Author's Note: Having some minor issues and things I have to do, so updates may be a bit irregular over the next week or two. By the way, actress2bjess, that was a very interesting review. I'm so glad you like it so much…lol, just relax a bit.
Marco heard the door open again, glad to see that his father had done his bidding by bringing Dylan in.
"You wanted to see me," he said unsurely, shifting from one foot to the other.
Marco nodded. "Hi, Dylan," he said, trying to smile, acting as though everything was okay.
"Hi," he muttered, looking anywhere but at Marco.
Marco usually felt insecure when someone was scrutinizing him, but the fact that Dylan was so plainly ignoring him felt even worse. "I'm sorry," he said softly, afraid Dylan wouldn't hear him.
Dylan heard him, and finally turned to look at him from his new position beside the window. "Marco, you have nothing to be sorry about," he said, looking concerned.
Marco nodded, feeling more tears come to his eyes. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to stop crying. "It's all my fault."
"You didn't know he'd come to your house," said Dylan, walking over to his bedside, kneeling next to him. "It wasn't your fault, Marco."
"I should have just broken up with him a long time ago," he said, wiping at his eyes.
Dylan grabbed Marco's hand while it was in the air, holding it tightly in his own. "Marco, don't blame yourself. If anything, it's my fault."
Marco had to laugh at that. "How could it possibly be your fault?" he asked, sitting up, ignoring the pain.
"Maybe if I'd asked you out last year like I planned," he said regretfully, "things wouldn't have come to this."
Marco motioned for Dylan to sit on the empty portion of the bed, still holding onto his hand the entire time. He sighed. "Look, I'm kind of glad this happened…not to my mom, but…to me."
Dylan waited for him to continue. "Well, see, my eyes would have never opened otherwise. Besides, now that he got arrested, he won't be doing it to anyone else," he said with a shrug.
Dylan looked at him for a moment before speaking. "You're unbelievable, you know that?'
Marco smiled slightly, and then quickly tried to pretend it didn't happen. "So, you were going to ask me out," he said conversationally.
Dylan rolled his eyes. "We're talking about you here."
"Maybe I don't want to," Marco replied.
Dylan licked his lips, as he often did when he wanted to pretend he wasn't embarrassed. "Yes, I was going to ask you out," he said.
"And…?" prompted Marco.
"And I just didn't." Dylan really didn't want to talk about the previous year. Ever.
Marco wasn't satisfied with his answer. He pulled Dylan closer to him so that they were sitting right next to each other. "Why not?"
"Things just…fell apart, I guess," he said, shrugging. "Look, I didn't want you to be uncomfortable saying no."
Marco shook his head, frustrated. "I wouldn't have said no."
"Thanks for clarifying that," said Dylan. "I mean, these past few weeks…I haven't really been sure of how you felt."
"I can't have a boyfriend right now," said Marco immediately, making sure Dylan knew that. "I really can't."
"I understand," said Dylan sympathetically, letting go of his hand. "See, now you're not ready, but then you were," he laughed. "Let me know, okay?"
Marco smiled, glad to have Dylan in his life. "I will."
Marco jumped when he heard a knock at the door, and a head peeping in. "Mr. Del Rossi?" she said tentatively.
"Come in," he said.
"Nurse?" Dylan mouthed.
Marco rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said. "Maybe I can go home today."
Dylan kissed Marco's cheek, not stopping to wonder why or if it would bother him, and then he got out of the room to let the nurse do whatever she needed to.
The nurse came to stand in the spot where Dylan had just left. When her hand came near his side, he visibly flinched. "Do…you have to?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so," she said sadly. "It'll be over before you know it."
Marco turned away, leaving his side open for her and his eyes closed. It truly felt like she was snipping away at his skin, and he sincerely hoped she wasn't.
Once the woman was done tearing him apart, she helped him turn back over, and smiled. She actually gave him a true 'I'm so happy you're in pain' smile, and Marco was overly sensitive to anything at that moment. However, he kept his mouth shut, and he tried to smile back as he watched her leave the room.
"Umm…wait," he said before she opened the door.
"Yes, dear?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"When can I go home?" he asked.
"I'll talk with someone, and you'll know later on," she replied. "I'm sorry, but it's not up to me."
Marco nodded, letting her leave. When he really considered it, Marco had a lot to think over. For instance, Dylan was a big part of his mind, and he couldn't see any way of holding back a relationship with him forever…but a part of him also didn't want to see Corey fall straight off the face of the earth, well, Marco's earth.
Besides that, Marco had to admit he was terrified to start another relationship. He trusted Dylan, of course, but the thought of being with another man as he had been with Corey frightened him. He also had the notion somewhere deep within himself that Corey would find out, and he would do something terrible out of anger. Even though Corey would be far away from Marco for a very long time—if not forever—he couldn't get rid of that fear, no matter how hard he tried to.
