CHAPTER 10

Lucas had just opened the passenger side door, after having pulled into Dara's driveway, as Mrs. Adams opened the front door. Gathering her in his arms, Lucas made his way inside and headed to her bedroom as Mrs. Adams hurried to pull the covers back as he laid Dara on her bed. Glancing at him suspiciously as he began taking her shoes off and unfastening her clothing, Mrs. Adams offered;

"I can put her gown on her, Lucas. There isn't any need for you to do this."

Sighing wearily, Lucas explained;

"It's alright, Mrs. A; I promise. We're getting married shortly anyway, I'll see a lot more than this, I'm sure."

Watching as the matronly lady turned red, Lucas pleaded;

"Besides, all that I want to do is to make her comfortable; she's in no condition for ravishment."

Realizing the sincerity of his answer, she helped him to undress and slip a gown on Dara. After he had made certain that she was tucked in and warm enough, as well as making sure the bathroom light was left on, just in case she woke up; he and Mrs. Adams walked into the living room as he stated accusingly;

"I suppose that Crower called you; let me guess, you two don't trust me, is that it?"

Shaking her head, Mrs. Adams face brooked no tolerance as she chastised;

"Don't be snide with me, Lucas Buck; now is definitely not the time for it. Yes, Matt did call, but he called to let me know that Gwenna had passed away and that he thought, for Dara's sake, that having the medical equipment removed would be a good idea so he made arrangements to that end. I take it Dara took it very badly."

Running his hand through his hair in agitation, Lucas nodded;

"She did; she was already despondent, but those idiot orderlies rolling her mother's body in front of her eyes didn't help very much either."

Shaking his head as a look of frustrated pain came to his features, Lucas explained;

"She was having a hard enough time as it was. The look in her eyes; it was like she just couldn't believe what had happened and her mind just wasn't able to wrap itself around any of it."

Remembering the relationship that she had witnessed between Dara and Gwenna as well as having grown very fond of both mother and daughter, Mrs. Adams found herself wiping tears from her eyes as she offered;

"Well, Lucas, you know that Dara and Gwenna had a very close relationship; more than just that of a mother and daughter, they were also friends. For Dara, that's been a lifelong relationship that she has always been able to count on and now; the one person that she always thought she would be able to go to, no matter what, is no long here for her. Add to that the fact that she watched her mother's suffering and decline from cancer; it's no wonder the poor girl collapsed."

Taking in the information Lucas had to admit that he envied Dara the relationship that she had enjoyed with her mother. He had never really known his own mother; having left when he was a young boy. Oh he had vague memories of her but the only mother that, as far as he was concerned, he had ever really had was Mama Lucy, his grandmother. Even before his father's death and the end of the man's cruelty and abuse, Lucas could remember his grandmother stepping in to soften the severity of his father's rampages as much as possible.

Lucas found himself shaken from his reveries as Mrs. Adams asked in an incredulous tone;

"Did I understand what you said earlier correctly; you and Dara are going to get married?"

Nodding as he offered a wry smile, Lucas shrugged;

"Well, it definitely wasn't how I had planned on asking her; but yes, I asked her before her mother passed and she said yes."

Considering his statement, Mrs. Adams couldn't help but remember Gwenna's certainty in the feelings that this man possessed for her daughter or in her certainty that the two would end up wed. Silently, she now prayed that Dara would be happy and that she was making the right decision. Her mind going to more practical matters, she ventured;

"You realized that, in her current state of mind, she really shouldn't be left alone right now."

Lucas couldn't help but wonder if the woman was reading his mind as he explained;

"She won't be; Ben can take over for a few days since I have no intention of leaving her by herself. However, I know this is an imposition but since you're here I'd like to go grab a few things from my house, if you wouldn't mind."

Nodding, she encouraged;

"By all means; I have to wait for the medical equipment company to come remove the equipment anyway, so I don't mind at all."

Preparing to leave, Lucas informed her;

"I won't be but about half an hour at the most; I really hate to ask you this but could you find me a pillow and some blankets? I'll sleep on the sofa since it's near her bedroom, just in case she should need me. And, if it's not too much of an imposition, I skipped supper, would you mind rustling me up something to eat?"

Unable to keep from bestowing a motherly smile on him, Mrs. Adams came to find that she was enjoying seeing this new side of Lucas Buck's character as she promised;

"I'll be more than happy to do that for you; I'll have something waiting for you when you get back."

Although the gentler side of his character had taken her by surprise, Mrs. Adams found herself even more shocked as he stopped on his way out the door to place a kiss on her cheek as he offered in gratefulness;

"Thank you for caring."

Ellen Adams couldn't help but stare after him as he pulled the door too, shocked by his show of emotion.

Ten minutes later Lucas pulled into his driveway; despite the pall over Gwenna Chambers' death, as he approached the front door of his house, he couldn't help but take a moment to stare at the structure as he realized, for the first time, just how large it now seemed to him. Raising his key, about to unlock the door, he found himself muttering;

"Somehow, I think that a certain young lady is about to change that."

