Author's Note: Chapter 20! Who would have thought? This is an emotional chapter. I hope I was able to pull it off. Please review! And, as always, thanks to my faithful readers. I love you guys!

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A surprised and disbelief-filled laughter escaped Scott's lips, but it was a brief joviality, indeed. He felt his stomach sink. There was something about watching Julia abandon him that tore deep into his heart, even though their relationship was limited, as far as he was concerned. This blow was only accentuated by the guilt that suddenly slammed into his gut. This, he told himself, must have been how she felt upon arriving at the front door of the hospital to find her car and her husband missing. Scott swallowed as he watched her driving wildly on the gravel road, headed for the main highway.

He looked around, hoping that Jeremy's car was still parked near the door. It wasn't. He was truly alone. He turned back to watch Julia leave. He had nothing else to do, and he felt he deserved the punishment of the rush of emotions the sight caused him.

Much to his surprise, the Camry pitched forward as the brakes slammed home. The cloud of dust that had been trailing Julia's escape passed over the car. Scott stood confused for a moment. When the car didn't move, the truth began to strike home… She's waiting for me.

Scott's face flushed with embarrassment. Ouch.

Slowly, Scott started towards the car, stillexpecting Julia to pull away any second. With each step, though, it became apparent that she was indeed waiting for him to reach the car. Scott shook his head. She had every right to leave, he thought. She could have left and never looked back, and nobody could have thought ill of her for doing it. Scott's pace increased. He didn't want to push his luck too much. Not even me.

When his footsteps reached the trunk of the car, he saw Julia rise from a crouched position over the steering wheel. She quickly wiped under each eye with shaking hands. Scott waited near the rear passenger door, allowing her a few more seconds to compose herself, and then pulled the door open. He knew he was still blushing, so it was somewhat comforting when Julia didn't even bother to turn her head as he dropped his worn-out frame onto the seat.

They sat in silence for a heartbeat. "Thank…" Scott started.

"Save it," Julia said, cutting him off. As she spoke, she gunned the accelerator and they leapt onto the concrete road.

Scott grabbed the seatbelt and hurriedly fastened it, but he respected her wishes and remained silent. Once again, they were riding together in silence. Scott could feel the emotions oozing from Julia, the unspoken tension, but he still couldn't find any words to say. Time passed, and Scott distracted himself by forcing himself to memorize the street names and the turns they took on their way.

Out of his peripheral vision, he watched Julia's fingers flex on the steering wheel--her knuckles shift from white to pink to red to white again--and he was reminded that he really had no idea where they were going. In actuality, it was still completely possible that Julia wasn't who she claimed to be. He had no idea what to expect when they reached their destination, even if she was his "wife" in this new life he found himself living.

It was a sobering thought, and it kept his mind occupied for the remainder of the trip. His eyes traced a large apartment building when the car turned and moved to park. Easily ten stories high, each apartment had a small balcony. Some were lined with plastic chairs, others with plants, and some with garbage. The building itself was made of red brick and was somewhat broken down but by no means dilapidated. More than anything,the apartment complex reminded him of assisted living facilities he'd seen.

The car came to a controlled halt in a space marked "Apt. #317" and Julia shut the car off and exited in silence. Still staring at the building, Scott climbed out as well. Consciously staying a few paces back, he followed Julia into the complex, to the stairs, and up the several flights to the third floor.

"The elevator's out," Julia explained, breathing a little heavy from the exertion. "It's always out."

Keys rattled as they followed a drab hallway with poor lighting to door 317. A nervousness settled in Scott's stomach and his pulse, still pumping hard from the walk up the stairs, re-doubled as adrenaline drained into his veins. Inside his pockets, his hands clenched to fists, and he did what he could to prepare himself for whatever was waiting on the other side of the door.

Julia jammed the door with her shoulder and it came open with a boom. She stepped inside and casually flipped on the light, illuminating a largely bare living room with worn but clean light-blue carpet. Julia was several feet into the room before Scott warily stuck his head through the doorway, quickly checking the corners for hidden dangers. Instead of spies, ninjas, or colorfully dressed mutants, the room was lined with toy boxes and dark-colored furniture—furniture that clearly hadn't been bought with this apartment in mind.

"I know," Julia said. "It's not quite the place we had across town." She dropped the keys onto a counter that separated the interior hallway from the kitchen. "We had to move here after you got sick and we couldn't make rent and the minimum payments on the credit cards."

