Chapter I

Twenty-one-year-old Luna Mackenzie stood in the kitchen making coffee for her husband and she smiled when he came in and kissed her head while resting his hand on her small baby bump.

"I hope that is mine, and not yours." Trevor Mackenzie said.

"Well you know, I have a long shift ahead of me at the hospital." Luna said.

"Hey, we agreed that you are only allowed coffee once a day on the days when you are working at the hospital, so if you are having now, you can't have later when you need it." Trevor said.

"I was only teasing you." Luna said and she placed the mug in front of him and took her stuff from the counter. "I have to go."

"Luna." Trevor said.

"What?" Luna asked. "I have to go to work."

"Yeah but you usually get up in time to make breakfast and lunch." Trevor said.

Luna looked at him and took the cooler bag from the fridge and threw it at him. "Maybe start paying attention. I'm five months pregnant, Trevor. Just because your cooler bag isn't standing ready next to your cartoon bowl with the rainbow fruity cereal and a box milk and a little handwritten note from mommy, doesn't mean that it isn't fixed. It's been six months, and you promised to be less childish. Guess what, this is your own house, and I am not your mom. Grow up."

"You were definitely in a better mood five minutes ago." Trevor said.

"Yes, I was, until you assumed that I was making your coffee and sulked because your lunch isn't standing ready on the table. I have to go, and just maybe for once I don't have to walk into the house at seven-thirty and still cook your five-star meal." Luna said and she left the house and climbed into her little car and reversed out. She pressed the intercom button when her phone rang and took a deep breath when her mom said morning. "You still don't forget."

"Why would I?" Rachel Stone asked. "Your schedule has been the same ever since you started there after dad got you an apprenticeship straight out of high school. Dad just left home, and I knew you would be leaving too. I just ran a little late to call you before you left."

"It's okay that is why I have a hands-free kit in my car, right?" Luna said.

"That is true." Rachel said. "So how did your morning go?"

"I lost it with Trev again." Luna said. "I used to do exactly the same thing for dad when I began working with him, but this is honestly starting to feel like a chore, rather than just doing it because I care about him. It has only been six months, mom, and I am honestly starting to regret going home or having off days, I would rather be at the hospital."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but Trev is spoiled, and you did marry into a family where they are not used to doing their stuff for themselves." Rachel said. "We did warn you about that."

"You did, but he also promised to be less of a baby and actually help out until we could find someone who wants to clean to his mom's standard etc." Luna said. "And right now, I'm pretty much that person, plus he babies me about the baby, all the do's and don'ts but still not helping physically. I'm tired, more mentally and emotionally than physically."

"I understand." Rachel said. "I'm making lasagna tonight; shall I send Cory over with some for you for lunch tomorrow?"

"Did he pass driver's ed?" Luna asked.

"He did, and we 'procrastinated' on some errands that needed doing all week so he could have a little freedom yesterday and go help mom out with the shopping. So he has been all over town getting pool stuff, getting the dog food, picking up my gardening order, and you know, just going around town picking up stuff and so forth. He even took some cookies for Mrs. Edelyn, and you know how much he hates going there because she is always boring him with her stories, and he came back grinning like a Cheshire cat because she gave him money for his own tub of ice cream from his favorite ice cream shop, and money for a video game, plus there was a tin of homemade cookies as well." Rachel said.

"Wow, sounds like he got spoiled. Well tell squirt that I wouldn't mind some lasagna for lunch tomorrow, but he can bring it to work tomorrow, I'm working a double, so I will be at work tomorrow as well." Luna said.

"Okay." Rachel said. "I will see you again soon I hope."

"We will see about the weekend. Love you mom." Luna said and she ended the call and then drove to the hospital and parked in her parking spot before she went in. She went to the staff break room and placed her bag in her locker before she went to the ER reception and signed in. She hugged her dad on the way into the exam room area and began checking stock before looking up when she got called. "Colson?"

"We have a hit and run victim coming in. It's bad." Colson, one of the other ER nurses said and he handed her a clipboard.

"She is five?" Luna asked.

"Yeah. Her mom dropped her off at school with her sister and drove off, because she was late for work, and the girls had to cross the road, which they do not normally have to do, and just as the older one thought the coast was clear, a car sped out of a parking, hit them both and disappeared. The older one has a fractured leg, but the little one is being airlifted." Colson said and he handed her the other clipboard. "The father is deployed to Iraq and the mother isn't answering her phone. We did contact the military, and they said they will inform him as soon as they had more details."

"Okay." Luna said and she took a deep breath. "Which one am I handling?"

"Which one do you want?" Colson asked.

"I will take whoever comes in first." Luna said. "Which one is my dad handling?"

"Whichever one you are handling." Colson said. "He is in room three waiting. You know the staff knows what a great team the two of you make."

"Yeah I know." Luna said and she looked up when the heard siren. "I thought the helicopter is supposed to be faster."

"If they leave at the same time." Colson said and they hurried into the ER reception to meet the paramedics. "Sasha, Room three. I will wait for the younger one."

"Yes sir." Sasha, the reception nurse said and before long the ER was in organized chaos with people running around getting stuff done.

"How bad is it?" Luna asked her dad softly while she was holding the oxygen mask over the young girl's face with one hand and holding her hand with the other.

"It is definitely fractured badly. We will have to operate and put plates in or else it will be amputated." Doctor Jeremy Stone said, and he looked at his daughter when the young girl freaked out.

