Part 11: Drowning in My Mistakes

A/N: Just as the title suggests, this chapter has something to do with Craig's reaction to muscle relaxers...so, yeah. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... THIS WILL NOT BE AS LONG! ONLY ABOUT 6,000 WORDS! WAAHAHAHA! But, um...this time, and I'm being serious, if I don't get the 13 reviews in a week the story is OVER! Over, meaning not continuing, leaving you all hanging in the balance. So...yeah. Lalala. Craig and Ash don't get back together in this chapter, but maybe...some other day.

Friday. Not a day that Craig was too happy about. He'd been sleeping calmly on his stepfather's lap for the last few hours while Joey watched TV. He woke up and got some food, then returned to the couch. In a few more hours, he would be at Sean's pool party, celebrating...something. Sean always threw parties for no reason. About ten minutes later, he fell asleep again.

Joey was watching TV. The phone started ringing, and he hoped that it didn't wake up Craig. He gently lifted Craig's head up and rested it on a pillow while he got up to go answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is Craig there?"

"Yeah, but he's sleeping."

"Oh. Well...could you tell him that Alex called?"

"Yeah, I'll tell him."

"Okay, thanks. Bye."

"Bye." Joey hung up the phone. He wondered who Alex was and why she'd be calling Craig. He got back on the couch and Craig moved his upper body up so that it rested on Joey's lap. Joey laughed softly and continued watching TV. He didn't know it, but Craig woke up five minutes later and quietly watched TV. He sighed peacefully. Craig felt Joey's hand rest on his back and he started lightly rubbing in-between his shoulder blades. Craig liked it when Joey did that; it made him feel loved. He didn't say anything because he didn't want the moment to be over. He kept breathing calmly and closed his eyes.

Craig's arm started itching. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't. He rubbed his arm along his side and went back to being still. Unfortunately, Joey stopped. Craig scoffed and turned over to look at him. "Why'd you stop?" he asked. That was a really awkward moment.

"I like it when you do that." Joey smiled.

"Turn back over," he said. Craig complied and Joey continued to massage his back. This was the way it was supposed to be.

"Hey, Joey?" Craig said, turning his head. "Did you ever think about what I would be like if I lived with you and Mom instead of my dad?" Joey looked at him for a minute.

"Yeah, Craig. A lot. But...that's a hard question to answer. I mean, if I said that I wished that you lived with us instead of your dad, then that would be like saying I don't like you the way you are now. And if I say that I didn't wish that you lived with us, that would make it sound like I never liked you and you would grow up the way you did."

"Oh," Craig muttered. "Never mind then."

"No, Craig," Joey said quickly. "I mean...I like the way you are, but...if I had the choice to change what happened...I would've let you live with us...but..."

"Don't worry about it, Joey. It was just a question."

"Okay..." Joey said uncertainly. He didn't want Craig to be offended in any way, especially not now. "Who's Alex?"

"Alex?" Craig said, confused. "Girl Alex?"

"Yeah. She called earlier," Joey said.

"Hm...I didn't know she had my number. Interesting. I'll call her later and see what she wanted. She'll probably be at Sean's party."

"Sean's having another party?" Joey asked.

"Yeah," Craig answered. "It's a pool party. His apartment just got a new indoor pool. He's having some random party and a bunch of people are gonna be there. I'm not gonna drink. I promise."

"Okay. I'm trusting you, Craig," said Joey. "And if you drink this time...you're grounded for two months."

"Yes, Joey. I get it. No drinking."

"Thank you." Craig stopped talking and laid still on Joey's lap.

"I'm gonna go call Alex back," he said a few minutes later. He rolled off of the couch and went up to the phone. He checked the caller ID and found her number and then called.
He waited for a few rings and then someone answered. He asked for Alex and then waited another minute for the phone to be handed to her.

"Hello?" said Alex.

"Alex? It's Craig," said Craig.

"Oh. Um...your dad said you were sleeping earlier."

"Yeah. I was." Craig took the phone and went up to his room, closing the door behind him. "So...was there something you needed?"

