Helena+Chavez

 Every day people wake up and expect things from me. They don’t know me, and I don’t know them, but I do my best anyways. You want me to make it rain? I’ll make it rain, but keep in mind that after about 4.55 billion years I’m still learning, and I can’t promise you it’s not going to be a hurricane.  That’s right! I’m not perfect either. Sure, I make some mistakes but- hey, if I threw a hissy fit every time one out of the 6.8 billions of you messed up, you would each get struck by lightning on a daily basis. So chill, cool your jets, mellow out- or whatever the saying is this decade for “calm down.” Just think, life would be so much worse if you were stuck with George. If you make my job especially difficult, that’s exactly who you will be spending the rest of eternity with. And trust me, you do not want to go there.
 * Prologue **

 I know him as George, but you may know him as Satan. George is short and fat.  He likes to wear red, full-body spandex two sizes too small. The red spandex really doesn’t do him any favors; it brings out his fiery red hair and shows off his rolls like a bakery. I know, I know, he’s my little brother and I should cherish my time with him blah blah blah. Quite frankly though, the sight of him makes me queasy. I see him only twice a year: when he comes up for Christmas and on his birthday. He usually forgets about my birthday, but all is fine by me, one day less of dealing with him and his napoleon complex. He’s always throwing demands left and right and I’ve had enough.  “Charlie, it’s too hot down here, we need an AC,” he’ll say. BOOHOO does he even know how much AC’s cost? I’ll buy him an AC the day he starts to use the treadmill he begged me for ten years ago. For now at least he'll sweat those extra pounds off in the sauna we know as “Hell”.

 He’s not a very nice person either, he’s been bitter ever since Mother said she liked me better. I'll admit, I’d be bitter too if it were the other way around, but I wouldn’t go around taking over humans’ bodies and making them do bad things just to make my brothers life more difficult. I mean, seriously George? That’s just rude.

I'm getting a little bit off topic here. I didn't come all this way to talk about George, and I sure as hell won't talk about him any longer as I can already feel myself becoming increasingly bitter. The reason I am sitting here, typing on this ancient computer, is because I have something to tell you. Every year I pick four people to watch over, not like a guardian angel, more like a spy. The point of this is that these four people serve as my meter for what the rest of humankind is up to. If I like what I see, you are rewarded, and if I don't, you are punished. Don't worry too much though, I wont kill off most of life, keeping only my two favorites (which would be hands down, Mother Teresa and the Pope), like I did last time. Turns out, you have to be really organized if you think you can pull that off. Noah told the unicorns the ark was leaving at 5 when It really left at 12, and I lost the "creation recipe" so just like that, unicorns were no more. Sadly, they weren't the only ones; there were many others like them that didn't make it take two of earth. Anyways, these past years have not made me a happy man and more and more of you are moving in with George. If you are reading this now, You better be on your best behavior. You never know if you could be one of this year's "four."

I have decided to read you from my journals regarding Two American members of past years' "four" so that you can see what I do and do not look for as qualities of humankind and maybe some other things about what it is my job truly is about. Some of you have really skewed beliefs on what I supposedly said was right or wrong (I'm looking at you Westboro Baptist Church) and I'm here to put those fabrications to rest.

I have changed some of the names and locations around in order to protect these people's identities but the facts and figures remain the same.

**Belle Underwood**
//Children always give me hope for the future. They're all so pure of heart and fearless, unaware of the malice in the world....and then they grow up and get tangled in this huge web of life they spin out for themselves. Life is quite simple, really; it's society that bends and stretches it out into this complex puzzle. Kids are the only ones that see life as it should be seen or at least ,the way I intended for it to be seen.//

Belle is a six year old Georgia peach living in Dixie Falls, Georgia. From what I've seen so far she's quite the little charmer. She's already got all the little boys on the playground fighting over her hand, and she enjoys every last minute of it. When she's older it won't be much different. Those blonde curls and green eyes are enough to hypnotize any little fella into falling in love with her. She's such a sweet heart too. The girl's been raised well- I can tell you that.

Dixie Falls is a small old money town occupied by large farms and plantations. Belle has lived on Red Grove Plantation with her parents, Grampy Lou and her three brothers since she was born, and it's been passed down from one generation to the next on her fathers side of the family for ages. It's a lofty country house with a roundabout driveway and expansive front yard. Her mother, Jeanette's, friends enjoy having her host the weekly tea gatherings there where they all dress up and wear big and flimsy hats that flop all over the place- which if you ask me, totally defeat the point of wearing a hat.

Mamma Jeanette's never really been a fan of these soirees, but the way she sees it, she's got no other choice. Dixie Falls is a very traditional town where girls are raised or trained- if you will, to be just like their mothers. That means tea parties every Tuesday with friends you've known since you were born, every day is silly hat day, never getting your hands dirty-unless you're baking, organizing Débutante Balls and preparing your daughters to be just like you and by transitive property, like your mother as well. On the surface, southern belles seem like quiet and polite china dolls dressed in all the finest designer dresses there are to offer. You don't see the cattiness and competition they hold between them- who's husband earns more money, who's recipe is truly the best (they'll each tell you they make the finest apple pie in the county), who wore it first.... the list goes on, and on, and on. Mamma Jeanette is the exception though, she tries to stay as far from conflict in "The League" because she knows these women will claw and fight to the death if that's what it takes to win an argument.

Anyways, just like the rest of her friends Belle has been learning what it means to be a woman in the south and what is expected of them since the day she was born. Even so, her upbringing has been a lot more loosely upheld than her friends'. Mamma Jeanette is teaching her to be a "lady" just like the rest of her friends' mothers are doing, but at the same time she is letting her be her own person, even if it means helping the field hands on the farm if she wants to- which often times she does. Pappa Underwoord knows as little of this clause as Belle knows of him. The man spends day and night working and sees his children on rare occasions. One thing's for sure, he would not be too happy to know that his little girl is doing what most little girls shouldn't be.

Today was a humid spring day in Dixie Falls, with a high of 85 and low of 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Belle was home from school now. She sat patiently on the back porch as she waited for Mr. Raymond to come and get her to help him with the pansies on the eastern side of the plantation. He usually calls for her Wednesday afternoons once the flowers start blooming. Belle adores Mr. Raymond and he loves her right back. She's the daughter he never had. He's taught her everything there is to know about growing flowers and assures her she's " got the greenest thumb he eva seen."

"big wheels keep on turnin', carry me home to see my kin, singin' songs about the southland...." Mr. Raymond sang gingerly as he climbed the steps and swooped belle up into his arms. "hello mista Raymond!" Belle exclaimed excitedly, "We gonna pick flowers today?" "yes'm, we sure are! Your carriage awaits you, Mrs. Undawood," he mocked the head butler at the Underwood home and quickly checked to make sure he hadn't been overheard. Belle hopped gingerly onto his back, and with that they were on their way though the fields to the eastern side.It was about a ten minute walk, which to a sixty year old man carrying a child on his back would normally feel like never ending, but Mr. Raymond didn't mind. He loved Wednesdays.

"So, sweet pea, how was school today?" "Same as always. We played games and the boys ran around trying to pull eachothers pants down while Mrs. Applebaum was screaming for them to stop. I had a good laugh because I wasn't too worried about it, since I'm only allowed to wear dresses to school"

Belle made a serious face and shook her wrist up and down with he pointed finger. "It's only proper you dress like a lady in places you'll be seen," Mr. Raymond chuckled at Belle's impression of Jeanette.

"and then after that we had music class with Miss. Farland and you wanna know what she said?-okay I'll tell you," she said speaking so fast she was almost out of breath, "SHE said that I've got the voice of an angel. An ANGEL Mista Raymond."

"Well haven't I always told you you've got a beautiful voice darlin'. It was 'bout time you started believin' it."

"But that aint all. Miss. Farland chose me out of everyone to sing at the family county fair next month! And it wasn't just because I raised my hand the highest. She told me I've gotta find someone who means a lot to me to sing with me and right away I thought, 'Well why not Mista Raymond?! He's the one who taught me how to use these pipes-a-mine and I ain't ever seen anybody in the whole wide word who sings with more soul than he does!.' so, whaddaya say Mista Raymond? will you do it? will ya, please?

Mr. Raymond's face fell in despondency, "Well sweetheart, I don't know how to explain this to ya. and you might be a little too young to understand- heck I still don't understand it, but people like me, we ain't normally allowed to be 'round people like you and your family unless we's workin." "You ever notice the "blacks" and "whites" water fountains?" he asked. Belle nodded slowly, "Well just like that, the family county fair is a "whites only" event. I'd love to sing with you punkin', I just can't."

