For Every Dark Night, There Is a Brighter Day

Robyn laughed when Jimmy called her a tease, grinning smugly as she turned back to her food. By the time she was finished, she was so full that she could barely move, but she had to admit that she was tempted by the idea of dessert. "I think I'll take dessert to go," she told him. "Because I do want some popcorn at the movies. I mean, it's not really a movie if you don't have popcorn." While Jimmy was paying the check, Robyn pulled out a little cash for the tip, sliding out of the booth and waiting for Jimmy to do the same. "You know, I'm so excited that we actually get to go to a theater and see a movie," she said as Jimmy drove to the movie theater. "We haven't done that in forever. We haven't really spent any alone time like this together in forever, either. I kind of missed it." Robyn smiled as she leaned her forehead against Jimmy's upper arm. Everything just felt so perfect right now. Avenged Sevenfold was doing well, they had an actual house, she actually had one of her biological parents in her life, and she and Jimmy were going on a date for the first time in forever. She almost felt like it was too perfect and something was going to end up ruining it, but she tried not to think about that. "Alright, let's decide which movie we want to see," Robyn said, looking at the marquee. "And not that kiddie movie. We're toddler-free tonight, let's see a grown-up movie."

---

Matt almost thought about answering Brian's call, but before he could make a decision, he felt his phone being taken out of his hands. "Alright," Matt sighed, hearing Cassie's request. He didn't really feel like talking to Brian right now, anyway. He halfway expected some of the other guys to call in once they heard what had happened, but it could be hours before that happened. Matt was aware of Cassie cuddling up next to him, but he just couldn't quite bring himself to put his arm around her. He knew she needed comfort, but he sort of did, too. Even if she hadn't miscarried, the future he'd been thinking of for the past couple of months would still be gone. The baby would be Brian's and even though he still would've been in the baby's life as its stepfather, it wouldn't have been the same. Brian would've wanted to be in the baby's life as the father and Matt would've been on the backburner. When Cassie spoke again, Matt sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "Cass, can we just...not talk about that right now?" he asked. "I'm sure you're exhausted and I just...I feel like bringing that up right now will probably lead to an argument. But trust me, if I wanted to break up with you, I would've done it already."

Jimmy smiled and nodded his head. "I miss it too, babe. Maybe it really is a good thing your mom came back," he joked, kissing her cheek. Once they got up to the line leading to the ticket booth, he looked at her and laughed softly. "Alright, alright." He read the list of movies. "Hm . . . What about Cabin Fever?" he suggested. "I know you're not really into movies like that, but it's also a reason for us to cuddle. Plus, I haven't seen a horror movie in almost a year and I'm way tired of watching Spongebob." It felt like their whole life was Spongebob at this point. That was all Jace seemed to enjoy watching at the moment. Hopefully another show came on that he liked, because that laugh was starting to get on Jimmy's last nerve.

---

Cassie frowned at Matt's reaction to her question. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and sat back, thinking about her response. In thinking of what to say back to him, she reflected back on the last five years of her life. Her life was perfect and going well until she and Matt got together. From that point, everything went downhill. She wasn't blaming him for her actions, but she had become an awful person since being with him. Maybe it was just the universe trying to tell her that they weren't meant to be. She looked down at her ring, tears forming in her eyes as she stared at it. She slowly stood up, taking her ring off and setting it on the coffee table. "I'm gonna go pack," she mumbled before walking to the bedroom. She felt weak and tired still, but she knew this needed to be done. It was best for both of them. She needed to get her life together or things were never going to get better, for either of them. And honestly, as much as she hated to admit it, she needed her mom right now.

"Spongebob is getting pretty old," Robyn agreed, laughing. "So we can see Cabin Fever." Jimmy was right, she really wasn't into horror movies, but she knew he liked them and besides, if she got too scared, she could always hide her face in his shoulder. Once Jimmy had paid for the tickets, Robyn took his hand and led him inside to the snack counter. "Let's get the large so we can share," she said, smiling at Jimmy. She noticed the teenage girl behind the counter looking at Jimmy and she scooted a little closer to him, wrapping her arm around his and sort of showing off her ring. She felt a little silly, but she couldn't help it, she just didn't like people looking at her husband like that. "Let's go get good seats," Robyn said, tugging Jimmy into the theater.

---

When Cassie didn't respond to him, Matt just thought that she was dropping the subject. He focused his attention on the television, only looking over when Cassie stood up. He opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing, but closed it when he saw her put her ring on the coffee table. Matt immediately reached out to grab the ring, getting up and following her to the bedroom. "What are you doing, Cassie?" he asked. "Where the hell are you going? Are you seriously going to walk away from me, after everything I've done?" Matt felt bad for throwing that in Cassie's face, but he was just so in shock that she was actually trying to pack her stuff. "I just...if you walk away right now, Cass, I just don't know if I can do it again." Matt looked down at the ring in his hand, closing his fist around it. He sighed before he held it out to her. "But either way, you can keep this. I mean, I spent a good week making sure it was the perfect one for you, you should have it."

