A/N: I hope you enjoy this. I'm not sure how long this will be. I try not to plan that in advance because then I always going longer or shorter, so we'll just say, here you go! Please review.

"'Gain, 'gain!" Paige's two-year-old daughter, Julia, squealed. She threw her arms around Marco's neck.

Marco laughed, holding onto her legs, letting the rest of her body swing forward for a moment just the way she liked it. He pulled her back up to rest securely against his chest.

"Okay, that's enough," he said.

"No," she wined, clearly unhappy. "I wanna do 'gain!"

"You know your mother doesn't like it, and besides, my arms are tired," Marco answered, ending her complaints. The child never argued with her favorite uncle.

Marco flopped down tiredly on the couch. Julia didn't understand why he could ever enjoy such a silly activity such as resting. She sighed, poking him impatiently in the chest. Marco groaned.

"Jule, mommy will be home any minute now," he said, pulling her onto the couch next to him. "How about we take a nap?" he suggested, desperate for a moment of peace. He knew it as too much of a request for such a hyper little girl.

"Nope," she answered immediately, proceeding to poke him. After a few minutes of suffering from the agonizing finger, Paige stepped into the room.

"Sleeping on the job?" she asked Marco, amused.

"I am not sleeping," he said defensively.

"Come on, Julia, let's give Uncle Marco a little break. I'm sure he needs to get back home," Paige suggested, scooping up her daughter.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind staying…purely to help out with Julia, of course."

Paige thought it over. She'd realized he offered to stay a lot. She understood why because since Mike had to work very often, she often felt lonely as well.

"No problem," she answered.

"Okay," Marco said, "I just have to go talk to Dylan, then I'll be back."

"Can I come?" Julia asked, excited.

"No," Paige told her firmly. "Honey, go wash your hands for dinner." Julia shrugged, not really seeing the point in washing her hands when they probably wouldn't be having dinner for a few more hours, but she was a smart enough girl to realize that her mother did not want her in the room, so she sped off to her bedroom, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing as she ran.

Paige tried to think of the best way to begin. "Marco, I want you to understand that talking to Dylan--"

"I know," he interrupted, "you don't think I should, but I'm not going to stop."

"Marco," she put her hand on his shoulder, "that's not what I was going to say…"

"I'm permitted to talk to my own damn fiancé if I do so please!" he slammed the door behind him.

Julia, obviously hearing the bang, emerged from her bedroom looking confused. "Is Uncle Marco mad?" she asked.

"No, sweetie," she comforted her child, leading her to the television, "he's not."

"Hello, again, Mr. Del Rossi, you know where to go," the red-haired woman at the front desk told him sadly. Marco would come almost every day. The woman, Marco had found out during previous visits that her name was Elizabeth, was very sympathetic toward his situation.

Marco walked the familiar path down the hallway to the same told musty hospital room. It didn't matter how many times he sat in the room and saw Dylan; it still broke his heart. He walked over to the wooden chair that was always put right by the bedside, and sat down. Marco hated to look at all the wires and needles that connected Dylan to the machines.

He was glad; however, that he was there alone. He loved Julia with all his heart, but having her sit with him and talk to Dylan was so hard because she never really spoke to him. She was only six months when the accident happened. She didn't remember ever hearing Dylan's voice.

So, there had been an accident, yes, which put Dylan in this state. Marco supposed one could call it an accident if he or she really wanted to, but Marco seriously doubted that when the player had smashed his hockey stick through the back of Dylan's head, that it had been my mistake. He was a player for some other team. It wasn't even during the game. Marco didn't care why it was done, who did it, or what happened to that man. He just wanted his baby to be okay.

However, since the accident, (if you will) the doctors had grown steadily surer that Dylan wasn't going to wake up. The most painful day for Marco was when the nurse in the other room with the most faith of all, just gave up as well. No one even cared anymore except, perhaps, Elizabeth who could do nothing for the situation. She just answered the phone calls and directed people where to go.

