This chapter takes places 2 weeks after chapter 13 (when Amber passed out)

•••

DYLAN

"Shouldn't she be awake by now?"

I glanced at my baby sister before quickly averting my gaze. I couldn't look at her for more than a couple of minutes without wanting to cry. She looked like a corpse. Her complexion was pale– a stark contrast from her bright skin tone and rosy cheeks. Now, her lips were a disgusting shade of pink and her lively hair lay flat in very loose, dry curls.

She had tubes coming in and out of her arms, stomach, and legs. Wires were stuck onto her chest to measure her heart rate and she had multiple different IVs going into her body to hydrate and feed her. She was hooked up to a machine that filtered her blood for her since her kidneys and liver were damaged. An oxygen mask covered the center of her face and it'd no doubt leave a mark when she woke up.

"Dylan, sweetheart," My wife took my hand in hers and gripped it tightly. "The anesthesiologist just reversed the medications that put her into the coma. It's going to take some time before she wakes up."

I wrung my wrists and glanced back at Amber. Fuck, what I'd do to hear her sarcastic remarks or to see her open her eyes. It's been two weeks since she was first admitted into the hospital after Tony called an ambulance. During that time, the doctors had to put her under a medically induced coma so her organs can recover while her son, who Rose and I called 'Bean', remained in the NICU.

"When do you think she'll wake up?" I asked, looking back at Rose, who was wearing her scrubs.

She thinned her lips before breathing out through her nose, "I don't know," She said dishearteningly, shaking her head. "The doctors checked her reflexes and brain activity and everything seems healthy. They're thinking of taking her off the dialysis machines soon."

I swallowed thickly, "Doesn't she need those to survive?" I questioned, mildly panicked. "Won't the toxins build up or something if–"

"Dylan," She cut me off, voice as soft as cotton. "We need to make sure that her kidneys and liver are healthy again. The only way to make sure they've recovered is by easing her off the machines."

I rubbed my arm and screwed my eyes shut, "What happens if... they didn't heal?"

"Then we'll have to consider a transplant," She admitted breathily. "But that's the worst-case scenario. Women usually recover from pre-eclampsia complications, sweetheart. Everything will hopefully be okay."

Fuck.

My eyes snapped back open and I stared at Rose. She looked up at me, concern evident on her features as her eyes darted across my face, "Why don't you go home?" She whispered, cupping my right cheek with her hand. I leaned into her touch as she rubbed her thumb over my stubble, "You can take a nap in our comfortable bed and shower."

"Are you telling me that I smell bad?" I joked, shifting my head so I could place a kiss on the heel of her palm.

I hadn't left Amber's side for the past two weeks. The sofa in the corner had become my bed, my workspace, and where I ate. I brought a few clothes with me and would take a shower in the bathroom that was connected to her room. Whenever the kids came by, I'd take them on a walk around the hospital, occasionally playing a game of hide-and-seek or tag with them. But for the most part, I hadn't left the sofa by Bee's hospital bed.

"You kind of do, love," She chuckled.

I grinned at her words before my eyes fell on my sister, whose chest rose and fell rhythmically. It reminded me of what dad looked like right before he– I shook the thoughts out of my head.

"What if she wakes up while I'm asleep? I need to be here."

Rose sighed, "I understand," She said, standing up on the tips of her toes to place a small kiss on my lips before sidestepping me. She stood by Amber and brushed the hair out of her forehead. "Amber's the strongest person I know," She repeated her words from the gala. "Everything will be alright again."

I looked away from my ashen sister and outstretched my hand for Rose to take, "Should we check up on Bean?"

She lifted her chin to look at the time on the clock hung above the room's door before shaking her head, "I've got to give one of my patients their medication," She informed me, tugging my hand to pull me out of the room. I gave my sister a final look before closing the hospital room's door. I walked alongside my wife towards the elevators, arms swinging between the two of us, "What do you think she's going to call him?"

I shrugged half-heartedly, "I don't know if I'm being honest," I said, pressing down on the button. "She tried to avoid talking about him as much as possible."

"It couldn't have been easy for her," Rose thought aloud. "She's been dealing with way too much."

"I just wish," I paused when the elevator dinged. The doors opened, and I waited for everybody to step off, "I just wish she would've talked to me more."

"About her nightmares?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"About anything," I stated before walking into the elevator. I stared at Rose with a sad smile on my face, "I'll tell Bean you said hi."

She returned the smile, "I love you."

