Double Life

by Kctimes2

Very AU. No morphing time here. Tommy Oliver is very religious and shy. He starts college, and he gets a job. At his new job, he meets Kim. His life changes for the worst, is he too far from being saved?

26. Chapter 26 Monstrous

A/N: Very , very long chapter, but it's about time I updated this story. I am very sorry for the long update, but I have been very busy. I don't know exactly when this story will be done, but I believe after this one there are about six more chapters. So, please stay tuned. Thank you to everyone that has read or reviewed this story. Xoxo- Courtney.

Chapter 26- Monstrous

Xxxxx

Reefside Hospital
Waiting Room

"Where is he?" Andros growled out loud, annoyed with the fact that his business partner was missing in action. He redialed the phone number for the third time.

TJ walked right passed Andros with the phone stuck to his right ear. "This is fucking ridiculous!" He said exasperatedly.

Zhane mimicked TJ and Andros' act. "Why isn't he answering?" He irritatingly questioned.

Cassie, Karone, and Ashley sat on their chairs, fidgeting nervously with their hands in several ways. They bit their nails, interlinked their fingers together, and most of all, they brought their hands together in the most reverent and hopeful manner possible. This was another blow to their formed family.

Upon hearing the news of Kim's second overdose, Zhane and Karone immediately dropped off their daughter at the paternal grandparents' house. Ashley picked up the urgent phone call from TJ and made sure Andros and she headed to the hospital. TJ tried to get his faithful girlfriend to calm down before bringing her there. If she didn't, then of course, she would be admitted for the second time as well. Their baby needed to 'cook' longer, and he wanted Cassie to be in the right state of mind. Once she restrained herself from becoming a blubbering mess, all six of them arrived as quickly as possible, and there they met up with a distraught Trent, an indifferent Anton, and a curious Elsa.

For Trent to find his older sister, the one he was building a solid relationship with, fallen over, he thought she was joking. The true reason, he couldn't handle it. Baring the responsibility by being the facilitator, he crawled into his little 'hole'. He didn't know where he mustered the strength to call his father and mother, but he found it. Hastily, his parents made their way over to the hospital. They met in the waiting room, and Trent and Anton took turns making their rounds. Out of respect for her son and husband and even step-daughter's sake, Elsa declined to join them. Her reasons would come out one day, but for now, this was best.

With Kim's true family came Kim's second family. The separation was evident, and Trent felt stuck in the middle. The six people associated with a strip club sat closely, huddled together in one corner, Trent in his own seat, and Elsa securely wrapping her husband in a hug; they sat in another corner of the closed off waiting room. There was pressure building, but all would hold off for the sake of Kim. Besides, each group had their personal opinion about the other person that needed to be there. The same person, who wasn't answering their phone for some unknown reason, had the closest and most intimate bond with the woman in the hospital room- 5154.

"Do you want some coffee?" Elsa queried her husband innocently. Anton shook his head. "I need some." She stood up.

Deciding to bridge the unnecessary gap, Karone got up as well. "Mrs. Mercer, I'll go with you if you want." She didn't like this tension, and the former dancer decided, for herself, to get to know Kim's biological family.

The gesture warmed Elsa's heart. "Does anyone else want coffee?"

Andros, Zhane, and TJ stopped their pacing and hung up their cell phones. All three nodded, knowing this was going to be a long night.

"I'll go as well." Cassie tried to get up, but the extra weight stalled her. She smiled small, and her sister, Ashley helped her. "I need to feed this guy right here." She pointed to her round belly.

"Alright, we'll be back." Karone mentioned, and she helped Cassie along the lighted hallway. Elsa followed them. Small conversations intertwined amongst the ladies, but there was conflicting differences.

Once the women were out of sight, Ashley questioned where exactly Tommy was. He must've left the DECA House no more than four hours ago so where the heck could he have gone. At that moment, no one knew. Between the males- TJ, Zhane, and Andros- they've made so many phone calls to both, Tommy's landline and cell. There must've been 100 calls. Not to mention, the three men were tired of pressing redial. Voicemails were left, but maybe only 25% of the time. It was imperative for Tommy to answer his phone on the first ring, not just for their sake, to now he's safe, but for Kim's sake. She would hate to wake up and see Tommy absent. The last time he was absent, she dwindled into a spiral of pills and a coma, Tommy cheated, and sadly, they lost a baby. A tear dropped down Ashley's cheek, there was no break for these two.

"Let's go over there." Suggested TJ and he looked at his comrades. "There has to be a reason he isn't answering."

Andros sat next to his girlfriend. Her tired body rested on his. "You're right. We should bring him over here ourselves."

For the first time in two hours, that's the amount of time Anton has been in the presence of Kim's second family, he spoke up. "No." He firmly stated. With the amount of destruction his daughter and her ex-boyfriend have caused recently, he believed that would be a horrible mistake. He knew what was right, or so he thought, and that would be terribly wrong.

Trent sat quietly, observing everything.

"Dr. Mercer." Ashley's small voice floated towards her 'sister's' father. "With all due respect, I believe Tommy should be here." She suggested. Anton ogled the young woman with a curious expression. "I believe you are judging Tommy on all the bad things he's done. If you had been there from the beginning and seen where Kim was before, she's made an improvement. We can't blame Tommy for everything, and I'm not saying Kim's all to blame, but your daughter has personal demons. Something she had slightly forgotten because her boyfriend was Tommy."

Before Dr. Mercer could speak, Zhane interjected. "You haven't seen Kim grow up in the past six years at least." Again, Zhane cut off Dr. Mercer before he could defend himself. "She's been through quite a bit, and there is a lot you don't know about her. "Us-" He motioned himself, TJ, Andros, and Ashley. "have been there for her. We know how much she used to hate herself, and she's really come a long way. Tommy has been her savior."

"But…" Dr. Mercer couldn't finish his sentence, since TJ stuck up for his 'brother'.

"I've talked to you about Tommy before." The growing agitation for Kim's father was present, but TJ reframed from wanting to slap this man two ways from Mars. "If we didn't think it was necessary for Tommy to be here, then we wouldn't be trying this hard to get in touch with him. Trust me we've blown up his phone."

Dr. Mercer stayed quiet, knowing Andros was fixing to speak up. His assumption was correct.

"As one of Kim's closest confidants, I agree with what everyone else says. Not because all of us are close, but because you don't really know about what Kim's like now. You held her prisoner for no reason, if anything that made her wanna stray more. She's lost a baby, lost Tommy, and how do you repay her, you make her live under your roof with supervision." Andros told Kim's father.

"None of you are parents." Dr. Mercer coldly enforced upon his younger counterparts.

Zhane hoisted himself up abruptly. "Hey, you don't know anything about our lives. I am a father, thank you very much. If anything, you should watch what you say. It's not like you knew everything, Kim is your first child. Just because you have two that are older, doesn't mean shit. You are still learning as a parent!" He hissed in anger. In his mindset, Dr. Mercer was really clueless.

"Respect your elders!" Dr. Mercer retaliated with the only words he could force out. "How dare you four try to lecture me about my daughter! None of you know how hard it is to raise a daughter. I've done everything for her, and this is how she repays me?"

"You… you… you." Trent icily replied to his father's retaliation. Dr. Mercer turned to face his youngest child. "You always have to criticize your first born just to make either you and mom look good or make Kim look like the bad guy, the culprit." He infuriatingly tsked at his father. "I was for your scheme to get Kim back home, but it's obvious we've made the wrong choice. Look where we are!"

The monotone wall color, the tacky paintings with words of encouragement, the imprisoned feeling emanating from the windows surrounding the isolated waiting room, a closed captioned TV, no sound, just black lines filled with white words ascending upwards, chairs lining throughout, year old magazines littered the sole coffee table, and this was where they were. All of them didn't have to be there, but decisions determined this place. Disgusted with his father, at that moment, Trent shook his head. His dad must've lost his mind, since his needs or reputation came before Kim's health. A sickly feeling tingled upon Trent's body. He didn't have to go with his dad's plan, but he did. He chose to. Simply, he did it so his sister could come home. The stripper she had become, he knew she was better than that. She had potential to be something else. Regret hovered like a 'monkey on his back'.

"Trent, you don't understand, you're sister has made some mistakes. I had to do this, for her sake, my sake, the family's sake." Dr. Mercer reasoned for his actions. He went to sit with his son, and the revulsion radiated off his son's naturally tanned body. "You have to believe me, this was for the best."

"Dad, you're wrong. You did this because you knew this was the last resort. You turned into a monster, controlling Kim every single chance you got. Now, it's going to be worse than before." Trent stood up, and he looked at his dad with the utmost dislike. "I love you, but what you've done, I don't want to be under your house. You've suffocated her, and the relief she got was her drug use."

Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and TJ became eerily quiet at the exchange between father and son. They weren't sure who was harsher of the two, both have said some defaming words in their own right, but all four knew their relationship was damaged. The natural bond between a parent and a child would have their ups and downs, so they believed it would take time for the repair to come about. For the most part, they sided with Trent. Dr. Anton Mercer had become overzealous with his intention.

Before Trent could walk away from his dad, he gazed at the four other people. "Come on, I'll take you to see Tommy. Just tell me how to get there, and we can bring him back here." He sincerely offered.

Dr. Mercer wanted to object, but the words articulated by his son stunned him. They were defiant, and he wasn't used to that.

Without hesitation, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and TJ left with Trent. A few minutes later, Cassie, Elsa, and Karone came back. The three women were confused, and Cassie absentmindedly chewed her cream cheese and iced Danish. While swallowing, she looked at the deadpanned face of Dr. Mercer. Karone, holding the cardboard tray full of coffee, mirrored the counterpart of 'Asian Persuasian', while Elsa remained oblivious. Oddly, Elsa didn't showcase a remorseful feeling. She simply took her seat next to her husband like an obedient slave.

"Is everything okay?" His wife asked, while holding up a cup of coffee her husband didn't want.

