Hey everyone! Okay, now I've thought about this for awhile, and I've decided to wrap this story up. This is the second to last chapter. I just didn't know where else to go with this. So, here they are!

Chapter 16 You're The Only Man

"Hey Dyl? Marco's here." Paige knocked on the guest bedroom door. His room was on the second story, so until they could move all his stuff downstairs, he was bunking in the small guest room on the first floor.

"Hold on!" Dylan yelled back through the door.

It had only been a few days after the accident and Dylan's first day home. The Michaelchuks hadn't spoken anymore about Greg. They had all deemed it pretty unnecessary after the confrontation at the hospital. Though Dylan was released from the hospital, the doctors were a little concerned about his blood pressure. They had warned Dylan not to do anything too stressful for awhile that might raise it. And Paige and her mother knew that a conversation about his father would just be a time bomb waiting to explode.

A minute later, Paige saw the door open and she stepped back. As Dylan came out in his wheelchair, Paige couldn't help but feel heartache for her older brother. She knew how much hockey and athletics meant to him. He was even toying with the idea of trying to go pro with it. Now though, it would never happen.

Dylan had been adjusting to life in a wheelchair a lot better than anyone had expected. Sure, he'd had his outbursts and frustrations, but he was doing really well. The doctor they'd talked to had told them that most patients suddenly confined to a wheelchair became really depressed. They didn't see how they could handle life without the mobility they once knew.

Dylan, on the other hand, was taking it fine. It didn't seem to affect him, or, it appeared that way to most people.

"He's in the living room waiting for you." Paige subconsciously pointed down the hallway.

"Thanks Paige." A huge smile on his face at the prospect of seeing his boyfriend, he went into the living room.

"Marco!" Dylan's face lit up as he saw him sitting on the couch. "Hey!"

"Hey Dyl." Marco gave a slight smile, misery in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" He moved his wheelchair in front of Marco.

The concern in his boyfriend's eyes suddenly got to Marco. He burst into tears, falling into Dylan's lap.

"Honey, what is it?" Dylan patted his back and spoke in a soothing voice. "Talk to me.

"It's my dad," he sobbed. "He's gone."

Dylan bit his lip, trying to stifle the thoughts of his own father that were starting to well up. "Marco, calm down." He picked Marco's head off of his chest and held it so that he could look him level in the eyes. He leaned in and brushed his lips against Marco's. "Now relax and tell me what happened."

As Marco sat back and told him what happened, Dylan just listened. Once he was finished, he fell back into Dylan's arms.

"Shh… It's all right Marco." Dylan attempted to comfort him. "I understand."

"You understand?" Marco pulled back and looked at him. "How could you understand?" Though it wasn't his intention, his words came out cold and accusing.

Dylan blinked back the tears and decided to tell Marco his own sob story. "I just found out my father was having an affair the day after my accident. I told him that he's no father of mine, and I haven't seen him since."

"I'm sorry," Marco whispered. "I didn't know."

Dylan shrugged his apology off and locked eyes with his boyfriend. "Besides, you're the only man I need or want in my life Marco."

A big, bashful smile crossed Marco's face. "Same here." He threw his arms around Dylan's neck. "I love you Dyl."

"Love you too Marco."

"I can't believe Mr. Del Rossi did that," Paige remarked to her mom. "I mean, so he wasn't thrilled, how could he abandon his family like that?"

"I don't know." This was the last thing Rose wanted to talk about, and her tone reinforced that. Paige, however, was too lost in her own world to notice.

"I mean, what kind of husband…" Paige's voice trailed off as she saw her mother's face. She looked like someone had slapped her. Paige regretfully realized that she'd struck a nerve. "Mom, I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"It's all right Paige." Her expression cleared and she stood up. "I'm going to go lie down for awhile." She put her hand on her daughter's shoulder as she walked by.

As she left the room, the doorbell rang. Paige left the kitchen to go answer it.

"Ter?" She opened the door to see Terri standing on her front steps. "Hey." Somewhat surprised by her presence, she hugged her. "How are you? Come in."

Terri shook her head, smiling. "I can't, my dad's waiting." She pointed her thumb over to the Michaelchuk's driveway where Mr. McGregor was sitting in his car. Paige waved at him and he waved back.

"So how are you doing?"

"I'm okay." Terri glanced from Paige to her dad and back. "I told him everything."

Paige studied her face, wondering if she should ask Terri what she was thinking. "Everything, everything?"

Terri nodded. "Drinking, cigarettes, fake ID, his friend, everything."

"And?"

Terri sighed. "And now he's taking me to this rehab place for a month or so. Then we're going to move somewhere else, start over clean again."

"I'm sorry for what happened Ter." Paige put her hand on Terri's arm. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"All right." Paige pulled Terri into a hug. "If you need anything, or you just want to talk, call me."

"Okay." Terri turned and started walking back to her car when she stopped suddenly and faced Paige again. "And Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, for everything. I don't think I would have come clean about anything if it hadn't been for you."

"You're welcome Ter." They locked eyes one more time before Terri got into the passenger seat of the car. Paige stood in her doorway and watched as they drove off, waving to Terri one last time.