Parker was in surgery for three hours, and it took another two days for her to wake up. When she did, everyone came to visit her. Everyone except for Ryder.

“Paige?” Parker asks a day later. “Can you bring me my laptop?”

“What do you want your laptop for? You’re supposed to be resting so you can go home soon.”

“I just need to get a few things written down. Typing will go much faster than trying to write with my arm in a sling. It’ll clear my head.”

“I thought running did that,” Paige jokes.

“Yeah, I’ll get right up and do that.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be back in a bit.”

When Paige returns, she brings Parker’s laptop and a stack of magazines.”

“Where’s Ryder?” Parker asks.

“Don’t know. No one has heard from him in a couple of days. He had to go and bury his mom, but he’s fallen off the grid.”

“Oh.” She sighs and turns on her MacBook.

Three days later, she’s released from the hospital, and she’s getting settled into Paige’s house. While she rests on the couch, Aaron and Connor walk in.

“Honey, we’re home,” Aaron calls out sarcastically.

“Honey, she’s out!” Parker calls.

Aaron and Connor walk in the living room to see Parker. Aaron’s hair was a little blonder from the sun, and he’d been working out. While he still didn’t have a six-pack like Ryder, he looked pretty fit in his loose fitting jeans and white t-shirt.

“Auntie Parker!” Connor bounces over to her, his strawberry blonde hair hanging in his eyes.

“Hey buddy,” she says and hugs him with her right arm. “How are you?”

“What happened?” Aaron asks. “We were gone for a week. Literally a week.”

“Parker, did you leave the door open?” Paige calls from the front door carrying a bag of groceries. “Oh. You’re here.”

“Mama!” Connor cries and rushes towards her. “I missed you!”

“Baby!” Paige sets down the groceries in time to catch her son who has catapulted himself at her. “I’ve missed you so much!”

“What’s going on here?” Aaron points to Parker.

“No one’s filled you in?”

“Obviously not.”

“Play nice,” Parker warns with a motherly tone. “Connor’s right there.”

“Sorry,” Paige says.

“Kane,” Parker calls as Conner rushes back to Parker and shows her all of his toys from his backpack.

“And there’s a deck of cards! Want to see a magic trick?”

“Do I!” Parker exclaims with a smile.

“He’s back?” Aaron asks.

“Jail,” Parker calls as Connor holds out the deck to her, and she picks the queen of hearts. Of course she would.

“You okay?”

“Eh, I’ll live.”

“Is this your card?” Connor asks holding up an eight of spades.

“You got it!”

“I’m a good magician!”

“Aaron, as much as I’ve missed Connor, would you be able to take him for a couple of days? Parker still needs a lot of help,” Paige says. Her worry never ceases.

“No, no, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Once I can get my arm out of this sling, I’ll be good as new,” Parker says.

“Connor, baby, why don’t you bring your stuff to your room and wash up. We’ll go out to eat tonight for dinner,” Aaron says.

“Okay!” He grabs his things and bounces up the stairs.

“I’ll stay here and help,” Aaron offers. “I’ll take the basement room.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Parker says.

“Really, you do not have to do that,” Paige agrees.

“I’m not taking no for an answer. You need help, and that’s what we’re all here for. You’re always there for us, Park. And I know I for one don’t deserve it.”

“You really don’t,” Paige says and smiles sweetly.

“You’re in the same boat as me, sweetheart,” Aaron says back just as sugary. “Where’s Ryder?”

Parker shrugs her right shoulder. “Don’t know.”

“Then I’m definitely not letting you stay here alone.”

“Um, I’m here,” Paige says shaking her head.

“Yes, and there’s a psycho who tried to K-I-L-L her.”

“Connor’s not even here,” Parker points out.

“That kid hears everything. Besides, I think we can coexist for the sake of our son and Parker. At least for a few days.”

Paige sighs. “As much as I hate to admit it, it would actually help out a lot.”

“I’ll head to my parent’s house and grab a few things. I’ll be back shortly.”

After he leaves, Parker eyes Paige. “What? It’s not like we haven’t lived like roommates prior to the separation. Plus, it’ll put me at ease to have him here. He’s not much, but at least he’s a dude.”

Parker laughs as her phone rings. “Hello?”

“I’m almost there.”

“Great.” She hangs up the phone and looks at Paige. “Can you help me up off the couch?”

“Who was that?”

“A loose end that needs tying.”

Paige extends her arm and braces herself for Parker to pull on her with her free arm. “Have you lost weight?”

“Probably.”

“Do you need someone to come with you?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I have my phone if need be.”

