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Chapter 26 – Developing Relationships

"She just... She left me?" Teagan fumbled in complete shock, watching Howie's car peel out of the parking lot. She found herself at a loss of words to overcome the grief burning in her heart. Usually Oriana would scream for Teagan. She remembered when they were little, Oriana would never call her mother for a scraped knee, it would always be Teagan. Yet, when Oriana would have needed Teagan the most, she had asked for Howie. A bitter jealousy presented in Teagan's aching heart as she stared, completely dumbfounded. "She didn't even call for me..."

"Baby? Are you alright?" Brian asked, walking up to his girlfriend. He was proud of the damage he made to Oriana, and this was the perfect time to cause a bigger rift in the girl's life-long friendship.

"No, I'm not," Teagan responded flatly with hurt, just watching the car weave away from the school. "Oriana should have asked for me! She needed me! She's always asked for me."

"Guess her boys are more important than her girl?" Brian countered, wiping the smile from his face. He continued to remind himself of Oriana's sharp screams, bringing chills of delight through his body. It had been so perfect.

"It never used to be like that. Even if she hurt herself playing with the neighborhood boys, she always came to me. I just... I don't understand! She should have asked for me, Brian!"

"Looked like she was more interested in calling for Howie, Sweetheart," Brian tempted, clicking his tongue softly.

"I guess she doesn't need me anymore. Good thing I found out about this now before I made an ass of myself later..." Teagan bit her bottom lip, holding back tears as she walked back to the now empty bleachers. It didn't seem real to her. They had always promised to never let a guy get in the middle of their friendship, but Oriana allowed it to happen with Howie.

"Well, payback is a bitch, Teags. Just ignore her and give her a taste of her own medicine," Brian countered, jogging to follow his girlfriend. He gently grabbed her by the elbow, turning her into his embrace. He gently rubbed his hands down her cheeks, kissing the tip of her nose. "All we need is each other, Baby."

"You won't ever leave me?" Teagan whispered, not able to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.

"Never in a million years. I love you too much," he promised, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. He was suddenly excited to get Teagan home when Oriana returned from the hospital. Oriana's Hell would continue double-time.

"I love you, too. God, I must look horrid crying like this," Teagan sniffled, about to turn away from him to wipe away any tear streaks.

"Nah, you're always beautiful," Brian chided, refusing to let her turn. He started to gently run his fingers against her cheeks to wipe away the tears before kissing her cheeks. "Here, let me do this for you, Sweetheart."

"Okay," Teagan replied, feeling warmth rush through her body with every touch Brian made.

"Why don't we go home and make some extra big sundaes?"

"With extra hot fudge and caramel?"

"And cherries on top."

"It sounds good to me. But you know what would make that even better?" Teagan asked, wanting to forget the whole Oriana thing while she was with Brian. It hurt too much to think about it.

"Hmm?" he countered with a lopsided smile.
She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "If I could make my sundae on that hard, ripped, oh so delicious body of yours."

Brian swallowed hard with surprise, immediately pulling away from his girlfriend. His light blue eyes glittered with lust and passion as a devilish smile curved to his lips. "You're freaking kinky, woman!"

"Yes I am, and I know you love it," Teagan replied with a sly smile, turning to walk towards her car. She could feel Brian's eyes watching her move and her smile grew.

*~*~*


"Like he really needed an X-Ray to see if it was broken or not," Oriana sighed fitfully, shifting uncomfortably on the examining table. The Emergency Department had immediately rushed her for an X-Ray while Alex made a phone call to his father, since no one could get hold of Cassandra. Now, Oriana was waiting in an examination room with Howie. She would have concentrated on him more, but the pain was excruciating and the pain medication already administered only seemed to take small edge of the agony away. She found herself shivering as she glanced about the room, hating that they had packed her swelling arm in piles of ice. She trying to shift again to bring comfort, but whimpered softly at the fresh bout of pain.

"Yeah, I know. But they're always on the 'better be safe than sorry' kind of route," Howie replied apologetically, running a hand through her curls. Looking for something to keep her warm, he found his coat right behind Oriana. He grabbed it and placed it around her shoulders, making sure it didn't hit the right arm. "Feel warmer?"

"Because yeah, seeing my bone pop up beneath the skin really isn't a good indicator," she murmured sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She felt Howie's jacket slowly ease around her shoulders as she shivered again. She stopped her ranting, glancing upward in surprise. Howie's warm brown eyes were twinkling with hope for a pleasant response. She was awed by his sweetness. She had been so cruel to him in the past week, yet there he stood, taking time out of his day to make sure she was okay at the hospital. "Yeah... That's a lot better... Thank you..."

