A/N: Thanks, folks, for all the continued amazing reviewage :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11

"You okay?" asked Dick as he and Mac rode in the cab together to the hospital.

Getting him back down the stairs and into the car had been kind of an adventure but they managed in the end and now it was a quiet fifteen minute trip to Neptune Memorial. At least, Mac had hoped on it being quiet. Since yesterday it had been on her mind that she needed to talk to Dick about their 'engagement' before they got to the hospital. Time was ticking away and still she hadn't brought it up. It was becoming now or never, and apparently she was sufficiently nervous that even the non-observant Dick had noticed she was acting weird.

"You remember how me and Veronica got told all about your injuries the night you were attacked, right?" she said in a low voice, mindful of the cab driver overhearing secrets. "What we told the doctors?"

"That Ronnie was my sister and you and me were, like, together or something, right?" he said, frowning some.

Mac honestly wasn't sure if he was being as dumb as he usually seemed or putting it on because he was as embarrassed by this situation as she was. High school Dick would have jumped at the chance to even play pretend at dating a girl he hadn't managed to score yet. Even college Dick or reunion Dick might have been that way. Post-attack Dick was different, at least he seemed that way to Mac. Maybe this was just the real person who she had never been permitted to see until now. She couldn't say for sure, and now didn't seem like the right time to debate it.

"Yeah," she said, shaking her head clear of too many thoughts. "Um, I'm your fiancee, okay? Just, you have to remember that at the hospital, or me and Veronica could be in some trouble."

"Don't sweat it, Macky Mac. I got this," he promised with a wink, turning then to look out of the cab window.

Mac blinked and then turned the other way to watch the view of Neptune whipping by her window too. Five minutes and they would hit the hospital, she got the awkward conversation out of the way just in time, and yet now they'd had it, she wondered what she was ever worried about.

From there on, the morning ran smoothly. Mac and Dick arrived at the hospital with time to spare and hit the waiting area just as his doctor became available for the appointment. Mac was invited to be there in the room whilst Dick was checked over and found it difficult to refuse, especially when he actively asked her to go with. He couldn't really be nervous about anything, she considered, or could he? Mac was fast learning that Dick was a person like everybody else, not the mindless idiot he had always seemed before. That was mostly a front, a painted face, a protective shell. The real Dick could be fun, sweet, sincere when he wanted to be, and also afraid of things.

The doctor assured them both that everything was looking okay. Dick's ankle was healing as was expected but it would be another two to four weeks before it was fully recovered. In the meantime, it still required to be strapped, though not as firmly. Movement was encouraged, as much as his ankle would allow, in a bid to help his ribs to heal without his lungs suffering. The arm was going to take the longest time to heal, as such fractures always did, but there were no extra problems found. The doctor made his usual checks, ensuring Dick's blood pressure was okay and that there were no latent effects to his head after the blows it suffered in the attack.

"Completely normal brain functions," the doctor said with a smile.

"Now that is weird," said Mac without thinking.

She felt herself blush when the doctor looked sharply at her, but Dick's laughter broke through any possible tension in a second.

"That's my girl, doc. Always got to point out that she's the brains in the relationship," he told the doctor with a grin. "She always forgets that makes me the beauty," he said, winking at Mac.

"Well, like I always say, if you're going to bag yourself a rich man to live off, he may as well be hot," she said easily, smiling just as big.

The doctor said nothing, just gestured for the nurse to assist Dick into a wheelchair and then he could leave. The whole time he was being helped with moving, Dick was looking at Mac and as much as she meant to look away, she just couldn't do it. They were maybe a little too good at the flirtatious banter thing, as well as pretending they were way more than pseudo-friends.

"Right this way, ma'am," said the nurse as she wheeled Dick out through the doors.

Mac nodded and followed on behind, thanking the doctor as they left. She took over pushing the wheelchair before they hit the exit and was glad to see the cab waiting not too far out into the parking lot.