"Oh, yeah...um...I was just wondering, I mean, some people have been talking and...are you...friends with Jay?" Alex asked. Craig didn't know what to say. Choice One: Lie. But then she might find out and beat him down. Choice Two: Tell her that he was friends with Jay and she'd come and beat him down now.

"No," he lied. "Why?"

"Well...I was just wondering. I mean, curiosity, you know..." Alex said.

"Oh. Okay."

"So...are you going to Sean's party tonight?"

"Uh, yeah. I am," Craig said quickly.

"Oh, cool," Alex responded.

"Yeah..."

"Um...I gotta go. I guess I'll see you at the party," said Alex. "Bye." Then she hung up. Craig sighed before getting off of the bed and going back downstairs. He put the phone on the base and looked over at Joey, who was oddly asleep on the couch. Craig shrugged and went back up to his room. He looked around for a second before turning back and going back downstairs. He was getting bored and he didn't want to wake Joey, so he grabbed his shoes and jacket and slipped out the door.

He walked around for about a half-hour before he realized that he was walking in a huge circle. He went back up to the house and got back inside. Joey was still sleeping on the couch, but he stirred and then woke up.

"Why were you outside?" Joey asked groggily, looking over at Craig, who was just now closing the door.

"I took the cat outside," Craig answered. "To play in the snow." Joey nodded and stood up.

"So," he said.

"So," Craig repeated. Joey smiled and stretched.

"What time is the party?" he asked.

"Um...seven," Craig said thoughtfully.

"Oh. Okay. When you go, I want you to be home before eleven," Joey said. He walked over to the fridge and started browsing around. Craig nodded.

"Okay. Okay. Before eleven. Home. Before eleven," he muttered. He thought for a minute before saying, "Joey, would you be sad if...I didn't come back from the party?" Joey froze from his position. Slowly, he turned around and looked at Craig.

"Yeah, Craig. I would be. You're my...son, why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"Well, I mean...like...if I drowned in the pool or I got killed or something...I mean, what if like, we had a fight and you were mad at me? Would you still be sad that I died?"

"Yes, I would. Being mad at you and then you dying...I'd feel worse than I would if I wasn't mad at you."

"Why?"

"Because then...the last thing I said to you...probably wouldn't have been what I would've wanted it."

"Oh. Well...okay. I mean, it was just a question. I'll come back from the party tonight...sober. I promise."

"Okay, Craig," Joey said, returning to the fridge.

"But right now I'm going upstairs to sleep." Joey nodded and Craig retreated up to his room. He took off his shoes, jacket, and jeans and crawled underneath the blankets. He was glad that he no longer needed to wear all of his clothes to keep himself warm.

He fell asleep for about an hour and then woke up again. He lay there, trying to fall asleep again. He rolled around, restless. He wanted to sleep; he was tired. Oddly. He wondered how he could be tired when he slept all the time. He moaned in annoyance of himself. Joey must've been either in his room or the house must've been pretty quiet because Joey came into his room.

"Craig, are you okay?" he asked.

"I can't sleep. I want to sleep. Part of me wants to keep moving. The other part of me really, really wants to sleep," Craig whined.

"Okay..." Joey muttered. "I'll be right back." Joey left the room. He returned with a small white pill and a glass of water. "Craig, I need you to listen, this is important." Craig nodded. "Okay. This is a Valium. It's a muscle relaxer. It'll help you sleep. I don't know what kind of effect this might have on you, so only take it when I give it to you, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay." Craig took the pill and water and swallowed them. He crawled back into bed. "Thanks, Joey."

"You're welcome," Joey said, closing the door. Craig laid in bed for about ten minutes until he fell asleep.

Joey went downstairs and stretched out on the couch. He thought about Craig for a while before falling asleep himself.

Joey woke up when he heard someone coming inside. He looked over the couch and saw Caitlin and Angie coming in the front door. Angela closed the door behind her and dropped her coat on the floor. She ran over to Joey and crawled onto him.

"It's cold outside," she said, hugging him. Joey smiled and put his arm around her.

"Where's Craig?" Caitlin asked, sitting down on the couch.

"He's upstairs. Sleeping," Joey replied, sitting up.

"Oh. I don't see how he can sleep as much as he does," Caitlin said, hugging herself.

