here we go {open}

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Following behind the ambulance with Markus, he looked about ready to have his heart attack. She could definitely sympathize with him in many ways, she too was just as worried and she two had lost her parents. Adrianna got it more than Jared would ever know. It was rare that Adrianna spoke about her parents or told anyone they had died. It was kind of a darker place in her life she just preferred to forget. Really the only person who knew here was Jared, but even then he didn't really know the full story, all she had told him was they died in a car accident and after that he had just dropped it much to Adrianna's relief.

Pulling up into the parking lot she got out of the car, she and Markus hadn't said a word to each other, but what was there to say. Everything looked to be fine with Markus at the moment, but things can also change really quickly, especially after someone had a heart attack. Closing the door she turned and looking at the hospital with a lump filling her throat. She walked towards the building slowly, half waiting for Markus half hesitantly. The ambulance had taken Jared in and now they would have to go in and try to find them. As she got to the front doors she stopped...

So here she stood in front of the hospital, unable to move any further. The only reason she had come with them was because Markus looked about ready to pass out and he needed someone to ensure that he didn’t do so and land in the hospital himself. Except Adrianna wasn't exactly sure she was the best person for that. At least she has found an excuse to come as she was extremely worried about Jared, except now something wouldn't let her walk through the doors. She knew what the something was, it was the fact that she had not been in hospital since the death of her parents. Adrianna had avoided hospitals like a plague, and leave it to Jared to land himself in a hospital.

Feeling a few tears start to betray her she wiped them away rather quickly as so Markus who wasn't far behind wouldn't see. He would think she was simply crying of Jared, which was likely part of it, but he didn't know about her and Jared and she didn't exactly want their relationship to be found out now. But there were deeper emotions, emotions Adrianna had hidden behind her happy face and not let herself deal with. And this is what would not allow her to step through those front doors.

[Markus Martins]

Mark just sat there, staring out the window as they pulled into the hospital parking lot. He felt like his heart was in his throat at this point. He was worried. He wasn't going to lie about that. He came out of the silent focus on the building when he heard Adrianna close her car door. He looked to her for a moment, watching her thoughtfully.

Mark had put it all together at Ayesha's place. Adrianna was the woman people had been talking about around. That's why his dad had been brushing his foot against Mark's foot. He tried to play footsie with Adrianna. Obviously he thought he was getting away with it until Mark stomped on his foot. He closed his eyes and sighed for a moment before he opened the door and got out, shutting it.

He stopped next to her and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm not mad about you and Dad... If anything I'm glad he's found someone to keep him company on a more... ah... intimate level." He said gently as he looked up to the hospital. He was thinking of his mom at this point. He knew that no one would ever be able to replace Willow. Not for him and not for Jared, but Jared had a right to be with someone. He always seemed a little lonely. Especially on Willow's birthday and the anniversary of the accident.

He sighed and looked down to Adrianna after a moment, studying her. He wondered why she had stopped here. Something about the hospital seemed to haunt her, which made Mark wonder. He didn't want to go in, but he needed to. He wasn't going to lie. He was worried sick and he knew that Jared wouldn't be happy about it, but he was going to have to take a sabbatical and rest for a while. Mark might let him teach a lesson or two maybe, depending on what the doctors said, but he wanted his dad as stress free as he could be.

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Feeling Markus's broad arm wrapped around her she felt her heart stop as he was speaking. Of course he had figured it out...Adrianna figured he would put the puzzle pieces together one day and her reaction at Ayesha's definitely didn't help keep it secret. Looking at him she smiled, "Thanks Markus..." There was no use lying to him and denying it. Adrianna told Jared right from the beginning she would never lie to him if he specifically asked or said something about them. Even though this was a serious situation it was still a relief for Markus to tell her it was okay.

Looking at the hospital doors she bit her lip, she could tell he wanted to go in but was kind of waiting for her. Not looking away from the door as she continued to speak to him. "I haven't been in a hospital since my parents died Markus...that was 20 years ago." She frowned a bit at herself. Adrianna was almost shocked at the fear that had such a grip on her at this moment; she couldn't even get herself to take on step closer; it was like she was stuck in cement.