"Hey, it's okay. Shhhh." Luna said softly and she took the mask off and turned the girl's head so that she faced her, and then wiped the tears. "Skye, look at me."

Skye looked at Luna and took a deep breath. "I don't want to lose my leg. I want my daddy."

"Shhhh, I know you don't want to lose your leg, and I'm sure the military will send daddy home just to make sure you are okay. You are going in for surgery as soon as the doctors say everything is in order, okay?" Luna said. "And in surgery they will put all the pieces of your bone together, and they will put special metal plates in, kind of like a robot leg, and then your leg will be in a very special brace for a couple of months, but it will be good as new before you know it and then you can run around and play again. Do you understand?"

Skye nodded and she began crying again. "My mom is going to be so mad at me. She said I have to be careful."

"And you were careful. This wasn't your fault." Luna said. "Your mom should've done her job as your mom and taken you across the road herself, even if it meant she would be a few minutes late for work."

Skye nodded and she wiped her cheeks.

"I am going to put this long needle into your arm so that we can give you the medicines you need, even when you are in for surgery, and it might sting or you might not feel it." Luna said taking the IV needle from the drawer behind them. "Okay?"

Skye nodded and she watched as Luna got her rigged up and eventually settled in a room in the child orthopedic ward. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Luna said and she hugged her before she went down to the ER again.

"You did a phenomenal job again." Jeremy said.

"Thanks dad." Luna said. "Any news from the mom?"

"Nope. Even their grandfather cannot get ahold of her, and she isn't at the office." Jeremy said and he placed his hand on her belly. "But you know that our job is done now, the rest is up to the other doctors, I just did the x-rays because it is hectic busy right now with all the kids getting injured on the ice and so forth."

"I know." Luna said and she took her phone out when it rang and then kissed her dad's cheek before she answered it while heading to the break room. "Hi."

"Hi." Trevor said.

"Why are you calling me?" Luna asked. "You never call while you are at the office."

"I am flying out to Portugal." Trevor said.

"When?" Luna asked.

"Now." Trevor said. "I just stopped at home to grab some stuff."

"Trevor, it is a little short notice." Luna said.

"I know, our potential client in Portugal want one of the sales representatives to come through for their Christmas party. You know I have been pushing to get this deal through because it would mean a promotion, and I also told you I would do whatever it takes to get the deal done." Trevor said.

"How long are you gone for?" Luna asked.

"A week, max." Trevor said. "You know, see a little bit of the country, the wines and so on."

"Fine. I will see you in a week." Luna said and she ended the call.

"Someone looks happily married." One of the older women teased.

"Believe me, the saying love is blind, is definitely not emphasized enough." Luna said. "I actually cannot remember when he last told me, I love you. It came to a point where I don't even say it anymore because when I do, it's like telling it to a wall."

"Hey, at least soon you will have a little one in your arms." The lady said. "Just persevere."

"Thanks." Luna said and she called her mom. "Hi."

"Now this is not normal. What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing. Trev left for Portugal. Would you mind a dinner guest, and well maybe a sleepover guest? I don't feel like being alone at home tonight." Luna said.

"Sure, baby girl." Rachel said. "I have some keys for your house, should I send Cory and June out to grab you some clothes after school?"

"Sure. Thanks mom. I need to get back to work. Love you." Luna said.

"I love you too, angel." Rachel said. "Be careful."

"Always." Luna said and she ended the call and then got back to work. She took a deep breath when she finally got into her car at eight that evening, and she checked her phone to see if Trevor sent her any messages or anything and then put it away and drove to her parents' house. She parked under the carport and took a few minutes before she climbed out, grabbed her cooler bag and jacket and then went into the house, smiling when her fifteen-year-old sister and eighteen-year-old brother instantly ran to her and hugged her. "Hey guys."

"We missed you." June said.

"I have missed you guys too." Luna said and she kissed her sister's head. "I'm sure supper is ready."

"Just about." Cory said. "Mom bought everything so I could make garlic bread especially for you, so it is just in the oven for a few more minutes."

"Now I'm extra hungry." Luna said and she hugged her mom who came in. "I might just crash here for the whole week."

"We thought so." June said.

"And hoped you would." Cory said. "We kind of packed everything you normally use in a week, including the perishable food in your fridge that you eat."

"You guys are incorrigible." Luna said. "Let's go eat. I am actually starving for a change. Well I'm usually starved when getting back from work, but by the time I spent another hour cooking, I'm too tired to be hungry, so I barely eat and go to bed."

"I can imagine." Rachel said and she kissed her daughter's head before ushering all three her kids to the kitchen and it wasn't long before they had the dinner table set and everyone tucking into the hearty meal.

"Movie time!" June squealed.

"Hey, you have school in the morning." Jeremy said.

"Yeah, I know, but we did eat kind of late." June said. "Mom says we can watch a movie if our homework is done if we ate late. I had a shower earlier so I could watch a movie with Luna tonight."

"I agree, a movie sounds great, and it will only be just after ten if we watch one now, and we cannot go and sleep right away, and I'm sure if homework is done, and she had a shower already, then it won't be a problem, right?" Luna asked.

"If your bed light is still on at ten-thirty, it is bed by nine every night until Monday." Jeremy said looking at his youngest. "And if I have to battle getting you out of bed tomorrow morning, you are going to bed straight after supper tomorrow, understood, June Jolene Stone?"

"Yes sir." June said and she hugged her dad. "Thanks daddy."

"Go on." Jeremy said. "Is your lunch bag ready for tomorrow?"

June shook her head and she played with her bracelet. "No dad."