"You're welcome," Howie offered a sweet smile before changing the subject. "So... what do you want to do until the doctor comes in?"

"Shiver?" she guessed, glancing down at the hospital's floor. She really wanted to talk to him about what happened between them and what they were considered. Yet, she couldn't find the words to express her feelings. She sighed softly, rotating her ankles in a circle since she couldn't bounce her leg without jarring the examining table.

Both were silent for awhile before Howie finally spoke. "Oriana... I just want to tell you I'm really sorry about what happened at the beach. I should have seen you weren't comfortable, but I--"

"I shouldn't have flipped out on you in the first place. I should have trusted you enough to know that you were just messing around. I was acting like a psycho and it was completely inappropriate. And I feel so horrible for smacking you like I did. I never slap guys... I mean, I am so sorry," she whispered quickly, interrupting his speech. He shouldn't of had to apologize for her stupid behavior. "It was just completely retarded of me and I hope we can at least still be friends."

"You don't need to be sorry--"

"Yes, I do. I acted like an idiot--"

"I still want you to be my girlfriend, Oriana."

"Say what?" she blurted, looking at him with shock. With all that she did to him, he still wanted her as a girlfriend? He deserved someone who wouldn't freak out like she did.

"You heard me," he answered softly, not thinking he really needed to explain what he wanted. He thought she would have understood from the beginning. With the book of love poems and all the words spoken freely from his heart, how could he possibly give her up?

"But, Howie..." Oriana drawled with shock, immediately breaking the connection between their eyes. She only seemed to focus on the nasty bruise she had inflicted to his cheek. She felt so guilty for hurting him. In essence, she was no better than her mother's flings that had hurt her. She sniffled softly, trying to control her emotions. "Howie, I was so awful. You deserve someone so special... I'm just some hypocritical psycho with too many problems..."

"But don't you see? You are so special to me, that's why I want you in my life. There's something about you that I love and never want to let go. I want you, Oriana, and no one else," Howie whispered, cupping her cheek and gently turned her head so their eyes locked once more. "You know that song I was humming earlier? I finished in my head on the way here, would you like to hear it?"

"I was so cruel---"

"Oriana? Do you want to hear the song?" Howie stressed, not understanding why Oriana was putting herself through such torture. He wanted to be with her and forget what happened.

"It's not that I don't want to hear it. It just seems like you're trying to forget what I did. But I really hurt you," Oriana tried to explain, feeling too guilty for words. She wanted to hear that he forgave her and it was okay. She wanted to hear him say he loved her again.

"Okay, I'll admit that it did hurt. But it's okay, because this is new for both of us. I love you and I definitely forgive you. It's okay. The only thing I want is to be with you," Howie replied honestly.

"You don't hate me?" she repeated softly, almost like a scolded child. She looked purely innocent at that moment, just staring up at Howie with her teary blue-green eyes. Her body continued to shiver slightly from the bitter coldness of the ice packed against her painful arm. Her cheeks were smudged with dirt from the rough football game as her braided pigtails frayed with stray pieces of hair. Howie couldn't have imagined a lovelier picture.

"I could never, never, never, never, ever hate you. Nothing could make me hate you, and that's a promise. My love for you will never change," he answered, speaking directly from his heart.

"I'm so sorry for putting that bruise on your face. I've never done anything like that before, Howie. I was just so suffocated... Well, there's no excuse for what I did. But I'm nothing like Christina, I would never hurt you on purpose---"

Deciding she was rambling a bit, Howie took a chance and leaned in to silence her with a gentle kiss.

Oriana was shocked at first, starting to pull away. Yet, Howie leaned further into the kiss, determined not to break. A warm heat flushed over Oriana's trembling form, causing a blush to creep to her pale cheeks. She smiled as they exchanged the tiniest kisses from his first gentle kiss, allowing her left hand to rest perfectly on his cheek. She would have brought her right one to run through his curls, but it was pinned. All the pain seemed to wash away as Howie finally pulled back. Howie had expected to keep Oriana silenced, but she just looked at him for a moment and began again, "But like I was saying, I'm so sorry, Howie. I never meant to hurt you..."

"I know. And like I said before, I forgive you."

"But--"

"Shhh," he gave another soft kiss.

"Mmm," she mumbled against his lips with a coy smile, resting her forehead against his for just a minute to savor the time. She silently admitted to herself that this was probably the best doctor's visit ever, even if her arm was broken into pieces. "I was so miserable without you, Howie."

