Author's note: Sorry for the exceptionally long delay in update. Got a bit sidetracked, but someone emailed me yelling at me for not updating, so figured maybe someone liked what I'd written. Anyway, here it is, short this time but more will be to follow if only someone would review to let me know it's worth continuing. I don't want to sit here writing something no-one wants to read... ;-) Let me know, eh?

Of everything that Ephram was feeling at the moment, most overwhelmingly he felt sick. He had vague memories of lying on the beach. How had he got onto that beach? What had he been doing there? He supposed that, no, right now he just didn't know.

THREE DAYS EARLIER

Ephram awoke on the cold, hard ground. The rain had started to come down now, and there was no sign of Matt anywhere. His head was throbbing and Ephram had no idea how long he had lain there. His insides felt as though they were about to tear apart. He had to find some way to block out the pain. There had to be something. He missed Amy terribly, realised that he still loved her dearly and he had lost her. He had lost his father, he had left his sister and for what? Here he was, lying in the middle of the street in some town in England, by himself. It wouldn't have been so terrible if someone had been with him, but he was alone. As always. He always seemed to find himself alone. Why was that? Ephram had so desperately wanted his father to realise what he was going through, find some way to reach out and to stop him. He had hoped that his father would understand and see the pain that he was in, but he could not. He just wanted to go back. But how could Ephram possibly go back? He had seen his son's home. The place had seemed happy. It had seemed like a home. With a family and all that jazz. How could he interfere with that? There was no going back now, only forward, and trying to deal with it, but his father was not interested in all of that. Rolling over and pushing himself up from the ground, Ephram kicked at the sea wall in fury. With that he turned and stormed onto the beach.

Through the howling wind and rain Ephram hollered and raged at no-one in particular. There was no-one there to hear his temper. The gusting wind drowned out his anger. And then, when he could holler no more, Ephram dropped onto the beach, sitting in the pouring down rain, staring at the sea. So much anger churned and raged inside of him. He was desperate to find some way to vent his fury. Battering his fingers against his wet jeans he made out a silent tune. He felt his anger slightly abate. If only he could lock himself away with a piano and just play until his anger drained he would feel so much better. But he wasn't aware of the need right now. Right now he was just furious. And starting to shiver. Moving back against the sea wall he leaned against it until sleep came. And then in the morning, blinded by fever, soaking wet, Ephram made his way to a music shop…

---------------------------------------------------

Sitting in the hospital, looking at his son, Andy spoke, "Well, never mind just now, huh. Why don't you just go to sleep and we'll talk later."

Ephram did not answer, just rolled over, back to his father. Andy slumped back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, determined not to cry. When he was sure Ephram was sleeping he got up silently and went to find a telephone. He needed to speak to Nina.

5,000 miles away a telephone rang into the silence. It was 7pm in Everwood, Colorado, and as Nina came running through the hall, dropping grocery bags, scooting Sam and Delia into the living room, she made a lunge for the telephone.

"Hey!" she breathed into the telephone.

"Hey, Nina, it's Andy… You okay, you sound out of breath?" Andy asked concerned.

"No, not at all, I'm fine, I just ran in the door, just been to the store… " Nina replied.

"Oh."

"Andy, never mind that, how's Ephram? How are you? What on earth's going on there? Is everything okay?" she shot into the phone. Leaning against the wall Nina glanced into the living room. Delia, missing no trick as usual, was looking at her with query on her face. In England, across an entire continent and entire ocean, she heard Andy slump onto the floor and almost felt his head hit his knees.

"Not good Nina. It's no good at all. I got here and he didn't even recognise me. The only time he responded was when I mentioned Delia. And then, THEN, Matt Lansing walks into the room and I get to the bottom of this whole mess. He hit him, Matt HIT him. Hit Ephram. And the worst of it is, I'd love to blame him for this whole thing, but I just can't; because it's my fault, all of it."

"Ah" Nina jumped in.

"No, Nina," Andy interrupted, "I know what you're going to say, but no. If I had been honest with him from the start, if I had allowed Madison to tell Ephram, this whole thing would never have turned out this way. This whole time, this whole time in Everwood, and all his life really, I see that now, all Ephram has wanted is for me to be honest with him. To love him and to be honest with him. I don't know how I got it so wrong. Isn't that simple? Isn't that easy?" Andy's voice quaked.

"Andy," Nina started, "loving someone is never easy… He's your child, and your love for him is unconditional and it's there and it's eternal, but it's never easy. And knowing what's right is a minefield you tread from when they wake in the morning to when they go to sleep at night and all that comes in between. So you didn't make the best decision, you didn't make the right decision, but how in the name of all that is good do you understand what's right about a situation like that?" Nina spoke quietly as Delia still had her ears pricked up.

"How should I not?" Andy countered. "He won't even look at me. He came to about fifteen minutes ago and he remembered what had happened and he just looked at me Nina, he didn't speak to me, and then, then, he asked me how I could do that? How could I do that to my own son Nina, to my own flesh and blood? How could I so ill understand my own child? I know him Nina, I know him. And all Ephram has ever wanted is for me to honest with him and to be there for him. Nothing else. It's not much to ask, and he should have known this, he would have handled this better than I ever could… What do I do now? What do I say to him?" Andy asked, as a nurse passed him in the corridor, looking at him briefly, but this was normal, people distraught. It was a hospital.

"Don't say anything Andy. Just help him. Show him that you are there. Show him that you love him. Show him that you want to help him. Words won't cut it. Show him. You know the old adage. Actions speak louder and all of that… Just show him. " Nina looked up and caught a glimpse of Delia edging closer. "Andy, I have to go now. Delia…" Nina murmured down the line.

"How is she? Is she okay? I feel so bad about leaving her…" Andy quick-fired, snapping back to full consciousness.

"She's fine. Delia? Honey? Dad says hi! He has to dash just now. He needs to see Ephram."

Andy heard Delia's voice in the background and his heart contracted.

"No, that's okay, hon, Dad'll call you in the morning, he needs to get back to Ephram. Is that okay?"

"Andy, Delia says she'll speak to you in the morning, and to give her brother a hug for her. You'll do that, won't you?" Nina asked.

"Sure, I'll do that. And give her a big hug and a kiss from me… Tell her I'll be home with Ephram soon. Tell Delia that her brother misses her. I know it's true. I saw it in his face…" Andy murmured as he hung up the phone.

Standing and turning back to his son's room Andy moved edgily, like a man learning to walk all over again. He did not know where to start. He did not know what to say. He wanted to show his son that he was not alone, but did not know where to begin. Walking back into Ephram's room Andy saw his son's silhouette in the light of the window. He looked so fragile, he looked so alone. Andy saw Ephram shudder in his sleep and at that moment, knew the only thing he could do to comfort him, the same thing that Andy had done when his son was small and having nightmares, was to let Ephram know that he wasn't alone. At that moment, in the dead of night, 5,000 miles from home, Andy lay down beside his son, threw his arm over him and stayed there 'til morning…