"Go get your bag and your meal chart out. I will pack lunch tonight." Cory said. "But then I get to play video games with Luna Friday night, deal?"

"Deal." June said and she ran out.

"You guys still do that." Luna said while going to the kitchen with her brother.

"Yeah." Cory said. "We used to swap out when you were still in the house."

"I know." Luna said. "I just thought you guys stopped doing that because I remember my little brother telling me about four months ago that his sister is annoying and a pain."

"Yeah well." Cory said. "I thought it was stupid that she still wanted to swap out and usually only for things she wanted to do, and about three months ago mom left me and Jordan alone with June and she bugged me to help her with chores and stuff, and wanted to swap out to be able to go to a friend's place that evening and so on, and I got mad at her and yelled at her. Jordan kind of just stayed back and later while we were playing again, he said that I should be nicer to her, because the way we treat our sisters become an example for them on how to be treated, or how to expect to be treated by other men, and then she had a boyfriend for about two weeks and one day at the cafeteria he got visibly mad at her when she didn't want to take his tray with hers, and told her off in front of the whole school because she got him the wrong juice and stuff, and he slapped her, so I beat him up, and we ended up in the principal's office and our dads got called in. His dad was furious about it, and said it was beside the point when I kept bringing it up that he was rude to my sister and even slapped her, and when we finally went home, I was mad, and upset, and I didn't know if dad was mad at me or what, he just told me to go to my room when we got home. June brought me a slab of chocolate when she got back from the hospital because mom took her there because he slapped her hard enough that she stumbled. By supper time dad still hadn't said anything, and he only called me to his study after June had gone to bed around nine because she was tired. He asked what made me stand up for my sister after I have been borderline as mean to her as this boyfriend, except that I didn't get physically abusive, so I told him that I couldn't stand another guy yelling at my sister and definitely not slapping her, so I just reacted. Long story short, dad said I had to remember how I felt when this dude yelled at my sister, because she probably feels ten times worse when I yell at her, than what she felt when he yelled at her, and that I need to try and imagine how much worse I would feel if I had a brother who treated her the way I have been treating her and so forth, and I cracked and told dad how I felt, so they made some adjustments, and if she wants to get out of something, even something as simple as packing her lunch the night before, then she needs to do something or sacrifice something for me to also get something I wanted, and you know Friday nights are usually the time we are allowed to use the TV without a time restriction, and we have a pre-agreed arrangement on what happens then. Usually on a Friday night we play games and then watch movies, which means if I'm going to be playing games with you then, she will either have to watch or go do something until movie time."

"Make sense." Luna said and she hugged him and then helped to clear up before she went to her room. She had a quick shower and then climbed on the bed with her sister and started a romance movie they were both interested in, and somewhere during the movie they both fell asleep.

Jeremy smiled when he turned the light on to see what June was doing at eleven when her bedroom light was still on, and he saw both his daughters crashed out on the bed under the duvet. He dimmed the light until there was barely a glow left and turned the TV off before he tucked them both in under the duvet and kissed their heads.

"They are tuckered out." Rachel said coming in.

"They are." Jeremy said. "In some sense, I am starting to regret ever agreeing to her getting married to this guy."

"Had he been spoiled and babied less, he would be a very good husband, he is just used to snapping his fingers and getting stuff done." Rachel said. "But I know what you mean. It will take time for them."

"They are having a baby in four to five months, Rach." Jeremy said.

"Just let them live their lives." Rachel said. "And a dad-son talk won't hurt, I'm sure."

Jeremy nodded and he looked at both his girls before they went to bed.

◦♪◦♥◦♪◦

"I'm heading out already." Jeremy said grabbing his lunch box at five-thirty. "Thanks for lunch, monkey."

"You are welcome, dad. Last day of me packing your lunch, tonight I have to move back to my place again." Luna said.

"Remember, wake June up at six, mom will be home by seven and she needs to be ready to go to school by the time mom had breakfast." Jeremy said. "Cory has study leave today so he gets to sleep until mom gets back from dropping June off."

"I know, dad." Luna said. "Go on."

Jeremy smiled and he kissed her head before he left.

Luna smiled and she whipped up some muffins for her two younger siblings and her mom and then made sure her stuff was standing ready before she went to June's room. "Hey Junie-bug. It's six."

"It's too early." June mumbled.

"You agreed with mom last night when she went to spend the night with nana that a shower in the morning sounds good because then I can wake you up before I have to leave. I leave in ten minutes." Luna said. "Dad said you have to be ready for school by the time mom is done with breakfast. I made muffins so mom will probably grab one with a cup of coffee and take more in the car, or even only eat properly when she gets back. Get up. I'm not leaving until you are in the shower, and if I am late because you were being fussy and tardy, dad will know about it."

"You are so mean sometimes." June said kicking the covers off.

"Fine, climb back into bed and sleep till mom gets here and then be late for school and in trouble because you made an agreement and couldn't keep to it." Luna said. "If that is how you feel, I'm leaving. Starbucks sounds like a really good idea for a pick-me-up, and I really need it today. Have fun at school."

"Luna." June said.

"June, you are not seven-years-old anymore. Learn to take some responsibility for the basic stuff in life like getting up in time without mom or dad needing to wake you up, take showers every morning or evening, do your chores and make sure your lunch is packed, before you go off to do some or other recreational thing. You still have two and a half years left in school, learn it now so you do not have to learn it the hard way when you go to college." Luna said and she switched the light off and went to the kitchen. She placed her bag on her back and took her lunch from the fridge and then took her car keys.