Her biggest fear was events would repeat themselves, she would walk through the doors and here doctors tell her that Jared would have died. Adrianna couldn't handle anymore lose in her life, that's why she had come here to get away from it all. Especially not now, her life was, well almost perfect really. Looking at Markus for some reason she felt the ability to be totally honest, maybe it was because she knew he would understand because he understood the loss of a parent. "I don't know if I can go in there" Biting her lower lip she looked at the door. She wanted to go in and see Jared of course, but he had Markus here, she was sure he would do fine.

[Markus Martins]

He looked down at her when she admitted how long it had been since she was in a hospital. He knew about her parents, but that was about it. He didn't know all the details or anything. He hugged her close and looked back up to the hospital doors. How many times did he drag Jared through those doors for his appointments? Mark lost count. If it weren't for Mark then there was telling how much sooner this might have happened. He didn't really want to go in, but he knew he had to. Jared needed him.

Jared needed someone else to. He looked back to Adrianna and pulled her towards the door gently. "He needs you, Doc... He would want you there while he's being poked and prodded and drugged up." He said gently as he looked over her face thoughtfully. It was true enough. Jared needed the company of the woman he had secretly been seeing. He needed some company other than Mark or the dog. And Mark couldn't go in there alone. He knew he would be in there with Jared, but he wasn't sure what kind of state he would be in.

He looked to her when they got closer to the doors and they slid open. She gave her a little encouraging tug. "If I can do this, you can." He said weakly. He knew how it was to lose a parent. She lost them both at once, and Mark knew that his mother's death couldn't compare to that, but Mark was scared. He lost his mother at a young age and he wasn't ready to lose his dad. He knew Jared wouldn't go without a fight though. That much Mark knew.

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Adrianna let herself lean into the Markus, the support was nice, even if he was nearly 20 years younger. He got it, he understood her fear of going inside. Most people would probably look at you like you're crazy and tell you you were being stupid. Which maybe Adrianna was, maybe she was being stupid. But she couldn't help the fear that washed over her. If she went inside and something bad happened again she knew she would never forgive herself.

Listening to Markus speak she looked up at him and nodded, "I guess you're right" she said as she allowed him to pull her towards the door. Adrianna realized that Markus might need some support through this all too, and she was probably the one person who could relate to him that way. Taking his arm she took the next step this time pulling him forward. If he can do it so can I she told herself over and over. "We can do this" she said with a small smile, she was sounding much more confident and sure of herself.

Once she got through the doors she tensed up a little bit, the hospital setting never really changed.
They were all a little bit different on the inside, but still the same. Looking around she took in her surroundings watching the nurses' bustle about and patients waiting to be seen. Suddenly a nurse was walking towards them; Adrianna felt her heart stop for some reason, and suddenly she wanted to turn and out the door. When she reached Markus and Adrianna she gave Adrianna a half worried look, probably because Adrianna looked about ready to pass out.

NURSE: "Jared Martins family right? He's been asking for the two of you. Follow me please"

That's when relief had flooded over Adrianna. Still not letting go of Markus for the fear that she might actually turn and run out the door she followed the nurse as she took them through the emergency unit to where they had Jared set up for the time being. As they reached him Adrianna dropped her hand from Markus and stood at the foot of the bed, there were a few doctors but they had left to go run tests and get equipment since Jared was stable for the time being. Even though Markus knew about them, and as much as Adrianna wanted to let herself cry and run into his arms at the relief he was looking better. The vet in her didn't let her do that, Jared didn't know that Markus knew about them, and Adrianna was still very much on edge from being in a hospital.

[Markus Martins]

Mark watched her for a few minutes, smiling weakly when she said that they could do it. He nodded his head gently in agreement, giving a weak chuckle when she pulled him through the doors. He looked around for a few minutes before a nurse approached them. Being as it was a small town it wasn't that hard to figure out that Mark was Jared's son. He just gave a week nod in answer before he and Adrianna followed behind.