"No." Anton left the room. He blocked out everything, and he had a clue on how to do that. It wasn't anything illegal. Naturally, people over the age of 18 could try. He thought he snubbed the habit, but in the time of a dire situation like this one, he usually resumed his fixation. In the Mercer family, Kim wasn't the only one with a problem.

Elsa shrugged, and she looked at Karone and Cassie. "So, when are you due?" She inquired about Cassie's pregnancy.

The fluctuating moods of Elsa bothered the two other ladies, to say the least. In order to relieve the awkwardness, Cassie addressed the question. They talked until everyone else got back.

Xxxxx

Eltar Condos
Tommy's Condo

Surreptitiously approaching Tommy's residency, the five people were curious as to the reason of Tommy's absence. The self-diagnosed insomniac had elaborated on his sleepless nights. He's attributed them to the emptiness he felt, and the fact his work ethic had become rather grueling in the past couple of weeks. However, a deep sleeper shouldn't necessarily sleep through dozens and dozens of phone calls. The chiming noise coupled with a vibrating sensation should cause some alertness, even interrupt a good night's rest. Possibly, Tommy was really severely out of it. None of them were sure, so they walked to the apartment.

"How are we going to get in there?" Ashley whispered, as she held onto Andros' sleeve of his red shirt. Zhane, TJ, and Trent trailed closely behind.

"Knock." Zhane shrugged his shoulders in a childish manner. "Duh."

"You idiot, if we tried calling him all those times, how the hell will knocking wake him up?" Chastised TJ and he thought of his own method to get the door open. "What if we act like the cops?" He stupidly wondered out loud.

Birdie noises commenced, and Trent questioned his sister's friends. Some were sane, while the others were insane. Particularly, TJ and Zhane weren't the brightest light bulbs in the box. He softly chuckled at his observation. This crowd was quite eccentric, but he would sacrifice the teasing remarks in order to help his sister in any way possible.

"Why don't we check around the perimeter of his place? Don't you'd think he'd have a spare key somewhere?" Trent assumed, since Tommy has probably, on several different occasions, arrived home in a drunken stupor.

"Well, we should check." Andros figured it was worth the shot.

In front of Tommy's doorstep, the five arrivals began to search around the outside. There wasn't a lot of space, but they made use of what area they could search. Around the front door, under his small rectangular mat, near the containers of plants, and with no luck, they couldn't locate the necessary item to unlock the front door. No other plans were calculated, but an outrageous idea did pop into Zhane's head. After all, he was the thrill seeker of the group, and he understood the severing consequences if he failed miserably. Tommy's home was nested between the first and third floor, and there was a concealed pathway to access the back porches of the homes. Evidently, if the maintenance crew needed to work and not bother the residents, this would be the favorable route.

"Alright, I'm heading down, and I'll climb up." Zhane announced to the group of anxiously awaiting people.

Several heads whipped towards his way. He shrugged and began heading toward the downward staircase.

Knowing Karone would make them suffer if anything happened to her husband/the father of Ray, Ashley had to stop her brother. "Are you fucking crazy?" She hissed at him. "If you fell, because you aren't exactly the most coordinated person, Karone would not only kill us, but she'd dig you up and kill you again for being so idiotic!"

Andros seemingly agreed. "Bro, can you really do that? Climb up the fire escape just to get to Tommy's porch?" He knew the clumsiness his brother-in-law possessed. His girlfriend was on point with this one.

"Well, what else are we going to do?" Zhane flailed his arms around like a maniac. He had no clue the opposition he would meet with his friends.

"No offense guys, but can we hurry this up. What if Kim wakes up, and she's there with our dad and my mom. I know Cassie and Karone will hold the 'fort' down, but still, I am looking out for Kim's benefit." Trent hurried the plan along. He would hate for his sister to be around their overbearing father.

TJ observed his watch. The time flashed 1:17 a.m. This many people standing around one condo looked suspicious. "Alright, I'm Black, so this looks wrong." He referenced the raging stereotypes about African Americans. There have been plenty of times TJ's been assumed to be a thug. Sometimes certain discriminating neighbors questioned if he really did live in that affluent neighborhood. He hated the prejudices of people, but he was always resilient. He needed to take his mind off of that, but he was absolutely worried about the picture the five of them presented. "We need to wake up Tommy and get back ASAP. Zhane, do what you need to do."

Zhane began to stretch his body around, and the four other persons were annoyed with the tedious movements of elongated arms and legs. This was not the time or the place.

"Hurry up." Trent snapped, and he pushed Zhane towards the fire chute.

As he stumbled forward, thanks to the unwelcomed boost from Trent, he began to scale the chute. The maneuverability he displayed was similar to Jackie Chan. Even though this was a dangerous way to get up to Tommy, every inch Zhane climbed, he felt some gratification. He was getting to the sought destination. Sweat droplets surfaced on his clear face, and there was no point in wiping off the gathering sweat. That would interrupt his intense concentration. His friends anxiously waited for his signal that his task was complete. Pretty soon, Zhane accomplished his mission. The appraising emotion overtook him, and he didn't realize that Tommy was lying down in the chair. A nanosecond later, the happiness left, and in came the panicky feeling.

"Tommy!" He yelled, and he bent down in front of his 'brother'. His knees rested on the rugged cement, and he started to shake Tommy around. The darkness outside made it hard to know what was going on with Tommy. Immediately, he left his friend there, in the same position. He needed to get to the front door, and he was thankful the patio was unlatched. Greeted by Ashley, Andros, TJ, and Trent's wondering gaze, he opened up his mouth. "He's outside on the balcony, sleeping." He updated them.

They rapidly filed in one by one, and they exited to the balcony, in the most practical way. All of them gathered around Tommy's resting body, and the five took notice of the automatic chest elevations and the inhaling and exhaling breathy sounds. Obviously, he wasn't dead, but they were curious as to why he was sleeping on the balcony rather than a comfy bed.

"What the hell is going on here?" Trent thought out loud. He wondered about Tommy's state of mind, at that point. This wasn't the most lucid activity in the world, so he knew Tommy must be under something. What? He wasn't sure, but more than anything, he felt that alcohol had something to do with it.

"Come on, let's wake him up." TJ motioned with his hands, and he began to lightly slap Tommy around. "Bro, wake up. Come on." He wouldn't stop slapping Tommy around, until his boss woke up from his deep sleep.

"What's wrong with Tommy?" Ashley softly questioned. She hoped the depression hadn't sent Tommy to utilize desperate means to cope with the situation he's been going through.

"I'll be back." All of a sudden an idea popped into Andros' head. He figured a way to wake up his partner.

Zhane tried waking up Tommy once again, and then he was slightly shoved out the way by Andros, who was actually holding up a cup of water. "What's with everyone pushing me tonight?" He angrily uttered, and Andros' girlfriend pushed him again, so he could shut up.

Pretty soon, droplets trickled on Tommy's face. For some reason, that didn't work, so he motioned for TJ to get some more water and in a bigger cup. He was going to force Tommy to wake up, even if he was going to catch hell for it. To the side, Trent stood quiet. He kept hypothesizing about the reason Tommy was sound asleep. He knew people were sound sleepers, but this was bordering on ridiculousness. Decisively, TJ dumped a quart full of water on Tommy's face.

As if raised from the dead, Tommy rose up. He looked around alarmingly, wondering what the hell was going on. The last thing he remembered was taking the diazepam. The water came down his body in an oozing type of way. Blinking his eyes several times, clenching his fists in a reacting manner, and looking to the left and the right. He was met by 5 pairs of eyes, four men and one woman. He knew those people, minus the Hispanic looking one. The motive behind them being present at his house didn't register. On top of that, he was curious to know how they were there, on his balcony, and with him!

"What the fuck was that for? I should fucking kill of yousss." He mildly slurred.

Trent, the only one to pick up on the possible experimentation of Tommy, curiously examined his potential brother-in-law.

Zhane bent down, and he looked at Tommy in his eyes.

TJ, deciding something must be up, went back inside the house, and he turned on the porch light.

Andros examined Tommy's eyes, and he noted the enlarged pupils. The bloodshot eyes and the preoccupied glances back at them. Without a doubt, Tommy was high, but not on marijuana. Enlarged pupils weren't a definite side effect. He didn't lecture, question, or wonder anymore. He had to get Tommy to Kim.

"Well, answer me!" Tommy maddeningly demanded to his friends and the other person present. He concluded the other person was Kim's little brother, and well, Trent wasn't exactly his favorite person due to his association to a man he no longer had respect for. Yes, Kim's ex-boyfriend wasn't particularly fond of Dr. Anton Mercer.

Anger flashed in their minds, since that was Tommy's raging emotion. They weren't sure if the next tidbit of news should be spoken of. In addition, could he even handle that type of news? He might wallow in the existence of himself now, and if anything this would cause even more sadness for the young, former college student. Looks were exchanged between the close set of friends, and they weren't sure who should spill the beans. Trent, exasperated with the indecisiveness of this group, butted in.

"Go to the hospital." The younger brother of Kim began, and then he was interrupted curtly by Tommy. Trent sensed the detestation coming from Tommy, and he shouldn't have expected the warmest welcome from his sister's ex. Hospital, that word should cause some warning in Tommy's mind, but maybe he was wrong.

"What do you mean go to the hospital? I think I've had a pretty bad experience there." Tommy queried, and he stood up. He began to walk towards the inside of his house, he needed to change into drier clothes, and then he would be comfortable enough to discuss the events leading up to the water being dumped on his face. It's pretty clear, to him, he didn't have the slightest clue to what was occurring. Before he made it inside of the house, he was clued in.

"Tommy, Kim's in the hospital." Ashley notified in the smallest voice she had. The sudden transformation of Tommy worried her. Hoping the unveiling of the problem would snap him back into focus, she waited for his eruption. Seconds, though feeling like hours, passed. She held onto Andros' hand for moral support. He securely returned her motion.

"Tommy?" TJ couldn't stand the silence or the disablement, all of a sudden, upon his 'brother'.