Jimmy grunted when Robyn began dragging him towards the theater. Her demeanor had changed all in a matter of five seconds and he was utterly confused. Had he missed something? He followed her, walking into the theater with her and looking around. "So, which row do you want to sit in?" he asked, picking a piece of popcorn out of the bag and eating it. He didn't care where they sat as long as he could snuggle up with her and still get a good view of the movie. Once they picked their seats, he sat down, putting the drink in the armrest on his side before lifting up the one between their two seats. He grinned at her, leaning down and kissing her lips softly. Surprisingly, the theater was pretty much empty except for one or two other people, which was great, because that meant they could talk without getting in trouble.

---

Cassie looked at Matt. "I'm not me when I'm around you, Matt," she said. "I do awful things, I say horrible things. I cheated on you, got in a car accident, lost my memory, got my heart broken, cheated on you again, nearly drank myself to death, and miscarried with a baby that wasn't even yours. That's not me. That's not who I am. And it's not your fault, it's mine. I let myself get this bad. I don't know why, but I did." She shook her head at the ring, reaching out to push his hand back toward himself. "I don't want it. I don't want any part of this anymore. I'm not going to allow myself to keep hurting the people I care about most. You deserve better, so much better." She sniffled as she placed a hand on her stomach, biting her lip hard as she tried to hold back the floodgates. "If you never want to be with me again, good. Go find someone who can make you happy that isn't a fuck-up." She reached up and wiped her eyes. "Save that ring for someone who deserves it, because it's beautiful, and it's perfect, but it's not meant for me."

"Somewhere near the back," Robyn said. "It's hard to see the screen when you sit close to the front." Once they'd chosen their seats, she sat down, propping her feet on the seat in front of her since there was no one sitting in it. She smiled against Jimmy's lips when he kissed her, really just enjoying the affection. "If this movie gets too scary, I'm going to use your shoulder as a shield," Robyn told him, cuddling against him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, reaching over to grab a handful of popcorn. Things were okay for awhile, but after about thirty minutes or so, Robyn found herself with her face buried in Jimmy's shoulder. "I don't like this movie anymore," she whined, moving closer to him. "Next time I'm picking the movie, I don't care if I don't like picking." She didn't know why she let Jimmy talk her into this, because she was probably going to end up with nightmares tonight. "You owe me for this."

---

"And walking away from this is going to solve all of those problems?" Matt asked. He knew Cassie said that none of this was his fault, but the way she was trying to solve all of her problems by leaving him made him feel like it really was. When she reached out to push the ring back to him, Matt shook his head. He thought about forcing Cassie to take it, but what good would that do? "No, you know what, if you don't want it, I'll just fucking toss it in the ocean or something. Because I don't want it. I picked this ring out for you, Cassie, so if you don't want it, then I don't give a fuck what happens to it." Matt stuffed the ring into his front pocket, sighing as he turned away from Cassie. "I just...I need a fucking drink," he mumbled. "After this bullshit, you probably won't be the only one who's nearly drank themselves to death."

Jimmy chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't mind," he said. "Hell, sit on my lap if you want to." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows teasingly at her before he sat back and relaxed. As the movie started and progressed, he felt Robyn inching closer to him, nearly suctioning herself to him. He laughed softly at her words. "Oh come on, babe. Just remember, it's all fake. It's all actors and fake blood." He grinned and kissed her temple. "Besides, look at it this way. It's just a way for us to cuddle and get close, huh?" He was half tempted to mess around with her but he knew she probably wouldn't be interested in doing anything here. One day, maybe if they were all alone in the theater, though, he was gonna get her to do stuff with him. It was something he'd always imagined. What would happen if they ended up having sex in a theater? Plus maybe he kind of wanted to have sex in public just to say he'd had sex in public.

---

Cassie frowned at his words. "I'm doing this for both of us, Matt," she said. "You couldn't even look me in the eye and tell me you didn't want to break up with me." She felt like she was going to puke, and the way he was acting was making it even worse. She didn't even know what to say to him at this point. What could she even say to make the situation better? Nothing. She could sit down and say she wasn't leaving, and force herself to stay in a relationship where she knew neither of them would end up happy. But she wasn't going to do that. He might be hurting now, but he would thank her for leaving later. He would be better off without her. She threw some clothes in her bag and zipped it up. "I love you, Matt, with all my heart. But you deserve someone better than me." She wiped the tears from her eyes. She walked towards the door but stopped and turned to look at him. "You would have always been her father, no matter what. I know what you think, but you're wrong. I just want you to know that." She walked to the front door and opened it, stepping outside. She pulled her phone out and dialed Hannah's number, praying Matt would just stay inside and not follow her.

