She looked at the driver and he asked "Is your dad home?"

Her eyes became slits and she asked "Who are you and what do you want?"

He laughed and said "No need to get protective, girl. I just need a few minutes with your old man."

Rod stepped beside her and asked "What do you need?"

She left her dad's side and walked to the house, but stopped when she saw the glint from a metallic object in the man's back pocket.

@#$

The quiet sound of falling raindrops made her eyes open and she looked over to the window. It was storming outside and she looked at the person in the chair next to her bed. Her hand was warm in his and she studied everything about him while comparing him to him in her memory. As she studied his face, he slowly looked at her. When their gazes met, she looked away and felt him slowly get to his feet.

He sat next to her on the edge of the bed and asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

She looked at him and said "I've been better."

Then she managed to push herself up into a sitting position and he said "I need to be going."

She nodded and asked "Has my mom been here?"

He shrugged and said "I don't know. I've been here for a few hours and only the doctors have come by."

When she listened to what he said, she sighed and then she felt him caressing her wrist. Her eyes met his and she felt his caress stop. He let go of her and quietly got to his feet. He stepped away from the bed and she watched him grab his jacket. His eyes met hers one last time and then he slipped out of the room.

She sighed inwardly and let her gaze drift back to the window. Her mind slowly began replaying everything and a tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away and closed her eyes. She slid back down under her sheets and let her muscles drift back to sleep. When she felt her emotional storm approaching, she took a deep breath and curled up into a ball.

All she could think about was that he was here when the pain he put her through was all too prominent. It didn't make since that he would be by her side now, when he clearly didn't want her anymore. She felt another tear drop down onto her pillow and she took another deep breath. When he was touching her, it felt so good, but she knew he didn't mean it. He couldn't mean it when he had broken her so long ago.

The sound of the door opening made her look over her shoulder and she saw her mom watching her. She rolled onto her back and slowly forced herself up into a sitting position once more. When she looked at Cheri again, the woman walked over and sat next to her.

Cheri noticed the faint tear marks and asked "Was he here?"

She sighed and asked, "Why is he? Does he think it's funny?"

Her mom sighed and said "I honestly don't know. I can't believe he has been checking in on you though."

Kat took a deep breath and said "I wish Dad was here."

Cheri nodded and said "I do too."

"What about Jared? I thought you loved him?"

"I do, but until you are able to come home, I am having him stay away from us. I don't know what's going on with him."

PGS