The basis of the plan were detailed. Quinn Raydor made it very clear to hospital staff her intended plans, but it was also very clear the amount of pain she was going to endure. A feeding tube was inserted to ensure she would receive the nutrients she needed since she wasn't able to put much pressure on her mouth with the chewing of food. Full instructions were provided to Sharon and Jackson, detailing the best way to care for their daughter and what signs to look for so that they know if they need to take her back to the hospital.

Quinn wears a loose fitting raglan shirt, with fleece riding pants. Comfort was a necessity in this situation.

"Now remember, they said to take it easy. No picking the kids up." Jackson pushes a wheelchair containing his daughter through the halls of Sharon's condo building.

Sharon sighs, "I wish she didn't have to be so medicated." She runs a hand through the young woman's hair.

"I'm fine. Can we just pretend I'm fine?" She glances up to the woman, "Rusty and Sam took care of the kids last night?"

"They did." Jack grins, "Everything was taken care of."

"As long as they're okay." She smirks a little, pouting her lips slightly in thought, "I just need them, ya know."

"Of course, baby." He nods, watching as she places her hand up when they get out front of Sharon's condo, "What's wrong?" He asks quickly.

"I want to walk in. The wheelchair will scare them."

"Honey, I don't want you to fall." Sharon shakes her head slowly, "I don't think the chair will scare them. It will enable them to be able to sit on your lap."

"So will me walking in and sitting on the sofa." Quinn nods, "Please..." She whispers, pleading. The appearance of being weak is the last thing she wanted her children to see, "I'll hold onto the wall."

Sharon swallows, taking a moment before nodding. She knows where her daughter is coming from. She knows how important it is to always appear positive and strong in front of one's children, regardless of how young they may be.

"I'm going into my bedroom. I'm reading a book. If either of you begin to argue and can not possibly think of a way to work it out, think harder." A younger Sharon Raydor lifts her glass of wine from the kitchen counter, slowly making her way toward her bedroom. The same bedroom she once shared with her husband.

Their relatively large townhouse was perfect for them, but with them growing older and their father's constant comings and goings, they could tell it was taking a toll on their mother.

Quinn stands there, nearly seventeen, "Did that just happen?" She watches as her mother slams the door behind herself.

"If you'd have shut up, you wouldn't have made mom cry." Sam mumbles, himself fourteen. He folds his arms.

"If I'd have shut up? Because why? Because I'm a woman?"

"You're a woman?" He raises his eyebrows.

Quinn growls, "We need to stop this. You're being an asshole about everything. Fucking immature little-" She stops herself.

"Go ahead and finish. I'm all ears." Sam smirks, putting his hands behind his ears as if to funnel the sound into them.

"Yeah, you are, Dumbo." She shakes her head.

"Your diary sucked this week. That Mike guy...totally gay."

"You read my diary?" Quinn's eyes begin to blaze before she instinctively backhands him across the face, then almost instantly regrets it, "Sam-"

"I'm telling Mom." He glares to her, "You're going to be in so much trouble. Fuck Prom, probably won't even go to that now." The younger of the two begins to walk toward his mother's bedroom.

"Leave her alone, she said she wants to relax." She sts following him.

"Nope." He breaks out into a run.

Quinn is on his heels the entire time. She quickly removes her shoe, throwing it at his feet and causing him to trip. When the boy falls flat on his face, stopping him, she smirks, finally able to catch up with him, "I told you to-" She pauses hearing the unmistakable sound of crying.

"You are such a bitch, I can't believe you-"

The young woman motions for him to be quiet, then to her mother's bedroom door for him to listen.

"Is she?" Sam whispers, instantly worried.

Quinn nods slowly, then makes eye contact with her brother, "We need to stop."

He swallows, nodding in return, "Sorry that I'm an asshole."

"And I'm sorry I'm a bitch."

Sam sits on the floor using the large crayons he ran out and bought at the nearest open convenience store for Christmas morning, coloring with his niece on pieced together wrapping paper from a roll his mother had tucked away in the closet. "Harper, you've got an eye, kid."

"Told you she wasn't too bad." Rusty smirks, eating cereal at the breakfast bar with Finn on his lap. The boy had been attached to the younger man since almost day one. Children always brought out the best in Rusty. There were no questions about it. He offers the toddler a few pieces of dried cereal on the countertop, which he promptly eats. Hearing what he knows to be the sound of keys in the door, he gets the boy situated on the backed stool, keeping an eye on him as he moved to look to the door.