"Just because it's fake doesn't mean it doesn't freak me out," Robyn said, her voice muffled by Jimmy's shoulder. He could laugh at her all he wanted, but stuff like this still freaked her out. She just never liked horror movies, but she knew Jimmy did so she indulged him sometimes. "We can cuddle without the actors and the weird fake blood," Robyn continued, chancing a glance up at the movie screen. Seeing nothing immediately terrifying, she moved her face away from Jimmy's shoulder, but left her head rested against him. She slipped her arm through his, keeping herself as close to him as possible. Robyn was honestly a little surprised that Jimmy hadn't tried anything with her yet, since it was dark and the theater was almost empty. But she was glad he hadn't, because she sort of wanted to have a normal date without doing something that could potentially get them arrested. She preferred to save the sex for the bedroom, because if they had to keep quiet because of Jace, they wouldn't get sent to prison or anything.

---

"I told you that if I wanted to break up with you, I would've done it already," Matt said, frowning at Cassie. "I wouldn't have shown up at the emergency room and tried to comfort you while you were miscarrying Brian's baby. Shit, Cass, isn't that alone enough to show you how much I care about you?" He followed after Cassie when she walked towards the door, digging his fingernails into his palm when she said something about him being the baby's father. She obviously had no idea how Brian was; he wouldn't want Matt to be the baby's father, not when that role was supposed to be his. Matt would be shoved out, no matter how Cassie wanted things to be. "You're breaking my heart, you know," Matt called out through the door. He glanced over, seeing his keys hanging on the hook, and he grabbed them, pushing past Cassie as he left the apartment. He wasn't lying when he said he needed a drink. "I'm going to go kill my liver now, not that you fucking care," Matt grumbled as he walked away from Cassie.

Jimmy chuckled softly. "Well next time, I'll let you pick the movie, okay?" he mumbled, kissing the top of her head. He moved his hand to take hers, lacing their fingers together and squeezing her hand. He wished they could get remarried, over and over. And he didn't even know why. It just felt like now that they were married, and they had a child together, what else was there to do? He got lost in his thoughts, only breaking away from them when he felt Robyn press her face into his shoulder again. He chuckled, moving slightly so he could look down at her. "We could cut this short and go home if you want," he suggested. "Maybe spend the rest of the night with Jace before his bedtime? We've got ice cream sandwiches in the freezer. You know how much he loves those. We could read him a bedtime story, and then we could just lay in bed and cuddle until we fall asleep." To be honest, that sounded a lot better than staying until the movie was over, but he would leave it up to her.

---

Cassie frowned at Matt's words, dropping her bag and walking after him. She grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop and forcing him to face her. "Stop that!" she hissed. "You know fucking well I care about you. I love you with every ounce of my being! We're toxic, Matt. Both of us. We've both done shitty things because of each other. You lied to me about breaking up with Val and I cheated on you because of it! That's not how relationships work!" She sighed heavily, wishing he could just see it. "I don't give a fuck what Brian would have wanted. That was our baby. We were the ones coming up with a name for her, we were the ones designing her nursery. Not Brian. It was our baby. And if you say one more bad thing about her, I will knock you so fucking hard in the face, you won't see the light of day again. And that's a promise." Maybe she was a little overemotional because of her miscarriage, but she didn't care. "You know what, if you want to drink yourself to death, go ahead. But it won't be because of me. It'll be because of your stupidity." She let go of his arm, wanting to walk away from him, but finding her feet planted on the cement below her.

When Jimmy suggested going home early, Robyn nodded her head eagerly. It wasn't like they couldn't have another date night like this soon; with her mom around again, they had tons of babysitting options so they could go out more often. "Yeah, lets go," she said. "And yeah, next time, I'm picking the movie." She got to her feet, taking Jimmy's hands and leading him out of the theater. "Well, that was a pretty fun evening, don't you think?" she asked as they drove back to the house. Robyn reached over and took one of Jimmy's hands from the steering wheel and lacing her fingers through his. "But I'm kind of ready to get back to Jace and eat ice cream sandwiches." She turned on the radio, hummimg along softly to whatever was playing until Jimmy pulled into the driveway. As soon as she made it to the front door, Robyn could tell something was wrong, because even from out here she could hear Jace screaming for her. She threw open the door, barely glancing at her mother passed out on the couch, needle dangling out of her palm, as she searched for Jace. She found him in the spare room, buried under a stack of boxes. He was screaming and crying and it broke her heart. "It's okay, baby, Mommy's here," Robyn said. She moved the boxes and started to pull Jace into her lap, stopping when the pitch of his screams increased. "What is it, Jace?"