"Well, he likes to sleep. Takes the pressure off of life," Joey explained. He set Angela down next to Caitlin. "I'm gonna go check on him." Joey stood up and went upstairs to Craig's room. He quietly opened the door and looked inside. Craig rolled over and looked at him.

"Hey, Joey," he muttered.

"Sorry, Craig, did I wake you up?" Joey asked.

"No," Craig answered. "I woke up about a half-hour ago. I've just been laying here thinking." Joey pushed the door open further and entered the room. It was kind of warm in here. He took a few quick strides toward the bed and sat down.

"About what?" Joey asked curiously.

"About...everything. Like...school, the party, Angie, Caitlin...you. Food. I like food," Craig said, sitting up on the bed.

"You hungry?"

"Uh...yeah, sort of."

"Well...come on downstairs. Caitlin's probably gonna make something for Angie, and she'll make you something too," Joey said. Craig nodded and yawned.

"Okay. I'll be down in a few minutes. I'm probably gonna put some more clothes on..."

"I'll see you then," said Joey, standing up from the bed and leaving the room. Craig yawned again and stood up. He picked up a dry pair of jeans from the ground and put them on. Then he picked his jacket up from the end of the bed and put it on. He then opened the door and slowly walked downstairs.

He sat down at the table next to Angela. He noticed the cat rubbing its head on the chair, so he reached down and scratched his head.

"Good kitty," he muttered. Craig looked around for a second. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's four," Caitlin answered. She handed Angela and Craig both sandwiches and water and Craig thanked her.

"That means I've been sleeping for...about three hours," Craig said. He began eating the sandwich. He started to get lost in his thoughts, but Joey pulled him back to reality quickly and he jumped.

"You okay?" Joey asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine," Craig said. "I'm just...thinking about stupid things again." He sighed and tried to push the image of his father out of his head, but he couldn't. He looked over at Angela, who turned her head and looked up at him. Her big, brown eyes made Craig smile and his father quickly disappeared from his thoughts.

Craig watched her for another minute and then he finished the sandwich and drank his water. He stood up and went to the couch. He rested his head on the side. Joey was sitting on the other end, looking over at him. Craig glanced at him.

"Joey, can I...talk to you...upstairs?" he asked, sitting up. Joey nodded and followed Craig upstairs to his room. He closed the door behind him and then sat down next to Craig on the bed.

"What's up, Craig?" Joey asked.

"Joey...I'm not sure why, but lately...I've been thinking...about him," Craig whispered. "I can't stop thinking about him."

"When do you think about him the most?"

"When it's quiet. He was always quiet before..." Craig trailed off and looked down at the floor. Joey put his arm around Craig's shoulders. Craig leaned his head and rested it on Joey's shoulder. "As much as I hate to admit it...I actually do miss him. I don't know why. I just do."

"Craig, it's not unusual to miss people, especially your parents. You shouldn't feel bad about it," Joey whispered.

"I know. But...after everything...I mean...it wasn't like he did it just to hurt me...he was..."

"What he did to you wasn't fair. There's no excuse for it. Even if you believe he had a reason, or you think it was your fault...it wasn't."

Craig didn't say anything. He knew Joey was right, but he didn't want to believe it. He sat with his head on Joey's shoulder and sighed. "You're a really good dad, Joey," he said a few minutes later. Joey looked at him and smiled.

"You're a really good kid," he replied. Craig hugged him and then pulled back slowly.

"But Angie's a better kid," he mumbled. Joey looked at him incredulously.

"Angie's a better kid?" Joey said, confused. Craig nodded.

"You'll never treat me the way you treat her. She's your daughter, and I'm not your real son. That's why you don't love me the way you love her," he explained.

"Craig, I love you just as much as I love Angela," said Joey.

"Loving me as much isn't loving me the same way you love Angela," said Craig. He looked away from Joey.

"Tell me how I love Angie and compare it to the way I love you," Joey said. Craig inhaled.