"I love you," I said as the doors closed shut. I breathed out a heavy breath before pressing on the button that led me up to the NICU.

I shouldn't have yelled at Amber.

•••

After washing my hands while the nurse supervised me, I put on the hospital gown, a mask, and a pair of gloves. I walked into the NICU smiling softly at the other parents that were also in the room before remembering they couldn't see my mouth. The nurse led me to the corner, where Bean's isolette– a small, flat, bed covered in a plastic box to protect him– stood.

He had a tube in his mouth to help him breathe while his lungs developed. His eyes were closed as his hands lay in tiny fists next to his head. There were some tubes going into his arms to deliver nutrients to help him develop, but according to his doctor, everything was going smoothly.

The nurse lifted a partition allowing me to slide my hand into his bed. I gently stroked his hand with my finger. His fingers twitched before his eyes fluttered open. His eyes hadn't developed any color yet, which was apparently normal, and I wondered whether he'd have Bee's brown eyes.

"Hey there," I whispered, tickling his tiny palm with the tip of my finger. He kicked his leg in response, making me smile. "How are you, bud?"

His fingers twitched again.

"That's good," I replied, rolling my eyes at how stupid I fucking sounded. "Your mama's supposed to wake up today."

He stared at me before moving his head in my direction. I decided to take that as him asking, "Really?"

"Yup," I popped my p, nodding. "Anytime now. I bet she's excited to see you."

He continued to stare at me.

"I kind of miss your mom," I whispered. "Amber isn't usually so quiet. I'm so used to her annoying me that I don't know what to do when she doesn't do... anything. I can't wait for her to wake up."

He wrapped his tiny fingers around mine, making me grin. I lifted my head and looked around the room. There were so many people with their children, talking to them just like I was. Some had their partners with them while others were alone, like me. All their babies looked like Bean– they were still developing, they were tiny, and had way too many tubes coming out of them.

At least they were well enough to see their children.

I sighed and glanced down at Bean only to find his eyes closed again. I smiled at the sight, brushing his arm with my finger before I slid my hand out. I closed the partition and took my phone out of my pocket. I snapped a picture of him, "Hopefully, the next time I'm up here, your mom will be with me."

•••

After washing my hands again and disposing of all the medical equipment they had me wear, I decided to go back to Bee's room. I hated the hospital– it was where all the bad things happened. Papa was diagnosed here; he died here; Bee almost died here. Sure, maybe they also saved lives, but the atmosphere was so tense; it was suffocating.

The only good memories I had associated with the hospital was the birth of my children.

When I reached Amber's room, I was surprised to find it open. I walked in, my heart dropping into my stomach when I found my sister sat up, her back against the bed as she sipped the contents in the plastic cup she held. She was listening to the doctor as he explained everything that happened.

Her eyes flitted away from the doctor and onto my disheveled figure when she noticed me standing behind him. Her expression softened when she saw my face– probably because I was crying again.

"Oh my God," I breathed out, hurrying towards her. The doctor paused his explanation when I ran past him. I wrapped my arms around my sister and gently pulled her into a hug, careful not to hurt her. The cup was pressed between the two of us as she reached a hand to pat my back. "I thought I lost you."

She didn't say anything, but I felt her stiffen at my words. I pulled away from the hug and cupped her face in my hands as my eyes swept over her features. Her eyes were a dull, mud brown and her eyelashes weren't as curled as I remembered, "I'm so sorry, Bee," I choked out, eyes blurring with tears. "I shouldn't have yelled at you that night. I understand how dumb it was of me to get mad at you for–"

"It's fine, Dyl," She rasped out, voice hoarse after having not spoken for the past two weeks.

I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, "I missed you so much." I told her, not embarrassed by the fact I was crying in front of a doctor and a nurse. She gave me a shaky smile before wrapping me up in a hug again. I sniffled, savoring having my sister alive, awake, and in my arms again.

The doctor cleared his throat behind us, "Mr. Amity, while I understand how you must be feeling right now, I do have to ask you to be careful with Mrs. Amity. She still has needles going into her vessels."

"Oh, shit, right," I muttered, standing up slowly as I pulled away from the embrace. Amber looked down at her arms, turning them around as she inspected the cannulas. "I'm sorry."

He gave me a small smile before looking at Amber, "As I was saying. A nurse will be here soon to check your vitals before easing you off the dialysis machines. We'll also have to take a CT scan of your brain just to make sure that the toxin build-up hasn't affected it."

