"Are you sure?" The woman's words were full of fear but Bailey had a made up his mind.

"I need to do this alone" he insisted before pulling Marley into a hug. They were stood in the cold hospital car park, a few feet away from the building where he'd finally be reunited with his family. His heart was beating violently in his chest but he forced a weak smile. He wasn't going to break down again once was enough, he wasn't going to let them see how much he was hurting. Before he pulled away Marley whispered something softly into his ear,

"Remember Bailey he's your dad, he loves you". Unfortunately Marley's reassurances did nothing to ease the fear cascading through his body. Bailey wasn't sure how he would look his dad in the eye. Bailey had walked out, he'd abandoned his family and he wasn't sure his father would ever forgive him for that. And then there was the reason why he'd left, he wondered if his Dad was angry at him for not fighting back. Surely his father would see him as a coward.

"I better go" stammered Bailey before heading towards Matt who was patiently waiting by the entrance. They'd barely spoken to each other during the car journey. Fortunately Marley had spent the time asking Matt all the questions Bailey was too afraid to ask himself.

Wordlessly Bailey followed Matt through the chaotic halls of the hospital, his stomach was tossing at the loud sounds of beeping machinery and the strong scent of soap. The last time he'd been in a hospital had been far from a great experience but the young man couldn't afford to think about that. He had to stay strong. He fiddled with the sleeve of his jacket as he forced himself to focus on Matt who was a few steps ahead. Finally the blonde came to a halt in a quieter part of the hospital. He watched as Matt's hand hovered over the door handle. When Matt furrowed his brow he could tell the man was thinking the same thing he was , Bailey just walking in probably wasn't the best idea. For starters they didn't know what condition Kelly would be in. Secondly walking straight in as if the last four years hadn't happened didn't feel right. As the blondes eyes swept over him he could sense Matt's reluctance to let him out of his sight.

"I can wait out here for a few minutes, I'm not going to run off" he laughed shocking himself as well as Matt. The man swiftly recovered from his shock ; he nodded before disappearing into his Father's room.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him Bailey pressed his ear lightly against the door, his breath caught in his throat at the sound of Stella's voice. He'd missed her. She was his mother in everything except blood. The woman's voice was weighed down by tiredness but the familiar voice filled his heart with warmth and for a brief second he forgot he'd ever left. He listened intently as she informed Matt of his fathers condition, apparently he'd been awake through out the day each time his awareness growing. Bailey wasn't sure whether to be relived by that or not, he couldn't help but wonder if their reunion would be easier if his dad was only semiconscious. Eventually the conversation turned onto Matt as Stella questioned why Matt had returned after already spending all morning with Kelly. Nothing did get past Stella. Bailey listened in disbelief as the man stuttered. He had never heard Casey lost for words before. Matt may not have been a big talker but when it came to offering comfort to others he'd always known exactly what to say. Bailey couldn't blame Matt for still being in shock, after all he'd been missing for four years it was understandably going to take awhile to process the fact he was alive. But Matt's loss for words was a reminder that Bailey wasn't the only finding everything difficult. As he thought about the further harm him reappearing would do he had the sudden urge to run. His body was shaking and his heart was pounding in his chest, he couldn't do this. His eyes wandered to the nearby door, he mentally scalded himself as he reminded himself of his promise to Matt, he wasn't going to run away this time. He forced himself to focus on the conversation coming from inside his fathers hospital room.

"He uh he just turned up outside the apartment".

"Who?"

"Bailey!". The conversation went dead and Bailey wanted nothing more than to hear Matt's stuttering again. He leaned his head against the door taking a deep breath. Bailey wasn't sure when he made his decision but before he knew it he was standing in front of Stella. Like Matt she looked a little older but other than that nothing had changed. Bailey could feel a lump forming in his throat. Stella still hadn't moved or uttered a single word. Was she waiting for him to say something? His mind was bursting with a million thoughts whizzing around his head. He moved his eyes to the figure laying in the bed, he'd never seen his Dad so fragile before. Staring at the tubes and wires connected to the man made his blood run cold.

"He's going to be ok Bailey", his head snapped up to see Stella looking at him with a small reassuring smile playing on her lips. He watched with a pang of sadness as she crossed her arms over her chest, he knew that she was trying to resist pulling him into a hug like Matt had when he saw him. She never would've hesitated to hug him before he left. He knew she was giving him space but it was simply another reminder that things were different now. Surprising himself again Bailey found himself stepping forward and much to his relief she took his cue and wrapped her arms around him.

"Stella I-"

"Shhh Bailey it's ok, shh". The pain in his chest eased and his mind went silent. He hadn't been this close to anyone except Marley since he ran away. Once they broke apart Bailey frowned at the tear tracks on Stella's face. He never wanted to make her cry.

A few moments later Bailey found himself being guided into one of the uncomfortable chairs. Instantly Bailey reached out his shaky hand and held his Fathers hand in his own being careful to avoid the iv. He studied his fathers face intently as if it was about to disappear any second. When he'd allowed himself to imagine seeing his father again he'd never envisioned they would be stuck in a hospital. There was no way to escape the reality of where they were. The faint sound of monitors beeping made his skin crawl.

"He wouldn't want me to see him like this", Bailey struggled to keep his voice steady. He could feel Stella's eyes fixed on him she'd been watching him as intently as he'd been watching his Dad, It was just the two of them, Matt had left the room a few moments ago to give them some space. Bailey suspected Casey had really left so he could talk to Marley on his own. But Bailey had no reason to worry he knew the woman wouldn't say anything he was uncomfortable with.

"He would just be happy your here". Bailey resisted the urge to disagree and focused on the calloused hand in his.

"I saw Lily she looks a lot like you, she's really grown up. I guess four years will do that" the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. There were too many emotions washing over him, he didn't know how he was supposed to feel. He ran away he didn't have the right to be sad about the things he'd missed. He pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead in an attempt to push down his feelings, he wasn't going to let himself break.

As time went by Stella's silence became suffocating. He wanted her to say something, anything at all. He wanted her to yell at him, he needed to hear her voice again. His head was spinning and his chest was becoming tighter. With his free hand he subconsciously fiddled with his sleeve the movement giving his mind something else to think about. His other hand still hadn't let go of his fathers hand, an irrational part of him was afraid if he loosened his grip his Dad would slip away.

"I wanted to come back sooner". His words hung in the air and he watched as Stella but her lip. He could hear the question playing on her mind, then why didn't he come back? It wasn't a simple answer, he didn't think he'd ever be able to explain how broken his mind was. He supposed he wouldn't he need to explain, she'd see it soon they all would.

"Bailey". His heart dropped, the voice certainly didn't belong to Stella, it was gravely and quiet from disuse. A weak squeeze of his hand confirmed exactly who the voice belonged to. Hesitantly Bailey forced himself to look up despite his head suddenly feeling as heavy as an anvil. His eyes locked with his fathers, the shock in the older man eyes sent more guilt surging through Bailey. He made a mistake he should've stayed away. Bailey pushed himself to his feet ignoring the sound of his heart beating in his ears. Frantically he attempted to reach the door despite the world starting to spin. As the world around him became a blur Bailey made one last feeble attempt to escape. He forced his body forward but instead of reaching the doorway his body collided with something hard sending a sharp pain shot through his body. He was vaguely aware of someone calling his name but the voice quickly faded along with the rest of the world.