"So was I. Well, I mean miserable without you... I missed you, Oriana."

"I thought you were way too pissed to give a second thought about me..."

"I was more depressed and alone than pissed. I thought about you every second. And then I saw you at school, laughing and hanging out with the football team. I thought it was you who had been too pissed to give a second thought about me."

"I thought about you every second and every moment between every second," Oriana admitted, finally sitting back to relax the tensing muscles in her right arm. She gazed down at her pants for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "That happy-go-lucky shit is such an act half the time. It's just people depend on me to be happy-go-lucky and help them. I can't let them down and have an off day. They act like if I'm upset then the whole world's going to come crashing down. So, yeah, I acted like a jackass with the guys, did what I had to do at practices, but I stayed in my room and cried when I went home."

"You did?"

"Yeah... I know it hurt you to see me act like that. But I had to."

"You cried?" he repeated in shock. In the four years of seeing her at school, Oriana had been completely independent and completely strong. The first real tears he had seen were at the beach, but they were frustrated tears. Then the first animal howl had been at the football field. And the true sobs of pain and loss were in the car. It gave Howie a slight twinge of hope, praying he could be the one to comfort her when she needed it most.

"Yeah, I cried..." she admitted with a faint blush. "It just hurt too much to know that I hurt you. I regretted everything that happened that day. It just kept playing back in my mind, over and over... But I can't punk-out at school. The dudes would kick my ass... And the others all expect me to be there for them when they need it. I can't fall apart around anyone, not even at home. Moms, Gabby, and Momma would fall apart."

"Then who do you open up to when you need to open up? I mean, you've got to be able to talk to someone about everything that's bothering you, right? You can't be a rock all the time. Someone's got to be your rock too, Sweetheart," Howie stressed softly, almost afraid to touch her. He finally was starting to realize how fragile she could be on the inside. She was almost like his most delicate rose, one that needed him more than the sunlight.

"I was hoping it could be you... That was until the other night..." she explained softly, running her fingers against the dirt on her pant leg. She grimaced for a moment as she tried to shift her arm in the bucket, feeling the numbing spikes start to shoot down her arm along with pain.

"Why can't it still be me? Oriana, I want it to be me."

"Then ask me the question you were supposed to ask me that night," she whispered softly, gazing downward. She knew it wouldn't be as romantic as it would have been on the beach, but the feelings were just as powerful. She needed to be told that she was his and only his. That he would love and protect her. That he wanted to spend every waking minute with her. That he needed her just as much as she needed him.

"You mean you still want me to ask?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have said anything, Howie..."

"O-Oriana," he stumbled, clearing his throat. "Oriana, for so long I've loved you and wanted you to be mine. I thought about you all the time, no matter where I was ot what I was doing. I still do it. I love you so much, and I will always protect you, because I need you just to breathe. You're my life. I just wanted to know... will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course," she replied with a shy nod.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," she laughed, reaching to grasp his t-shirt. She carefully pulled him towards her, offering him a searing kiss that she had been suppressing for so long. She affectionately nibbled his lip when they pulled away. "As long as you're willing to be my one and only boyfriend."

"I'm ready, willing and able," he panted slightly.

"Position comes with full-time benefits," she encouraged with a laugh, noticing the blush creep to his tan cheeks. She offered her impish smile yet again, not even able to feel the pain.

"Full-time, eh?"

"Anytime you need anything, day or night, you can come to me. This business will provide for your every need. Whether it be a backrub, a kiss, a hug, or just someone to hold you and tell you everything is okay... Like I said, full-time benefits."

"Then the same benefits are for you from me," Howie decided with a knowing smile, resting his forehead against hers.

"I haven't needed a benefit any day in my life," she boasted, cowering slightly when Howie arched his dark brow. She immediately bowed her head with guilt. "Until today. I really needed you today. It was just freaking awful."

"I know... my heart stopped when I heard you scream. I was so scared, Oriana," he whispered, cupping her chin and lifting her head up. "But you're okay now, and that's what matters."

"Yeah, because Brian got what he wanted," she murmured without thought.

"What about Brian?"

"He's just damn lucky," Oriana covered, breaking her gaze into Howie's eyes yet again. She shrugged off his coat, trying not to look so weak and dominated. "Just figures that I'd be under the wrong end of a dog pile the day he tries out for the team. Coach already said he has my spot."

"But I was watching him, he did horrible! How can he get your spot so fast–"

"Because who else is going to fill in for my position? I heard Coach tell him that he had my spot," Oriana whispered with shame, not really looking forward to returning home. She couldn't believe someone could be so ruthless at achieving perfection. She still remembered his words as he dug his heavy cleats into her arm, taunting her MVP placement. “Guess I won't be MVP this year..."

