"Oh, pretty good, I guess... why are you in such a chipper mood?"

"I'm always chipper when I know I'm going to see you," Howie said, putting his arm around Misty as they sat down. "So why are you just 'pretty good' and what can I do to make you really good?" he asked, kissing Misty's neck.

"Well, we'll discuss that later, darlin'," Misty said, kissing him back. "But first, I need to talk to you. I just dropped off Laura over by Kevin's. He..." She paused. "He wasn't alone, Howie."

"What do you mean? Who would be--" Howie stopped mid sentence as he realized what Misty was getting at. "Linda? He didn't... he couldn't... could he?"

"No, he didn't, and no, he couldn't. I saw him kissing her, or more correctly, her kissing him. She actually left without drawing attention to herself from Laura, so thankfully she was completely oblivious to the whole thing. I talked to him alone, asking him for an explanation, and he said that it was all her doing, and that he loves Laura and could never do that to her, blah blah blah."

"And you don't believe him?!"

"No, it's not that. I do believe him. I just don't believe he's going to tell Laura about it and I think she has a right to know that psychotic bitch is after Kevin. I promised him that I wasn't going to tell her, that I was going to let him do it, but I'm tempted to just tell her and get it over with. I just don't want to see her get hurt."

"Misty, I know you love Laura, and you just want to see her happy, but it seems to me that maybe you just need to let her live her life, and even if that means she's going to get hurt, well, that's part of life," Howie said. "She's a grown woman, Mis."

"I know she's a grown woman, Howie. Sorry that I feel obligated to protect her. Shit, I didn't know it was a crime to care about someone who's like a sister to me, to want to help them."

"Help? You think it's going to help her to shield her from life?! Just because she's blind, that doesn't make her dumb. She's got a good head on her shoulders, Mis. She doesn't need you to butt in."

"Butt in, huh? Well, fuck you, Dorough," Misty said, getting up and walking towards the door. "If it hadn't been for me 'butting in' at times, she would have been hurt much worse, and if you can't understand that then the hell with you." With that, Misty walked out.

"So, you nervous?" Kevin asked Laura as everyone sat in the hospital waiting lounge.

"Of course I'm nervous, but I'm a good kind of nervous, if that makes any sense," Laura said with a laugh. Just then Howie walked in.

"Hey Laura," Howie said, giving Laura a hug. "Good luck today. I'll be praying for you."

"Thanks, D," Laura said smiling. "I appreciate it." Howie smiled back and turned to sit down. There was only one seat left--next to Misty. It was the first time he had seen her since she walked out of his house a week ago. Howie sat down as she avoided his gaze. Only a minute passed before the silence was broken.

"Misty? Misty, I'm sorry. I know you have the best of intentions for Laura. Talk about butting in... I was doing just that with you and Laura," Howie said in a hushed voice.

Misty turned to look at Howie. "No, D, you're right. I have been butting in a bit too much, and I need to stop. She's not helpless, and especially if this surgery is successful, she's really not going to need me anymore. I guess I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself, that's all." Misty's eyes were starting to water.

"Misty, you're a big part of her life," Howie said, putting his arm around her and hugging her. "Nothing's going to change that, Mis. She's always going to need you, just in a different way."

"I know," Misty said, smiling. "Thanks, Dorough," she said, kissing him. Just then Misty's attention was diverted.

"Look, honey, there's a Backstreet Boy growing on our daughter's lips," Jim Jensen, Misty's father said to Misty's mom, Kate. "Yeah, since we're at the hospital, maybe they can do something about that," Kate teased.

"Mom! Dad!" Misty said, jumping up out of her seat and hugging her parents. Laura got up also and walked over to them and Buck barked. "Jim, Kate!" Laura said hugging them as well. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Nowhere else we'd rather be, sweetie," Jim said. "Oh, Jim... Kate... this is my Kevin," Laura said, introducing Kevin to Misty's parents. Misty chimed in. "And the one that was attached to my lips is my Howie," she said with a laugh, winking at Howie.

"So these are the 2 men that have swept our daughters off their feet," Kate said, admiring them. "If I weren't so old, I'd be chasing after you two myself," she added, laughing. Jim put his arms around Kate. "Uh-oh, looks like I'm going to have to watch my wife closely," he joked, kissing Kate. Misty rolled her eyes in embarrassment, then introduced Brian and Leighanne, AJ and Whitney, and Nick and Patti. Kevin and Howie, as well as everyone else, thought it was sweet how Misty's parents carried on like teenagers. It wasn't hard to see how much in love they were.

Just then Lyn and another nurse appeared. "Laura?" the other nurse, Jenny, said. "Laura, we're ready for you in the OR." Lyn turned to walk back to the OR, and she looked at Kevin longingly before turning around the corner. Laura felt her heart beat faster as she gave everyone a hug and they wished her luck and offered their prayers for her. Last was Kevin.

"I'll be waiting for you, Laura," Kevin said, kissing her. "I know, sweetie, I know. I'll see you later," Laura said, kissing him one last time before walking down the hallway with Jenny. Everyone sat back down in the waiting room and got comfortable... it was going to be a long morning.

"So how are you feeling, Laura?" Lyn asked as she assisted in the final bit of prep before the surgery.

"Surprisingly, I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be. I guess it helps knowing that all my loved ones are out in the waiting room for me. Especially Misty and her parents, and Kevin," Laura replied, her voice trailing off as she began to daydream about Kevin.

Lyn got a sly smile on her lips. "Yeah, he sure is something to daydream about. Just wait until you actually see him. He's gorgeous. I know I sure loved looking at him when he and I were dating."

Laura was pulled from her daydream quickly. "Dating? You and Kevin dated?"

"Yeah. You mean he didn't tell you? I'm sure he told you about Linda." Lyn paused to wait for a response, and Laura nodded numbly. "Well, I'm her. I can't believe my luck that I saw him with you at the clinic. It was so good to see him there, and at his place too."

Laura swallowed hard. "His place?" she echoed, her voice cracking.

"Ohh, I guess I've said something that maybe I shouldn't have," Lyn said, shaking her head.

"No, tell me, what about his place?" Laura asked, wanting to hear what she had to say.

"Well, if he didn't tell you then I don't really think it's my place. Let's just say that I had forgotten what a great kisser he was until that day... mmmmm," Lyn said, smiling with satisfaction at the look of hurt on Laura's face. Just then Dr. Richardson came into the operating room.

"Ready to go, kiddo?" Dr. Richardson asked cheerfully.

"Doctor Bob... yeah, I'm ready," Laura said, barely choking out the words. She couldn't believe what Lyn had just told her. How could he? Something had to have happened. If he weren't guilty he would have told me, she thought. She also thought she meant something to him, just as he meant so much to her.

"Well, here we go," Dr. Richardson said, placing the gas mask over Laura's nose and mouth. "Breathe deeply, and soon you'll be fast asleep. Once you are sleeping, we'll administer a local anesthetic to be sure that you won't feel a thing." Laura breathed in deeply through her nose, and slowly out of her mouth. She started thinking about Kevin and began to cry. Soon enough she had cried herself asleep.