Mark hated the hospital. It always seemed so sterile and unhappy. Of course...he imagined there wasn't much reason to be happy about being in the hospital, but still. It always depressed Mark to walk the halls of the hospital. He stopped at the door and watched Adrianna go in before he turned to the nurse.

They discussed what would happen next over the next few days for a minute. Jared was going to have to stay here for the next two nights for observations. If he seems like he's up for it, and he doesn't have another heart attack, they're going to run some stress tests on him once the observation period was over. That meant at least three or four days in the hospital. Jared would not be pleased about that. He wasn't going to be pleased about having to spend even one day away from the camp. Not to mention, Mark had a pretty good idea the doctor is going to order Jared to take some time off. Mark would be sure to enforce whatever the doctor said, but he knew Jared wasn't going to do it without a fight. He watched the nurse go for a few moments before he went into the room and closed the door behind him.

He walked over to Adrianna, who wasn't sitting right at Jared's side. That kind of surprised Mark considering he had a good idea what Adrianna felt right now. He gave her a little nudge towards Jared before Mark pulled up one of the chairs in the room and sat next to him. "Dad... you know what this means don't you?" He asked gently. He hoped Jared wouldn't put up too much of a fight. Mark didn't have the energy to argue and fight at the moment.

[Jared Martins]

Jared hated hospitals. He hated the smell. The look. The feel. The doctors. The medicine. Just everything about them. He hated lying on the bed with the IV in his arm and the heart monitor hooked up to him. He hated the beeping coming from the machine that kept in time with his heart. All in all, he wasn’t in a very good mood. No that wasn’t even the tip of the surface of his hate for hospitals. Growling under his breath, he glared at each and every doctor that walked by. It was impossible not to notice how terrified he was making the nurses each time they came to check his blood pressure and heart monitor. A rabid dog held better manners then him right then. He would have rather switched places with a rabid dog right then. At least he would have been put out of his misery instead of being in a bed.

The doctors had insisted that he lay down on the bed, ‘In case you pass out you won’t hit your head on the floor.’ That was the excuse anyway. Jared figured it was their hope to calm him down, it wasn’t working. His eyes were franticly looking around the Emergency Unit hoping to see someone he wanted to see. There were a lot of doctors and nurses he knew from his trips to the hospital, but he didn’t see his son or Adrianna. What could have been taking them this long to get there? Glaring at another nurse that came over to check his IV bag to make sure it didn’t need to be replaced, Jared was very close to getting out of the bed and calling a taxi.

Finally, Adrianna came into the room causing him to sign in relief. It actually caused him to stop glaring around at the place for a moment and just look at her standing at the edge of the bed. She didn’t look to good, like she was about to turn tail and run. It only made him want to hug her close like he had in the office only days before. If anything, he wished he hadn’t gone to the dinner party to prevent her, Markus, and Ayesha from seeing him at his worst moment. Spotting his son right outside the room having a conversation with the nurse, he beckoned Adrianna over to his side. “I think you should be sitting down more than me right now.” He couldn’t stop how rough his voice came out from being forced to come to a hospital in the middle of the night. All he wanted was to go home and take a good long sleep. Was that so wrong?

A smile appeared on his face when Markus came back from talking with the nurse. It didn’t take it long to fall right off his face while sending his son a very long hard stare after hearing his words. “It better mean you’re going to get me out of this place before I just fucking get up and walk out.” Jared wasn’t much of a curser at least not in the presence of anyone. But he was mad, tired, and frustrated by every nurse and doctor that came in to ask him how he was doing and if he was feeling anymore pain. He was a few questions away from telling them just where they could put all that fake concern.

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Adrianna felt the little nudge Markus gave her and the beckoning from Jared. It took her a few moments to get herself from moving, as her hands had been playing with the blanket at the end of the bed. Jared was probably right, in fact if she didn't move towards the bed right that second she was moving out the door. She took a step back for a moment considering the possibility; it would definitely be the easiest thing to do. Or so she thought, until she realized walking out meant walking out on Jared, looking at him again she slowly moved to the edge of the bed. Not to mention Jared had basically ordered her to do so and he didn't seem in a mood to be mess with.

