We are about to pack up when we see Brittany and Dillion heading back towards us. Cat froze on the spot, worry creasing her features.

"I thought you would go with them?" Cat says to Brittany.

"They don't need me. She's stable and once they get her to the hospital, they can start her on an IV of the medicine she will need to counteract the reaction to the sting. I'm sure they'll check her lungs, too. She swallowed quite a lot of water from the ocean. They'll have to make certain they're clear."

"Do you really think she'll be okay?" Cat questions, but I can see the intense expression Dillion has. Obviously, he is just as eager to hear the answer.

"I really do, Cat," Brittany says, reaching out for Cat's hand. "She's in expert hands and they take excellent care of her. Now, you need to focus on that baby and relax."

Cat gave her a small smile. "Easier said than done. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to Olivia. We've been best friends since our childhood. She's like a sister to me."

I can see Cat's eyes fill with tears and I put my arm around her.

"Well, she'll definitely be admitted but I doubt any of us will get to see her tonight. I suggest you aim for first thing in the morning if you wish to visit," Brittany suggests.

"I'll take you," Dillion offers. I gave him a look because if anyone was going to be there for Cat it would be me, but then I realize that this may be Dillion's only chance to see for himself that Olivia is okay.

"Thank you, Dillion, but Alex can take me," Cat replies.

"Yeah... of course," Dillion says, rubbing the back of his neck. I feel so bad for him, but it is actually Brittany who speaks up in his defense.

"You should let your brother tag along. I know how he gets when he's playing guardian angel. He'll want to see for himself that Olivia is okay."

Cat gives a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah, sure if you want to come. The more the merrier. I'm sure Olivia won't mind the company."

"I doubt she'll be deprived of company. I'm pretty sure Doug is going to be glued to her side. The poor guy looked sick with worry," Brittany comments and I couldn't help thinking... you mean how Dillion looks right now.

Brittany wraps her arms around Dillion's midsection. "She was so lucky you noticed her Dillion. God forbid if you didn't ... she may have drowned."

"Yeah, it was pretty lucky," Dillion forces out, before placing a kiss atop Brittany's head. "I'm glad you were here. She needed your expertise."

Brittany smiles up at him. "Ah, it was nothing. Guess I should have known better than to think I could actually have a normal night off."

"The night isn't over yet. Since we can do nothing tonight, I say we try to salvage the rest of the evening," Dillion suggests.

I look at Cat. I know emotionally this event has taken a lot out of her, so I leave the decision up to her. She looks up at me and smiles. "I promised you a bonfire and s'mores. I think we could stay for a little while longer, don't you?"

"If you're up to it." Cat nods her head yes. 

"Okay then." 

We got the fire going, and the talk surrounds around getting to know Brittany better and her doing the same with us. Dillion responds when it is appropriate, giving the appearance he is a part of things, but I can tell his mind is miles away. Still, it turns out to be a rather enjoyable evening, with just the four of us.

Cat cuddles in and I can tell she's getting tired. "I think I should get Cat back home," I say when there was a lapse in the conversation. "I'm okay," she protests sleepily, and I laughed. "Uh, huh? Come on, sleep head. Let's get you home and to bed."

Brittany looks at her watch, "It is getting late, and I have to be in early tomorrow for work. Did you..." Brittany glances at Dillion with hope, "want to come with me?"

Dillion takes her hands in his. "I would Brittany, but I'm sure Cat's going to want to get to the hospital first thing in the a.m. and I don't want her to have to wait for me."

Brittany tries to hide her disappointment. She shakes it off and smiles at him. "That makes sense. Tell Olivia, I was asking about her. I really hope she's okay."

"Thanks to you, I'm sure she will be," Dillion says and leans in to kiss Brittany, but it is a very brief kiss and confusion is clear on Brittany's face when he pulls away. You can tell something has changed, but that Brittany can't figure out what.

I feel so bad for her. It is apparent she cares a great deal for Dillion. The way she keeps stealing glances at him all night. "I'll walk you to your car," Dillion says, taking her hand in his.

"Why don't we drive you to your car?" Cat offers.

Brittany appears conflicted, as Dillion walking her back to her car is the only time alone she will get with him tonight.