In fact, trust had become a really difficult concept for him because, even though he did trust Dylan, he had also trusted Corey…which made for a serious dilemma.
Marco ran his hand through his hair fretfully. What was he going to do?
………………………………………………………………………………….
After a week, Marco was allowed to leave the hospital. He had to come back three weeks later to have the stitches removed, but he was simply glad to be free of the little room that had quickly become an enemy of his.
"Need help walking?" asked Dylan. Without waiting for an answer, he wrapped his arm around his 'friend's' waist protectively as Marco was about to fall.
Mr. Del Rossi, Marco, Ellie, and Dylan had all arrived on the morning of his release to get him home. Unfortunately for Marco, he had a feeling his days of being babysat were not over.
"I'm fine," he insisted, but still let Dylan help walk him to the car.
Mr. Del Rossi, too distracted to care, ignored the two behind him, and started the car as they all piled in.
"Hey, I'm not going to have to sleep when I get home, am I?" asked Marco, knowing that was what usually happened whenever he got out of the doctor's office or, in this case, hospital.
"We'll see," said his father quietly, keeping his eyes on the road.
Ever since Marco's breakout of 'why am I still alive?', Marco and his father hadn't spoken another word of Mrs. Del Rossi's death. Marco knew it was bound to come up at some point, as it should, but he wasn't looking forward to it. His guilt was still alive in him, and he supposed that if he ignored it all, it might disappear. His mother might not really be dead. Denial makes things better was the philosophy he was going to go by for a while even if he'd always been against it.
Ellie was silent, but her hand rested supportively on Marco's thigh as they drove with her eyes facing out the window.
Dylan caught his eye, and put his hand down over Marco's. "You okay?" he whispered.
"…think so," he said hesitantly.
Dylan didn't push him any further. When they arrived, he helped Marco out of the car, not paying any attention to Marco's constant exclamations of, 'I can do it', and no one else said a word.
The house felt empty to Marco. It didn't matter that his father was still there or that Ellie and Dylan were in there with him; it felt cold and lonely, and he didn't like it at all.
"I'm going upstairs," he announced, grabbing the railing. "I want you," he pointed to Ellie, "to come with me."
Dylan was pretty sure that meant that he wasn't supposed to come, but he also was pretty sure he didn't want to have a conversation with Mr. Del Rossi. He'd already had enough awkward discussions with him to last a lifetime.
Fortunately, he was saved the trouble because, as soon as Marco and Ellie went upstairs, Mr. Del Rossi went down the hallway to his bedroom without a word. He was left standing at the bottom of the stairway, alone, in his hopefully-soon-to-be-boyfriend's house. If Marco wasn't so lost with everything in his world, Dylan was sure he'd have been more understanding of the fact that…leaving Dylan down there alone was quite an odd decision. Dylan knew he'd apologize later on.
"So, let me get this straight, you're afraid of Dylan…after all that he's done to help you?"
"Well, think of it like this. Maybe…maybe he just wanted to take me away from Corey because he—so he could…okay," Marco paused, sitting down next to Ellie on his bed, "I know I'm being insane."
"You are," she said bluntly. "Dylan would never ever hurt you."
"It's just…all of a sudden I have this horrible feeling that if I'm alone with him, it'll be Corey all over again," he said, shaking his head. He knew it was irrational, but the fear wouldn't leave him be. "I'm so scared, El."
"Dylan will be the best thing that happens to you," she assured him, laying her head gently on his shoulder. "You just need to trust him."
Marco rolled his eyes. "Ellie, I thought you'd understand that I can't right now. I can't trust anyone. No one except you, which is why I'm telling you this."
Ellie smiled. "I know, and I'm not trying to push you, just help you."
Marco got up from the bed, shoving his hands in his pockets, being careful to avoid his side. "You were there before Paige became my friend, before I met Dylan, before I came out, before Corey…you've just always been there, and you need to help me trust again."
Ellie shook her head. "I'm here to help with anything you need, Marco, but gaining trust again—that's all you. I'm sorry."
"So, you're saying I should give Dylan a chance?" he asked.
She nodded. "And, promise that next time, if there is a next time, someone touches you, you tell me right away, so I can beat the bloody crap out of him, got it?"
Marco laughed, holding his arms out for her to hug him. "I love you, Ellie."
Ellie accepted the hug, and then pushed him away roughly. "You," she jabbed him in the chest, "never promised."
"All right," he said, chuckling slightly. "If someone…" he hesitated, "hurts me, you will know right away."
Author's Note: Next chapter…some Darco action. Please review :) You know what's kind of cool and annoying at the same time. Suddenly, I'm getting notifications when someone adds one of my stories to his or her favorites list. It feels kind of nice to see people who don't review…at least like my stories…hmm? Anyway, I'd loooove some nice reviews.