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want her in there.
Dr. Turner extended her hand to Sophie.  I am so sorry. I didn t realize Mr. Moretti was married.
Please, come with me Mrs. Moretti.
Sophie stood on wobbly legs and followed Dr. Turner into the ICU. The doors closed behind them
and Ryan slumped to the floor. His breath left him in a rush.
 That was cool, Ryan. Thank you for that. Molly gave him a half smile.
Ryan s eyes met Layla s and she looked away. Her fingers ran through Caleb s hair as he slept on her
lap. His heart squeezed in his chest. He wanted to be the one lying in her lap. He longed to feel her
touch.  Lay, his voice broke into her thoughts and she jumped.  Let s go for a walk.
Tears filled her eyes. She shook her head no and looked down at Caleb. Ryan sighed. He knew she
and Mark were close and that she probably wouldn t leave until she knew he was alright. He put his
head back against the wall and shut his eyes. They just needed an answer. They needed some hope.
He couldn t watch his family fall apart.
 Why was he mad? Everyone looked at Ryan in silence.  Caleb said he was mad. When no one
answered, he got angry.  Why the fuck was he mad?
Without opening his eyes, Caleb spoke.  Because he saw me coming down from Layla s room.
 Code blue, ICU. Code blue, ICU
Chapter 8
Ryan paced the length of his backyard. Everything was so screwed up. He had returned home to
Mark coding in the ICU and a hallway full of friends that had been looking at him with pity. Part of
him knew that Caleb would never betray him. But the other part, the part of him that had seen Caleb
fight Mark for the other Barringer sister, believed what Caleb had said. He had been leaving her
room.  He was leaving Layla s room.
 What was that honey? Aria brought him a glass of water and put her hand on his shoulder to calm
him.  You are seriously going to wear the grass out. Did something happen to Mark?
Ryan shook his head.  No. I am having a pity party for myself.
 Well, stop. You are going to make yourself sick. You haven t slept. I haven t seen you eat. I
certainly haven t seen you lift or run. So it is time to stop. You need to stay strong for Mark. So
whatever this is, it s over. Aria grabbed him by the arm to pull him to the porch.
 Look, Ari. It is horrible what Mark is going through. And I feel like a huge prick for even feeling
this way, but I really was starting to have some feelings for Layla. Maybe Caleb really is an asshole.
He tried to ruin Mark and Sophie. He was one of three people that knew about me and Layla. And
shit, I really thought she cared about me too.
Ryan dropped to the chair and scrubbed his hand down his face. He hadn t shaved in two days and
the roughness of his chin was somehow comforting. He blew out a deep breath and shook his head.
He had broken all three of his rules for Layla. He was kicking himself now. No way would he do
this again.
 That s bullshit. I have known Caleb almost as long as you have. Granted, I don t know him nearly
as well but I do know the kind of person he is. And he loves you. No way in hell would he do this to
you. So pull your head out of your ass and go take a shower. You look like shit. And we are getting
out of this house, even if it is just to go back to the hospital. Aria held the back door open for him
and watched him retreat to the bathroom.
****
Ryan s shower had cleared his head. Aria was right. It was time to take charge. He needed to see
Layla. Their relationship was new and fragile. His anger for Caleb subsided and he decided to leave
judgment for when the truth was known. If she had been unfaithful, there was no coming back from
that. It had only been a few days since he told her he wanted to try to make a relationship work. And
despite the tension, he still wanted that.
Stepping from the shower, he made up his mind. He needed to stay strong for Mark and the rest of his
friends. Part of being strong was taking care of himself. His mind was set. He would go to the
hospital and visit Mark. He would find Layla, at the hospital or at her home. Today, they would
talk. Then he would spend his evening at the gym. He hadn t been feeling well and he knew some
cardio would help.
Kevin had taken on Ryan s clients at work with no complaints. He was working double shifts with a
smile on his face. When they had spoken, Kevin had reassured him that everything was fine at the
gym and there was no need to hurry back. Ryan was so thankful for him. He was quickly becoming
one of Ryan s very best friends. He had become one of the gang and Ryan said a quiet prayer of
thanks.
Ryan dressed in a pair of jeans and a fitted blue V-neck t-shirt. The sleeves of the shirt hugged his
muscles and the jeans hung loose on his hips. He tousled his hair with gel, making it stand up on top.
His dark eyes were darker with exhaustion but he smiled knowing that today he would set things
straight.
****
Layla sat in the waiting room staring into a cup of cold coffee. Her eyes were dark from lack of
sleep. She tucked her legs up under her oversized sweatshirt and put her head onto her knees. Her
black hair fell around her face like silk. She yawned.
Ryan watched her from the doorway. She wasn't aware he was there. He longed to touch her. She
hadn't spoken to him since he left for Boston. She looked at him like a stranger. A few nights ago,
she had lost herself in his arms. But today, this whole week for that matter, things were different. He
swallowed hard and the lump in his throat tightened. His heart got a work out every time she was
around.
He cleared his throat but she didn't respond. "Layla, are you alright?" He stayed in the doorway. He
was afraid the smallest step forward would push her away. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]