"I'm sure they'd like a moment to themselves," I tell Cat as I pack up the chairs and items we brought with us to the beach before dousing the fire.

Dillion gives me an odd expression that is hard to read. I almost believe he's annoyed with me. It took me a second to realize that Cat had unknowingly given him the perfect out of being alone with Brittany. Since he now set his sights on Olivia, he is already distancing himself from Brittany, but I don't think it's fair that he does so and does not try to explain.

However, it isn't my place to tell him that.

"Where are you parked? I'll drop him off at your car so he can go home with you."

Cat told her, and Brittany smiles at Cat, giving her a huge hug. "It was really great meeting you, Cat. Dillion talks about you so much I felt like I knew you already. You too, Alex." She pulls away and reaches out for my hand. "It would be nice if we could do this again sometime. Maybe dinner?" I shake her hand, but I'm not sure what to say.

Cat jumps in with, "It was great getting to meet you, too. Dinner would be fun. We'll figure out a good night and I'll have Dillion call you."

"Sounds great."Brittany takes back Dillion's hand, and they walk off towards the boards. Cat and I clean up and grab the items we brought down to the beach. "Brittany seems really nice," Cat says as we reach the boards.

"Yeah, she seems pretty great," I respond, but I know this is not a relationship that will last.

"Wouldn't it be awesome if they got serious about one another? They make a really cute couple."

"Cat... I... I wouldn't put too much faith in that relationship," I warn.

"Why ever not? She's single and so is he. She is a doctor, funny, beautiful and is totally into my brother. Why shouldn't I hope they become a thing?"

We reach the car and Cat pops the trunk and I load the items in. "I am just not convinced Dillion feels the same way is all." I close the trunk and she's staring at me like she trying to puzzle something out.

"What?"

"Do you know something I don't know?"

Damn, she's going for the direct route. "No, I was just watching them and she seemed way more into him than the other way around." Okay, that wasn't a total lie.

"Pfft!" Cat makes a sound, blowing me off with a wave of her hand before moving to her side of the car to get in. "He's shaken by what almost happened today. We all are, but he'd have to be a complete idiot not to be into Brittany, she's perfect for him."

Cat gets into the car, and I do too. She buckles up and beams that brilliant smile at me. "Besides, it's not like he has anyone else he's interested in."

"Yeah," I mutter, as I start the car, "cause that would just be awkward."

"Right?" Cat agrees and Dillion comes up and knocks on the window of the car, startling both of us.

Cat unlocks the car doors to let him in. "I thought Brittany was going to drop you off?"

"I told her not to worry about it. She parked really close, so there wasn't a need."

"Oh," Cat says with a shrug of her shoulders as her brother gets into the back seat. His eyes met mine briefly in the rearview mirror. I instantly wonder if there is more to it than that, but don't say a word and just drive us back to Cat's parent's house.

On the way home, Cat fell asleep in the car. We pull up outside the house and Dillion offers to unpack. I thank him and unhook Cat's seatbelt before lifting her out of the car. Dillion ran up ahead to open the door for me.

As I carry her through the doorway it strikes me I am carrying her over the threshold. Just like I would if we were married and smile. I get her up the stairs and to her room.

When I lay her in the bed, her arms suddenly wrap around my neck. "You're not going to abandon me here, are you?"

"I'll stay until you fall back asleep," I tell her, and she smiles and pulls me down to her so she can kiss me. I love Cat's kisses. They are so much more than an ordinary kiss. Each time she kisses me, it's like she is determined to convince me she loves me and I always respond by trying to convince her I love her more. She sighs against my lips and I can't help but grin.

I climb into bed with her and help her get under the covers. I would love to stay the night with her, but after such a great day with her parents, I don't want to jeopardize the good thing I have going with them right now, especially her dad. I miss having Cat in my arms, but I force myself to stay awake until I could feel Cat relax into a deep sleep. She is so worn out; it doesn't take long.

Extracting myself from her proves difficult as she has a way of wrapping me up with her entire body, but thankfully not impossible. I get down the stairs to see the light on in the Man Cave. I hear someone shuffling around in there and my curiosity gets the better of me.

"Come on! Where did he put it? He always keeps... gotcha." I hear Dillion's voice say in triumph.

"Dillion? You okay?" I ask as I come down the stairs and find him behind the bar.