She nodded in return. My smile wavered when I noticed how she hadn't spoken any words after the three she said earlier. She didn't seem happy to be awake and even the smiles she gave the doctor didn't seem genuine.

"Um," I started. "Can she go up to the NICU to see her baby?"

Amber's figure tensed again and she averted her gaze from the doctor and to the tubes sticking out of her arms. He shook his head, "We don't want her overexerting herself until we're sure everything is okay."

"Oh," I nodded, looking down at my sister, who seemed to be deep in thought. "That's okay, I guess. I have plenty of pictures of Bean to show you and I can always take more."

That seemed to snap her out of her daze. She gave me a tight-lipped smile but still remained silent. She didn't even ask who 'Bean' was and whether he was a boy or a girl. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked at the doctor, "Thank you, doctor."

He gave me a hesitant nod before turning around to leave. The nurse went up to Amber and lifted a remote by her bed, "If you need anything, you can press this red button to alert the nurses. Even if you only need help to go to the bathroom, okay? If something doesn't feel right, please alert us."

Amber nodded and glanced down at the remote, taking in all the features it had. I smiled at the nurse as she took the cup from my sister's hand to set it on the bedside table. She then left the room, making sure to close the door behind her. I sighed and looked at Amber. She was staring at the remote, her jaw clenched as she gritted her teeth against each other.

"Do you feel okay?" I asked before grimacing. Would I be okay after I almost died and woke up two weeks after being placed under an artificial coma? My sister blinked before looking at me. She bit the inside of her cheek before nodding. "The kids and Rose really miss you– which reminds me, I need to tell Rose you're awake now!"

"Okay," She croaked out before resting her head against the headboard. My smile fell at her lack of enthusiasm, but I ignored it. Instead, I just took my phone out so I could call my wife. I glanced at Amber for a final time. She had her eyes trained on the light fixture on the ceiling, but it didn't look like she was staring at it.

She just needed time to recover from the events.

Then, everything would be alright again.

•••

THREE DAYS LATER

Amber had been awake for four days now and had spoken little to no words in the time. When Rose came by with the kids, she plastered on a smile and entertained them as much as she could. But as soon as they left, I didn't miss the way she screwed her eyes shut while she tried to even out her breathing. When I asked if she was okay, she gave me a thumbs-up before telling me she wanted to sleep.

That's how she spent her days. She woke up, force-fed herself the hospital food, and would silently stare at the wall beside her bed. She'd look through the pictures I took of Bean, but other than that, she'd either humor me by speaking some words or go right back to sleep. The doctors had taken her off the dialysis machines but still kept her connected to the IV drips.

Amber wasn't... Amber. She barely spoke; she didn't care about how drab the hospital gown was; she was passive. When I showed her the video of Bean moving his fingers, she simply stared at it emotionlessly before handing the phone back to me. No, "Wow, that's really cool," Or "I can't believe I have my own son."

She just didn't seem to care about anything anymore. Instead, she would just close her eyes and think. About what?– I didn't know. When I asked her, she simply replied with a, "Nothing," Before doing it again.

"Where are we going?" Nick asked as he looked around the hallway. "Isn't her room in the ICU?"

"I think she'd prefer if she was alone for a bit," I told him, leading him down the familiar corridor. "Knowing her, she probably wants some space since I've been breathing down her neck the past few days."

"So, where are we going?" Isaac questioned, reading the signs. "The fuck is a NICU?"

"It's where my nephew is," I replied, taking a turn. We stood in front of a large window that separated the hallway from the inside of the NICU. The room was filled with the isolettes and you could see some parents gazing down on their babies.

"Is it weird that I find this kind of cool?" Isaac inching closer to the window, his eyes sweeping across the room. The people inside didn't spare him a glance, probably used to the onlookers by now.

"Yes," Nick deadpanned. "These are sick babies, what's so cool about that?"

"It looks like something straight out of Grey's Anatomy," His brother defended himself. I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him away from the window.

"Would you guys like to meet Bean?" I asked, looking between the two of them with a small smile on my face.

"Bean?" Nick repeated incredulously. "Is that what she decided to name him? I gave her a fucking list of amazing names and she chose a vegetable?"

"She didn't name him that, you moron," I breathed out, furrowing my eyebrows at his idiocy. "He doesn't have a name yet, so we call him Bean."

The truth was whenever the nurses came by with Bean's birth certificate, Amber would turn them away without a second thought. She said she didn't want to name a baby she hadn't met yet. So until she would decide on a name, Rose and I continued to call him 'Bean'.

