He had to hand it to her. She knew exactly how to get even. The doctor had laughed his head off when Jarod – finally able to shake himself out of his embarrassment- was able to explain why he had been found in the predicament the doctor had found him in.

Currently Kathy, the nurse who had earlier 'interrupted' he and Parker, was busy checking all of his stats. He had found her to be delightfully cheery and extremely nice. Oddly as he had talked to her, in the back of his mind he actually thought that Kathy would be a good compliment to Mister Broots' personality.

Kathy had joked around with him about trying to control his 'excitement', that he really shouldn't have extraneous activities for a few weeks.

Jarod of course had blushed profusely and said 'yes mam'.

Kathy smirked and then slowly straightened her spine as a somber face overtook her face. Not looking at his face, but instead fixing his blankets, she spoke.

"Your girlfriend was a complete mess from the moment I met her. I would have to come up and bring her food. Sat here until she actually ate it. Sometimes she would stay up all night and just stare at you."

The words hung in the air as Jarod turned them over in his mind. Including the 'girlfriend' part. His drunken stupor had left him a few holes in his 'suicide theory'. A part of the equation his drunken mind had neglected to even consider.

The possibility that Parker……actually cared.

"I don't know why you did….what you did…..I'm not one to judge, but……I don't think that she would have been able to handle you dying."

Jarod swallowed and fought the tears in his eyes. Kathy was right, from what he could remember, Parker had been a complete mess during his own hysterical moments. It wasn't fair to her to put her through what he did.

Yet with all of what Kathy was saying being true, Jarod felt the guilt of what he had caused in his life gnawing in the back of his mind.

His existence had caused more pain then happiness. Knowing this, his mind again began to torture him. Hounding his thoughts of happiness of what had transpired between Parker and him. Turning his head he stared out the window, watching as the sky darkened as the sun set to the west. His mind running a hundred miles a minute, he continued to stare out into nothing.

That's how she found him. She had entered the room with a huge smile on her face that melted off as she walked closer to Jarod. Reading the way he was staring out the window, his unfocussed eyes scaring her more then she could think possible. Sitting up in bed Jarod's body was stiff as a board. He was completely still, like he wasn't really there at all.

Slowly Parker came to the side Jarod was staring out into nothing. Her eyes flickered across his face, noting how stoic his face was. No movement at all. It frightened her to see him like this.

Without knowing what she was doing she slowly sat down on the bed and reached over to slowly caress his face with her hand.

"Hey!" Parker said as her fingers caressed his left cheek.

The second she touched him, it was as if she had flipped the switch and Jarod once more inhabited his body.

"Are you ok?" Parker asked with a clear amount of worry in her tone.

Jarod's eyes quickly focused on the light blue eyes that were currently staring at him with questions hidden behind them. Soon his heart began to beat in that oh so familiar way when she was near him. A slow smile found its way on his face. The sight calmed Parker's scared nerves.

"Under the circumstances (letting out a long sigh- closing his eyes and opening them), yeah….I'm ok."

Parker wasn't convinced at all, Jarod knew just by the way she was staring at him.

He gave her another smile, and again turned to stare out the window.

"Sometimes I wonder why I was born. Am I the greatest mistake in the history of the world……or am I the abomination that the evilest of men created?"

Parker was struck by Jarod's words.

Mostly because she just couldn't believe that he had spoken questions that she herself had thought. Yet the questions hadn't always been directed towards Jarod – but towards herself.

"Would Sydney be with Michele and Nicolas? Would my parents have lived a normal life? Would your mother still be alive?"

With the last question Jarod turned his eyes to look into Parker's.

Parker stared into his eyes as the tears formed in her eyes. Closing her eyes as the emotions overwhelmed her, she let one tear fall. But Jarod caught it before it fell, bringing up his hand and caressing her face.

"You deserve soo much more than this life has given you."

Parker opened her eyes to see Jarod's sad eyes, eyes that showed such hollowness that she felt herself crumble inside herself. Marveling at how he could possibly say that about her. After everything that she had done to him, after everything that she had denied him life……how could he possibly say something……that let her know that he had always been in love with her?

Still caressing her face he brought her forehead against his own. Nuzzling her nose with his own he felt her tears against his face, and he felt like the scum of the earth for making her cry. Why did he always make her cry? The only thing he ever wanted to do was make her smile. Her smile made him feel like the sun shined through the darkness of the Centre walls. It was what had assured him in life, that good things did exist- even with evil all around it.