Parker walks outside and the three houses down to Ryder’s house. Sitting on the front step, she waits. After about ten minutes, a black 1965 Ford F-100 pickup pulls into the driveway followed by a Toyota Camry. He gets out.

“Jeff?”

“Parker?”

“Thanks for making the drive.”

“You okay?” He eyes her arm in the sling.

“Yeah. Long story. Here.” She holds out her hand with an envelope filled with cash.

“You sure you wanna buy this? It’s a lot of money.”

“Yep.”

“Woman of few words. That’s a rare commodity. I like it.” Taking the envelope, he gets into the waiting car and drives off.

Parker opens the driver side door and pulls the necklace box out of her pocket. She sets it on the driver’s seat and shuts the door. Pain courses through her shoulder, and she leans against the pickup to catch her breath.

The sound of a motorcycle catches her attention, and Ryder pulls into the driveway. “Parker! What’s wrong?” He’s jumped off his bike and rushing towards her.

“I’m fine,” she waves. “I just over exerted myself.”

“Do you need to sit down? Let’s go to the front step.” He guides her to his front porch. The crime scene tape has been removed, and they both try and ignore the last time they were both standing there with Vanessa’s dead body on display.

She sits and holds her arm. “Thanks. I just need a minute and I’ll be on my way.”

“Stay as long as you need. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” He sighs before sitting on the step next to her. He nods towards the truck. “What’s this?”

“A pony.”

“Is this my truck?”

“Yep.”

“Where did you get it?”

“The guy you sold it to.”

“How?”

“I had a lot of time lying in a hospital bed to research.”

“Why?”

“Got shot.”

“No,” he shakes his head. “Why did you find my truck?”

“Because you gave away the only things that ever mattered to you. Tara’s necklace is on the driver’s seat. You have them both back now.”

“I was drunk when I said all that, Parker,” he says rubbing his face with his hands.

“Yeah, you were drunk a lot.”

“I know.”

“We’re even. No more loose ends. Everything has been tied in a neat bow.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing left to hold over each other’s heads anymore. It’s clear where we stand, and now we can make a clean break.”

“You’re done?”

“We’re done, Ryder. All we do is hurt each other. I thought there was hope. I thought we could have the future I always thought we would. I was wrong.” She’s looking at the ground.

“You left me, remember?”

“Ryder.”

“Twice. The last time you left before I was even awake. After you told me you loved me. And for what? To go back to your fiancé? Was it all just to get back at me?”

“You never said it back.”

“What?”

“I told you I still loved you, and you never said it back.”

“You’re telling me that’s an excuse to leave me alone? Again?”

She sighs and struggles to stand up. Ryder holds himself back from helping her. “I give up.”

“He hasn’t even shown his face to check on you.” His anger is getting the better of him.

“Neither did you,” she says flatly.

Ryder doesn’t know what to make of her tone. She’s not angry. Maybe a little sad, but mostly she just sounds defeated. She’s really given up. “This is my fault?”

Parker shrugs trying to wrap her head around his logic, and pain radiates down her shoulder. She doubles over in pain breathing deep to get it to subside.

“Parker?” His voice carries worry now instead of anger.

“I’m fine,” she says breathing deep and straightening up. “What time is it?”

“Five-thirty.”

“I missed a pain med, that’s all.”

“Do you need a ride?”

“To Paige’s house three doors down? No, I think I’ll be fine.”

“You hate me that much? You can’t even let me help you?”

“I don’t hate you. It’d be much easier if I did, but I don’t. And if you really think I do, you don’t know me at all.”

“What am I supposed to do, Parker?” He’s pleading with her now. She’s scaring him.

“Whatever you want, Ryder. This isn’t your fault, and I don’t hate you. I’ve made my decisions, and you’ve made yours. We keep hurting each other. We both deserve better than this.”

“You deserve better than this.”

“That’s part of our problem, Ryder. You don’t feel you deserve anything good either. You sabotage things. And then you get angry with yourself. It’s a perpetual cycle, and I’m done helping to feed it.”

“I’m just supposed to move on?”

“I want you to be happy, Ryder. That’s all I want for you. I somehow keep making you miserable. I’m not the person for you, Not anymore.”

“Don’t you get it? I’m miserable without you. You’re one of the only people who gets me. You make me happy.”

Tears stream down her face. “But you don’t get me. Not anymore. And you aren’t happy around me. I wish I could remember the last time you were truly happy, but it isn’t with me. I give up, Ryder. I can’t give anymore. I can’t hurt anymore. And I can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Parker, wait,” Ryder says as she starts walking down the street to Paige’s house. She doesn’t turn back.