Before he could insert the key in the lock Lucas found his front door opening as his grandmother stood in the portal. Shocked, he demanded;

"Mama Lucy, what are you doing here and at this time of night?"

Offering a loving smile at her only grandson, only being the operative word, Lucilla Buck chastised lightly;

"Well hello to you too, Lucas."

The fact was that she doted on her grandson, having raised him she couldn't help but bestow a look of fondness on him as she advised;

"I thought that I'd come down here so that I could be here when you tie the knot; nothing wrong with that I hope."

In a decided hurry, Lucas rushed through the house, his grandmother following in his wake, as he made his way to his bedroom while offering a quick explanation to be followed by a quicker goodbye;

"Look, Mama, if it will make you happy then I'll go ahead and tell you; I don't need your assistance with Dara, as a matter of fact I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

Lucas found himself gritting his teeth in aggravation as her eyes widened just before the look of triumph crossed her features before issuing his dictate;

"However, right now we, and that means you and I, are not going to discuss this with anyone. Do I make myself clear?"

Curiosity filling the depths of her eyes, Lucilla demanded;

"And just why the secrecy, Lucas;"

Glee replacing the curiosity, she clasped her hands together as she ventured;

"She's not pregnant, is she?"

Trying to keep his temper under control with her assumption, Lucas took a deep, steadying breath as he turned on his grandmother, the frustration flashing in his eyes before grinding out;

"For God's sake, Mama; no she's not pregnant. You know damn good and well that I haven't even touched her like that and that I have no intentions of it until she's my wife."

Raising an eyebrow as she gave him a sharp, knowing look, Lucilla demanded;

"Not even in those little visits that you've taken in her dreams at night; you mean that you haven't even taken the opportunity then?"

Shaking his head vehemently, Lucas swore;

"No, not even then; despite what your plans for her and I are, mine happen to be very different. I happen to love Dara and she will not, I repeat WILL NOT be subjected to what all the other Buck women were subjected to. And, Mama, I'm warning you, if you try to interfere, I promise you, as far as I'm concerned the Buck will definitely stop here."

Noting the thunderous look on her grandson's face and realizing that he meant every word of what he had just said; Lucilla decided that she would most assuredly refrain from interfering in Lucas' marriage. Nodding her acquiescence, she vowed;

"Alright, Lucas, you've made your point; I won't interfere, I swear it. But just tell me why the big secret about it."

Knowing that, if his grandmother gave her word, she would keep it, Lucas explained the earlier events of the evening as well as his intentions;

"Her mother died tonight and she isn't taking it very well; aside from that, I just don't think that the timing is appropriate. When things settle back down and she starts feeling more like herself then we'll discuss everything, alright?"

Satisfied that her grandson was making the right decision, she nodded towards the bag that he was packing;

"What are you packing a bag for?"

Offering her an apologetic look, Lucas explained;

"I hate leaving you here on your own, Mama, but she doesn't need to be left alone right now. She needs someone who loves her to help her through this."

Nodding her understanding, she smiled as she observed;

"And you're that someone; you go on and I'll be just fine, but tell Caleb that I'm here. I wouldn't want to miss seeing him. Besides, she needs you more right now than anybody else."

Zipping his bag before throwing it over his shoulder, Lucas made his way to the door to bend down and place a kiss on his grandmother's cheek as he promised;

"I'll call you in the morning and I'll tell Caleb that you're here. As soon as she's up to it you can meet your future granddaughter in law."

Lucilla stood at the top of the staircase, watching as he walked out the door before shaking her head;

"I still that girl is going to shake this family by the roots, but maybe that's what we need."

Mrs. Adams had just finished signing the forms acknowledging that the hospital equipment the deliverymen were picking up had all been accounted for when Lucas walked up on the front porch. Seeing his most immediate concern reflected in his eyes, she sought to ease his mind;

"She's still asleep; I looked in on her to make certain that they didn't wake her with the noise."

Nodding his acceptance of her statement, Lucas strode purposefully towards Dara's bedroom; taking time to drop his bag by the sofa on his way. Although he had no doubts in Mrs. Adams' sincerity as she had assured him that Dara was resting, he needed to assure himself for his own peace of mind. Opening the door quietly, he could see that she was still sleeping as he approached the bed to study her more closely as he knelt down to smooth her tousled hair away form her face. Gently, he took the hand that she had resting on the pillow next to her head as he offered quietly;

"It's alright, sweetheart, you rest; you have more than enough to face over the next few days."

With that, he leaned over to gently place a kiss on her lips before making certain that she was warm enough before closing the door softly behind him.

Mrs. Adams had just closed the front door when she heard Lucas enter the living room, turning she apologized;

"Lucas, I'm afraid that there isn't very much in the kitchen."

Glancing to the bedroom door, she explained;

"Dara was due to go grocery shopping just before Gwenna went into the hospital, but with everything, the poor thing, she simply wasn't able to get to it. I scrambled you some eggs and fried some bacon; there's also some toast, coffee and a couple of pancakes; I hope that will be alright?"

