He stepped into the room, Sophie right behind him, and smiled at Tyler. He pulled a chair close to the bed and took his brother’s hand.

“You look good today, little brother,” he said. Sophie hovered over Jamie’s shoulder, squeezing his arm. She knew he wouldn’t look like himself but nothing could have prepared her for the lost looking young man lying under the blinding white sheets.

Tyler studied Jamie intently, blinking slowly, as recognition flickered in his eyes and caused Jamie to become excited. “He knows me, Soph,” he grinned.

“Of course he does,” Greta said from the doorway. She entered with Matt and hugged Sophie. “His speech is starting to return also.”

“Won’t be long and we won’t be able to shut him up,” Matt said, grinning fondly at his son. He grabbed another chair and offered it to his wife. “Did you come here straight from the airport?”

“Yeah,” Jamie answered. “Sophie wanted to see Tyler.”

They visited for a little while before Jamie took Sophie back to his house. They worked together in his bedroom, clearing a space for her clothes.

“Jamie,” she said. “How are you doing with all this? I mean, I was certain you’d take it hard.”

He shrugged as he sat on the bed. “I did at first. I mean, I lost you and I thought I was losing my brother. After Stephanie confessed everything, I had a little hope that I’d get you back. Then a couple days before I flew back to Wichita, my mom took me aside at the hospital and we had a little talk.”

“Believe it or not, I know how you’re feeling,” Greta began. She grabbed a couple soft drinks, took them to the cashier and then led him to a table in the nearly empty cafeteria. “I almost lost my brother once, too.”

Jamie nodded, recalling the brief history his mother had given him on Uncle Jake. “I remember.”

“I thought for sure I was going to lose my father and my brother in the same year,” she continued, studying the clean surface of the table. “He was pretty out of control. After he chased Iz off, I felt totally alone. The guys were still around but it was tough. It was always so tense. No one ever knew what kind of mood Jake would be in that day.”

She looked up at her son to offer a brief smile. “He was arrested numerous times and even wrecked his car. Luckily, he wasn’t injured seriously. But I was scared, Jamie. That’s when Matt started looking after me. He would call or come by and check on me.” She laughed a little bitterly. “We were all so young but had to grow up so fast. Nick was busy trying to sort Jake out. Ronnie was constantly on the phone trying to keep the record company from dumping them. And Matt was taking care of me.”

Jamie reached out and took her hand, hating the pain that washed over her face. His mother was a strong, good woman and he never wanted to see her hurt again. “Mom, you don’t have to tell me all this. Why bring up bad memories?”

“I’m not trying to bring up bad memories,” she said with a hint of a smile. “I’m trying to give you a little advice.”

“Advice?” he asked, puzzled.

“Yes,” she said as her smile grew. “I leaned very heavily on Matt throughout the whole Jake ordeal. I always had a crush on him,” she blushed. “Anyway, he held my hand during the dark times with Jake and he stood beside me when Nick finally convinced Jake to enter rehab.”

“You’re not gonna go into all the nitty gritty details, are you?” he grimaced, teasing her gently.

“No,” she blushed, smacking him playfully. “After awhile, your father finally admitted his feelings to me, though we really wanted Jake’s blessing. He gave it to us, grateful that someone he knew and trusted was looking after me.” Her eyes glazed over and a secret smile flirted with her lips. She shook her head and looked at her son. “I guess what I’m trying to tell you is that it helps to have someone you love to lean on. I know you have amazing friends, but it’s not the same.”

“Mom,” he sighed as he took her hand again. “I told you, I’m gonna talk to her. I don’t know if things will work or not.”

She leaned over the table. “She loves you and you love her. Don’t force it, honey. Just relax and concentrate on the love. The rest will work itself out.” She kissed his cheek. “And I’m sure she’s just aching to comfort you and be there for you.”

Jamie smiled shyly and ducked his head. “Probably.”

“She was right,” Sophie agreed as she sat and wrapped her arms around him. “I was dying inside, knowing how hurt and scared you must be. I watched your press conference when you came back to play the last game and you looked so sad, I couldn't stand it. I stood behind the bar and cried. I wanted to come so bad but Stephanie…”

He kissed her softly. “It doesn’t matter now. I know the truth and so do you. And you’re here now.”

She sighed. “Jamie, I know it’s been rough between us but I think we can get through all that.” She smiled at his puzzled look. “I don’t like all the attention, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean I can’t get used to it.”

He pecked her lips. “Good. But I expect it will all die down now.”

She shook her head. “Probably not. If you play like you did last season, you’ll have reporters camped out on your front lawn.”

He laughed. “I doubt that.” He stood up and took her in his arms. “It won’t be that bad. It’s not like we had that sort of attention when I was growing up. For the most part, the tabloids are more concerned with catching celebrities shopping and stuff. And I don’t shop.”

She giggled and held on to him tighter. “What about if you take me away to some exotic island?”

He drew his head back and raised a brow. “Is that a hint?”

“It could be,” she answered coyly.

“Well,” he shrugged, looking to the ceiling for answers. “Guess we’ll have to pick the remotest island possible.” He dropped his head to gaze into her eyes mischievously. “Or else lock ourselves in the room and not come out.”

She stood on her toes and captured his lips with her own. “I like how you think, Wenslow.” She pushed him back on the bed and crawled over him. “When’s RJ coming back?”

“Not for a while,” he said, reaching for her.

“Good,” she smirked. “Because you’re about to get sacked.”

A/N: Very short, I know, but I couldn’t think of how else to end it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I don’t know that I’ll post much in the next couple days but I’ll try.

(BIG SIGH HERE) I actually have some work to do today but I’ll probably post either RJ or Robby later (or both). Either I’m obsessed and need a life or you all are very spoiled.

THANKS EVERYONE! I appreciate all the wonderful comments, ideas and suggestions. Thanks to those of you who poked and prodded me when I need it. Thanks to those of you who really dug deep into my characters and gave me a look.

Make sure to check out Caught In a Simple Game’s stories. Also, if you ever venture over to FanFiction, check out Nollie Marie’s Twilight stories.