"Arm...hurts," he hiccupped, gesturing to his left arm. Robyn glanced over it, knowing immediately by the black and blue on his skin that it was probably broken.

Robyn gently scooped him into her arms. "It's okay Jace, we're going to take you to the hospital and get your arm taken care of," she told him, carrying him into the liviing room.

---

"No," Matt hissed at her. "If you're the one walking away from this, you don't get to say that shit. I think you at least owe it to me not to fucking lie to me. You don't care about me, Cassie. If you did, you wouldn't give me back the ring I spent weeks making sure it was perfect for you. You wouldn't be doing what you're doing right now. So stop fucking saying that. Because you don't. And I sort of feel like you never did." Matt sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. He needed to shut his mouth before he said something stupid. He always did when he was hurt and angry. But then Cassie spoke again, and everything keeping Matt from opening his mouth flew out the window. If she wanted to hurt him, he could hurt her back. "No, it will be your fault. If I go out and drink myself to death or wrap my car around a fucking tree, it'll be your fault. It'll be your fault and you'll have to live with it." Turning away from Cassie, Matt stormed over to his car, climbing inside and starting the engine. He peeled out of the apartment complex, headed towards the closest bar.

Jimmy was still outside locking the car when Robyn ran in. He frowned when he heard Jace's screams, running inside faster than he could comprehend. He darted inside the house, coming to a halt when he saw Robyn carrying Jace into the living room. "What the fuck happened?" he hissed, frowning slightly when Jace whimpered. "I-I'm sorry, Jace. I didn't mean to upset you." He turned and looked at Robyn's mom, narrowing his eyes. She let their little boy get hurt. He knew better than to trust her, but he did it for Robyn's sake. He wasn't about to let another person let his wife down. "Take him to the car, I'll be right out." He took the needle from Robyn's mom's hand and put it on the table before he shook her hard, trying to get her to wake up. When she didn't, he was half tempted to leave her there to die, but he knew better than that. That would make him no better than she was. He huffed as he lifted her up, dragging her out to the car. He shoved her into the backseat with Jace before he got in and started the car back up.

---

Cassie was unable to help it as she let out a sob, gripping tightly onto her bag. How could he say that to her? How could he say she never loved him and then blame her for his impending death? She cried softly as she waited for Hannah to show up, and when she did, she got into the redhead's car. She stared out of the window as Hannah drilled her with questions, only answering when necessary. The rest of the drive was pretty silent until they turned onto the road leading to her house. "I want to go back to New York," she mumbled, glancing over at Hannah.

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Oh, are you sure?" she asked. "What about your mom?"

"She'll be fine. I can't stay here," Cassie mumbled, wiping her eyes and her nose. "I was better off there."

Hannah frowned, but nodded. "Well, if it's what you want," she said. "We can arrange to go back."

Robyn only nodded when Jimmy told her to take Jace out to the car. He'd stopped screaming by this point, but he was still whimpering and crying. She wished she could take his pain away, because she gladly would, but unfortunately she couldn't. "Mommy's going to strap you into your carseat, so I've got to move your arm, okay?" Robyn said to Jace as he sat him in his carseat. She gently moved his left arm to put the strap over it, her heart breaking even more when he screamed again.

"It...hurts," Jace whimpered.

"I know baby, and I'm sorry," Robyn said. She gave him a kiss on the forehead before she climbed into the passenger seat, not watching as Jimmy carried her mother outside and put her in the backseat. As angry as she was that her mother let Jace get hurt, Robyn couldn't help but feel a little worried about her mother. Just when she thought she was going to have one of her biological parents back in her life, she was going to be gone again.

---

"I'll have a whiskey, neat," Matt said, slumping down into a seat at the bar. The balding man behind the counter barely gave Matt a once over before he sat a glass in front of Matt, pouring a little whiskey into it. Matt quickly downed it, motioning for the bartender to pour him another. His goal for the night was to drink himself stupid, or at least until he'd had enough to forget about how badly his heart hurt right now. He still couldn't believe that Cassie had done that, just walked away from everything they had. If anyone had a reason to walk away, it was him. But he hadn't, because he loved her. He loved her enough to put a fucking ring on her finger, and she'd given that back. Matt reached into his pocket as the bartender poured him a third drink and pulled out the ring, looking over it in the dim light of the bar. He didn't know what the fuck he was going to do with it now, because he most certainly didn't want to keep it. It was way too late to return it to the jewelry store and he couldn't give it to anyone else, not when he'd chosen it especially for Cassie.