"But that's not fair"

"I know Darlin,' but life isn't always fair ,and rules are rules."

"I hate rules"

Belle began to smell the gentle aroma of flowers wafting through the air as they neared their destination. She hopped down from Mr. Raymond's back and ran through the field of grass taller than she was, unable to use anything but her nose to guide her to the place where the color of the blooming pansies and dainty flowers was almost overwhelming. She stopped there and took a moment to just soak it in with her arms open up towards the sky as she spun around and looked up smiling. And for a second there, I thought she was smiling at me. Those are the moments that make my job worthwhile. There's something about seeing someone enjoying something that you've created that makes this job so satisfying- so satisfying that it makes you wish you knew how to make it even better. The beaming smile on her face was so pure, but at the same time so puzzling. She had been here so many times before that by now you'd think it had worn off- dead wrong. If I knew what causes those moments of sheer delight and excitement for everyone, I would fill the world with it. But, it's different for everyone. For Belle it's the simple things, for others it's more complicated than that- which makes my job really difficult.

Mr. Raymond finally caught up and went around the side to fetch his tools- a weeder for him and a pair of long gardening scissors for Belle and a large round basket for each of them. Belle already knew the drill, while Mr. Raymond weeded she could pick all the flowers she wanted as long as they had already been bloomed. She picked the prettiest and brightest flowers because she knew that within the next week they would already be on their way down going limp, fading color and rotting. You gotta enjoy things while they're good.

While she was picking she found a green caterpillar. She was so amazed by the way it moved. It was like a dance. She lay down on the ground next to it and watched it scrunch and straighten, scrunch and straighten, slowly inching forward.

"Hey, Mista Raymond do caterpillars bite?"

"No darlin, they's harmless."

and with that she had the caterpillar scrunching and straightening on her index finger.

"I'm gonna name you Lord Felix The Third," she said, "Felix for short". She holding the caterpillar up so close to her nose that her eyes were beginning to cross.

"I'm gonna keep him Mista Raymond"

"Alright Darlin' take good care of him though, he's a very special fellow, you know. Someday he'll be a butterfly." he handed her a small tupperware container.

"Ma' own butterfly? how absolutely wondaful!" She began to fill the tupperware with leaves a twigs.

"I'm makin' him a house out of his food so that he doesn't get bored or hungry- kind of like that book mamma read me, Hansel and Gretel, only I'm not a witch and I don't want to eat him."

Mr. Raymond Laughed.

"Alright sweet pea, looks like it's about time to start heading home.The sun's beginning to set, and I can hear your stomach grumbling from all the way over here"

Belle obediently picked up her flower basket, placed Felix and the tupperware on top, latched onto Mr. Raymond's hand and sang with him all the way back home.

//"Sittin' in the mornin' sun// //I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come// //Watching the ships roll in// //And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah//

//I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay// //Watching the tide roll away// //Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay// //Wastin' time//

//I left my home in Georgia// //Headed for the 'Frisco bay// //'Cause I've had nothing to live for// //And look like nothin's gonna come my way//

//So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay// //Watching the tide roll away// //Ooo, I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay// //Wastin' time"//

Once she was home, she placed Felix into a bigger jar and cleared him up a space among the shelves of books in the study room.

"Belle," she heard her mother call, "Dinner!"

"Coming Mamma," she said.

"Sleep well, Felix, I'll be seeing you again tomorrow, " She tiptoed away and slowly closed the door of the study like Jeanette does when she thinks Belle has fallen asleep. She then broke out in a sprint down towards the main living room and slid across the wooden floors in her socks until she got to the dining room where a hot plate of steamed vegetables and chicken sat waiting for her.

" Isabelle Marie Underwood!" she heard her father scream from his study. "Would you care to explain what this is doing here?

Belle ran into the study room panting and smiled when she saw her father holding up the jar until she saw him staring at her with questioning, angry eyes. Belle stared back in confusion.

"Why you look so cross, Daddy?"

"How in the name of heaven and earth did this creature get into my study room, Isabelle?

Belle smiled proudly, "I brought him! I found him when I went to the Eastern side with Mista Raymond on Wednesday!" She threw her hands over her mouth."Uh oh. Daddy, just pretend you didn't hear that last part."

Mr. Underwood's eyes became rounder his eyebrows shot up so high you could see all the lines on his forehead wrinkle together, "Since when are you allowed to play in the dirt? You know very well that you are not allowed to fraternize with the blacks OR the help! Have a taught you nothing?And this caterpillar is going back to where he came from. For God's sake Isabelle we already have a dog, two fish and a hamster, you don't honestly need a caterpillar too!, " he exclaimed, his voice booming louder with every syllable.

Belle's face fell and tears welled up in her eyes. "Daddy, but I..... I.... but Daddy!" she stuttered

"But- nothing Isabelle. You are never to see Mr. Raymond or work on the fields again. Do you hear me?"

"loud and clear," she said reluctantly, "But Daddy, you wanna know what I think?"

"Not really."

"I think you'll regret never having known Mista Raymond. I got nuff' memories to last me a lifetime, but you've got nothin'. You'll never get to see what a wonderful man he is if you keep thinkin' of him as low as the ground we walk on, Daddy, and that makes me sad for you. And just so you know, that caterpillar's name is Felix and he was my friend. If you're going to throw him away, well then maybe you should throw away all my other friends too! "

"I've heard enough Isabelle," he said, "I will not tolerate this kind of disrespect from you, young lady. I am the father and I know what is best for both you and me. Now, I think it's about time you should be heading back to your room. this conversation is officially over."

Belle turned sharply and stomped back out the door she came from.

//Like Belle, Children's innocence is what makes them so special. Their ideas about the world and how it's supposed to work are so unbiased from the ideas of those around them. These Ideas allow them to live in a world free of racial prejudice and spite. But their utopia bubble, where everything is right and perfect, is eventually burst by the cruelty of the real world. At some point along their journey of life, children are told that what they believe is wrong. And just like that, the thoughts and ideas that could have created a world of peace, love, and justice are no longer existent. Children are the key to world harmony. When I send them down to earth they are programmed, I guess that's what you could call it, to think in this way. And it's so frustrating to just sit here and watch it all come undone knowing that even though I am supposed to have all this power, there's nothing I can do about it except one thing which is both painful and enlightening at the same time.// //I let people figure themselves out by allowing them to face hardships together. Most of you have been taught that you "learn from doing", and in a very big way this is a similar idea. This might sound malevolent at first, but I allow people's ideas to reach their lowest points. Take the Holocaust, for example. Though this was an extremely tough period of time for the world and myself, it taught many people about the wrongs of antisemitism, I'm not saying that it obliterated all antisemitism. To say that would be far from the truth. What it did accomplish, however, was a significant shift in the moral compass of many human beings.// //The beginning of Belle's life gives me hope for the next generation. It is just as important for me to see both how the current generation is doing, and how the generation to come is shaping up. Belle gave me hope for the next generation because she seemed unfazed by her father's ideas. She didn't let her father burst her utopia bubble. Even though he told her she wasn't allowed to see Mr. Raymond anymore or consort with people with different colored skin she didn't let that change her beliefs and the way she felt and that was significant step forward because it broke the vicious cycle that''s been plaguing humankind where kids' ideas are crushed by the real world. Her story showed the growing strength of children as well as their tightening grasp on their morals and ideas- which are good ones.//

this is a scene I had for belle's story that I decided not to do since you told me to move on to my next character. I was going to make her get sick (scarlet fever turned to septicemia- i had to research a while to find what i wanted her to have), have her heart stop, go to heaven, speak to god, have her heart miraculously start up again have her come out to change the deeply religious south with talks about her experiences and conversations in heaven with god. but you said to move on to my next character and I like the ending above better anyways, since i didn't really know where I would go with this after that.

At seven am on Monday, Belle was woken up by her mother who, along with her nurse, helped dress her for school. She lazily slipped out of her nightgown and began stepping into the stockings her mother was holding at her feet and then into the frilly yellow eyelet dress. As she was putting her hands through the short sleeves, Jeanette noticed that the base of her neck was red and splotchy. "Oh, Honey " said Jeanette, "did you forget to put on sunscreen again?"

"No mamma, I never, ever forget to put on ma sunscreen before going outside. It smells nice and I like it."

"Well that's strange, you've got this red rash all along your neck and collarbones and now that I'm looking more closely, it seems to be on your cheeks too. Does it itch? Do you feel alright?" she said, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, but only an itty bitty bit. And I feel fine- I mean I feel faint, i think I need to go back to sleep and miss school. I think I need to miss this entire week of school." She had whipped out the best acting skills she could put together, hoping to get out of school, but no avail.

