A Life Debt Repaid

Marvin and Lindsay could not hear what Ryan and Sam were saying, but Lindsay could not bear seeing Ryan getting agitated.
She promptly started toward the door, intent on stopping Sam, but Marvin stopped her.
She glared at him in turn. “Let me go!”
“We decided to let Sam deal with this, so we should trust him,” Marvin said coolly. “Sam is right-Ryan should learn to accept
reality.”
Lindsay’s eyes were red and swollen-she had been crying for days.
Still, she eventually gritted her teeth and held her tongue.
In the ICU, Ryan remained agitated as he glared at Sam. “I want to see Quinn! If you refuse, I’ll refuse medication and-’
“You are no man,” Sam growled viciously then. Who do you think you’re threatening here aside from your own family, and why is
that? It’s because everyone cares! And you don’t care how anyone feels-do you even know how hurt our parents are because of
you? Mom’s been crying for days and her eyes are red and swollen! You know how vain she gets, but she doesn’t care about
that at all now. And what about Dad? Have you ever seen him cry?!”
“Shut up,” Ryan snapped, refusing to listen.
“I won’t!” Sam refused to give in. “Our parents are arguing, and the whole family’s a mess because of you! Everyone’s feeling
hurt-are you only satisfied when that prolongs and hurts them physically? Mom and I had a fight yesterday, and that denied
Quinn any time to sleep. She had to stay with you through the night and now finally slept for an hour, but you’re demanding to
see her? Do you think this is love?!
Everything you’re doing is out of your selfish intent to claim her, or am I wrong?!”
“Shut up! Get out of here!” Ryan screamed, his embarrassment turning into rage.
He started flailing around to get up, but he could not turn in his state, let alone push himself up.
All he could do was glare at Sam furiously, but Sam remained unaffected. “It would’ve been so much better if you just died. Why
live and be a burden to the family?”
“Shut up!”

“To be honest, you can still die now,” Sam said icily. “Do you know how much I hate you? Our parents only ever cared about you,
as if I’d never measure up to you-everything is always my fault, and you were always their pride. I’m just trash, a pointless
existence.”
“Whose fault is that?! You! You’re stupid!”
“I’m not blaming anyone. I just think that it’d be so much better if I never had a brother.”
“You’re weak and stupid!” Ryan cursed furiously.
“So what? You’re less than me now.”
“Shut up!”
“It’s just a leg, isn’t it? Sure, not everyone can take it, but it’s reality and what can you do other than accept it? Jay Parker lost
one too, but is he suffering a breakdown like you are? He depended on no one but himself, never burdening everyone, while
you’ve become our family’s worst burden!”
“That’s enough for you!” Ryan screamed, his face flushed as Sam called him out.
Even so, Sam did not yield an inch to Ryan’s outburst. “I’ll talk to our parents. I’ll tell them not to stay here with you 24/ 7.
The best medical equipment is available here, and the medical staff can deal with any problems you may have. We’re not
contributing with anything anyway-we’ll only decide if we have to help with your rehab after you leave the ICU.”
“Who do you think you are?! Do you think you can take over the family?! Believe me, I just have to act suicidal and anything you
say would be moot!” Ryan snarled viciously.
“Oh, I believe you,” Sam said self-deprecatingly. “What you say goes in the family, while I amount to nothing.”
“Then what gives you the right to threaten me?!”
“Quinn."