DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, ESPECIALLY HUSH HUSH CHARACTERS

THANKS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE REVIEWING! I CAN NOT TELL YOU WHAT AN HONOR IT IS TO HAVE YOU READING AND FOLLOWING, LET ALONE ENJOYING MY STORY. YOUR WORDS INSPIRE ME TO KEEP PLUGGING AWAY ON THIS SO PLEASE KEEP FEEDING MY MUSE THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY AND FOR THOSE ALSO READING INEVITABLE I AM WORKING ON THAT ONE AS WELL SO HANG IN THERE FOR MORE TO COME WITH PATCH AND NORA IN THAT STORY :)

CHAPTER 19

REMOVING THE BLINDERS

Clista spent as much time as possible at the hospital supporting her grand kids, she was also spending time there to...eavesdrop. Grandma had been paying close attention to the conversations Patch was holding with Nora and the love he was showing. They had gone from the love of a man who would never belong to anyone, not even Nora to something closer to 'maybe there is a small chance I could make someone happy someday'. He hadn't said those words exactly, but that was as much of an in as Clista had been looking for. Slowly grandma devised a little plan, she started spending time with Patch reminiscing with little stories about his relationship with Nora as they grew up, how close him and her had gotten while he protected Nora from everything and coming to her rescue time and again as a teenager. She would leave little open-ended question she hoped he would ponder in his time alone about why he did what he did in a certain situation or felt the way he felt or why Nora might have done this or that for Patch when she wouldn't for other people. Clista didn't know if it was working but she was all for trying. After everything her grand-baby had just been through she deserved her happy ever after with her prince charming at her side if she could get it now more than ever. Clista fully intended on doing everything she could do to make that a reality for both kids if she could. As she saw it both were in great need of that kind of love in their life, Nora had a better insight into that but they were still two kids tied firmly together, still adrift in matters of love.

Clista began to ask question next how he thought Nora might have felt about his 'stud' lifestyle, why she hadn't ever seemed to judge him. How did she watch all those women coming in and out of his bed, and why did he think she put up with watching all of that and still choose to have a sexual relationship with him? Clista even questioned him on if he knew why Nora had never liked dating or been with anyone besides himself and Tristan, as if she was just curious to see if he had the same opinions she did or knew something she didn't. What she was really doing was stirring the pot of his thoughts a little more.

Nora had so much love for Patch that she understood the reason he acted out the way he did, he acted out of hurt, not because he was an egotistical ass like everyone thought. She even understood the reason he still wore a condom with her knowing full well she was on the pill because he watched her take it at the same time each and every day. Nora knew it was another barrier he had long put between himself and anyone else, including her. He was protecting his heart the way she protected hers by keeping her love for him a secret. Nora wanted more, the whole family and life with Patch, more than that though, Nora wanted Patch himself. That's why she put up with the pain and hurt, but did Patch realize that? Clista knew he didn't, not yet. Almost losing her and waiting for her to wake up was indeed changing many things about Patch, so on she pushed him with her heart to heart talks, going as deep as he would let her and then backing off to give him time to process without realizing her strategy.

It was wrong on some levels, the way she would stand quietly in the hall listening to the conversations he would have with Nora after her own talk with him. It seemed like her plan might be working. Little by little, brick by brick it seemed the impenetrable walls he had built were being torn down and that was worth her time and effort just knowing it was helping even the slightest. Clista sometimes liked to let herself believe that the reason her granddaughter hadn't been ready to come out of her coma was that Patch wasn't ready, his progress was quick with the trauma of all that had happened and the heart to hearts which gave her hope that maybe Nora could hear, even if she couldn't interact yet. It was easier to tell herself it was that and not that Nora was in pain when they tried waking her or that, god forbid, she was remembering details of the accidents. The last two were almost too hard to bare the thought of.

Eventually Clista started to talk to Patch about the way he felt about Dabria, that was the hardest on him. Then she asked him about the kind of life he had wanted with her, the life he envisioned with her that he wanted to give her. At this point anyone outside of the parents would agree what Dabria really was and that she would never have allowed Patch to have those dreams with her at any dollar amount. Having a child would be Dabria's worst nightmare, she was all about the balls and events, a socialite who banked solely on money and looks so even if by some miracle she had gotten pregnant she would have hired help right off the bat, leaving Patch and a nanny to raise his kids which he most definitely didn't want after what they went through with their parents. He would have happily raised his kids with her, but not side by side with a nanny. Very carefully, as gently as she could Clista asked him if having his heart broke could be worth it if it meant he could still have those other dreams without having to put up with the likes of someone like Dabria the rest of his life. That was step two and it was the biggest hurdle because having that particular conversation meant that he had to have his walls lowered almost fully down to even talk about it or consider that period of his life. That was a period he didn't talk or think about for good reasons and he hadn't ever intended on changing. Now not only was he being made to look at that time, but he had to consider if he would actually want to change anything. Grandma watched as the battle raged inside of him and his walls went up then back down. Yes, she could see improvement and so much growth it made her heart happy. He had come so far in such a short time, she hadn't expected it to happen so fast. Very impressive Mr. Cipriano, she thought with a smile. Now that was the intelligent man, her 'eternal stud', that she knew and loved so dearly.

