Once again sorry for taking so long to update, but I just seem to have so much to do. I hope it was worth the wait. Also thanks to everyone has reviewed for the great comments.

Chapter 9: Breaking the News

Ryan opened the door and gently closed it behind him. Marissa was lying on her side with her back to him. She rolled over when he walked in. He couldn't believe how sad and lost she looked. Her face was still stained with tears.

"Hey," he smiled at her.

"Hey," she attempted a small smile.

He went and sat on the chair beside her.

"So, Kirsten just took Seth and Summer home, and said she would call your dad to get him to come over." Kirsten had told Ryan everything that happened in the interview. He could see that she was still thinking it all through, over and over, it haunting her thoughts. Ryan cupped her chin in his hand and she looked in to his eyes.

She could look in to his eyes forever. They were full of hope and love – two things she really needed.

He wiped away the mark from a tear off her face. He lent in and gently kissed her on the lips.

For that one second when his lips met hers all his love and hope took over her body, and all the horrible memories were erased. She just wished it could last forever.

He drew away from her. He could have sworn that he saw a flicker of light in her faded eyes. He pulled her in to a hug. He felt her flinch for a second then it was as though her body melted in to his. She let all her fear drain out of her and gripped her hands tightly behind his back. She felt so safe in Ryan's arms. Nothing could hurt her when she was with Ryan.

Jimmy was about to open the door, but he stopped when he looked through the small window. They looked so peaceful together. So perfect. They were sitting side by side on the bed. Marissa had her head resting on Ryan's shoulder, her eyes shut, and he had his arm around her shoulder.

Out of the corner of his eye Ryan saw Jimmy standing at the door. He got up off the bed to let him in, waking Marissa up. She opened her eyes.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Daddy." She smiled as he bent down and kissed her head.

"How you feeling."

"Oh never better," She said sarcastically.

"Sorry stupid question. It'll all be over soon though. I promise. Here," he gave her a magazine, "figured you'd be sick of chess." He forgot how great it was to see her smile. She started to flick through the pages.

"Hey, Ryan, can I have a minute?" He motioned towards the door.

"Uh, sure." They both went in to the corridor, leaving Marissa to her magazine.

"Kirsten told me briefly over the phone about the police being here."

Ryan just looked at him uncomfortably, not sure what to say.

"I guess I just want to know what happened. She's smiling but I can tell it's just a cover for what's hurting her inside."

"Uh, well, Kirsten was the one that was with her. She told me that it didn't exactly go too well."

"What happened?" Jimmy asked, concerned.

"Kirsten said that they were asking her questions and she broke down in tears after a few. I guess she just couldn't cope. Not yet."

Jimmy sat on a chair in the corridor and put his head in his hands.

"Dammit. Someone should have phoned me!" He couldn't believe that she had been through so much and he hadn't been there to comfort her. To make her feel better, like fathers are supposed to.

"You must think I'm a rubbish dad."

"Look, Mr Cooper, I know I've never really gotten to know you but one thing I do know is that you're a good father. Ye, sure you might not be there every time she needs you, but who is. You and Marissa have something I never had with my dad. Even when you're not there she loves you and she knows that you love her. I'd give anything to have known my dad like that."

Sandy came in the front door.

"Hey, honey."

"Hey," Kirsten called from the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of wine. Sandy went over and kissed her. He saw her wine and looked confused then looked at his watch.

"And here I thought I'd misplaced a few hours."

"Ye, well, after everything that happened I think I'm entitled to a glass of wine in the afternoon." She replied very bluntly. She picked up the glass and started to walk away.

"Hey, hey," Sandy touched her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Actually, you know what, no. I'm not alright. I'm anything but alright." Sandy's face was full of concern. Kirsten turned around to face him.

"We had a visitor at the hospital earlier. In fact two. Inspector Trueman and Detective Morrice, I think were their names." Sandy suddenly understood. He took his jacket off as Kirsten leant against the counter and took a gulp of her wine.

"Judging buy the size of sip you just took, I'm guessing it didn't go too well."

"She's only a kid, Sandy. How's she supposed to cope? I shouldn't have let them stay. I knew it was too soon. I just wish I had…" Sandy walked over to her and took the wine glass out of her hand and put it on the counter.

"Hey." He pulled her in to a hug. "It wasn't your fault. Where was Jimmy anyway?" She pulled out of his hug.

"I'd just dropped him at home, and Marissa didn't want to worry him so I stayed with her in the interview." She picked up her glass and took a small sip as Sandy went in to the fridge. The front door opened.

