Author's Note: I do not know how much I will post in the coming weeks. I am battling diabetic ulcers in my foot and leg and the last time, I lost my desire to write. This lasted 4 months. I will take it day by day as I have to make frequent trips to the city to see doctors and nurses for wound care and IV care, but if you don't see a lot of new chapters, this is why.

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Dr Cameron sat down at one of the computer terminals at the nursing station. After entering his password, he called up Marissa's chart, which was under a pseudonym, and began typing up his notes. He had gone through school just before the computer era and had thought he had no use for typing, so he hadn't taken that class in high school. It was a decision he'd grown to regret. A few years ago, his wife had talked him into taking a night class in keyboarding. Though he had been reluctant out of fear he'd stand out due to his age, he had finally agreed and to his surprise, he found a few people older than himself in the class. He was now glad that Anna had pushed so hard and that he'd finally agreed.

Quenton was almost finished his notes when a nurse approached him, asking why Marissa was getting preferential treatment in being allowed to have someone who wasn't her spouse or partner on the bed with her. “Marissa isn't getting preferential treatment”, he replied. “When a patient needs something out of the ordinary and it is in their best interest to have it, we try to accommodate them. In Marissa's case, as we can see by what happened last night when her friend wasn't here, it is best to allow him to be there with her.”

“It sounds like a child who wants their own way - 'let him on the bed or I will have nightmares and scream'”, Candy said, imitating a child's sing-song voice for the last part.

Dr Cameron was getting impatient with this new staff member - a young woman just out of nursing school - but he could not let it show. That would be unprofessional and he prided himself on always being professional. “Nightmares are something we cannot control”, he told her in a calm voice. “As you know, I am a psychiatrist. There's a reason Marissa is having them. She has been through a lot - more in the last few years than most of us will go through in a lifetime. Because of that, she is very fragile emotionally and she does not feel secure. It may take a long time for her to feel safe again. Her friend has a calming effect on her so it's beneficial for her and the rest of the ward for him to be there on the bed with her. Are you her nurse?”

“No.”

Quenton looked at her with piercing eyes. “Then why is it a concern?” He read her ID tag. “Sally.”

“Uh … the … uh … nurses are all talking about it.” Sally suddenly got nervous and fiddled with a pen she had in her hand.

“Tell them to stop talking about it. We don't gossip about the patients. Is that clear?” Despite his intentions, the doctor's patience was wearing thin. He had no tolerance for high school behavior at work at the best of times, but when it was about an especially vulnerable patient, he was even less forgiving.

“Yes, Doctor”, Sally replied in a chastened tone before going back to her duties. Quenton sat and thought about Marissa. He was worried about her, fearful that last night's incident would set her progress back. She'd been doing better than expected, given what she had been through. Which reminded him, he had to file a formal complaint about Dr Strickland. He picked up the phone and called the Chief of Staff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marissa slept until the portable X-ray machine came up an hour after it was ordered. Braxton remained beside her, pulling her tight when she let out a whimper. He didn't know if she was dreaming or if it was from pain, but she quieted down so he did not want to wake her up to ask.

Gael and Irene sat beside the bed, Irene with her knitting and Gael with Marissa's tablet. After a while, the Brennan patriarch got coffee for them both at the downstairs cafe and they went to the consulting room for a break. “Are you feeling better, honey?” Irene asked after they'd sat down.

“A bit, but I'm still pissed at that doctor who got angry with her for having a nightmare. I don't want him anywhere near our baby again.” He took a sip of his piping-hot java. “This is nowhere near as good as your coffee, Reenie.”

Irene put a hand on her husband's knee in support. “I agree. We'll speak with either Dr Cameron or Gideon about Strickland when one of them has a moment. I'm worried about Marissa's hand and wrist. If the bones need to be reset, will they have to operate? She has been in hospital long enough, and she will be back in January for her cancer surgery.”

