As much as Alec hated hospitals, the false cheerfulness of the psychiatric ward at St. Marie's almost proved too much. Too many bright colors, too many smiling nurses, and the smell of chemical sterility made him nauseous. Despite the engulfing dread, he kept an equally cheerful façade. For Ellie, for Daisy and Tom… for his own sanity. He could let the vomit creeping up his throat eject itself once he was home, alone. And Daisy, his own daughter who suffered with her own demons from the events that brought them here, remained surprisingly stoic as she pushed Ellie in her wheelchair down the maze of hallways. She's burying this… like father like daughter… Alec thought, shaking her devastated expression from the A&E Family Room from his mind.

"She's going to survive. I want you to know that straight away. You did the right thing, forcing her to expel the medication from her stomach, and we have her sedated while we attempt to detox her body of the medication. She will be monitored closely, and there will be someone from our staff with her at all times." The doctor sighed. "I have spoken with her psychologist, and Dr. Song has recommended Mrs. Hardy's immediate admission to St. Marie's Psychiatric Hospital for further treatment following her time here."

The edges of Alec's vision darkened. "How long will she be there?" he implored, choking on his words.

"We don't know. They always start with thirty days, and go from there. This may be a long recovery." Alec nodded, burying his face in his hands. The doctor moved to sit next to Alec, and placed a well-worn hand upon his shoulder. "I have some leaflets to give you, about your wife's treatment going forward here and at St. Marie's. How to explain what's happening to your children, to other family members, and how you can help Mrs. Hardy recover. Dr. Song recommends family therapy and has asked me to pass along the names of some child psychologists she works with frequently. In the meantime, we'd like for you or a member of your family to be present as often as possible while Mrs. Hardy is here. Once your wife wakes up, and I'll have to be honest with you there are no guarantees how long it'll be, we will start the process of continued treatment."

Alec mumbled his assent, and stood, thanking the doctor and taking the pamphlets offered, his face a mask of indifference. But deep inside, he was screaming, thrashing about, falling to pieces. The doctor walked with Alec in silence back to the private room where everyone was waiting. Alec entered, and the faces of all but the children immediately looked his direction in anticipation for the worst. He took the chair closest to the door and placed it in the center of the room, sitting on the edge. Daisy reached for his hand. As he closed his fingers around hers, Alec took a deep breath and attempted a small smile.

"Ellie's going to make it."

Everyone let out a deep breath in relief.

Alec's voice cracked, "But…" He considered Daisy's eyes, "They're sending her to St. Marie's Hospital."

Daisy's face fell, all hope gone from her eyes. St. Marie's Psychiatric Hospital was a long-term care center for severe trauma and mental illness. When Daisy had first started attending regular therapy sessions with Dr. Song, it was suggested that she may consider admitting herself voluntarily, but Daisy wouldn't budge, confident that she could overcome it without such extreme measures. "The only problem really being the nightmares," Daisy recalled telling Dr. Song. The recovery from her own ordeal had inspired Daisy to transfer her studies to helping others the way Dr. Song had helped her. But being a detective was in her blood, so Daisy decided the best path would be as a Forensic Psychologist. Which meant, as a second-year university student, interning at St. Marie's in her free time. Daisy had seen the kind of people admitted there. She'd sat in group therapy sessions and studied the behavior patterns of abuse victims, sociopaths, those who self-harm and so many more. The building vibrated with indescribable aching. Daisy knew that even though it was a place to heal, it was also a place where people let go of their personal hell, or wallowed in it. There would be no way to know how long Ellie would stay, if she ever came out at all. There was no optimism to be had in this situation.

Doctor Song met them at the entrance to the minimum-security ward, where suicides, addicts, and non-violent patients sought help. Her medium-length curly hair was swept up in a bun, and she donned her long white coat. "Good morning all," she greeted pleasantly, "I'm going to walk you through into the ward and then we'll do a short tour before I take you to Mrs. Hardy's room." She knelt before Ellie and placed her hand on Ellie's arm. "Are you ready, dear?"

"No" came Ellie's reply, hoarse from crying in anger over the last several days.

It was a knife digging into Alec's heart. She's never going to forgive me for this, he thought.

The tour was short, just a quick overview of where the public areas were located within the ward, meal and medicine times, and the rules. It was so much more than Ellie could force herself to remember.

When they finally came to her room, Alec and Tom unloaded Ellie's suitcases from their arms, and began silently moving her belongings into the bureau and placing photos of the family on shelves in the room. Ellie extricated herself from the chair and moved to the window, refusing to look at her son, stepdaughter or husband. They will never understand, Ellie thought, watching the wind blow fall leaves from the trees. They can't.

A hand gently interrupted her thoughts. "Mum?" Ellie turned into Tom's heartbroken face, eyes full of tears and questions. "I'll miss you," he choked.

"I'll miss you too." Ellie took his face in her hands. "I love you, son."

Tom hugged her tightly, nodding to Daisy to come over to them. She dashed over to Tom and his mother, wrapping her arms around them, weeks-buried sobs escaping her lips. "I love you Ellie, come home soon… please," Daisy cried into Ellie's shoulder.

Ellie kissed her forehead. "I will darling."

Tom wrapped am arm around Daisy's shoulder and led her from the room, leaving only Alec behind. He sat down on the bed, still holding a photograph in his hands. Ellie settled in next to him, leaning over to see the picture. Two smiling faces looked up at them, each holding a newborn infant in their arms. "How could you think we would be better without you?" Alec whispered, his eyes closing and brows furrowing. "We need you, Ellie. You're the only thing that holds all of us together."

Ellie worried her hands in her lap. "No," she said flatly, "you are. I'm the one tearing us apart."

Alec replaced the photo to its place on the stand next to Ellie's hospital bed and knelt in front of his wife. He covered her hands with his own, and looked right down into her soul. "You're not tearing us apart, and I hope someday you realize it. You're so precious to me. I know you can't see it right now, but you are the best thing that's ever happened in my life. So, no matter what it takes, I'll be right here for you every step of the way. Just don't give up on us, alright?"

A hint of a smile reached the corners of Ellie's lips. "Alright. I'll fight… for us."

"Fight for yourself," Alec replied, "the rest of us aren't going anywhere."