"You love Angie...like she's never done anything wrong. Like she'll never do anything wrong. Ever. Like she's never hurt you." Craig hugged himself. "Because she has never hurt you. And she probably never will. But me...I have hurt you. I have done things that are wrong. And I'm still doing things that are wrong. Every day. Like tonight. I know exactly who is going to be there. People that are a bad influence on me. People that I have problems with. I'm still going. Regardless of what you say, I'm going. Because somehow...I don't care anymore."

Joey thought about Craig's words for a minute before getting up and kneeling in front of him.

"Craig. Listen to me. I love you in a different way than I love Angie because yes, you have hurt me and yes, you've done things that are wrong. You're seventeen, Craig. It's what I would expect from you. Angie...she's not seventeen, and I wouldn't expect those sort of things from her yet. And I'm letting you go to Sean's party because...you deserve a life. You may not be my 'real' son, but you are my son and I wouldn't love you any less than I would Angie because of it. You're a good kid, Craig. I scold Angela more than I do you because you're asleep half the time and there's nothing wrong with that. You have to understand that. I love you differently because I have to treat you differently. I mean unless of course you would like me to go to the store right now and buy you some dolls, then..."

Craig looked up and smiled. "No. You don't have to, Joey. Really," he said.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" asked Joey.

"Not right now. I'll think of something later," Craig said. Joey nodded and stood up.

"Let's go downstairs for a while. You need to relax a little." Craig looked at him and stood. He followed Joey downstairs to the living room and sat down next to Caitlin on the couch.

"Hey, Caitlin," he said simply.

"Hey, Craig," Caitlin replied.

"What're we watching?" Craig asked, looking at the TV. Caitlin shrugged.

"Ask your sister," she said. Craig turned to Angie, who was sitting on the other side of Caitlin, next to Joey.

"Angela," he said. "What are we watching?" Angie looked over at him.

"Lilo and Stitch!" she said happily. Craig nodded and looked back at the TV.

"Interesting," he muttered. He watched the movie in silence. The movie was kind of sad for him, but he continued to watch. The only moment that really hurt him was the ugly duckling scene.

"That's the ugly duckling. See? He's sad, because he's all alone, and nobody wants him." Craig stood up and excused himself from the room, going back upstairs to his room. He closed the door behind him. He was surprised that nobody followed him. Joey probably figured that he had to make himself clean for Sean's party.

Craig didn't want anyone to bother him, so he decided to go take a really long shower.

As the hot water ran over him, Craig thought about the movie. "...All alone and nobody wants him," Craig mumbled. He laughed coldly.

An hour later, he emerged from the shower and felt cold entering the hallway. He went into his room quickly and changed his clothes. He turned around to find Joey standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" Craig asked suspiciously.

"About four seconds," Joey answered. "Why'd you leave in the middle of the movie?"

"Well...it's almost 6:30 and I wanted to get ready for Sean's party."

"Craig...I know that the party's not the reason you jumped up in the middle of the movie." Craig turned away from Joey and pretended to be searching for something around his bed. He didn't say anything, which probably made it even less convincing that he had gotten up to shower.

He picked up his watch and put it on his wrist.

"Joey, I'm just a little bit...unsure about another party. But I told everyone I was going, so...I'm going to." Joey sighed.

"If you're not sure about going to the party, then lay down and think about it for a little while." Craig looked at him and nodded. He laid down on the bed and stretched. He relaxed for a few minutes and slowly dozed off.

Joey, who had just come from Craig's room, was in the kitchen talking with Caitlin.

"Is he okay now?" Caitlin asked.

"I think he will be. It must've been that part of the movie," Joey said quietly.

"Which part?"

"The one where he asks the little girl about the story." Caitlin thought about this for a second before realization dawned on her.

"He feels like he has no family," she said. Joey nodded. "It's probably important to him that he has one, but...he feels like he doesn't."

"Craig...he just...he doesn't know what a real family is," Joey whispered. He sat down at the table across from Caitlin. "When Julia was still married to his father, he didn't get to know what a real father was because he beat him all the time. And then Julia divorced him and Craig was left with him. Then he came and lived here, and then his dad died, and...he's lost pretty much everything."

"He's put up with...a lot in the past few years. I mean, really Joey. When was the last time he got to have fun?" Caitlin said.