"Heeeeelloooo! Anybody home?" They looked at each other. They had forgotten about this part. Telling Julie.

"Ki ki!"

"Hey," Julie ran over to her and kissed her on both cheeks.

"Cal."

"Sandy." They stood a few metres away from each other, both trying not to look the other in the eye and trying not to look too uncomfortable (failing miserably).

"So how was New York?"

"Oh, it was fantastic. Cal here surprised with a romantic dinner in lets just say a very, very nice restaurant."

"Aaww, Cal. I didn't know you had it in you."

Kirsten looked at Sandy as if to say "watch it".

"Anyway, the shops there are to die for. Oh, that reminds me, I got you a little something. I'll just pop out to the car to get it."

"Wait, Julie, I need to talk to you about something."

"I'll only be a sec."

"Julie, it's really important."

"You might not think so when you see what I bought you." She turned and headed towards the door.

"Julie, please."

"Gosh, Ki-ki, what's gotten in to you? I'm sure it can wait one sec."

She turned and headed towards the door again.

"Julie, Marissa's in hospital."

Julie suddenly froze, her back to them all. She slowly turned round.

"What did youjust say?"

"I'm so sorry Julie, I…."

"What's wrong with her? What happened?" Julie felt like she had just been slapped across the face. How are you supposed to hold yourself together when someone tells you that your teenage daughter is lying in hospital.

Kirsten looked down at her hands, taking a deep breath. She knew it was going to be difficult, but just seeing Julie so happy made it even worse. She had to break some of the worst news a parent could ever receive.

"For christ's sake Kirsten! What happened to her!" Kirsten looked up at Julie, someone who was usually so strong, yet her wide eyes were filling with tears.

"She was mugged." Julie made a small noise.

"Ju-ju. You alright?" Caleb went over to Julie who was staring straight ahead. Julie forcefully wiped away a tear that had rolled down her cheek.

"How is she?"

Kirsten could tell that Julie wanted to break down in tears right there but Julie would never want to look weak, not even in front of friends.

"She had to go in to surgery because of internal bleeding, but she pulled through."

More tears rolled down Julie's cheek.

"I want to see her."

"She's at Newport General," Sandy replied. Julie was still standing there, her whole body frozen. Kirsten walked over to her and took her arm in hers.

"Come on Julie I'll take you out to the car." She gently led Julie outside glancing back to Sandy and her Dad. Even Caleb was shocked by what just happened.

"Take care of her." Sandy said to Caleb. Caleb put out his hand. Sandy looked at it and after a second gripped it firmly. Caleb then left without saying a word. Sandy was left standing there, everything that had just happened running through his head. Kirsten came back in and closed the door.

"Now that's an experience that I don't want to have again. I've never seen Julie like that."

"What about your Dad. He looked pretty shocked, and that doesn't happen often." Kirsten walked over to him and leant her head on to him.

"You know what, I think I need that glass of wine," Sandy said.

Kirsten looked up to him.

"I thought it was too early."

"That was then, this is now." Kirsten smiled at him and kissed him softly on the lips.

They linked arms and walked in to the kitchen.

"We should phone Ryan and let him know that Julie's on her way. He might need to prepare himself."

"You do that, I just need a drink."

She dialled in Ryan's number. He picked up after a couple of rings.

"Hey"

"Hey, it's Kirsten."

"What's up?"

"I just thought I should warn you that Julie is on her way."

"She knows?"

"Ye, her and my Dad came round and we had to tell her."

Everything went silent. Ryan's mind was filled with one thought – Jimmy and Julie.

"Ryan? You there?"

"Ye, sorry. Look, you've got to stop her."

"What? She's already left. Why?"

"Jimmy's here."

Ryan didn't have to say anything more. Kirsten new exactly what would happen with Jimmy and Julie at the hospital, and she knew it wouldn't be good.

"I'm on my way, just hold on."

The line went blank, and Ryan was left standing at the entrance to the hospital until he turned around and ran back inside. He had to warn Jimmy.

Kirsten went over to Sandy and took the wine glass, which was half way up to his mouth, out of his hand.

"Hey! I was about to drink that."

"We don't have time. Jimmy's at the hospital."

Sandy looked at her blankly.

"And Julie's on her way."

"I was getting there, don't rush me." He turned Kirsten round by her shoulders and pushed her towards the door.

"Hey, where are you guys going?"

Sandy and Kirsten had both forgotten that Seth and Summer were upstairs.

"Julie knows."

"And Jimmy's at the hospital."

Seth and Summer both looked at each other worried.

"If you guys are going then we are going too."

"Seth just stay here."