Sitting face him she tucked one leg under and let the other hang off the bed. Adrianna felt herself cringe a little bit mentally as he swore, she couldn't blame him. Reaching out for his hand she felt herself hushing him a little bit, her mind had thought of a number of responses to what he had said, she could be forceful, she could make a joke or she could settle on the words she settled on. "They're just trying to do their job Jared." she said a little quieter than her normal voice. Most of this was because she feared talking, because when you speak you let your emotions out and the other because she really just wanted him to calm down. The last thing she needed right now was him getting himself worked up again and give himself another heart attack. No Adrianna had seen enough today.

Suddenly there was a bit of screaming and then lots of hysterical crying, it was clear that someone had just died down the hall a little bit and that left Adrianna sitting there half frozen. This is why she avoided hospitals; because she knew she'd see someone else loose a loved one and it would make her relive her loss. Luckily their thoughts were interrupted by someone closing Jared's door and as the sound drained away Adrianna started coming to her senses. Looking down she suddenly realized she had been squeezing Jared's hand tighter than what might be comfortable. First off she realized Jared probably hadn't realized Markus knew, or maybe he had. And secondly well, she didn't want to cause him anymore pain. Quickly she pulled her hand away and back into her lap a little bit of a shocked look on her face as she mumbled an apology.

Looking over a Markus she didn't know what to say, she wanted to tell Jared not to worry about it and Markus would have him covered and she had enough free time on her schedule to help out. But she knew it would be argued by Jared and she didn't want him to get to worked up as clearly the nurses and doctors were getting to him already. Turning back to him she looked at him, "How are you feeling?" she looked at him as the worry had never left his face, there was a bit of pleading and desperation there as she mentally beg him to not get himself to worked up.

[Markus Martins]

Markus winced at the curse as well, but a part of him was none-to-surprised. Mark imagined that Jared had been poked and prodded and annoyed by strangers enough as it was this particular night. Mark sighed and hung his head for a moment before he looked up to his father thoughtfully. "Dad... you're not going home tonight." Mark hadn't really wanted to say it, but he didn't have much choice. "It means you're going to have to stay here for the next couple of days." Mark felt tired. Oh so very tired, and he had a very bad feeling that it wouldn't be getting any better this particular night.

"Please... before you start arguing or ripping out the IV and the heart monitor wires... just listen to me." He said as he looked to Jared for a moment, thinking of his mother. Thinking of how terrified he had been when the news of her death was broken to him. He felt even more terrified now. "I know you may be feeling better, Dad, but that doesn't mean squat. If I took you home, you could have another heart attack in your sleep or something and you know as well as I do I could sleep through a train going through my room. " It was true enough. Markus was a very heavy sleeper. He always slept right through storms. and if he didn't it was because Dipstick jumped up in Mark's bed, afraid of the storm outside. " You and I both know that I'm not ready to lose you." It was the truth. There was no way in hell that Mark was ready to take complete control of the farm and all the things that went with it.

He shifted a little closer to Jared. Mark didn't know how well this was going to go over for Jared. He didn't want Jared to get worked up though. The hospital couldn't force him to stay though. Mark was really wishing that wasn't true right now though. He looked to Adrianna for a moment when she asked how he was feeling. Mark thought perhaps that wasn't the best question to be asking right now, but he didn't say anything. He looked back to Jared, wondering what his reaction to the question would be. Mark could see that his dad was irritated right now, which meant he was stressed out. He needed to keep cool though. He just needed to sit back and relax. Mark knew that was virtually impossible for Jared though.

[Jared Martins]

There was no hiding the fear on Jared’s face when Adrianna took a step away as if she was going to leave the room…forever. If there was one thing he knew he wouldn’t survive it was another woman leaving his life after growing so attached to her. He pushed himself up on the bed as if he was going to get up out of the bed and follow after her. However, he relaxed back down when she seemed to rethink her original thought to sit on the edge of the bed. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down his fried nerves but found it nearly impossible. He was still annoyed with all the doctors running around, but them seemed to be leaving him around now that Adrianna was there.