"Honey, I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened, you earn that MVP every year because of your talent at football," Howie sighed heavily, kissing her clammy forehead. "If it helps... you'll always be my MVP."

"I better be your Most Valued Player or I'm dumping your ass," Oriana tried to joke, wishing she could really tell him what happened. That she was a dope when it came to the football field. Ever since playing, not once had she hurt herself. She was always careful, almost too careful at times. But Brian had been ruthless. He had gone after her with vengeance. He wanted to ruin her status in the school, to ruin her, to hurt her.

"Always and forever," Howie promised as someone knocked on the door.

Oriana was about to tell whoever it was to come in, hoping it was the doctor. Yet, she was surprised as Kevin burst through the door, never giving her the chance to respond. He immediately jumped to her side, quickly grasping her face into his hands. He gave her a once over with a panicked hysteria, his eyes finally resting on her buried arm. He frowned and started to speak quickly, "God, Sweetheart, are you okay? All I get is this phone call from Alex. He's panicking like there's no tomorrow. I hear you're at the hospital. I tried to get your mother, but she was busy at the clinic and couldn't take a phone call. So, I got here as fast as I possibly could. I am so sorry, are you okay? Do you need anything? Does it hurt? Are–"

"I'm fine, Kevin," she answered coolly, arching her light blonde brows in bewilderment. She had never seen Kevin in such a state of chaos. His entire outfit was rumpled as if he had feverishly dashed to throw it on. His dark locks were wild, looking as if he had run his fingers through them dozens of times. His emerald eyes weary with an emotion that shocked Oriana - worry.

"Are you sure? You didn't hit your head or anything? No concussion? Does anything else—"

"Kevin, I'm fine. Really. Just a broken arm from being stupid at practice," Oriana interrupted, still shocked that he was worried about her well being.

"Are you sure–"

"Just a broken arm and some cleat marks, I swear. Why don't you sit down before you fall down," she interrupted yet again, motioning toward the chair Howie had been occupying when they were first escorted into the room. "Howie's been taking good care of me and the pain killers are starting to kick in. I'm just waiting for an X-Ray, you didn't have to come down here."

"It was my first instinct to come down and make sure you were alright. I think I cheated death a dozens times driving down here," Kevin replied, sitting down like Oriana told him to. "I was so worried."

"Brian wasn't hurt and Alex wasn't hurt. Why should you be worried?"

"I was worried because you were hurt."

"It doesn't hurt," she lied, still apprehensive. She couldn't tell if it was a game. Was he just trying to be sincere in order to score further brownie points with Cassandra? Or was he trying to gain her trust in order to smash it further down the road?

"You must have a high pain tolerance, then. When I was the quarterback in high school, I broke my leg and it kind of looked like that. Most painful experience I ever had," Kevin reminisced, feeling his leg ache at the mere memory.

"Wait, you were QB?" Oriana stopped for a moment, eyeing Kevin with skepticism. True, he was tall and muscular, but she somehow couldn't picture him as a football player. He wasn't aggressive, but more quiet and subdued. It didn't seem to fit his personality. "Were you any good?"

"I hope I was good, considering I was MVP all years until my leg injury," he replied with a chuckle. "I get quite fierce when it comes to playing football. You just see the non-athletic side of me."

"No, shit? MVP?" Oriana laughed in surprise, immediately wincing when she shifted her right arm. "I've been MVP all my years, too... Well, till this thing."

"Yep, MVP. I know how disappointing it is to get an injury like that and not be able to play... but my dad always told me, unexpected things happen and you just have to roll with it."

"Then get pummeled by another pair of cleats," Oriana groaned, causing Kevin to chuckle with amusement. Her blue-green eyes lit with an impish glimmer for just a moment, causing Kevin's heart to skip. For so long he had wanted her to accept him as a father, yet, she kept pushing away. He really was at a loss when it came to her. "Oh, sorry, you know Howie, right?"

"I think I remember this little Latino boy that would run over to ask if he would play with Alex and Brian when he was six. Cute as a button with his two front teeth missing," Kevin teased with a laugh, reaching over to shake Howie's hand.

"I hope you have more recent memories than that one," Howie blushed, shaking Kevin's hand with a smile. Kevin had always treated him like a third son since he ran around with the boys constantly. Frankly, Howie had started to think of Kevin as his second father.

"What do you think of him, Kevin? Is he a dateable type? You know, just in case my girlfriends from the squad need a date for Homecoming?" Oriana drawled with a teasing smile, trying to entertain herself and forget the pain.