"Okay, I'm sorry." June said coming in.

"You say it every time mom battled getting you out of bed." Luna said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." June said. "I'm just tired."

"You are in bed every night by ten on the latest. It should be eight to nine hours a night." Luna said and she checked her watch. "I am going to be late."

"Okay, fine but don't tell mom." June said.

"June." Luna said.

"I went to the school psychologist after the whole story with my ex-boyfriend because I couldn't sleep or concentrate, and it really hurt my grades, and I know it did, so I went to talk to her and she gave me an anti-depressant to try out. She said I needed to take one tablet after supper and force myself to relax about an hour before I plan on going to sleep, so I tried it and it worked." June said. "She sent me to the school counselor as well, and I was only supposed to drink the stuff until I felt fine again, mom and dad knew that, but I have been too scared to stop taking it because I hated how I felt then, so I kept on drinking it without them knowing."

"And it makes you sleepy?" Luna asked.

"Pretty much." June said. "The problem is, I drink it only after my shower with my vitamins I have to take at bedtime."

"I think you got addicted to the 'security' they give you." Luna said. "You need to talk to mom, before school. Go shower, I need to get to work."

June nodded and she tucked her hair in behind her ear.

Luna went to her and hugged her before she left the house and got into her car. She looked at the cross hanging from her rearview mirror and then said a quick prayer for her sister before she reversed out and headed to the hospital, not seeing the SUV that came speeding down the side at an intersection until it was too late, the last she remembered being blinded before impact and then blacking out.

◦♪◦♥◦♪◦

"June! Are you ready to go?" Rachel asked after she had placed her overnight bag on the couch, and she went to the kitchen, smiling when she saw the plate of muffins covered with cling wrap. "June!"

"I'm here." June said.

"You are not ready." Rachel said.

"I know." June said. "I called my principal and I need to talk to you."

"Okay." Rachel said and she made herself some coffee and poured her daughter a glass of milk before sitting down. "Fire away."

"I didn't stop my anti-depressant meds when I was supposed to. I was too afraid that if I stopped them, I would go back to feeling the way I did, so I have been sneaking them in with my vitamins at night." June said softly.

"Honey." Rachel said. "Why didn't you say so? We could at least have gotten you a weaker one and slowly weaned you off it. I was actually surprised that they didn't wean you off such a strong medicine, but just told you to abruptly stop it."

"I was scared, you guys just said okay and went on with life." June said. "I couldn't, you left it with my vitamins and I just couldn't stop it, I didn't want to disappoint you if I went back to square one if I stopped taking it."

"And this is why I have been battling to get you up in the morning." Rachel said.

June nodded and she tucked her hair in behind her ear. "I told my principal as well, and I told her that I wanted to skip the day to go and see a different psychologist and find out what to do about it, and she said it was okay and that I was very brave to call her myself and admit that I had a problem that I wanted to fix, and she said I could get my work from my teachers tomorrow morning. Please don't be mad at me?"

"Honey, how can I be mad at you?" Rachel asked. "I feel a little disappointed for not thinking about it, or noticing that there was a problem, but I am actually proud of you for taking the responsibility and saying 'I want to fix this' without me needing to push you."

"Luna did sort of tell me off this morning." June said and she took a deep breath. "I am nervous about telling dad."

"I can assure you that dad will also be proud of you for admitting you had a problem and wanting to fix it. How many of his ER patients that come in are drug overdose patients?" Rachel asked.

"Too many." June said. "My psychologist said it wasn't addictive."

"Not medicinal, no, but you still felt you needed it to be able to carry on, and couldn't go on without it, so it was mentally addictive." Rachel said and she took her phone when it rang. "It's dad."

"Probably checking in to see if he needs to fetch me for school or not." June said.

"Probably." Rachel said and she answered the call. "Hi love."

"Rach, is June at school yet?" Jeremy asked.

"No, why? What is wrong, you sound out of breath." Rachel said.

"Mom and dad are on their way there to watch the kids. Grab Cory's car keys, I don't want him driving, and come through to the hospital, if you feel up to it. Luna was blindsided on her way to work. We are waiting for the medics to bring her in. It doesn't look good. Colson is trying to get ahold of Trev and his parents." Jeremy said.

"Mom?" June asked when her mom placed her hand over her mouth. "Mom, what's going on?"

"Luna." Rachel said softly.

June took the phone from her mom and placed it to her ear. "Dad, what happened?"

"Luna was in a car accident." Jeremy said after a moment of silence. "Your grandparents are on their way to watch you and Cory."

"Okay, love you, bye." June said and she ended the call before she ran to her brother's room and jumped on the bed. "Cory wake up."

"June, aren't you supposed to be at school already?" Cory asked. "I have the day off."

"Luna was in a car accident. Mom isn't responding. We need to take her to the hospital." June said.

"What?" Cory asked wide awake. "How is she? How is the baby?"

"I don't know. Dad just said she was in a car accident and nana and pa is on the way to watch us and then I said 'okay love you bye' because you know he won't give me too much detail, and I ended the call." June said.

"My mug is in the cupboard. I doubt I really need the caffeine right now, but you know." Cory said. "Try get mom into the car."

"Okay." June said and she went to her mom and made her brother some coffee and threw the muffins into a container and then coaxed her mom to the car. "Let's go see Luna, mom."

"Luna." Rachel said softly. "My baby."

"Good job, squirt." Cory said and he opened the door for his mom and helped her in before he kissed June's cheek. "Come on, let's go."