Clista was thinking over the last pieces in her scheme to get Patch to listen to his heart enough so that he could follow it when she walked the last few paces to where her grand-baby still laid in a coma in the ICU ward. They had decided not to try to take Nora off the medications causing her sleep for a few more days, she'd had enough this week they felt, pushing her too hard after all she had been through and her negative reactions to them lowering the medications hadn't been what they had hoped for at all. It was best to let her heal a little longer and not push their extreme luck after all she was doing such a good job at beating the high odds that had been against her already. This gave Clista time for the final pieces of her plan, she didn't really know how to proceed from there so she was going to have to wing it and take it as it came to her she decided. She knew her grand-kids like the back of her hand, she was as sharp as they came, most women a third of her age didn't' have the brains she still had nor her insight and perception, Clista planned on picking up on whatever little things she could and play any advantages she found.

Pausing outside the door she heard Patch talking to Nora in the voice he reserved only for his angel, it melted Clista's heart. She just had to get him to see that those dreams he had were still in him, alive somewhere and almost as important, making him realize that those dreams rightfully belonged to his angel that was laying in that bed looking so fragile. What grandma heard shocked her, he was talking to Nora about those long ago dreams he had buried so deep and all but given up on without her even being there to start 'today's session'. She listened in surprise as he spoke quietly, sounding almost...excited? No, that couldn't be, her 'eternal stud', the man dubbed the most ineligible eligible bachelor talking excitedly about what it would be like to have a wife to come home to that he could spoil and a son who would look like him, another son who would look like his mother and two girls as well, which he hoped wouldn't end up causing him to kill some young man when they fell for his daughter's beauty like he did their mothers. He chuckled softly about having a daughter who looked like him while the other had big soft dove-gray eyes like their mothers who could melt you in a seconds glance or turn cold as ice with their steel gray when she was angered. They would have her soft unruly curls and her giggle and best of all her fire and spunk. He drew quite a picture of things with a house and layout with a large yard full of toys he would buy them. Patch told her about the vacations he would want to take them on, he shared that he had already put a large nest egg into saving so he could work from home or take time off as he wished. He would coach all their sports that they chose to join and teach them anything and everything he knew how to do. There were traits he hoped his kids would have, values and morals he wanted to teach them... Boy, Clista thought, he really has done some thinking and soul-searching on this! The most she had hoped for out of it was to have him agree to try monogamous dating! To say she was impressed would be the understatement of the century! Now all she had to do was convince him the right mother for those babies was laying in the bed in front of him, then again, who else did they know that had eyes like that and hair that fit that description? Did he even realize what he was saying and who he was describing?

Clista made a noise so he would know someone was approaching. Patch immediately stopped talking, rising as soon as he saw her to give her a hug and a kiss and retrieve a chair for her before sitting back down looking tired as he took Nora's hand again.

"How is she today?" Clista asked him.

"Nothing new, I cleaned her up already and we've just been talking." Clista kissed Nora on the forehead and cheek as was her custom before taking a seat on the chair Patch had pulled next to him and Nora for her. She needed to convince him that Nora was 'the one', but how and where to start. Before she could begin Patch looked at her with his big beautiful raven black orbs filled with liquid emotions.

"I think I'm in love again, Clista, and I don't know if she can ever love me back. I met the girl of my dreams and I was stupid and afraid so I let her slip away, only this time it's a love like no other, nothing compares to this, not even when I was madly and deeply in love with who I thought Dabria was. This...this is an all-consuming love, I have so much love, passion and life I want to share with her if she would just come back to me...to us." He choked back a sob.

Clista's heart nearly jumped out of her chest, her pulse raced and she gripped the chair as she felt the earth tip as she thought to herself, how could he have been in love all this time and here taking care of Nora and what would Nora do when she woke up again to find her chances gone while she was healing? If the accident hadn't killed her this surely would. Clista felt anger like she had never felt before, and betrayal that she hadn't thought possible against any of her grand-babies, but this time Mr. Cipriano had crossed the line and was about to feel her wrath, just as she was ready to let him have it he spoke the words that nearly stopped her heart and would have stopped Nora's had she heard them. Patch looked from Nora's lifeless form then into Clista's ash gray eyes and very quietly spoke.

