Part 12A Rated: PG-13? (a little, um, morbid?) ************** Kyle slid out of bed, retrieving his clothes as quickly and quietly as possible. Grabbing his keys from the dresser, he opened the door slowly, trying to keep from waking Courtney. "Kyle?" Courtney sat up in bed, fumbling for the light switch. He sat by her bedside, stilling her hands as he whispered. "It’s ok. Just go back to sleep." Courtney squinted against the darkness, a yawn escaping her lips as she attempted to speak. "What time is it? Where are you going?" She reached her hands to touch his face, hoping to calm the anxiousness building in the pit of her stomach. Kyle felt his stomach clench as he said nothing. Technically, he wasn’t lying, for his father hadn’t said anything over the phone. But it didn’t take a genius to figure out that it involved Chris, Carrie, and the boys. He cupped Courtney’s jaw, kissing her forehead. "I know it’s late, but there’s been an accident. It’s just a safety precaution that I go down there." Courtney’s blue eyes adjusted in the dark. She stared at Kyle, noting the way his eyes shifted nervously, even in the darkness. "Kyle....." "Court.....I don’t know anymore than you do, right now. All I know is that my presence has been requested." Courtney shook her head. "Something’s happened, hasn’t it?.....Otherwise you wouldn’t be so....so formal with me." She threw her legs off the side of the bed, trying to stand up. Kyle pulled her back down. "What do you think you’re doing?" Her hair flew in her face, as Kyle propelled her to him. "This has something to do with Carrie and the boys, doesn’t it?" Her words was more a statement than it was a question. Kyle gathered her body close to his. "I don’t know what to tell you, Court. I promise you that I’m telling you the truth when I say that all they told me was to head down to 285 South." Courtney broke down against Kyle as she heard the words 285 South cross his lips. Kyle felt his own tears sting his eyes as he held her in his arms. He couldn’t find the words to say that would console either of them. ************* Kyle pulled up to the roadside. There was police tape everywhere, flares littering the ground as various cop cars, an ambulance and a fire truck were parked haphazardly at the accident sight. The hairs on his neck stood up as he remembered a similar looking scene about five years ago, outside of the Crashdown. The only difference then was that no one was seriously injured. He hoped that that was the case here. He stepped underneath the police tape, when a voice halted his movements. "Sir, you can’t be here. This is- Deputy Hanson’s voice stilled when Kyle looked up at him. "Kyle." "Where’s my dad?" Hanson pointed to the Sheriff’s cruiser. "He’s over there with deputy Blackwood." He tipped his hat at Kyle as he walked towards them. Jim was on the radio with someone as Kyle approached. He waved Kyle to him, holding his finger up asking him to give him a minute. Kyle nodded, his eyes turning towards his left where the truck had crashed against a mile marker. His eyes looked further down, his body trembling when he saw Chris and Carrie’s SUV flipped onto it’s side. He felt the contents of his stomach churning, making him ready to gag. Jim placed his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. "You alright, son?" Kyle shook his head, running to the other side of the cruiser. The sound of him chucking his dinner made everyone cringe. With rubbery legs, Kyle gripped the cruiser’s bumper as his other hand clutched his stomach. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, his skin feeling clammy. Jim’s heart broke at the sight of his son, and didn’t relish the idea of breaking the bad news to him. Trying to slow down the inevitable, he helped Kyle sit down. "Where’s Courtney?" "I walked her to mom’s." His blue eyes were a mixture of different emotions. "She knows that something’s going on.....that it has to do with Carrie." Jim nodded solemnly. "Good. It’s good that you didn’t leave her alone." Kyle pinned his father with a look. "Just be straight with me, dad. Is everyone ok?" The grim look on Jim’s face told him everything he needed to know, that something had gone terribly wrong. "What happened?" Jim slid to the ground beside Kyle. "We’re not really sure, but something must have happened with the boys, because Chris and Carrie weren’t wearing their seatbelts. Chris missed hitting the truck, but the SUV tipped with his hard turn." Kyle let his head fall in his hands. "Is he ok?" Jim shook his head even though he knew that Kyle couldn’t see him. "The ambulance took him to the ER, but....." he choked on his words as he continued. "Chris was pronounced DOA just a few minutes ago." "No!" Kyle wailed. He didn’t have the strength to get up and break something to release his anger and frustration. He wiped at his eyes. "What about Carrie? And the boys?" "Carrie was airlifted to the