June nodded and she climbed into the car and handed him his coffee once he was in. "Dad will kill you if he knew you drove mom's car."

"Mom's car is automatic, and in this case actually safer to drive than mine. Hers can practically drive itself." Cory said and he checked on his mom and then reversed out and he made sure the gate closed properly before he hit hazard lights and headed to the hospital. "June, cover your eyes."

"Why?" June asked and she covered her eyes upon seeing the accident scene up ahead. "Okay, sorry, I shouldn't ask."

"Good." Cory said and he focused on the road and then fell in behind the ambulance. "You can open them again."

"Thanks." June said and she looked over her shoulder. "We are in so much trouble."

"I know, they pulled up behind us while I was waiting for the gate, but I couldn't wait and let grandpa talk me out of it." Cory said. "And you know, maybe mom needs nana more right now than we need them."

"I guess you are right." June said and she braced herself when he turned in behind the ambulance and parked next to it. She jumped out and then opened her mom's door.

"You kids shouldn't be back here." A paramedic said.

"Probably not." Cory said. "I'm Cory Stone, and I am pretty convinced that it is my sister in that ambulance, and my mom is in major shock, so if you can just help my sister get her in and to my dad, Doctor Stone, I will get the car out of here again."

"Okay, no problem." The paramedic said and he went around the car and spoke calmly to Rachel until they had her out of the car and he handed her over to one of the female paramedics and then placed his hand on June's shoulder. "Let's take you for a sweet drink. Your brother can join us in the coffee shop. Let mom and dad handle each other and your sister."

"Thanks." Cory said and he took a deep breath.

"Hey, if you would rather keep the car back here until you had something for the shock, you are more than welcome to admit it and take care of yourself." The paramedic said. "It takes a brave man to keep his head together and race his family to the hospital after such shocking news. I race out to scenes like these a lot, and the day my brother had an accident, I couldn't even breathe, they had to put me on oxygen and deal with me, plus send out a different ambulance."

"You kids are really brave." An older paramedic said, and he took the car keys from the car and closed the door after he had guided Cory away. He handed the keys to one of the security guards and gave him instructions before he guided Cory into the hospital. "Colson, where is Doctor and Mrs. Stone?"

"They took Mrs. Stone to an observation room and Doctor Stone followed them. He is in shock as well and I assured him the kids would be okay." Colson said.

"Good, you have a job to do. We will get the kids something to eat and drink." The older paramedic said, and they took the kids to the main hall.

"Nana." June said when she saw her grandparents and she ran to them and buried her face in her gran's chest before she began crying.

"Thanks guys. I am Edwin Stone, and this is my wife, Addy." Edwin said and he shook the paramedics' hands before he looked at Cory. "Hi big boy."

Cory looked at his grandpa and then crossed his arms over his chest. "Hi. I guess I am in trouble."

"Cory, why would you think that?" Addy asked. "Come here."

"I'm fine. I'm going to get breakfast." Cory said and he went to the coffee shop.

"I think you guys should tend to your granddaughter and give him a little space." The younger paramedic said. "I am Tyson Jennings."

"It is nice to meet you, and thanks." Edwin said.

"You are welcome, I will see if I can talk to your grandson a bit." Tyson said and he went to the coffee shop and ordered himself a coffee before he went to Cory and sat down across from him. He just sat there and sipped his coffee while watching the young man in between observing the people around them. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm not talking about your sister. I'm talking about why you think you are in trouble, and why you were so chilled towards your grandparents, who were obviously very worried about you, both of you. I could see that the last thing that crossed their minds were berating you or wondering how it went with your injured sister."

"My dad most probably said I wasn't allowed out of the house seeing what happened, and he told my sister that my grandparents were on their way to watch us, and when I pulled out of the yard and waited for the gate to close, they pulled in behind us." Cory said.

"Did they try and stop you, or even made a move to get out of the car?" Tyson asked.

"No." Cory said.

"Which means they trusted you, it means they believed that you had the situation under control, regardless of what your parents were thinking or even said." Tyson said. "And I believe you did. You only cracked when your mom was safely out of the car and being ushered in. I'm sure no one will berate you or be upset about what you did. Okay, yes maybe the wise thing to do would have been to wait until someone could take your mom, a neighbor or something, but kids can surprise us, and maybe you are not really a kid anymore, but still. The fact that you seem more upset right now about your dad probably being mad at you, tells me that you are not a kid who usually disobeys what his dad says, it tells me you usually obey and respect your dad. Did you speak to him directly?"

"No." Cory said. "June did."

"Did he tell June to tell you that you are not to climb in behind the wheel?" Tyson asked.

Cory shook his head and he played with the takeaway cup. "But he told her his parents were on their way to watch us."

"And they watched you. They watched their grandson be a man and take responsibility when his mom froze up." Tyson said. "If he gave a direct order that you were not to climb in behind the wheel of a car, it never reached you, so you did what you felt was best, your mom and your sister is safe, you didn't put anyone unnecessarily in danger from what I can tell and you did a pretty dang good job of it too. So for now, just relax, have some breakfast and work on calming down. It's a massive shock, and it can happen a million times and it will still be a massive shock."

Cory nodded and he finished his coffee. "Thank you."

"You are welcome. Now how does a plate of waffles, bacon, eggs and toast sound?" Tyson asked.

"I'm starving." Cory said. "I woke up with June jumping on me telling me to wake up, and I know I said something to her, and then the words 'Luna was in an accident, mom's not responding' literally shocked me awake."