"You're fine, you're fine," Jeanette said, relaxing a little, "Let's hurry this up or you'll be late for school again. You know, I get in trouble too with Mrs. Applebaum when you show up late to class."

"Yes mamma," Belle said as she ran up to give Jeanette a peck on the cheek. "Godspeed."

Jeanette smiled as the buttoned the back of her daughter's dress and tied ribbon that went around her waist in a bow.

"Alright, sweetheart, get your shoes on. I'll be waiting downstairs with the driver to help get you to school."


 * Aidan Hayes**

They say California is a place for dreamers. Aidan Hayes had no use or time for dreaming. At twenty-eight years old Aidan had long since left behind his quaint hometown Wilmington, North Carolina and traded the quiet lifestyle of all his ancestors for the hustle and bustle of San Francisco. After having completed both his residency and fellowship at San Francisco General Hospital, Aidan's medical career in pediatrics was in full swing. He was already making a name for himself not only with his medical skills, but his charm as well. He'd smile upon every time he was referred to as Dr. Hayes, it sure did have a nice ring to it. As a doctor, Aidan was the best one any kid could ask for. He took care of them and put in extra effort to make them comfortable. He had a drawer filled with all sorts of little stuffed animals for his patients, and sometimes during his lunch break he would chow down on his lunch and head down to the ICU with his guitar and sing for his patients there.

His only weakness was that even after so many years in the medical circuit, he still hadn't completely mastered how to emotionally detach himself from his patients, and it was hard on him. He'd spent countless nights tossing and turning in his sleep worried about how his especially delicate or sick patients were doing. It was particularly difficult for him to get to know all these kids and see the potential they could have fulfilled, had they lived. He was hard on himself about these things; sometimes, he would convince himself that there was something he could have done to save them when he'd done everything he could have ever thought of. When he found himself thinking like this he would think back to all the kids that, with his help, had been discharged that day. He'd remember how many kids walked out of their hospital suites with smiles on their faces.

His job had it's ups and downs but he loved it anyways. It made him feel like he was doing something that was truly valued and appreciated, and that was rewarding. the pay wasn't too bad either, but that never really mattered to him. He had enough money in his trust fund to never have to so much as lift a finger, but the thought of living a life without meaning bored him to tears and his parents hadn't raised him to be a moocher.

That's not to say he didn't still enjoy the luxuries of his family fortune fortune. While his colleagues were saving their pennies to pay off their debts from college and medical school, Aidan drove a BMW to work, and his jeep wrangler on weekends. He had recently purchased purchased a four bedroom house overlooking the bay in one of the most prestigious parts of town, not bad for a first home.

He had studied all four years of college at Boston college and played starting right wing for most of those years. Over those years he had developed several Bostonian traits that had stuck with him ever since. Once upon a time a Thrashers fan, Aidan left Boston a die hard Bruins fan, following every play and every move they ever made, and hating the Canadiens.

He was constantly surrounded by people. Women would drape themselves all over his well toned six-foot-one figure. They all wanted his attention. Sometimes he gave it to them and sometimes he didn't. The truth was, he didn't put nearly as much effort into his relationships with women as he did with his patients, if he had, he'd been golden.

With his friends, though, it was different, they weren't as needy. They didn't call him to chat everyday "just cus." They'd text, "BBQ. 7 tmrw. My house" or "Pick up football Sunday." It didn't take much effort to just say yes and show up. They didn't waste any time with incessant, pointless chatter about their "fat day," guys are easier like that. Girls are a whole other story. They talk all the time, and they always ask you what you're thinking, they gossip, they're needy, they're expensive, they always need attention and reassurance, the only thing they fish for are compliments, and they're experts at twisting words.

He had dated a girl named Macie for a few months. It was going pretty well until one day they were sitting in the car when another woman crossed the street in front of them. Macie turned to him and asked him if he'd liked the dress the woman was wearing and in an I'm- not- really- paying- attention- but- I'll- just- nod- assuredly- and- say- "yes"- to- whatever- you- seem- to- be- asking- daze, he nodded and said "yes, certainly". Wrong. Answer. Macie went ballistic.

"That dress is absolutely hideous, You like her ass don't you. THATS what you were really looking at. I can't believe you, Aidan. Am I not good enough for you? Is that it?"

That trickster.

Aidan just stared back with his mouth hanging open in awe of what she had just accomplished. In under ten seconds, Macie had managed to go from normal to loony bin material. It took him some time to wrap his head around what had just happened.

Macie gave him the silent treatment for the rest of the day. The funny thing about that is that, like other women, she thought that she was punishing him. What she didn't know was that in in his head, Aidan spent the rest of the hour and thirty five minutes they spent together celebrating the fact that she had finally stopped talking.

Not surprisingly, the relationship ended a few days after that and Aidan was free to do as he pleased.

Life seemed to be going as Aidan planned, minus a few glitches here and there, until the day he got the call that turned his life upside down.

Aidan was about to fall asleep on the couch as he watched CNN (fox 25 can never get things right anymore) when the phone rang.

"May I speak to Aidan please?" Aidan thought he recognized a familiar accent

"This is he. Who am I speaking to,"

" This is Paul Walker." Aidan knew he sounded familiar.

"Oh hey, Paul" he said casually, "How's it going?"

Paul was the closest thing Aidan had to an uncle. As his father, Andrew's, best friend and co owner of their private medical clinic in Wilmington, Paul had known Aidan practically since the minute he'd been born. Paul had a son, Hunter, about two days younger than Aidan. Like their fathers, they had been inseparable since the last day they could remember. There wasn't a single childhood memory they had without one another. Hunter and Aidan were brothers. Every now and then Aidan would slide his finger along the scar on his hand and think back to the day after his eleventh birthday when he and Aidan had decided to become blood brothers and sworn to keep it a secret. They were sitting together at the end of the pier that stretched out over the ocean about a hundred meters from Hunter's back yard. They each took a knife and sliced across their palm and then clasped their hands together. At first it had seemed like a good idea, Billy and Tommy from the houses down the street had told them they'd done it and that it was fine. Billy and Tommy had lied. No matter what they did they couldn't get the bleeding to stop, but having sworn each other to secrecy, they refused to ask for help. The salt water burned like fire every time they tried washing the red off, so they tried wiping it on their clothing. Finally, they gave in and ran up the pier to Hunters house. Their mothers saw them first and screamed simultaneously. With their clothing all covered in splotches of red, their two little boys looked like they had just committed murder. Upon hearing the commotion, the fathers bolted out of the tv room. In shock, Paul stopped in front of Andrew, causing him to crash into his back and both of them to stumble to the ground.

"It's not what you think," Aidan and Hunter said in unison, "we can explain." and they did.

Their dads stitched them up. "no more funny business" they nodded excessively and ran down the stairs to the tv room.

Aidan and Hunter remained best friends for all the next years to come. In high school, "Aidan and Hunter," was like a trademark, you didn't have one without the other. Everyone at school knew exactly who they were. They dominated on the ice as first line right and left wings of the Wilmington Hawks. With their looks and the way girls fell over their heels for them, they were lightheartedly dubbed the "Wilmington pretty boys" by their teammates. They were rarely interested in the same girl, but just in case they had organized their own system to avoid girl drama- if they both liked her, then neither dated her unless she made an obvious move for one. It was simple and easy, none of the "if's", "buts" and "maybes" of girl code. By junior year, Aidan had a steady girlfriend, Summer, so Hunter could have any girl he wanted (well, except Summer, of course). Summer was every boy's dream girl; "hot witty, and athletic." They reached uncharted territory senior year when Hunter began to date Aidan's younger sister, Lindsey (then a junior). Aidan didn't know how to feel about it. He wasn't sure whether he should be protective of his best friend from his sister or his sister from his best friend, whether or not to be mad or thrilled; he didn't know what to feel. For a few weeks he was mad at Hunter. He didn't know why, he just was. It was the longest they'd ever gone without speaking. In the hallways Aidan would resist the urge to stick out his hand and high five Hunter when he passed by as they had done since their first day of school in kindergarten. Left with his hand up upon being dissed, Hunter would use it to wave to someone at the end of the hall to avoid embarrassment. When Aidan had finally calmed down, he realized that he couldn't have possibly chosen anyone better for his sister than the person most similar to himself. Being around the two of them was awkward so he avoided it at all costs, but he secretly began to like the idea of his sister and his best friend together.

College was a real test to the strength of their friendship. Hunter went to Duke and Aidan went to Boston College, it was the longest they'd ever been apart. At first they'd visit a lot, but then they each got really busy with school and athletics and soon their visits turned to phone calls. They called each other regularly and spent longer on the phone than any girls they knew. When Aidan's mother suddenly became ill halfway through sophomore year, both Aidan and Hunter took the next semester off to come home. Hunter took care of Aidan and Lindsey and helped them through the death of their mother that year.