Jimmy backed out of the driveway and sped down the road, frowning as he listened to Jace's sniffles and soft cries. He wished he could transfer Jace's pain to him, or just take it away altogether, but that wasn't possible and it absolutely crushed him. The more Jace cried, the more Jimmy's heart broke, and the more his anger towards Robyn's mom grew. He wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out of her right now, but he knew that was just his anger getting to him. He could never hit her. But he was sure as hell going to have some words with her once she woke up. Maybe some Robyn probably shouldn't hear. When they got to the hospital, Jimmy climbed out and opened the back door. "I'll meet you inside," he told Robyn before lifting her mom out of the seat. He knew he'd probably take a bit longer to get inside since he had to drag her mom in, and he didn't want to keep anyone waiting. He huffed as he kicked the door shut. "Alright, bitch, come on," he grunted, lifting Robyn's mom up and tossing her over his shoulder. Since she was totally knocked out, she was dead weight and was a lot heavier to carry than she probably would be normally.

---

When they got home, Cassie went inside, straight to her mom, and hugged her tightly. She cried softly into her shoulder, whimpering softly as her mom shushed her and rubbed her back. She wished her sister were still here, she would know what to say to make her feel better. After she talked to her mom for a few minutes, she went upstairs to her old room and sat on her bed, staring at some of the boxes she'd yet to move to the new apartment. She opened one that contained her senior yearbook, opening it to look at the picture of Robyn and Jimmy they took for winning Prom King and Queen. She looked at them, how happy they looked, and began to wonder how they'd managed to hold it all together for so long. Maybe it was Jace that was holding them together, but even before Jace was born, Robyn and Jimmy had been so amazing together, while her and Matt were barely holding on by a thread. She remembered how Robyn had kept herself together throughout the years, because that's the kind of person she was. The only reason Cassie had done such awful things was because she allowed herself to. She could have said no and stayed strong, but instead, she gave into temptation too many times. And one of the big reasons was because she didn't think before she spoke or before her actions. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, closing the yearbook and putting it back in the box, stopping when she saw a drawing of Matt beneath it. She stared at it for a moment before closing the box. She'd blamed Matt for what she'd done, when really it was her own fault. But she couldn't forgive him for what he'd said to her. And the things he'd said about their baby. The fact that he so easily dismissed the baby just because they found out it was Brian's broke her heart.

"Come on, baby, we're going to go inside and let the doctors take care of you," Robyn said. She carefully pulled Jace from his carseat, careful not to jar his arm too much as she carried him inside to the admissions desk. "My son, I think his arm is broken," Robyn told the nurse sitting there. It didn't take long before the two of them were whisked away into an exam room. She hoped Jimmy would be able to find them, after he handed her mother off to a doctor or a nurse. She knew he wouldn't give a shit about what happened to her mother, but Robyn at least wanted to know if her mother was going to be okay.

"We're going to need to get an x-ray of his arm," a nurse explained to Robyn. "We're going to take pictures of the bones in your arm, okay, buddy?" she said to Jace. "Your mommy can come with you." The nurse led them back to the x-ray room, handing Robyn a protective vest to put on. She slipped it on and took Jace's tiny hand, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles.

"There you are," Robyn sighed when Jimmy finally appeared. "They're taking x-rays of his arm right now."

---

Matt knew the bartender was going to try and take his keys. He usually tried to hide when he was drunk, but tonight he was especially drunk and he just didn't give a fuck. But he also didn't want to give up his keys, because then he would have to come back tomorrow and get it and it would just be such a big hassle. So while the bartender was distracted by another patron, Matt snuck out of the bar, stumbling his way over to his car. It took several tries, but eventually Matt got his car unlocked and slid into the driver's seat, cramming the key into the ignition. In hindsight, he really shouldn't have been driving. He should've called Zacky or Johnny to come and get him. But he was stupid and proud and heartbroken, and that was his downfall. There was a curve in between the bar and his house that was particularly nasty, and Matt was going way too fast as he came to it. He lost control of his car and it rolled, slamming the driver's side against a tree as it came to rest on its top.

Jimmy dropped Robyn's mom off, watching as they rushed her back. Then he asked where he could find his wife and son, and went back to the radiology area of the hospital. When he found Robyn, he rushed over and hugged her tightly. He nodded and glanced over at Jace, frowning deeply. He somehow felt like this was all his fault, like he'd failed at being a parent, and he felt so guilty for it. "How could this have happened?" he muttered. "Your mom was doing so well. I don't understand." He shook his head and clung onto Robyn, afraid if he let go of her, she'd end up hurt too. Once they finished with the x-rays, they were led back to a room where they had to sit and wait for the results to come back. Jimmy let go of Robyn only for a moment so he could go talk to his son, gently pushing the boy's hair back out of his face. "Hey, baby, are you doing okay?" he asked.