“There's something else we need to think about, Reenie - much as I hate to bring this up right now - and that is going home. Marlene from Children's Services called while I was downstairs. They are getting antsy about us being away for so long. Rex Avery talked to her and assured her that the danger to the children is negligible even if anyone in charge escaped the compound explosions, so they aren't going to take the fosters, but they want at least one of us back home looking after them. I think they would prefer it be you if we are adamant about someone being here with Marissa. She does understand our feelings on that, she says she's a parent too and she would feel the same way if it were one of her children in hospital.”

Irene sighed. “I can understand their position. We *do* have other children, it's just that Marissa needs us the most right now. Just like when Terry had his surgeries, he needed us the most at the time and the others understood.”

“Reenie, it's not our children that is the problem - they understand - it's Children's Services. And it's not so much Marlene, but she has people she reports to. We have to keep them happy. Why don't you fly home and I'll stay here with Rissa? You can take the car home from the airport or Vicky or Patsy can go get you.” Except when Gael was in the barn with a very sick animal, the Brennans had not slept apart since Marissa had been in the neonatal ICU and Irene had sat beside her incubator all night. She hadn't wanted her daughter to die alone, if that was the way things went, and the hospital she was at in Edmonton allowed immediate family to stay with critically ill patients and patients in the NICU 24/7. At the time, Marissa's older siblings were too young to be alone, so their parents had taken turns at the hospital. Gael didn't relish the thought of being separated from his wife for days or weeks or however long it would be until Marissa was discharged, but he didn't want her to be alone and Braxton couldn't be there 24/7 - he needed his breaks.

“Yes, I know, and if only one of us goes, it should probably be me.”

“You are the primary caregiver, I'm working in the barns or fields all day”, Gael reasoned. “Bill and Stan can handle the farm - they will put the older children to work helping them. Anne loves to work in the barns when we let her and Julie has been hanging out in the milking parlour and free stall barn a lot. I think she might be a dairy farmer in the making, but she's too young to help with milking. They will be fine, though. There's enough help around. Children's Services want the foster mother there and that is you. We'll wait to see what is going on with Rissa's hand first. If she needs surgery, we should both stay until that's over.”

“I agree about that, but let's hope she doesn't need it - she has had enough go wrong as it is.” Irene, like her husband, was finding it difficult seeing Marissa in so much pain. Syracuse had been emotionally draining on them, and now, after finally doing so well, their daughter was in extreme pain again. Irene wondered when it would end. She was grateful for Dr Cline and Braxton's suggestion that they see him and she hoped that she could have video appointments with him from the farm.

Gideon came into the room and sat down. He was in his green surgical scrubs and looked exhausted. After greetings were exchanged, he said “I'm sorry I couldn't see Marissa earlier. My car broke down on the way to the hospital and by the time a tow truck got there and I caught a cab here, I was already late for my first procedure of the day. Had I known what happened last night, I'd have come up to the ward anyway.”

“Don't stress over it, Gideon”, Irene told him. “We know that Marissa isn't your only patient.”

“I know, but right now, she's the one I'm most worried about. The x-ray technicians are in with her now. Braxton is going to come get me when they are finished and I will go and view the images.”

“Did you see her?”

“Yes, Gael, I did.”

Gideon's short reply worried Irene. “How is she, Gideon?” she asked. “She was sleeping when we left her.”

“She is in some pain, it seems the medication that Quenton Cameron gave her is starting to wear off - or she is just in that much pain that it didn't completely alleviate it. She can have another dose in a couple hours. I had to take the cast off for the x-rays, she wasn't happy about being woke up for that. Is that normal for her?”

“No, it isn't”, Gael replied. “I'm sorry if she gave you a hard time.”

“She's in pain, it's to be expected that she's a little grumpy. I've had patients be a lot crankier than Marissa, believe you me.”

“I hope she wasn't rude to you. Pain or not, that is inexcusable.” The Brennans had allowed all their children to be irritable when they were sick or in pain, but they were never allowed to be rude. Even the adult offspring were put in their place if they took it out on their caregivers - or anyone else. Like when Marissa dropped the “F-bomb” at the dinner table.