"I can imagine." Tyson said and he summoned a waiter. "Can I have two waffles and two of your best plates of bacon and egg breakfasts, please? This young man needs a good meal and some sugar. His sister just got brought in from a car accident."

"Right away, sir. Maple syrup, honey or normal syrup?" The waiter asked.

"Maple for me." Tyson said.

"I will go for maple too, thanks." Cory said. "Where is June?"

"Make it an extra waffle plate to go." Tyson said.

"June does honey." Cory said.

"Okay." The waiter said and he left.

Cory played with the cup and ended up enjoying a conversation with the young paramedic about the antics of his two-year-old boy while they were having breakfast, and by the time they got to the ER waiting room where June were sitting with his grandparents, he felt a ton better.

"We got you guys some coffee, and a snack for this young lady." Tyson said and he handed June the box with a waffle in. "I need to get back to work."

"Thank you." June said softly and she took the cup from her brother.

"It's hot chocolate, with extra marshmallows." Cory said and he sat down next to her and placed his arm around her. "You need to eat at least half your waffle."

June nodded and looked at the waffle in the box and then closed it again. "I'm not really hungry."

"Hey." Cory said and he opened the box and cut it into bite-sized pieces and placed one in her mouth. "A quarter?"

June looked at him and then nodded and slowly managed to eat a quarter of the waffle before she sipped her hot chocolate slowly. "I just want daddy."

"I know, I feel like that too." Cory said and he hugged her and rubbed her back. "It's okay to be scared and feel lost."

June nodded and she buried her face in his shoulder and cried softly into his shoulder before she just relaxed against him.

"Here's dad." Cory said at ten after what felt like an eternity and he stood up with June and went to his dad. "Dad."

"Thanks Fred." Jeremy said to the man he was talking to and then hugged both his kids simultaneously. "Have you guys had something to eat and drink yet?"

"Yeah. I had a proper breakfast. June had a quarter waffle, but she has been sitting in the ER with nana and pa since we arrived. I went to the coffee shop to be alone and one of the medics came and sat with me and bought me breakfast and some coffee for everyone." Cory said.

"Good." Jeremy said and he kissed their heads. "I am proud of you, both of you."

"Cory did most of the work." June said.

"And who woke me up, and who got mom into the car while I was getting dressed?" Cory asked. "Admit it, you did a lot."

June shrugged. "I feel a whole lot worse than you appear."

"True, but I felt pretty crappy. Maybe if I didn't have a good distraction and someone who talked to me and helped me feel better, I would still be sitting in the coffee shop on my own." Cory said and he hugged her before he looked at his dad. "How is Luna?"

"She is okay, most of her ribs are cracked or broken, her left leg is mangled, but surgery will fix it, and most importantly, she is alive." Jeremy said.

"And baby?" Cory asked.

"Baby didn't make it." Jeremy said. "Luna is in for Emergency brain surgery. She suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is basically bleeding on the brain, and a skull fracture, so they need to fix that up first, and then see about fixing up her leg. Losing baby is hard, and it is going to be really hard for her, but as bad as she looked and as bad as her car looks, I'm glad it is only baby that didn't make it."

Cory nodded and he took a deep breath. "Everything will be okay, right?"

"In time, yes." Jeremy said and he touched his son's cheek. "It doesn't mean it isn't hard, son."

"Where is Trevor in all this? Has he even answered his phone, has his parents at least answered?" Cory asked.

"I don't know, son." Jeremy said. "He is only landing tonight from Portugal; I don't know how long his flight is."

"If he was a proper husband, he would've been speaking with Luna every chance he had. He hasn't called once since she came to spend the time with us. Not once." Cory said. "Why? Is he barely able to sleep because they are so busy, is he caught up in wines and fancy foods, what is he doing?"

"Cory, I don't know." Jeremy said. "I find it wrong as well, but right now there is nothing I can do about it."

"I just want to go home." Cory said.

"What are you going to do at home?" Jeremy asked.

"Climb back into bed and hope this was all just a nightmare." Cory said and he left.

"He is angry." June said softly.

"Can you blame him?" Jeremy asked.

"No." June said. "How is mom?"

"Mom is okay." Jeremy said. "She is freaked out and stuff, but once she had some sugar water and some food, she just wanted to go and sit at the operating room and wait for Luna to come out, so one of the intern nurses are sitting with her and she is currently on oxygen because she is battling a little bit, but no one had the heart to make her sit in a hospital room when she could get the same care if she sat at the operating room."

"Sounds like mom." June said. "Are you going to keep on working, dad?"

"Yeah." Jeremy said. "I will keep busy until Luna is out."

"Don't you think you should let nana and pa go sit with mom then?" June asked. "I can ask Jordan to pick me up and he can watch us, or we could find out if Dalton is available."

"Jordan needs to study." Jeremy said. "I will see if Dalton can fetch you and go baby sit. Go give mom a hug. She could really use it."

June nodded and she hugged him tightly and then took her waffle and she went to the operating rooms and sat down next to her mom and hugged her. "Hi mom."

"June." Rachel said and she hugged her daughter. "I feel awful."

"It's okay." June said and she handed her the takeaway box. "It's waffle with honey."

Rachel opened it and she had a few bites. "Thanks angel."

"You are welcome." June said. "I'm not really hungry, so you can keep it."

Rachel hugged her daughter again and then had a few more pieces before she stood up when Edwin and Addy came to them and she hugged her parents-in-law.