"Babe, we should totally be in movies," said Dick when it was unlikely anyone who mattered would hear. "We'd be totally believable. Oh come on, we were so on!" he said, tipping his head back to look at Mac when she didn't immediately respond.

"Should I turn around and wheel you back in there? To the psych ward maybe?" she asked with a grin she couldn't help. "We barely got away with that."

"Dude, we were so good!" he argued as they reached the doors and Mac put the chair in park.

Getting Dick up from the wheelchair and over to the cab meant having him lean all over her, something Mac had experienced a million times before. Of course, now he was talking about what a great (fake) couple they would make, and that suddenly made the closeness all the more strange for her. She forced her brain to focus on anything but a certain dream she had last night and wished she could forget. Of course, the moment you try not to think of something it becomes the one and only thing to fill your mind. Mac cleared her throat and re-focused her eyes on the cab a few feet away.

"So it's good that your injuries are healing," she said, deliberately changing the subject. "The doctor seemed happy with your progress."

"Yeah, but I'm still as strapped up as I was when we got here, and for another month?" he complained, wincing some as he dropped down into the back seat of the car.

"It might not be that long," Mac sympathised, closing the door and running around the other side of the car to slide in beside him. "And besides, everyday things will get a little easier. Be grateful that you are at least healing. Some people would kill to have four limbs that will eventually work again," she reminded him of those less fortunate for the sake of perspective.

The cab driver asked if they were ready to go and the moment they were strapped in they set off for home. They were barely two minutes from the hospital when Dick's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Hey, you want to hit the drive through on the way home? I'm starved!" he declared loudly.

"I don't do drive through service," the cab driver told him in no uncertain terms.

"Dude, how 'bout for an extra fifty bucks and I buy you a burger?"

Mac's eyes widened at the suggestion and a laugh escaped her lips when she realised the driver was practically performing a U-turn to get them to the nearest McDonalds as quickly as possible. She really should hate the fact Dick was controlling people with money in that disgusting way rich folks sometimes did, but honestly, she was kind of hungry and it was at least a little impressive. Maybe this once she would let it go.

"Wow. These are the kind of women they have working at the 09er? I almost wish I could get in there," said Wallace, staring at the photographs from Veronica's pile of evidence.

"They may not be all they seem" she reminded him, glancing over to where he sat at the kitchen counter. "There's a good chance at least one of them ties back to the attack on Dick two weeks ago," she explained, tossing a bottle from the fridge into her friends hands. "Dick recognises them both and confirmed he saw each of them working on that particular night, but that's all he's got so far, a big ol' blank after that."

Veronica came to sit on the next stool over from her buddy and sighed. Her hand went to her forehead and she looked pained. Wallace patted her elbow.

"You work too hard," he reminded her, as if she didn't know. "Taking on all these cases..."

"Somebody has to, for at least as long as it takes for my dad to recover," she said in hushed tones, mindful that although Keith was in his own room with the TV on, he might hear something and not appreciate it. "Besides, I need to figure out this Dick case for Logan as much as anyone. He's his best friend, Wallace. If anything happened to you... I couldn't rest until the bad guys were busted."

"I know it," he told her with a smile. "But you cracking every case in town is no good if you're the next one taking a trip to the hospital with exhaustion or whatever," he reminded her sternly. "You got to take a break now and then, Mars. This half hour catch up with me? Doesn't really count."

"I know, I'm sorry," she apologised, rubbing her aching forehead. "We will spend some real time together soon and talk properly. I've just got to get on top of the case load, and with Mac also busy baby-sitting Dick, it is not easy. I'm worried about her too," she told Wallace, sipping her drink. "You think I'm doing too much, but she... she sounded weird on the phone yesterday. I asked if she was okay and she said she's fine, but-"

"But you two can be a little too much alike sometimes with your Wonder Woman tendencies," Wallace noted, daring to interrupt in a way most people wouldn't with Veronica Mars. The best friend had special rights. "Hey, how about this? When I leave here, I'll swing by Dick's place on the way home and make sure Mac is still vertical and sane."

"That'd be good." Veronica nodded.

