The relief on her face was evident and she felt her body relax, allowing her head to rest against the pillows.

"Vitals are normal," the nurse said quietly, scribbling a note on the chart before stepping away.

No one else spoke for a moment until Billy stepped forward. "Hey," he breathed, now struggling to steady his own breathing as he looked into her eyes. Hours before he'd been afraid he might never look into those eyes again and now she was here, calling his name.

Jack smiled, stepping up beside his brother and touching her shoulder. "You're something else, Red. You're laying here in a hospital bed and you're worrying about my brother. I bet you remembered seeing him last night, right? You were afraid he was in the accident?"

Phyllis closed her eyes, banishing the thoughts from her mind. She was afraid she had lost him forever. He stood right next to her now, his eyes staring into hers, yet she still didn't truly have him. So quickly life could change. In in an instant, everything you knew to be true could be gone. She looked up, her eyes finding Billy's again. She reached for his hand, grasping for it.

"Sorry," she managed, opening her mouth slowly and gratefully accepting the water Summer offered.

"You don't need to be sorry." Billy stared at her, unsure of how to respond, though he desperately wanted to tell her how much he loved her, how much he needed her, how much more certain he was of both of those things now. Yet no matter how much how much he wanted to tell her and touch her, he could see the relief on his brother's face. He'd watched him pace these floors right along with him and he knew his own pleasure would come at the expense of his brother's immeasurable pain.

"No. No." The words came easier now as the water soothed her dry throat. She couldn't. Not one more moment. She couldn't pretend, wasting precious moments, time that could be spent saying the words that mattered most. "I love you." She took a breath, steadying herself, locking eyes with him as she said it again, "I love you."

Bliss and heartache, joy and pain, exquisite relief and overwhelming dread-All those feelings and more overwhelmed his mind as he stood, staring, holding her hand in his. Her voice was weak but her words were clear. She loved him. She'd said it in front of everyone. He wanted to pretend they were the only two people in the room, but couldn't. He could feel the weight of their eyes as they all stared at him.

"Sweetheart," Jack said gently, pushing in front of Billy slightly and taking her hand. "You ok?" He looked up at Stitch, his eyes questioning.

"I think we need to let Phyllis rest for now. Let's talk outside."

Stitch motioned towards the door leading them into the hallway. Jack pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'll be right outside," he whispered. Summer leaned in for a quick hug before moving towards the door.

Billy gripped her hand, locking eyes with her before following Jack and Summer from the room.


"Look Jack," Billy began, his mind racing with thoughts. Phyllis didn't need this now. Stitch had been clear, no stress, keep her calm and comfortable. As much as he wanted to be with her. As much as he wanted this charade to be over, he couldn't risk Phyllis' health-not for anything.

"Billy. Billy." Jack raised his hands to stop him. "It's ok. You don't have to explain. It's pretty clear what's going on here." The edge in his voice was obvious.

Summer stood behind him, her eyes meeting Billy's, her concern evident. From the moment she'd seen them together in the park, she'd known their relationship was one that would surely bring chaos. At the time, however, she had no way of knowing how deep their feelings were. At first she'd been angry, ashamed that her mother had fallen into yet another relationship sure to destroy a family, but after months of watching them together, she'd come to believe this was about more than a thrill, and more than an attraction.

"Um..Is my Mom ok? I mean she's awake, but is she ok?" Summer glanced over at Stitch. Her concern legitimate but also a well-placed diversion. Now wasn't the time for this discussion.

Jack wrapped his arm around Summer. "She's just confused, sweetheart. I'm sure that's all it is." He looked over at Stitch, his eyes seeking confirmation. He'd heard the words as they came from her mouth and, in that instant, his heart stopped. For months, he'd been pushing aside doubts, convincing himself their problems were the result of their respective past trauma, but he wondered now if he'd been kidding himself. Could there be more to it?

"It's very common for concussed patients to experience confusion-even memory loss when they regain consciousness. Coupled with Phyllis' lowered blood pressure and the medications we've been giving her to regulate her heart rate, her altered mental state is completely understandable." He looked at Jack, his voice serious. "Don't worry about this. The important thing here is that she's awake and responsive. Once she gets some rest and has some time to get her bearings, I'm sure she'll be just fine."