"I can't even remember," said Joey.

"Exactly. I think you and me and Angela should go away for a week and let Craig have the house to himself," Caitlin suggested. Joey stared at her.

"Last time he took one of the cars from the lot," he said.

"But...chances are, he won't do it again. Come on, Joey." Caitlin looked at Joey pleadingly.

"Fine," he said, sighing. Caitlin smiled.

"See? That wasn't so hard," she said. Suddenly, a gagging sound came from upstairs. Joey glanced over to the couch, where Angela was sitting and watching TV peacefully. He realized who must be making the noise and he jumped up and ran upstairs. He burst into Craig's room to find Craig lying on his bed, asleep but choking and not being able to breathe. On what, he didn't know, but he was about to find out. He ran over to the bed and knelt down next to Craig. He began to shake his shoulders. A minute later, he woke up. He gasped for air and sat up. Joey pushed him back down and Craig put his hands on his stomach. He turned to see Joey's worried self next to him.

Craig wiped his eyes, which had been watering. His throat hurt, as did his chest.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked. Craig nodded.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine...I was...I don't even know...but I'm okay now. I promise. I'm just...I have sleeping problems. That's all. Sleeping problems." He looked away from Joey.

"Um...I'd better get going to Sean's party. He wants me there." He stood up and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and locking it. He opened the medicine cabinet and found it—the bottle of Valiums. He opened it and took two out, tightly screwing the cap back on. He dropped it carelessly back in the cabinet and looked at the two pills carefully. He was startled when someone knocked on the door. It was Caitlin.

"Craig? Joey's leaving in a minute," she said.

"Okay!" Craig called. "I'm just...taking the meds and stuff." He quickly swallowed the two pills and opened the door. He put his shoes and jacket on and ran downstairs to get to the car. Craig didn't talk while Joey drove to Sean's. Joey knew that Craig didn't want to talk about anything, so he too kept quiet. He glanced over at Craig, who stared off into the darkness. He turned his focus back to the road, constantly thinking about Craig. They finally got to Sean's.

Twenty minutes later, Craig was talking to Alex next to the pool. He never talked to Alex the way he was now; they were so...different. He'd seen Ashley on his way in, but he ignored her to go find Alex. He couldn't decide how he felt about Ashley anymore, but his heart burned every time he looked at her. He tried to keep telling himself he was over her, but somehow, he wasn't.

He shrugged off the thought and continued listening to Alex. Behind Alex, he could see Emma and Manny in the pool, splashing and playing around with a few boys from school. He looked back up at Alex. He nodded to what she had said and then he asked her about Jay.

"Me and Jay have been over for...a long time. I haven't talked to him in months. He calls, but I don't answer. He comes over, but I stay in my room. He leaves notes on my locker but I throw them away. He's trying. He just needs to...give it more time, I guess. What's up with you and Kerwin?"

"Ashley...she dumped me like a month ago. I haven't talked to her since. She acts like everything between us can be better now that we aren't together, and...it can't."

"Oh, that's sad. You guys were happy together," Alex said quietly.

"I was happy with her. Apparently...she wasn't happy with me."

"I don't see why. If I was going out with you, I wouldn't want to break up. You know, almost everyone in the school likes you?"

"Everyone?" Craig said skeptically.

"Well...except Paige and JT and...a few other people that don't know you. But yeah, almost everyone." Craig laughed.

"Don't see why."

"You're one of the nicest guys in the school. Um...you're one of the best-looking guys in school, and...you're just the likeable type." Alex blushed and looked at her feet. She never flirted with guys, especially guys she'd almost never talked to.

"I don't even know why Paige doesn't like me; she just doesn't," Craig said.

"I think she's jealous because everyone likes you more than her," Alex answered, looking up and laughing.

"Probably," said Craig agreeingly. "Well, good, I hate her too." Alex laughed again and then there was a weird silence between them. They looked at each other. Alex saw an odd look on Craig's face.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Just as she spoke, Craig suddenly dropped and fell into the pool. She started laughing hysterically, as did everyone else. She expected him to come right back up. He didn't. Manny and Emma stopped laughing and looked over in Craig's direction. He'd been down there for about a minute now. Something didn't seem right. There was no way he'd be able to hold his breath this long if he'd fell in that fast. Several girls started to panic, as did several boys.