Jace sniffled, shaking his head. "It hurts," he whined.

Jimmy frowned deeply, his heart breaking even more. "I know it does," he said. "But we're going to get it all better, okay?"

---

Cassie laid back on the bed, watching as Hannah walked into the room. She sniffled softly, cuddling up with her friend on the bed. Hannah was always there for her, whenever she needed her and she was so thankful for that. "I think I need a change," she mumbled after a minute of thinking. "I don't know what, but I just . . . need to move on from the past five years of my life. I want to start fresh." Maybe she could cut her hair or something. But she'd worked so hard to keep her hair the length that it was and she wasn't ready to let it all go. That's when a thought occurred to her. "Maybe I could dye my hair."

"What color?" Hannah questioned.

"I don't know. Something different," Cassie said, toying with a strand of her long, blonde hair.

"We'll figure it out," Hannah said with a smile, reaching up to wipe away a stray tear from Cassie's cheek.

Cassie sniffled and smiled at the redhead, leaning against her. Just as she was on the verge of falling asleep, her phone rang out and she groaned softly. She reached over on her nightstand to grab the phone, seeing Amy's name on the screen.

When Jimmy wrapped his arms around her, Robyn clung to him. But when he mentioned her mother, she shook her head. She didn't want to talk about that right now. She didn't want to think about how her mother had lied to her again, and how naïve she was to think that her mother would choose Robyn over her old lifestyle and her drugs. Neither one of her parents ever had, and it stung more than anything ever would. The two people responsible for bringing her into the world didn't give a shit about her. When the doctor was done with the x-ray, the three of them went into a room where they would see the results of Jace's x-ray. But Robyn already knew what they would say: her little boy's arm was broken and she was wildly angry at her mother for letting that happen.

"I've got the results of Jace's x-ray right here," the doctor said, walking over and setting the x-ray against the light on the wall. He pointed to a spot in Jace's left forearm. "As you can see, there's an obvious fracture right here, about halfway between his wrist and elbow. It's a pretty clean break, so we'll put a cast on it and it should heal up pretty easily."

"You hear that, baby?" Robyn said, looking down at Jace. "They're going to put something on your arm that everybody can sign."

"Like Grandma and Grandpa?" Jace asked through his tears.

"Like Grandma and Grandpa," Robyn assured him with a smile.

---

"Come on, pick up, pick up," Amy muttered, walking back and forth in the hallway. When she finally heard the click saying that Cassie had picked up the phone, she launched into what she had to saw without giving the blonde girl a chance to speak first. "Cassie, hey. Don't hang up, okay? Listen, I don't know what's going on between you and Matt right now, but I just thought you'd like to know that he got into a car wreck. I-I'm not going to lie, it's pretty bad. He's in emergency surgery right now, so we don't know for sure. I'm not saying you have to come down here or anything if you don't want to, I just wanted to let you in case...something happens. But if you do decide to come down, just tell the nurse at the front desk that and Matt are still engaged. That's the only way they'll let you in to see him." Not really giving Cassie a chance to say anything, Amy hung up the phone. She knew the blonde girl probably played a major role in why her brother had been drinking so much tonight, and why'd he'd been reckless enough to drive his car while he was drunk. The EMT had given her the ring they fished from Matt's front pocket, and Amy knew Cassie had given it back to him, but why she just couldn't figure out.

Jimmy smiled softly at Jace. "I bet they'll even let you choose what color you want," he said, taking Robyn's hand in his and squeezing it tightly. He watched as the doctor led Jace out of the room, and he turned to Robyn, reaching up and cupping her cheek in his hand. "I'm so sorry, Rob. I shouldn't have talked you into going on a date, this would have never happened." He was finding a way to blame it all on himself because he felt like it was his fault. He was Jace's father, he was supposed to be there to make sure his little boy never got hurt, yet here they were, in the hospital. "I should have been there." He frowned, looking down. He'd never felt so guilty in his life before, even after he'd run away from Robyn when he found out she was pregnant. He'd have to figure something out to make this up to Jace. Maybe he could get him a new PlayStation or something.

---

Cassie didn't even have time to process what Amy had said before the other girl hung up. "Fuck," she cursed under her breath, sitting up. She frowned at the sharp pain in her abdomen, but pushed through it, making her way to the bathroom. She quickly changed her pad and put her hair up before she walked back into the bedroom to grab a sweatshirt.

"Where are you going?" Hannah asked.

"Matt's in the hospital. I have to go see him," Cassie said, slipping her shoes on.

"This isn't your fault, Cas," Hannah said.