"Thanks Stitch," Jack said, offering his hand.

Billy sighed, watching his brother without a word. Jack turned, looking at his brother. Billy glanced away, barely able to handle looking him in the eye.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to say." Jack shook his head, letting the air that had felt trapped in his chest finally escape. "I think this night just finally got to me. I don't know what I was thinking. It just..." He shook his head, unable to put the horrible thoughts he'd been entertaining into words. "I'd been waiting so long for her to open her eyes and then she did. I guess when she said your name it..." His eyes filled with tears as he relived the moment. "I just thought it would be me."

"Jack." Billy shook his head. He couldn't listen to his brother apologize to him. He was standing there, telling him how much the truth would devastate him. This was a front row preview of the hell they would inflict upon him when it all came out. "Don't apologize to me. Please."

"No. You've got to let me say this. I need to tell you this." He ran his hand over his face, silently chastising himself for the ridiculousness of the thoughts, for the petty feelings and wasted energy. "These last few months I've been a little jealous of the relationship you and Phyllis have."

Billy looked down at his feet. He felt sick to his stomach, the guilt literally welling up inside him like a physical mass.

"I know," he continued. "I know it sounds ridiculous and petty, but Phyllis always seemed to turn to you. Every time she needed someone, it was you. When she needed to talk, she called you. When she needed somewhere to get away, she went to you. You were her safe place to fall and I wanted to be that for her, but I couldn't. She didn't want me. She wanted you. I guess after a while I started to get these crazy ideas in my head. I started to wonder if there was more going on."

"Jack..."

"You don't have to say anything. I know. I know how ridiculous it is. Even now-hearing the words out loud it sounds crazy. You were there for her when she needed someone. You were there when I couldn't be what or who she needed. I don't know why, but I do know that I'm grateful. I'm grateful she had you to go to."

"She helped me too. She's a good listener." He glanced over at Summer who had taken a seat a few chairs down her face fixated on her phone's screen.

Jack smiled. "That's good. Listen, I know things are a little strange right now, but the most important thing here is that Phyllis stays calm. We don't want to upset her."

Billy cleared his throat. "Of course not."

"So until things settle down, we let her make the rules. If she wants you with her, that's what she gets."

"Jack, I'm sure she..."

"Billy." He reached out, laying his hand on his shoulder. "It's ok."

Billy nodded, forcing a smile and clasping his hand on top of his brother's.

Jack smiled, straightening his coat. "I'm going to go make a few calls and spread some good news. Then I thought I might make a cafeteria run. Can I get you two anything?"

"No thanks," Summer answered, smiling up at him.

"I'm good," Billy responded.


His legs felt impossibly weak as he lowered himself into the chair, cradling his face in his hands.

Summer turned to Billy. "That was horrible. Absolutely horrible. What are you going to do?"

This was the question he'd asked himself at least a hundred times. There had been moments over the past few months where he had been the biggest supporter of telling Jack the truth but tonight, as he stood looking into his brother's eyes, he realized the depth of his trust-and not just in Phyllis, in him as well.

"I have to see her," he said quietly.

Summer reached out, grabbing his arm. "Stitch said she needed to rest."

"I won't be long," Billy protested already heading for the door.


Phyllis opened her eyes at the sound of the door.

"Hi," she said quietly.

Billy walked quickly to the side of the bed. "Hi yourself." He couldn't help but smile as he looked at her. He knew they faced certain pain but somehow, in this moment, it didn't matter.

Her hand felt cold as he held it and brought it to his lips. "You scared the hell out of me."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. Just get better. I need you." He paused for a moment. "I love you...so much."

She squeezed his hand, her throat tightening a bit, "I love you too." She felt the tears begin to fall down her cheeks and his fingertips were there in an instant, gently brushing them away.

"I was so afraid I'd never get to say that to you again." The smile on her face faded as she thought about the night. "Earlier...what I said.." She swallowed hard, her big green eyes wide as she stared at him. "Does Jack?"

Billy stroked her hand softly. "That's what we need to talk about."