"Why isn't he moving?" Manny cried. "He's not moving!" Alex stared down into the pool at Craig's motionless body. She started screaming for someone to help him. She wasn't strong enough to get Craig out by herself and she wasn't going to fail in front of everyone trying.

"SEAN!" she shouted. Sean wasn't there to hear her, though. He was busy with Ellie in the apartment. "Somebody, help him!"

The girls were all crying now, afraid that he was dead. Several seconds later, someone jumped into the pool and pulled Craig's body out. Alex stared over at the person climbing out of the pool. It was Jay. He set Craig down on the side of the pool on his back. He started pressing on his chest.

"Come on, Manning...don't die on me now," he muttered. Alex watched as Jay tried to save Craig. Manny stared over at the scene and jumped out of the pool. She ran to a chair and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around herself. She wiped her makeup off and continued to watch. Emma came over and wrapped her arm around Manny's shoulder.

"JAY! HURRY UP!" Alex cried. Jay looked over at her and then back at Craig. That was the first time she'd talked to him in...a long time. He pressed harder on Craig's chest. A few seconds later, Craig's head rolled to the side and he coughed up water.

"He lives!" Jay shouted triumphantly. Craig was still. Everyone that had been watching was still panicking. Craig lay lifeless on the cement and everyone stared at him. The room became quiet as they watched him. Craig started to cough up more water again and Jay let out a long breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. Craig stopped moving again. Jay scoffed in annoyance and he knelt down next to him.

He shook him softly and then started smacking him.

"Wake up, Craig. Come on. This is not a good place to die. Get up," he said. Craig moaned and barely opened his eyes.

"Dude, are you okay? You almost drowned," said Jay. Craig opened his mouth to say something but coughed and more water came out. "What are you, a camel or something? How much water can you hold?"

"Jay..." Craig droned. Jay looked at Craig expectantly. Craig closed his eyes again.

"Don't die!" Jay cried.

"I'm not dying," Craig mumbled. "My head hurts."

"Oh."

Craig could barely talk and he could barely feel anything. He was starting to get the feeling in his legs back, but his arms were pretty much useless. Alex walked over to Craig and put her hand on his forehead.

"I wanna go home..." Craig moaned.

"Craig, I'm gonna call your dad and have him take you home, okay?" Alex said calmly. Craig had never heard Alex talk like that. Her voice was usually low and quiet, but it was suddenly soft. Alex was about to reach for her cell phone when she felt something cold underneath her hand. It was Jay's hand. They looked at each other for a split second and then she instantly pulled away and grabbed her cell phone.

She dialed a number and Craig listened to her as she explained the situation to Joey. She then hung up and turned back to him. "He's on his way," she said in the same odd, soft voice. She looked over at Manny.

"Hey, Manny! Mind giving up that towel that you got over there?" she called. Manny stood up and walked over to Alex and handed her the towel.

"Um...Jay, we have to get him up," Alex said nervously. She hated talking to Jay. It used to be, but not anymore. Jay nodded and lifted up Craig's back. Alex helped him and wrapped the towel around Craig's shoulders. Craig could somewhat support himself, but not entirely. That was what Jay and Alex were for. Manny watched as Alex and Jay led Craig to the front of the apartment building.

"Hold him up, Alex," Jay said. Alex glared at Jay. She did her best to hold Craig's body up while Jay removed his jacket, which he'd taken off prior to jumping into the pool and put it on Craig. It fit perfectly. Craig was still cold and wet when Joey showed up. Joey thanked Jay and Alex and got Craig into the car. Alex and Jay went back inside.

Joey drove down the road and glanced over at Craig from time to time. He finally got them both home and he took Craig upstairs. Craig got dressed in dry clothes and then he looked at Joey.

"So...what exactly happened?" Joey asked.

