I just want to thank all of you who have reviewed so far. You guys rock! And you give me inspiration to continue with this fic.

Chapter Five

Morning sunlight broke through the curtains and splayed across the floor and over top of the lump beneath the bed's quilt. Ruthie moaned and rolled onto her side, her eyes tightly closed against the early sun's rays. Her head was aching and her body was sore. She felt, for all the world, as if she had just run a marathon. Through slited eyes, she looked at the glowing red numbers on her clock. Six-thirty. She groaned, and placed a hand over her face.

It was too early. Always it was too early. Why couldn't she just stay in bed? Her dad was dead. Matt and Mary had lives they needed to get back to and they would be leaving that afternoon, which would leave Ruthie alone with her mom and the twins. She wasn't ready for that. Sure she could go home, but what was the point? No matter where she went the pain and hollow feeling inside of her would simply travel along.

Aware that sleep would not be returning anytime soon, Ruthie stumbled out of bed and down into the deserted kitchen. Opening the cupboard and looking at the cereal there, Ruthie felt not even the smallest inkling of an appetite. Without really thinking, she shuffled out the door, into the garage, and up the stairs.

The door to the garage apartment was open, and Ruthie walked up into the room. Martin stood, his back to her, at the bed. A suitcase was open in front of him and he was ruffling through its contents. To Ruthie's delight, Martin was shirtless and she could clearly see the muscles moving in his strong, sculpted back. His shoulders were broad and muscled from years of playing baseball. It was a good thing Ruthie wasn't the swooning type, or else she would have fallen backwards down the stairs.

A sad sigh escaped her lips as Martin pulled a shirt on. The sound must have caught his attention, because he turned around and his eyes met Ruthie's. She blushed hottily at being caught.

"Hey, Ruthie," his smile was slightly embarrassed, "how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." She replied hastily. Martin turned back and closed his suitcase.

"Are you leaving?" She asked, hoping that the answer was no.

"Yeah. I only had a few days off. Besides, I have this big project I'm working on and the deadline is coming up soon." Ruthie felt her heart fall into her stomach. Everyone was leaving her, leaving her alone with a grief stricken mother and two brothers who had fallen into a melancholy state.

"Oh." She said quietly, not wanting Martin to detect her disappointment. But he seemed to have heard it.

"Here." He opened his suitcase and drew out a pen and notebook. "Here is my address and telephone number. If you need anything just give me a call, and feel free to stop by when you have time." He ripped out the paper that he had written on and handed it to Ruthie.

"Thanks." She forced herself to smile and held onto the paper tightly. There was no way she was going to risk losing that paper. He smiled at her, a sadness there in his eyes.

"I'll see ya 'round." He pulled the suitcase over his shoulder and hugged Ruthie tightly against him.

"You bet." She was struggling against tears. Why was it that whenever Martin held her, Ruthie wanted to break down?

Driving out of Glen Oak, Martin sent up a prayer for the Camdens, especially Ruthie. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt something for the young woman, he always had. There was no more denying it. Martin was in love with Ruthie.

His mind wandered back to that last hug he had given her. She had felt so perfect in his arms, as if made to fit there. Martin wished that he had been brave enough to tell her how he felt, but, as usual, he was too afraid to say a word. The feel of her skin against his lips was still vivid in his mind, and he wished that he could have simply had the nerve to crush his mouth against hers, like he had wanted to do.

Shaking his head, Martin focused on the road. He had a long drive ahead of him.

Ruthie slung her suitcase into the back of her car and slammed the trunk closed.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" She asked, turning to face Annie, who stood on the curb with the twins.

"I'll be fine. Besides, Lucy's right next door and I have Sam and David with me." Ruthie could see the tears that threatened to spill out of her mother's eyes. She felt guilty leaving her in this condition, but she couldn't stay in the house any longer. Ruthie was feeling suffocated there, and she needed to get away.

She kissed the twins and hugged Annie tightly.

"Call me if you need anything." She said, her mother's arms wrapped around her tightly.

The hug, Ruthie couldn't help but notice, was so much different from those Martin gave her. When he hugged her he was trying to give comfort, but when Annie held her, she was the one seeking comfort.

"Bye, Mom." She said, stepping away and getting into her car. With one last look and wave, Ruthie took off down the road, Martin's number tucked safely into her pocket.

Alright, so it was an incredibly short chapter, but now it's time to get into the good part of the story. Look forward to more Martin/ Ruthie interaction, and maybe even a reappearance by Mac. Please review and tell me what you thought.