This can't be happening...

[renewedsoul_v]

Nothing feels real right now. It's like I'm trapped in this horrible nightmare that I can't get out of. What else could you possibly call the psycho mobster that wanted to use my face as his own personal canvas, and threatened to do to me what his goons did to my car tracking us all the way here and shooting Logan (and if not for my dad, me too)? I

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[renewedsoul_v]

I couldn't just sit here and not say anything, listening to the pain in Maribeth's voice. The fear and the panic of what could have happened. I got up carefully wand walked over to where they were with my dad.

"Look, I don't blame you if you hate me right now, but my dad's telling the truth. Not everything we told you was a lie. Most of it was actually the truth. The only real lies? Our names, the fact that we aren't married, and we're originally from California." I told them, letting out a breath. "My dad really doesn't approve of me being with Logan. His parents really are completely out of the picture. His mom committed suicide early last year and his dad is in jail for murdering my best friend. And we really did come here for a chance at a fresh start and a chance to build our life together. It was just a little more complicated than that."

So she had pretty much no reason to believe a word I just told her, but I wanted her to know that were were basically exactly what we had seemed to them from the get go. "We are a young couple very much in love and willing to do anything to make the other happy." I added softly. "You know us better than you think you do right now."

"You were like family to us when we had no one, and I understand why you're hurt, okay? I get it. We're very grateful for everything you did for us, and I'm sorry for what happened, we never wanted to hurt you or for anything bad to happen to any of you, but if you'll excuse me, I'm just a little bit busy worrying about whether the man I love is going to survive the gunshot wound he got from saving my life tonight." I stated, turning on my heel and stalking back to the uncomfortable plastic chair I'd been stationed in for what seems like an eternity at this point.

It was possible that I was slightly bitchy, but with the way this day was going, I just didn't have it in me to be all light and perky and super polite right now.

[__keithmars__]

I looked towards Veronica as she stalked off back towards the plastic chair she had sat at before. I gave a nod towards the both of them. Veronica had said more than enough for the both of us combined. "Thank you again, for everything that you've done for them," I said in a soft breath. "I need to check up on my daughter."

I went back towards the chair beside her to settle near her. I gave her knee a light pat.

"I don't disapprove of you being with Logan. And I never did." I clarified. "I disapproved of how I found out. Of the way he's treated you at times. I never doubted that he could or would change, but you have to understand that with everything that's happened. ... It doesn't make me like him any better. He's a boy who loves my little girl. You are always going to be my little girl, Veronica."

I let out a soft breath her way. "I'm going to get some coffee from the vending machine. Do you want anything?"

[renewedsoul_v]

"I know that, Dad." I sighed tiredly when he said I was always going to be his little girl. I didn't really have a problem with that. I loved my dad and it had been basically the two of us against the world for a while now. "But you did." I informed him when he said he didn't disapprove of me being with Logan, "Why else would you literally forbid me to see him? I know you had your reasons, I just - please don't act like you were okay with us, because I know better." I added the last part in a near-whisper.

He might have adjusted to the idea now, but December? He was really so far from okay with my dating Logan.

"But you are right. He does love me. So much that he's in that room right now because he pushed me out of the way of the gun and got hit himself." He was willing to die to make sure I didn't... "I promise he's been taking good care of me... he even made a fancy dinner tonight...not that we got a chance to enjoy all his hard work." I said quietly, "We were so happy and everything was going so well..." And then Liam Fitzpatrick showed up and shot it all to hell, literally. Our perfect little 'newlywed' world was shattered completely in the blink of an eye.

I can't stop thinking about how much I can't deal with the idea of losing Logan. We've been so close for months that the idea of not falling asleep in his arms is hard enough to imagine, never mind the idea of his just not being here...

I shook my head at my dad's question of wanting anything from the vending machines... I was too sick to my stomach to think about eating or drinking anything right now.

[__keithmars__]

"You're right. I did have my reasons." I stated firmly. The truth was I was going to always have my reasons for why all these boys around her weren't the best. I was always going to find something and, as by evidence, she wasn't going to listen to me anymore. I had to wonder when they stopped looking up to us as if we were heroes who did know the best thing for them, but now objection and law to break.

Veronica sure had a lot more to learn than she thought she did. As grown up as she was, there were definitely things that she had to go through (probably even more that Logan had to go through). Hell, maybe I still had some learning left in me.

As hard of a time I have with Logan Echolls being in love with my daughter and her possessing the same feelings for him, I'm sure I had a much harder time seeing her like this. Worried that she was going to lose one more person so very close to her. Maybe I just have that boy thankful that Veronica not the one in that room right now with doctors working to save her life.

I put a few coins into the machine for coffee and a few more in the other for the little bag of cookies. I knew Veronica didn't want to eat, but she probably should anyway. She looked like she was turning just as pale as Logan had.

I couldn't help but notice Maribeth and Daniel waiting there with their daughter too.

"We just want to make sure that he's alright."

I gave a nod towards them before returning to Veronica's side. I sipped at the cheap hospital coffee that was so weak I wasn't even sure it was caffeinated. I put the cookies in her hands. "I know you said you didn't want anything, but you used to like these. You should have something."

[renewedsoul_v]

"I know you did. I get that you just want what's best for me. I just... Logan makes me so happy... I wish you could see that." Even though we ran to the other side of the country in what was apparently a futile attempt at staying safe, I was never doubting that it was the right thing, I was never scared. I knew we could make it work somehow. Keep each other grounded. He was probably the only person in the world who could distract me even a little from how much I was missing my dad the entire time we were here.

"And just, you know, for the record? I did try not to love him for pretty much the entire time we weren't together. It turns out that whole concept was flawed and impossible." I said, trying to tease. Thankfully Logan seems to have moved past the need to be constantly destructive or I don't know how we ever would have worked. He still has things he has to work through, but he knows he's got at least one person he can count on to help him deal with it all. This time he knows I'm not about to bail on him...or he'd better after the way I didn't back down about the nightmares... assuming he makes it through.

"Tell me some good news." I asked suddenly, "Things are still going okay with you and Mrs. Fennel, right?" It was my dad's turn to distract me, keep me from obsessing and making myself sicker than I already am with worry. He probably thinks I'm convinced I don't need him. Not true. I just wished he could see that I'm 18, not 8, and I need some room to make choices and a life of my own as much as I need him to be this safe place for me in the storm of real life.

"Not fair... you know I can't turn down cookies." I pouted to him as I snuggled into his shoulder again.

Okay, so I might not be 8, but I was going to keep acting like a clingy little daddy's girl for the foreseeable future. Not that I think he minds.