“She wasn't. I think she was more freaked out about the saw we use to cut the plaster, even though she has had casts cut off before. Braxton and I got her calmed down. He sat behind her with his arms around her while I did it.”

“Braxton has been a godsend. He has a very calming effect on her”, Irene told him. “We are so thankful that he flew out to Syracuse right away when he heard where she was. And that he came here to Denver with us when they transferred her.”

“When he called me a year ago to tell me Marissa had left and she'd asked him to call me and cancel her surgery, I could tell that he was very upset, even though he was trying to hide it. I think he'd grown very fond of her in the short time he'd known her. Then, a few months later, I got the mass letter he sent out to doctors who'd referred patients to him informing us that he was closing his practice and moving out of the area. I was sure it had something to do with her disappearance.”

“Braxton is more than fond of Marissa”, Gael informed him.

“Oh?” Gideon opened his eyes wide and sat up straight in his chair. “Do tell!”

“Reenie and I walked in on them kissing a few days ago. Oh, don't worry, they weren't 'making out' in the hospital. It was just a kiss on the lips, but I'm hoping there is something brewing between them.”

Gideon smiled. “That doesn't surprise me, Gael. And if there is something 'brewing' between them, I want you to know that Braxton is a great person. I've heard nothing but good things about him from the doctors here. He was a very popular therapist when he had his practice here in Denver. It was hard for new patients to get in to see him. I had an 'advantage', if you would call it that, in that he considered referrals from me to be urgent, given that they were cancer patients, and he made time for them all. You have nothing to worry about in regards to Marissa's well being. He would never hurt her.”

“I have no doubt about that, Gideon. I know Braxton is a fine man. Rissa is very lucky that he's interested in her.”

“My ears are burning”, Braxton said as he entered the room, his forefinger and thumb on one ear lobe. He had heard Gael's comment. “I will be the lucky one if Marissa is even remotely interested in me.”

“She is, Braxton. I know my daughter. She would never have allowed you to kiss her if she wasn't. Are they finished getting the x-rays?” Gael inquired.

“Yes, they are.”

“I will go look at the images - I'll be back in a few minutes.” Gideon got up from his chair and left the room.

“How is Marissa doing?” Irene asked Braxton the same question she'd asked Gideon. He took a seat and looked at both senior Brennans. They looked years older than they probably were, he thought. Most likely from worry about their daughter.

“Marissa is okay, she's resting. She didn't want to have the x-rays taken, but Gideon and I got her to see the wisdom in having it done.”

“I hope she didn't give you too hard a time, Braxton”, Gael said. “Gideon told us she was cranky.”

“She didn't. Gael, I know you expect a certain behaviour from your kids, even the grown ones, but when someone is in a lot of pain, there's a good chance they will lash out. That doesn't mean that they are misbehaving or that they haven't been taught manners, it's just the pain speaking. Marissa was resistant to having the x-rays and she may have been cranky, but she was not belligerent or rude at any time. You have a very lovely daughter who has been through a lot, and still has a lot to go through. It seems like she can't catch a break right now, and that is affecting her mood as well. Let's giver her some slack, okay?” The Brennans nodded.

“You are right, Braxton”, Irene said. “I know Gideon said he would be back, but can we see her?”

“Of course. He's at the nursing station, I'll let him know you are in her room.”

Marissa was lying on her back with her affected arm across her chest. The wrist had been splinted and wrapped. Gideon had not wanted to re-cast her until he had the x-ray results. She opened her eyes when she heard movement in the room. “Mama...Daddy...she said in a voice made fuzzy by the combination of medication and pain.

“We're here, sweetie”, Irene said as she sat in a chair beside the bed.

“Where is your knitting, Mama?” Marissa had noticed Irene didn't pick it up.

“It's over there, by the table. Shhhh... I'm making a sweater for Gideon for Christmas. Don't tell him”, she said in a co-conspiratorial tone she used back home with the youngsters.

“My lips are sealed”, Marissa promised with a smile. “I know he'll love it.”