Two years after graduating from college, Aidan attended Hunter and his sisters wedding. and two years later he was the proud uncle of Anna Marie Walker. Now, Lindsey and Hunter had another baby on the way, due in about one month.

Aidan heard rustling in the background. Paul sighed, "Man, I hate to tell you this over the phone," he said in almost a whisper. Aidan could sense that something was wrong.

"Paul? is everything ok?"

"Look, son, I don't really know how to tell you this, but I'm just going to come right out and say it," he said, his voice beginning to falter, "your sister and Hunter have been in an accident."

he felt the world come to a halt.

"An accident?" he asked, "What kind of accident? Are they okay? What about Anna? Was anyone else involved?..." he kept thinking of questions

"They were in a car accident. The man on the other side of the wheel was drunk. He's fine. Hunter is in the critical care unit, they're still running tests but he's broken a few ribs and his right leg, which is good considering how bad the accident was. He's lost a lot of blood, but he just came out of the emergency surgery they did to stop the internal bleeding in his abdomen. He can't move his legs, but he has got some feeling. Hopefully after the swelling goes down he'll be mobile again. Anna was home with a 'sitter'"

"and Lindsey? What about my sister?"

"Lindsey, I'm afraid, has suffered the toughest blows. They had to use the jaws of life to extract her from the automobile and she remains unconscious. She went into early labor because of all the stress, so they performed an emergency c section as soon as she arrived to the clinic in order to save the baby, he's doing well, but he's having trouble breathing on her own, so they have her on life support."

Aidan felt the world start spinning again, only so fast, he became dizzy.

"tell my father I'll be on the next flight to North Carolina," he said already beginning to throw things in a suitcase.

"yes, of course."

Aidan paused in front of the Purple Heart Clinic with his hand trembling on the handle. He'd been here a thousand times before but not a single time had he felt so empty inside, not even when his mother was there. He felt the need to steady himself. He was afraid if he let go of the handle his legs would immediately collapse beneath him. His knees felt like jello.

He took a few seconds to get himself together and swung the door open.

the nurse at the front desk peered up through her glasses and recognized him immediately. She, like most of the nurses at his father's clinic, had known him since he was a kid. She had taken care of him when his father brought him along to work and taught him to tie sutures on apples. "Hi Aidan," she said

"Hi Rose," he said with his eyes nervously shooting around the room

"I'm assuming you're here for Hunter and your sister?" she said with sad eyes.

"Of course"

"Here, why don't you come with me," she said gathering her papers together into one neat stack and rising up out of her seat. "I'll take you right to them. They're in adjacent rooms"

"thanks." He was too overwhelmed with feelings of dread and uncertainty to form more than one word answers.

He followed her to the private rooms on the second floor.

"Here we are," she said, "Hunter is here in room 208 and Lindsey is the door to the right, 210, If you need anything I'll be at the front desk, right where I was before"

"thanks"

All the suspense for what awaited him behind the doors made it feel like some sort of cruel game show.

Aidan slowly placed his hand on the knob of door 208. He gripped it tight to keep it from slipping out of his sweaty hands. He opened the door quietly so that the creaking wouldn't wake Hunter if he was asleep.

He looked like hell. His face was covered in cuts, presumably from the shards of glass that had once been the windshield, and a bruise extended from the middle top left of his forehead to his left cheekbone. His neck was in a halo, and his right leg was in a cast and suspended in some sort of a contraption. The heart rate monitor indicated that his heart rate was pretty stable- good sign. Hanging next to him were the bags of IV fluid and blood that he was connected to through two transparent tubes. His hazel eyes stared back at him with the slightest mix of sorrow and happiness to see him again.

"hey man," Aidan said softly, walking over to his bedside, "bad night huh?"

"hurts." It took him every last ounce of effort to say that one word.

"I know buddy, but soon enough you'll be alright, I know it." Aidan said, only half believing it. "you've gotta be alright, Lindsey and Anna and the baby are counting on you. I'm counting on you."

Hunter's mouth trembled as his lips stretched slightly into a faint smile.

"remember that time in high school when we went surfing and I almost drowned?" Aidan asked, " You had to put me on your board and paddle into shore. I was going in and out of consciousness. When the lifeguards were doing CPR you were slapping my cheeks and yelling at me. I still remember. You said, 'Don't die on me Aidan. If you die a part of me goes with you! Blood brothers remember? You can't die, because that would be stealing." even then I could have almost laughed at that argument."

Hunter almost smiled bigger at the memory, "ow." pain seared across his face.

Aidan could almost feel his agony. He felt pain too, but a different kind of pain. The pain derived from fear. He was afraid of losing his sister and his best friend in the same week. The way things were looking with Hunter whom- as he'd been told-had been the one left better off after the accident, things were looking pretty low for his sister. This would probably be the toughest weak of his life, a test to his emotional strength.

"Alright man," he said, "I just got here, so I'm going to go visit my sister for some time and I'll be back in a while. Try to get some sleep." he was on his way out the door when he heard Hunter say, "Ba-by?"

Aidan smiled, "It's a boy! and according to the nurses, he's doing very well, the nurses in the maternity wing are taking very good care of him. He doesn't have a name, you know. He's waiting for you to get better and see him. I'll go visit after Lindsey and snap some pictures of your new son before I come back."

"thanks," Hunter said weakly managing to bring back the slight smile.

He smelled lavender immediately upon entering Lindsey's room. Flowers lined the windowsill. The nurses must have known she loved daisies.

She lay motionless in bed with her strawberry blonde hair parted and combed neatly to her shoulders. She looked worse than Hunter, her face was covered in cuts and stitches. Through the hole in her neck brace he could see her neck was almost entirely black and purple with bruises. Her right arm was in a cast. He smiled at the carefully drawn heart in the middle of it. Next to the heart it said "Anna" followed by a completely butchered "Get Bettr Momy" written in his niece's excellent 4 year old penmanship with backwards E's and R's. He hoped Anna was still too young to understand what her mother was going through. Two tubes held in place by the ring of tape that went across her top lip and lower neck fed oxygen into her mouth and the rest of the tubes and wires were all around her body. The only sound in the room was that of his footsteps and the heart rate monitor beeping steadily.

He sat down in the chair next to her and intertwined his fingers together. He sat in silence thinking with his head on his knuckles for a little while. //Why was this happening? What had they done to deserve this? What had he done to deserve this?// He became angry with me and tears began to stream steadily down his face. He rarely ever cried, so I knew enough to listen.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked me in a whisper//.// "Don't take her, it isn't fair."

//I hate how people think that fate is up to me. I rarely ever get to decide who goes. Fate is such a powerful force, that even I'm not usually capable of messing with it. Sometimes I can find loopholes and change it when you ask me to, but loopholes in a system so perfect are quite rare and hard to find. Those loopholes are known as miracles. Lindsey and Aidan hadn't done anything to deserve this, but that's why it's called fate and not Karma.//

//He looked up at Lindsey and walked over to her bedside, gently taking hold of her free hand.//

"Hi Lindsey," he said, "there are these studies that say that sometimes patients in comas can hear you speaking to them. I really hope that's true because I need you to listen. Hunter's doing better than he was last night, he's more stable and the baby is healthy. Listen, you need to come back. We're all cheering for you, and you can do it Lindsey, you've always been a fighter. Think about your daughter- and you have a son now too. They can't grow up without their mother. And Hunter, Dad and me? We would all just about go crazy without you. When you're ready to wake up we'll all be here waiting for you and you should see the beautiful array of flowers the nurses set out on your windowsill, all your favorites. I would have brought you some too, but I wanted see you first. Sorry I haven't visited much these past months. It's just with work and everything I've been so busy. I'll be staying here for a while now. I want to help you and Hunter get better and don't worry about Anna and the baby. Dad's got me on baby duty and him and Paul are switching off with Anna. They're actually out with her getting ice cream at "Belly's" right now. You just focus on getting better. "

I could see Lindsey's spirit sitting next to Aidan. He couldn't feel it, but she was right there next to him listening to everything he was saying and rubbing his back in a circular motion, like their mom used to do when they were wound up. "I'm here" she was saying in despair, "But I'm not here- here. I wish I knew how to get back." she said solemnly. she'd been walking around the hospital like a phantom, people looked right through her. Yesterday she had spent hours watching her new baby squirm and scream in the NICU. She wanted nothing more than to hold him, to have him stare up at her and look long and deep into her eyes like she was the most important person in the world, the way Anna had the day she'd been born. It was cruel in a "you can look but you can't touch" kind of way.

