The check up

As it turned out on Friday morning, only 5 of them made the trip to San Francisco. Annabel had a head cold and Skip advised her against flying, so she stayed in LA. Emily was very quiet on the flight up. Quite a change from the excited little girl that had jumped around between them on the way to LA, but both Ryan and Marissa knew that she was a little scared about seeing her mother. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Cheryl but the last time she had seen her, Cheryl had been in a coma and that was all that Emily could remember. They were sure that now that Cheryl was conscious, things would be different. Ryan had a car waiting for them when they arrived and he dropped Marissa, Emily and Keith off at the hospital before heading off to a couple of meetings and to do some building inspections, promising to return before Emily's appointment.

When they got to Cheryl's room, Keith told Marissa that he would stay outside while she and Emily went in to see Cheryl but Emily wouldn't hear of it. She and Keith had become good friends in the last week. He played soccer with her every day. And he was always around to help when they went shopping and he kept the paparazzi at bay, for which Emily was very thankful. They scared her and when Keith was around they didn't come anywhere near her and Marissa. And right know, as she stood at the door of her mother's room, she was scared, so she wanted Keith with her. Some how in her 4 year-old brain, she had decided that if he was with her then she didn't need to be scared. Keith relented easily … anything for Emily, who had managed to twist him around her little finger from day one.

But when Marissa opened the door, there was nothing to be scared of. Cheryl was sitting in a chair waiting for them and she was overcome with emotion as soon as she saw her small daughter. Emily, after some initial trepidation because she couldn't touch her mother, had been excited as well. They talked and talked, Emily telling her mother all about her new room and about Sandy and Kirsten and Seth and Summer, and about her general life in Newport. Marissa had to interrupt Emily just to introduce Keith and Cheryl had shyly thanked him for his efforts in keeping her daughter amused. Marissa could see that Cheryl wasn't exactly comfortable with a stranger in the room but as Emily proceeded to hold centre stage, Cheryl relaxed.

---

When Ryan had finished with his work he made his way back to the hospital. It was just after 3 and he was hoping to get something to eat before they had to go to Emily's appointment at four. He made his way to Cheryl's room and softly opened the door. They all turned and he was hit by a flying Emily around the legs.

"And this is Wyan." She explained to Cheryl, stopping her previous story in mid sentence.

"Hello Ryan." Cheryl said.

Ryan nodded. "Cheryl. It's nice to finally meet you." Ryan said as he walked over to stand beside Marissa who instantly reached to hold his hand.

"Well we did already meet. Just not formally." She said. "But I want thank you. Emily has been telling me all about your house and I can't thank you enough for what you have done for her."

"It's nothing. We're enjoying ourselves." He said smiling as he looked at Marissa. His eyes secretly telling her that he may not have been able to say the same thing a couple of days ago when they had been a mess of sexual frustration, but right now all things were good.

"So your work is all under control?" Marissa asked changing the subject.

"Yeah. For now at least. I was wondering if I could talk you guys in to coming to lunch with me?" Ryan asked.

"We've already had lunch silly." Emily replied.

Ryan reached out and tickled her. "Who are you calling silly, missy?"

Emily chuckled. "You. We had lunch ages ago."

"Sorry Ryan. We all went to the cafeteria a while ago. Emily was hungry and Cheryl had a visit from her doctor so we took the opportunity to have lunch then." Marissa explained. "But I could go a cup of coffee and keep you company while you eat." she suggested.

"Okay. And what about you Missy? Are you going to come with us?" Ryan asked.

"No. Can I stay here with Mommy?" Emily asked.

"Well, I don't think …" Marissa started, concerned that Emily might try to touch Cheryl or get up to some mischief while they were away.

"Keith will look after me. " Emily added.

Marissa looked at Keith, a question in her eyes.

Keith shrugged. A smile on his face. "Fine with me. If you don't need me."

"I think we can cope in the hospital cafeteria alone." Ryan said. "We won't be long and we'll even bring you back a coffee."

"Sounds good." Keith replied.

---

Emily's check up went well. Her doctor had removed her cast and she now just had a light one on that he recommended she wear just for extra support while her bones strengthened. But she could take it off to bathe or go swimming. The doctor had actually suggested swimming to help improve her muscle tone and strength. Emily was so excited by the prospect of finally being able to get into the pool that much as she was enjoying being able to see her mother, she couldn't wait to get back to Newport.

