on getting better so you can go home to your son."

"Ok, mom," she smiled and closed her eyes, finally letting herself fall into a restful sleep.


"Thanks," said John as he paid for the pizza and turned back, smiling at the sight before him-Liam sitting in his bouncer smiling at him. "What? You think you are getting some of this? Yeah-you know what this is because your mom ate it so much before she had you. But you've already had your dinner."

When he'd picked up Liam from Roxy's he'd held in the emotion until they made it upstairs-and then he let himself feel joy for the first time in months. This boy-the one he had loved since the first moment was his and Natalie's-they had made this little person together with their love, not some spur of the moment sack in bed.

Natalie. He sighed at thinking about what she said-how she didn't want what they were about to have anymore-how he'd totally blown it.

He took a bite of pizza before putting focus back on Liam, "I screwed up kiddo-big time. And you're going to learn I'm not one to admit when he's wrong, but I was. Sometimes your mom and I-we have it going so right that it's inevitable that we screw it up.

"And it wasn't just her-I mean, yes-she kept me in the dark about her and Lovett's one night stand, but I find out the truth and found the bottom of a bottle quick and said some pretty hurtful things to her.

"So here's what we're going to do tonight-we get a game plan going and start repairing some of the bridges I've burned-and save the biggest bridge for last. What do you think about that?" he asked, and laughed as Liam let out a squeal as if agreeing with what he'd just said.