"I'm not sure," Craig said. He coughed and spit up more water. "One minute I was talking to Alex and the next, I'm in the pool, not able to move. I don't know why. I tried to, but I couldn't. I was looking up and I could see the top of the water. But I was at the bottom. I started breathing in water and then...everything went dark. I woke up and I was out of the pool. Jay was trying to get me to stay awake. He saved me. I don't know why no one else did. He did, though."

"So you're not sure why you couldn't move?" Joey said. Craig shook his head.

"But...Joey...please don't be mad at me...whatever I say, don't be mad at me..." Craig said. He looked at Joey.

"Okay. I won't be mad at you," Joey said assuringly. Craig hesitated.

"I took two Valiums before I left," he whispered.

"You WHAT?" Joey shouted incredulously. Craig crawled into his bed and buried himself under the blankets. Joey's expression softened. "Craig..." he said. "It's okay. It's okay." Joey pulled the blankets down and Craig looked at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was too energetic and...I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Craig, the Valiums aren't the problem. I'm not even sure if they're dangerous. You just had a weird reaction to them. It's nothing that you should be so apologetic about. Okay? Now...calm down and go to sleep." The phone started ringing. "I'll be right back." Joey got up and went to answer the phone. Craig silently wondered where Caitlin was. Joey came back in the room and handed Craig the phone.

"Hello?" Craig said groggily.

"Craig? It's...us. Manny, Emma, Alex, and a few other people. Are you okay?" Manny asked.

"I'm okay now. I cough up water every so often, but I'll be at school on Monday."

"Oh, that's great," Manny said, sighing. "We were so worried about you. I couldn't talk for like, ten minutes. I was so scared that you were..."

"No, I'm fine. Really." Craig sighed. "Where are you guys anyway?"

"We're up in Sean's apartment. You're on speakerphone, by the way," Manny said.

"I figured as much," Craig replied.

"Oh, crap, it's Ashley," said Emma.

"Craig, we'll call you back," Alex said quickly. They hung up the phone. Craig was glad that they hung up because he was in no mood to talk to Ashley.

He handed the phone back to Joey and closed his eyes. He felt peaceful until he started coughing up water again. He leaned over and searched his nightstand. He found his cell phone, safe and dry.

"Thank God I didn't take that with me," he said. Craig slowly fell asleep. That is, until Caitlin and Angie got back from wherever they were. He heard Angie go into her room and Joey and Caitlin talked in their room, but Craig could hear them perfectly.

"He told me he was taking his meds," Caitlin said.

"Well, he told me he took Valiums. He must have some allergy or something," said Joey.

"He could. So...what else did he say?"

"He said that Jay's the one that pulled him out of the pool."

"Really? That's interesting..." Caitlin muttered.

"I'm so worried about him," Joey said quietly. "He's almost always sick or injured or depressed or...something. I want him to get better. He's always talking bad about himself. I don't see why. He's a great kid, and I love him to death. But he's so...numb. To everything."

"It's not his fault, Joey. I mean, the poor kid's been traumatized, hurt, and had his heart broken on countless occasions, and it's not fair to him. It's been one bad thing after the next for him. It's been like that for a long time now. But that's why we're here, and Angela's here, and his friends...and we're all gonna help him get through things."

"Yeah. We are. I'm gonna go check on him and make sure he's still alive," Joey said. Craig closed his eyes and acted like he was asleep. Surprisingly, he actually fell asleep in the short time that Joey left his room and when he got to Craig's. Joey watched Craig sleep.

Now, if anyone had ever watched Craig sleep, they would know that it is one of the most peaceful activities there is. Craig looked happy when he slept. Well, usually. He was peaceful, calm, and relaxed. Joey knew that sleeping was Craig's refuge away from everything. Craig rolled onto his back and Joey watched as Craig's chest evenly rose and fell. He couldn't stop thinking about how if Jay hadn't jumped into the pool when he did, Joey might be at the morgue right now, identifying the body of his son. His throat started to burn as he watched Craig sleep. He couldn't handle watching this anymore, so he stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

A/N: WOO! It took me FOREVER to write that! Trinity and everyone else, thanks for ALL of your reviews. If anyone has MySpace, check out my profile for my details. Lalala. I'm going to write more in the next chapter, and like...yeah. So...mmmmmmmmmmmmkay.