40 chapters already - wow! I hadn't thought it would be this long when I first started writing it, but ideas kept coming to me! I hope you aren't bored of it yet. This chapter is a long one.

----------------------------------

“If you get her pregnant, you'll have to marry her”, Gael said to Braxton, only half in jest.

“Daddy!” Marissa exclaimed, embarrassed.

“Relax, Rissa, I'm teasing him. Sort of”, her father added with a wink.

Braxton played along. “I promise I'll wear a condom, Gael.”

Marissa was blushing. “Braxton!” That elicited a laugh from everyone. They were joking around, but all the Brennan children knew about the birds and the bees. Living on a farm where there was a breeding bull, they had known from a young age all about sex and babies. Gael and Irene had also taught them how to prevent pregnancy and diseases. Consequently, to date there had been no “oopsies” in the family.

“Braxton, in all seriousness, if you and Rissa become a couple, you will have my blessing. You are a fine, upstanding man and she could do a heck of a lot worse. I'm pretty sure that Irene would agree.” Gael was secretly hoping that Marissa and Braxton would get together. After the assault on her heels and before she was kidnapped, he had worried about whether his daughter would find someone who would be accepting of her disability - he knew the reality was that that might mean she'd be alone for life. Since she'd come back home, he had been so focused on getting her through turning the Cartel in and dealing with her cancer, he hadn't thought about it much, but he did know that her time with that organization was another liability in the dating world. However, seeing how comfortable Braxton was around Marissa and how she responded to him made him think there might be something brewing between them.

A couple days later, Braxton's parents came to the hospital from Boulder to see their son and meet Marissa. Braxton had called them when he had arrived back in Denver but Marissa was still very sick and only family could visit in the ICU. He was able to because the doctors had made an exception at Gael's insistence.

Garret and Ella Jagger were met at the hospital's front door by their son. It was obvious to anyone who met them whose son Braxton was. He was almost the spitting image of his father, the main difference being that Garret looked 20 years older and had more grey in his hair than his son had in his. He also had a few more wrinkles in his face. Ella was the opposite of her husband. She dyed her hair blonde to hide the grey that had taken over. Her eyes were a pale green and she had slim figure. Ella had passed her smile and her easy going disposition on to her son, as well as her love of books. She had not passed on her interest in athletics and running - she ran almost every morning, even at the age of 65 and she was on a seniors' triathlon team.

They had tea at the small cafe by the hospital's entrance before going up to Marissa's room. “You look more like yourself again”, Ella said to Braxton once they were seated.

“You mean I didn't look like myself?” Braxton asked as he poured some milk into his Tetley.

“No, son, you didn't”, Garret answered. “We didn't want to say anything to you but you looked much older and stressed at our anniversary party.” He and his wife had been shocked at their son's appearance.

Braxton was dismayed at hearing this. “I'm sorry, Dad. I hope I didn't ruin it for you.”

“No, you didn't, but your mom and I were worried. We figured it was over Marissa and closing your practice. It seemed like you were never going to hear from her again and we didn't know how to help you cope with that.” Both he and Ellen deliberately did not say anything about Amber. They had agreed not to on their drive from Boulder. Braxton had ended his relationship with her and that was the important thing.

“I am glad that the Brennans found me, but not happy about what Marissa has been through.” He had called his parents one morning when he was at the Maynards' and told them everything, feeling sure that they would not judge her. He was right - they didn't. They knew that their son had good instincts about people and if he felt strongly about someone, that person was a good soul.

Ella reached over and put her hand over her son's. “We are glad to hear that she is doing better. Is she getting therapy?”

“Yes, someone from the hospital's psych unit is seeing her. She seems to like him and I think it's helping for her to talk to him.”

“Good. I know you would counsel her if you could.”

“I can't, Mom. I'm too close to her to be her therapist, but she can still talk to me - and she is, a little at a time. She's been through Hell and back, but she's strong - I know she will be just fine in the long run.”

“How long are you staying here?” Garret asked.

The topic Braxton had been dreading. “For the duration. Once Marissa is strong enough, she has to have her kidney removed. After she recovers from that, she will have chemo and maybe radiation. I am going to be here all the way through it.”

“What about work?” Ella wanted to support her son, but she was worried about him neglecting his home and job.

“That's a topic for another time, Mom”, Braxton replied in a firm voice. Ella recognized it and knew not to push.

“I am just worried about how you are financially.”

“That isn't an issue”, he reassured her. “I have money saved up - after all, I don't have any dependents. All I do is work and go home. I don't have expensive hobbies or travel habits.”