"Just lean on me if you need to." Jack murmurs into his daughter's ear as she loops her arm onto his elbow, "You're doing great."

The young woman nods absently, slightly unsteady on her feet. Not necessarily from her injuries, but from the pain medication provided to her.

Rusty stands straighter, swallowing. He had no idea just how bad it was. He had a general knowledge that it would be hard to see her, but under no remote possibility did he expect this. He offers her a smile, "Merry Christmas."

Quinn raises her head, giving him her best smile, which isn't much. Her gaze slowly moves to her brother, who she notices has tears in his eyes, "No, no, no. Come on. It's Christmas." She nods slowly, "We're going to be happy. We're going to open presents." She smirks, "Come on, Sammy." She nods, glancing down when she notices her daughter standing in front of her. "Hey." Quinn reaches a hand down to Harper.

"How about you sit down?" Jack motions to the sofa, leading her over toward it.

Rusty makes eye contact with the woman who has developed into his mother and can instantly see the uncertainty in her eyes. He looks over, letting Finn down from the backed stool before walking over to the woman. He places a hand on her arm, gently guiding her into his bedroom, locking the door behind himself. He folds his arms, watching as she takes a seat on his bed. "Alright, you're alone now."

"Rusty-" Sharon shakes her head, almost warning him.

"Come on." He walks about his room, "You've held it together. Strong and powerful Sharon Raydor...This is me though. I know how you are." When she sits there silently, he continues, "You don't need to put up a front for me. I know you will with Quinn, I understand that. However, she looks like shit. What did she have done yesterday?"

"Open reduction, rigid internal fixation on her jaw...rhinoplasty..." Her shoulders slump slightly, as she begins to relax, "She has...there are broken ribs and...She isn't able to move much without assistance because of pain. The feeding tube is..." She shakes her head. Her emotions beginning to betray her, "I thought she was dead when I arrived to her apartment. There was so much blood." Swallowing, her chin trembling ever so slightly. She removes her glasses, folding the arms and holding them in her hand, "She killed him."

Rusty tilts his head to the side, "The...James Truitt, the kids' father?"

Sharon nods slowly, "She's an amazing shot. She wasn't trying to kill him."

"She's taking it well."

"She doesn't know."

He chuckles to himself, "What do you mean, she doesn't know?" He asks incredulously, "Isn't that kind of important?"

"Not today. I'll tell her tomorrow." Sharon nods, "Today is Christmas and...it's a first for her as a mother and myself as a grandmother." A tear escapes her eye as she stares out in front of her to nothing in particular, "All of the photographs from her children's first holiday will include a face covered in bruises and gauze and...and eyes so heavily lidded because of pain medication that they appear to be constantly exhausted." Her hand gently grazes her cheek as another tear falls, "She has a feeding tube in her belly because she can't put pressure on her jaw to chew for a few weeks...and the sucking motion because of where the fracture was..." Sharon finally lets it go, allowing her tears to fall more.

Rusty nods slowly, knowing this is what the woman needs, "You haven't left her side, Sharon. You've protected her."

"No, I didn't. I promised her I would and I failed again." She becomes more rigid, when the young man sits next to her, "I can only think of what could have happened because I didn't put my foot down about her staying in this building."

"Did you tell her you bought it for her?"

Sharon shakes her head, "It was going to be a Christmas gift. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms. It would be perfect. Now, she's going to think it is only because I feel sorry for her."

Rusty shakes his head, pulling for the woman to lean on him, "Don't think so much. Don't assume she'll think into it that far."

"I know my daughter. I know exactly how-"

"So what?" He smirks, shrugging, "When she finds out that she killed James, she isn't going to want to stick around her apartment. She won't want the kids there. Maybe let her know you got her something and you'll tell her about it tomorrow. Let her customize it or something. Let her think you don't just feel sorry for her."

"I did the kids' rooms the way she likes...gender neutral with their names on the wall. The cribs convert to toddler beds and then full size beds when they're prepared for it." Sharon smiles softly, "I just want her happy." She wipes her cheek again.

"You're her mom. You're an awesome mom." Rusty nods, "Don't worry about impressing her. She has more pressing matters to attend to. As long as you're there for her, she's happy."

She nods, "Thank you for this." She swallows, waving her hands at her eyes in an attempt to make them appear to not have been crying. She places her glasses back onto her face, "I feel like I need a shower."