University Hospital. The boys were strapped in their car seats, so I guess they’re lucky that they came out of it with some cuts and scrapes." "How bad is she?" "Well, they’re all doing the best they can- Kyle stood up, his anger at the situation boiling over. "Just cut the crap, dad. How bad is she?" Jim pushed himself up. "It doesn’t look good." Part 12B **************** Night turned into day, and even in the light, things didn’t look a hell of a lot better. Kyle paced the waiting room floor, biting his fingernails as he tried to keep himself from going insane. He had just gotten off of the phone with Amy, and they had agreed that she would drive Courtney to the hospital to await the verdict on what was going on with Carrie. His dad took on the task of calling Courtney’s parents, informing them of the situation. Kyle dropped against a seat, his head buried in his hands as he wept. This was his fault. He should have convinced Chris and Carrie to spend the night, instead of letting them drive home. Because of his inability to change their minds, Dexter and Damian had lost their father, and in the process, faced the reality of losing their mother as well. **************** Max walked out of the kitchen, holding the phone against his ear as he tried to keep the rising of his voice to a minimum. “Look, I understand that you and mom are worried, but this isn’t really your decision to make. Liz and I have made the decision together, and we think that regardless of the bad blood between McKenzie and I, it isn’t something that I should let stand in the way of Noah from knowing his grandmother.....” He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes closing as he listened to his father yell at him. He let out a heavy breath as he sank onto the couch. “Dad, it makes him happy. I think that it’s good for him, and if you don’t agree with that, then it really doesn’t matter. Noah’s my son, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job raising him with Liz. We’ve made our decision, and it’s final.” Liz stood just by the clearing of the kitchen, so that Max was in her line of vision. It upset her to see how much this was troubling Max, but she knew in her heart that the two of them were making the right decision. “Momma?” Liz turned around to face Noah as he ate his cereal dutifully. “Yes, sweetie?” “Can I play with Dexter and Damian today?” He wiped his mouth with sleeve, smiling as he remembered something. “Oh, and Jade too.” Liz walked to the table, pulling out a chair so that she was facing Noah. “I’m afraid not sweetie. Dexter and Damian went back home, and we’ve got a busy day, today.” Max strode into the kitchen, hanging up the phone as he dropped a kiss on Liz’s head. “How’d it go?” Liz rubbed Max’s arm, her eyes glued to him. Max shrugged, taking a seat as he gulped down his coffee. “Well, my dad’s not speaking to me.” “Oh Max.” Liz threw her arms around him, trying to offer him some comfort in her arms. He let out a shaky breath, pulling away from Liz. “He’ll get over it.......eventually.” He turned his eyes to Noah, tipping his coffee cup as he pointed to him. “Meanwhile, you, young man should finish your breakfast so we can head out to the airport and say goodbye to Mac already.” Noah’s eyes lit up at the mention of the airport. “Ohhh, do we get to see planes?” Max shook his head, laughing. “Yes. You’ll get to see planes.” **************** Courtney ran into the living room, with Amy hot on her heels. She skidded as she saw Kyle weeping in one of the chairs. “Kyle.” She ran to him, falling on her knees as she hugged him to her. Kyle hugged her tight, his own tears falling harder as he felt Courtney tremble in his arms. “I’m so sorry......this was all my fault.” Courtney looked at him, her hands cupping his face as she saw the look of guilt on his face. “How is any of this your fault?” “COURTNEY!” The sound of Courtney’s mother’s voice echoed in the room, causing all heads to turn her way. Without being able to let out another word to Kyle, she was pulled up into her parents embrace as they cried. “What’s going on? How is she?” Courtney pulled away from her parents, slowly shaking her head as she too continued to cry. “I don’t....I don’t know....” Jim walked up to the family, placing a hand on Courtney’s shoulder. “She’s still in the operating room.” Courtney’s mother smiled her gratitude, but her eyes were void of emotion. She gathered the remaining family she did have, clinging to them for dear life. Amy sat beside Kyle, locking him in an embrace as she offered him a shoulder to cry on. She gently stroked his hair, his back, whispering words of assurance, but she knew that even as she spoke them, they were falling on deaf ears as Kyle’s grief overtook him. Just as if he were a little boy, Amy cuddled him to her, trying to take away a little bit of his hurt. She may not have given birth to him, but Kyle would always be her