Saddened to see his friend in a confused position, or so he thought, Zhane bade to help their 'family' member in this trying time. He stepped towards the paralyzed man, and he placed a hand on his shoulder. This was met with a resounding slap to move his arm. Already feeling the impact of climbing up a not so sturdy structure, the hard slap didn't make him feel any better. The burning sensation coupled with the red mark, Zhane was really speechless.

The knowledge of Kim's location upset Tommy to say the least. Haunting suspicion slowly crept up on him. "Is it for the same reason?" He quietly asked his friends and Trent. They nodded without voicing the answer. He took the silence as a 'yes'. Something inside of him caused red flags to discharge around him. Guilt racked up, animosity turned up, and questions were created. "We're leaving in five." Blundered steps were exercised, and the side effects from the high dosage of pills and beers he drank still affected him.

TJ shook his head, once he noticed the clumsiness of his 'brother'. "Tommy, I'll drive your car." In his gut, if he didn't, then Tommy would die on his way over there, or in the least, cause an accident.

Tommy simply nodded.

Xxxxx

Parking Lot
Reefside, Hospital

It was at the hospital, a dreadful Tommy stood outside, smoking his third cigarette. He felt displaced with this eerie place, and he couldn't bring himself to enter the establishment. Zhane, Ashley, Andros, and TJ disappeared inside of the 15 story hospital. Tommy, left with Kim's brother, ignored that fact. He continued inhaling and exhaling, feeling soothed by the habitual motions.

On the other hand, Trent became rather annoyed with Tommy's distance from Kim. He stayed with Tommy, one, hoping to coax him into heading upstairs, and two, wondering if the reason he was rather inebriated was due to a sudden interest with prescription pills. Almost needing to ask for a cigarette, so he could claim a common ground with Tommy, Trent wondered how to initiate a conversation with this man. He awkwardly brushed his hand through his gelled hair. Tommy's was uniformly gelled to form the teen-like spikes, while Trent's hair was gelled to smooth out the mild coarseness.

"Uh, Tommy." Trent started, and he was faced by an angered guy. He knew this might not go well, but he really hoped to dissuade Tommy from continuing down a destructive path. "Do you know why you were sleeping on the porch earlier?" He inquired about the strange act.

"What's it to you?" The brashness was voiced, and he ogled the other person. He didn't need the extra company, and he wished to forge through this situation with the people he felt the most comfortable with. For example, his family- Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, TJ and Cassie; those are the people he would rather spend the time grieving with. Not Dr. Mercer, his wife, or Trent, he believed they were the reasons behind Kim's relapse.

However, contemplating about Trent's question, Tommy wasn't exactly sure how he was placed in that predicament. He assumed this was after he left the DECA house and before he was awoken by the coldness of tap water, so somewhere in between, he passed out. Though he was forcefully awoken, he had to admit that was the best sleep he's had in a very long time. He eagerly had to remind himself of where he was and what he had been doing. So far, he remembers taking a large amount of someone's medication, drinking a beer and waking up to the water on his face. How much of the medication did he take? Tommy couldn't answer that.

Trent shook his head. "I was just wondering. Don't you think it's odd for someone to sleep on a reclining patio chair, rather than an actual bed?"

The other guy shrugged, as if not caring, although he knew the truth. "Trent, what do you want? Haven't you caused enough damage?" He coldly questioned, while playing with his lighter. Once Trent was about to protest, Tommy quickly rephrased the question. "Hasn't your family caused enough damage?"

"Don't put this on me. If anything, my family and I could blame this on you. You decided to break up with her."

"Only because I thought it was for the best. I was looking out for her." Tommy countered.

Trent condescendingly snorted. "Yeah this is most definitely the best." He angrily motioned towards the hospital. "I've already gotten on my father's case for what he's caused, personally I'm mad as all of hell at him, but I want to get inside of your head. Do you understand how much hurt you caused her when you moved out?" Before Tommy could speak, Trent rambled on. "I believe you haven't. Kim is fragile, we all know that, but you had the power to help her. Which you didn't and that's why she's here."

Tommy became quiet, upon hearing about the accusation, but once he thought about it, he spoke his mind. "This isn't my fucking fault. Your family is crazy for putting all of those damn limitations on her. I didn't want to cause her any more harm than she's been through. I love her." He declared with pride.

"Yeah, you love her." He sarcastically muttered with ignorance. "Listen, I don't think it's going to benefit my sister if we keep playing the blame game, pointing the finger at one another, or arguing about this shit."

"That, I'll agree with." Tommy mumbled.

"But, I will say this I hope you aren't experimenting with any other drug. Marijuana, who hasn't tried that before, you know? Prescription pills, heroin, meth, mushrooms, ecstasy, that's a whole different story. Please, Tommy, I beg of you. If you truly do love Kim, you wouldn't continue to follow her footsteps. You see where it's gotten her and you've seen how it's messed up some of her relationships with other people. Honestly, I don't think you are a horrible guy, but you and even Kim have a lot of growing up to do if you guys want to come back together." Trent further elaborated on his view. As of right now, he wasn't Tommy's biggest fan, if anything, Tommy was someone he was willing to tolerate, as long as his sister could come out of this rut.

A partner of KO-35 simply nodded. He didn't believe he was beginning to grow a dependency for whatever he had done. "We should head in there." Tommy closed the case, and he walked inside.

The two walked down the hallway and inside of the elevator. The button for level five was pressed. A ding sounded, signaling the appropriate endpoint. In sync, Tommy and Trent headed to everyone, minus Anton. Trent found that unexpecting, and he wondered where his father had wandered off to. Elsa sat in a stunned silence at Tommy's arrival. She wasn't positive if this was a good or bad thing, but she found this good. No, it's not even the right reason either.

Dr. Walsh walked into the waiting room. He knew this was after visitin hours, but in Ms. Hart's case, he hated to send them home. Obstructing the set of rules in place, he made sure this lead one person. The right person, at that. Greeted by nine people, Dr. Walsh motioned for Tommy to come his way. Tommy approached him, and he took him to the side. He began the conversation.

"Ms. Hart is in a coma. She's stable, and we believe this spell isn't going to be as bad as her last one. She's in the room, and only one person can stay with her." Dr. Walsh notified.

"If that's the case, then why are you telling me this?" Tommy remembered the regulations. After all, only spouses, mostly married, were allowed to stay in the hospital overnight. By no means was Tommy even maritally associated with Kim, hell, they weren't even together.

"Even though this is wrong, and maybe I have been wrong." He referenced his predisposition about them. "I think it would be best for you to stay with her."

"With all due respect Dr. Walsh, I was going to stay with her regardless. She needs me, and I would like it very much if I had my privacy with Kim." Tommy requested. He saw no point for this talk, but he felt at ease with the approval.

"Tommy, I am doing this on your behalf and the request of your friends. I believe after the traumatic meeting with Kim's father, Dr. Mercer, this is the best bet. She needs you, and I had hope she wasn't going to be here again, but obviously she resorted to her old ways."

The Boss nodded. "I'm not going to try and leave her side." He vowed. "What room is she in?"

Dr. Walsh escorted Kim's ex to her hospital room. Meanwhile, the other guests found their rightful resting spots inside of the cramp waiting room. The only ones that left were Cassie, TJ, and Elsa. Cassie and TJ having the most legitimate reason, since she was pregnant, and couldn't stand sleeping in an upright position and TJ needed to drive her back home. On the other hand, Elsa escaped for selfish reasons. In time, her secretive ways would be revealed.

Xxxxx

Two Days Later…
Kim's Room
Reefside Hospital

Cassie and TJ crept inside of Kim's room. They looked at the sight before them. Their 'brother' had crawled inside of the bed, and he was resting his head on top of Kim's head. Their fingers interlocked together.

"Babe, come on, we should let him rest more." Cassie urged for them to leave by tugging on TJ's masculine hand.

"I know, baby, but I feel bad. He's been here for the past two days, don't you think he wants a break?" He whispered to his girlfriend.

She adamantly shook his head. "No because if he wanted a break, then he would've gone into work last night and the night before. Now, I want a Strawberry Blonde from Cold Stone Creamery and a chili cheese burger with lots of Tabasco." The dreamy look could be seen in Cassie's eyes. Her pregnancy was in its third trimester and she was seven months. Her cravings were weird still.

TJ lightly chuckled and he was met with a smack from Cassie. He witnessed Tommy shifting from left to right. He placed a finger to his mouth, and he knew better. "You just ate before we got here." The pregnancy stuff, he should've been used to it, but he wasn't involved in his mistress' nine month ordeal. And to be frank, he really didn't know much about his daughter, other than her name and the fact that she's about 5 or 6. He wasn't too sure about that one.

He'll learn soon enough though.

"Doesn't matter. I'm hungry and feeling a little…" She looked at him with those eyes.

"Yes ma'am." TJ happily obliged for the extra-curricular activity. The two left immediately after that.

So that left Tommy and Kim to sleep together by themselves. For the past two days, Tommy stuck by her. In the morning, he would find reading material and would read to her. After that, he'd eat her meals, just so he wouldn't get out of the room. The nurses have become acquainted with Tommy, and they would bring him anything he needed. Outside food would be brought in for him. He would talk to her, brush her hair, and even give her several kisses throughout the day. When anyone else from the 'family' would visit, he stayed to the side and let them speak to her. As the night time approached, he left her momentarily. The motivation wasn't the best but sufficient enough. Then, he would return back to Kim's side, mildly buzzed, and find a way to capture the 'zzzs' he needed.

The emotional toll once again took over him. He's updated his parent's about Kim's status, and they were wondering if they needed to take time off from their work to help out. He advised them that wasn't necessary, since he thought he had everything under control. Finding out that Kim was the daughter of Anton Mercer, and he had put Kim and Tommy through the ringer, Tommy's mother and father decided not to associate with the Mercers. He still kept the miscarriage from his parents, knowing that would anger and sadden them to the point they would want to stay in Reefside with him. He's been living on his own for some time, and he very much didn't wish to live under their roof anytime soon.

