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Admitting the Truth – Perceptions

They had been in the hospital for 3 before a doctor comes in to tell them what's going on, "Please have a seat, I'm " the doctor sits down and opens the file in his lap "It seems that your daughter Lux has suffered a stroke." Giving Cate, Baze, Ryan and Math a few minutes to digest the bombshell he just dropped on them before telling them what's next, "We have given her some medicine right now, but from the CAT scan performed we can see that there is some swelling in her brain."

"What? What does that mean?" Cate stutter's out, looking frantically at the doctor for answers.

"It means that right now the best thing for her is sleep, I'm recommending that we induce her into a coma so that the drugs can work better to help relieve the pressure in her brain. I do need to ask you a few questions though to try to determine the cause of the stroke. Can you tell me what she was doing right before hand? Was anything going on that may have been overwhelming or physically exhausting?" Dr. Marshal asks.

All four of them look at each other trying to decide how to proceed, before Cate and Baze have an opportunity to say anything Math responds, "She had just broken up with her boyfriend. She was really upset." All eyes staring at Math in disbelief at the choice of words he had just used.

"Ok, so it's possible then that this stroke was brought on by extreme emotional distress."

"It's safe to say that," Math answers.

Baze, who has been staring at this whole thing, breaks his silence, "For how long? How long with this take? She's going to be ok right? Our kid is going to be fine right? I, I means she's had a stroke before and was fine she'll get out of this one OK too right?" Firing off questions to the doctor wanting answers to how Lux is.

"I'm sorry but right now it's too early to tell. We are monitoring her situation carefully and we will keep you updated." Dr. Marshal calmly explained, "We will be moving her to the PICU, and you'll be allowed to stay with her 2 at a time. A nurse will come out to get you when she is done being moved and you can see her." Standing up, shaking the hands of both Cate and Baze before walking away.

Standing up, "This, this is our fault!" Cate screams, "She freaked out because of the decision we made and now look where we are! GOD Baze we gave our daughter a STROKE! We have to be the world's BEST candidates for the World's WORST Parenting award!"

Ryan walks up to Cate putting his arms around her, "You had no idea this was going to happen, and you cannot blame yourself for this Cate. It's going to be fine; she's going to be fine." He says comfortingly looking over at Baze, "You, you cannot blame yourself either. There was no way to stop this from happening, no way to predict that this was going to happen."

Baze lifts his head from his hands looking at them, "She's our kid, we're supposed to protect her and here we are putting her into the hospital! What kind of parents does that make us?"

Math sits down next to Baze putting his hand on his shoulder, "Baze, Lux is going to be fine." He says, "I mean look at who she has for parents. She's going to come out of this just fine."

A nurse comes out 20 minutes later to tell them that Lux has been moved and was now in the PICU, "If you'll follow me I can take you to her, of course only 2 of you can go in at a time the other 2 will have to wait in the waiting area."

Math and Ryan both step back, "You 2 go; we'll wait in the waiting room." Ryan says, giving Cate a kiss on the head, "Go. Go see her."

Math and Ryan both sit down in the sterile waiting room, "I really wish they would paint these walls something other than white," Math says breaking the silence "It's too sterile, it, it makes me feel like I'm in a hospital."

Ryan looks at him with a questioning glance, "But we are in a hospital."

"I know but it doesn't need to feel like one," Math explains as his phone goes off signaling a text. "Oh great, because this is really going to help things" Math says sarcastically.

"What is it?"

"It's a text from Eric."

"Well? What does it say?"

"It says, 'Math, I've tried calling both Cate and Baze but they don't answer any of their phones. I left them both messages but I wanted to inform you as well. I've made my decision, and I'm going to leave town. It's what's best for Lux. It's been great working with you and again I'm sorry with the way things turned out.'" Closing his phone angrily, "This sucks!"

"You really feel for the guy don't you?" Ryan asks looking at Math.

"Well yeah, don't you?" Math fires back. "Yes it was wrong and they never should have gotten involved with each other but they didn't know that when they started seeing each other. You can't stop yourself from falling in love with someone, trust me I tried that years ago and it didn't work out then so I'm sure it still doesn't work now."

Ryan turns toward Math, "You were THAT in love with Cate in High School?"

Math looks down at his hands, "Yes." He confesses, "I would have done anything to even get her to notice me but I wasn't even a blip on her radar." Sighing heavily, "She was up here," motioning to a spot above his head, "and I wasn't even on the scale to be measured. So I know how it feels; I know what it feels like to love someone that you shouldn't be in love with and not be able to do anything about it. I feel for him. Think about it, how would you feel? Remove yourself from the fact that Lux is your step daughter and think about it. Your 23, you meet this cute girl that you fall for instantly, and then find out that she's 16, you have to see her every day, tutor her every day, and then tell me would you be able to stop yourself?" Math questions Ryan.

"No, probably not," Ryan answers honestly "But there's nothing we can do about it, and nothing changes the fact that it's still wrong."

Cate and Baze walk into Lux's room, gasping at the sight of all the monitors and instruments connected to her, "Don't let the machines scare you, she's still your daughter just with a lot more technology right now." The nurse says softly.

"Thank you," Baze says looking at the nurse as she exits. Turning his attention back to Cate and Lux, "She looks.." Bazes voice trails off, not knowing how to put into words what he's thinking.

"I know Baze, I know" Cate replies softly, taking a seat in the chair next to Lux's bed, extending her hand to hold Lux's. Baze moves to the other side of the bed taking a seat and holding Lux's other hand in his, "Come on kiddo, were right here and waiting for you to come back to us," he says softly. Raising his other hand to brush the hair away from her face and stroking her forehead.

Both Cate and Baze sit next to her bed quietly for almost a half an hour before Cate finally breaks the silence, saying the one thing that has been plaguing both of their minds, "We made the right choice right? By giving Mr. Daniels the choice to leave, we made the right choice right?" Cate asks softly, "If it has this kind of effect on her maybe it wasn't the right one." Cate pauses for a moment looking at Baze, "Maybe she loves him more than we gave her credit for."

"How are we to know if it's real Cate? How do we know he hasn't tricked her or was forcing her like Trey did?" Baze questions softly.

Cate looks Baze squarely in the eye, "Only one way to find out."