//Like most patients in comas, Sarah was a lingering spirit. Lingering spirits are not whole, a part of them remains with their body, so they still have the chance to come back. Lingering spirits have a certain amount of time to find a way back to themselves, but it's different for everyone. Sometimes they get months and other times they get only hours. When Lingering spirits become whole again, they usually lose memory of what they just went through when they wake up, but on rare occasions they are able to vaguely remember what they heard. That's where the studies Aidan was talking about come into play. Those people were once lingering spirits, they don't remember being separate from their bodies and walking around. As if they'd been in a light sleep, they remember roughly what they heard, specifically, the more emotional stuff. If they don't find a way back to themselves, they begin to fade away like old photographs as time begins to run out, until they fade away completely. As they are fading, their bodies, lying in the hospital become weaker and less stable until eventually they fail. When this happens, the part of their spirit that was with the body comes with the rest of their spirit to me.//

He sat there watching her until he figured it was time to leave- with three loved ones in the hospital he really had to bargain his time accordingly.

He squeezed her hand one last time and told her he'd be by soon before leaving the room to go visit his nephew for the first time.

"Would you like to hold him?" asked the young nurse on call.

"I would love to hold this little fella," he said, already squirting half the sanitizer bottle onto his hands.

The nurse picked the baby up. He let his whole body sag under her grip, his head rolling back as it was no longer supported by his flat crib. She walked over to the rocking chair Aidan had situated himself on and placed the quiet baby in his arms. He was beautiful. His gray eyes sparkled as he stared up at him, so pure. His nose was like a little button and his mouth curled in. Aidan felt refreshed as he stood there watching his nephew. Here was a person with a full life ahead of him, yet to make any mistakes or have any regrets- so innocent.

Aidan spoke to him as he rocked back and forth. "hey buddy," he said, "I'm your uncle, Aidan. I will be taking care of you for the next few weeks. I gotta warn you, though, I've never even touched a diaper. I mean, I assume it's pretty self explanatory, but this whole "you being in the world now" thing should be an adventure for the both of us. Your mommy and daddy were supposed to do this, but they're not here right now, so I'm going to do the best I can to take care of you and your sister. I'll probably need to enlist the help on your grandparents though, somebody's gotta help me out here."

The baby opened his mouth wide and yawned.

In that moment something changed for Aidan. Sitting here holding a child in his arms just felt so natural. He'd never really given much thought to settling down and starting a family. Not that he didn't want a family of his own, he'd always assumed that one day it would just happen- like magic or something. But just then he began to think of settling down and starting a family. He wanted to have one or two kids of his own. Kids who would look at him the way his nephew did, kids who could do the simplest things to fill him with joy, kids he could raise to change the world. That was what he wanted. All this time he'd been so invested in his work, there was this void he was trying to fill that no matter what he did nothing could help it. He now knew what that void was. He needed a family of his own- he wanted a family of his own. He hoped that soon he would meet the woman he'd been searching for forever who wanted the same thing.

"alright bud, that was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen anyone do," he said, " you do that again, and I just might die."

One week later, the baby had a name- Henry. Lindsey had wanted to name the baby Henry if it was a boy, or Christina if it was a girl. Hunter had wanted to name the baby Luke if it was a boy, or Alison if it was a girl. In the end, he had decided on Henry, Lindsey always got what she wanted.

According to his pediatrician, Henry was now strong enough to be sent home. And so, Aidan's journey into uncle- hood began.

With Henry in the baby carrier, he made a pit stop at the local bookstore and bought various parenting books. Then, he invested in some light wine at the liquor store next door to help calm himself down. //You are in way over your head,// he thought, //Why did would ever agree to this?// and then he remembered Henry's yawning face.

He lay across the couch in Hunter and Linsdey's living room with Henry sleeping in the bassinet five steps away. "Alright," he said picking up the first of the five parenting books he had spread out on the coffee table. He cracked open, __Eat, Sleep, Poop: a Common Sense Guide to your Baby's First Year__, and began to read. "Aidan. What did you get yourself into?" he asked, slapping himself on the forehead, "I think it's time whip out that wine." Parenting, or "uncle-ing", as he called it, was not at all what he'd expected. As a pediatrician, he'd thought he'd at least know something. but this was a completely different ballpark, he had no idea what he was doing.

Poop. Oh man. Henry was gonna poop eventually. What was he supposed to do? He didn't even know how to change a diaper. The nurses had taught him how to mix the formula and burp and carry the baby, but that had been it. Apparently nowadays people just assumed you knew how to deal baby diapers. He skimmed through all the books hoping to find something on diaper changing, and he finally did in "parenting for dummies"- //figures,// he thought.

"alright," he said trying to convince himself, "you can do this." He read on past the diaper changing to all the "do's" and "dont's" of parenting. His eyes opened wider with every word and all of a sudden, any remaining hope he'd had that this would be easier than he thought disappeared completely. Poof!

On the edge of a nervous breakdown he called his father.

"How's the baby?" asked his father.

"the baby's fine," he said, " I think it's me you should be worried about, Dad. There should be a test you should pass before becoming a parent on all of this- like the MCAT's only for parenting. Pretty sure this should be illegal. I'm definitely not qualified to do this"

"Calm down son. You're fine. Parenting is all pretty much common sense, you just gotta go with your gut. Have you been reading the self help books?"

"You say that like it's a crime"

"You don't need to. You can just figure it out as you go. That's what your mother and I did, and I wouldn't say we did such a shabby job."

"Alright dad, I'll take your word for it." he heard Henry starting to cry in such a high pitched range it made him cringe. "Alright Dad, I gotta go. Talk to ya soon. I hope Anna's doing okay"

He walked over to where Henry was lying in picked him up, only to become overwhelmed with the pungent smell of baby poop. //This should be fun//, he thought, as he walked over to the baby table.

He undid the clip buttons at the bottom of Henry's onesie and then lifted the two tabs on the sides of his diapers. Years and years of medical school, and nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next. He disgustedly plugged his nose even though the smell was just so putrid that he could almost taste it on his tongue. he used only his pointer and thumb to do everything, making sure to keep as much of his body as possible out of that mess. //It's like slumdog millionaire in here,// he thought. He finished, looked down at Henry, proud of his latest accomplishment. //Three points to me//, he thought excitedly, doing a little dance and then shooting the dirty diaper into the waste bin as if it were a basketball. he picked little Henry up again and sat in the rocking chair next to the couch, rocking Henry back and forth until he had fallen asleep again, and then placed him gently in his Bassinet.

"How many "wet ones" can such a tiny person go through in just three days?" he asked under his breath as he skimmed the baby isle at the local mart for a super sized pack, with Henry sleeping in the car seat on top of the shopping cart.

"Aidan? Aidan Hayes?" he heard a faintly familiar female voice ask. He turned around and searched about for whoever it was calling his name. And then he saw her. Straight brown hair cascading over her shoulders with wisps gently falling over her forehead, soft facial features, easy green eyes, and long, toned legs walking his way.

"I heard you were back in town!" she exclaimed with a genuine smile on her face as she leaned in give him a tight hug. He's missed those hugs all these years.

"Hey summer!" he said, "It's been a while."

"and who's this little guy?" she turned and directed her gaze at Henry who was now awake, "My god, it really has been a while. Who's the lucky girl?" she asked

"Oh no, no, no. " he said shaking his head quickly from side to side, "this is Henry, Hunter and Lindsey's kid. I'm taking care of him for a while. No lucky girl that I know of. "

Her face grew serious. " I heard about the accident. I've been meaning to call. I've just had my hands so full in the cupcake shop. How are they doing? how are you doing?" she asked looking concerned.

"I'm doing okay. Been better. Just trying to adjust. Hunter's been getting better, but Lindsey still hasn't woken up and she's still too weak to function without the life support"

Summer nodded her head understandingly.

"If you need anything- anything at all. Don't hesitate to ask. I would be glad to come over and hang with this little guy." she said giving Henry her pinky finger to hold onto, "and you too- i guess" she said with false disappointment.

He chuckled. "Sure thing."

"Well I gotta run back to the shop. I've got a trainee working today and I need to make sure the shop hasn't gone up in flames. Got my sugar and my flour. I'm good to go. I'd love for you to come by sometime," she said almost flirtatiously, " I know you're really busy and everything but I'll even give you some incentive: cupcakes on the house."

"I'll be definitely be dropping by soon then" She waved and he watched her as she turned to walk back to her cart. He felt funny. Somehow he couldn't shake the need to see her again. This was new to him.

