Dylan walked out of the bedroom and shut the door quietly, then put his head against it. He'd thought Brenda was doing so well, but now…now he was scared. He had called her doctor's phone service from the bedroom and made her an appointment for next Monday. He hoped that wasn't too far away. It killed him not knowing what was going on with her; if he didn't know what it was, he couldn't fix it.
"Hey, Dylan, how is she?" Donna asked from the front of the hallway.
Raising his head, he looked at her. "She seems to be resting. Maybe she really was just exhausted."
Donna walked to him and took his hand. "Do you think she's pushing herself too hard?"
"I know she is. But you know Bren," he shook his head.
Donna smiled slightly. "I do know Bren," she agreed. She looked at Dylan for a moment. "How are you, Dylan? I know that you've been dealing with a lot too."
Dylan leaned back against the door. "I think I'm going to be okay. As long as Brenda is getting better, I'll make it. As for the other…" He laughed lowly. "I guess I should have known Sammy wasn't mine. He's too perfect. Any kid of mine would probably be screwed up."
"Dylan, you stop that right now. Just because Sammy isn't actually your son doesn't mean that you're not an important part of his life. He thinks you're his father, and he loves you like you are. This is going to be hard on all of you, but you're still going to be a part of his life and you're going to be great."
Dylan cocked his eyebrow at Donna. "Yes, ma'am," he said with a mock salute, smiling.
"So…" she said. "You and Bren are…"
"Together. Finally," Dylan finished for her.
Donna smiled. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. Brenda is my best friend and I know how hard things have been for you guys. And now you'll have Addy too!" After she said it, Donna wished she could take it back. She had no idea how receptive Dylan was to the idea of being a step father, especially after losing Sammy as his son. "I mean…"
Noticing her horrified expression, Dylan smiled. "I love Addy. She's a sweetheart. Brenda and I haven't talked about it, but I think it's just understood that she and Addy are now a part of my life. And maybe it's best for everyone, you know? I had always said I didn't want to have a child because of the things I might pass on and where I was in my life. But with Addy, I can be a part of her life, her family, and not have to worry about any of that." His grin grew wider. "Have you seen her smile? Brenda's going to need all the help she can get beating the boys back when Addy gets older. I'm up for it."
"I think you'll be a wonderful father, Dylan." When Dylan shrugged, Donna looked straight in his eyes. "I mean it," she said.
"Thanks, Donna," he told her, pulling her in for a hug. "It's good to be back here, isn't it?"
Donna thought about her time in Japan. She had loved the culture, the people, the fast paced life. But it had never been home; something was always missing. "So good," she told him, agreeing.
"Dylan, you do know Donna and I are married, right?" David said from behind her. Laughing quietly and pulling away from Dylan, Donna looked back at her husband. "We were thinking about ordering a pizza," David told them, walking to Donna and putting his arm around her. "You guys in?"
"Always," Donna told him, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "Dylan?" she said, looking at him.
"Sure," Dylan told them, walking toward the living room.
Andrea was on the phone and looked up when Dylan walked in the room. She gave him a thumbs up sign with a questioning look. He nodded and she said into the phone, "And one last pizza."
Dylan sat in the kitchen by Brandon. At his look, Dylan said, "She's still sleeping." He hung his head, rubbing his face with his hands. "I'm going crazy, Brandon."
Brandon watched his friend. "You're really worried, huh?"
"I just can't figure out what's wrong with her. According to the doctor, she should be getting better, not worse. I'm hoping she really does just need some rest." He looked at Brandon. "We've got to make her slow down, if it's hurting her so much. She's got to listen."
Brandon sighed. "Brenda doesn't listen very well. We'll try though." He put his hand on Dylan's shoulder. "We'll help her through this."
David sat with them. Looking at the man, Brandon noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "How are you and Donna holding up?"
David looked back to see where Donna was, then leaned toward the other two men. "Donna would kill me for saying anything, but we're both running on empty. I don't know how Brenda handles all of this theater stuff by herself. The people she found are really good at what they do, it's just…figuring out what to tell them to do."
"I'm going to come by more often," Brandon told him. "Even though I know nothing about that type of stuff, there has to be things I can do to help."
"Did you talk to Nat?" Dylan asked Brandon.
