"Is he ok?"

"Yes yes! Relax."

Joe and his dad had taken Cary to the hospital. He needed an x-ray and (sadly for him) had a few nurses have to push on the muscle and wound a few times for examination. Albeit his little cries of pain they were relentless.

"So what exactly is wrong?"

"He's got a twisted rib…usually caused by overstress of the muscles or physical trauma."

Joe's dad Jackson stepped up, "And he'll recover?" Jackson liked Cary…but he wasn't too fond of his love of fire. But in this case he knew he had to help someone he (more primarily his son) cared about.

"Yes…He'll be on antibiotics for 3 weeks and may need some physical therapy…and I highly recommend no physical activity for a while."

"We'll be sure to tell him."

The examiner walked away as Joe and Jackson stepped into the room. Cary was laying on his side that didn't hurt on the little bed.

Joe stood next to him so he could look at him, "Hey, doctor says your fine. You've just gotta rest for a little while." Cary just nodded, Joe smiled to comfort him but saw his sleeve was lifted a little (Having not been pulled down properly after the X-ray) and saw the cuts and bruises. He lost his smile. "Cary?" Cary looked up at him, eyes exhausted and glassy, "You ok?" he nodded 'yes' again. Jackson patted Joe's back,

"Well I gotta get back to the station. I hope you feel better Cary."

"Thank you." he mumbled prior to Jackson leaving the room. Joe sat next to him on the bed, he put a hand on his shoulder,

"You ok?"

"No." he was still breathing heavily. He pushed himself up, unable to hold back a groan as he did.

"Don't stress yourself, you could hurt your rib worse."

Cary ignored him sitting up on his bottom all the way. "So…antibiotics?"

Joe nodded, "Three weeks."

"And massage therapies?" he smirked.

Joe smiled nodding.

Cary smiled, "I guess getting hurt has its perks." the two laughed.

Joe stopped as Cary pulled his jacket sleeve down the rest of the way. He frowned, "Caleb hit me…." just couldn't stop playing through his head, "he hit me and he pulled me down the stairs"

"Uh, Cary?" Cary turned to him, a simple curious look, "Ah…do you remember…telling me anything? About Caleb?"

Cary shifted his position to directly next to Joe, "Depends…what did I say?"

Joe still wanted to shiver, especially after seeing how pain-stricken and pitiful someone could look when crying, "That…you said that he hit you and that he pushed you down the stairs or-"

"Oh." Cary felt a chill down his spine. He fumbled with his hands, "Yeah um…he actually pulled me down the stairs. Not push." he corrected, not knowing what to say.

"You mean that's what's this has been all about?" Joe grew serious closing in on Cary,

"Yes. Why?"

"Cary! That's abuse! And I've seen Caleb; he's huge compared to you!" He tried fit into Cary's shoes…to feel the fear and angst of encoring Caleb's wrath.

"So what? I mean…I just had a little melt down is all. I was hurt and let it out." he tried to explain, anxiously.

Joe started to get infuriated, "Look Cary-"

"Joe!" he held a hand up, keeping them distanced, "I've been able to hold out this long I can hold out for just four more days."

"He could do a lot worse to you in four more days I mean look at you! You could barley stand!"

"I'm still fine Joe!"

Cary was so stubborn Joe screamed inside his head. He's never let anyone help him with his problems even when he needed it. He needed it now more than ever, before something awful happened,

"At least tell your parents."

"I tried!" Cary was still enraged by his parents reaction, "They didn't believe me!"

Joe's stomach dropped a bit at that, he leaned in closer, "Show them the scars then they'll-"

"Caleb's got a backup for everything! He's like some psychotic genius!" he wasn't even joking around when he said that. Joe fumbled his words trying to make something up,

"Well what will he have to say when I tell them?"

"Joe! Don't."

Joe still couldn't believe it. "Cary-"

"Look! I have an idea to show them who Caleb Scott really is!"

Joe didn't like this. At all. "Cary…"

"See, here…" he scooted himself off the bed and stood on his feet. He was able to stand up properly, perhaps due to the pills they gave him when he arrived, easing the pain. "You don't have to be my body guard anymore. I'm fine."

Joe didn't respond. Cary sighed.

"Ok…" Joe tried to piece everything together, "So…Caleb punched you in the mouth and…that's why your lip was bleeding?"

Cary nodded, "…Yup." still not happy to say so.

"And then he pulled you down the stairs-MY stairs?" Joe asked, almost in hysterics.

Cary nodded, somewhat guilty.

"Alright…I'll let you tell your parents er-show them what he's like on your own." he realized it was Cary's business. Meaning it was Cary's choice. Cary smiled, "But please promise me you won't do anything stupid!" Joe exclaimed, meaning what he said.

Cary gave his usual crooked smirk, "No promises." he walked out of the room, capable of at least getting home by himself. Leaving Joe terrified.

When Cary left at 3 P.M., it was now nearly 7. He was sure his family was in hysterics…much to his non-surprise, one of the cars was gone. He climbed through his window as he did when he ran off and landed on the floor. He could here his father and Nathan making frantic phone calls in the living room, succumbing his guilt even more,

"And your sure you haven't seen him?" Nathan was calling all of Cary's friends, he was currently on Preston,

"No, I haven't! Jeez, you sound awful."

"Yeah thanks." he replied harshly,

"Look, I'll keep an eye out for him."

Cary walked out of the room, Nathan saw him, hanging up on Preston. He ran up to him, scaring Cary and grabbed his shoulders, "Where the hell did you go?" and was very angry.

"Out." he mumbled, not daring to look him in the eyes.