"If I could trade my life for hers I would."

She knew who he was talking about. And it hurt. Feeling something inside of herself actually hurt and the words, she knew he meant her mother.

"If I could bring her back to you….I would. No matter what the cost, I would do it for you."

She tilted her forehead as it pressed against Jarod's. The tears just rolled down her face then. Suddenly she found herself wrapping herself around his frame, pressing herself as close to him as possible. Holding him in this one moment in time, like they had done this their whole lives, when it was the second time in forty years.

"Don't…" she whispered the word against his lips. He felt her body tremble and knew that he shouldn't have said anything. He should have kept his thoughts to himself. Telling her only hurt her, and he didn't want to hurt her anymore.

"Make it up to me Jarod." Whispering the words, she pulled away slightly - just to be able to look into his eyes.

Jarod just stared at her confused. How could he possibly make it up to her? What could he possibly do?

Slowly she brought her soft lips down on his and both slowly let instinct take over. Everything tingled as both kissed. Neither of them had ever felt anything like it. But the next words that Parker said rocked Jarod's world.

"Make a family with me."

Jarod was shocked that he jerked his head back and opened his eyes widely as he stared at the woman in his arms.

"What?"

Parker stared at Jarod's dumbfounded face, knowing all the questions rushing through his mind, so she answered the unasked questions.

"We both know that we belong with each other, and I know……that I have always wanted to be with you. And now, for the first time in my life(pause)I'll risk everything to be with you."

Jarod stared into her face. Chest suddenly reverberating with the pounding of his heart as it threatened to burst out of his chest. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

"Are you……are you….saying……you want to marry me?" The absolute absurdity of the situation got to him. He laughed a little as the words left his mouth. All of this was coming out of left field.

Parker let out a laugh as well. But she couldn't say the words- all she could do was nod her head as Jarod stared into her eyes.

Jarod leaned forward smiling and kissed her beautiful lips and murmured against them.

"You want to make a family with me?"

At the question a huge smile broke across Parker's face, soon morphing into the classic evil Parker smile that could tempt the devil himself.

"If you're lucky enough rat bo…" But before she could get out the threat Jarod had crushed his mouth against hers and forced his tongue in her mouth. Parker moaned loudly and found Jarod's tongue with her own, licking and finding herself extremely overwhelmed with the need she felt in the small region that suddenly thrummed with desire.

Both found themselves with hands on the others body, possessively on areas that neither had ever even fathomed of touching. Yet both were doing much more then touching. There was no dating, no sexual encounters that would lead them to anything. They both knew, undoubtedly- that they were going to share the rest of their lives…..with each other. They would try and make a family. A home, children, a life worth living for them. It was what was always supposed to happen. And both anticipated the future now. Fear was no longer what they felt when they thought of the word 'future'. Now future meant something completely different.

Hope.

Their future had hope now.

Both soon found themselves smiling widely as they continued to kiss. They probably would have kept on kissing……if Kathy wouldn't have interrupted them again.

"Eh-em……" came Kathy's interrupting noise.

Both separated slowly, still smiling. What could they do? If was funny how they kept getting caught making out….especially by her. Slowly both turned at looked at Kathy.

Kathy was fighting a smile from forming with her lips.

"I will turn the hose on you two if you keep spiking up your blood pressure and heart rate. You should be ashamed of yourself for causing him such distress."

It had been hard to say the words without laughing, but laugh both Jarod and Parker did.

Parker felt exactly how….distressed….Jarod felt, and it was pushing her to cause Jarod's blood pressure to almost boil.

Parker turned her head back to Jarod as he continued to stare at Kathy. Slowly she began to kiss him neck and give small little nibbles as Jarod tried to stay focused.

"Um….Kathy…..could you ah (Parker kissed his ear, causing Jarod to jerk against her), could you give us a little privacy. We ah….need to talk…about….stuff." Jarod was losing all sense of embarrassment as Parker's mouth left him desperate to be alone with her.

When Jarod opened his eyes, not knowing that he had closed them, he suddenly found the door to his room closing, and Kathy missing from where she had been standing.

Parker laughed that merry little laugh of hers as Jarod growled and placed Parker…..right where he wanted her.