"Then take one. The little guys were eating breakfast. Also, I think Harper may have actually found someone she isn't a total bitch to."

Sharon smirks, "Such as?"

"Sam. Can you even believe that? He wouldn't even help me give them a bath yesterday and they've been coloring all morning...even ate breakfast together." Rusty grins, laughing to himself at the same time.

"And Finn?"

"Well, he has taste." He smirks, standing, "I'm going to go out there, maybe see if Jack wants to shower or whatever too. Is Quinn able to?"

Sharon nods, "Let her know I'll be out to ask her when I'm finished. I know it's important to her."

"Yes, Captain." Rusty nods, walking to the door and slipping out to the living room. He watches as the matriarch retires to her own room to ready herself.

Sam holds his sister in his lap, his arms wrapped around her gently, she appears so small. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Call me the Bionic Woman." Quinn smiles to him, watching his facial movements, "Ya know, these drugs are fantastic. I'm not even sure if I have skin."

He snorts, "You do."

"Heard you played uncle."

"I did." Sam smirks, "I'm Harper's new favorite."

"What did you give her?" Quinn slurs slightly, blinking slowly.

"What makes you think I gave her anything?"

"She works it. Plays the bitch card until she gets something out of it."

Sam smirks, "Crayons. We needed them for around here."

"Right, like when you want to use your Batman coloring book." Quinn nods slowly, blinking slowly again, "Sammy, I'm really tired."

"I can tell. How about I take you to Mom's room and you take a nap before we open presents?"

"Where is she?"

He motions to the hallway, "Taking a shower. Then, I think Dad is taking one. Mom said something about helping you get washed up a little bit."

"I'd like that." Quinn smiles softly.

"Exactly, so what about a little nap. We'll open gifts at dinnertime...ish. Something like that." Sam smirks, "It will still be Christmas day. Don't worry about it. I'll make sure after dinner that you're awake. I'm sure Mom will be doing your hair and girly things."

"I'm just glad I'm home, Sammy. I hate hospitals. The smell."

"I know." He nods, "Okay, do you want to hold a pillow for your ribs?"

"Kay." Quinn answers softly, already starting to fall asleep against her younger, yet larger built brother. She holds onto a pillow from the sofa when he hands it to her.

"Dad, help me get her to Mom's bed for a nap?" Sam picks his head up, standing with his sister in his arms.

Jack smirks, "Yeah, no problem, son." He walks to his wife's room, pulling down the bed linens and helping him in little ways before walking to the bathroom. Jack opens the door, closing it behind him, "Shar." He moves to the toilet, picking up the seat.

"You could knock, you know." Sharon rolls her eyes, standing completely nude behind the frosted glass, yet able to see his figure, "What are you doing?"

"I have to take a piss." He nods, doing just that, "Quinn's in your bed. She's tired. Maybe let her rest before dinner or whatever the hell you want to do with her."

"It is Christmas. We will open gifts with the kids when she's ready. I'll make the mixture the hospital gave instruction on for her feeding tube. Maybe hold off on the pain meds or give a little less while she's still awake." This was comfortable for her in some way. Tilting her head back, Sharon lets the near scalding water splash her face.

"You know, we could kill two birds with one stone. Conserve water." Jack smirks.

"How about we don't." She rolls her eyes.

He raises his eyebrows, "That isn't how you acted at the hospital."

"You are her father. I can not handle the infants and tend to her care alone, and I will not ask Rusty for help. He must concentrate on his studies. You, however, are not working. You could care for her while I am at the office." Sharon nods, "Until she is able to care for herself for the most part."

"Shar, you know I'm not good with little ones." Jack sighs, zippering his pants when he finishes, he turns the sink on, washing his hands. "Never was. Plus, the boy really dislikes me. I try and he still screams when I try to touch him."

"I could take advantage of the onsite daycare center while working. Then, you will only need to deal with Quinn." She sighs, quite aware of just how much care he aided her with when their children were growing up, or lack thereof.

"Why are we having this conversation while you're in the shower?" He folds his arms, smirking, "Still have that figure, I see."

"Please wait outside while I finish, Jackson."

"Oh, come on. It was a compliment!"

"Wait outside, Jackson." Sharon tries again.

Jack rolls his eyes, doing as he's told.

Sharon grins widely, surprised he even listened to her. Taking advantage of the on-site daycare facility may be the best bet for her. Slowly ease herself back into work while tending to two small children alone again. This was twenty six years ago all over again.