son. She kissed the side of his head, allowing his hot tears to soak the shoulder of her shirt. **************** McKenzie watched as Ed paced the worn carpet of the airport. “Ed, would you sit down?” Ed stopped mid pace, giving McKenzie an incredulous look. “You want me to sit down? McKenzie, you invited that- His voice wavered as McKenzie gave him a pointed stare. “I mean, you invited Max and his family to see you off. You don’t think that it’s gonna make me a little bit antsy?” McKenzie just stared at him, thinking about how they had come to this point. After they had the blow out about Noah, she had told him not to give her an ultimatum, instead, offering him one. He hadn’t said anything after that, just leaving the hotel room to walk around. He had come back in the wee hours of morning, telling her that he didn’t agree with her actions. That however many years had passed, he would still feel the same way about Max and his son. But regardless of the animosity he had for them, he wouldn’t let it stand in the way of his marriage. McKenzie was the only person he had left, and he didn’t want to risk losing her. He agreed to let McKenzie have a relationship with her grandson as long as she didn’t push him to have one with him. He promised to stop being so hateful, but that didn’t necessarily mean that he wanted to be a part of Noah’s life. If that’s what McKenzie wanted, then that was fine. Just as long as she left him out of it. McKenzie sat up, grabbing Ed’s hand. “Fine. Why don’t you go walk around or something? They’re not going to be here that long anyway.” Ed breathed a sigh of relief, practically sprinting towards the gift shop, anything to get away from a possible encounter with Max and his son. ************ Dr. Cassadine walked out of the double doors, working out the kinks in his neck as he looked around for Carrie’s family. Seeing them huddled in the waiting room, he took a deep breath, walking towards them. “Mr. and Mrs. Banks?” The family looked up with their tear stained faces. “Do you have some news on Carrie?” The Dr. nodded, clasping his hands together as he opened his mouth to speak. “Carrie........ Part 12C ****************** “Carrie has made it through the surgery.” Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, glad that Carrie was still alive. Dr. Cassadine decided to be as honest as possible, not wanting the family to have high hopes when the situation looked to be very discouraging. “While she’s still alive, I’m not going to lie, and say that everything will be ok. The truth is, it’s going to be touch and go for the rest of the day.” Mrs. Banks stood up, brushing her golden locks out of her eyes. “I want to see my daughter.” The Dr. nodded. “You can go in one by one and see her, but she specifically requested to see Kyle first.” All eyes turned to Kyle as he looked up from his seat. “Me?” The doctor just shrugged. “That’s all she said.” He rubbed his palms together, motioning for Kyle to follow him. “If you’ll just follow me this way.” Kyle had the same confused expression on his face as everyone else did, wondering why in the world, Carrie would ask for him. The doctor led him to her room, patting his shoulder as he left. Kyle felt his tears well up again as he saw Carrie attached to so many different tubes and machines. He leaned his forehead against the clear glass, breathing heavily as he tried to calm down. He had to at least appear calm when he entered the room. The last thing Carrie needed was more emotional baggage coming from him. With shaky steps, he entered her room smelling of alcohol and an eerie cleanliness. He pulled up a chair, bringing it to sit beside her bed. He reached to take her hand in his, being carefull not to tangle his hands in her IV. Carrie’s bruised eyes, fluttered open slowly, her happed lips forcing a smile as she recognized Kyle. “Kyle, “ she croaked out through her parched throat. Kyle offered her a weak smile, rubbing her hand gently. “Hey, Carrie.” She squeezed his hand back, attempting to speak again. “Thank you, for coming.” Kyle only nodded, sensing that she had a lot more to say. Her bloodshot eyes, blurred with tears, as her voice quivered. “They told me about Chris.....” She whimpered lightly, her tears falling onto the crisp, white linen of her pillow case. “Tell me that the boys are ok?” Kyle swallowed past the lump in his throat as he forced air out of his lungs. “They’re fine. Only a few scratches.” Carrie nodded, smiling despite the tears falling through the slits of her eyes. “Kyle,” she began a coughing fit, her weak torso lifting off of the bed as her dry throat itched. Kyle rubbed her back as gently as he could, helping her through it. When she calmed down, her face was flushed, her eyes glimmering with a new set of tears. She opened her mouth, trying to speak again, but Kyle shook his head. “Don’t talk.” Carrie shook her head, persisting. She squeezed Kyle’s