---

After leaving a tied Cheryl, Ryan drove them to their hotel for the night. Keith had plans to catch up with some friends and had invited Skip to join him for a night on the town; promising to show Skip all the best local haunts. Ryan, Marissa and Emily spent a quiet night in their hotel suite. They had room service followed by a movie and popcorn and Emily fell asleep between them on the sofa. Ryan carried her to her bed and after tucking her safely in bed he returned to sit beside Marissa. Sliding his arm around her he pulled her towards him and softly started to run his tongue around the edge of her ear. Marissa pretended to be totally engrossed in the movie and ignored what he was doing although on the inside he was turning her to mush.

Ryan persisted, knowing that at some point she would react and when he saw the edges of her mouth start to turn upwards he knew he was getting close. As he moved to repeat the movement, Marissa suddenly turned her head and his tongue was met by hers as her mouth took his in a deep and passionate kiss. Minutes later, when they came up for air, Ryan said. "I think you missed something on the movie."

Marissa smiled. "So you're telling me I should be watching the movie and not making out with you?"

"I'd never say that." He smiled. "I just thought that you wanted to see the finish?" he added.

"What I want right now …" she started and reached down for the remote to turn off the TV. "is for you" she kissed him lightly as she pulled him to stand beside her "and me" she kissed him again as she started to pull him towards the door of their bedroom "to take this" she pushed Ryan through the door, kissing him again "where little eyes can't see." Once she had pushed Ryan down on their bed, Marissa moved back to close and lock the door. "Do you have any problems with that?" she asked as she started to slowly unbutton her blouse.

Ryan watched each movement of her fingers, wishing he could fast forward them. "None at all." He replied.

---

Saturday morning, when Ryan went to check on Skip and Keith, he found that they were a little worse for wear. It turned out their night out on the town was more of a night and a morning. Neither one could remember (or was admitting to being able to remember) just what they had got up to, but they both had phone numbers written on their arms that they swore they had no idea what they were for or how they got there. Needless to say, Skip needed to get some more rest so that he would be in reasonable shape to fly them home so he stayed at the hotel and had some more sleep, while the others all went to the hospital to visit Cheryl. Skip, was going to meet them all, later in the day, at the airport.

Cheryl was pleased to see them all and again, Emily kept them entertained. And when Ryan offered to go and get coffee for everyone, he was surprised when Keith suggested that Marissa go with him to help carry the coffees, while Keith stayed with Emily and Cheryl. Ryan had thought that Keith would probably have been looking for an opportunity to get out of the room and leave the girls to their chatter. But maybe he was too tired or too hung over to want to move very far. Ryan wasn't complaining … if it meant he got to spend more time with Marissa then it was fine by him.

As they left Cheryl's room and headed off to the cafeteria, Marissa turned to Ryan and asked. "Did that seem unusual to you?"

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Was it just me or was Keith looking to push us out of the room?" she asked.

"Maybe he's just tired … or maybe he's still working as Sandy's agent and trying to give us alone time …" Ryan suggested.

"Or maybe he enjoys spending time with Cheryl and Emily?" Marissa suggested.

Ryan thought for a moment and then shook his head. "You don't really think so do you?"

"I'm not sure. I know he dotes on Emily and he certainly seems comfortable with the two of them." She added.

"Yeah. But comfortable is one thing; interested is a whole different ball game." Ryan replied.

"Hmmm. We'll just have to wait and see. I don't think that Cheryl will be ready to look at anybody for quite a while yet. Besides her injuries, she is still grieving. But then again, I'm sure it couldn't hurt her self esteem if a certain eligible bachelor was interested in spending time with her and from the looks of things he is." Marissa added.

Ryan smiled. "Speaking of eligible bachelors …" he started. They were just about to pass the small meeting room that they had used last week.

Marissa tried the door and finding it empty she quickly pulled him inside. "Let's just get one thing perfectly clear. You are not an eligible bachelor."

"I'm not?" Ryan queried as she pushed him up against the wall.

"No. And don't bother coming over as all innocent on me now. You're taken and you know it." Marissa kissed him deeply wanting to remind him exactly what they had together.

"Ah yes. It's all coming back to me. But I think I need to be reminded more often." Ryan replied between kisses.

"You'll never get enough will you?" Marissa asked smiling as she did so.