"It is," Cassie said. "If I hadn't left him, he wouldn't have done this to himself. It's my fault." She didn't wait for Hannah to say anything else before she rushed down the stairs.

The redhead followed after her, grabbing her hand. "Cassie, you're supposed to be on bed rest."

Cassie turned to look at Hannah. "I don't care. I'm going to see him," she said. She let go of Hannah's hand and went out to her car, climbing in and starting it. This was all her fault. Matt could possibly die because of her. She shook her head and backed out of the driveway, speeding towards the hospital. She didn't care if she got a ticket or ran a red light. She needed to make sure that Matt was okay. When she got to the hospital, she parked the car and rushed in as fast as her body would let her. She went to the front desk and told the lady she was Matt's fiancee, and the woman let her back. She rushed down the hallway, looking for Amy. When she finally spotted her, she ran over, ignoring the pain in her lower stomach. "Amy, where is he?"

Robyn didn't want to leave Jace's side, but she knew they needed to take him away to put his cast on. "This isn't your fault," Robyn said, shaking her head when Jimmy started to blame himself. "I could tell you didn't really trust my mom, but I didn't care. I was so excited to think that one of my parents might actually give a shit about me that I didn't even stop to think that she might be lying to me. This is my fault," she whispered. "I trusted my mom when I shouldn't have and now our little boy is hurt again." This was their second visit to the emergency room in barely two months, and thinking about just made Robyn feel like the worst mother in the entire world. Her main job was to keep Jace safe and so far, she was doing a really shitty job. When the nurse brought Jace in, lime green cast on his little arm, Robyn smiled. The pain medication they'd given him was definitely working wonders, she could tell. "Are you ready to go home, baby?" she asked him, kissing the top of his head.

"We get ice cream?" he asked, and Robyn laughed.

"I guess we can get you some ice cream, since you've been such a good boy," she told him. She looked back at Jimmy. "Do you want to go get him settled in the car? I...I want to go check on my mom. Not visit or anything, I just want to see if she's, you know, okay." Robyn gave Jace another kiss before she slipped out of the room, going down to the front desk. "Excuse me, could you give me an update on Payton Meyers? I'm here daughter."

"Why don't you go have a seat in the family waiting room?" the nurse said. "I'll send a doctor in a few minutes to update you."

Robyn already had a sinking feeling as she sat down in the small waiting room. But she guessed the nurse didn't really know much. A few minutes later, the doctor stepped into the room. "How's my mom?" Robyn asked.

"We did everything we could," the doctor said. "But I'm afraid she didn't make it."

---

About thirty minutes after she'd made the phone call, Amy heard her name being called from down the hall. She looked over and saw Cassie rushing over. "Mom said he just got out of surgery and they're settling him in the ICU," Amy told her. "He has a broken cheek, probably from the airbag, a couple broken ribs, and a lot of internal bleeding. They're still waiting to see how banged up his head is, but I'm sure he at least has a concussion. His pelvis is broken too, so he'll be in a wheelchair for a little while and then crutches. They've got him on a ventilator right now I think, but you can still come and see him if you want." Amy turned to lead the way to Matt's room, making sure Cassie was following her before she stepped onto the elevator. The ICU was on the fourth floor, and their parents were already there in the room, at Matt's bedside. "Cassie's here," Amy announced.

Kim held out her arms. "Come here, sweetheart," she said, pulling Cassie into a hug. "I'm so glad you're here. Do you have any idea why Matt was out drinking tonight? We never thought he would do something like and we were wondering if you knew if there was something that was stressing him out or making him upset enough to drink so much."

Amy hadn't told her parents that Cassie had given Matt his ring back, so as far as they knew, things were still smooth for her brother and the blonde girl. She had a feeling that there might be something else going on by the way Cassie kept acting like her stomach was hurting her, but she knew now wasn't the time to start opening her mouth.

Jimmy hated that Robyn was blaming herself for this, but he guessed they would both blame themselves until Jace was all healed. He nodded when Robyn told him to go get the car, smiling as he lifted Jace up and carried him out of the hospital. "You've been such a big boy today," he said. "I'm so proud of you. What do you say after we get some ice cream, we stop at the game store on the way home and get you something new for being such a good boy, huh?" He grinned when Jace perked up, chuckling softly.

"Really?" Jace chirped.

Jimmy nodded his head. "Absolutely," he said. "You deserve it." He pulled his keys out with one hand and unlocked the car before he opened the back door and got Jace into his car seat. "Watch your arm." He pulled the straps around his arms and fastened him in, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "We'll play some music while we wait for Mommy, how about that?"