He found the super sized pack of wipes he'd been looking for and pushed his cart along the other isles to get the other goods he'd come for. Everywhere he went women ogled him as he made faces and played with Henry.

//Jesus, Men with babies must be like Kryptonite to women,// he thought to himself as he went up to the check out counter.

Two weeks later, Hunter was beginning to walk with his crutches. Aidan kept bringing Henry over as often as possible. He'd carry Henry and attempt to sing him lullabies even though he didn't really know any lullabies. Lindsey was the one who had always sung them to Anna. By now Hunter had heard them enough times, that you'd think he wouldn't forget every other word, but he did. Eventually he decided that lullabies weren't really his forte, so he began to sing him jingles from tv commercials ("Give me a break, give me a break, give me a big bad KitKat Bar!") and other things he could actually remember the words to.

His wounds were healing nicely, Aidan noticed- //no scarring, good//, and he could smile completely with almost no pain and speak effortlessly, Hunter was recovering at an impressive pace. He still couldn't laugh too heartily, his broken ribs made sure of that, but he was well on his way. He became stronger with each coming day. Lindsey still had not woken up. Her story seemed opposite to Hunter's; everyday was worse than the last as she spiraled further and further down.

Hunter almost spent more time in her room than he did in his. He needed to make sure she was being taken care of and he said he wanted to be there to see her open her eyes, so the nurses set up a bed for him next to hers. It was against hospital policy but Hunter and Lindsey didn't have to worry about hospital policy when their fathers owned the clinic.

As he held his sleeping nephew, Aidan watched Hunter watching Lindsey. He knew him well enough to know he felt guilty, even though the accident wasn't his fault.

"Hey man," he walked over and patted him on the back, "don't do this to yourself" Hunter smiled halfheartedly. Aidan knew him too well.

"This is all my fault."

"Your fault? I don't know, but if you asked me, I'd say that it was the drunk driver on the other side of the wheel's fault- not yours. Unless it was you who went, got him drunk, and let him drive."

"When you say it like that, it sounds different," he said.

" Well, those are the facts. That's the way it's supposed to sound. There was nothing you could have done. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all"

"Yeah, but maybe if I had been focusing more on the road I would have seen him and been able to yield."

"yield a driver coming out of an intersection at 30 miles over the speed limit?- I doubt it," Aidan said, becoming angry as he remembered the details he knew of the accident. //How could someone be so irresponsible and go unpunished. Fate had really messed up on that one,// he thought.

" I guess you're right," he said, "But if I had known that our conversation in the car would have been our last, it would have gone a lot differently, I don't remember too well, but I remember we were arguing- god, she has to wake up that can't be my last memory of her."

" She'll wake up"

"I really hope so. She can't leave me here like this, I don't even know how to raise a child on my own. Oh my god. I can't do this by myself. " he said, his eyes beginning to widen as he pictured a life without Lindsey.

"Hey hey hey. Don't think like that. First of all, she's going to make it. Second of all, I've been taking care of your son for the past few weeks and he's still here. Did you know that before this I hadn't even touched a diaper? Now, I'm a total boss, I'm like the Diaper boss. If I can do it, you sure can. Also, you wouldn't be by yourself you'd have us. Remember how my mom always used to say, 'It takes a village to raise a family?'" Well, we will surely be putting that into the literal sense.

The Beeping from the heart rate monitor suddenly became fast and was increasing in speed by the second.

//Oh No,// Aidan thought. //Not this.// He hastily placed Henry in Hunter's arms and ran up to the button next to his sister's bed and pressed it with shaky fingers.

He began to perform CPR. He pumped 30 times to the beat of "staying alive" by the bee gees ( a trick his father had taught him), two breaths, then repeated. No avail, her heart rate was beginning to flat line.

"Code Blue," he yelled impatiently, "Shes coating. get the crash cart, and fast!"

"What's going on?" Hunter asked hysterically, eyes wide, "What's happening to her?"

Less than a minute later three nurses came in pushing the crash cart. The doctor had yet to arrive.

Having no time to waste Aidan demanded, "Alright, hand me the paddles," without questioning, the nurses handed him the paddles to the defibrillator "Push it to two- fifty" he yelled impatiently. He didn't have time to worry or be afraid, his head was spinning as he went through all he was supposed to do.

He put the paddles on her body. her trunk flew up and then back down. //Nothing.//

Hunter grabbed hold of his wife's hand. "Stay with me Honey. Don't leave me. I love you...." he was yelling anxiously.

"Three Hundred!" Chest rose and fell, //still nothing.// She was gone and Aidan knew it, but he was going to keep trying. He'd never been weary of miracles, especially not now.

"Three Seventy Five!" he yelled And then all of a sudden, the monitor began to display the wavy lines, beginning to beep as the chart began showing the the steadily repeated cycles of Lindsey's heart beat. In a complete trance Hunter and Aidan stared at each other in disbelief. They refused to believe Lindsey had died and come back. Maybe the computer was playing some sort of sadistic game with them. Hunter broke the trance and abruptly reached down to the wrist the hand he'd been holding. his own heart was beating so fast he was unsure of who's pulse it was he was feeling, but he was almost sure it was Lindsey's. He could feel his own pulse in his ears and this one wasn't matched up to what he was feeling on her wrist.

It was about time things finally started going their way.

//Believing in miracles is what makes them possible. It is people's belief that things aren't permanently set in stone, that fate can be reversed that makes miracles more likely to happen. Peoples fate is mostly powered by deep down what they believe will happen. They may not be aware of it, but their souls are, and the ability to bring that fate into question deep down inside and believe it can be changed is a very powerful force in fighting it. This is the force that helps me find the loopholes. it takes a lot of faith to truly believe in miracles, and not everyone is strong enough to do so, Fate does not like to be messed with. Aidan, Hunter and Even Lindsey believed in miracles the way everyone should. Believing is a stronger force than you'd think.//

The biggest surprise that day came an hour later when the three of them were sitting in Lindsey's room together. Hunter still hadn't let go of Lindsey's hand even though it felt strange not to have her squeezing back. They used to do this thing where one would alternate squeezing each others hand. Lyndsey would squeeze and hunter would follow. They never did it on purpose, it just happened. Without warning, Hunter felt a slight twitch under his hand. he looked down at his hand and gasped, "Aidan," he said, a smile creeping up on his lips. "I just felt her move." "What did I tell you?" Aidan asked happily, moving himself closer to Lindsey's bed.

They watched her attentively and soon heard a soft murmur escape her lips. Hey eyelids slowly floated open to see the two most important men in her life watching her intently, but only for a brief moment. She quickly squeezed them shut. The light overwhelmed her and made her eyes hurt. She opened them again one by one and squinted until her pupils finally adjusted. After three weeks of not opening, her pupils were not accustomed to all the light.

"Good to have you back Honey. We've been waiting for you" Hunter said in a both relieved and gentle tone, " For a while there I thought I'd lost you." Lindsey just watched him as he spoke to her. She didn't say anything, but her she did not need to; her eyes already said everything that needed to be said. They glowed with love as she listened to Hunter speaking to her.

Aidan was checking for all signs of memory loss. Usually in accidents like this, patients were lucky to remember how to do anything at all, including speaking and walking. Lindsey took a hard hit to the head, which was why he was especially worried, but so far she seemed to be showing no signs of amnesia. //Miracles//

She tried to speak with the tube lodged in her mouth, "I love you," she said softly and airily.

"Oh I love you too, " Hunter said. "....I do too!" Aidan chimed in, happily.

She was quiet for a while as she examined her body. She could feel her neck in a brace, her right arm in a cast, her right leg in a full leg cast and her chest hurt when she breathed. She thought back farther, there was something else that was not the way it should have been. What could it be? Something was not right. Her eyes fogged up with tears when she realized what it was.

"What's wrong?" Hunter asked, "Are you in pain? Do you want me to call the doctor over- actually we should probably call him over anyways, he should know that you're awake now. Can you believe he told us you probably weren't gonna make it? He even had the audacity to suggest that we take you off of life support before you became a vegetable," he said shaking his head.

She languidly raised her left hand and brought it to her stomach. She felt around nothing but flatness and a tear fell down her cheek. Had she dreamed that she had been seven months pregnant? Had she lost it?

Hunter watched her confusion and a smile creeped up on his lips as he looked down at where her hand was and realized how quickly he could make her tears disappear. He turned his body sideways on the bed, bringing Henry into her vision.

Her facial expression changed in the snap of a finger as she brought her hand up to the baby hunter was holding. "This is Henry," he said, "your three week old son."

Suddenly her leg and arm weren't in a cast, her neck and ribs didn't hurt, she was absorbed in the awe of seeing her son for the first time. Her worries melted away like a popsicle on the fourth of July, all was right in the world.

