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Nolan shrugged noncommittally

"Do you kno many times you’ve called me, Dad?" Sawyer asked

Nolan hunched over the relasses "Fucking remote needs new batteries Get the nurse for me, will you?"

"Never You’ve called me never," Sawyer said "I don’t even know if you have ave it another try

Sawyer sighed Maybe he deserved this He’d been so busy preserving his own pride and playing super sheriff to nized his father’s pride The et how much it sucked when the world you worked so hard to build fell down around you like a house of cards He took the damn remote and walked out of the room to find some batteries He was halfway down the hallhen his phone rang Sawyer looked at the screen with disbelief It was his father

"I have your nuht me the phone last year, you put your number in it," Nolan said "I never called you before because I had nothing to say"

Saalked back into his father’s hospital roo their cell phones to their ears "You have so to say now?" Sawyer asked

"Yeah Except we have to hang up first because I’m not supposed to have this cell phone on in here" His father lowered his arm

Sawyer reached up and , and if The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air the to have to kill hi to the now dark screen of the TV He looked uncomfortable and embarrassed, but he still spoke "I saw you in the paper You caught that guy trying to hurt that pretty waitress at the diner"

"Amy," Sawyer said "She’s okay"

"I know" His father cleared his throat "Because of you"

Saaited, but he said nothing else Apparently that was as big an atta boy as he was ever going to get, but it was so much more than he’d expected that he found hi?"

His father scowled, the lines etched deep in his jowls "That you didn’t totally fk it up"

Sawyer had to laugh "Wow That’s going to go straight to my head, Dad"

"Watch it I can still kick your ass" But there was a small smile around the corners of Nolan’s et some sleep" In fact, his eyes were already closed

But Sawyer kneas going to be okay Not great,they’d never quite ed before--peacefully coexist

"You look different, Clo"

Chloe glanced at Lance and then quickly averted her gaze, afraid he’d see her misery She needed sleep Even more, she needed to understand what had happened at Sawyer’s last night

Or e Lance had caught another nasty cold that had kept him in the hospital for the past few days His doctors had wanted hih and had walked out, calling Chloe for a ride

She’d brought hi watched for the still- Todd Plus Tucker was on a job out of town until Friday Trying to help make Lance co hiet off work and cooing to stay here withover him, she worked her special oil blend into the knots of tension in his shoulders and back "You’re like a rock quarry Breathe as deep as you can Positive visualization Picture your lungs all clear and at one hundred percent Puppies and rainbows"

After a pained laugh, Lance shifted a bit, then turned his head just enough to be annoying "Puppies and rainbows? What’s going on with you? You’re off today" He tensed and grunted when she hit a particularly sore spot "Ouch"

"You’re not concentrating on visualizing your good health"

He dropped his head down and was obedient for about fifteen seconds "It’s about Sawyer, right? What happened? It got too real, and you bailed?"

"Hey, I don’t do that"

Lance was facedown, but she kneas also brows up, and she sighed "Jeez, you go and get laid and you turn into a relationship expert"

He snorted "Yeah, I’d make a fine shrink I’d tell everyone to fk the rules and just live" He paused "And it’s , Renee and me"

Chloe stared down at Lance’s painfully thin, pale, disease-ravaged body She could count his every rib His breath rattled with each inhale "Does she understand--I hed "No Hell no, not even close But she lovesmarveled "And if she can love this body and the man inside it, then you sure as hell can find someone to love your sorry--but fine--ass"

Love hadn’t been in Chloe’s plans when it came to Sawyer Wild sex, yes Love, no So of course that’s what she’d done She’d gone and fallen Stupid, stupid, stupid But as done was done, and she couldn’t unfall She’d tried Didn’t work She’d only fallen harder, even hoping that he’d caught the bug, too But she wasn’t sure

God, she was so confused One lousyhad fallen apart

"S up to his elbows, he gave her a terrifyingly gentle look "I’ve seen him look at you, you know He accepts you, Chloe As is"

Maybe But could he love her?

"Just pro," he said "It’s not worth it Just go for it" His eyes were unsettlingly clear and serene "Look, we both know I’ about here And I want to know you’re okay before…"

Before he was gone

He didn’t say it out loud, he didn’t have to It was the big, fat elephant in the rooood-bye to her? "We are not having this conversation" Her chest was going tight "People with CF have a e of thirty-seven years now You have ten years left before I will even think of having this conversation with you"

"Chloe, that’s the e People die at two, or ten, or twenty-seven" His voice was low and rough, and he shrugged his too-thin shoulders "Shit happens"