He turns around and I see a half-empty bottle of gin in his hand. He looks guilty as hell at being caught, and then his expression turns to anger. "Don't you dare judge, me!" he grumbles, pouring himself a shot.

"Dillion, you really don't want to do this," I reason.

"This," Dillion says, holding up his glass, "is exactly what I want to do. In fact, I want to finish this whole damn bottle!" he confesses to me, but he doesn't put the glass to his lips. A sure sign, he's hoping I'll talk him off this ledge.

"You're going to screw up your sobriety for what?" I demand to know. "Nothing will change if you take that shot. Olivia with still be in the hospital. She'll still be dating Doug, and Brittany will still be wondering where she stands with you."

Dillion winces at my words. "Damn it!" He slams the glass on the bar and half of the liquid splashes out onto the wood. "Do you have any idea how hard this is on me?!"

"Have you forgotten how many times your sister has landed herself in the hospital after passing out in my arms? Yes, Dillion! I get it! I get you! I understand but this..." I say walking over and taking the bottle from him, "is only going to add to your problems, not solve them." I put the bottle away, dump the glass in the bar sink and wash the liquid down the drain.

He growls at me before storming over to the couch and plopping down onto it. I take a moment to clean up the spill, pour us both a glass of soda, and join him on the couch. "You did the right thing," I tell him, handing him the soft drink.

He frowns at it but takes a sip. "I almost lost her today, Alex. Olivia wasn't breathing when I pulled her out of the ocean. I've never been so scared in my life."

I take a swig of my soda and place it down on the coffee table. "I get you, Dillion. The two times your sister passed out on me she wouldn't wake up no matter how loudly I yelled her name. Touching her face brought no reaction, zero response. My heart was in my throat. My head pounded. Fear, panic ruled the day, but I had to keep it together because she needed me. I couldn't fall apart."

"That's just it, Alex. Olivia doesn't need me. She has Doug. I'm just the guy that broke her heart all those years ago. The guy she probably hates."

"I doubt that," I tell him. "I saw the way she looks at you, Dillion. Oh, she's angry with you all right, but there's something else there. She's intrigued. Olivia was pumping Brittany for information about your relationship with her. Her questions seemed innocent enough to anyone who didn't know she had a vested interest, but I knew better."

"She asked about me?" His look of hope was heartbreaking.

"She asked how you met. Then she got mad at Cat when she realized how little she knew about your life. It bothered her Dillion that she doesn't know you anymore than you know her."

Dillion looks away, I can tell that truth hurt him. "She seems so different from the girl I knew. The Olivia I knew would never show off like that. She always had a great figure but never felt like she had to flaunt it. She always dressed to flatter without being..."

"Slutty?" I suggest.

"Watch it," Dillion warns his eyes meeting mine with such an intense look, I immediately hold my hands up in surrender.

"Sorry."

Dillion nods and takes a deep breath before shaking his head in dismay. "She's going to school to be a doctor? Olivia NEVER wanted to go into medicine. Her parents of course were pushing for it. She had the smarts, it would be an easy pursuit, but her heart was in art. She's an amazing painter. Why would she throw all that away to do something she doesn't love?"

"Who knows? Life pushes us down different paths sometimes. I was a business major. I meant to take over my father's business, but when my brother was killed, I wanted to expose the people that did it to him and got into photojournalism. Maybe something serious happened to change her mind."

"It drives me insane, Alex. So, many questions. So, many blanks I can't fill in and now when I want to be with her, to reassure myself she's okay... I have to sit on my hands. Waiting around like some impudent jerk while Doug gets to sit next to her, holding her hand, caressing her beautiful face."

I watch as he guzzles down his beverage, knowing he wishes it were something stronger, something that could numb the pain he is feeling.

"Doug may be the one holding her hand, but you're the guy who saved her life," I say, knowing I shouldn't encourage him but unable to stop myself from doing so.

Dillion gives me a sad smile. "Yeah, I guess I got that. It's late. I'll let you get some rest."

"Hey, at least you get to check in on her tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow. Thank you...you know for uh..." Dillion nods his head towards the bar.

I smile, feeling grateful that I was here to help. "Anytime. Good night, Dillion."

Dillion heads upstairs. " 'Night, Bright Eyes."