They both knew it wasn't just the busy that was stopping V from going over to the house to check on Mac and Dick. Being around that guy was still tough for her sometimes, especially when she thought of his brother and all that had happened there.

"You're a good guy, Fennel. The best," she told Wallace, sincere as she ever was about anything.

"Yeah, well," he squirmed at the genuine compliment. "Somebody got to keep you crazy women from running yourselves into the ground. That's my job," he confirmed, patting his own chest.

Veronica leaned in to hug him, glad to feel anyone's arms around her right now, a support more than a comfort in troubling times. Nothing terribly tragic was going on in her life right now, but all the little things had a habit of ganging up on her and taking her by surprise. Keith's continued pain from his injuries, Logan's absence, Mac's stress, and the case surrounding Dick played on her mind almost constantly. It was good for Veronica to know that Wallace was always here to let her know things were going to be okay. She would never be without her brother from another mother, not for a moment.

"You can't wait until we get home?" asked Mac, watching Dick digging into their takeout food with gusto, almost the moment the car pulled out of the drive through.

"Everything's better when it's hot, babe," he told her with a wink, stuffing the burger into his mouth.

Mac shook her head but smiled all the same. She smiled a lot around Dick. Mac had to wonder if that was because her brain cells were dying being this close to someone so dumb. The more charitable and realistic part of her knew that he was just a funny guy that she liked maybe a little too much.

The honking of car horns and the slowing down of the cab made Mac pay attention to her surroundings again. Clearly, there had been some kind of incident somewhere up ahead and traffic was now grid-locked in all directions.

"Looks like we're going to be here a while," the cab driver told them, hitting the steering wheel with both hands.

He looked over at the food on the passenger seat and Mac looked down at her own bag in her lap.

"Then I guess we may as well eat," she sighed, opening up her food as the driver was doing the same.

"Hey, man? You want to ramp up the tunes already?" Dick urged the driver. "Let's get the party started!" he declared as music filled the car.

Mac winced a little at the volume to begin with, but her ears soon adjusted and she realised it was a song she actually liked. They bopped and grooved as they ate in the traffic jam. It was a weird kind of a party, but Mac couldn't say she wasn't enjoying watching Dick rock out, even if he was spitting French fries all over the interior of the cab in the process. The funny out-weighed the gross, and quite honestly, it was nice to see him act like Dick again after yesterday.

As the widows began to steam from the hot food and all of them breathing too much, Mac rolled hers down some and encouraged Dick to take a minute to do the same. It was almost immediately that she realised what a mistake they had made. The next car over was shiny and black, the driver of it a genuine chauffeur rather than the common cab driver Mac and Dick were riding behind. In the back of the town car sat a woman Mac recognised all too well, and when Dick spotted her, things were only ever going to get worse.

"What's up, Mac Attack?" he asked when he caught her staring, following her eye-line to the next car over in the jam. "Dude, that is totally my ex!" he declared. "Hey, Mad!" he yelled.

Madison could not help but notice. Even if she had wanted to pretend she didn't know him, it would've proved impossible, since the guy beside her looked over immediately. He tapped Madison's shoulder and gestured towards the cab. Mac cringed as she met the eyes of a woman that both she and Veronica had described as their nemesis at different times in their lives.

Madison smiled a slow evil kind of a smile and pushed the button for the electric window. It slid down, and with a grin like a crocodile planning how best to eat you, she greeted them.

"Dick and Cindy!" she said too cheerily. "Not a combination I would expect, but hey, I guess everybody has to go slumming sometimes."

Mac bit her tongue until it almost bled, not daring to say anything for fear of what truths might escape her in a moment of madness. This was not the time and place, if such a thing even existed.

"Not cool, Mad," Dick told her. "Y'know Mac is totally a life saver. You didn't hear about the mugging outside the 09er?"

"The 09er?" echoed Madison with a haughty laugh. "Dick, I've moved beyond those kind of circles. Future senators wives have better things to do than party like it's 2005," she smiled too much, flashing the engagement ring on her finger before letting the window back up.