"I am not missing Julie and Jimmy having a face-off!" Summer hit his arm. "Uh, I mean Marissa will need all the support that she can get."

"Get moving then."

Seth and Summer ran out the front door and in to the car followed closely by Sandy and Kirsten.

"Let's see if we can stop world war 3."

"OK, slight exaggeration Dad."

"You sure about that?" Sandy replied, hitting the accelerator.

Ryan crashed through the door. Marissa and Jimmy both looked up in shock.

"Ryan what's wrong?"

"Julie's on her way," he panted.

Marissa and Jimmy just looked at him. Jimmy's expression was full of shock, unlike Marissa's whose was full of fear.

"What do you mean she's on her way?"

"Kirsten just phoned me. Julie and Caleb had gone and visited them and they had to break it to her."

Jimmy was lost for words. He turned and looked at Marissa who shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

"Don't leave," she uttered weakly. He took her face in his hands.

"I'll never leave you." He kissed her forehead and wiped a tear off her face. "Don't worry kiddo, everything's going to be alright."

He stood up and ran his hand through his hair. He looked at Ryan.

"I'm ready for her."

"If you would just like to come this way Mrs Cooper."

"Cooper-Nichol."

The nurse smiled at her.

"It's this room just here."

Julie walked over to the door that had a small blind over the window pane. Her hand was shaking as she reached out to open the door. She twisted the handle and pushed it open.

"Julie."

The first thing she saw as she walked in was

"Jimmy." She said coldly. Her eyes drifted past him. She put her hand up to her mouth as her eyes once again filled with tears. She walked over to the bed which Ryan was standing beside. She took Marissa's hand in hers.

"I was so scared," she said as she held on to her hand and stroked her hair. Marissa looked down not wanting to look at her Mum. Julie turned around to face Jimmy.

"How the hell could you let this happen?"

She didn't shout at him but her voice was full of anger and her eyes looked almost red with rage.

"Oh that's new Julie. Anything goes wrong with Marissa it's always my fault."

Marissa put her head in her hands and started to cry silently. Why did it always have to happen like this?

"Well let me tell you, if I could have done anything, and I mean anything , to have stopped this from happening then believe I would have!" He said back raising his voice slightly.

"That's the problem though, isn't it!"

Kirsten gently opened the door.

"You never actually seem to do anything!"

Kirsten, Sandy, Seth and Summer all went in to the room. Julie and Jimmy seemed completely oblivious to the fact that they had walked in and no-one, not even Ryan, had noticed Marissa crying silently in her hands.

"And I can tell you now that you're not going to get the chance, 'cos I am never leaving her in your care again!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"First Tijuana and now this. I am not going to stand back and watch you destroy our daughter."

Jimmy just stood there, an expression of shock across his face, completely lost for words.

"Hey, come on now Julie. That's not fair," Sandy said.

Julie's eyes shot over to them all.

"What the hell are you all doing here!"

"Hey don't talk to them like that!" Jimmy shouted defiantly. "They've been amazing. Kirsten was the one that found her."

"Found her! What the….You know what, I don't care what they've done but this is between me, you and Marissa.

Ryan walked over and stood beside Seth, Summer, Sandy and Kirsten.

"Not anymore."

"Oh don't you even think about opening your mouth. From what I remember Marissa came home in tears after you left her after some nutcase pointed a gun at her. You have absolutely no right to be here!"

"Well at least I was here, and at least I actually care about how Marissa feels and not just how I feel."

"I can't believe you can just stand there and let him talk to me like this," she directed to Sandy and Kirsten.

"You are unbelievable." Jimmy said.

"Oh, I'm unbelievable, am I!" Julie raised her voice.

Suddenly they all seemed to be shouting, arguing with each other, Seth and Summer trying to get everyone to stop. They were all so caught up in the argument that they had forgotten about the person who knew what was true. Marissa.

Marissa couldn't take it any longer. All the fear inside her turned in to anger.

"Why don't you all just shut up!" She shouted as loud as she could. Everything went silent as they all turned to face her. Tears were streaming down her face. She stood up from her bed.

"Why doesn't someone just ask me what I think! What I want!" Ryan stepped forward and to take her arm and get her back on the bed, but she snatched her arm away as soon as he touched her.

"Just get out!"

"Kiddo…" Jimmy started to say.

"All of you! Just leave me alone!" she screamed. They all slowly started to leave. Ryan lingered for a second then closed the door behind him.

Marissa sat down on her bed. Her body felt completely drained of energy. She curled up on her bed and cried to herself, each sob shaking her whole body, with no-one to comfort her.