“Son, if you need anything, you know all you have to do is ask. We will do whatever we can.” Garret finished his tea and looked around for a washroom.

“Thanks, Dad, but I only want emotional support. It was heartbreaking to see Marissa so close to death.” Braxton started to choke up at the memory of walking into her ICU room in Syracuse for the first time. “By the way, I think what you are looking for is over there.” He pointed to a doorway to his left which led to a hallway to the men's and ladies' rooms.

“You know you will always have that, honey”, Ella said. Garret got up and made his way to the men's room. When he returned, the trio headed for Marissa's ward.

She was sitting up in bed talking to her parents. Braxton introduced Ella and Garrett to the Brennans. “It's nice to finally meet you”, Ella said to Marissa as she gave her a gentle hug. “We've heard so much about you. Braxton is very happy that you are back in his life, though he wishes it were under better circumstances.”

“I'm glad he is back in my life, Mrs Jagger. And I finally get to thank you in person for that lovely shawl.”

“You still have that?” Braxton asked with surprise. Marissa had told him she'd not returned to her apartment in Seattle after finding drugs in her baggage.

“I do. I had it someplace safe.”

“She also has the beautiful dress you bought her”, Irene told him. “And the earrings and necklace set.”

Marissa confirmed it. “It's true, Braxton. I could never have thrown any of that away, even if I'd never made contact with you again.”

“You are very welcome for the shawl”, Ella finally had a chance to say. “And please call me Ella. No need to be formal.

“Call me Garret”, Braxton's father chimed in.

They visited for a bit, the families getting to know each other, then Gael and Irene invited the Jaggers to an early dinner. Irene was sensing that Marissa was getting tired and she wanted to clear the room out so her daughter could have a nap. “Of course, you are welcome to come, too”, she said to Braxton “but I have a feeling you won't want to leave Marissa's side”.

“Thank you for the invitation, but you're right - I don't want to leave her alone.”

“I am fine, Braxton. Go and enjoy yourself.” Marissa did not want him to miss out on dinner with his parents on her account.

“There will be plenty of time to have a meal with everyone when you are out of here. My mind is made up.”

When they were alone, Braxton sat on Marissa's bed and held her hand. “You should probably sleep for a bit, sweetie.”

Marissa shifted herself to a more comfortable position and let him take her hand again. “I will. It was great to meet your parents, they are sweet.”

“I think they enjoyed meeting you. I can't believe you still have those things I gave you. I thought you said you couldn't go back to your apartment after that last trip?”

“I couldn't, it was too risky.”

“How did you get them out?” Marissa told him about packing the items in a suitcase and taking it to a storage locker just in case a time came when she had to flee the city and couldn't get to her apartment to pack up.

“It must have been some sort of hunch”, she said. “I also packed some other clothes, toiletries, cash and a burner phone. In retrospect, I'm really glad I did. Oh, and I have your clothes that I was wearing the first day I met you when you dried mine for me. I kept meaning to give them back, but never remembered.”

“You know, I still have yours”, he told her, undecided about confessing to sleeping with an article of her clothing for months after she left Denver. His decision was made when she made her own admission.

“I hope you don't mind, Braxton - I sometimes wore yours, especially when I was really missing you”, she said with a sheepish look on her face.

“I don't mind at all. In fact, I have my own confession to make.” He told her about how he couldn't sleep for a long while after she left unless he was holding an article of her clothing and of finally going into therapy to try to get over her.

“Oh, Braxton”, she said when he finished. “I'm so sorry I did that to you.” Her eyes were getting teary. “I didn't mean to hurt you. I had no choice.”

He took her in his arms. “I know, honey.”

“I'm tired, I need to sleep.” Marissa lay back on the bed and Braxton held her hand in both of his. He didn't want to let go for fear she would disappear again, though he knew that was irrational. He hoped that, with time, he would relax and not be so afraid of losing her.

“I'll be here when you wake up”, he said to her. When she'd dozed off, he sat in the chair with his thoughts. He had only talked to his therapist once since he flew to Syracuse. Brayden had not been happy that he had gone the moment he found out where Marissa was and what had happened to her. Braxton told him he probably would not be coming back to LA to live, so he might as well put another patient into his slot. He thought he might find a psychologist in Denver to talk to. Even though Marissa was back in his life - for good, he hoped - he needed to get his anger at the cartel in check and he felt he could not open a new practice until he did that. He knew that was months away at the minimum, but he didn't want to harbour his hatred for any length of time. Fortunately, he knew most of the therapists there in the city and he already had one in mind.