During Tommy's resting period with Kim, Dr. Anton Mercer walked by. His absence sparked an endeavor. He methodically planned another way to protect his daughter. This one was crazier than the plans before. Poor Kim was about to lose the man dearest to her due to her father's shielding and minutely psychopathic-like way.

The Next Day…

As daylight broke, the light shined through the slits of the blinds. The sunrays could be bothersome to any person, and this morning, in particular, they bothered a young woman. Her eyes squinted heavily, causing her nose to cutely scrunch up, imitating a Pug's facial expression, and she began to stretch her body, now, she was mimicking a cat. Her body could only elastically stretch so far because of the needles she's been picked and prodded with. The same compression device nicely rested around the bottom half of her legs, and she moaned out loud. Her eyes were still readjusting to being awake and uncovered, she felt a little odd. The sleep she's acquired could rival that of Sleeping Beauty.

The events from the past 80 hours or so haven't registered yet.

Someone shuffling beneath her startled her, and she looked down. Bushy hair, a rugged facial hairs, missing eyeglasses, arms tightly snuggled around her waist, she slightly smiled at who he was- although she was confused on how he got there. And then, she finally took a very good look around. Her smile morphed into a frown. Monitors, a metal railing on the bed, a connected unisex bathroom, the TV monitor elevated higher than the norm, a dry erase border informing what room number she was in, the status of her, and the nurse taking care of her, even the date was there, three days later from what she could recall, and then the empty chairs, flowers on the desk, all of this did and didn't make sense.

Why am I in the hospital? She curiously pondered, and her throat was so dry, she couldn't speak a word. Knowing Tommy hated this, she tapped his shoulder. He appeared like a log, not willing to become conscious. She chuckled, memories flooding internally, smirking at his trivial stubbornness.

"Tom-…" She recited several 'ahems' to clear up her hoarse throat. "Tommy." Kim gathered some strength and moved his body at the same time. Since he wasn't rousing at all, Kim looked for her bedside table. It was close enough, so she controlled her body ever so slightly, as to not disturb the other body in the bed, and she claimed the prize she pursued. Water traveled down the narrow and, as of right now, coarse path. More cups were gulped down, and she moved him again. "Tommy, wake up." She gave one monstrous push.

"Oh shit!" Tommy felt the fear skirt inside of him, his body tingled at the rush he felt, and he gripped onto the sheets and Kim's body for support. He quickly administered a sit up, and he looked around. Blinking his eyes several times, Tommy wanted to smack the other person. Realizing he couldn't because of her doe, brown eyes and beautiful face, even though it looked pale due to the malnutrition she was helplessly subjected to, he formed the warmest smile and it damn near broke Kim's heart.

They have been absent from one another for about a month or so. So to be in the vicinity of each other, they were completed. With ardor, Kim and Tommy kissed each other. Kim's mind might have been clear of the drama surrounding this stay, but she could never forget the love between her and him. Basking in the kisses, and disregarding the stinky breaths, they continued in their reverie. Their tongues slinked around one another, and they didn't stop. Tommy felt the same emotion as Kim, and the segregation didn't downsize the obvious attraction, intimacy, and most of all, how much they missed being in the presence of one another.

Kim placed her hands on his chest. "Tommy, Tommy. Stop." She needed air. Before stopping, Tommy gave her one last kiss. "I've missed you."

Tommy smiled at her. The light from the bright sun illuminated her face, and he kept smoothing her hair. "I've missed you." He confessed sincerely. "I love you so much." He kissed her again.

She loved the kissing and she has wanted to do this, but she had many unanswered questions. "Tommy." She had to stop him again. "Why am I here?"

"Kim, you had another overdose." He responded earnestly, and he watched her face drop practically to the floor. She looked away from him, and placed as much space as she could physically between them. "Hey." He grabbed, underneath, her elbow and pulled her in. "Beautiful, I'm not judging you."

"How can you look at me?" She guiltily questioned him. "I've done it again."

"I'm sure you had some reasons. Like, there were outside factors pushing you to use again. I can't lie and say I'm not upset, but I can get past it. It wasn't supposed to be like this. When we broke up, I thought you were going to get the help you needed." Tommy said.

Kim shook her head. "I didn't think I needed it."

"I believe you do need it."

That agitated her. "Maybe I do need it, but what I needed was you more. You broke it off in a letter!"

"Only because we needed the break. Kim, I'm sorry for breaking up with you. Even more, I'm sorry for breaking your trust when I cheated. In my defense, I told her 'no', but it still doesn't make everything right." He told her.

"I agree." She quietly muttered. Her former boss held her hand, and she still felt the spark. No matter how upset she could be at him, he could brighten up her day. "Are we back together?" She slowly elevated her head to look at him.

Tommy saw how her eyes glistened, and it wasn't because of a twinkle either. She was still depressed over her life, their life together, had turned out. He obviously was upset too. Apart they were a mess, but together, they weren't any better; if anything they were worse than off as a couple. "Do you think we should be together?" Even though he wanted so bad to make it work, right now, he couldn't bring himself to be with her. Though, he dearly wished to be with her like how they once were.

She searched her eyes for a reason to lead to the 'yes' answer, but even through the hindering wetness, she could see he wasn't ready. "I guess not." She softly replied. She wanted to weep because of his response, but she needed to be strong.

"Not now." Tommy stated. "But, another time and when we are both ready, I don't see why not." He smiled at her.

"That is a little comforting." Kim said. She placed a hand on each side of his face. "I still love you." She proclaimed, and Tommy nodded the same sentiment. She brought him in for one of the most passionate kisses the two have shared.

This time, he broke the kiss. "Do you remember anything?" He queried her, knowing if they continued, Tommy would be very sinful. He would take her right then and there. That shouldn't be done though.

The former stripper mused about before she came here. Besides being reminded of the drug use, her uneasiness about staying with her father and family, and being at their house wasn't her cup of tea, she didn't know anything else. "Just feeling like a prisoner." Kim answered him.

He placed a soft kiss on her temple. "Trent's upset with your dad."

Kim wasn't too surprised. "What's going on?"

"Well, I'm guessing they had a blow out. He's not particularly happy with him, and I believe your dad thinks he's doing the best by keeping you on lock down."

"My father can kiss my ass. I swear even if he does feel a little resentful, it's going to go right out the door, and in comes some more bullshit." Kim seemed to predict the truth. As soon as those words withdrew from her mouth, her father walked inside of her room. His eyes were roughly dark, and he didn't like this specific welcoming.

"Mr. Oliver, I believe you were leaving. Were you not?" Anton questioned in his menacing way. Of course his cufflinks were adjusted, and he looked at them, boring fire into their eyes.

"No, I wasn't." Tommy defied his wishes, and he held onto Kim's hand for sustenance. "I don't think me and Kim sitting together in the same bed should matter, what matters is Kim's awake."

"Has the doctor been called?" Dr. Mercer inquired. He knew the minutes were ticking away, and it was important for Kim to be seen.

Kim stayed quiet as the two men quipped back and forth.

"I was talking to your daughter. There isn't anything wrong with that is there? She just woke up not too long ago, and I needed to speak to her." Tommy responded with a hint of disgust.

Anton nodded. "I see. Still being a little hard headed, and even a little irresponsible." He described with the most annoyance he had.

The ex-boyfriend rolled his eyes. "I should clock you right now, but for Kim's sake and mine, I won't."

"Good to know. Because even if you did that to me, best believe, I would call the cops. Then you would stay away from my daughter."

"She's only been your daughter for the past two or three months. Other than that, she's nothing but a stranger to you." Tommy evilly stated with the darkest eyes.

Kim knew there had to be a line. "Stop it." She said, and she wondered if they even heard her.

Tommy and Anton acted as if she was a ghost. They didn't hear her plea, so they continued.

"You can't say anything. You've been using my daughter and it's disgusting." Anton sneered.

"Excuse me, using your daughter? Are you just saying anything to make yourself feel better? I love Kim, but you seem to forget that. I didn't know you were that old." Tommy snapped with ferocity. "You have to make everything complicated. How dare you change the house number to my phone! You know I'm still on the lease."

"Not if I have anything to do with it." Anton countered with a lot more anger he had than when he first arrived. He stepped up to Tommy, and that caused Tommy to get out of the bed as well.

"STOP IT!" Kim screeched, infuriated with her dad and ex-boyfriend. That made both men jump. She couldn't stop her stream of tears, even if she tried, so she let them flow. Stuck in the middle, she knew she caused part of this divide. Either way, shouldn't they have a little bit of common courtesy, knowing her condition and the position she was in. "Please, I don't want any more fighting." She turned to her father. "Dad, please, leave."

"Excuse me?" The news stunned Anton. "Kimberly, you can't be serious."

"I am." She stood up for what was right. "Tommy wants to stay here with me. I want him to stay here with me. This is no place for you. Leave now, or I will call the police." She threatened him with malice.

"On what grounds?" Before she could speak, Anton left it alone. He knew how to fight fire with fire, so he shook his head. "I'll leave, Kimberly. Only because you want me to. Before I leave, I just want you to know how much I love you. I really do." He walked out the door.

Tommy gazed at her. "Were you really going to call the cops?" His ex-girlfriend shook her head. "Then, why?"

She smirked. "We needed our time alone. Can we go back to what we were doing before?"

He chuckled at her. Tommy climbed in bed, and he spent his day with her. He believed they weren't going to leave each other's side any time soon, oh how wrong he was.

Two Days Later…

The lengthy time Kim has been crying for hasn't made her feel any better, if anything it just gave her dad more satisfaction. She overheard the loud talks radiating through the painted walls of her hospital room.

"We are her friends, her 'sisters'. Let us in there!" Karone was heard yelling to the man guarding the door.

"Ma'am, we are under strict orders to not let anyone in that room." The security guard informed.

"Since when!" Ashley screamed back. "This is a free country, why don't we get to be in there, and how come we aren't allowed? I don't get it."

"Hell hath no fury like a pregnant woman, so if you would like a swift kick to your balls, you better let us in there." Cassie frightened the poor man, who was just doing his job. He was about 5'10, brown eyes, comb over hairstyle, wearing a wannabe 'Men in Black' outfit. By all means he wasn't intimidating, and Cassie was ready to punch the shit out of him. Tommy wasn't kidding at all, she reminisced about his warning.