“I've already made one for Paula and one for Caitlin before we came down to the States. If I have time before the holiday, I'll make one for Braxton. Do you know his favourite colour and his size?”

“No, but I'll try and find out.” Then she remembered something. “Wait... I have some of his clothes - a sweater and pair of sweat pants. They are in my bottom right dresser drawer, maybe Patsy or Vicky will go look for a label. I can call them and ask them to do it if I can have your phone.” Marissa's phone had been on the ground at Charlie's Pasture when she was kidnapped. Someone had picked it up and taken it to the house, but her parents had not thought to take it with them to Syracuse.

“I'll call them later. I was going to call the farm anyway.”

“Mama, let me help with the cost of the yarn. I'll see if Agent Avery will let me have access to my bank account here. I can get Patsy to send my bank books by courier. Or I can pay you when I get home.”

“No, Marissa. It is not necessary. These are gifts from the whole family, not just me. I sold a lot of them in the late summer and early fall, so the money will come from that.”

“My ears are burning again”, they heard from the doorway. Braxton entered the room.

“That's because we were gossiping about you”, Marissa teased. “Come here, I need a Braxton hug.”

He sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. “Gideon will be in in a minute. He's making a phone call.”

Marissa reached for her water. Braxton pushed it out of the way. “Sorry, honey, Gideon said you can't have anything to eat or drink.”

“Why not?” she asked, irritation in her voice.

“Marissa, mind your manners - and your tone”, Gael admonished.

“Yes, Daddy.” She may have been cranky, but she knew her parents would not tolerate rudeness in their presence. “Sorry, Braxton.”

“No need to apologize, honey. The reason Gideon said that is he doesn't know if you will need an operation on your hand. If you do, it's best you not have anything beforehand.”

Marissa groaned. “I don't want another operation.”

“None of us do, but sometimes it's necessary.”

Dr Maynard came in a few minutes later. “I've looked at your x-rays”, he said to Marissa “and I sent them to Dr Duncan. Do you remember him? He did the surgery on your wrist and arm last year.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“I asked him to look at the images and take you on as a patient again. It will be up to him whether you need surgery or if the bones can be reset without it.”

“What did you see in the images?” Irene asked, fiddling with a straw she'd picked up from Marissa's table. Her hands felt empty without her knitting.

Gideon ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. “Do you want the raw truth or the sugared version?”

“Give it to me straight”, Marissa said. “I can take it.” She had lain back against the raised head of her bed. Braxton took her good hand in his.

“It's a mess, Marissa. All four of your metacarpals - those are the bones in your hand - are broken.” He showed her on his hand where the metacarpals are. “A couple are displaced, probably from the fall. There are a few breaks and cracks in your wrist bones. The breaks all look to be the same age - I suspect they happened when your assailant stomped on your hand at the compound, not when you fell out of bed. There is a crack in the bone in your little finger and a break in the one next to it. I'm waiting to hear from Ryan Duncan once he sees the radiographs. Don't be surprised if he wants to operate and put pins in some of them.” Seeing the look on her face, he reassured her. “I don't think it would affect your release date if you do need surgery. Remember when you had pins put in a year ago? The only reason you had to stay overnight was because of the bleeding from the biopsy. Ryan would have let you go home the same day. Talk to him about it and any concerns you have - that is, if he wants to do surgery, but I'm pretty sure he will.”

Braxton left to go downstairs to get some tea and coffee for himself and the Brennans. He ran into Ryan Duncan as he stepped off the elevator. “Hi Braxton”, the orthopedic surgeon greeted him. “Are you here with Marissa Brennan?”

“I am. It's good to see you, Ryan - though I wish it were under better circumstances.” He got back on the elevator with the surgeon - he could get drinks later.

“Braxton, I looked at Marissa's file and she's been through a lot! It certainly explains her reluctance to say much when I saw her a year ago.”

“Yes, Ryan, it does - it explains a lot of things she said to me - and didn't say. She's opening up to me little by little and what is in her chart is probably not the half of what she's been through.” They got off at Marissa's floor. He opened the door to the ward, which was across from the elevator and they walked through.