A Skype call interrupted his thoughts. It was Rex Avery, the FBI agent. Braxton accepted the call and told Rex that Marissa was sleeping.

“I'm awake”, Marissa said, opening her eyes. “Who is it, Braxton?”

“Rex Avery. Are you up to talking to him?”

“Yes, it's fine.” Braxton gave her the notebook. “Hi Rex”, she said to the FBI agent.

“I'm sorry for waking you up”, Rex apologized. “I have a little bit of news - but what I really called for was to see if you would be willing to look at some pictures and tell me if you know who they are.”

“What kind of pictures?” Marissa asked, not sure if she wanted to do this. She had hoped that she was all finished with the Cartel and the FBI after the explosions at the compound.

Rex took a drink from his bottle of water. “We have some pictures of victims of the explosions. Most of the bodies that have been recovered so far are too charred to be recognizable, but a few weren't burnt beyond recognition. Don't worry - they aren't gory.”

“I suppose ...” Marissa began, but was cut off by Braxton.

“You don't have to if you don't want to.” He sat on the bed where he could see Rex on the screen, and spoke toward the device. “Rex, I'm not sure if you know, but I'm a psychologist - though Marissa is not my patient. She is showing signs of distress and I don't think it's a good idea to do this today.” He had noticed that Marissa was shaking and breathing fast, he presumed it was out of nervousness.

“We absolutely can do it another time. I don't want to stress you out, Marissa.”

“You said you had some news for me, what is it?” She desperately hoped that it was good news.

“Searchers haven't gone through all the rubble yet, but they have found one survivor in the ruins of what may have been a medical building. He's in the ICU on a ventilator, the doctors there don't know if he will pull through or not. I have a photo of him - it's one of the ones I wanted to see if you knew.” Marissa's heart seemed to stop. She'd thought that everyone at the compound had perished.

She hesitated. After a moment she said “Show me the picture”.

“Marissa, you don't have to”, Braxton told her.

“I know, Braxton, but I want to. If I can help Rex with his investigation of those pricks, then it's worth the stress.”

“If you are sure, Marissa...” Rex broke in.

“I am, Rex. Please show me the picture.”

“He's on a ventilator, but his face should be recognizable.” Rex looked through his photographs, selected one and held it up to the camera.

Marissa knew right away who it was. “That's Dr Collins. He's one of the shrinks there. I think there are two, but I'm not sure.”

“Do you know his first name?” Rex asked.

“It's Alan, but I doubt that it's his real name. I'm pretty sure that everyone in the Cartel uses an alias.”

“One more thing, Marissa. You said he's a 'shrink' - do you know if he's a psychiatrist or psychologist?”

“Psychiatrist. I'm sure of it.”

“This is a big help - I may be able to find him through the licensing organization. Hopefully, someone there will recognize him. I'll call you in a few days about the other pictures. You rest and get better. Braxton, can I call you on your phone?” The question surprised both Braxton and Marissa.

“Sure, but can you give me about ten minutes? I want to talk to Marissa before she goes back to sleep.”

After they signed off, Braxton asked Marissa if she was all right. “I'm fine, just tired”, she replied. “I'm tired of being tired.”

“You are still recovering, honey. You need lots of rest. I'm concerned about how you feel about there being a survivor from the compound. You recognized him right away, do you know him?”

“I know who he is because I saw him for a bit, but I don't really know him.” Marissa harboured no ill will toward Dr Collins. She hadn't trusted him at first, solely because he worked for the cartel but she had to give him a second chance because her dreams about Braxton wouldn't stop. Alan did help her, and as far as she knew, he didn't tell anyone at the Cartel what she'd told him in their sessions. However, she didn't know what he would do if he found out she was alive - that was, if he knew the bosses wanted her dead.

“Did he help you?”

“Yes, he did - after I went back to seeing him. I stopped for a bit but the dreams wouldn't go away.” She reached for the glass of water on the table beside her. Braxton handed it to her.

“Were they the same dreams you were having in Denver?” he asked.

Marissa took a drink through the bending straw. “No.”

“What were they about?” Silence. “Marissa?”

“I don't want to tell you”, she said after a couple minutes.

“Why not? Were they about me?” She nodded. “What happened in them? You can tell me, Marissa.”

