He had barely survived the first of those, surgeries, hemorrhaging badly directly from his heart for around 18 hours following the surgery. He survive... only due to the use of a heart/lung bypass ‘ECMO’ machine that day – and then for 5 subsequent and tension-filled days more – together with constant blood infusions to make up for the blood volume losses while his heart still bled from the site of the surgical trauma. Ryan’s ‘toughness’ over those first 18 hours, and then the succeeding 5 days. I didn’t know how to feel, other than amazed.I had to regroup, keep my cool. Until this moment, I was in control. I was starting to get through to Becky, and she was treating me with respect. If I showed any weakness now, I could lose control of the relationship, and lose her forever. “Becky, you were not supposed to start working out without written permission and supervision,” I said sternly. “Please show me the waiver from Dr. Li.”“It’s on the table beside you,” Becky said.I picked up the. ‘The one good thing in your life, and you just had to fuck it up.’Mark is too drunk, or he might have seen that his texts have not been read. But knowing that, at the moment, would just have upset him more. Mark can’t stop crying. He feels like it is the end of his world. And Mark had only started to feel alive this last winter. For now, Mark is too upset even to start the car. And Mark has learned not to drive when he had drunk too much. One more thing, of so many, he has learned this last. The kiss was interrupted by the arrival of dinner, which turned out to befantastic.After dinner, we continued to watch TV for a bit, sitting close to eachother on the sofa. Although she had said I could kiss her, I was not goingto suggest anything else, and it was sometime later, after a little morekissing and stroking that she suggested moving up to my room. I offered totidy up the dishes, and she said see would meet me in there.When I arrived in my room, she was sat on the edge of my bed.