Jace nodded, grinning as he watched his dad shut the door and walk around to the front of the car. Jimmy climbed in and started the engine, grabbing his Metallica CD and putting it on. He put on Enter Sandman since it was one of Jace's favorites, singing along with him while they waited for Robyn to get back to the car.

---

Cassie followed Amy to the elevator, her heart pounding in her chest from her anxiety. Matt was alive, but he was broken. More broken than she had been in her accident. She might have had memory loss, but at least all she had had was a broken leg and a rib or two. She walked with Amy to Matt's room, stopping for a split second in the doorway when she saw him. He looked like a totally different person laying there, all broken and bent out of shape. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she hear Kim's voice, walking over to her and hugging her tightly. She sniffled, reaching up and wiping the tears that had began forming in her eyes. She bit her lip hard when Kim asked if she knew why Matt was out drinking, nodding her head as she looked down. "I-I lost the baby," she muttered, her hand instinctively going to her stomach. She figured she might as well tell them the whole truth. There was no reason not to. "I found out that the baby wasn't his and then I lost it and he refused to talk to me about it. I felt so guilty and I needed someone to blame, so I blamed him instead of myself. I told him I couldn't be with him anymore and he said it would be my fault if he ended up wrapped around a tree." Her bottom lip quivered and she let out a quiet sob. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." She sniffled, quickly wiping her eyes. "I-I'll leave if you want me to."

"So she's dead?" Robyn asked. Of course she is, stupid, that's usually what people mean when they say someone didn't make it. The doctor offered her his condolences, which Robyn ignored as she got to her feet and walked out to the car. She didn't say a word as she slid into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt, hardly noticing the music that Jimmy had playing.

"We're gonna go to the game store, Mommy!" Jace shouted from the backseat. "Daddy say I could get something!"

"I think your Daddy is trying to spoil you," Robyn told her, trying to sound a little teasing. She was just in shock, and she was feeling so conflicted. Part of her knew she shouldn't be upset that her mother was dead, because even though her relationship with her mother hadn't been terrible, Robyn had never been a priority in either one of her parents' lives. But on the other hand, it was her mother. Her mother was dead and now she'd never get to try and have an actual relationship with her like she'd always wanted. "My mom is dead," Robyn whispered to Jimmy, looking at her lap. "She's dead."

---

When Cassie started to explain what had happened, everything made sense. Of course her brother would be upset to learn that the baby he'd been so excited about wasn't actually his. And Amy had a pretty good idea of who the father had actually been, which probably made Matt more angry than finding out the baby wasn't his. She was a little upset to hear that Cassie had tried to blame her problems on Matt, but she was even more upset that her brother had told Cassie that it would her fault if he got into an accident. Matt had always been good at hurting people when he was angry at them. "You don't have to leave," Kim said. "None of this is your fault. No matter how upset he was, Matt should've known better than to drink and drive. And I think the two of you have some things that you need to work out, once he wakes up. But if you want, you can stay."

"How about we go get something to eat?" Amy suggested, stepping up next to Cassie. "Uh, that way Cassie and Matt can have some privacy to talk, if he wakes up."

Jimmy chuckled. "Maybe I am," he said. "But I think the kid deserves it. He's had a pretty rough day." He didn't notice Robyn was upset until he glanced over at her, his smile faltering. He didn't get a chance to ask her what was wrong, she told him. His eyes widened slightly. "No way. Baby, I'm so sorry." He reached over the center console and took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly. He pulled her hand up and kissed the back of it, wishing he could comfort her more, but he was in the middle of the road so he couldn't.

"Ew, stop that!" Jace whined. "Gross!"

Jimmy came to a stop light and glanced back at Jace, smirking at him before he leaned over and pressed kisses all over her face. "How about that?" he said.

"No!" Jace exclaimed.

Jimmy chuckled before gently pecking Robyn's cheek. "I love you," he whispered into her ear.

---

Cassie sniffled, looking over at Amy. "Okay," she muttered, feeling awful that they were going to leave just so she could stay in here with Matt. "Uh, Amy? C-can I have my ring back?" She wasn't sure if the other girl would want to give it back to her, but she felt relieved when she did. "Thanks." She held the ring tightly in her hand, watching Matt's parents and his sister leave. She slid the ring onto her finger and sat in the chair beside Matt's bed, reaching for his hand and gently taking it in hers. "I'm so sorry, Matt. I shouldn't have left you. I'm sorry I tried to blame my problems on us. On you. It was wrong." She sniffled, bringing his hand up to her lips and pressing kisses to his knuckles. "Please wake up." She wished she could take the last five years back and just start over from the beginning, but she couldn't. But maybe Matt would be generous enough to give them a fresh start. She could only hope he would. She didn't know what she would do if she lost him because of this. She would regret it for the rest of her life.