Visiting hours ended at 6, so Aidan said his goodbyes to the two happiest people he'd seen in a while and gently placed Henry in the car seat. Something about having a baby on board and made him hesitant to drive at all. You would think the accident would be what made him more tentative. He avoided potholes and everything potentially dangerous at all costs, which was very much unlike him. I would not necessarily call him a reckless driver, but he would certainly qualify as a careless driver. They were driving home when spotted a cupcake shop. Must have been the only cupcake shop in town, which narrowed it down to Summer's cupcake shop. It was next to the thrift shop and coffee house on Oak street.

In simple letters on the little red tent above the two large windows in front of it was written, "Wilmington Cupcakery." Henry stopped his dad's Mercedes and parked out front. He went over to the side of the car and reached in to pull Henry's car seat out. Henry was squealing in delight as he kicked and swiped at the little toys hanging down from the handle. Aidan walked over to the door and stood there for a while just looking in. The shop was themed like the fifties, with metallic counters, an old fashioned cash register and black and white photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and other people of pop culture from the time in a collage on the wall behind the counter. A little bell on the door rung as he entered the shop. Elvis Presley's "Burning Love" was playing in the background, but it wasn't coming from the record player sitting on the coffee table in the middle of the three squeaky red couch chairs to the side of the shop. There were cupcakes everywhere frosted in red, lime green, sky blue, and every color you could ever think of and some rolled in coconut shavings. Above the counter they were all arranged on the rings of cupcake holders and under the counter shielded by glass they were lined up neatly by flavor and color. They all had a little heart made of sprinkles on top, he guessed it was her trademark. Then there was a section of "surprise cupcakes" as it was labeled, which were all different flavors and frosted with swirls or polka dots, or like ladybugs, butterflies or other miscellaneous creatures, shapes or figures. Nobody was at the counter, but he didn't notice as he stood there reading the neatly labeled cards next to each set of cupcakes describing their flavors. He gave up trying to decide between "Paint the town red velvet" and "lemon poppy" and all the other flavors that made his mouth water, so he decided he'd get one of each and a ladybug surprise cupcake for Anna. Right on time, Summer came walking out of the kitchen door with an apron full of flour, and a little flour on her face, singing happily along to "Burning Love." Aidan just watched her go about her business with her back turned to him, yet to notice he was even there. Her hair was up in a loose bun and she was wearing a flowy dress under her apron. //She hasn't changed a bit//, remembering the way she was in high school.

In high school, she was like the girl version of Aidan. All the girls wanted to be her and all the boys wanted to date her. She was gorgeous and never dull, and she didn't even know it. Her optimism, sense of humor and breezy demeanor could brighten any one's day. She was the kind of person that lived her life the way she wanted and never let what anyone thought or said affect her. She was self assured, the kind of person that would dance at parties where nobody wanted to dance and willingly take all judgment for her silly moves. She was the kind of girl who would come over to watch sports games and not ask any stupid questions. Unlike Aidan, however, she had trouble with friends. Envy is a green ogre, and high school girls can certainly be cruel. She found herself dealing with their cruelty on several occasions. But she always found a way to triumph in even the worst of situations.

Once, during the summer of sophomore year after a beach party at the club, she was bathing in one of the stalls at the club. When she came out she found that all the clothes she had placed next to her stall and her towel were missing. She heard a group of girls giggling and yelling "run" and peeked through the curtain to find her supposed friends running out of the girls changing room waving around her sundress and one of them carrying her towel over her head like a track star running with their country's flag at the Olympics. At first she tried calling out for someone to help her. She stayed there for an hour just waiting and french braiding her hair, feeling bad for herself. //What did I do to deserve this?// she thought as tears welled up in her eyes. She let out one last plea for help. Aidan had been walking by at the time. They had yet to meet, Summer lived one town away. "Who's in there?" he asked through the door "My name's Summer." she said. "Hi Summer. What do you need help with?" he asked "I need my clothes!" she said "Well," he said, "I don't think we've ever met before, so I'm not exactly sure what your clothes look like. How tall are you?" he asked "what does that have to do with anything?" "just go with it." "I'm five foot seven" she said "Alright then, I can take off my shirt and you can wear it while you find your clothes." he said, "that work?" "Good Idea, thank you so much, whoever you are," she said "I'm Aidan," he said as he lifted his shirt up over his head. She cracked the door open and he handed her his t shirt. She threw his shirt on- //mm it smells nice, she thought//, //why can't my brothers' shirts smell like this. Connor and Kevin's shirts smell like they've been sitting in the dump for days.// She got herself together and swung the door open to find herself completely lovestruck. //Oh. My. God,// she thought, //this day is looking up//. "Perfect fit" he said giving her the cutest grin she had ever seen. She almost melted. They both just stood there awkwardly facing each other for a moment. He was struck by how beautiful this girl looked without even trying.He had not expected her to look like this at all. "Even though you wear that shirt better than I do, lets go find your clothes," he said She smiled "You know, I was thinking about just stealing your shirt and just making a run for it, but I guess that works too. If you hadn't come along I would have wrapped myself up in toilet paper like a mummy and gone out to find them. Thank god you showed up" He chuckled, "Do you remember where you left them?" "Next to my stall. Some girls came in and took them," she said frowning "That sucks," he said, "alright where do you want to start?" She thought back to where her "friends" usually hung out. "By the outdoor dining area, " she said. "lets go." They walked together to the dining area. Summer tugging his shirt down near he knees to avoid any wardrobe malfunctions. "so tell me about yourself." "hm where to start... Well, My name is Summer," she said, pausing to do a silly curtsy. He laughed. "I live near Crescent beach, I am going to be a junior at Hightsville Highschool, I play soccer, I sing in the shower, and my favorite movie is Ferris Bueller's Day off." "Mine too!" he exclaimed, "Bueller, Bueller, Bueller" They both snickered. He liked Summer more with every passing second. "What about you?" she asked "Well, my name is Aidan," he said. He mimicked her curtsy hoping to make her laugh again, and he did. He loved the way she scrunched her nose when she laughed. "I live in Wilmington, I am going to be a junior at Wilmington High, I play hockey, my favorite candies are jelly beans, and I'd like to hang out with you sometime where you don't have to steal my shirt." he said confidently. "let me think about that one.....gosh, I guess that would be ok with me," she said smiling broadly. He turned to face her, "awesome." She could not believe how her luck had completely changed over the course of one day. They reached the dining area and she looked around, soon enough she found, Sophie, Gwen, Madeline, and Faith all gathered at a table watching her. "Found them." she said, "but I don't really want to go over there," she said. "Do you want me to go and get your stuff?" "No." she said, "I'll go, I just don't really want to" "I could come with you if you want" "that would be nice." She walked over with Aidan in tow. They stared at him like a slab of meat, practically drooling. "Hey girls," she said, "can I have my clothes back?" "uh, no," they said laughing. Summer had known it wouldn't be this easy. "What do you want from me?" she asked. Aidan noticed her straight posture beginning to slump a little. He reached over and grabbed hold of her hand. She squeezed his hand gratefully and straightened up again. The girls noticed. "look," she said, "I don't know what I ever did to make you hate me so much. I've kept all your secrets, I've been there when you've needed me, I've never done anything to hurt you.... I'm sorry, but I'm not just gonna stand here and let you walk all over me. So either you give me my clothes, or I just leave like this, because I could honestly care less." they threw her clothes at her, "there" "thanks," she said and turned on her heel to walk away. Once they were almost out of earshot Summer could hear the girls start talking to each other and started talking about Aidan, "Who does she think she is, talking to us like that? and Who //is// he?" they asked each other, "ohmigod, he's //soooo// hot.... dammit! Why do they always like //her//. What does she have that we don't have?" Aidan laughed- he'd been listening too. "A soul," he said. "this is why most of my friends are guys," she said, "they don't pull shit like this." "yeah, we just duke it out," he said, caught the look in her eyes and quickly corrected himself, "I mean, talk it out."