“I see Quenton Cameron is seeing her. He's good. If anyone can help her, it's him.”

“Yes, she is trusting him more and more. It looks like she may be safe now that that compound in New York State has been blown up, but it will take a while for her to *feel* safe.”

“Was that the Cartel? Wow, I read about it. It looks like someone really cleaned house with that.” They entered Marissa's room. She was awake and talking to her parents. “Hello, Marissa”, Ryan greeted her. “Do you remember me?” He held his right hand out to her.

“Yes, I do, Dr Duncan.” Marissa took his proffered hand. “These are my parents, Gael and Irene.” Ryan shook their hands, then got down to business.

“Marissa, I know Dr Maynard gave you the results of the X-rays that were ordered, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. I'd like to put pins in some of those broken bones. I can do it as soon as an OR becomes available, probably in a few hours.”

Marissa shook her head. “No surgery”, she said through clenched teeth.

“Why not? You did fine last time, remember?” Ryan asked.

“No, I did not. I got an infection”, she reminded him.

“That was from the cut that was inflicted on you and the shoddy stitching job it initially had. It had nothing to do with the repair I did.” Ryan resisted an urge to get indignant at the slightest insinuation that he had been sloppy. He knew she was in pain and scared.

“Dr Duncan, as next of kin, I can sign for the surgery, can't I? I will sign the papers”, Gael said. Marissa's eyes got wide and she shook her head emphatically. “Yes, Rissa, I will.”

“Only if she's deemed incompetent” was the reply. “But this isn't life or death, so I would be very hesitant to override the patient's wishes, no matter how ill advised they may be.” He looked at Maynard. “What is your opinion, Gideon?”

The oncologist thought a moment. “Quenton Cameron put her on very strong pain medication. It does make her 'fuzzy' and in and out of it for the first few hours. Right now she seems more 'with it', but she is also in a lot of discomfort since the medication is wearing off. She's due for another dose. I'm not sure that I want to force her on this one, though, since, as you said, it's not life or death. I would like her to reconsider and consent.”

Gael's patience was wearing thin. He loved his daughter to the moon and back, but she had to do what her doctors recommended. “Rissa, smarten up and sign the papers.”

“Just a minute, Gael. Let me try”, Braxton said as he approached Marissa's bed. He sat down and rubbed her leg. “What is it, honey?” he asked. “Why don't you want the operation?”

“I just want to go home!” she wailed.

“I know, but you can't right now.” Turning to Ryan, he asked “Tell her when she can be discharged.”

“Marissa, as far as this surgery goes, you can go home tomorrow, maybe even tonight. Unless there are surgical complications, you don't need to stay because of it. However, I don't think Dr Maynard is ready to release you yet.” Gideon shook his head no, indicating that he wasn't ready to discharge her. “That is between you and him. Please think about it. The pins will help your bones heal faster and better. It is a fact that you are going to have arthritis in that hand down the road. It could possibly be delayed a few years or more if this is done and the bones heal properly. I understand you ride horses?”

“And my steer”, she giggled, showing a positive emotion for the first time that day.

“What? This I have to see”, Ryan teased her. “But I can't see it until your hand heals. You need your hands for the reins, it will be a lot easier if you use this tool - that being the surgery - to help you heal.”

“All right”, she conceded. “I will have the operation. I think Daddy has a video on his phone of me riding Charlie.”

“I do, Rissa. Sign the papers and I'll show it to Dr Duncan.” Gael was not above using blackmail to get her to follow through.

“I can't, Daddy.” Marissa held her arm up. “I'm left handed, remember?” This elicited a laugh from everyone, diffusing the tension.

“I'll go get the papers ready”, Ryan said. “Marissa, you can just do an X like last time and your father can sign as a witness.”

A few minutes later, Marissa was painstakingly putting an X in the signature field, hoping that Dr Duncan was right and this would not add time to her hospital stay. She'd had enough of hospitals.