073:

She wanted to cry. Wished she could cry. Tears might have been a relief. The headache was almost unbearable and not for the first time she wished she could just slip away from this life like Jared had... nothing made sense. Nothing.

There was a knock and she sat up straight. Did she have to put on more show tonight? The door opened and a blonde head peered inside. Melia felt nausea threaten. This wasn't good. She couldn't keep up appearances anymore.

"Can I come in?" Steve asked politely, and came in anyway. He went directly to Abby, who was squirming in her little pack-and-play and starting to fuss. "Come see Uncle Stevie, little angel." He said and picked her up as if he did it all the time. He sat on the edge of the bed, put his leg up and let his bare toes touch Melia's leg. All the racing current that had been threatening to make her sick rushed to the connection and she felt a huge relief as it dissipated. "Remember when we used to babysit Brianna and Aubrey?" he asked.

Melia felt a momentary bewilderment. Steve was a ground? Steve had this ability too? Cousin Stevie?

Why was he being nice to her? No one had even acknowledged her on this stupid trip, barely even her sisters... just Megan... She must have told Steve... he was her husband now, right?

She could barely answer. "Yes. And now they babysit for me."

She felt the drain as he continued to diffuse her. He wasn't as strong as Jared, but no one was. Matthew was the closest, but he hated her.

She was grateful to Steve. "Thankyou."

"Didn't know I could do that until recently. Never tried it on anyone but Megan and Cassie. But you pack a hard punch there girl." He laughed and finally moved his foot and she felt more drain as she settled back into herself, the headache just a dull pressure.

"I'm sorry, did you say Megan and Cassie have the current?"

Steve smiled tolerantly, knowing Melia had been distant and missed out on most of the family drama the last couple of years. No one knew how to approach her without getting bit by her whiplash lifestyle, and apparently, she didn't know how to approach them either. He nodded as her eyes lowered, and she accepted the fact that she knew so little about her own family. He could see the red flush rise up her neck, and wondered if she were about to cry.

"So, I couldn't help but hear a little of your conversation with Ryan a few minutes ago. It's a small houseboat, and me and Megs are right above you guys."

Melia's eyes were sad. "I'm sorry." She said. "You heard it all?"

He nodded, blue eyes holding green. He couldn't help but realize how much she and Megan resembled each other. Even having had two children, Melia was thinner than her sister, except for her chest, he admitted, but that was likely due to her nursing. She had discreetly covered herself to do just that.

"It doesn't sound like you guys are making a go of it."

Melia swallowed, wondering why he wanted her to confide in him. He was now her brother-in-law, but had always seemed like another brother anyway, even though they had called him cousin, and even though he wasn't really related at all.

She supposed it didn't matter much. Ryan would be gone soon enough, and she would be on her own. Everyone would know anyway. But she didn't like to spread her dirty laundry for the whole family. She felt a sudden remorse for even considering it. No, this needed to be kept to herself. Not like they had shared anything with her in recent months. She sat there. Megan would have told him about the annulment papers. Let that be enough.

"I think you guys have a lot of issues." He said.

She nodded.

He sighed. "You want to talk about it?"

She looked away. "I would, Steve. I would like to talk about it, but I don't really want to share all my dirty laundry."

"That's admirable, Mia, but I'm just family...."

Her eyes narrowed. "I feel a disconnect from my family right now. I don't feel close to anyone. They've all gone away and ditched me." She held up her free hand to stop his comment. "And that's partly my fault, I admit. I haven't been easy to get along with at all. I dragged the girls around after me, pushing us all to do too much until we all burned out. My bad. I guess it was just my way of coping with everything."

"You've really had a lot on your plate these last few years, haven't you?" he agreed.

She looked back out at the night, feeling alone, feeling the way she'd felt that night in the motel room when she was put into witness protection. Alone. Where was her Jared to come and rescue her?

"So, about Ryan." Steve broached the subject head on. "He's treating you bad."

"He pretty much hates me. We're getting the marriage annulled. That was his game all along. He just wanted to make me miserable like him. That was it. He succeeded. Now he's just rubbing it in by making people think the worst of me." The words came tumbling out in resentment even though she had wanted to keep it all to herself.

"Why would he do that?" Steve asked in shock.

Melia shrugged. "I slept with his brother, I got pregnant, we got married. It pretty much killed any chance he and I had of continuing what we'd started before. I guess Ryan is showing me that marriage isn't that important to him--- that it can be trampled on-- the way he is trampling ours--- which isn't even a marriage---! Oh---!" She covered her face with her hands briefly to get her composure. "I'm sorry. I really thought I loved Ryan, and it was hard for me to find that I'd become attracted to Jared. I had a hard time with it, I really did. I doubt anybody cares that I had a hard time with it. I doubt anybody even knows how hard it was. But it doesn't matter. What's done is done, and I wouldn't take it back."

"Then why did you marry Ryan?"

She shook her head in disgust at herself. "I don't know anymore. He's not the same person at all."

"You got an annulment? Then why are you both here?"

"I don't know." She admitted sadly. "I really need to be home with my babies. This is too hard trying to drag them everywhere. They need their own home."

Steve stared at her downcast expression and shook his own head. "This doesn't make sense, Mia."

"Well, I can't make it make sense, Stevie." She grumbled.

He grinned. "Megan doesn't believe that you sleep around, or that you are dying to be the center of attention the way Ryan portrays you, the way Kell believes. That is Rye's doing, and it's beneath him. But you might want to try and talk to Kell again."

"He thinks I am what Ryan called me. A whore." She said bitterly and felt the tears clog her throat. Really? He called me a whore? Jared should be here to beat him up.

"You are not a whore." Steve said emphatically. "I think I might want to set that one straight myself. Ryan has no business calling you filthy names like that. That's verbal abuse."

There was another knock at the door and this time long red hair preceded the slight figure of Melia's twin. Megan closed the door softly behind her and tiptoed in, giving Steve a cautionary glance and then going to Melia. She wrapped her arms around her. "I heard what Ryan said to you." She whispered in her ear. "It's not true, Mia, and you don't deserve this."

******