Ryan woke up to the sights of a white room, dim lights, and the constant sound of a beep. He soon realised where he was. His head felt like a brick, her eyes barely had the strength to focus. But already the memory was there. He couldn't remember seeing anything, but he couldn't get the sound of the explosion out of his mind. He remembered seeing his brother lying limp on the floor, blooding trickling from his back, and Marissa sitting frozen on the floor. That's all he remembered before he blacked out.

But now he was aware again, as he lay silently in the hospital. However, his first thoughts were not whether his brother was dead, but if Marissa was alright. He understood. He would have killed Trey too if he had the chance. But Ryan knew in his heart that Marissa, as much as she held hatred for his brother, she would not want him to die. She did it for him.

The problem was, he knew Marissa too well. She would never forgive herself. She'd punish herself in fact. Whether by the Vodka bottle all the pills, Marissa would find anyway to escape. These thoughts circulated through Ryan's head for almost an hour, until he heard the familiar sound of Sandy's voice approaching. He was talking to someone, the nurse he suspected.

"How is he?" Sandy asked, out of viewing range.

"He's pretty good. He has a severe concussion and had to get several stitches in his face, but with rest he will recover fine," came the answer of a woman.

"And, uh, his brother?" Sandy almost whispered.

There came a deep sigh from the woman. "He's not so good, I'm afraid. Thankfully, the bullet missed some crucial organs and arteries, but Mr Atwood lost a lot of blood. He is still in intensive care, but the doctors are hoping he will pull through."

Sandy breathed deeply, "He just doesn't deserve this. Ryan, I mean," he sounded full of remorse, "He was doing so well. Perfect grades, he was back with his girlfriend. He was happy, for one of the only times in his life. Then Trey re-entered his life and, well I don't' know, but it's like he gave the missing link to his past. Now this, it's…" he paused, "It shouldn't happen to a kid."

The woman replied, "I understand, Mr Cohen. But Ryan has been through a lot in the past, from what I can gather. Everything will work itself out."

Ryan listened to this and sighed. The woman was right, he would get through it, but it was Marissa he was worried about.