Sorry guys, I know it's been a while since I updated, but I've started a new story, and I've moved since I last updated. But, I know there are no excuses. Read on!

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We spent the next week living in the hospital. Oliver, Jackson, Miley and I all had school, but none of us went. Oliver's mom was a saint. She went to school at the end of every day, picking up our homework for the day. Every day we sat at the hospital, doing our work, trying to focus while glancing up every once in a while to see if there was any change in Robbie Ray's condition. None of us felt like leaving for more than half an hour, in case he suddenly took a turn for the worst.

But one day, everything changed.

I woke up that morning, same as I always did; in Lilly's arms. We slept in the hospital room on a gurney, which the hospital staff had wheeled in almost a week ago for us to sleep on. Jackson was spread out (as much as he could be) on the short hospital couch, and Oliver was sleeping curled up in the chair. They alternated every other night to be fair about who got the chair and who got the couch, and each night they insisted Lilly and I stay on the bed.

That morning we waited for the doctor to come in, same as he had for days now, to check on Dad. He told us nothing had changed, as he always did, and then we all went to the cafeteria to have breakfast. After that, we spent a large part of the day doing nothing except watching TV and sneaking sidelong glances at Dad to make sure he was ok. It was a habit we'd all fallen into, talking to each other, then looking at him between sentences.

We ate lunch late that day, because Oliver's mom had insisted on bringing a lunch for all of us, because she was tired of us eating hospital food all the time. It was very nice of her to bring us lunch, and, secretly, I was tired of eating hospital food too. After dropping the food off with us, Oliver's mom went to go find the doctor on Robbie Ray's case. Jackson and Oliver sat on the couch, watching the TV, while Lilly and I sat on the bed, which was propped up. We were watching the same show that plays all the time throughout the day: CSI. By now, we may have seen all the episodes in the series, but no one really wants to change the channel, and none of us were really watching it. We all stared at it mindlessly, really just needing the background noise.

While I was sitting there, Lilly, in a smooth kind of motion, took her arm and put it around my shoulders. Even considering my surrounding, I felt like laughing out loud. It seemed like the kind of motion that only belonged in cheesy date movies. Then, she leaned in closely, whispering in my ear. "Miley, I love you." I looked at her, no doubt looking stricken. It was so unexpected; I had no idea how to react. I looked over to my left, to where Oliver and Jackson sat, still staring at the TV.

"I know." I leaned into her, glad that it was Lilly saying she loved me. If it had been anyone else, my next sentence would have been a lie. "I love you too." I whispered, wrapping my arm around her stomach. I felt her let out an uneasy sigh, as if she'd been unsure of what my response would have been.

I turned to look at her, and the relief was obvious in her face. She kissed me gently, once, twice, three times. "For good luck," she whispered. Then, there was a loud cough next to us, and we both jumped, knowing who could be the only one that would make that deep rasping sound.

I ran around the bed, getting to Robbie Ray's bedside as fast as I could. Miley was the first by his bed, and by the time the rest of us got there, Robbie Ray was silent again. We all looked at each other, desperate in our grief. And then he coughed again, and Miley grabbed my hand, so hard it almost hurt. I squeezed back, and Robbie Ray coughed a third time. Miley started to tremble with excitement, and then Robbie Ray's eyes opened.

"Doctor!" someone yelled, but there was a buzzing excitement blanketing my brain, so I couldn't identify who said it.

"Dad?" Miley practically shouted, as if she expected him to be deaf or something. "Dad can you hear me?" There was a cold blankness in his eyes, and I was suddenly terrified that he was brain dead.

And, suddenly, he seemed to come back to life. Light flew into his eyes, color flooded his cheeks. He sat up so suddenly, everyone jumped back. He grabbed Miley, pulling her closer to him. He let her go as quickly as he had grabbed her, and next pulled Jackson in to him. Over Jackson's shoulder, he nodded at Oliver and I. Then, he began to mutter, almost to himself.

"Not much time, not much time at all." He seemed to suddenly remember we were there again, and began to speak quickly and loudly. "Jackson, I love you very much. Oliver you were always a strange boy, but you were like a son to me. Lilly, Miley, I always knew there was something more between you to. I just made my best attempt at denying it. I'm so sorry that I put you through what I did. It's these old stubborn ways of mine…

"Dad…" Miley tried to speak.

"No, Miles, let me finish. I don't have much time here. I've met the good lord, and I've seen you kids sitting here, waiting for me to wake up. He gave me one chance, one chance to come back and make right what I've made wrong. It took a week for me to get this chance, so please hear me out. For what it's worth, I want you two to know that you have my blessing. I'll be gone soon, gone forever. I really hope that your mom," he nodded at Oliver, "will be able to take the kids in. Miley, you know we have all that Hannah money stored away. It can help her, financially anyway. I want you guys to behave…" he coughed again, and it was as if that was a signal that his time was up. The light left his eyes again, and the color left his cheeks. He was silent again. The heart monitor near the wall stopped beeping, falling into one flat tone.

"Dad. Dad! No, please!" Miley screamed, as Jackson fell to his knees. Oliver grabbed him, trying not to let him get hurt.

"Dad, Dad! Dad you can't leave us!" Jackson started to lament. Miley reached forward, shaking Robbie Ray, lightly at first, then harder and harder. But he didn't respond.

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So, would you guys liek to Review? Please? And could you go on and read my other story too? It's called Nobody's Perfect. I love it.