"He's definitely the datable type. His father and I always taught him to treat girls like the queens they are, which I can see he still does. I think you would have a hard time getting him to go on a date that wasn't with you, though," Kevin replied.

"Why's that?" she countered with an impish grin.

"Because Howie's into having a monogamous relationship. He likes being with the one person he loves."

"What makes you think we're together?"

"Because I can tell?"

"How?" she pressed, somewhat fascinated.

"There's this certain look on your face and his. It's the same that I have when I'm with your mother and vice versa."

"Guess the gig is up," Oriana sighed dramatically. "We're been trying to hide it, but we can't fool the master. We were planning on sneaking down to Las Vegas after I get this cast and elope. Damn you, Kevin, for ruining it all."

"You just can't put anything past old Train. No one can," Kevin shook his head, trying not to laugh.

"Like it's not that obvious when he's sitting on the examining table holding my left hand," Oriana replied with a roll of her eyes, looking to glance over at Howie. He had drawn into a quiet state since Kevin had approached. "You okay, Howie?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine," Howie replied.

"Liar."

"What?"

"Are you nervous or what?" Oriana questioned quietly, noticing Kevin thumbing through some of the magazines off the side to keep himself occupied. She hurriedly searched through Howie's brown eyes with a caring smile. "What's wrong?"

"I guess I am a little nervous. I mean, Kevin's like my second father, and he's going to be your step-father... I don't know, I feel like I should have asked his permission before asking you to be my girlfriend--"

"He doesn't have a say in who I date," she interrupted softly, watching Howie wince. She sighed softly, realizing that it was important to him. "Then why don't you ask now if you feel it's that big a deal?"

"Would it bother you if I asked?"

"No, if you think it's the right thing to do, then go ahead. I don't want you feeling embarrassed or whatever because you didn't do something. You've got a golden heart, what can I say?"

"It's just the way I am," Howie shrugged with a sweet smile, kissing her cheek. "I'll be right back."

Kevin tried not to overhear the conversation as Howie walked to stand in front of him. He felt a teasing streak immediately overcome his usual antics, looking upon the nervous boy. He lazily flicked his eyes from the paper, offering a soft grunt. "What's up, Howie?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to know-- well, what I wanted to ask you was--" Howie stumbled, feeling his tongue twist around the words.

"You alright, Howie?"

"No. I mean, yeah! I mean," he took a deep breath. "I was raised to be pretty traditional when it came to dating and... I was wondering if I had your blessing and permission to date Oriana. You're the closest father she has--"

"You think you can handle her?" Kevin grunted, glancing back to see Oriana occupied with sizing up her damaged arm. He tried not to smile when flicking his eyes back to Howie. "I've heard some pretty nasty stories about her, son. She can be down-right vicious... Are you sure that's a risk you're willing to take?"

"It's not a risk to me, because I really care about her and nothing could make me not want to be with her," Howie replied, trying to sound strong and decisive. "I can handle her because I want her and love her."

"And why is that?" Kevin mused, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. Truth be told, he thought Howie was a wonderful boy. And he would continue to grow into a wonderful man. Cassandra had already approached Kevin with the same questions Oriana posed in jest and Kevin's answers hadn't changed. Howie was good for Oriana and hopefully Oriana would do the same for Howie. He had seen the pain Howie went through with Christina.

"Why? There are so many reasons why. She's sweet, caring, compassionate, smart, funny... not to mention absolutely beautiful. She's the kind of person that would not let anyone down when they needed her, which is so much like me. It seems like we connect in so many ways, and everything about her amazes me," Howie said, pouring his feelings out. "She makes me the happiest I've ever been in my entire life and all I want to do is be with her and know that she will always be mine."

"Sounds like you're perfect for her," Kevin chuckled softly, offering a friendly hand to Howie. "She's a good girl and you deserve someone like her. You've had too much heartache in that department and she just needs someone to love her. You actually get her to open up, which is something no one else can do. And, frankly, Howie, I admire you for that."

"Well... thanks, Kevin. I really appreciate your approval," Howie answered, feelings his cheeks blush as he shook the older man's hand.

"Yeah, but if you hurt her, I'm going to have to tear you apart, send you home in an itty-bitty box, and tell your father you got lost. And trust me, with your father being a Police Officer, he'll understand."

"Y-Yes, sir," Howie gulped, knowing Kevin wouldn't hesitate if that ever happened.

"Good boy," Kevin approved, "Go back and comfort your girlfriend."