"Mom and dad are going to kill you-"

"Cary?" he heard his mother. She walked out from the kitchen,

"Hey mom." she walked up, hugging him again.

"No more disappearing for one day. Alright?" she begged. She was beside herself with fear, Cary felt awful, she was crying. He wrapped his arms around her gently, "Please? No more."

"Yes Ma'am." he whispered, he looked at his dad, who was more angry than anything else, "I'm sorry…" he let her bury her face into his shoulder. His emotions crumbled as it was replaced with hopeless guilt. He couldn't look at his family right now…not even Nathan, who was overjoyed on the inside to see him.

He couldn't rat Caleb out now…especially when the were probably more angry with him than ever before…He knew it'd hit him at the perfect time.

Cary always trusted his instincts. And in this case, they were telling him to never run away again.

-X-

The rest of the family arrived home late that night, Cary, unbeknownst to his family, was doing as he was told by the doctor and not really doing anything. He was on his bed playing on his football, nothing better to do. Nathan walked in, a cross expression racking Cary's nerves,

"Why did you run off?" he shut the door behind him.

He put his game down, "I just needed a break…from everyone."

Nathan squinted as he observed Cary carefully, he sat on the bed with him, "Are you alright?"

Cary was just confused, "I'm fine. Why?"

"You look like you've been hit by a bus. You fall or something?"

"Fall? I was 99.9 % sure I had broken every bone in my body."

"I tripped when I was running down the street."

"Uh huh." he didn't buy it.

Cary shrugged it aside, "Is Caleb home?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I was just wondering-"

"You know," he cut him off, "You and Caleb really seem to hate each other."

Cary's eyes widened, "…What do you mean?"

"As in," he scooted closer, "To you, he's just…there."

Cary winced in confusion, "Huh?"

"There's no love or…compassion-"

"Oh god…" he shut his eyes, "You sound like mom."

"Well then listen to me!" Cary was growing enraged inside, he didn't want him to find out just yet, "I know something's wrong and I know your hiding it! So suck it up and just tell me!" Cary sat there, bold enough to keep calm even with Nathan's temper.

"Jesus Christ your impossible!" he slammed the door behind him.

Cary sighed in relief falling back onto his pillow. He stared at the ceiling. He still felt embarrassed and guilty from…everything that happened that day. It didn't help with the fact that Joe knew what was up either. He tried to sleep, he closed his eyes, trying to tune the family voices out. It didn't help that in the middle of the night while he was sleeping the pain came back in his side…to make matters worse, when he woke up in the middle of the night to the pain, he was laying on that side, having shifted in his sleep. Just four more he thought as he started to fall back asleep. Four more days.

"Hey, wakey wakey." Caleb walked in, shaking Cary.

Cary curled up even more underneath his bed sheets, eyes closed. "What?"

"Mom says we're all going out later." He didn't care about the fact that they hated each other at the moment, Cary just sat up and rubbed his eyes,

"What time is it?"

"Ten. Hurry up and get dressed." He declared, coldly. When Caleb turned around Cary shot him a nasty look,

"Hey!" Caleb turned around, equal tempers flaring at each other, "I went to the hospital, I have a twisted rib!" he exclaimed, hoping to get some guilt out of him, "I'll be on antibiotics for a while."

"Congratulations." He remarked, no empathy visible as he slammed the door behind him.

The family went to the Lillian Mall. They were just leaving as soon as afternoon rush hour started to kick in.

"Ok, for our last three days we're just going to relax because honestly Sherri," Amy was about to lose it with her sister-in-law, "I've spent so much since," Cary was sitting at the curb waiting for his dad and Nathan to pull up in the car so they wouldn't all have to walk out in the crowded parking lot in the heat. His side still had a heavy weight of pain, he ignored it, trying not to slump where he was sitting. He stood up, his legs getting cramped.

He then saw his mother, Sherri and Will weren't paying attention to him and Caleb at all. Caleb was bored, fumbling with his fingers when Cary observed the situation he was…or could be in.

Cary had the perfect plan…like one of Charles's movies, all he had to do was improvise.

"Hey Caleb, you ready to apologize yet?" he had to think of something to get him started. Anything ridiculous.

"Why would I do that?" Cary scooted closer to the edge of the curb,

"Lights…"

"Because after all you've put me through I think I deserve one." Caleb turned towards him,

"Hey listen up here shit!" he wasn't loud enough for the three over on the corner to hear, Cary was keeping an eye on them, "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Camera…"

He wanted to laugh so hard at that point, "Uh, you punched me." he backed up a little more, his heel was able to hang off the curb, "You threw me down the stairs," he counted on his fingers, "AND you almost broke my arm!"

"I'll be fine…Just turn…"

"You know what, screw this!" he just shot a hand at him, making him flinch back a little…but not for them, Cary threw himself around, falling towards the concrete street.

"Action!"

Cary landed face first onto the road, an unplanned cry of pain when he did.

"Cary!" Amy dropped all the bags and ran over to him. He was lifting himself up onto his knees, he sniffled. He'd given himself a bloody nose. His mother picked him up from underneath his arms,

"Are you ok?" He pushed her away,

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"But boy, your bleeding!" Sherri yelled.

Amy held his head, "Did you fall?"

"No…" he looked angrily at Caleb, so anxious yet so confident at the same time, the look on Caleb's face was perfect as well, "…Caleb pushed me."

Amy and the others eyes dropped, "Do you believe me now?" They walked over beginning to scold Caleb as Cary saw the car pull up. He wiped off some of the blood quickly until his father rolled down the window,

"Are you ok? What happened?"

"Could you get me a tissue first?"

This was going great he thought. They'd know who he really was.

At least he thought…