"Beans are legumes, not vegetables," Isaac corrected his brother with a smug smirk. "Educate yourself."

"I'm about to smack you into that window," Nick growled out, taking a threatening step forward. Isaac wasn't even intimidated by his brother, instead, he grinned and waited for him to actually do it.

"Cut that out," I snapped, slapping both of them upside the head. "Come on. We need to get dressed in hospital gowns before we can walk in. Don't fucking touch anything."

I lead them to the room before the entrance to the NICU. We all got dressed in the gowns after washing out hands. After sanitizing ourselves, I led the two idiots into the NICU. We made it to Bean's isolette. He had his eyes closed, but he was still clenching and unclenching his fist.

"He's so tiny," Nick whispered staring at the premature baby. "How's he real?"

"Guys," I started, lifting the partition. "This is Bean."

"For someone that lowkey looks like an alien, he's kind of cute," Isaac commented with a small smile.

"Do you guys want to hold him?" I asked, pulling my phone out of my pocket so I could document this to show it to Amber later.

"I'm kind of scared I'd break him," Isaac sounded. "Does he even have any bones or is he like a pile of mush?"

Nick sighed, pinching the skin between his eyebrows while I blinked, "How are you this dumb?"

Isaac shrugged, not giving two shits about his brother's comment.

"Yeah, I'm scared of letting you near him," I told him, pushing him away from the bed. "Nick, do you want to?"

"Uh, sure," He muttered, stepping forward. "Do I just put my hand through this hole thing?"

"Yeah," I said. "Just be careful to touch any of the tubes."

I readied my phone, taking a video of Nick as he reached into the isolette to poke Bean's hand with his finger. The baby's eyes fluttered open at the action, and he looked at Nick with his small eyes. Nick continued to stroke the baby's arm with his finger, being careful not to touch his body.

"This is so weird," He breathed out when Bean's fist clenched around Nick's index finger. "He doesn't look like Amber."

"He's still developing," I informed him, steadying my hold on the phone. "When he grows up he'll probably look like her."

"Can I try, Dyl?" Isaac piped up, jutting out his bottom lip in a childish pout. "Please? I'll be sure to be extra gentle."

"Sure," I answered, watching as Nick retracted his arm.

Isaac did a victorious shimmy before gently shoving his older brother out of the way. Nick's eyes narrowed at the action, but he didn't say anything.

"Hey, little man," Isaac said when Bean tilted his head at the sight of him. "I'm Isaac, but you– and only you– can call me Zachy."

•••

I knocked on the door to Amber's hospital room before opening it. She was laying down on the bed, the blanket I brought from home tucked under her chin as she lifelessly stared at the wall in front of her. Her eyes snapped in my direction when the door opened.

"Hey, Bee," I greeted with a small smile, leaving a small gap in the door. "You've got guests."

I went to help her up, and I could tell she wanted to rip her arm out of my hold but resisted the urge to do it. I thinned my lips, confused as to why she was acting this way. Maybe her mental health after the robbery was worse than she made it seem. I propped the pillow up behind her and placed a small kiss on her temple.

Her lips twitched at the action but before a smile could make its way onto her lips, the door slammed open. Amber jolted in fright, her eyes widening to the size of saucers as the heart monitor started beeping frantically.

"Oi," I snapped when Nick walked in with a large smile on his face. "Don't fucking do that."

He raised his arms in mock surrender before looking at Amber, who was trying her best to calm herself down. His smile wavered at the sight of her flat hair and pale face. Isaac followed his brother into the room and he grinned when he saw my sister.

"Hey, my love," He greeted her, not affected by how different she looked as he rounded the bed to stand beside her. "How's it going?"

"Good," She replied. Her voice didn't sound like it usually did, but the doctors said it would take a while before her throat recovered from not speaking for two weeks. It didn't help that she barely spoke when she was awake. She adjusted the nasal breathing tube before relaxing into her bed.

"Well, I'm great too, thanks for asking," He returned cheekily, making her roll her eyes. I didn't know if he was just dense and refused to acknowledge how un-Amber-like she seemed, or if he saw it but just chose to ignore it. Either way, he was getting more responses from her than I or Rose have the past four days.

"Guess what, Amby," Nick started, standing by his younger brother. "We met Bean today."

Her eyebrows rose as something flashed through her eyes. Isaac nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, Dyl recorded it and everything. Show her, man." Despite sounding like Antoine, I still retrieved my phone from my pocket and pulled up the video of the two meeting her son. I heard Amber inhale sharply while I tapped on the video. I outstretched the phone for her to take and she did exactly that.

