~*~o~*~
After weeks of having been extremely ill and waiting for a bone marrow donor, Starr was finally getting her miracle. Todd had gone to great lengths to save his little girl's life. He had posted a notice in The Sun that he would pay any person who matched as Starr's bone marrow donor one million dollars in cash. If necessary, he would have offered his entire fortune plus his right arm to have saved his little Starr. Thankfully, Alex Olanav came forward, got tested at the hospital, and was found to be a perfect match. After the transplant, Todd gave her one million dollars. She took the money eagerly as Todd counted it out to her. "Just think of all the places I can travel with this money!" Alex had cried out happily.
Todd had rolled his eyes in annoyance. Although he hated Alex's greed, he would have paid any price to have saved his daughter. At least now, Starr could get well. Soon his little Shorty would be coming home. Todd was thrilled as he had spent almost every waking hour at the hospital at Starr's side. With Blair hospitalized as well, Starr had needed her daddy. Starr and Todd were now closer than ever.
Todd showed up at the hospital one morning to see his little girl. He saw Marty at the nurses station as she was busy doing her morning rounds. "Hey, Marty, how's my little girl doing today?" Todd asked her.
"She's doing much better. But as usual, she's been asking for you," Marty explained.
"I better go in and see her then. Has she already had her breakfast?"
"I don't think so," Marty replied.
As they stood there talking about Starr, they noticed Blair and Patrick walking out of Blair's hospital room. "Blair's getting released today?" Todd asked.
Marty nodded. "No one told me," Todd grumbled.
Marty looked at Todd, seeing how upset he was becoming. *Ohhh please don't let him make a huge scene. That wouldn't be good for anyone,* Marty was thinking.
Patrick and Blair were so immersed in each other and their own conversation that they didn't even notice Todd and Marty. They rounded the corner and left the hospital.
"What do you think of that?" Todd grumbled. "Blair gets released from the hospital... but she's not even going in to see Starr. Instead, she's leaving with YOUR boyfriend."
"Patrick's not my boyfriend anymore," Marty informed him.
"He's not? You broke up with him?" Todd questioned as he searched her eyes.
"Not exactly."
"Then how is it, Marty?" Todd asked. "I thought you and the Irish poet had 'a thing.'"
"We did," she answered quietly. "But it turns out that it was short-lived and he's moved on..."
She looked down with a great deal of sadness in her expression. Todd was struck by how heartbroken she appeared. He tensed up again, but this time it was because Thornhart had caused the sorrow he saw in Marty's eyes.
"I'm gonna kill him!" Todd quipped.
"No, Todd... you can't," Marty said urgently as she grabbed onto his arm as though to stop him from going after Patrick.
"He's not worth it," she said as she looked into Todd's eyes.
All the tension fled from Todd, feeling her soft touch. He looked down at her small hand as it lay upon his flesh. Fiery tingles shot up his arm.
"Marty, will you go in with me to see Starr?" he asked her.
She nodded as they slowly made their way toward Starr's room in pediatrics. Seeing Blair leaving with Patrick had been a shock for both of them, but as upsetting as it had been, the dynamics between them was undoubtedly growing and changing. Although her heart was torn asunder from the loss of Patrick, Marty could feel herself becoming closer to Todd.
~*~o~*~
Patrick and Blair stood over their son's tiny grave. He had his arm wrapped around her for support. Blair still seemed very fragile, her body battered and bruised from the car accident that had taken the life of their son. "Brendan..." Blair murmured as she read his name engraved upon the stone. The little mound of dirt was so very small. Blair felt empty and cold. The loss of their baby was entirely unfair.
"I am glad they released you from the hospital, Blair," Patrick said as he turned slightly and gazed into her eyes. "I know the pain of losing Brendan is so intense right now... but we'll have happy days again. Starr is getting better now after her transplant. And I want you to know that I want a future with you. I need to know if you want that, too."
"I do want a future with you, Patrick. But I don't know what that is without Brendan."
"He'll always be a part of us. The memory of our son is ours forever."
"As soon as I am better, I'd like to have another baby," she told him.
"Blair, you almost died in that car accident. It's far too soon," Patrick responded. "I don't think we should-."
"You don't want to have another baby with me?" Blair asked him as she started to become greatly upset.
"No, Blair... that isn't it. I'd love to have another child, someday. I just don't think we are ready," he answered. Deep in his heart, he was still reeling from the loss of their son, and he didn't know how to tell her he had slept with Marty. He knew Blair would be crushed if she ever found out that he had made love to Marty just after declaring his love for her.
"Patrick, hold me. I just gotta know that everything is gonna be alright," Blair said as she melted into his arms.
"It will be," Patrick promised. "Somehow it WILL be."
~*~o~*~
In Starr's hospital room, Todd and Marty fed her tiny bites of her breakfast. She smiled at them in between the bites of her food. "She really is feeling better," Todd said as he looked at Marty with a huge grin on his face.
"I am so glad, Todd," Marty said as she caressed Starr's dark blond hair. Starr was the cutest baby in the world, and Marty loved watching Todd with her.
"Do you want to talk about... Patrick?" Todd asked her quietly.
She shook her head. "Not right now..."
"You know I think he's an idiot to leave you for Blair," Todd said as he gazed into her sapphire eyes.
*I never would,* Todd spoke to her in his head.
"It's okay, Todd. Patrick and I just weren't compatable. It seems his heart was with Blair," Marty responded.
*And my heart's with you,* Todd thought.