"Yes, sir," Howie repeated, walking back to Oriana. "Is your arm still hurting, Sweetheart?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" she quipped with a sarcastic smile, which looked to be more painful than anything. She shifted uncomfortably on the examining table again, feeling her entire body tingle with a painful numbness. She just wanted to get a cast and be on her way. She had so much to do.

"Sorry," he winced at his stupidity, reaching out to run his hands through her dirty locks. "Is there anything I could do?"

"Show me that awful pink shirt that the girls gave you at lunch," Oriana trailed after a few moments, wrapping her one leg around the back of Howie's legs to pull him closer.

"You really want to see that... pink... thing?" Howie made a face, remembering how cheesy and gaudy it looked.

"Please, Howie?"

"I thought you couldn't stand to see your name on anything pink?"

"Oh, trust me, it's worth it," Oriana laughed softly, running her foot up the length of Howie's leg. She seemed to completely ignore the fact that Kevin was in the room, just amused with Howie's shocked expression.

Howie shivered slightly at the feeling of her foot rubbing his leg. "But it's pink--"

"I want to see the shirt. It will make me forget the pain in my arm," Oriana interrupted, offering a little pout and a flutter of her eyelashes.

"Oriana," Howie groaned softly, finally moving from her embrace. He shuffled carefully, almost timidly, while he moved to his backpack. He shuffled through the length, slowly withdrawing the pink mess. He cringed openly as he held it up for public display. His cheeks turned crimson as Kevin burst into a muffled laughter.

"Holy shit, that's a disaster!" Oriana snickered with a small giggle of approval. "You're going to look like such an ass wearing that..."

"Nuh-uh, I ain't wearing this one! Dee and Ella are making me one in a color that doesn't make me want to vomit," Howie shook his head vehemently, his cheeks still red. "Can I put the shirt away now?"

"Dee and Ella nixed the t-shirt," Oriana contradicted.

"What? They did not!"

"After they heard that everything was pretty shitty between us, they canceled the t-shirt. You won't have it in time for the game this weekend. You have to wear the pink one."

"You have to be kidding me! Please say you're kidding me!" Howie begged.

"No, you have to wear the pink t-shirt. Otherwise the whole group will consider you a disgrace and basically push you away. It's a whole tradition with the group. Sorry, Sweetheart."

"But I don't like pink," Howie whined, pouting as he looked down at the t-shirt. "I seriously doubt all those big football players would think better of me if I wear this thing--"

"Oh, they'll love you, Howie. Takes man very secure in his masculinity to wear...that..." Kevin laughed heartily, already able to read Oriana's expression. She was hiding something.

"More like I'll be the butt of everyone's jokes if I wear this," Howie scowled.

"Which is different from..." Oriana teased further.

"Hey!"

"What?"

"This isn't fair. I don't want to wear this thing and..." Howie looked into her eyes and saw the impish glint in them. "And you're lying! I don't have to wear this, do I?"

"Nah..." she laughed, nodding over toward her backpack. Howie quickly retrieved it and pulled out the silk-screen shirt, smiling with approval. It was a light blue color and on the front right was a small inscription: Tartan's #1 Cherry Bomb Fan. Then the back of the t-shirt was decorated wild cherries to signal Oriana's nickname with the words: PROUD BOYFRIEND OF #17. "Dee and Ella insisted I keep the shirt they made because they were determined that we would make up. But I saw the pink shirt and... Damn, I just had to play that..."

"That was not funny at all. I nearly had a heart attack thinking I was supposed to wear this... this thing to the game!" Howie exclaimed with a relieved laugh, pointing to the pink shirt.

"Oh, trust me, it was funny," Oriana replied with a carefree smile, tossing the blue shirt toward him. "Hopefully you like that one better. The girls do kick-ass jobs with t-shirts."

"It's an awesome shirt, I love it," Howie leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I'll be wearing it proudly."

"Thanks, feels good to have a cheering section that thinks I'm cute."

"Nah, you're not cute."

"I'm not?"

"Nope. You're beautiful."

"Howie..." she groaned softly, immediately letting her chin drop with a firm blush. She wasn't used to having attention lavished upon her for her looks.

"I'm sorry, but it's all true," he replied with a soft laugh, lifting her chin up so he could look into her emerald-blue eyes.

"But–"

"No buts. You're beautiful, end of story."

"You're way too sweet..."

"It's just how I am," he shrugged with a simple smile.