Glancing down at the hand that grabbed his, Jared gave Adrianna a weak smile and shrugged. His hand squeezed hers right back when her hand began to add pressure to his. “Then kindly tell them to do their job on the people that really need it right now.” He hadn’t missed the rooms with those people that were bleeding profoundly. In fact, those sites were likely to keep him awake for the next few nights. He had seen some disturbing sights at Willow Brooke, students that committed suicide, but nothing to leave as much blood as he’d seen in only an hour.

Turning to Markus’s voice, Jared’s eyes nearly budged opened. A couple of nights?! What was he suppose to do? Twiddle his thumbs and act like a child that needed to be waited on?! That wasn’t going to sit well with him. There was work to do, stuff to be over seen at the school, he couldn’t just take a couple of days off when there were students who really needed to talk to him. Grace came to mind instantly making him curse under his breath once more. He opened his mouth to argue again when the scream from down the hall caused him to shut up. That was never a good sign in a hospital, especially in the Emergency Unit. Even more so when crying comes along with the screaming, someone must have passed away if the doctors and nurses running around outside the room were any indication.

The increased squeezing coming from Adrianna’s hand had gone unnoticed by Jared until she removed her hand the moment Markus had entered the room brining realty back into play. That’s right, he didn’t know that Markus knew about them and was sure that she wanted to keep it that way so he didn’t press the loss of her hand from his. Although it would have been nice to have that small reassurance. He sighed heavily hearing Markus’s words this time about not being ready to loss him. Rubbing a hand over his face, he tried to calm down and think logically instead of like a wild animal in a cage, which was what he was feeling like right then. “You’re not going to loss me just yet. I already told you I’m staying ‘til you get me some grandkids. I wasn’t kidding about that.” A grin appeared on his face, the first one in hours it seemed. His hand reached out and rubbed Markus’s head when he moved closer to the bed. “For you, I’ll stick around this damn place for a few nights.” That didn’t mean he was going to be any nicer to the doctors just that he was going to stop complaining about going home.

Rolling his eyes up, Jared signed even more from the question posed by Adrianna. She was likely to be the only one to get away with that one without getting a snappy comment back from him. “I’ve had better.” Oh hell, he had nightmares better than what was happening right then. At least there weren’t any more pains in his chest.

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Listening to Markus speak nearly broke her heart, but she was at least glad it seemed to get the point through to Jared and he agreed to stay. Adrianna was with Markus though, she wasn't ready to lose Jared either. Adrianna let a small smile fall on her face as Jared joked a little bit. This let Adrianna think about Jared as a grandfather, she could imagine just how spoiled those kids would actually be. It wasn't long before Adrianna started feeling bad for the nurses and doctors who would have to put up with Jared for the next few days. She didn't blame him for not liking the place, she found hospitals creepy and dreary and on top of that the food tended to suck.

Adrianna figured it would be best to give the two sometime alone for the moment, standing up she looked at Markus. "I'm going to get a coffee do you want anything to drink or eat?" pausing she turned and looked at Jared, "I'm not sure what you can have...but if there anything you want or need?" She wasn't willing to sneak any type of food into him yet without the doctor's consent, but she also knew none of them had really finished their meal and she had no problem going to the doctors and asking what he could have.

Running a hand through her hair as she stood up she was beginning to feel her body relax again; everything was going to be okay. She had been telling herself that over and over for the last half hour, and now she was beginning to believe herself. It was probably even clear from her face as the colour began to turn to her face, her eyes lightened a bit and her general attitude had improved. It wasn't that she wasn't still worried about Jared, but she was no longer as stressed and worried. It was a huge relief to begin returning to the old Adrianna. That Adrianna could handle being in a hospital for the first time since her parents died.