She watched the video with a blank look as the two men loomed over her, watching it eagerly. Amber clenched her jaw, her eyes glazing over at the sight of Bean opening his eyes when Nick touched his hand.

"As you can see," The older brother started. "I'm clearly your child's favorite."

Isaac snorted, "Keep dreaming, buddy." He retorted. "I'm going to grow up to be that kid's favorite."

Amber continued to watch the video, eyes fixed on her son as she watched him interact with the two men. She screwed her eyes shut before opening them again, leaning her head against the headboard. I glanced at Nick and Isaac when the two started arguing loudly about who would be Bean's favorite.

"Aren't you the one who almost dropped Céline that one time?" Isaac questioned.

"At least I caught her," Nick bit back. "You're the one with butterfingers. Remember that one time when I tossed you your phone and it slid right through your hands? That's what's going to happen when you try and pick her baby up."

I grimaced at the thought of either one of them dropping the baby, but still, I couldn't help but grin at their words. With the way things have been lately, I honestly missed the two and their banter. It made the atmosphere livelier and lighter.

"I'm obviously going to be his favorite," I chimed in.

Nick scoffed, "Yeah, I bet he'll have a blast organizing shit with you."

"Can you please leave?" Amber spoke up, her voice a low whisper, eyes shut as her breath quickened.

"What?" I asked in confusion. Sure, maybe she'd express her annoyance towards having people in her room, but she'd never asked them to leave before.

"Come on, Amby," Nick said, the grin slipping off his face as he stared at my sister's trembling figure. "We're just trying to cheer you up."

Amber lifted her hand up to grip her hair as Isaac piped up, "Yeah, my love. You seem like you could use a pick me up."

Her breath started to quicken which made me furrow my eyebrows in worry, "Bee, are you okay?"

"Can everybody please– for the love of fuck– leave," She muttered as she tried to regulate her breathing.

Her eyes fluttered open when a nurse knocked on the door and peeked in. They darted around the room frantically, "Did you call for a nurse, Ms. Amity?" A nurse questioned from the door. She looked at the heart monitor when it started beeping loudly again. I glanced down to the bed only to find her hand tightly gripping the remote control. Her hand was trembling frantically, almost like she couldn't control it.

"Can you make them leave?" Amber asked, voice shaky. Her lips tugged down to a frown as her breathing became irregular.

"What's happening–" Nick questioned.

"I'm going to have to ask you guys to leave the room," The nurse interrupted calmly, her eyes still trained on Amber, trying to assess the situation.

Isaac was the first one to nod, shooting my sister a quick look before scurrying out of the room. Nick followed almost immediately, giving me a pointed stare, but I hesitated, "I need to be here–"

"I'm sorry sir," The nurse interrupted, shaking her head as she moved forward to Amber's bed. She pressed a button on the pager attached to her pants' waistband. "We just need to do a quick check-up. We'll give you an update as soon as we're done."

I've seen Amber act this way before. I remembered it clearly– I'd cupped her face affectionately but it triggered one of her flashbacks. She ended up having a panic attack in front of us before running off to calm herself down. But was this even a panic attack?

"I– okay," I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat as I stared at my sister, who refused to meet my gaze. "I'll be outside, Bee."

I turned around and hurried out of the room just as the doctor rushed in. He gave me a small smile before closing the door behind him. Nick and Isaac were standing in front of her room, whispering some things to each other. I blinked and looked at the door behind me– I just wanted my sister back. Despite her being awake, it still felt like she wasn't with me. She acted so distant and was always in a low mood.

Nick looked away from his very concerned brother to shoot me a questioning look– "Is Amber okay?" The truth was, I didn't know. The person in that room didn't act like my sister; she didn't look like my sister either. I tilted my head upwards and stared at the ceiling as I tried to force my tears to the back of my eyes.

"What happened?" My wife's voice sounded in the silent hallway. I turned my head in the direction of her voice, finding her jogging towards me. She immediately took my hand in hers, "Amaya paged me."

I guessed she was talking about the nurse in Amber's room with the doctor who had been assigned to her case, "I don't know," I breathed out, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my hand. "She was fine and then... she kicked us out of the room."

Rose's expression softened as she frowned. Her shoulders slumped down at my words, looking genuinely disheartened by what was happening. I glanced at Nick. He had his arm wrapped around Isaac's shoulder as the latter stared at the ground. Nick's eyes flickered between me and the door before he sighed.

