A/N: Ok - Biiiiiig thankyou to Buggleywoo, Dani, Betty-Boo and Jet for reviewing! You guys are wonderful! Here's to hoping you enjoy this next chapter.

"- keeping him on the line so we can be sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Ruby bit her lip as she climbed out of the cab and threw some money at the driver, still talking to Vince. She dumped her tote bag on the front porch before cutting through the house, grabbing a light fleecy blanket on her way through. She was walking through the kitchen when she noticed the empty space on the counter.

"Oh tell me he didn't.."

Vince's voice on the other end sounded panicked. He'd already confessed to her that he'd never seen Leon in the state he was in.

"What? What's he done?"

Ruby nudged the back door open, her phone still held to her ear. "The stupid bastard's taken my bottle of Absinthe."

"Absinthe? Leon wouldn't touch that if you forced him to."

Ruby sighed, trying to stay calm as she descended the hill to the beach. "Well it was there this morning, Vince. Alright I see him." After a quick goodbye she hung up the phone and slipped it into her pocket.

The closer she got to Leon the clearer the sound of his crying was and the worse she felt. She was still upset about their argument that morning and still angry as hell at him for implying she didn't care, but seeing him in his current state was frightening. She'd always seen him as such a strong man.

"Precious, give me the phone." She ordered lightly, draping the blanket around his shoulders. He gave it up wordlessly, just staring out at the ocean. Ruby eyed his wrist and felt ill. It had to be quadruple its normal size. He'd been suffering the entire day with it.

She stroked his hair as she knelt beside him and lifted the phone to her ear. "Alright, I'm here." She told the person on the other end.

The woman let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god – ok, his wrist.."

Ruby nodded to herself, quietly soothing Leon. "Yeah I can see it, I'm going to take him to the hospital I think."

The woman, Tala she introduced herself as, agreed it was the best idea. "He's really funny about hospitals – after Letty and all. So be forewarned, he will make a nuisance of himself."

"Alright, thanks for the warning." She flipped Leon's phone closed and pushed it into her other pocket.

Leon was leaning against her slightly, crying silently. "I miss her." He sniffled loudly. "She was so excited about being pregnant – she loved him so much. She always looked so beautiful." His hand dug in between them and produced his wallet. One handed and clumsy from the alcohol, he managed to produce a small picture. His thumb stroked over the image and he shook against her.

"My Letty."

Ruby was surprised when he offered it to her and she took the photo in her fingers, holding it up in the moonlight to look at it. The woman in the image was a beautiful dark haired Latino girl, her dark, dark hair tied back in a loose pony tail with wisps hanging in her face. She was sitting on the grass with her arms wrapped around a big white dog, smiling up at the camera. Her pale blue sundress did little to hide the swollen bump of her belly. She was a female Cade.

Ruby stroked Leon's head, kissing his temple. It had to hurt him to look at his son and see his lost love every day. She didn't say anything, just slipped the picture back in his wallet for him and stood.

"Come on, Le – let's go and get your wrist fixed up."

He looked up at her like he'd only just noticed she was there. "Ruby?" his brow furrowed. "You're mad at me – why are you here?"

She shook her head. He didn't remember anything from the past two minutes at all. The bottle resting at his feet had a lot to do with it she decided. There was barely anything left in it. She was surprised he was still conscious.

"Because Vince called me and told me that you'd gotten yourself drunk and hurt yourself. I'm here to help you, Leon."

He squinted up at her. "You're not mad at me any more?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Oh I'm still mad at you – I'm just too worried to be mad at you right now. Now get up."

The doctor looked at the now sedate Leon laying on the examination table and shook her head. When he was first brought in he had caused quite the scene. He was seemingly fine until he stopped chattering to the woman he was with and looked around. As soon as he had recognised he was in a hospital the warning bells had gone off and he went from drunk and chatty to downright terrified and even a little violent.