She wondered how Jared would make it a few days here and then likely a few weeks of rest at home. Adrianna had a feeling her and Markus may be dragging Jared back to the house quite a few times. She would have to find ways to occupy himself at home, maybe there would be some light paper work he could do that wouldn't be too stressful. Deciding she would be sure to do the yearly health checkups on basically all the horses at the farm and let him read them, as long as they were positive. At least it would make him feel slightly involved.

As she walked to the door she turned around to wait to see if either of them wanted anything, if not she would leave them to chat for a few minutes alone, she figured they could both use it.

[Markus Martins]

Mark sighed and put a hand to his head for a moment before he looked back up to Jared. "They're doing what they're told, Dad... you'll be on observation for the next two nights, so they'll be watching you like a hawk." He said as he rubbed his temple thoughtfully. He felt a headache building. He put a little pressure on the spot before he looked up to his father. "They're going to be in and out of here all night, so ... just ignore them as best you can." He suggested gently. He knew that would be difficult for his father, but he had to try and relax. Ignore the nurses that would be in and out for the next two nights.

He laughed weakly at his father's comment and shook his head. "Yes, well if you wish to still be alive when I do have children, you're going to do whatever the nurses and the doctors ask of you, and take some time off from work." Mark said gently, hoping Jared might actually give in to that little tug. He doubted it, but the two of them definitely needed a bit of a laugh. Deep blue eyes looked over Jared's face for a moment before he laid his hand over Jared's, giving it a good tight squeeze. "Thank you, Dad." He murmured weakly as he leaned against the bed a little. He lifted his hand to his head again, rubbing at his temple for a moment

He looked up to Adrianna as she said she was going to get some Coffee. He gave a gentle nod. "A coffee would be great, Doc... lots of sugar and creamer." He told her for a moment before he looked to his dad. "And if you can find something to eat that would be great to." The nurse had said that they would be bringing a dinner platter up for Jared in a little bit. Mark knew that hospital food wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't awful either. He looked to Jared for a moment. "They're gonna get you something to eat in a bit , but if you want anything we can get you something. " He said gently as he gave his dad's hand a squeeze.

He was pretty sure that Jared couldn't have coffee. Hopefully he wouldn't ask for coffee because that was one of the few things Mark and the nurses weren't going to allow him. He didn't think Jared would though. As upset as he was, Mark imagined he would want a little sleep for a bit.

[Jared Martins]

Spending the next couple of nights wasn’t a pleasant idea to Jared in the least. He felt like a five year old feeling since all he wanted to do was throw a tantrum right there. Of course, his dignity deprived him of that pleasure. Instead he took a deep breath and let it out before glaring at the next nurse that opened the door. Her face paled before she quickly left after mumbling something about coming back later to check his blood pressure. A wise choice if she didn’t want any smart comments from him.

Cutting his eyes at Markus, Jared sighed and leaned his head back on the pillow to stare up at the ceiling. How had it all come to this? He’d taken care of his body, worked out around the camp. It wasn’t like he’d sat around all day. He made sure to ride as often as he could and get fresh air when the paperwork was too much. “Markus, I’ll take care of myself but you better realize I’m doing it to keep that look off your face.” The very one his son had on right then that was cutting at his heart. It was a cross between being completely lost and helpless. He offered his kid a large smile trying to tell him nothing was going to happen to him. His life plans didn’t include him dying just yet with all the things he still had yet to see and do.

At the request from Adrianna to get something, Jared’s large blue eyes glanced up at her as if saying he needed just her. However, his mouth wasn’t about to say that with his son in the room with him. That sense of privacy still hung strong in his mind. He didn’t know that Markus knew about them as far as he was concerned they were still in a very private and secret relationship. “I could go for some water right now.” How stupid was it that he was in a hospital but they’d neglected to give him the one thing a human could live on for weeks. Coffee would have been nice, but sleep was starting to weigh heavy on his mind. His eyelids were a little droopy as well but with Adrianna out of the room he wanted to talk to his kid.

If there was anyone Jared was going to be spending a lot of time with, or he hoped to be spending a lot of time with, it was Adrianna. With the time off he really wanted to talk with her properly instead of behind his office door whenever she brought the horse reports in. He really wanted to make up for scaring her by being rushed to the hospital. It wasn’t fair to ask it of her, but Jared really needed her. He loved her, a hell of a lot.

