Title: I Will Be There For You

Authors: Lori & Megan

Email: soap_queen@hotmail.com; pitachic13@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: We own nothing.

Classification: AU and Romantic later

Prologue-

Kendall Hart sat by Aidan Devane's bedside. Her friend had been shot a week ago and, though the doctors kept assuring her that there was no medical reason for it, he hadn't woken up yet. A nurse came in, checked his vitals, and left. She hadn't even spared Kendall a second look. The staff at Pine Valley Hospital had long since grown used to her presence in the room. Of course that didn't stop the doctors from trying to convince her that she needed rest and that she should go home.

She hadn't listened of course. She never did. She just remained curled up in her chair waiting for Aidan to open his eyes.

"Kendall?"

Kendall rolled her head towards the door. "Hi David," she greeted Dr. David Hayward. He held a chart in his hands. "More test results on Aidan?"

"No. These are on you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. When Aidan first came in, you asked us to see if your blood was a match for him. It wasn't but in screening it, we had to do all sorts of tests."

"Oh, right. I'm pregnant, right?"

"Yes. You knew."

Kendall looked at Aidan, "That was the plan."

"Excuse me?"

"I wanted a family. Aidan agreed to help me have one." Kendall looked at David and chuckled just a bit at his expression. "You're a doctor, David. You have heard of artificial insemination, haven't you?"

"Yes, of course, but why?"

"Why did I ask Aidan? Cause he's got a lot of qualities that I'd like a child to have. Things he or she would never get from me."

"No. Why wouldn't you two just-"

"Sleep together?" Kendall shrugged. "I don't know. I mean we have before but it didn't seem right to ask him for that when I wasn't asking him for a lifelong commitment."

David nodded. "I see. Well, seeing as how you are pregnant, what are you doing here and not at home?"

"I don't exactly have a home anymore. All my things are in the trunk of Aidan's car. You see when Michael showed up at the condo, Aidan was about to take me to the airport. I was on my way out of here."

David came to sit next to Kendall. "Where were you going?"

"Well, first I was going somewhere I could just be pregnant in peace. Then after that I was going to find some place to call home."

"I thought you didn't know for sure."

"I had an inkling. Also, I was late."

"Not having a place to live is no excuse for not getting some rest. You should sleep."

"I sleep," Kendall protested.

"Real sleep. You should also eat food, real food, not hospital food."

"This from a doctor."

"Kendall."

"I can't leave."

"Why not?"

"A feeling that if it was me in here, Aidan would stay with me. He did the last time I was in the hospital, you know?"

"When you were inseminated?"

Kendall nodded, "He stayed with me and he held my hand. He told me corny jokes and sang that Ricky Ricardo song."

"We're Having a Baby?" David asked.

"Yeah. He has the worst voice."

"Ricky?"

"Aidan," Kendall corrected.

David laughed quietly. "He still have a room at the Pine Cone?"

"Uh-huh," Kendall nodded.

"Good. C'mon. You're going there and I promise to stay with him and to call if he wakes up."

"David."

"Kendall, you know as well as I do that Aidan wouldn't want you to endanger your life or what you want so badly because of him."

Kendall nodded. She knew David was right. "You promise to call?"

"I promise," David said.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Ryan parked his bike in front of the Pine Cone Motel and got off. He took off his helmet and put it down on the seat before he went towards Aidan's room.

It had taken him two days to find out Kendall had been camping out in Aidan's hospital room for the last week. Maria had told him when she heard him talking to Edmund at Tempo. When he'd gotten there, he'd found David Hayward who had told him that he'd sent Kendall to rest and that there was no way he was telling Ryan where she was because Kendall needed to sleep more then she needed to be harassed by Ryan.

Ryan had tried to explain that he didn't want to harass Kendall. He just wanted to make sure she was all right. It couldn't have been easy to shoot Michael Cambias, even if Michael had just shot Aidan.

David wouldn't budge. So Ryan was back where he started until he'd overheard two nurses talking about the 'Hart girl' who had collected the 'Devane boy's' things before she'd left. Things that had included Aidan's room keys. That was all Ryan had needed to hear.

So, now here he was. He knocked on the door and waited. He didn't hear anything. He knocked again, a little harder this time. "Kendall? Hey, it's Ryan. If you're in there, open up, okay?"

A few minutes later the door opened and there was Kendall, looking at him blearily.

"Say what you have to say, quickly, and then leave."

"Can I come in?"

"No," Kendall yawned.

Ryan sighed, "Kendall-"

"Ryan, I was sleeping. Really sleeping for the first time in a week. Now, what do you want? What was so important that you woke me up?" Suddenly her eyes widened. "Oh God. Aidan. Is he okay? David said he'd call if Aidan woke up but we never talked about- Never mind." Kendall moved away from the door and started to pull on her jeans.

"Kendall, wait a sec. Calm down. Aidan's fine as far as I know. I was looking for you to ask if you were okay."

Kendall's movements stopped immediately. Her jeans pooled at her feet and she stepped out of them. "I'm fine. Lock the door on your way out."

"Kendall, I know you're exhausted, but I just had to be sure you were okay."

Kendall sighed, "It's not your place anymore, Ryan."

"But after what happened to Aidan... what happened with Michael..."

Kendall closed her eyes against the memory of seeing Aidan slump to the floor and then of herself shooting Michael, glad her back was to Ryan.

She crossed her arms and stared stubbornly at the wall, "If you're worried about Aidan, he's in the ICU of PVH. As for Michael, I suggest the morgue."

"I was at PVH already. But I wasn't looking to see Aidan, I wanted to see you."

"Well you've seen me," Kendall turned around. "And as you can plainly see, I've still got two arms, two hands, ten fingers, two legs, two feet and ten toes." As an afterthought she added, "And a head."

"Concern is wasted on you," Ryan said disgustedly. "I don't know why I bother."

"Finally, something we agree on," Kendall folded her arms again and stared at Ryan as calmly as she could.

"Fine, you know what, I'm leaving. When you feel like having a normal discussion, you let me know." Ryan left, the door slamming shut behind him.

Kendall slowly sat down on the bed. She breathed in and out for a second as a way of calming herself before she looked back at the door. "See ya Ryan," she whispered.