Dr Wheeler had looked on in abject horror as the petite red head that had come in with him threw herself in front of him and pushed him back into the wall, holding him there with her shoulder as he struggled and screamed. She had looked irritated with him at first but when he had started rambling about scars and someone named Letty her face had taken on a more sympathetic expression. Miraculously she'd managed to calm him before he had hurt anyone.

The girl, Ruby was now sitting beside him, one hand tangled in his longish hair the other stroking his face and neck.

Looking at the X-rays in front of her, Dr. Wheeler gave Leon a bemused look.

"What on earth did he do for this to happen?" she pointed to the film currently back lit.

Ruby sighed. "He beat up my fridge. We had a fight this morning and he hit the fridge after I left."

"He didn't strike you at all?"

Ruby's green eyes widened in horror. "God, no! He wouldn't do that."

The doctor gave her a suspicious look and eyed the bruise she could see on Ruby's thigh, peeking out from beneath her shorts. "Are you sure?" She noticed the girl's blush when she noticed her looking at the bruise.

"Um – that's from something else. We got a little carried away." She explained sheepishly. "He didn't hit me."

Dr Wheeler could tell she was being honest with her and nodded. "I can give you something to put on it if you like." She offered, going about preparing to apply a cast to Leon's wrist.

Ruby's face flushed a little more and she nodded. "That'd be great, thanks."

"Ruby?"

She looked down at Leon, her features soft. She was still angry at him and fully intended on taking him back to Angie's and dumping him once everything was taken care of, but letting him know that right now would only serve to upset him again.

"Yes, Leon?"

He rolled toward her slightly, his arm held to his chest in a temporary splint until it was cast. "I didn't mean it. You're my best friend."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Then why wont you tell me anything?"

He blinked dolefully at her. "Because it hurts."

Ruby stroked his cheek, pretending not to notice the tears. He was still incredibly drunk and wouldn't remember any of it in the morning anyway.

"You can't keep running away from everything, Leon. Your family care about you! They just want-"

"I don't care what they want! What about what I want?" he snapped, growing irritated again. His moods were all over the place thanks to the alcohol and the pain was starting to kick in again.

Ruby scowled. "Leon what you want is to curl up in a corner somewhere and to fade away! You've got no right acting like such a pig when you've got another life to think about!" She ignored the hurt look on his face. "Have you ever stopped to consider how your behaviour is going to affect Cade in the long run? He's going to grow up thinking it's ok to shut people out and be a rude, insensitive prick to everyone! Do you want that for him?"

Leon looked away, shaking his head. "I try for him.."

Ruby moved aside so the doctor could get to his arm easily. "Well you don't try hard enough, Leon. I don't care if I'm out of line – you need to wake up to yourself."

Leon glared at her. "What the hell do you know?" he flinched, trying to tear his arm away from the doctor to no avail. He looked back at Ruby. "You wait until you have a kid, Ruby – then you can tell me how to raise my son!"

She shook her head and started for the door, then stopped. "This is why you've got nobody, Leon – you push and push and push, then wonder why you're so alone! I have tried so hard to be there for you over this past month but all you've done is shut me out over and over again." She grabbed her wallet, phone and Leon's keys from the bench near the door of the examination room.

"I'll drop your car off at Angie's and get her to take me home. Have fun sobering up."

"RUBY!"

Ruby ignored his cry as she left the room, wiping the tears out of her eyes. She cared for Leon but she couldn't deal with his mood swings any more. She'd had enough for the day. The further she got from the room the more she felt like bawling – he was screaming now. Orderlies rushed past her and into the examination room and she could hear a ruckus going on in there. She stepped up her pace and hurried out of the hospital. He'd be safe now – all she wanted to do was go home.

Once she was outside she leant against the Skyline and took a deep breath, the cool night air carrying the salty scent of the ocean on it, comforting her. She took a deep breath then walked around to the drivers side and climbed in, just sitting there for a moment.

Leaning her head against the steering wheel Ruby took a deep, shuddering breath then sat up and started the car. She took one last look at the hospital and pulled out of the parking lot. He'd be fine in there on his own.