Yet again, sorry for delay in posting! But school's out for me now, so you can expect more constant updates.

crushie- the second joke is really lame, actually, and has nothing to do with Lucas. it's just that the girl Corbin sang "Deal With It" to in the video is Asian and...never mind, i am so odd, haha. And i'm a sucker for romance scenes too :)

MackeyPac- like I would honestly get rid of Ryan? No, no; he's not going to die in this story. That'd be a really lame way to end it

Tt2dancer- yes yes; poor them. i seem to love to make their lives suck. Is that bad? But don't get too stressed; it gets worse :)

HorsesRmyFriends- eep, again, sorry for delay! ill try harder now that school's over

dreamer 3097- yay!!!!! -parties- sorry, i love compliments

Ann- yah, i really do have to knock him out, haha, sorry. Yet again; i have this weird thing of hurting main characters. As for how the house caught fire...CRAP, i forgot to add that to this chapter. oops. maybe the next one


Chapter Seven

The next few weeks were a sleepless time for the Neilsons, Evans, and Tabitha. Ryan came back to consciousness easily enough, but not back to his normal healthy self. He had a burning fever and coughed continually from inhaling so much smoke. Late, late in the night (Kelsi's watch), the fever would rise to the point where he would begin to talk in his slumber. Most of the time he would spew complete and utter nonsense, but every now and again Kelsi would catch a few key words. It was at these times she would sit on the bed and hold his clammy hand and place a comforting, cool hand on his tossing forehead. Eventually he would quiet down, and Kelsi would return to her seat in the chair next to his bed. Ryan never remembered his feverish dreams in the morning, and Kelsi never breathed a word of it to a soul. Whatever he thought about at 3 o'clock in the morning remained stowed away in Kelsi's thoughts.

When he was awake, Ryan didn't open his mouth except to cough. His eyes never seemed to fully open, and he wouldn't eat a scrap. Lilly knew something was wrong with her daddy, because Tabitha wouldn't let her curl up with him at night anymore. But every day at exactly 3:30, when Ryan was awake and most himself, she was allowed playtime with him. She later told Kelsi that she had "gotten a little scared seeing her daddy looking so weak." Kelsi assured her that her father would be feeling much better soon. Inside her own mind, things weren't so simple.

Almost a week after the fire, Ryan was having another feverish dream. As always, Kelsi sat on the bed and put her right hand in his and a loving hand on his forehead—only this time he woke up. Tears flowed down his face and his body shook uncontrollably in a way that scared Kelsi almost as badly as seeing him being born away from a flaming house.

"Shh, baby, it's okay; I'm right here," Kelsi soothed, not knowing what nightmare he must have awoken from. She ran her fingers through his short golden hair—something she had longed to do for the longest time. She stroked his trembling hand with her thumb and kissed his damp forehead. At last, gazing into her eyes, gasping shuddery breaths, Ryan stopped quaking fell back into his fitful and shallow sleep.

It was then that Kelsi realized just how badly she wanted to be a part of Ryan Evan's life. He needed her as much as she needed him. Kelsi saw so many places where a mother's touch was badly lacking. The precariously stacked cardboard boxes in the corner, juice boxes toppling out of the trashcan, dust seeping out of every niche, and plates piled into hazardous skyscrapers in the sink. She was just itching to recycle the boxes, replace the trash bag, dust the whole apartment from ceiling to carpet, and place the dishes in the dishwasher. All she wanted was to be a part of the little family's life.

It seemed she wasn't the only one affected by the fire. The Evan parents actually drove over to see how their baby boy was doing; finally accepting the fact that there Ryan had a 5-year-old girl. The Neilson parents were staying with friends at a house nearby, but Kelsi insisted that she would stay with Ryan.

The musician combed Ryan's snoozing head with her thin fingers, curling the feather-soft locks around her forefinger. Her eyes fell on his left hand which she had bandaged the night of the fire. The board from her house had broken his wrist, but he was not well enough to go down to the doctors' and acquire a splint. The other board left a large tender welt on the back of Ryan's head, making him susceptible to lightheadedness. But at least he was still alright.

After a week and a half of being bedridden, Ryan awoke to find no one in his room; Tabitha was watching her soaps in the other room with Kelsi.

He felt nasty all over; sticky, hot, but yet he kept shivering. It occurred to him how pleasant a glass of ice water would be. Easing his aching body to his feet, goose bumps ran all over his skinny arms and legs the moment his bare foot touched the wood flooring. Ryan continued his glacial progress towards the kitchen.

"RYAN!" Kelsi's outcry made his head hammer. Ryan clutched the counter, trying to steady himself against his spinning head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that so loud!" He hacked a cough in response. "But why are you out of bed?? You should have just called for me or Tabitha and we would have gotten it for you!" I miss walking on my own two feet, and it didn't seem such a bad idea at the time. Kelsi steered the wobbly Ryan over to the table. She put the back of her hand to his sweaty forehead. He was still very feverish. Ryan looked sleepily up at her, his face expressionless and his mind too sluggish to form any more connected thoughts.

