Ryan tapped his pen impatiently on the desk. There were only 15 minutes left of the school day, and Ryan couldn't wait to get out so that he could visit the hospital. I hope she's awake; then I'll be able to see her.

The bell rang at last and Ryan sped off to see Marissa.

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Ryan didn't bother to stop when he reached the hospital; he knew exactly where he was going; he didn't even have to pause to decide if the next turning should be a left or a right one.

He went through the double doors and into the corridor once more. The same nurse was on the desk – Janine, the nametag said – and Ryan walked over to her.

"Hi…Ryan Atwood, I'm here for Marissa Cooper."

"Ah, yes, you're the boyfriend right?" Janine queried.

"Um…yeah, that's right. Is she awake yet?"

"Yes…Marissa woke up early this morning. Initial signs are good; there does not appear to be any memory loss but further tests are needed."

Relief washed over Ryan's face. She's awake. She's awake!

"Can I see her now?" he pleaded.

"Just wait here one moment. I need to check if Marissa is up to having visitors."

Ryan sat down on a chair and waited in perfect silence as Janine walked off to check on Marissa.

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There was a knock at the door.

Julie sprang up from her seat beside Marissa's bed and went to answer it. Upon opening the door, she discovered that it was Janine.

"Hello there, I've got a Ryan Atwood out here. He wants to know if it'll be possible for him to see Marissa?"

Julie glanced over her shoulder at her daughter. From where Marissa was lying, it was impossible to see who was at the door or what was going on in the corridor. Because of the angles, Marissa could only just see the edge of the open door and nothing further.

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea right now. I don't think Marissa is ready to be crowded by visitors." Julie explained.

"Okay," Janine replied. "I'll go tell Ryan to come back later."

"Okay. Thank you. Bye bye." Julie said, before shutting the door.

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Ryan looked up as Janine walked back towards him.

"I'm sorry, Ryan, but Marissa isn't up to having visitors at the moment."

Ryan's face fell. I didn't think there would be any problem.

"Ok. Can I stay here for a bit? I want to be as close to her as I can."

Janine nodded. "That'll be fine. I'm sure when she's a bit more rested you'll be able to see her." Man, this kid sure likes Marissa. I would have thought she would be happy to see him, no matter how bad she was feeling. Ah well.

Ryan slumped back in the chair. Damn it. All I want is to be able to see my little angel for a few minutes, just to let her know I'm here for her, just to see for myself that she's going to be all right.

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"Who was at the door, mom?" Marissa asked.

"Hmm…what? Oh, that was the nurse, just checking that you were doing alright."

"Oh, okay." Marissa sighed. I thought it was going to be Ryan. I wish he'd come by to see me soon. Marissa glanced at the clock on the wall opposite. He'll have been out of school for ages now…unless he got detention or something. That must be it; that's why he hasn't visited today, he must have a detention…so he won't have had a chance to speak to Sandy and find out I'm awake.

Optimistic that Ryan would come and see her in a couple of hours time, Marissa drifted off to sleep.

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Ryan was still sat outside. I'll stay here for a while; she might feel up to seeing me soon. He thought back to some of his fondest memories of the time he and Marissa had spent together. Eventually Ryan nodded off, dreaming of the past, as he sat in the hospital, not quite a visitor to Marissa Cooper.