hand, her eyes staring into his soul. “I don’t think I’m going to make it, Kyle.” Kyle’s hot tears spilled onto his cheeks, reaching all the way down onto her sheets. He gripped her hand tightly, shaking his head as he disagreed with her. “Don’t even say that, Carrie. You have two little boys waiting for you, your parents......Courtney. Don‘t give up.” Carrie turned her eyes down, her voice lowering as she continued to speak. “I’m not giving up. I want more than anything, to see my boys grow up, but.....it’s getting harder to fight against the pain.” Kyle shook his head, his voice taking a hiatus as he watched Carrie spill the contents of her soul to him. “I know that you probably don’t want to hear this, but if something were to happen to me, I want you and Courtney to take my boys.” Blue eyes met blue eyes, both of them pleading with each other. One begging the other to understand, to agree to take on a huge responsibility. The other, pleading with the other not to ask the obvious question. “Please, Carrie.....don’t....” Kyle’s voice caught in his throat, his teeth chattering as his jaw trembled. Carrie forged ahead. “I know that you and Courtney will love them, and take care of them like they were your own.......please don’t deny me this, Kyle.” Kyle’s resistance crumbled. He let out a sad chuckle. “But we’re not even married yet.” Carrie’s eyes lit up. “Marry her right now, then.” To say that Kyle’s face was shocked, was understatement to say the least. “What?!?” Carrie smiled. “I know they have ministers here at the hospital......marry my sister while I’m still breathing.” Kyle was baffled. His jaw flapped as he tried to figure out what to say. “But, but- She batted her long eyelashes at him, much like Courtney did when she wanted Kyle to relent. “Please?” Kyle nodded slowly, wondering what he had gotten himself into. *************** Maria leaned her elbows on the breakfast counter, watching as Jade played with her toys, while listening to the tv. Michael came up behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “How you doin’?” Maria turned her head, looking into Michael’s troubled eyes. “I’d like to be able to say that I’m fine, but.....this whole thing just sucks, you know? Probably the least deserving people of tragedy in this world, and they’re hit with it full force.” Her breath was unsteady as she leaned back against Michael. “I just can’t believe that Chris is gone.” Michael squeezed Maria in his arms, his lips touching her temple. “It just goes to show how you should never take life for granted.” Maria nodded. “You’re right about that.” Michael let out a deep breath as he pulled away. “Which is why......” He got down on one knee, producing a small velvet box from his pocket. “I was planning on doing this at a later date, but after everything that’s happened.....” His brown eyes teared up, as his voice quaked with his nervousness. “I don’t think I can wait anymore, blondie.” He snapped the black box open, taking Maria’s hand in his. “Maria Alejandra Deluca, will you marry me?” For once in her life, Maria was speechless. She threw herself in Michael’s arms, letting out an excited giggle as she peppered his face with noisy kisses. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.” Michael gave her a little smirk. “You still haven’t answered my question.” Maria punched him in the arm, crushing him to her. “Of course I will.” She buried her face in his neck. “Like there was any doubt.” ************* Max and Liz sat a few rows away from McKenzie and Noah, trying to give them a little privacy as they said their goodbyes. Noah kissed McKenzie’s cheek with a loud smack. “I’m gonna miss you, Mac. Will you come and visit me again?” McKenzie hugged Noah, her fingers curling through his hair. “Of course I will. I promise to come and see you again, real soon.” Max sat up when his phone started ringing. “Hello?.......Oh my God.....When?......This is terrible.....I can’t believe this happened.......” He nodded. “We’ll be there as soon as we can, Iz......Thanks for calling.” Liz looked at Max, a mix of different emotions running through her face as he told her about Chris and Carrie. Ed looked at his watch, thinking that it had been plenty of time to have given McKenzie and Noah enough time to say goodbye. Max had probably taken Noah home already, he calculated in his head. He strode into the sitting area, taking a seat beside McKenzie. “BOO!” Noah leapt out from behind the seats, scaring the life out of Ed. He clutched a hand to his chest, as his harsh breathing filtered through his lungs. Noah looked guilty as he looked at Ed. “I sorry, mister. I didn’t mean ta scare ya.” He held out his hand, smiling. “My name is Noah. Who are you?” Part 12D **************** Courtney touched Kyle’s face, her eyes boring into his. “What’s this about, Kyle? What did Carrie say to you?” Kyle shook his head, trying to assuage Courtney’s fears. “It