"I think it's best if Isaac and I leave," He said lowly.

"I'm sorry–" I started but he cut me off with a shake of the head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Dill Pickle," He started. "Amber's going to need some time to come to terms with everything that happened."

"Yeah," Isaac nodded in agreement, a small smile on his lips. "When I went to rehab, I didn't want to see Nick or mom until I came to terms with my eating disorder. Some space can be good for her."

Before the two could leave, the door clicked open, making me whirl around to look at the doctor. I caught a glimpse of my sister, who seemed to have tears streaming down her face as she spoke to the nurse. My heart dropped at the sight but the doctor closed the door before I could step in.

"Is she alright?" Rose was the first to break the silence. Her grip on my hand tightened as she waited for him to reply.

"Yes, Amber just had a panic attack," He informed us. I released a shaky breath at his words, "We managed to calm her down with a small dose of a sedative. However, with the way she has been acting the past few days, I think it would be best if we brought a psychiatrist in for a psychological evaluation."

"W-what?" I stuttered breathily.

The doctor pursed his lips before glancing down at his tablet, "Amber has displayed many symptoms that correlate with post-partum depression," He admitted, looking me in the eye. "This is just a speculation, though. A psychiatrist would diagnose her and suggest a proper course of treatment."

I ran a hand through my hair before dragging it down my face. I didn't know what to do to help her. I wasn't so used to things spiraling out of control. This wasn't the plan– she would wake up, she'd get better, and we'd go home with Bean. Nobody predicted any of this.

The nurse stepped out of the room, and this time, the room was dark. I could make out my sister's figure buried under her blanket. Nurse Amaya closed the door and stood by the doctor with a solemn expression, "Ms. Amity says she'd prefer it if her family stopped showing her pictures of her baby," She explained, making the blood drain from my face. "She also requested she has no visitors for the next few days," Then, she looked at Rose and me sadly. "Including immediate family."

My eyes widened at her words. They couldn't do that. Even if Amber was depressed, would leaving her alone in a room all day help make her better? I needed to check up on my sister– I needed to make sure she was okay.

"She can't do that," My eyes flickered between the two healthcare workers, desperation evident in my voice. "She's still sick, she needs her family–"

"I'm sorry, sir," The doctor shook his head. "Amber is well within her rights to prevent people from visiting her. We can still supply you with frequent updates, but nobody besides hospital personnel will be allowed in her room until she says otherwise– you're an exception to this, Nurse Rose, given your relationship with the patient."

"I understand, doctor. Thank you," She breathed out before stepping in front of me. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and wiped my tears away. "She's going to be okay, Dyl."

"How do you know that?" I questioned in a small voice. "We're not allowed inside anymore. I just– I don't know how to help her, Rose."

"You can respect her wishes," She told me as her hands slid down from my face and to my arms. "We can also spend more time with Bean, now. We can make sure he's okay until Amber is."

I stared at the floor between us, wondering why shit had to hit the fan. Amber didn't deserve any of this– nobody did– so why did it have to happen? I wished she had never met that good-for-nothing piece of shit. Despite how much the thought made me shudder, I wished that she was still dating Dean. None of this would have happened if he never moved away without a goodbye.

"Okay," I sighed, hanging my head low. "I've got to make it up to the kids too. I haven't been spending that much time with them."

"It's alright, sweetheart," She said, sliding her hand up and down my arm in a comforting manner. "Antoine's been spending more time with them. Maybe we can bring him up so he could meet his cousin."

"I recommend doing that when Bean looks like an actual human being and not ET– ouch!" Isaac rubbed the back of his arm as Nick grinned triumphantly.

"Even I know when to draw the line, you fuckwit," Nick muttered, giving the two of us a sheepish smile, almost like he was embarrassed to be related to his brother.

I smiled at their exchange and looked down at Rose, who also seemed amused by their words. She looked up at me, her expression softening at my tear-stricken face. My eyes flickered to the door behind her before they settled back on my wife, "Should we bring her a change of clothes?" I asked with concern.

"You can do whatever you want," She started. "After you go home and get a proper night's rest."

"Take a shower too," Nick added from behind me, his nose crinkling with disgust. "You smell like sweat and despair."

"Yeah," Isaac dragged out, rolling his eyes. "You definitely know when to draw the line."

That comment earned him a shove that sent him toppling onto the hospital floor.

•••

– 14/08/20

I loved writing this chapter