"Yeah–"

Oriana's thought was immediately cut short as the door was abruptly open. She jerked in surprise, immediately wincing at the sharp pain flowing through her nerves. The doctor didn't seem to care too much as he hurriedly snapped up the X-rays. She arched her light blonde brows in surprise as she immediately noticed the jagged lines and edges of her bones. "Oriana Riley?" the doctor called.

"That's me with the bucket of ice," she replied.

"Yeah, well, you did a doosey. Where does a girl get off playing football in the first place?" the doctor trailed, immediately looking to the X-rays. He hurriedly circled the large breaks in her arm in both of the bones, clicking his tongue.

"Actually, I was MVP all three years of playing. So, I get off pretty well..." Oriana trailed.

"Girls don't belong in such a violent sport... basketball, maybe. Football... these are the kind of breaks you see in boys..." the doctor ignored her as he muttered to himself, frowning a little.

"You son of–"

"Miss Riley," the doctor interrupted, motioning toward the X-rays. "You've done a real wallop with that arm. You broke your radius in three places and your ulna in two. These breaks are compound, which means the bones are uneven, but didn't break through the skin. You're damn lucky you don't need surgery. I think I can heal these by setting the bone and casting it. You're going to need to slow down and let it heal. Go back to knitting or something... And, I've got to treat those puncture wounds. How did you get those anyway?"

"Cleats..." Oriana mumbled, glancing down at her arm.

"Now wait a damn minute," Kevin interrupted the 'lecture', getting to his feet. "Where do you get off lecturing my step-daughter this way? She has an amazing talent for football, and I will not allow you to insult her like you have. Treat the wounds and cast her arm, but don't you dare criticize what she likes to do."

"Kevin, just sit down," Oriana groaned, not wanting to make quite a big deal of the entire scenario. Not many really cared for what she did. Sometimes, Oriana didn't even know if her mother approved. "Can we just go get these bones set and go home?"

"Oriana, he has no right--"

"You're right. But all I want to do is go home."

"Oriana–"

"I'll have the nurse come in with a wheelchair to take you to the treatment room. We'll set the bones in there, wrap the cast, then we'll have to take another X-Ray to make sure the bones are set," the doctor quickly averted, slipping out the door before Kevin could launch into further complaints.

"Snap the bones in place, take an X-ray, run home, sleep. Let's go, Nursie," Oriana murmured.

"Snap bones in place?" Howie asked, feeling his stomach churn at the thought.

"What do you think setting the bones means?" Oriana questioned, trying to ignore the doctor's hateful words. She instead focused on the procedure at hand. "My bones are laying over top of one another. It's a compound fracture. In order to make them line back up, they have to stretch my arm and basically snap the bones back into place."

"Oh... sorry, I don't know a lot of medical stuff," Howie gulped at the detail she gave him. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"It's worse than breaking the bone in the first place," Oriana sighed, staring down at the tiles on the floor. She be given a small portion of pain killers to take the edge off the pain, but she still found herself flinching. It would hurt worse than anything she had dealt with before.

"They won't give you more painkillers so it doesn't hurt?" Howie asked, shocked that doctors would let a patient go through such pain when it came to all the breaks Oriana had.

"They'll give me a prescription for when I leave, but they snap'em so fast that they really don't care to use anything to numb. Worst part is keeping it still to cast it, then I have to keep coming back for X-rays to make sure it didn't shift. And if it did shift, then I have to have them repositioned again," Oriana explained, watching Howie's face pale. "Maybe you shouldn't come back with me..."

"No, I promised I would be there–"

"I don't want you back there if you're going to pass out. It's not a big deal, I can do this by myself. I've done it before and this probably won't be the last time I do it," she tried to encourage.

"Oriana–"

"Howie, listen to me," Oriana interrupted fiercely, causing Howie to fall back with surprise. "You have no idea what it's like back there. You can actually hear the bones shift and crack. And I scream, and I mean scream hard. I don't want you back there, okay? Just go out with Alex and Luke."

"I'm sorry... I just wanted to..." Howie sighed heavily, biting his bottom lip. "Never mind, I'm sorry..."

"I understand you want to be there for me. Please don't be upset with me."

"I'm not upset with you. I thought you were upset with me."

"No, it's really sweet that you want to go back with me. But, Babe, you're no good to me when you're lying on the floor. Right?"

"Yeah, that's true. But you shouldn't go by yourself. I mean, it would be nice to have someone there with you, wouldn't it?"

"I was going to ask Kevin–"

"You were?" Kevin interrupted, accidentally overhearing.

"Well, yeah, if you wouldn't mind... Don't read too much into it or anything. I just need someone back there that's not going to pass out... Someone to hold the stick in my mouth when I start screaming, you know? If you don't want to, that's fine... Just figured I'd ask since you're here and all," she fumbled, highly embarrassed that she actually needed him.