"The three of you, I have orders, and I will not leave Ms. Hart's room unattended." He expressed in a monotone pitch.

As she kept hearing her closest friends yell, Kim felt helpless.

Meanwhile outside, Karone knew the 'money can't be people happiness' bit, but today it was about to buy her some. "Here." She grabbed a $100 bill out of her purse. "Just give us an hour. We won't tell on you, if you won't tell on us."

He was very much tempted by the money, and he wondered if he could get more. The silence was noted by Cassie and Ashley, so they forked up a $100 bill themselves. They handed it over. He nonchalantly slipped away.

Kim watched as Karone, Cassie, and Ashley came inside of her room. Feeling at ease for a little, she smiled at her 'sisters'. Her tears were abating, and she found her solace. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She happily acknowledged them.

"Please, like that man was going to say no to $300." Ashley hugged her tightly. She smiled.

"Yeah, and now we can show you the goodies we have." Cassie got her turn to hug her. She plopped right down on the closest seat she could find.

"Alright, we have an hour. For some reason, I really do think he's coming back at the specified time." Karone brought her cell phone out, and she set the timer on it.

"Yeah, with the money my dad's paying him, he's just made about a 1/3 of it for the day." The ex-stripper's eyes brightened at the dessert plate placed in front of her. "Oh my God… heaven."

"Don't forget we have your favorite salad and some of your favorite soup in a bread bowl." Cassie spoke up and showed her the bag.

Her eyes were still puffy, but only redness was presented. The moisture was completely gone. Yesterday was emotionally draining, so this was the best thing that could happen to her. Anton Mercer had accomplished the most terrible thing imaginable. She perished the thought, and greedily dug into her food. "How's Tommy?" She swallowed her forkful of Cobb Salad.

The three women looked at each other. They weren't sure if they should inform her of his condition.

"He's… um, well, he's pretty depressed." Cassie hated to rat on Tommy, but she needed to say it. "I'd say he's lost too."

Ashley swallowed a morsel of her brownie before speaking. "He's not coping well with it. We know that he's said he didn't want to be with you, but we all know he does. Also, he thinks he's looking out for your well-being. Yet, he's overlooking his."

Cassie became frustrated. "What exactly happened?" She referred to the all of a sudden body guard and Tommy being banned from seeing Kim.

Kim rested her food on her tray, and she wiped the sides of her mouth. "A couple of days ago, Tommy and my dad got into an argument. Yesterday, my dad came with the cops, Joe the Security man, and I guess he talked to the director of this place as well. My dad placed the restraining order on Tommy." She started. The betrayal she felt, she couldn't believe the audacity of him. "After that, Joe began to stand outside of my door. My father has warned Joe that no one should be in here other than Elsa, Trent, and himself. Trent left earlier, and my dad was here this morning. I don't give a flying fuck about Elsa, she hasn't been here. But still, that's not the fact, the fact is my dad's a douche for doing so." The woman, whose former alias was Geo, sadly thought about Tommy. She missed him a lot, and she yearned to have his company.

"Tommy's taken the threat of the restraining order seriously." Karone mentioned, and she began to take more spoonfuls of her ice cream. "He's smoking and drinking a lot more."

No one knew about Tommy's new hobby.

"Really?" Kim sniffled. "I'm not doing any better either."

"Sweetie, we didn't think you were going to do become better overnight or over several nights." Ashley encouraged, and she hoped she didn't sound disheartening.

"What's this accomplishing by the way?" Cassie questioned around a mouthful of brownies and ice cream. "Did your dad say?" She swallowed the heavenly concoction. Even her baby kicked in excitement. She rubbed her belly.

"Something about Tommy and I are too toxic towards each other, if I really want something I need to earn it, and it's necessary for me to go to rehab. Blah, blah, blah." Kim answered, and she noticed how her sisters stopped mid-chew, at the mention of rehab. "Am I missing something?" She questioned quizzically.

"We wanted to talk to you about that." Ashley commented, and she swallowed her food.

Cassie agreed it was time. "We agree with your dad about one thing. It's time you get help and go to rehab." She said.

Kim shook her head to defy them.

Karone thought about the uphill battle, but if they were successful, this was very much worth it. "You've been through way too much, and you've dealt with it in ways that are very bad. We don't want to see you hurting anymore."

"I'm-I'm fine though. That was the last time, and I'm never doing it again." Kim was in denial over her problem that was growing into an epidemic. "Guys, come on. You don't think I need to go, do I?" She questioned them, and their faces made her depressed. She felt they were against her.

"I don't think you do." Cassie observed her breath of relief, but it was going to be short lived. "I know you need to go. You need to cope with the problems you've encountered. If you don't then you will end up dead. Not just in a coma, but dead, and you will not get to see the boy I'm carrying grow up, nor Ray, nor any other child!" She didn't mean to get emotional, but the thought of losing Kim was unbearable.

"Cassie." The tears formed on the brim of Kim's eyes.

Ashley wiped her eyes too. "It's a miracle you're alive, but you are teetering on a fine line. We thought you would've learned your lesson after finding out about the miscarriage, but it's obvious that drove you to do it more."

"Then the whole situation with Tommy; I don't know Kim, it's caused you to spiral, and you are in more denial than ever before. We love you, and we don't want to see you hurting anymore. The death of your mom, the abandonment, the rape, the isolation, and then, the miscarriage and Tommy's breakup, your life hasn't exactly been peachy." She casually examined to add some humor.

"Guys, I really am fine. I am coming home tomorrow. We can all go shopping, say we use my dad's credit card. Get anything we want, even furnish the new baby's room." Kim offered that as a peace offering. She disregarded the need for rehab because she felt that she could beat this problem all on her own, and plus, she hadn't spoken to Tommy and how could she leave him again? She couldn't bear doing that.

"Kim, how did you feel after you lost the baby?" Ashley started the interrogation. There was no answer. "You didn't find out about the loss until four days later. You did cause the miscarriage, and I am not trying to be harsh, but you did. You could've left the pills alone. We were helping you after Tommy left, but Kim your dependency on him was too much."

"What caused you to do this?" Karone asked.

"I-I-I don't know." Kim wiped her eyes.

Cassie kept quiet, feeling for Kim. She wanted her 'sister' to get help, and when it was right, she would speak her part.

"Your dad is doing everything wrong, but he means well. We want you alive and healthy. Please, Kim, we beg you, get help." Karone pleaded with the most honesty.

Tommy's ex-girlfriend looked from Ashley to Karone, and then to Cassie. She noticed the quietness coming from Cassie, so she stared at her a little longer.

Cassie knew it was her turn, so she wiped the tears. Her throat had formed that lump. "Kim, 'sis', I love you a lot. The first time we met, you were this little firecracker. I'm younger than you, but you are definitely shorter than me. Either way, I found you to be another big sister." She smiled. "From the first time we met, I knew you were going to fit in this family. The stories came about, you were depressed, and there were times when we would see you high. You finally opened up about your past, and you became fragile in my eyes. I hated to think of you like that because in all reality, you are a strong woman, even a womanizer. Still, I never knew the next time you were going to crumble. Then, Tommy came along, and we thought you were done being addicted, but you weren't. You are literally the heart of this family, and we couldn't stand to lose you, knowing this could be prevented. Get the help. Do it for your sake, our sake, and for Tommy's sake. Maybe your dad won't be so harsh on you, and this will make everything better. Please." She began to cry, since the thought was almost too real on two occassions. "I honestly do believe the next phone call I get about you, will be that you passed away from a drug overdose. Maybe your unborn child is watching after you because you've been in a coma twice and by a divine intervention, you were able to come out alive. Who's to say that happens again? Most probably it won't happen again."

Out of everyone, Kim was the closest to Cassie. Seeing Cassie's face and how much she'd been hurting, she knew it was time. There was no more time to run and hide, it was time to man up and confront everything she has been through. Not knowing what rehab entailed, she agreed it was the best route though. She vowed to leave a note for Tommy, profess her love to him, and maybe he can visit her. That made the look of rehabilitation a little more appealing. She looked at Ashley and Karone, their eyes full of tears, and she couldn't deny them. Kim was sick of the back and forth trips to the hospital, as well as the dependency.

"I'll go." She said, and she was immediately bombarded with hugs. Kim wrapped her arms around all of them too.

Outside of the door, Anton spied on them. Gratification erupted inside of him, and he placed the phone call to the rehabilitation center without informing his daughter. That didn't matter though. What he cared about was the fact she was going. He would deal with confronting his monsters later.

Xxxxx

A Week Later…
Reefside University

The old stomping ground, Tommy mused as he walked around the campus. The under eye circles he has were a result of the stress he's endured recently. After learning about Kim's departure for rehab, he was happy she was getting help, but sad because he didn't tell her goodbye, face to face. After the events of the threat of a possible restraining order, the excessive abuse of pills, and the absence of the love of his life, Tommy's life has begun another round of tailspins.

The reason he believes it's another round is because of the change he's went through since August of last year. With it being April, he hasn't realized how much has gone on in the past eight months. From dating, to bouncing, to falling in love, to drinking, to smoking, to arguing, to cheating, to leaving, to being arrested, and now, using, he hadn't even contemplated the consequences for everything; nor did he want to think about them. However, he was thinking about one thing, and that would be his stress reliever. That's what pushed him to make a phone call the previous night.

Now, he was completely baffled about where to go next, so he made another phone call. He assumed with the start of a new semester the dormitory placements would alter as well. Taking out his cellular telephone, he scrolled through his contact list and hit send. Ringing was heard.

"Hello?" The recognizable voice responded.

"Hey, it's me."

"Let me guess, you are lost?"

"Yeah."

"Funny, very funny, considering you used to go here."

"Well, just point me in the right direction, and I'll be there in a little."

A pregnant pause was initiated. "Tommy, is there a particular reason, you want to see me."