The traffic started moving in a moment, and Dick carried on eating like nothing ever happened. Mac couldn't do it. She hated Madison, she really did. Not that what happened to the two of them when they were babies was her fault, but Mac had other reasons, none of which she was willing to talk about right now. She scrunched up the paper bag that still contained most of her lunch, making it into a tight ball in her lap.

"Mac?" said Dick, noticing her distant expression and the mess that used to be her food. "Hey, I know Madison is kind of a bitch, but-"

"I'm fine," she snapped, turning her eyes to the view from the window.

They were home before long, and Mac hopped out of the car, paying the driver without delay. She moved to help Dick from the cab and into the house, still not saying a word. He didn't either, since he really had no idea what had got Mac so mad. Sure, Madison made a comment, but that was just her way. Dick never expected someone like Mac to be affected by that crap, and he had told Madison it wasn't cool to talk that way.

"You need anything?" Mac asked when she finally had Dick back in his room and onto the bed where he spent most of his time lately.

"No. Do you?" he asked. "Seriously, Mac, what's up?"

"I told you, I'm fine!" she yelled then, tears welling in her eyes that she couldn't help.

It was mostly frustration that Madison Sinclair could still get to her after all these years. The whole stupid mess of their birth, their lives, all that the Sinclairs had showered on their ungrateful non-daughter whilst Mac got the short end for most of her life. She shouldn't be bitter, and most of the time she barely thought about it. Seeing Madison again, having her make a remark like that, especially in front of Dick, it just got to her. Mac's annoyance at herself for being affected was what frustrated her to the point of tears, but Dick would never understand that.

Storming out the door before he could question her further, Mac slammed into her room and gave in to the tears. Better to let it all out now and have done with it, she supposed. There was no way she was going to cry on Dick's shoulder or tell him the truth about her and Madison. She swore to herself she would never reveal that secret and she meant to keep that promise, whether it mattered to the rest of the world or not.

"Mac?"

Dick was calling for her, and not from his room given how loud he sounded. The knocking on her door proved he was right outside. Mac wiped her sleeve across her face and sniffed hard before going over to open the door. She found Dick precariously balanced on one leg with his good arm braced against the wall. How he had knocked without falling down she had no idea.

"What are you doing?" she asked frustratedly, voice coming out thick with emotion, though she tried not to let it.

"This is not cool," said Dick definitely, frowning at the sight of her tear-stained face. "Talk to me, Macky, please?"

She might have done it, might have actually told him at least some of the truth of why she was so upset, only the door bell ringing got her attention. Mac shook her head, tearing her eyes away from Dick's own intense gaze. She wiped her cheeks with her hands again and then moved to support Dick and take him back to his room.

"Come on, back to bed so I can see who's at the door."

He went because he kind of had to, but Dick wasn't happy about it and it showed on his face. The doorbell ringing again cut off whatever he might have said about it and Mac hurried away to see who was there.

Forcing a smile did her no good at all because of all people Wallace was always going to see right through it.

"Mac? What the hell did that idiot do?" he asked, sure Dick must be at fault.

Mac laughed at the accusation that was so silly in her eyes and moved to hug Wallace, who was happy enough to hold onto her while she cried.

"I'm glad you're here," she told him. "Just another person to talk to is really good right now."

"What are friends for?" asked Wallace, following her into the house as soon as he got the chance. "So, Casablancas didn't make you cry?" he checked.

"Dick's no trouble," Mac assured Wallace. "I upset myself, no big deal. I guess I've just been working too hard, y'know?"

"Sure, I know," he agreed, though he didn't entirely believe her. "You know you need to talk, Mac, I'm here."

"I know, but honestly, I'm fine. It's just been a heck of a few days, that's all."

She smiled like she meant it and Wallace seemed to buy it, at least Mac told herself that he did. If nothing else, his visit was distracting her from what happened with Madison and preventing Dick from questioning her about all of that. For now, it was all Mac needed. Everything else she would worry about later.

To Be Continued...