[Markus Martins]

He looked over his dad thoughtfully and did his best to lighten up his expression a little bit. "I'm scared, Dad..." It took a lot for Mark to admit that, even to Jared. He may have been Mark's dad, but Mark was very reserved about his feelings like his father. Admitting that he was scared, out loud, meant that Mark was scared, and within good reason. His dad was sitting in a hospital bed after suffering from a heart attack. "You can't give me anymore scares like this, Dad... which means taking better care of yourself when you go back to work." Mark knew what that meant. The question was, did Jared? That would mean less hours in the office, and more hours resting and relaxing.

He waited for Adrianna to leave them before he turned back to Jared. There would be many things they would have to discuss about the camp since Mark was going to have to be in charge for a while. Mark wasn't looking foreward to it really, but he loved the camp, and he felt it his duty to take over. He was going to have to get a little help from Larry and Adrianna probably, but Mark knew he could do this. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. He could do this. He knew it would take some work, but he could do it.

"So, when were you planning on telling me about you and Doc Bowen?" He asked gently, attempting to lighten up the mood. They were going to have to have this conversation either way because if Mark knew his dad (and he did), Jared would need Adrianna for this. Mark couldn't stay with him here at the hospital all of the next forty eight, plus hours. He needed someone than Mark to keep him company, and Mark wouldn't object if she climbed into the bed and snuggled up with Jared. Jared needed more than his son.

[Jared Martins]

Hearing Markus’s fear, Jared knew why and could understand. Deep down, he was terrified as well. They both of them weren’t very good at expressing their feelings, they were guys what did anyone expect? But somehow he needed to tell Markus that he felt the same way. His hand reached out and hooked his finger under his son’s chin to get him to look in square in the eyes. “I’m scared too, but I’m not going to leave you alone just yet.” He wasn’t going to leave Markus to the world until he was positive he wouldn’t be alone. It was that simple. He was a stubborn guy and no heart attack was going to keep him down, or even six feet under. Removing his fingers from Markus’s chin, he laughed at being ordered around by the kid. The words were true, but it was still funny when he thought of the little boy he’d carried around on his shoulders before placing him on a saddle.

“I promise you, Markus, this wasn’t intentional. Damnit, I wish you hadn’t seen this happen.” With Adrianna out of the room, he felt a little freer to curse out loud. It was still rare but given that he was flat on his back in a hospital it felt got to get his frustration out some way. “I thought I was taking care of myself before this.” Grinning at his son, it soon fell right off since now wasn’t the time to joke. He’d already joked enough for the night to put off how scared and worried he was to leave behind his son, Adrianna, and all the kids at the school. “I can’t guarantee anything. I’ve worked too long and too hard to suddenly break my habit of long hours.” At least Jared was being honest with his son instead of just nodding and agreeing with him.

Out of everything, Jared wanted to kick himself for having to dump everything on Markus. All the school’s paperwork and its issues. It wasn’t the life he hoped his son would have. He wanted more for Markus, doing whatever he liked. Not having to take over a school that had more problems than a stockbroker begging for change. It only eased his headache knowing that Adrianna and Larry would be there to help him out.

Holding back a groan, Jared’s head rolled back on the bed to avoid looking at his son when questioned about his relationship with Adrianna. This wasn’t the conversation he’d been hoping to have with him. What happened to trying to cheer up a patient? Why was he being questioned about his private life? It also annoyed him that Markus saw through everything and had put the pieces together. It didn’t help that his foot had missed Adrianna’s under the table and rubbed against Markus’s. There was no way he was going to live that down. Turning his head back to Markus, he smirked. “I was going to tell you as soon as you grew the balls to ask out Lucy.” There was nothing he didn’t pick up on his ranch. The tension between the two kids had been building up for years and Jared would have pushed them together sooner if he hadn’t been concerned about Lucy’s past with men…partially her father.