"You want some water?" He nodded. After the water, Tabitha decided that it might be more comfortable for Ryan if he changed his clothes. While Kelsi made dinner for the four of them, Tabitha helped her neighbor out of his now germy pajamas and into new and far softer and warmer p.j. pants along with a loose, but still form-fitting white t-shirt. When Kelsi came in bearing the chicken soup, she couldn't help but notice how skinny Ryan had become yet again. If he turned sideways, she was afraid he would disappear completely.

"Come, eat the soup; it's good for you!" He firmly shook his head.

"I don like that stuff," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Kelsi and Tabitha were strongly reminded of a sleepy toddler.

"Feeling any better?" Tabitha asked gently, motioning to Kelsi that the possibility of Ryan eating anything he didn't want to was bleak.

"A lil'"

"You sleepy?"

"Kinda"

"Why don't you have some ramen noodles and go flop in front of the TV?" He nodded and walked slowly over to the living room. Lillian bounced out of her room as if there were springs on her feet.

"DADDY!! You're awake!" Wincing from her loud voice, Ryan managed a smile and scooped up the giggling girl in his arms.

"Hey pumpkin. You wanna watch TV with Dad?" he whispered tenderly, if hoarsely.

"Sure!!" Kelsi winked at Tabitha as the pair cuddled in front of the television set with a bowl of chicken ramen.

"I have to go run some errands," Tabitha informed Kelsi quietly, grabbing her purse. "Can you look after both of them until I get back?" Kelsi nodded. "I'll be back in three hours"

Not ten minutes later, Lilly waddled back into the kitchen bearing.

"Why did you come back so soon?"

"After just three big bites of the noodles, Daddy rested his head against the pillow and went right back to sleep! I finished eating the noodles 'fore I brought back the bowl." When Kelsi poked her head over the couch, sure enough, with arms wrapped around the pillow beneath his head, Ryan was seemingly asleep. But, yet again, he surprised her by opening his eyes right before she about to look away, and grabbed her hand. She looked concernedly down at him, but was relieved to see a happy, innocent smile playing across his handsome features.

Kelsi took the thermometer resting on the counter and Ryan wedge it between his tongue and the bottom of his mouth. When she pulled it out, the device read 103 degrees. Kelsi bit her lip. That was a high fever for a man of 21.

"You go back to sleep," she instructed him gently, pushing him on back onto his back on the couch. "You need it, Mr. Evans." Kelsi leaned down, intending to give him a small peck on the lips. Ryan leaned upward, however, and captured her lips with his, making it deeper and longer than Kelsi had planned it. She was startled by how hot his lips were (the fever affected everything), but forgot even that small fact when Ryan opened his mouth mischievously. She seized up the dare with relish.

"EWW, DADDY!" Ryan moaned; clutching his head as it ricocheted of his spinal cord. Kelsi massaged it with her fingers and raised an eyebrow at the disgusted girl.

"What's the problem, Lilly?"

"Could you find a room or something? I don't wanna see that mushy stuff," Lilly responded sassily, putting her small hands cockily on her hips while wrinkling her petite nose.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking a nap? Kelsi lowered her mouth onto Ryan's waiting one. "And you don't have to watch," she added teasingly.

"YUCK!" Lilly ran back into her room. Giggling, Kelsi forced herself to stand up.

"You are also supposed to be taking a nap, you naughty boy," she scolded him lightly, trying hard to conceal a smile went he sent her his most sincere puppy face. "Touch luck, Charlie." Kelsi didn't have to wait long; two minutes later and Ryan deeply sleeping, his mouth hanging slightly agape.

Kelsi amused herself with looking through Ryan's music collection for half an hour. She read for the second half hour. When her watch showed it had been one and a half hours, she decided it would be alright to leave Lilly and Ryan alone for fifteen minutes while she went to the lobby to rent a movie.

Ryan's lead heavy eyelids popped open. Why had he woken up? The phone rang shrilly again. Oh, that's why. Using every protesting muscle in his body, Ryan hoisted himself off the couch and picked up the house phone on its final ring.

"'lo?" he yawned.

"Hello; is this Mr. Ryan William Evans speaking?"

"Yah"

"I am the Montez's lawyer, Mr. Jassek. I am calling to inform you that Ms. Gabriella Montez applying for full custody of your daughter, Mr. Lillian Gabriella Evans." Ryan opened his mouth, but only a strangled sound came out of his throat. His eyes stared fixedly ahead of him, the phone still shoved against his ear.


muahahaha, i live for surprises. didnt see that one coming, didya? R&R please!!!!!