He couldn't flat out admit the true motive, so he lied. "It's been awhile, don't you think we should catch up?"

After pondering about it for a few seconds, the directions were given. "If you are in the quad, walk to your right, and then you will see the Onyx building. My apartment is on the third floor- 3H."

"I'll be there." He hung up the phone, and he followed the directions. Within 10 minutes, Tommy arrived at his destination. He knocked approximately three times, and he waited for the person to open their door. Looking around the building, he noted the differences between these and the old dorms he was used to.

The door was unlocked, and there stood the woman he was seeking. The familiar blonde curled hair, bright blue eyes, the tall, curved body, and the white smooth skin. Today, Kat was wearing a pink cardigan with a white shirt underneath, blue jeans and white sandals. She parted from the door to allow him access to enter. Tommy entered into the apartment. He gazed around, and he saw this was a single dorm. That worked in his favor.

"Would you like something to drink?" Kat cordially questioned her new companion. She headed to the kitchen just in case.

"Just, um, soda." He replied, and he sat on the available couch inside of the living room.

Kat got out a Coke, and she walked back to Tommy. The Coke was exchanged, and she sat on the single ottoman. The clack of the Coke being opened sounded, and she sat quietly. Tommy began to sip the dark, bubbly beverage. She watched his movements, they were rather nervous in her opinion. She questioned where the confident man, who called her the day before, went. "Tommy, so, how are you doing?"

"Good. Just been busy with work. How about you?" He answered.

"Classes are a bitch this semester, I've been working at the local Applebee's too, I am off today, so that's good. That's pretty much it." She replied with a smile. "You work at KO-35 Girls, right?"

"How the fuck did you know?" He hissed, and he didn't mean to snap at her, but he thought his occupation was under wraps.

"Relax, Tommy." Her hands were held up defensively. "Your girlfriend told me after that horrible confrontation on Halloween. You don't have to worry, no one knows. I haven't even brought it up. It's not my place to." Kat calmed him down, and she looked at him, once she saw the hurt that was expressed after mentioning his girlfriend. "Did you two break-up?" Tommy distraughtly nodded. "I'm sorry. It did seem like you were in love with her. More than me." She mumbled the last part.

"I'm sorry, Kat. I don't know, when I met Kim there was something about her. I felt like I was on cloud nine." He left out the weed he had smoked when he first spent time with Kim, but he knew in his heart Kim was for him. This little fling he was about to embark on was just temporary; only if Kat allowed it to be.

"It's quite alright. I've forgotten about it." Her Australian voice said.

"Funny, I don't believe you."

"Well, I have. Remember, I did date again."

"By the way, how is everything with Carlos?" He politely asked her.

Kat became reclusive. "We didn't work out. After Halloween, we became kind of distant. We decided to break up." She told him.

He nodded. "Sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. Is there anything else?" She searched his eyes, and well, she couldn't read them as well as Kim. There was nothing else she could think of.

"Come here, Kat." Tommy beckoned her with his right index finger. He wanted to get this over with. After he got what he wanted, he would go back home. The next day or maybe the day after, he would come back again. He wasn't sure, but being sex deprived was annoying.

She listened, and walked to him. Tommy sat, and Kat climbed on top of him. They faced each other. Her legs resting on each side of Tommy's hips; she was beginning to like the more arrogant Tommy, as opposed to the meek one she had first met. His hands began to massage her breasts, and she moaned at the touch. He was getting her aroused, but he wouldn't do two things to her: he wouldn't eat her out or kiss her. Kat stared into his chocolate brown eyes, biting her lips, and wanting him to be buried deep inside of her. She was ready for him. She bent down and tried to kiss him, but Tommy shook his head. He grabbed her hips, and he placed her to the side of him. He unbuckled his pants. His penis was still soft, and he waited for her to go down. She did, and Tommy rested his eyes while she slurped him up. The rest was definitely history after that. Tommy would have to explain this to Kim and swallow about 15 pills to understand this.

Xxxxx

Three Days Later…
Backyard
DECA House

Tommy, Andros, Zhane, and TJ were smoking their blunts, and enjoying the Sunday afternoon. This was their only day off from work, and of course, Zhane had been resting this whole entire week. Everything surrounding the KO-35 crew was going fairly well. Everyone did miss Kim, but they were a little relieved to know she was getting the necessary help she needed, which was comforting all by itself. The extensive rehabilitation Kim was under, the center requested that Kim, not to any make contact with the outside, for a little while. It's been obvious Kim has abided by those rules.

TJ's cell phone rang, and he looked at his phone. The number didn't look familiar, but he answered anyways. "This is TJ." He responded.

"TJ… it's Kendra." Her trembling voice was unmistakable.

"Kendra? What's wrong, what's going on? Is it Amira?" He queried why his Baby Mama was calling of a sudden. He panicked and it was heavily presented on his face.

Tommy, Zhane, and Andros' ears perked up upon hearing Kendra's name. They were curious why she was calling. TJ always paid child support on time, and there were no complaints, so there had to be a reason why she was getting in contact with him now.

"Amira… is… Amira is very sick." She said, and the tears dispersed within her voice. "I took her to the hospital a couple of months ago, and we found out she has leukemia. I opted for the bone marrow transplant, she doesn't deserve to die, and you know that."

TJ solemnly nodded. "What does she need? Is it the money? I'll give it."

Kendra heavily sighed. "We've tested the possible candidates, me, my boyfriend, my mom and father, sister and brother, TJ, it has to be you. You are the only one that can be the match. And you know I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't this important. My daughter… your daughter… our daughter needs you."

Hearing that his daughter was sick, TJ felt his stomach churn. He wanted to vomit, and knowing he's been absent from her life, he owed this to her. That was his flesh and blood, his first born, his little girl, and he wouldn't let that happen to her. "Is she there with you?"

"Yeah."

"Can I speak to her?"

"TJ, she's sleeping right now. She's been in the hospital since Tuesday, and I don't want to wake her up. She's very, very scared. She thinks she's going to go 'bye-bye', but I told her Daddy's going to help. Please, come as soon as possible. She needs you."

Andros placed a comforting hand on TJ's shoulder.

TJ nodded that everything was okay, but inside he knew his world was crumbling beneath him. This secret was going to blow up in his face, and the only person other than his daughter he was thinking about was Cassie. His eyes stalked her, and she was inside laughing with Ashley, Karone, and Ray. He had to tell her, or else he would wonder why he's abruptly leaving to Briarwood. "I'll be there tomorrow."

"I was thinking tonight."

"You know, I can't do that. My girl don't even know about Amira, and if I leave tonight it's going to be awfully suspicious. She's fucking pregnant you know."

"And you know Amira needs you! You shouldn't have kept this from that Asian girl for as long as you have. Don't hurt your daughter any more than you already have. TJ, don't you dare." Kendra wasn't trying to interrupt his growing family, but she, as a mother, couldn't see her daughter in pain anymore. "TJ please, I'm begging you. If I was there, I'd be on my hands and knees."

The weight became heavier and heavier, and TJ knew if he was in quick sand, he'd be submerge in the sand at how much extra shit he had just been dealt with. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Kendra articulated her deepest gratitude. "She's at Briarwood Regional on Central. Do you remember where that's at?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I'll see you soon." She hung up the phone.

Tommy was the first to speak up. "What's going on?" He questioned, and he looked at the growing desperation afflicting his dear 'brother'. The news he was dealt with was a heavy blow because even with TJ's dark complexion, he noticed the definite paling. Poor TJ, something must've happened. No matter what I'll be there, just like he was for me.

"Yeah, my daugh-my daughter is sick, and she needs me. Like tonight she needs me." TJ replied with a seriousness they weren't accustomed to. "She has leukemia, and I need to be tested to see if my bone marrow matches."

"If it doesn't?" Zhane asked a heartfelt question. He wanted to know how much this would affect Cassie. He knew this was going to crush her and make her feel like she was two feet tall. After she would kill TJ, then she'd kill them because they voluntarily kept this from her.

"They've tested everyone they could. I'm the last resort. She wouldn't have asked me if she knew someone else would be the best candidate." TJ explained.

"Are you leaving tonight?" Andros queried, since he figured he needed to come up with an excuse. His head bouncer nodded. "Alright, guys we need to figure out a way to explain this to…" The firm head shake caused Andros to furrow his brows.

"I'm telling Cassie tonight." TJ admitted. Oppositions met his admission and TJ rolled his eyes. "You all don't understand what I go through every single day. You all don't get how much it hurts to know Cassie is excited to give me my first child. You all don't see how I look when I tell Cassie good night and know that I am feeling like shit." Each accusation he pointed his finger on the glass patio table. He wanted them to see how much deception he's caused and it's ready to come to the light. "You aren't living my life, and I am ready to let her know. What if I am the match, it's going to become suspect if I'm disappearing what every day, every week, who knows how long this process takes! Let me do this and all I ask for is support."

Tommy bowed his head to sympathize with TJ. After everything they've been through, Tommy was the first to speak up. "You are my Bro. I'll back you." He sided with him.

TJ bobbed his head in appreciation. "Anyone else with me?" He stood up. Tommy followed, and a few seconds later, Andros and Zhane stood. Even though his friends think he was going on a suicide mission, TJ accepted his problem.

The four men walked inside, and the happy faces from the girls were transformed to confused ones. The men were so serious, and the women had been talking about shopping, pedicures, manicures, puppies, flowers, and the men seemed like they were talking about death, demons, bullshit. This was going to be an interesting conversation.

"What's going on?" Karone, oblivious to the situation, inquired. She saw her husband somewhat hiding and the apprehension from TJ.

Cassie stood up, as soon as she saw TJ. The uneasiness he emitted and the guilt written all over his face, she didn't like it at all! "TJ, baby, look at me." She walked up to him, and she placed a hand on each side of his face. He didn't make the eye contact; she desperately, wanted, no needed. "Baby, what's wrong?" She asked him with the most soothing voice she had.

