A/N: Thank you for your reviews. :)


It was still raining when Kristina pulled the car into the hospital parking lot. She zipped her jacket close before she stepped out into the rain, her umbrella quickly shielding her from nature's elements. She hurried to the other side of the car and Haddie ducked under the umbrella. The two of them made a run for the main entrance.

"Hey Haddie, text your dad for me, will you? Let him know we're here." Kristina asked, shaking off her wet umbrella. "I'm just going to have a talk with the nurses."

Haddie nodded, pulling out her cell phone.

Kristina walked up to the front desk. "Hello, hi, um, my name is Kristina Braverman. I need to see my niece, Amber Holt. Can you tell me where I can find her?"

"Amber Holt," the nurse behind the desk repeated, quickly typing the name into the computer. "Yes, here she is. Um, why don't you take a seat and I'll page her doctor for you?"

"Thank you." Kristina said appreciatively as she turned back to her daughter.

Haddie pocketed her phone and walked towards her mom. "Dad said they're five minutes away," she informed her. "What did the nurse say? How's Amber?"

"She's paging her doctor now." Kristina replied, sitting down in the waiting area.

Haddie did the same. "She didn't tell you how she was?"

"Nope."

"I hope she's okay…"

Kristina nodded, pulling her daughter close. "Me too, sweetie."

They sat in silence until a young man dressed in a white lab coat approached. He wore square black glasses that slid down his nose too far. His auburn hair was close-cut and his features would be considered handsome. "Mrs. Braverman?"

Kristina and Haddie both stood, stepping towards the man who towered over them. "I'm Kristina Braverman," she began. "I'm here about my niece, Amber Holt."

"Yes, I know. My name is Elton Beaumont, I'm Amber's doctor," he said with a slight smile. "Amber is going to be just fine. She's a little shaken up, but she'll live."

"Oh thank God!" Kristina cried in relief.

Haddie grinned. "Can we see her?"

"Yes, in a moment." His tone changed slightly. "First, are Amber's parents here?"

"Her mom is literally minutes away." Kristina assured. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Dr. Beaumont hesitated. "Amber has a minor injury. We will need a guardian to sign the permission forms before we can do the surgery to fix the problem."

"Surgery?" Sarah's rushed voice appeared out of nowhere. "Surgery? What happened? What's wrong?"

"Sarah!" Kristina exclaimed, pulling her sister-in-law for a hug. "It's okay, Amber's fine, she's going to be alright."

"If she's fine why does she need a surgery?" Sarah turned to the doctor, on the brink of tears. "I'm Sarah Braverman, Amber Holt is my daughter. What—"

"Sorry! I had to park the car!" Adam shouted as he ran over to the group, breathless.

Sarah didn't take her eyes of the man in the white coat. "What's wrong with Amber?"

The doctor waited until everyone settled down before he started talking again. "I'm doctor Beaumont, I've taken Amber's case. I just want to assure you that she's fine. She has lots of cuts and bruises, but she's doing great."

"You mentioned surgery…" Sarah said, confused. "How is that fine?"

"Surgery?" Adam repeated, eyes wide.

Doctor Beaumont held up his hands, trying to calm them. "Amber has a depressed cranial fracture that—"

"In English, please." Sarah begged, unable to warp her head around his technical babble.

"Okay, in laymen's terms, um, a part of Amber's skull has been pushed back into her head, putting some pressure on the brain," he said, using his hands to gesture the position of the bone. "The surgery is simple. We use a device, that you could think it as a crochet hook, to pull the bone back into place. There's minimal risk involved."

Sarah's face dropped and her hand flew to her mouth. "Head surgery? You're messing with her skull? Doesn't that imply risk?"

Kristina pulled Haddie close as Adam wrapped a comforting arm around his sister.

"Ma'am, I know it sounds extreme, but it's a fairly simple procedure." He hesitated. "Of course, as with every surgery, there is going to be risks involved."

"What sort of risks?" Adam asked.

Doctor Beaumont smiled kindly. "Anesthesia is always a risk of its own. There is also a slight possibility of damaging the skull more than it already has been. But what we're most concerned about is a possible infection, which would be bad. But like I said, the risks are minimal and the chances of any of that happening are slim."

"But they still could happen." Sarah wanted to know.

"Yes, they still could happen."

There was a pause.

"Can we see her?" Haddie asked, breaking the silence.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, of course. Follow me."

They did. Silence lingered as the family followed the man up the elevator and down a long, white hallway. He pushed open a door and gestured for them to enter.

"She's sleeping right now. We gave her some medication that will have her out for a while," he spoke in a soft voice. "But she should wake up soon."

Sarah was the first to enter the room. She gasped slightly when she saw her daughter's appearance.

"It looks worse than it truly is," Dr. Beaumont promised.

That didn't seem possible. Sarah's eyes filtered across her daughter's skin, covered in bruises, cuts and bandages. One in particular drew her attention. The taped, bloody gauze above Amber's right eye. She held her breath, trying to hold it together.

The rest of them didn't say anything. They didn't need to.

"Here," the doctor said as he handed over a clipboard of papers. "Here's the release forms for the surgery. You and your husband can read over it and let me know if you have any questions."

"Um, we're not married," Adam felt the need to clarify, gesturing to her sister. "She's my sister."

"Oh, I'm sorry, my mistake."

Sarah sniffled, glancing over the paperwork. "When do you need an answer by? I mean, is there a rush or something to get this surgery done?"

"No rush," he reassured. "But the sooner the better." With a slight smile he exited the room.

Sarah handed the papers to her brother. "Here, can you read this? I know it's going to blow over my head."

"Yeah, sure." He accepted them, quickly scanning the first page.

Sarah picked up her daughter's limp hand, a sad smile crossing her face. "Hey beautiful," she greeted teary-eyed. "Mommy's here…"

Haddie moved to the other side of the bed and picked up Amber's other hand, caressing it in hers.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Sarah cried, stroking a piece of hair from her daughter's face. "Kristina?"

"Yeah?" Kristina moved to Sarah's side.

"Did they tell you what happened?"

Kristina realized she hadn't even asked. "No, they didn't tell me… I'm going to go find the doctor again, okay?"

Sarah nodded. "Thanks."

"Do you need anything? Something to eat? Coffee?"

"Coffee would be awesome, thank you."

Sarah glanced at her daughter. "Haddie, can you help me…?"

"Sure." Haddie released her cousin's hand and followed her mom out of the room.


That's all for now, folks. More is coming, I promise. In the meantime, please review.