"Dylan," his voice broke as soon as the simple name left his lips. He knew that he cried almost every time he saw him, but he didn't understand why he kept promising himself that he wouldn't.

"Julia's grown so much. She always begs for stories about you," he paused. "Mike and Paige aren't sure what they're going to do because they want to make sure they're not going to get married just because of obligation. They love each other so much, though. Paige told me a few months ago that the only thing stopping them now is you…she always felt her whole family would be at her wedding. If my own love isn't enough for you to wake up…is guilt? You'll…let them down."

He looked away from Dylan for a moment, hating to see how weak he seemed. Dylan was the strongest man he had ever known. If he couldn't pull through, no one could. He took Dylan's hand in his before continuing.

"It's so hard when I see them kiss, Dylan. It's even harder when they talk about their possible marriage because I know, at one time, that was us…but now you can't…" he finally let his tears fall. "We didn't get the chance to do that, Dylan. I'm going to wait for you; don't worry. I'd never be with anyone else. I love you. I have to go see your sister now…and Julia. Bye, baby," he kissed his cold hand, exiting the room.

Marco didn't want to go see Paige just yet. However, sitting with Dylan any longer sounded a lot less appealing. He decided to just relax for a little while in the waiting room. He saw little children chasing each other in circles while their parents looked on apprehensively. He remembered when he sat with Julia in his lap while Paige looked that scared. Marco supposed the word 'hospital' automatically brought fear.

"Marco, honey?" said the receptionist, calling for him. He looked up, surprised to hear his name, and walked over to Elizabeth.

"Yes?" he asked.

She sighed, tapping her pen against the desk. She put her hand over his in a gesture of comfort. "I know that this must be really hard for you, but it's the right decision," she said, with a frown.

"What are you talking about?" he turned his head to the side, trying to figure out what 'decision' she was speaking of.

She started to look confused as well. "Well…the papers, dear. I just wanted to say I'm glad you're accepting this. I don't really approve of this artificial life they have him on," said Elizabeth.

"I—I--I really have no idea what you're talking about," Marco said, slightly scared.

She sighed again. "Honey, I thought you already knew. Paige is going to sign the papers to get Dylan off the machines."

………………………………………………………………………………….

"Oh, so you were going to tell me?!" Marco screamed, slamming a fork down at the table.

"Marco," she said, keeping her voice as calm as she possibly could with tears of anguish threatening to fall. "Later."

"Later?! Later? Paige, I am not giving you permission to fucking kill my boyfriend!"

Marco angrily slammed the cabinet door shut, not paying attention he dropped a glass.

Note: There are some things not to do when you're setting the table

Have an argument.

Tell your mother you are pregnant.

If one avoids doing said things, he or she probably will also avoid breaking things. Marco cleaned up the glass.

"Paige!"

She ignored him. "Paige!" he yelled again. He needed to have this conversation with her.

"Marco, don't you dare make me lose control and break down in front of my daughter!" she screamed back at him.

"She's in her bedroom," he lowered his voice to a whisper. "You can't do this to me, Paige. Dylan and I are not yet married. I have no rights in what you say on that paper. Please…"

Paige sat down, and put her head in her hands. "You keep saying, 'not yet', but you two will NEVER be because he will NEVER wake up. You need to realize that, Marco!" she said, finally crying.

The two sat there at the table, avoiding each other's eyes for a moment. Paige dried her tears, and went to fetch her daughter for dinner. Marco picked up his stuff, deciding he'd rather be in an empty apartment than with the girl who, at that moment, he hated more than anything. He just had to say goodbye to Julia first.

"Hey, sweetie, I'm going home."

"Why?" Julia asked, confused. "I thought…"

"Yes, well, I have some things to get done and…" he figured he should be slightly honest with the girl who meant more than anything to him. What could it hurt? "Your mommy doesn't think Dylan's going to wake up. I can't be around a pessimist right now."

"Stop," Paige said shortly.

Julia hugged Marco goodbye. She whispered sweetly in his ear, "He's gonna wake up, Unca Marco."

A/N: Okay…were you expecting it? Please review!