Ashley didn't like the energy the men had. "What's the deal?" She asked them. Deducting the reasoning, she suspected that TJ had the problem. The way he was acting, it didn't seem like the TJ she really knew. Andros kissed Ashley, and that caused even more dodgy questions.

Tommy stood to the side, and he said a little prayer. It was a futile attempt though.

Zhane sat with Karone, he hugged her and professed his love. He held onto Ray, and he kissed her temple. They were a very close family, and the fact that the women were clueless about Amira, they knew the rift it was going to cause, not only that, but they were about receive the biggest backlash of their whole entire lives.

"Cassie, I need to go to Briarwood tonight." TJ started.

"Alright, well let me get some things and we can go." She began to walk away, but TJ held her back. He toggled her arm, and she gazed at him. "TJ?"

"I need to go by myself."

"Why?" She looked at the men, each of them with somber appearances. "What's going on?"

"I need to see someone." TJ continued.

"Who?" Cassie still had no clue where this was going.

TJ exhaled the deepest breath, and he deliberated, and he assumed he was ready. This was very much on a whim. "Amira." He prolonged the full blown confession momentarily.

Tommy, Zhane, and Andros held their breaths.

"Who's Amira?" Cassie asked, thinking this was a woman he could've been cheating on her with.

"My… my…" TJ was ready to back out, and Cassie began to stop breathing. "daughter." He conclusively confessed.

She almost fell backwards, but due to Tommy and Andros' cat like reflexes, they grabbed her just in time. They led her to a seat, and Cassie looked at her boyfriend, of almost a decade, into his eyes. Hers welled with water, and she stared at him incredulously. She couldn't put her emotions into words, she wasn't sure there were any in the English dictionary that could describe the way she felt. Karone and Ashley were inhabited by a stunned silence. They looked at every single person in the room, and it was obvious they were left in the dark. More than anything, they wanted to kill TJ, but they also wanted to hurt their husband and boyfriend, respectively, because they weren't clued in.

"Daughter?" She muttered. The shock was still present. "You, you, have a daughter?" TJ nodded. "How old is she?" She softly asked.

"Six or so." TJ replied, and he watched her body, become wracked with sobs. Ashley and Karone immediately went to Cassie's side, and they each hit all of the guys to back off her. They obliged. "I'm sorry." He told her.

"You're sorry?" She found the strength to argue. "You are not sorry otherwise you would've fucking told me earlier. You son of a bitch." She got up and smacked TJ across the face.

The witnesses gasped.

The impact triggered his face to stay to the right. He rolled his jaw around. "Cassie, I am very sorry for what's happened. I kept this from you for a reason though. I didn't want to hurt you."

"But you have hurt me! You don't fucking get it!" The young Asian turned to Zhane and Andros and Tommy. "Did you guys know?"

"I found out a year after the daughter was born." Andros weakly tried to make it better.

"I was next." Zhane spoke up.

They looked at Tommy. "I found out a month and a half ago." He said.

"You kept this from us!" Ashley smacked Andros again. "Why?"

"It wasn't my place to tell!" Andros yelled back.

Karone's husband propped Ray higher on his shoulder. He wouldn't dare place her in harm's way. "Nor was it mine." Zhane told them. "Listen, we all swore by TJ to keep this a secret. We apologize sincerely for this because we know how much it hurts you three the most. Karone." He faced her. "I'm very, very sorry. Please, you have to believe me, I wanted to tell you, but TJ made me triple dog promise him not to tell and I followed."

Karone softly nodded trying to process everything. "Can I talk to you, privately?" She asked her husband and he nodded. The little family left to their room to speak about this.

"Why, TJ?" Cassie questioned with more tears than she had before. "I did everything for you. I gave up my family, my innocence, and I abandoned everything. I love you and only you. I thought this was your first born, but it's just your second. You cheated on me!" She furiously rubbed her belly to calm down.

"One time." TJ enforced loudly. "I didn't do it ever again. It was temptation, and I did it."

"How do you know it's your child?" Ashley queried earnestly.

"At that time, she didn't mess with anyone else and she wasn't with anyone else." TJ clarified. He walked up to Cassie. "Believe me, I didn't want to hurt you. That's why I kept this from you. I love you more than life itself, and I hope you would talk this out with me."

"Do you have any idea what this does to us?" Cassie stared at him with darkened eyes. The betrayal she was unjustly subjected to made her want to throw up. "You have lied for 6 years. You had sex with another girl and had a child with her. You made me believe I was the only girl you wanted to be with."

"You are the only girl I want to be with. I want you to be my wife, I want this family with you. Everything we've done, I'm building my future with you and our son. Don't think I want anything between us to change, if anything I want this to make us stronger. Believe me, Cassie, I wish I could take this back, but I can't." TJ pleaded with the most sincerity. He grabbed her hand, and he got on his knees begging for her to be with him.

Cassie, looking away, shook her head, while wiping her tears. "This changes everything, TJ! You would kill me if I had sex with another guy."

"Damn straight, you are my fucking girl, and I would be damned if someone else fucked you." TJ angrily retorted.

"Then I should say the same." Cassie calmly said with annoyance, and she kept touching her stomach. The motions soothed her. "I fucking hate you!" She pointed at him, while taking the opposite hand away from him.

"You don't fucking hate me. You love me, and you will always love me. This shit shouldn't even matter. I'm willing to sign over parental rights just so this can stay away from us. You and that baby you are carrying are my world. I will not give up our relationship." TJ vowed, and he grabbed her hand again, she tossed his away as if it was acid. "Don't do this, Cassie."

"Everything you said is complete bullshit! You want to know why…" She held onto her stomach tighter, all of a sudden a cramp was beginning to form. Honestly, it didn't feel normal, if anything it felt like a contraction. She ignored the pain to get her point across. "You want to know why!" She heatedly repeated.

"Why?" TJ stated.

"Because you are a fucking asshole and wanted your nut. You chose to have sex with another woman, without a condom, and it resulted in a child. You couldn't fucking tell me then you were about to have a damn kid, no you wanted to be a son of a bitch and a coward and keep this from me. You ruined our relationship, the sex, the lie, and you made me believe you wanted this family. TJ, damn it!" Cassie hunched over, and the pain was increasing like the speed of light. Tommy and Ashley went to her side. The young woman doubled over in pain. "Ahhh!" She screamed.

"Cassie!" Andros and TJ shouted at the same time.

"I'm fine." Cassie said through gritted teeth. "TJ, we're through! I'm done with this shit." She walked, with the help of Ashley and Tommy, away from her, now, ex-boyfriend. Then, water dropped to the floor. "HOLY SHIT!" She screamed in horror.

TJ leapt towards Cassie. He needed to check on her. Sadly, he ignored his important task, and he went to the love of his life's side. "Let me check you out."

"No!" She thrashed away from him. "Don't touch me, you stupid bitch!" Cassie smacked him upside the head and pushed him off of her. "Tommy, please take me to the hospital. OW!" She screeched.

"Come on, I'll take you." Tommy aided Cassie to the car. He wasn't sure if the anger or the oncoming contractions were making her breakup with TJ, but he, now, felt his world was collapsing. His family felt broken, like there was a divide. He couldn't stand to go through this alone; he wished Kim. was here "We're heading to the hospital now! Move it if you're coming." The two left the house.

"What do I do?" TJ divergently asked himself, out loud. His girlfriend's water busted open, probably because she was under too much stress, his daughter needed bone marrow, something he hadn't informed the women about, and now, he wasn't sure where to go. His daughter or his girlfriend, which one needed him the most? He denied the fact that Cassie had just broken up with him. She would never do that to him.

"Karone! Zhane!" Andros shouted, as he began to find Cassie's already put together luggage for her hospital stay. "We think Cassie's gone into labor! Meet us at the hospital!"

"Where's Cassie's purse!" Ashley yelled, placing the revelation of TJ's illegitimate child out of her mind. She kept looking all over the place, and then she realized, it was in the car belonging to TJ and Cassie. She sighed and faced 'enemy number one'. "Hey fucker, we need Cassie's purse." She said in a chastising way.

TJ, out of his stupor, turned to Ash. "I'll bring it to her." He offered.

Andros shook his head. "Bro, do you think that's a good idea. I mean, think about it, Cassie just went into early motherfucking labor!" His arms went up in the air. "My advice, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, head to Briarwood. Let Cassie deal with the labor on her own. It's better for her!"

Ashley approved.

Karone, Zhane and a bundled up Ray came downstairs ready to go. The blonde haired, blue eyed beauty glared at TJ. "He's not going is he?" She questioned, while getting the rest of the items ready.

Zhane shook his head. "TJ, head to Briarwood. Your daughter needs the help. We can cover Cassie. She needs us."

"She needs me." TJ irritably retaliated. "I'm sick and tired of people trying to shut me out. I need to make shit between Cassie and I better. I need her. She needs me, our son needs me!"

"Don't make me slap you." Karone ridiculed. "Get the fuck out of my house! You fucking cheater, don't you see what you've done! Cassie is about to give birth, the only people she needs are the ones that haven't betrayed her. Do whatever the fuck you need to do. If you don't, then Cassie and the baby will be in a worse predicament than they are right now."

The anger was about to erupt, but TJ held back. There was too much on his mind, and he needed to see his daughter. Without another word, TJ left. He made sure to give the purse to Ashley, and then he zoomed off.

"Everyone, don't bring up TJ to Cassie. She needs to think about the child." Andros advised, and they got into their respective cars and immediately drove to the hospital to witness the birth.

Xxxxx

An Hour Later…
Cassie's Room
Reefside Hospital

"Ms. Chan, I really need you to calm down, if not, I will have to sedate you." The nurse tried to comfort Cassie, but because of the previous hour's events, she had no clue her attempt was weak. "Please, you are healthy enough to have a natural birth, you are 5 cm dilated, and you can push once you get to 10, if not, the doctor will perform a c-section. The baby isn't under distress now, but in your state, the baby could be."

The tears had been coming down for the past hour and a half. She knew she needed to remain calm for her son's sake, but with the eye-opening news, there was no way. "Please. Can you get Tommy Oliver to this room." Cassie nervously requested. She knew what she was about to ask was the biggest favor, but she was the most comfortable with him as of right now.