She was dancing as she turned around and stopped abruptly when she saw him standing there with an amused grin on his face. "Nice moves." "thanks, I try. I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in. How long have you been here?" she asked smiling gingerly. "like an hour," he said She gasped and began moving fast, "oh my gosh, it's been that long? I'm so sorry, I must have lost track of time in there, it happens sometimes." she looked up at the clock and her look of concern changed into one of realization as she recognized she'd been fooled. "I guess you don't grow out of gullibility," he said smirking. "Hey!" she said punching him lightly in the arm, "that wasn't funny!- Okay, maybe it was a little. I promise you the service here is usually better, but Tim called in sick today so I've been all by myself. What can I get you?" "uh, what's good?" "Well my favorite is the strawberry shortcake, but "choco-dots" and "Not so plain Vanilla bean" seem to be pretty popular too. Everything's good." "I think I'm gonna take a dozen of these over to dinner at my dad's house. Just give me eleven of whatever's good and that lady bug one over there...and one 'paint the town red velvet for now. '" he said. "By the way, the place looks great!" "Yeah," she said looking around admiringly, "It's exactly the way I've always pictured it." She pulled out a rectangular red box with "Cupcakery" written in funky letters down the middle and began placing the cupcakes in the little holders there were for each so they wouldn't touch. " "It was definitely a good call quitting the firm in New York to start up this little place right next to home," she said, "I had a designer come in and help me decorate everything, she was great," she said, "I'm just so happy here. Every day I wake up ready for work- I wouldn't even call what I do work- that makes it seem like less fun than it really is." Aidan shook his head in understanding. He was glad she was so happy. She gently closed the container and tied a ribbon across, "here you go" she said handing him the box. Then she got a white plate and placed the red velvet cupcake on top. Noticing his hands were full, she walked over to the nearest table, placed the cupcake there, and sat down waiting for him. "how much do I owe you?" he asked "they're on the house!" "What? I can't let you do that. At least let me pay for the dozen." "Nope, this is non negotiable." she said lifting her palms up. "But you gotta stay and chat with me. It's been too long. Do you have time before going to your fathers?" "Yes," he said placing a twenty in the tip jar before walking over to the table and sitting down. "I saw that," she said, lifting her brow "You saw nothing." he said bringing his pointer finger to his lips and shushing her. "whatever you say," she said, "So, how's live in San Fran been?" "It's been good, very different from life here though," he said, "I didn't realize how much I had missed this place." "I know the feeling. When I was in New York I just couldn't take it anymore. I mean, I loved it there, but I missed it here so much. Life just moves so fast over there, you know? everyone's always in a rush, and nobody takes the time to get to know each other. But here it's completely different; Everyone around town knows each others life story, neighbors take care of one another..." "I've been thinking of staying. Over the past few weeks I feel like I've just re rooted here. I love my job in San Francisco, and I just recently got a house there, but I don't know...... that's all I've really got waiting for me there. I couldn't imagine living everywhere else but here. I haven't signed a contract with the hospital there yet so all I really have to do is sell the house, pick up my stuff and move here- if I wanted to. Coming so close to losing Hunter and Lindsey made me realize what really matters. I don't want to leave here " "Then don't" she said, shrugging her shoulders, "It's simple." "Yeah, I think I'll talk to my old man about it tonight. He's been wanting me to move back and take over the practice. He's ready to retire soon. Anyways, how have you been?" "I've been good. Got dumped last month on my one year anniversary, it was great.... Whatever, he's a scumbag. Even my mother didn't like him- and she likes everybody. Nobody liked him when we were going out, it just took him breaking up with me by text message for me to realize, I didn't like him either." "Your mother loved me, I remember" he said grinning and brushing off his shoulders. "She sure did," she said chuckling a little bit. "Hey. when do you close this place?" "like 7:30. Why?" "do you have plans after this?" "no" " Why don't you come with me to my Dad's. he was talking about you the other day, actually. He was telling me about your shop and how much he missed having you around the house..." "yeah, sure! Do you mind dropping me by my house first, so I can look a little more presentable than this," she said motioning towards herself, "I live pretty close to here, so get in a nice little walk every day" "Yeah, of course, " he said"I think you look just stunning, the flour in your hair really adds that extra something- something," he joked. But he secretly meant it. She'd look beautiful no matter what she was wearing. "hey," she said, "If you didn't have that baby so close I'd bring my entire sack of flour and pour it on you. Watch your back" she said playfully. "Ok, so it's almost seven thirty, I'm gonna go around to the back and finish cleaning up, Wait here. " she said. The entire time Aidan had almost forgotten Henry was even there. He was unusually quiet. He looked down into the cars seat. henry was watching him intently. He could just tell this kid was going to be a troublemaker when he grew up. Henry smiled and kicked his feet up. Summer came out, this time not wearing an apron, and had managed to get most of the flour off of herself. She kneeled down next to Henry and tapped his nose. "hey there little guy" Henry reached his hands out to her and squeezed them open and shut. "He wants you to carry him," said Aidan. "Can I" "Of course" Aidan unbuckled Henry and Summer effortlessly scooped him up. She looked like she'd done this many times before. He sat and watched as she held him in her arms and made faces at him. When he began to pull her hair she yelped and Aidan helped her out. She looked so motherly and happily, it made him happy. When Henry began to cry she shook him and hummed quietly until he quieted down and just stared at her dreamily. I //know how you feel Henhen//, he thought. He had not seen anyone do that before. When Henry got going with the crying, he really got going and there was no one who could stop him. "Wow," he said "What?" "Nobody's ever done that before. You're like the baby whisperer." She put him back in the car seat, she tickled his stomach and said, "Someday, I'll have a bay just like you!" Was she trying to make him fall in love with her all over again? Because it was working like a charm. "Should we get going?" she asked, breaking his trance "Yeah, let's go," he said

'Summer!" Mr. Hayes exclaimed as she entered the house with Aidan. "I've always said you two made the perfect couple!" "Dad...." Aidan said. he turned to summer, "Sorry...." His dad was notorious for sticking his foot in his mouth. "It's okay," Summer said to Aidan giggling, "Hi Drew," she said as she embraced Aidan's father for a big hug. "How have you been?" "I've been good. The little one is tiring me out. I'm getting old."

"Uncle Aidaaaaaaannnnn!" Anna came running out of the living room with paint smeared all over her hands and she was headed straight towards Aidan. "Who's my favorite niece?" He asked. "Me!" she said matter- of - a -factly hugging him around the waist. "who's that lady next to you," she asked in a whisper loud enough for Summer to hear. "That's my friend Summer," "She's pretty." "I know" "You should marry her" He laughed, "We'll see" "I call dibs on flowergirl," "You can call dibs on anything you want, sweet pea," he said. Summer watched on. She had always been a sucker for men who were good with kids. She caught herself thinking that one day he would speak to //their// kids like that. //Their// kids? Where had that come from? Anna let go of his legs, " I made something for you, wanna come see it?" "you bet I do!"

Aidan followed her into the kitchen. Summer and Drew followed not too far behind. She giggled as she saw two little hand prints on Aidan's butt. "I won't tell if you won't," said Drew. "deal. lets see how long it takes for him to notice"

It was saturday afternoon and Aidan sat in the study finishing up the monthly report of the Purple Heart Clinic that was due to the medical association next week. "Aidan," he heard Summer breathing hard upstairs, "I think it's time." "Are you sure?" he asked now sweating. "who-who-he-he," she was doing her Lamaze breathing, "YES, I'm sure," she said panting "Will you come help me down the stairs, who-who-he-he" "Yes of course Honey," he said. //This is it//, he thought, //It's happening fast.//
 * Aidan Hayes: Three Years later**

He took the stairs two at a time, breezed by her and ran to the room to get the suitcase they had prepared for this moment a while ago. Then he ran back and helped her down the stairs with her arm around his neck.

"Honey, I don't think I can drive," I feel like I'm going to faint. I feel dizzy," he said "No!" she exclaimed, "you're not allowed to faint. If anyone gets to faint here it's me. I'm the one having this baby! Go get some water and call Hunter or your sister, call SOMEONE" "okokok," he said digging out his cell phone to dial Hunter's cell phone as he grabbed a cup of water from the fridge.

"Hey man, sorry to bother you, but could you come pick us up? Summer's gone into labor and I'm freaking out." "Of course man, I'll be there in like two minutes." Hunter and Lindsey conveniently lived only two houses away. "thanks, " he hung up.

"Hunter's on his way." "Kay," she said with a look of discomfort on her face, "Gosh, this is more painful than I thought it would be." "Just hold on Honey,"

Aidan walked her over to the couch near the door and sat next to her, trying to distract her with stories. Nothing seemed to be helping. The contractions were getting closer and closer.

Hunter entered the house with Lindsey in tow. Aidan quickly handed Lindsey the suitcase and jackets and Hunter stepped to the other side of Summer and together with Aidan helped her to the car which was already running, like a getaway vehicle.

Hunter and Linsdey stayed in the waiting room with Summer and Aidan's families anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest member of the Hayes clan. A few hours later, Aidan came out in his scrubs, "It's a boy," he said, barely able to contain himself. The whole waiting room cheered and congratulated. He stood there smiling. He finally had everything he'd ever wanted.