*****

"Ryan?" Seth called quietly as he stepped into the poolhouse. He looked around for his friend and finally realized that he was in bed with the covers over his head.

"Ryan?"

Slowly, Ryan's hand snaked out of the sheets and revealed his drowsy face. "Yeah?"

"Oh. You're sleeping…" Seth noted apologetically.

"Yeah. What's up?" He yawned.

"I was just making sure you're all right. We heard what Grandpa said to you," Seth said.

Ryan sighed. "It's nothing, Seth. It's okay…"

"He's wrong. He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about…"

"It doesn't matter, Seth."

"Are you okay?" Seth asked.

"I'm really sleepy. These pills are seriously kicking my ass," Ryan replied.

"Well, I'll leave you to it…"

"Thanks, Seth. For checking in. But I'm okay," Ryan said. He pulled the covers back over his head.

"Dude, why are you hiding?" Seth asked.

"It's damned bright in here," was his muffled reply.

"I can close the blinds for you, man."

"Thanks. That might help," Ryan replied. Seth quickly lowered all the blinds and closed them. Ryan's head emerged from the covers.

"Better?"

"Much. I just didn't feel like doing it. My arm is really bothering me…"

"Did you tell Mom or Dad?"

"Not yet. I'm sure it'll get better. I'm going to go back to sleep, dude."

Seth glanced back at Ryan and saw that he had fallen asleep almost instantly. He closed the door to the poolhouse as he left.

Sandy and Kirsten were in the kitchen, anxiously waiting for Seth to return with a status report. Hailey had gone to talk to her father.

"Is he okay?" Sandy asked immediately.

"He's sleeping. Said he's fine."

"Why'd you close the blinds?" Kirsten asked.

"He said it was too bright. He says his arm is bothering him," Seth replied.

"His arm?" Sandy questioned.

"Yeah. I mean, he's tired because he's on all those painkillers so shouldn't his arm feel better?" Seth asked.

"I'll go check on him in a little while," Sandy promised. "I think maybe we should take him to the hospital, just to make sure he's okay."

"He's not going to like that but I think he needs to be checked on. I'll make a call to Seth's pediatrician and see if he has time to see Ryan today," Kirsten said.

"You guys haven't even talked to him yet," Seth muttered.

"He wouldn't have said anything unless it was really bothering him, Seth, and you wouldn't have mentioned it if you weren't worried about it. Right?" Sandy asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I guess I'm just worried about him."

*****

"Hailey! To what do I owe this pleasure?" Caleb smiled at his youngest daughter as she walked into his office.

"Hey, Dad. We need to talk." Hailey knew that if she didn't get her confession out of the way, she'd lose her nerve. She sat down in a chair across from his desk.

"Okay, darling. About what?"

"About what happened today. About what's been happening. You…I heard you today, talking to Ryan."

Caleb's face hardened. "That kid is bad news…"

"No, Dad, he's not. Ryan wasn't helping Seth, he was helping me."

"What are you talking about?"

""I've been shooting heroin for a while now." Hailey hesitated. "I have some problems. I owed this guy some money and when I didn't pay him…he hurt me. And Ryan found me and…he saved my life, Dad…"

Caleb's face was knotted with confusion and disbelief.

"Ryan didn't want me to get hurt again and I couldn't ask you for the money…so Seth offered. When Ryan took the money to pay off the guy yesterday, the guy stabbed him. Ryan got stabbed for me, Dad!" Hailey said urgently. "He got me into rehab, he's been taking me to NA meetings and you called him trash…"

"Hailey…" Caleb started.

"If anyone's trash around here, it's me…I'm the one causing all these problems and…" Hailey started to cry.

Caleb loved his daughters and couldn't take their tears. He walked around the desk and embraced her.

"Anything you need, Hailey, I'll make sure you get the best treatment possible, I'll get you off drugs…" Caleb murmured.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you…this is just really hard for me…and…and the only person that really understood was Ryan…" Hailey pulled away from her dad and stood up, wiping her eyes.

"Hailey…" Caleb started.

"No, Dad. I can't let you comfort me. I love you but…what you did to day was wrong. Kirsten and Sandy are behind me and they're helping me. And their house is my house and if you're not welcome there, then I can't see you."

"Don't do this…"

"I have to make a stand, Dad. Money doesn't make a family and Kirsten and her kids…they've shown me that they really care about me and want to help. That's what I need." Hailey straightened her back and took a deep breath. "Goodbye, Dad."

*****