Marissa took a deep breath. “They were about the Cartel beating you up.” Now Braxton sucked in his breath. “Bri...Mark had told me that I couldn't contact you and that my phone and laptop were subject to search at any time while I was at the compound. He said that if I called you, the Cartel would go after you.”

“Oh, Marissa, I'm sorry.” Braxton was sick at the thought of them bullying her like that. He knew that they had done much worse to her, but this was psychological which could be just as bad as physical. “Did Dr Collins help with the dreams?”

“Yes, he did, thankfully.” Marissa stifled a yawn.

Braxton could tell that she was getting tired again. “All right, no more talking. You need to rest, honey. We'll talk again later.” He was glad that she was opening up to him about what she had been through, even if he did have to coax some of it out of her but he seethed with anger at the Cartel. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his temper in check if he ever ran into any members that might be left, even though he normally wasn't a violent man.

His phone buzzed and he looked at the display. It was Rex Avery. Braxton answered just as Gael and Irene Brennan walked through the door. “I'll be with you in a sec”, he said to Rex as he got off the bed. “Marissa is resting, she's very tired”, he said to her parents. “I'm going to go down the hall to take this.”

“Take your time, Braxton”, Irene said. “Your parents said to tell you they will call you later. They didn't want to come up to the room in case Marissa was sleeping.”

Braxton left the room and walked down the hall to a room that was typically used for families consulting with their loved ones' doctor(s). He closed the door behind him and took a seat. “Sorry about that, Rex. I'm in a private place now. I got the impression that you didn't want Marissa to hear our conversation.”

“You are right, I don't. I wanted to get your opinion on whether she is emotionally strong enough to hear something.”

“She isn't my patient, Rex. She cannot be. I am too close to be her therapist.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes while talking.

“I know, but I can't talk to her psychiatrist without her permission.” Since Marissa was now out of the ICU and no longer in and out of it, Dr Maynard had rescinded the incompetency declaration. “This is off the record. I just need to know if she can handle something that has been found in the investigation of the explosion at the compound.”

“All right, Rex. What did you find?”

“A small notebook was found in the ruins of one of the buildings. Not a notebook computer, the old fashioned kind. One of the pages has her name written on it and the words “find the hospital she was transferred to and eliminate her” underneath, along with a few unspeakable words and doodles. The phrase “eliminate her” was underlined multiple times. We think the building contained offices - the searchers found desks, computers etc. No bodies so far. I was hoping Marissa might know who the handwriting belongs to, though that is probably a long-shot. I don't want to show it to her if it would cause her too much trauma, which is why I wanted your opinion.”

“If she were my patient, I'd prohibit it”, Braxton told him. “I can't stop you from telling her since I'm not her therapist, but my advice is don't do it - at least not now. She was quite distressed after the attempt on her life in Syracuse and this would likely have the same effect on her. If you can possibly get by without telling her about this, it would be best not to.” While he had been reluctant to give Rex a professional opinion, he was now glad the FBI agent had asked for it. He did not want to see Marissa's progress hampered by this new information.

“I am not surprised by your answer. I certainly do not want to increase Marissa's stress level - she's been through more than enough. I'll find another way to identify the writing if I can. If the person is still alive, I want to charge him - or her - with attempted murder, or at the very least, conspiracy to commit murder.”

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

Marissa continued to make progress, both physically and emotionally. Dr Cameron came to see her every day - some days just to check in and see how she was doing, others for a longer chat. Her trust in him grew with each visit and she was starting to really open up to him about what she'd been through. Gideon Maynard saw her most mornings and afternoons on his rounds and often would stop in midday, if he was able to. Paula and Caitlin came for a short visit every few days.

At her insistence, Braxton stayed at the Maynards' one night as Marissa wanted to see if she could sleep through the night alone without having nightmares. Midway through the night, she had one and was thrashing about so violently, she fell out of bed. The nurses had been leaving the rails down on her bed since she had been well on her way to recovery.

Braxton and the Brennans returned in the morning to find Marissa in extreme pain. She had landed on her left arm but, despite the pain, the doctor on duty that night refused to order an x-ray. Her parents were fit to be tied. Gael went to the nurse's station to find out what was going on, but nobody would give him any information as he was no longer Marissa's power of attorney. He called Gideon Maynard's office, but the oncologist was in surgery and would be there all day. He left a message with his secretary, who said she would see that he got it in between operations.

Being unable to reach Gideon did nothing for Gael's mood. His baby was in a lot of pain and he felt powerless to do anything about it. He ended up taking it out on the nurses, though he knew he shouldn't. They were only doing their job and following procedure.

