As Paige walked into the hospital she didn't even bother making an effort to come up with an excuse for her prolonged absence. Her mother was probably so wrapped up in Dylan that she didn't even notice.

"Hey Marco." Practically dragging her feet behind her she sat down next to the Italian boy.

"Hey." Marco was staring at his cell phone as if in another dimension. He hardly even seemed to register Paige's presence, or the fact that he even acknowledged her.

Stretching out on a chair and letting her eyelids droop shut, she murmured to Marco, "Dial the number and press the green button."

"Uh?" His head snapped up as Paige's remark pulled him out of his own little world. Upon realizing she caught him in an awkward situation, his face flushed.

Paige's eyes fluttered open and she squinted at Marco. "To call someone you have to dial the number and press the green button. Or are you trying to e.s.p. the call?"

Still flustered, Marco shoved his cell phone in his pocket. "I was trying to decide whether or not to call my parents. Wait, where have you been?"

"Well," Paige rubbed her face with the palms of her hands, "it's a long story that I really don't want to get into right now." She stood up and sluggishly began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Marco's eyes followed her.

"To see my brother." Paige looked at him like it was obvious.

"Oh." Marco pulled his cell phone back out and resumed staring at it.

"Dylan, Paige is calling your father. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be here soon." Paige couldn't help but feel a pang of anger and guilt at the mention of her father.

"Half-right," she said as she walked into her mother's sight. "Mom, could I talk to you outside for a sec?" Paige desperately wished that she didn't have to do this, but she didn't see much other choice.

Once they were in the hallway and Paige was sure they were out of earshot of Dylan, Rose broke the silence. "Paigey," she put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, very aware of her tension, "what is it?"

Paige almost felt as if she was the infidel one. She couldn't bear to meet her mother's innocent eyes. "I found Dad."

"Okay…" A look of confusion clouded her face as she studied her daughter. Unsure if she should ask the question on her mind or not, Paige answered it with her next statement.

"He's probably on his way over here." A brief instance of anger flashed over her face. "Guilt's probably eating him up by now."

"Guilt? What do you mean?"

Paige bit her lip as she finally met her mother's gaze. "You're not gonna believe me." She tried to stall the inevitable truth.

"Try me." Rose let her hands fall from Paige's shoulders.

"I found Dad, at a hotel…"

As Paige's eyes started to brim with tears, Rose wished she hadn't of pushed Paige to say whatever it was she was about to say.

"…with another woman." No longer meeting her mother's stare, tears started falling from her green eyes. "I called his hotel room and I talked to her. I heard them talking." Paige was beginning to babble hysterically. "So I went there. I was just so mad. I told him Dylan died. I just flipped." Paige looked up at her mother. Her eyes were shining with tears as well. "Mom, I'm sorry." Paige wrapped her arms around her bewildered mother.

Rose broke Paige's grasp on her. "I have to…" She didn't even bother coming up with an excuse as she walked away, a stunned look upon her face.

Seeing her mother's pain, Paige leaned against the wall and started sobbing.

Greg burst into the hospital waiting room. "Marco!" He saw his son's boyfriend sitting in the waiting room. "I can't believe it!" He sounded as if he was hyperventilating.

"Mr. Michaelchuk? Are you okay?"

Greg saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was his wife. Tears stained her face.

"Rose!" Greg ran over to her. "I-"

Rose held up a hand to stop him. Fury was written all over her face. "Don't even." Her voice was shaking in anger. She looked at Marco, then back to her husband. "We need to talk." And with that, she spun around on her heels and walked away.

Greg realized that Paige probably got here before him and told her about Shelby. Stunned by everything, he just followed his wife.

After Mr. Michaelchuk had left, Marco just sat in silence. He didn't know what to make of the whole situation.

Deciding that he should probably just stay out of it, he went back to his phone. Mrs. Michaelchuk told him what Paige had said to his parents about him and Dylan. It was one thing just trying to have them accept the fact that he was gay. It was another thing entirely for them to accept that he had a boyfriend. He didn't think they'd care much about the fact that he had one, they were probably thinking more about what he and his boyfriend were doing.

Just as he had finally worked up the courage to call home, his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Marco?" His mother's voice was on the other end.

"Ma? What is it?" Marco couldn't remember the last time his mother had called his cell phone. She was pretty against him having it in the first place, so she tried to pretend he didn't have it.

"Is your father with you?" She sounded worried.

"Pa? No, why?"

"Your father didn't come home last night. I haven't seen him since he left the hospital last night."

"You're probably just over-reacting, Ma." Marco's words weren't to comfort his mother as much as they were to convince him. After all, his father wouldn't take off just because of Dylan, would he? He came back after Marco told him he was gay. Surely he'd come back again. "Maybe he just was at work all night."

"I called his work. They said he hadn't been there all night. I even called the hospitals and his friends. No one has seen him Marco."

Marco just stared ahead blankly as he realized what his mother was telling him. "But Ma, you don't think he'd just leave, do you?"

There was a silence on the other end. "I don't know."

Marco thought for a moment. "Ma, I'm coming home. We can go out and look for him when I get there."

"Okay Marco." There was doubt in his mother's tone as they said their good-byes.

After he hung up, Marco went outside and got on the nearest bus home.