wasn’t anything bad.....” He gave her a tight smile, gently caressing her cheek. “I promise.” Courtney only nodded, leaning against him as she hugged him. “Come on, I wanna go inside and see her.” Kyle pulled her back to him. “Court, wait.” “Yeah?” Kyle swallowed past the lump in his throat, his eyes shifting nervously. “There’s something......I.....there’s something that I wanted to tell you.” Courtney smiled, her hand cupping his jaw. “What is it? You know you can tell me anything.” He let out a heavy sigh as he linked there hands together. “When I was talking to Carrie.....she wanted.....well, she kind of asked me a few favors.” “Oh?” Kyle looked up to the ceiling, then down into Courtney’s eyes. “There’s......I don’t really know how to say this.” She leaned forward, planting a warm kiss on the side of his jaw. “Just say it.” “She asked me......if anything were to happen to her, she wanted us to take the boys.....” His blue eyes misted up again. “I couldn’t say no.....” Courtney hugged him. “Oh Kyle.....thank you, for saying yes.” Kyle was a little shocked. “You mean you’re not angry with me? For saying yes without talking to you first?” “Never. You told her what she needed to hear, and I know that you meant that from the bottom of your heart.” She kissed his neck, rubbing her hands down his back. “I love you.” Kyle gulped, squeezing Courtney tightly. He let her go, his fingers brushing her hair away from her face. “There was one more thing.” Courtney smiled her encouragement. Kyle took her left hand, his thumb brushing the diamond ring. He brought it to his lips for a kiss, taking a deep breath that he desperately needed. “I know that you and I haven’t talked much about when we were going to have the wedding, but.....marry me today?” Courtney let out a little laugh, thinking that Kyle was joking. When he didn’t share her laughter, she stopped laughing. “You’re serious?” Kyle nodded. “I already talked to a minister here at the hospital and he said that he would do it.” Courtney shook her head, a little shocked. “But we don’t even have a marriage license.” “I know.....here’s the thing. Carrie was, well, she said she wanted to be present for the wedding. She said that we should go ahead and do it, because she says that she’s afraid that she might not be here tomorrow.” Courtney’s tears fell anew. “She’s not going to die. She’s gonna make it through this.” Kyle cupped her face. “I know, that’s what I told her. I told her to fight, but she’s convinced that we should do this. And because I think she may just be scared right now, I couldn’t find it in me to say no. And since we have no marriage license, the minister said that the wedding wouldn’t be legal.” Courtney’s blue eyes clouded with confusion. “I don’t get it. If the marriage isn’t going to be legal, then what’s the point of having it at all, today?” “The ceremony would be for Carrie’s benefit. When she’s out of the hospital and better, we’re going to have the biggest, whitest wedding that Roswell New Mexico has ever seen.” He kissed her lips lightly. “Getting married in front of everyone is just a formality, because in my heart, we’re already married.” Courtney’s tears continued to fall as she pulled Kyle towards her for a kiss. “You are the most wonderful man in the whole world.” She smiled at him, squeezing his cheeks together. “Let’s get married.” *************** “My name is Noah. Who are you?” He tipped his head to the side as he held his hand out for Ed to shake. Ed felt the world around him go in slow motion. Standing in front of him was his daughter’s offspring. It was uncanny how much he saw Tess in Noah. He was surprised that he couldn’t bring himself to move or say anything, except clutch his chest. Noah frowned, but then smiled again. “Is okay. I don’t bite.” He grinned to show all of his teeth as he cracked a joke. When Ed continued to sit there and stare at him, Noah just stood back, completely thrown for a loop. He looked at his feet, then looked up at Ed again when a thought occurred to him. “Is it cos I’m a stranger? Momma and daddy sayed that I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” he paused as he gave Ed a visual study. He turned his head to look at McKenzie, who had her own jaw hanging down on the floor. “Is he your friend, Mac?” McKenzie just nodded, unable to think of anything else. Noah smiled a board smile. “Then ‘troduce us so we won’t have to be strangers no more.” McKenzie swallowed with difficulty. “Noah, this is Ed.” She turned to Ed, giving him a warning look not to say or do anything to hurt Noah, or else there would definitely be hell to pay. “Ed, this is Noah.” Noah held out his hand again in offering. “’Snice ta meet you mister Ed.” Even Ed couldn’t help but smile at Noah’s sweet innocence. He exuded a friendliness and accepting persona, that he couldn’t help but be drawn to him even though he had said and thought so many terrible things