The nurse nodded. "I'm Nurse Joyce, if you need anything in the short time I'm gone, just ring the front. Ms. Chan, I really do hope you can remain calm." She smiled at her.

"Thank you, and I'll try." Cassie said. Trying to wrap her head around TJ's monstrous confession was really rough, and she wasn't sure she could forgive him. Granted he was her boyfriend, caretaker, and father of her child, she still couldn't believe he would do that to her. If she had pulled some shit like that, she wouldn't be forgiven so easily, so why give him the benefit of the doubt? The infidelity produced an agonizing emotion she wasn't adapted to. How was she going to get passed this? She wasn't sure.

Tommy hurried inside. He looked at the swollen eyes of Cassie, and he shook his head. He got some tissues and wiped her eyes off. The night was getting worse by the minute. "Hey, you needed me?"

Cassie nodded. "I know I'm giving birth tonight. I don't think there's any way around it."

"Do you feel like you are ready?"

"I'm not ready, but I don't think I have a choice. This pregnancy has been high risk, and with TJ's truth, it just sent me over the edge." Cassie elaborated further, so she looked at him with the warmest and sincerest eyes anyone had ever seen. "Tommy, I need someone to be with me right now."

He trailed her eyes and nodded in accordance, not comprehending where this was going.

Anxiousness crept on her, and she hoped he would comply. "I look at you as my brother. Someone I can count on, and you've become a great confidant. I love you as much as I love Andros, Zhane, Ashley, and of course Karone."

"You know I'll always be there for you. I love you too." Tommy second. He wondered where this proclamation was coming from, but he let her speak her piece.

"Can you be there for me, right now?" She questioned innocently. Tommy nodded. "No matter how crazy my demand is?" Again, Tommy nodded without hesitation. "Will you be in the room with me?"

Floored by her question, he wondered why he was chosen over Andros and Zhane. After all, the two had been there for Cassie since her preadolescent years. There should be no reason for the two to be inside of the birth room. Part of him felt honored by her invite, he knew he was closer to Cassie than Ashley and Karone, and well, because of the circumstances he felt kind of obligated. He deduced that she was pretty much disgusted with the other two men due to the lengthened time this secret had been upheld from her. Tommy, only finding out a month ago, was the best candidate and the least likely to hoist her already high blood pressure. He smiled small and agreed. "Are you sure?"

"Please, you are the only one I feel absolutely comfortable with right now." Cassie begged for him to help.

"I'll do it." He walked up to her and kissed her temple. In the back of Tommy's mind, he wished his Beautiful was with him.

The Following Morning…

Tommy ignored his chiming cell phone. The looming feeling suspended over him was guilt. After all, Kat's called for tenth time within the past two days. The first day was a break, he guessed. Now, he knew she was infatuated with him. That's not his problem, or what gave him joy. The little bundle in his arms gave him joy. He smiled at the little guy with the caramel skin, almond shaped eyes, bushy curly hair, the cutest, flat shaped nose, full lips, and of course the lengthy body. Tightly swaddled in a blanket, to simulate his mother's womb, Xavier Jarvis Jay Chan-Johnson slept peacefully. The innocence this little boy held could make anyone, epecially everyone in that family, envious. There was too much shit in this world that this little boy was unaware of.

Xavier was born eight hours after Cassie asked for Tommy to be present in the room. She opted for an emergency C-Section, and she had Tommy by her side. The cycle of life brought tears to both, the new mother and Tommy. The baby boy weighed in at a hefty nine pounds seven ounces and was 24" long. After the little guy was born, the baby went straight to the NICU- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and he was deemed having a good bill of health. Discharged from the NICU, the baby was transferred to Cassie's room. Immediately, the mom was bombarded with flash photography and the handsome guy got his first taste of a homecoming. After that, Mr. Oliver decided to stay with his dearest 'sister', while Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, and a fussy Ray headed home.

An exhausted Cassie remained asleep.

"You have an amazing family." Tommy spoke to Xavier. "Your mom has a caring spirit, Auntie Ashley will always be your support, while Auntie Karone will be a hard ass." He smiled at him. "Uncle Andros is very methodical, but lenient, and of course Uncle Zhane is the playful guy of the bunch. He'll spoil the crap out of you with games and peak-a-boos. There are two people, dear to me and you, that are missing right now." He whispered softly, and the sadness precisely attacked him, at that time. "Auntie Kim, she's the love of my life. She's getting some help, and believe me, she's a wonderful person, beautiful inside and out, and the heart of this family. Your daddy, Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson, is an amazing fellow. He's made a big mistake."

A tear rolled down TJ's eye. He stood at the doorway, listening to Tommy talk to his newborn son.

"Somewhere in Briarwood, you do have a half-sister, and he's kept that from your mom. Your dad has broken her trust, but after all is said and done, I don't want you to judge him on that. I believe your dad was doing what he thought was right. He loves your mom dearly and…" Tommy looked to the door, and he saw his brother there.

TJ stepped forward. "And I would never make a mistake like that again. You and your Mom mean the world to me. I've learned my lesson, and as my son, I want you to teach you right from wrong, and know even though you make a mistake, commit a sin, or whatever else you do, we will be there to help you. I love you, Xavier." He declared and walked to the sleeping form of his son's mother, son, and Tommy. He placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder. The inches that separated him from his son was killing him, and it was as much as knowing he couldn't give Cassie a comforting kiss. TJ was very proud of Cassie because she spoke about her fears of child birth, and to know she did this, he was happy for her.

"Do you want to hold him?" Tommy saw nothing wrong with it. TJ nodded, but before the exchange commenced, he heard Cassie's defiance.

"Leave TJ!" She screamed, while holding onto her sutured stomach. The anger caused her to turn red and the disgust for TJ, she wanted to kill him still. Her elbow supported her, and she tried to sit up. TJ rushed to her side. "Don't fucking touch me, you asshole!" She said through gritted teeth.

"You need help." TJ's voice was determined to aid her in any such way possible.

"Tommy, put X in the bassinet, and help me, please." The hopefulness was in her eyes, and Tommy obeyed. Cassie became a little happier. She watched Tommy carefully put Xavier in his holder, and he helped his 'sister' to sit up. The hospital bed was electronically elevated. "TJ, I told you to fucking leave!"

"That's my son too. You can't keep me from my son!" TJ defied.

"Like how you kept me from your daughter." Cassie's eyes dangerously narrowed. She shifted, and she still held her stapled stomach closely. "Don't do this right now."

"Please, let me talk to you." He pleaded with his own determination. "Cass, we can work this out."

"We can't." She shook her head and tears were shed. "You've hurt me in the worst way possible, I can't be with someone that's done that. For six fucking years you kept that secret from me. Don't you get it!" TJ remained quiet. "Answer me, motherfucker!" She angrily grabbed a pillow from behind her back and flung it at him. "Answer me!" She hissed.

"I do get it!" He shouted back.

Tommy witnessed the animosity. His family was literally falling at the seams, and he was helpless.

"No you don't! Otherwise you would've never fucking done it." She snapped with the most infuriating pitch. "Get the fuck away from Xavier, me, and everyone else! You've done more harm than good, and we are moving away from you." At that point, she was dead serious.

"Cass, you can't mean that." TJ looked at her, and he understood she wasn't playing. "I don't want to break up this family."

"You've already broken this family, the other family, and everything between me and you has been a lie. You will never get how much you've hurt me." The tears crashed down her face. "If you even care for me at all, you would respect my wishes." She laid back down and turned away from him. The stinging pain was rough, but she accepted it. The sight of him would make her vomit and the extra pressure on her stomach would cause more distress.

"I'm not leaving." TJ informed seriously. "We need to speak about this."

Tommy intervened. "Hey, listen to Cassie. Don't make her more upset than she is."

TJ narrowed his eyes at Tommy. "Man, stay out of this fucking shit!" He was aggravated, and the interference from Tommy angered him.

"I'm not the one that hurt Cassie, you are!" Tommy bellowed with agitation, and he wasn't sure if he could stand by the, now, tumultuous TJ.

Xavier, although he was a few hours old, he felt the raging emotions inside the room. He screamed out a piercing cry, his face became scrunched up, and he turned absolutely red. He wasn't hungry, he didn't need his diaper changed, he was outraged by his bickering parents.

Tommy and TJ bum rushed to Xavier's side, and Cassie was troubled by her son's irate reply.

"TJ, please get out of here!" She screamed, and the tone was so loud, several doctors and nurses entered.

The personnel's eyes interwove between the three people. Their looks were more concerned over the welfare and safety of the child, and they weren't sure who was at fault.

TJ feeling the growing tension in the room, decided to leave. He stepped to the door, and that's when he encountered Andros, Ashley, Karone, and Zhane. Each of them had balloons and teddy bears for their new 'nephew'. Andros and Zhane, abiding by Ashley and Karone's wishes, looked away in guilt. They were put in a compromising position, and deciding to keep that personal relationship intact, kept their distance away from TJ. Basically, they turned their backs on him. Tommy sadly read their body expressions, and he was completely spread thin. He had loyalty to everyone, and at this time in need, he wasn't sure if he could drop TJ like that.

"So, that's how it's going to be?" TJ, grassed by his 'brothers', queried them. They meekly nodded and TJ walked out.

"We'll take it from here." Andros took up a leader role and told the doctors and nurses. They left the room. "How are you feeling Cass?"

"I'm okay." She cried again, while holding Xavier closely. His distressed cries turned into soft coos. "I'm sorry." She told her son, and she was surrounded by her closest family.

Tommy mad about everything he's witnessed, been through and the shambles of what he could call a family; hee didn't know what to do. However, he did know what was comforting. Excusing himself from the spending time at the hospital with the people he was closest to in Reefside, Tommy retreated to his apartment. After all, he did find solace in drinking and pills.

---

Preview for Next Chapter- Kim's rehab stay. The chapter is all about her and her family's way to the road to recovery.