"Uh uh" Ryan responded "But we'd better go and get the coffees or Keith will send out a search party for us. He doesn't like you to be out of his sight for too long."

They made their way back into the hall way and to the cafeteria. As they reached the door , Marissa's phone rang and she reached in her bag for it. Ryan walked inside and said "You get that and I'll go order the coffees."

Marissa looked at the caller id and instantly her hand started to shake. She stepped back into the hall, out of the sight of Ryan and leaned against the wall while she waited until the phone stopped ringing. She could feel her heart start to race and sweat form on her upper lip. When the voicemail beep sounded, she pushed the relevant buttons and held the phone to her ear. The heavily accented male voice said. "Marissa. It's me. I need to talk to you. It's important. Call me." She deleted the message instantly and took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. She thought to herself… that was one phone call she would never be making. She just hoped that Ryan wouldn't ask about it otherwise she was going to have to lie to him again. There was no way that she could let him know about these calls. They could destroy everything. She tried to pull herself together and plaster a smile onto her face as she walked into the cafeteria to join Ryan. Now is when she hoped that those acting classes would pay off because she really needed to be a good actress.

---

When it came time to leave, Cheryl got very emotional. She had been informed earlier about Ryan's assistance with the rent on her house and she had been trying to find an opportunity to discuss it with him but hadn't. Just before they were about to leave she blurted it out and promised him that somehow she would repay him. Ryan quickly told her there was no need. He just wanted her to concentrate on getting better. Cheryl assured him that she would and that she couldn't thank Ryan and Marissa enough for taking care of her daughter.

But as soon as Cheryl said the words, Ryan noticed Marissa's face change. It was as if a shadow had been cast over her. Marissa was very quiet when they left the hospital. Ryan needed to talk to her about it but he thought he already knew the cause because it had affected him as well. There was a problem. And it was, that some how or other, they had started to think of Emily as theirs. But Cheryl's words just made them realise that she wasn't. Emily was on loan and one day, when Cheryl was better she would go back to live with her mother. Neither of them was looking forward to that day. She had become too much a part of their lives.

Much as they complained about their lack of 'alone time', everything had settled down the last few nights. Emily had slept through. They had been able to complete what they started without interruption. And all was good. Neither of them could imagine not having her with them anymore. Maybe if Marissa had been pregnant then the thought of Emily leaving may not have been quite so shocking. They would have had a child of their own to look forward to. But since she wasn't … they were going to have to come to terms with the fact that Emily was not theirs and that at some point she would go and leave them alone. Funny how only a few days ago, the thought of being alone together was what they most desired. Now it seemed like a black cloud on the horizon. Hopefully it was still a long way off.

---

Sunday lunch was going well. Ryan and Marissa, with the help of Emily of course, had brought everyone up to date on what had happened in San Francisco and then the inevitable wedding discussions had started yet again. Ryan and Marissa had no chance of changing the subject because Summer's surprise for Emily was to ask her to be her flower girl. Emily hadn't known what a flower girl was, but once it was explained to her and the promise of a beautiful dress had been made then it was all she could talk about. Now Ryan and Marissa were going to be hounded with wedding talk at home as well. They could hardly wait … NOT!

Ryan kept looking across at Marissa and trying to commiserate with her across the table by sight alone. It was hard but the glances they exchanged were enough to know that their burden was shared. They couldn't get out of there fast enough. Fortunately they made an excuse about having been out of town and the fact that Ryan had some work to catch up on to escape; much to Emily's disgust of course. She wanted to talk dresses with Summer and Kirsten but Marissa assured her that since Summer still hadn't decided on a definite date, she would have plenty of time.

Summer had actually made one decision. Or partial decision would be closer to it. She had decided that she would like to be a summer bride, she thought it was only fitting that Summer be married in summer, so that meant they still had at least 9 or 10 months until the wedding. Marissa couldn't help but think … 9 or 10 months … just enough time for them to have a child of their own. Was that just coincidence? … Or fate trying to tell her something?

Ever since she had left Cheryl, she couldn't help but think what life would be like without Emily. Maybe they really should think about starting a family? But … nothing had changed. She still needed to go back to Paris and finish up her commitments over there. But after yesterday's phone call, she wasn't sure if she wanted to return there or not.

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A/N Just thought I'd let you know that I'm going away for a few days. I'll be back next week. If I get a chance I'll try to post again before I leave.