Scott stepped inside, again bombarded with feelings of guilt. "It's nice," he said softly. He stood in the living room like an uncomfortable guest, feeling strangely like a boywaiting to pick up his date for the evening, knowing full well that he was hated by the girl's parents.

"Come on," Julia said with the impatience obvious in her voice. "I'll give you the 'grand' tour." He allowed her to lead him down the hallway. She pointed out the kitchen as he passed. Like the rest of the house, it wasn't anything fancy. The walls showed a little damage. There wasn't much room with all of the appliances, but there appeared to be an adequate amount of food stashed on the shelves and, much to Scott's approval, everything was neat and clean.

Julia opened a door and showed Scott the small bathroom which housed a small shower/bath and toilet. Another door was opened and Scott looked around Julia to see a hospital bed sitting alone amongst a few pieces of an oldbedroom suite.

"I sold our bed to buy it and I haven't had time toreplacethis one, yet."

Scott looked at Julia, who was staring at the bed. Her eyes began to shimmer, and she closed them tightly and shook her head. So many sacrifices, he thought. He stepped back, subconsciously trying to escape the discomfort that washed over him. All those weeks in the hospital, all the planning he'd done to get away, and all of the people he'd either hurt or inconvenienced greatly, and now he could see that it truly was for nothing.

However he'd wound up here, whatever the truth of his situation was, Julia was not his enemy.

Julia shut the door softly behind her. Her head was bowed when she turned and faced Scott, who was now several feet away. She raised her head and her expression changed sharply when her eyes fell on Scott's face.

"What?" she said angrily. "This place isn't good enough for you? The bed isn't up to your standards?"

Scott could only assume she'd responded to an expression he hadn't been aware he was making. "No," he said, raising his hands to calm her. "It's not like that at all."

"Then what is it like, Scott? Why don't you tell me? I'd like to hear what you have to say. I think it's about time that you started talking. I think I've waited long enough for an explanation."

Scott paused, to make sure she was truly done.

"Well?" she said.

"I know you've been through a lot," Scott said, speaking calmly.

"You have no idea what I've been through!" Julia cried. "I lived two years of my life scared out of my mind. Scared that you'd never wake up again. Scared that were going to die, and that I'd be left here alone. That… that Rachel would grow up never knowing her father! I fed you, I cleaned you! I worked, took care of our daughter."

Julia began walking towards Scott. He stood his ground.

"I sold ev-" Julia's voice caught in her throat and tears started streaming down her face. When she spoke again, her voice was low and quivering with emotion. "I sold everything we had built, our whole lives together, just to make ends meet. And then you wake up and you have the… the audacity. The balls…" she shrieked, slamming her balled fists onto Scott's chest, "…to leave me at the hospital. To throw this family even further in debt!"

"What are we going to do now, Scott? How are we going to pay for that airplane? Or that damn golf course? You're so smart all of a sudden, why don't you answer that?"

Scott blinked. It was clear she wasn't interested in hearing what he had to say. She was venting--venting for two years worth of frustration and fear and an act of betrayal almost too awful to comprehend. If she wanted to hit him, he would let her. Unfortunately, it seemed she wanted answers at the moment.

Answers, he didn't have.

"I'll pay for it," he said. "Somehow, I'll make it all right."

"You're damn right you will!" Julia shouted. She marched back to the bedroom containing the hospital bed. "And you're sleeping on the couch until you do!"

Scott flinched as the door slammed shut, but sighed audibly, glad to be free of the emotional barrage. Everything will be better in the morning, he told himself, once tempers have had a chance to cool, everything will be different. The frown on his face wasn't as easily convinced.

He turned slowly in the hall and made his way back to the living room. He fell onto the couch with a grunt and began loosening the strings on his shoes. He kicked them off and exhaled loudly with contentment as cool, fresh air struck his feet. Hetugged off the socks, which were damp and stuck to his feet. Despite everything, it felt wonderful to be resting and removing his shoes and socks felt like removing cement blocks he'd been dragging along.

He told himself he should get up and try to find a toothbrush and that he could really use a drink of water and to use the bathroom. Instead, his head fell towards the pillow nestled in the arm of the couch. With the light still on, Scott was snoring in minutes.

He awoke with a start when something fell on his face. It was hair—long and soft. Confusion struck him, unsure of his surroundings, as his eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. "Emma?" he said excitedly. "Is that you?"