"Who's there?" she said softly, staring at the door. Brian came forward and Katie shook her head, "What are YOU doing here? Shouldn't you be in mourning or something?" She knew she shouldn't have said it, but she was already in a bad mood. "I have to apologize," Brian said, with remorse in his voice. "That isn't necessary. My ear is always opened and I didn't mind helping you." She said looking at the floor, and then started to pack her things again, turning her back to him. He came up behind her and put his warm hands on her waist, she turned around in surprise. "Don't bother me Mr. Littrell. I have enough things on my mind. I know that you think that just because you are rich and famous that you can just charm anyone, well that isn't true for me."
"What is the matter, you seem so sad," he said gently. "I am...no, I mean I am just in a rush to get out of here." He took her hand and brought her over to the bed. "You listened to me, now let me listen to you." He said, looking deep into her eyes, she nodded and started. "Okay...Well, I was born to a 15 year old girl, she fell in love with a man who said that he would never hurt her. But that wasn't true. She got pregnant, and she never told anyone that she was pregnant. She dropped out of school and lived on the street. A bum delivered me on the street and they put me on the door step of a church. After that, she killed herself, my father and her parents didn't know about me until her autopsy, but they never found me. The rest of my life I was send to orphanages and foster homes. Usually the foster parents became foster parents because of the money. I was starved, beaten and I thought I was going to die. I always took care of the younger kids, but I couldn't do everything. Now, the eve of my eighteenth birthday, I have to pack my bags and start my life with $10 grand. That is my story..."
She said as she began to cry for the first time in a long time. "I am so sorry," he said and she nodded in his arms, and they fell asleep on the hospital bed, thinking about what a long day they had that day. When Katie woke up Brian wasn't there anymore, and she thought that it was just as well. There would never be anything between them, she knew it. Lauren picked her up and talked non-stop about Nick, while Katie listened, not really saying much. She told Lauren that she had been told by her teachers that she didn't have to take her finals in the next couple of days, so she could be done with school and start her new life in Florida.
"Katie...I can't go down with you right now, I didn't think I was going to go down until next September. Katie nodded in answer, "That is okay, I will be fine. I am going to get an apartment and a job, luckily I got a scholarship to a college so I don't have to worry about getting the money. Whatever you do, though, don't tell Nick or Brian where I am, Brian left me this morning and I hope to never speak to him again, except for maybe your wedding..." Katie said with a smile, knowing that Lauren and Nick had become very close. Lauren dropped Katie off at her foster home, where she packed her things, went to the High School, excepted her diploma and went to the airport. Now she could finally start her new life.