Quenton Cameron saw the commotion at the nursing station as he approached Marissa's room. Taking a detour, he stopped to see if he could help.

Gael explained to him what had transpired. A nurse confirmed that they couldn't tell Marissa's parents anything without her permission. “Then let's go get her permission”, Quenton suggested and started off in the direction of her room. They found Marissa in Braxton's arms, tears rolling down her face. “What's wrong?” he asked her.

“She is in a lot of pain”, Braxton replied. “Nobody will up her pain medication and what she's on isn't enough.” Dr Maynard had been reducing her pain meds as she improved, saying he would increase them again if she had a gallstone attack.

“Let me see if I can find out what's going on. Marissa, on a scale of 1 to 10, one being the least amount of pain and 10 being the most, what number are you at now?”

“20”, she answered in a barely audible voice.

“Can see your hand?” She shook her head. “I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I just need to see it.” Marissa held out her right arm, which elicited an involuntary chuckle from everyone in the room.

“Sweetie, he needs to see your other hand”, Braxton told her. “If he hurts you, I'll hurt him, okay?”

Quenton took one look at Marissa's left hand and cursed under his breath. He could tell it had swelled to the point where there was no room between it and the cast. “What did the doctor on duty say?”

Marissa had stopped sobbing by now. In a voiced quieted by her pain, she replied “He was really mad and almost yelled at me. He said that I woke up some other patients and there was a code so nobody could come to me for a while.”

“What's his name?” Quenton was incensed that a physician would show anger to a patient. That was never acceptable, even if the patient was in the wrong.

“Dr. Strickland. Please don't say anything, I don't want to cause any trouble. He's already mad at me, I don't want him to be madder.”

Irene and Gael had stood quietly while Dr Cameron talked to Marissa. Gael had been trying to keep his anger in check, but at hearing how the duty doctor had treated his baby was the straw that broke the camel's back. “I've heard enough”, he said. “Rissa, you aren't in any trouble and you can't let him get away with treating you like that. I know you've been beaten into submission by the Cartel, but you are not there anymore. Stand up for yourself and don't let him get away with it.” He turned to the psychiatrist. “What can be done about this?” he asked.

“I am going to speak with the chief of staff, Gael. I'll see what she says, but I imagine there will be an investigation and then action may be taken - probably a reprimand which would be a mark on his employment record.”

Marissa was getting agitated. She pulled out of Braxton's arms and tried to get out of bed. “What are you doing?” Irene asked.

“If he's going to file a complaint, I have to get out of here. He'll take it out on me if I don't.” Marissa's mother could see the fear in her eyes.

“Marissa, can you please listen to me?” Quenton asked.

“Okay.” She sat quietly on the side of the bed. Braxton shifted position and put his arm around her. “He won't take it out on you. He will most likely be removed from duty while the investigation is going on. If not, I will try to get him transferred to another ward until you are discharged. Okay?” Marissa nodded. “I'll be back in a few minutes. Braxton, can you get her back in bed?”

“Sure.” Dr Cameron left the room and Marissa lay back on the bed, clutching her arm. Braxton pulled the blankets up over her and sat down. Irene sat in one of the chairs, Gael in the other. They made small talk while they waited. Marissa lay quietly, trying to cope with the pain in her hand and wrist.

After what seemed like forever, Quenton returned. He had two syringes in his hand. “Marissa, I've ordered an X-ray of your hand and wrist to see if any of your fractures have been displaced or if there are new ones. A portable machine is coming up here, so you can stay in your bed. I'm going to give you pain medication in your IV line.” She was no longer on intravenous medication, but the cannula had been left in place in case she needed it again. Dr Cameron flushed it with the syringe of saline solution before injecting the pain medication. “This should work quite quickly”, he said. “I have to go see my other patients, but the X-ray results will be emailed to me and I will check in with you later. I've left a message with Dr Maynard advising him of what I have ordered, but it's in your chart as well, so he'll see it the next time he comes to the ward.”

As Quenton had said it would, the medication had a quick effect on Marissa. Her pain subsided and she got drowsy. Irene and Gael had gone downstairs for coffee after asking Braxton to call them if anything happened. After they left the room, he got up and raised the rail on that side of the bed before lying down behind her. He put his arm around her, under her arm. She was soon asleep. Braxton lay there, thinking. He made a vow to himself that someone would speak to the night nursing staff about the failure to raise Marissa's bed rails when she was there alone - though he also vowed that she would not be alone again as long as she was hospitalized.