June bit her lip when her mom broke down in tears and she left the ward and went and sat down on the steps and hugged her knees to her chest for what felt like mere minutes.

"Hey." A young man said.

June looked up and she wiped her cheeks. "Hi Dalt."

"You okay?" Dalton asked.

"I guess." June said and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I guess it scares me more that my parents seem so lost and broken than what the actual accident scared me."

"It's okay." Dalton said and he hugged her. "Our parents are the rock-solid foundation in our lives if they do their jobs properly, so when they suddenly seem shaken and lost, it shakes us and makes us feel lost, and it is completely normal. That is also why we are supposed to have a very good support system, so that if our foundation gets shaken up a little too much, we can lean into the support around us."

June nodded and she took a deep breath and stood up with him and she buried her face in his chest when he hugged her, and she just worked on calming down against him. "Thank you."

"You know you are always welcome." Dalton said. "I did check in on your brother before I came here when your dad said he left on his own and said he was going home but that you were with your mom and want to go home, and Cor promised he wouldn't do anything stupid, he even gave me the car keys to your mom's car and to his car, and his bike, and you know, the vault etcetera, but we shouldn't leave him alone at home for too long."

June nodded and she moved away. "I think dad would understand if we turn the lounge into a gaming fortress."

"I'm sure you are right." Dalton said and he took the young teenager to his car after going to tell Jeremy they were leaving, and he took her for a quick shopping trip to get junk food, including some pizza, and then took her home and they threw mattresses down in the lounge, got their gaming controllers, computers and stuff set up and ended up eating junk food and playing LAN games all day until five the next morning when both young adults have crashed out. He tucked them in carefully and then went to the front door when he heard the gate and he waited until Jeremy was at the door before he opened it. "How is Luna and Aunt Rach?"

"They are both doing well." Jeremy said softly. "Rachel fell asleep once Luna was back in her room, but she didn't really sleep properly and she was an emotional mess until around three when Luna woke up, which seeing the extent of her head injury, was a miracle already, and then asked for her mom and something to drink. She choked a little due to the air tube, but she had some water and some yogurt and then went back to sleep, and only then did Rachel really go to sleep. Neither of them even stirred when I tucked them in or turned the light off. I contemplated staying there, but I had a fairly good nap from around eight until eleven when I just crashed out in my office, so I just had to come home and check on the kids."

"June crashed out around four I think, and Cory crashed out like ten minutes ago." Dalton said and he turned the kettle on. "I was about to head off to sleep as well when I heard the gate."

"Don't worry about coffee then. I am going to go and sleep for a few hours in bed before going back to the hospital." Jeremy said. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Dalton said and he turned the kettle off. "Sleep well."

"You too." Jeremy said and he went to the lounge and kissed his kids on their heads. "I spoke to the principal, and Cory needs to be at school by ten, he will be left to study while everyone writes their exam, and then he will write his after, unless he feels confident enough to write with his classmates. June is excused from school until Monday."

"So should I take her with, or should I go and drop him off and then come back." Dalton asked.

"I will take him to school, unless I get called in early, and then you just need to go and fetch him when he calls you." Jeremy said and he tucked the duvet in around his daughter before he went to bed.

◦♪◦♥◦♪◦

"What are you guys doing?" Cory asked when he got home from school two months later to find his mom and sister moving furniture around.

"Luna can come home tonight when dad gets off." June said.

"But she has a place of her own." Cory said.

"Not really." June said. "Trevor filed for divorce, remember. He said he can't put his career on hold because his wife had a traumatic brain injury, and he needs to immigrate to Portugal because his dad's dad is sick in hospital and he has work to do that side, and he cannot move Luna there, and he cannot stay here with her when his grandfather needs him."

"I had a busy day, sorry." Cory said and he went to his room and it wasn't long before he was back but in older clothes. "So what is the plan?"

"We are going to move the wall unit flush against that wall and put a bed for Luna at the window so that she can see spring unfold and get sunlight without having to go out on crutches and stuff, and then arrange the couches and stuff to fit in around it." Rachel said.

"And we found this at the hardware store." June said and she took a box from the one couch. "It is a shelf on a swivel, mom said we will put it up next to the bed and then she can use it as a desk over the bed, and when she is done for the night, or want to get up or something, she can just push it out of the way against the wall without having to move her laptop or the cup or anything, and it means she will be able to have meals at a table even when her leg is too sore to move around much."

"Chances are she will still want to sleep in her own bed some days, but for the first few weeks she needs to be under constant monitoring because she is still on oxygen, but dad is taking the time off to keep an eye on her and help her get settled at home and be near if something had to happen, and also to get her stuff moved back home." Rachel said.

"How is the divorce working, I mean I know some people sell the house and split the money, others work differently." Cory said.

"Trevor wants nothing to do with anything in the house that came in after they got married except the super expensive wine glasses his parents bought them. Luna said she wants nothing from him, so the attorney that was there this morning said they had to take what they wanted and the rest would get sold and the cash split in half, to avoid any other legal stuff, so they both agreed. Luna said dad knows what is hers, and what not, and she said the coffee machine is hers as well because the staff at the hospital bought it for her with her kitchen tea, and Trevor was always trying to degrade her 'instant' coffee so if he wants it, he needs to go and buy a new one." Rachel said. "All the baby stuff is going to a charity organization for abandoned babies. Luna said if we brought even as much as a poster home, she is moving out and all the way to Mexico or whatever is furthest away from here."

"What about the quilt nana made her?" June asked. "She was so excited about it."