"I'm in love with her, I never saw it, I was too busy thinking about my pain, my hurt, protecting myself that I never considered that kind of love with her and the whole time it was staring me in the face waiting for me to pull my head out of my ass and see what I already had. We had an intimate, sexual relationship and shared things with each other that we shared with no one else, we could practically read each others minds, but never did I think I would feel this again. Only this time, this time it's so so much more and never did I think I would want those dreams back that Dabria stole from me years ago. I thought I was happy living my 'perfect' life, never letting her fulfill her dreams or consider if I could fulfill them or share in them with her. I just knew then I couldn't be or didn't want to be what she needed, what she wanted and I was too selfish with her, how could she forgive me for what I've done? No matter what I do or how forgiving she has been in the past this is ALL my fault...I've been so stupid, so blind...There is no way she could ever feel the same way about me, I've always been her best friend she has benefits with and even that had changed before this..." He pinched the bridge of his nose again then took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before continuing. "Her parents just had to try to set her up with Tristan Miller..." His voice drifted off as he gazed sadly at Nora, stroking small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, his eyes full of emotions and his mind lost in thoughts his heart hadn't been ready to deal with.

As if on cue Clista heard a noise outside in the hall. She thought it was one of the other kids and got up figuring she'd ask them for a few minutes to give her some more time with Patch so they could talk. Much to her surprise it was none other than Tristan Miller. It was good that she had come to check and not Patch she decided. She politely informed Tristan that all visitors had to check in at the nurse's station first, knowing that they had a list of visitors who were approved by Patch, Tristan would not be on there. In fact, Tristan would have a better chance putting out hell's fires with a squirt gun then he had of getting on the list of people allowed to see Nora. It wasn't that Clista was mean, she did take some pity on the sad-faced man before her by telling him that they would hold a party when Nora was released that he would be welcome to attend. That seemed to cheer the poor dear up, as if he thought he had a chance she thought sadly. Well, at the party she would have to set him straight, for now she had Patch who was tearing himself apart piece by piece in the room behind her, he was her priority.

After excusing herself she returned to her spot next to Patch and took his hand in her soft wrinkled one. He turned his body partly towards Clista, still not taking his eyes off Nora.

"I thought I could numb it all out Clista, all those women, all that bourbon. In the end look what it got me. I thought I was giving her everything when really what I was doing was taking everything away from her that mattered the most. How could I have never noticed the pain she must have been in...all those women, being physical with me knowing I would never give her what she wanted the most...a family that she'd never had. I thought her world revolved around me and that she was happy with the way things were, but the whole time it was me that revolved around her, giving her only what I wanted to, Clista. How did I not see her love for me went deeper when I looked in her eyes? I saw everything else, I can practically read her thoughts. How did I not see this? It must have chipped away at her very core...What have I done, how can I fix this when I don't even deserve the chance too? Even with all I was putting her through she still handed her life to me in legal papers like I was some God damn guardian angel when all I really deserved was to be chained in hell for what I put her through. I made sure in every way I thought I could to let her know I loved her and needed her, even depended on her as much as she depended on me, but this...I never would have been open to and now I will either prove to be too late or..." His words continued to flow along with his tears unchecked now and Clista let both flow, sensing that was what he needed most in that moment. When his words ran out it would be her turn to talk.

THANK-YOU FOR HANGING IN THERE, THIS AGAIN IS NOT ANOTHER ACTION CHAPTER THERE ARE SOME REAL THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS THAT PATCH HASN'T ADMITTED OR DEALT WITH THAT HE NEEDS TO IN ORDER FOR LIFE TO MOVE ON FOR HIM WITH OR WITHOUT NORA. NEXT CHAPTER GRANDMA HAS SOME WISE WORDS AND YET TO COME, WHAT WILL NORA THINK OF ALL OF THIS? IT MAY BE WHAT SHE'S BEEN WAITING TO HEAR, BUT IS IT A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT? SHE MAY HAVE SOME THINGS TO FIGURE OUT HERSELF, AS MUCH AS SHE LOVES AND WANTS PATCH SHE WON'T WANT HIM HAVING ANYTHING LIKE SURVIVORS GUILT FORCING HIM TO BE WITH HER...

If you love it let me know, if you like it let me hear, if you have suggestions tell me, if you hate it...well click the button and move to another story you love :) I'm trying to update as quickly as I can. I know you guys are as anxious to know what is going to happen as I have been but it doesn't hurt to tell me again!