"No, no, I want to come back there with you. I had to go through my bone settings alone back in the day, and I know how much I wanted someone there with me. As long as you want me there, I'll be there," Kevin replied, thankful that it was at least a little step towards something.

"It's not that I'm a pussy or anything---"

"I never said you were. I've seen guys with that kind of break and they were bawling the whole entire time, from the breaking to the setting to the casting. I know that having someone there with you always helps."

"So, you'll go back?"

"Yes."

Oriana nodded as there was a soft knock on the door, giving her a chance to mask her feelings of relief. Oriana offered a tight smile as the nurse slipped through the door with a wheelchair. She seemed quite young and very beautiful, so naturally, Oriana again shifted with discomfort. But, the nurse just offered a smile of approval, "So this is the infamous female football player?"

"One and only probably in this state," Oriana agreed.

"Well, it's about damn time!" the nurse enthused with a gentle smile, carefully pulling away the heavy ice packs from Oriana's arm. She apologized quietly as Oriana immediately whimpered with fresh pain. Trying to get her mind off the situation, the nurse glanced between the two men in the room, her eyes naturally lingering on Howie. "So, who's this cute dish?"

"That's my boyfriend, Howie," Oriana replied. "My cute Irish and Puerto Rican dish."

"Lucky girl, you get to be tackled by cute football players then come home to that handsome slice? Mmm, I'm jealous," the nurse teased, gently bumping Oriana's left shoulder.

"Yeah, an Irish and Puerto Rican combination really makes a handsome man, huh?"

"Mm-hmm, most definitely. But I didn't know the mix made them so quiet," the nurse teased, clicking her tongue.

"Yeah, usually they should be really hot-headed and arrogant," Oriana replied, hoping to jump-start Howie.

"Me? Hot-headed and arrogant? No way!" Howie defended himself.

"Then what are you?" Oriana tempted as the nurse started to ease her into the wheelchair. Oriana wanted to bring her arm to immediately rest against her chest, but the nurse prevented her from doing so with an immobilizer. Oriana yelped softly with pain as her arm was stationed on a special platform over the arm of the wheelchair.

"Um... a sweet, fun loving guy who will do anything to make his girlfriend happy?" Howie tried, smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah, guess that describes him better," Oriana told the nurse, trying not to sob again. She shifted again to comfort herself, swallowing hard. "Just get out to the waiting room."

"I know, it wouldn't do you any good to have me passed out on the floor," Howie tried to joke, leaning down to kiss her softly. "I'll be there when you're done."

"One more kiss?" she murmured softly, blinking back her tears.

"Of course," he whispered, delivering a more passionate one.

"Thanks," she whispered softly, a tinge of blush starting to creep to her cheeks. She reached her left hand out for a moment to caress the side of his face. "Will you come home for dinner with me?"

"I could never say no to those pretty eyes. I'd be honored to have dinner with you, Ria. I'll bring you a nice fresh jar of cherries for dessert, alright?" he replied with a smile.

"Ria?"

"I thought it could be your nickname from me, since everyone else has their own. Do you like it?"

"I like it a lot," she admitted softly.

"Good, because I think it's perfect for you," he smiled again, kissing her once more before the nurse interrupted them.

"Look, I find this adorable and all, but I really need to get you back to the treatment room, Sweetheart. One more kiss and we're hitting the road. Is Dad coming with you?"

"Um… Dad?" Oriana blanked for a moment, glancing back to Kevin. "Yeah, he is."

"Alright, so one more kiss and then we're rollin' outta here."

"Just think, Howie, I won't even be screaming for you..."

"Yeah... but you know it'll all be over before you know it. Then we'll be eating dinner and having cherries for dessert."

"Yeah, I know," Oriana agreed as the nurse wheeled her out into the hallway.

"Coming, Dad?" the nurse called.

"Dad?" Kevin drawled again in surprise.

"Yeah, Dad," Oriana quipped with a sarcastic laugh.

"Come on, the train's leaving!"

"You better get going. I just hope it hasn't been too long since you've seen a broken bone being set and you pass out," Howie teased as Kevin walked to the door.

"Does she mean the Dad thing?" Kevin paused for a moment.

"I think so."

"Oh..." Kevin paused, not really understanding how things could jump so fast. He stood still for a moment till the nurse called for him again. He furiously shook his head, immediately patting Howie's shoulder. "Go tell the boys what's happening, okay?"

"I will. Good luck, Kevin."