"She got hysterical and threatened to burn it if she ever saw it again. I spoke to nana, and she said she understood how Luna felt and that we should rather just give it away and she will make a new one for Luna when the time comes." Rachel said.

"Thanks to this jerk, I'm not sure if there will be a next time." Cory said.

"Cor, staying bitter will not help." Rachel said. "Let go. Forgive him. He probably doesn't know better. His parents are pretty much like that too."

Cory nodded and he took a deep breath and then began moving the furniture around.

Rachel watched her kids, but her heart was aching for her son, praying he wouldn't let the bitterness destroy him on the inside. She treated them to grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and then made lasagna for supper, and she smiled when June ran outside with a squeal when Jeremy honked. She went out on the porch and watched as her youngest hugged her eldest, noticing instantly that her eldest was hurting much deeper than the physical wounds.

"June, if you don't let me go now, I am moving into a rehab center, or maybe just straight into a mad house." Luna said coldly.

"Luna." Jeremy said.

"Sorry." Luna said and she battled her crutches out of the car, getting super frustrated when they kept getting stuck before she went into the house and looked at the changed lounge. "What is this for?"

"It is so that you can watch movies and be around everyone without having to walk too much, and so that you can be comfortable if you fell asleep in the lounge while watching a movie or something like that." Cory said. "It is also that mom can keep an eye on you while you are on oxygen and we are at school."

"I just want to be left alone. I didn't ask to come home. I don't even know why I am still alive. I'd much rather have died in the car accident with..." Luna said coldly, stopping mid-sentence and she hurried out of the lounge and to her room.

"Mom?" Cory asked.

"Give her some space." Rachel said and she placed her hand on his shoulder. "She is broken and hurt right now; and feeling like she will never be okay again. Just be there for her, but don't bug her."

"I could wring his neck." June said.

"June." Rachel said. "We have talked about this."

"Mom..." June said.

"Go set the table. Supper is ready." Rachel said.

"Yes ma'am." June said and she left with Cory.

Rachel went to her husband and she kissed him softly before taking Luna's backpack and bedding bag. "Remember when we brought her home the first time? New at parenting, completely clueless to how we are going to survive it?"

"Yup." Jeremy said. "Twenty-one-years ago all over again."

Rachel smiled and she kissed him. "We survived then; we will survive now."

"I know." Jeremy said. "The question is, at what cost?"

"Hopefully our sanity, not theirs." Rachel said.

"You mean to say there is still sanity left?" Jeremy asked and he smiled when she giggled. "I'm hungry."

Rachel smiled and she went in with him and left the luggage in the lounge before they went to the kitchen.

"Should I go and ask Luna if she wants to eat?" June asked.

"How about we dish up some lasagna for her in her stainless lunch box and leave it in the fridge? She is tired, she is upset, she is hurting, and a ton of other stuff that she doesn't know how to process, so let's just leave her alone for now. Whether she is crying her eyes out or fell asleep, I don't want to disturb her. She needs both." Jeremy said. "If she wanders into the kitchen at two-am tomorrow morning and wants to eat, or doesn't eat at all, I am not going to force her just yet."

"Okay." June said and she sat down next to her brother and pushed her food around on her plate more than what she was eating.

"June, what is wrong?" Rachel asked after a while of watching her daughter.

"I was hoping Luna will be happy when she sees what we did to try and include her as much as possible." June said.

"Maybe not right now, angel. She is hurting on a lot of levels we don't even understand right now, give her some time." Jeremy said and he left it there when his daughter nodded and began eating vigorously, and he smiled when her bright side came back while they were doing dishes together. "You are sixteen next week."

"I know." June said. "But I don't know if we should still have my party at home."

"Why?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't want everyone to bug Luna. Everyone is going to be here, all five our aunts and uncles, all the cousins and my friends from school." June said.

"June." Luna said from the door.

"Hey." June said and she turned. "Are you hungry?"

"I have to eat to be able to take my meds." Luna said.

June nodded and she took yogurt and the lunch container out.

"Two forkfuls of lasagna count as food." Jeremy said. "Your doctor told mom that as long as you had some form of sustenance, you can have your meds. He doesn't want you to feel like you have to eat full sized meals before meds."

Luna nodded and she took one of the little tubs of yogurt and then hugged her sister. "Just because my life is crashing down on me right now, doesn't mean yours should too. Our sixteenth birthdays are like family reunions for our family, everyone lives in a million different states and we don't get to see everyone over Christmas and Thanksgiving, but they make a plan to come through for our sixteenth birthdays and our twenty-first birthdays. This year we were meant to have a combined party because I officially turn twenty-one in three weeks' time, but no one has that much leave, but I don't feel like it. So we will have your sixteenth birthday and you get to be the princess for the day. I will stay as long as I can, but then go and find somewhere else to crash."

"I don't want you to feel chased out of the house." June said. "You matter as well."

"Thank you, but life goes on, with or without me, June." Luna said. "You won't have a sixteenth again, so go ahead with it, please?"

"Okay." June said and she hugged her sister.

"Okay, hugs to the minimal." Luna said taking her sister's arms from around her and she took a deep breath. "Don't invade my bubble, it hurts."

"Sorry." June said. "I need to finish the dishes."

"Have fun." Luna said and she swallowed her medicine and then kissed her mom's cheek before she went back to her room and climbed on the bed after battling her way into some short leggings and an old shirt. She switched the light off and then just lay in the dark and stared ahead of her until she began crying, and then cried until her medicine kicked in and made her fall asleep, and life just happened that way for weeks to come.