about the little boy standing in front of him. Slowly, he held out his hand for Noah to shake, his grin widening when Noah sat beside him, making himself comfortable. “You got any stories, mister Ed? Cos I love stories.” He perched his elbow on his knee as he looked into Ed’s eyes with a friendly curiosity. **************** Max stood up, hugging Liz as he kissed the top of her head. “We should get Noah and head back- ......What the-?” He pulled away, his body burning with anger as he caught sight of Ed sitting beside Noah. He stepped forward, intending to give Ed a piece of his mind, if not a taste of his fist, when Liz pulled at his hand. “What do you think you’re doing?” He pointed towards Ed, the cords in his neck, straining as he spoke with barely restrained anger. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m gonna give Ed Harding something I should have given him a long time ago.” Liz grabbed him, pinning him to her body. “If giving him something, requires a knuckle sandwich and some verbal abuse, you better forget about it.” Max gave her an unbelievable look. “What?!?” Liz placed her hands on his chest. “It isn’t worth it, Max. Besides, Noah seems to be ok.” Max snorted. “Yeah, for the meantime.” Liz shook her head. “I really don’t want to argue with you, Max. But our friends need us back home.” She threw a look in Ed’s direction. “He isn’t worth all of the grief, Max.” She turned to face him, placing a tender kiss on his lips. The moment her lips and hands went to work on him, his tense body relaxed a little. She looked at him with her doe eyes, pleading. “Please, Max? For me?” Max relented, but it was obvious that he was unhappy. He grabbed Liz’s hand, walking towards the Hardings. “Noah, it’s time to go.” Noah looked at his father, pouting. “Already?” “Say goodbye, little man.” Max’s voice was stern, leaving no room for argument. Noah let out a breath, jumping from his seat. He walked to McKenzie, kissing her cheek one last time. “Bye Mac. See you again soon.” McKenzie gripped him tight. “You can bet on that.” Max cleared his throat, holding his hand out for Noah. He tipped his head in McKenzie’s direction. “McKenzie.” McKenzie smiled, speaking with her eyes, what her voice couldn’t at the moment. “Thank you, Max...Liz.” Max nodded, refusing to acknowledge Ed. He gathered his family close, turning to walk away. Before they got too far away, Noah’s hand slipped from his, returning to McKenzie and Ed. He threw himself in Ed’s arms. “G’bye mister Ed.” Ed felt tears sting his eyes, his hands coming up to hug Noah tightly. He was beyond amazed at how quickly Noah had warmed up to him, welcoming him with open arms. How could he have thought such hateful things about this little boy? Noah gave his cheek a quick peck before running back to his parents. Ed just stared after them, feeling a part of his heart breaking as he watched them walk away. “You ok?” McKenzie rubbed his arm. “No.” *************** After the impromptu ceremony in Carrie’s room, they had left her in peace, giving her the much needed rest that she required. The nurses only allowed the minister, Kyle, Courtney and their parents in the room, saying that it was already crowded beyond belief. A knock at the door, made Carrie sit up, her eyes lighting up when she saw who it was. “You have some visitors.” The nurse brought in Dexter and Damian, helping them scramble onto the bed with Carrie. “Oh, boys.” She hugged them to her, kissing the top of their heads as she held them tightly. The nurse smiled, walking out of the room to give them some privacy. “Mommie.” Dexter leaned against Carrie, laying his head on her shoulder. Damian followed suit, sucking his thumb. “I can’t believe you guys are really here.” They snuggled against her, wanting to be as close to her as possible. “I want you guys to know, that I love you so much......so did your daddy......” She cried as she continued. “If I join your daddy.......Courtney and Kyle will love you just as much.” Her tired eyes drifted shut, the deep even breathing of the boys, lulling her to sleep. A smile crossed her lips as an image of Chris appeared before her, beckoning her to him. She looked down at herself, seeing that she was no longer in the hospital. In each hand, she held the boys’ hands. She smiled, looking at Chris. He smiled back, waving to her, not saying anything. She kissed Dexter and Damian on their heads before letting go of their hands. She walked towards Chris, finally breaking out into a run as she threw herself into his strong arms. He kissed her lips, carrying her to an unearthly light, both of them taking one last look at their boys as they played together in the lush green grass. Chris’ voice echoed in the atmosphere as he whispered in her ear. “Welcome home.” The smile on Carrie’s lips was still there even as she flatlined, the beeping of the machine dying down into one stream of monotonous sound.