"He cried tears of joy," Brandon told the man.
"What?" David asked, confused.
"Young Mr. Silver, you are looking at the new owners of the Peach Pit, as well as the After Dark."
David smiled. "I think everyone has owned it now."
"Some more than others," Dylan said dryly. All three laughed.
"What's going on?" Donna said, coming to sit in David's lap.
"These guys bought the Peach Pit and the After Dark from Nat," David told her.
"Oh, how exciting! I think everyone has owned it now."
"So I hear," Brandon told her. He looked at the Silver's and said, "I want to thank you guys for what you've done to help Bren. Without you, I don't think we could have kept the theater open."
"Don't worry about it Brandon, it's no problem," Donna told him. David looked at Brandon knowingly.
"Pizza's are ordered," Andrea told the group, coming in and sitting in the last chair. "Beats cooking."
"Amen," Brandon, Donna and Dylan said in unison.
"Andrea, how's Hannah?" Donna asked.
"She's doing really well," Andrea told her, smiling. "Her blood counts are good and her energy is up." Her smile slipped. "But I always worry, every time we go to the doctor, that it's going to be back." Andrea's voice broke and she looked down.
Dylan rubbed her back. Donna put her hand over Andrea's. "If that ever happens," David told her, "we'll just have to be there for her and help her find the strength to beat it."
"Thanks guys," Andrea said, looking at them. "This is something that I'm going to have to deal with for the rest of my life. Some nights I can't even sleep, thinking about it. It's so hard to put on my happy face for Hannah when all I want to do is grab her and hug her and cry." The table was silent for a moment. "Sorry," Andrea told them. "I didn't mean to bring everyone down."
Dylan sat back. "Thinking about you and Hannah and worrying about Brenda has really helped me realize how much time I've wasted and how little time we could have left. What have I been doing the past few years?"
David looked up at Donna. "Yeah, I wasted so much time being angry. I didn't even know why I was mad." Donna leaned down and kissed him. "I'm not wasting any more," he said, looking into her eyes.
"It seems like we should all still be kids," Brandon said. "I don't know how we got to this point. Brenda leaving," he shook his head. "It was like the beginning of the end for us. Does that make sense?"
"And now she's brought us all back together," Donna said. "Where we're supposed to be."
"Now all I have to do is get better," Brenda said, walking into the kitchen. She walked over to Dylan and sat in his lap, putting her arm around him. "Sorry, love," she told him, kissing him on the forehead. Dylan hugged her, resting his head on her chest.
"How are you feeling Bren?" Brandon asked her.
"I'm feeling a little better. I can't figure out what's wrong with me. I should be getting stronger, not weaker." She shrugged.
"I called and checked on the girls," Brandon told her. "Mom said they're all asleep."
Brenda nodded. "I miss Addy," she said sadly. Dylan rubbed her arm. "I miss work, too. Have any of you talked to Val?"
"I talked to her at the theater earlier. She was leaving around 6 for the airport. She seemed pretty excited," David told her.
"Rick's going to flip," Brenda said, smiling. "He misses her so much." Rolling her head around, she sighed. "I will get better," she told her friends determinedly.
"I know you will Bren," Dylan told her. "And until you do, you need to listen to us and stop pushing yourself too hard."
Brenda rolled her eyes. "I'm not even doing much," she protested. She looked to Donna for help, but Donna just shrugged.
"Something's not right," Donna told her. "Maybe you really are pushing yourself too hard."
Brenda groaned. "Maybe the doctor can fix me," she said hopefully.
While they ate pizza the group discussed the theater group and made plans for a play date at the park. Brenda seemed to be fine, if a little tired. Dylan watched her laugh and talk, trying to find some sign of what could be causing her to remain so weak. After everyone left, he pulled her to the couch. She laid on top of him, her head resting on his chest.
"I need to tell you something," she told him after they'd laid in silence for a while, raising her head to look into his eyes.
Steeling himself, Dylan looked at her. "Okay."
"I love you, Dylan," she said softly.
Dylan closed his eyes. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he pulled her head down to his for a kiss. He'd prayed that one day Brenda would be able to forgive him and let him back into her life. "Brenda," he said, trying to say more but not able to over the lump in his throat.
She smiled, laying her head back on his chest. "It's okay," she told him. "I know."
