Even if Zi wished that she had stayed with Rose, she couldn't regret leaving with her brother. Too much time had been lost. But, because of her closeness with Rose, she spent the next couple days in mourning.

Rick could only watch, as his sister would sit on the window seat in silence. She couldn't eat; sleep was restless, but came all too often. It was on the third day that the loud doorbell rang. Zi couldn't move, she just stared out the window into the rain. It was Jonathan that had answered the door. The family had taken shifts in watching over Zi, praying that she would eat something.

"Miss Tzipporah O'Connell, I presume," a gentleman's voice broke the silence of Zi's meditation. She slowly turned her head towards the man who was followed by Rick. She had been staring out the window for so long that Rick had never noticed the dark circles under her eyes or her tear stained cheeks. Apparently she had cried when no one was around. But Zi was finally out of tears; she nodded to the gentleman and sat up.

"Miss O'Connell, my name is Eric Jeffries, I am Rose Ashworth's lawyer. I assume you have been expecting me." Zi's throat was too dry to speak; she nodded and motioned towards a chair for him to sit in. "I have heard a lot about you. I had never heard Ms. Ashworth talk about someone in such esteem. I only wish we could have met under different circumstances."

"Mr. Jeffries, could I offer you something to drink or to eat?" Evelyn chimed in.

"That would be nice, thank you. Water please." Evelyn smiled and walked away. When she returned she carried two glasses, one for Zi and one for Mr. Jeffries. Zi sipped her water and cleared her throat. "I suppose we should get right down to business."

"Mr. Jeffries, when was the last time you saw Rose?" Zi asked, finding her voice.

"When she wrote the letter to you. A week before she passed away."

"I didn't mean to interrupt you, please, continue." Eric Jeffries started reading the Will. Zi paid attention, but soon her gaze returned to the window. While she was eternally grateful for all that Rose was leaving her, she couldn't stand to hear it.

30 minutes had passed, and no one said a word. Zi acknowledged Eric Jeffries, rested her head on the cool glass of the window, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

"I apologize, Mr. Jeffries, on behalf of my sister." Rick broke the silence. "She hasn't been sleeping much lately, I'm sure she's just exhausted from it all."

"I understand, Mr. O'Connell. Anytime Rose would speak of her, it was about her passion for her friends and family. Rose believed that no one felt as deep as her, and I believe it too." He looked at Zi, who was resting peacefully on the window seat. "It must be both a blessing and a curse."

Rick covered Zi with a blanket, and then led the group out of the room into the entrance hallway.

"I'm sure that my sister has some questions, but I'm not sure when she will wake up. Do you have accommodations for the night?"

"I am staying at the Rose & Crown."

"Well, then, I hope that you will join us for dinner." Eric Jeffries thanked Rick and accepted his invitation.

"I'm sure the fact that Rose left everything to your sister comes as no surprise." Eric Jeffries said during dinner.

"Maybe a little. I guess I didn't realize how close they had gotten in the two years that Zi worked with Rose."

"Rose is an old family friend, she has had many companions, but they never seemed to work out. Miss O'Connell was the first one who actually felt like family to her. She had one child, a daughter; she died when she was 8. Not that Rose was trying to replace her, but she felt that if her daughter had lived, she would have turned out like Miss O'Connell."

The rest of the dinner was filled with small talk. As the meal progressed the rain went from a gentle trickle to a downpour.

"Well, Mr. Jeffries," Rick wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I don't think that you will be returning to the Rose & Crown tonight. Perhaps we can send for your stuff in the morning."

"I don't trust leaving my belongings in a hotel, especially when I'm not staying for an extended period of time. I carry everything I need in a small bag." Rick recalled seeing Eric Jeffries arrive carrying a briefcase and a small doctors bag, which he placed on the floor in the entrance hall.

"Then it's settled. You will stay in the guest room." Evelyn stood up and walked over to the bag on the floor.

"I thank you, but it is not necessary. I'm sure I could make it to the Rose & Crown. I do not want to put you out."

"Nonsense," Evelyn replied from the hall. "The rain is pouring too hard, the roads will be slick. Not many cabs will come all this way, especially when we are offering you a place to stay." Eric Jeffries didn't argue. He was glad that the family had greeted him with such warmth. He was tired and really didn't want to wait to be picked up, then to check in.

"Evelyn will show you where you will be sleeping. I think I'll carry Zi to her bed tonight. It looks as though there could be a storm." With that, Rick walked across the hallway and into the living room where Zi was sleeping. He tiptoed toward her, wrapped her right arm around his shoulder, put one of his arms behind her knees and the other behind her back. Zi's head rolled without the window to support it. The movement stirred her from her rest.

"Where am I going?" Zi mumbled.

"Shhh, little sis. All is well, go back to sleep." He then hummed the lullaby he would sing to her when they lived in the orphanage. Zi relaxed and rested her head on her brother's chest. Rick, careful not to make and jerky movements, carried Zi up to her room and laid her in bed. After tucking her in, he kissed her forehead.

"I love you, big brother," Zi said sleepily.

"I love you, too," Rick kissed her forehead again and walked out of the room. He was so happy to finally see Zi sleep.