Nodding as he offered the woman a smile;

"That sounds great, Mrs. Adams, that will just hit the spot, thank you."

Following her into the kitchen, he took a seat at the end of the center island as he began attacking the food that she had placed in front of him before taking a seat at the opposite end with her own cup of coffee. Noticing a stack of correspondence in the middle of the counter, Lucas motioned to the pile as he demanded, between bites of pancake;

"What are those?"

Sighing in agitation for the girl's situation, Mrs. Adams explained;

"I'm afraid that they're an assortment of bills; mostly medical, the utilities and a few other things."

Shaking her head she glanced up at him sadly as she observed;

"Dara usually keeps everything in such good order, she's very organized, but with all of the time that she's missed from her counseling as well as the hospital bills and so forth I'm not sure how she's ever going to find herself on level ground again."

Puzzled, Lucas asked;

"But didn't Gwenna have any health or life insurance?"

Sadly, Mrs. Adams nodded as she explained the situation;

"She had health insurance but that won't pay for all of the medical expenses and as far as life insurance goes; take it from me, after the funeral expenses are taken care of, whatever is left, if anything won't be nearly enough to cover everything."

A look of contention crossing her features, she shook her head;

"Besides, I can assure you that, from everything I've heard of him, Seth will be here within the next few days with his hand out for what he considers his share. I'm just not certain as to what the poor girl is going to do. She's usually very strong, as you well know, but to be honest I think that this is all going to overwhelm her."

Lucas couldn't deny the fact that Dara was both strong and strong willed, but he didn't think that Mrs. Adams realized that he had no intentions of allowing anyone or anything to overwhelm her ever again. Giving consideration to another aspect that she had mentioned, Lucas narrowed his gaze in contemplation as he asked;

"Tell me something; what's the deal with this brother of hers' anyway?"

Having already realized that the subject of Seth Chambers was going to be one that Lucas Buck was going to want to discuss candidly, Mrs. Adams explained in stark honesty;

"Bluntly; he is a manipulative bully. You have to understand something; there are four children including Dara and I'm sure that you'll be meeting them soon enough. Mara is the oldest, then there is Kara, Seth and finally, Dara, she's the youngest. When Seth was a baby he was very ill and Gwenna worried and was even told by doctors that she would never raise him. But, the doctors couldn't explain the reason for the illness, anyway, just as suddenly as he became ill he suddenly recovered; again there was no explanation for the recovery either."

Shaking her head as she remembered her friend's confession where her child had been concerned, she continued;

"Seth had always seemed able to wind Gwenna around his finger; Alex, the children's father, tried disciplining the boy but Gwenna became overly protective and wouldn't allow it. It got to a point where if he did anything wrong he would place the blame on one of the girls and, quite often, got away with whatever he did."

Lucas sat patiently, processing the information she had shared so far, as he waited while she refilled their coffee mugs before continuing;

"Anyway, this all became very frustrating for Alex, combined with the issues he was dealing with from his time in Vietnam as well as the toll his alcoholism had begun to take; he began taking his frustrations out on the girls on top of what they had to deal with from Seth. The two older girls were better able to defend themselves from him, but Dara was a much different matter. He resented that she had taken his place as the youngest child; there's a number of years between she and the others. Well, he began mistreating and abusing Dara, very badly; it was so bad that he even managed to break her collarbone when she was about seven. You know how small she is now, just imagine her at seven; the older girls did a lot to try and protect her, but it was decided that, just before her parents finally separated it would be best if she were sent to live with her grandparents for a while to prevent her from being seriously injured by Seth."

Given the information that he had just learned, Lucas' determination that his future brother in law would never cause Dara another moment's concern had doubled in intensity as he demanded;

"And now; where is he now?"

Shaking her head, she theorized;

"As far as where is he physically; I don't know. You see he ran up a number of debts in Gwenna's name, which Dara paid to keep her mother out of debt and trouble. When Gwenna became ill his answer was to place her in a nursing home and Dara wouldn't allow it; that's why she moved them here so that he wouldn't be able to track them and to give Gwenna some peace in the time that she had left."

The anger evident on his face, Lucas questioned;

"Do you think that, after all of that, he'd really show up here?"

Considering his inquiry, she nodded as she affirmed;

"Yes, I do; especially if he thinks that there might be some money involved. I wouldn't be shocked if he tried to force Dara to sell the house; since you two are getting married she may do so just so he'll leave her in peace."

Seething in anger, Lucas shook his head;

"THIS is Dara's house and if she chooses to sell it then it will be because SHE wants to and not because she was forced to, by anyone."

Studying his reaction for a moment, she realized that, although he had a dark side, he would never allow anyone to harm Dara. Watching a he picked up the stack of envelopes she wasn't shocked when he handed them to her before requesting;

"Will you please check on these and any other bills that you can think of? Find out how much it will be to pay them all off and then let me know."

Her skepticism apparent, she pointed out;

"You do realize that Dara isn't going to like that, don't you?"

Meeting her look with a determined one of his own, Lucas stood his ground;

"She is going to be my wife; what's mine is hers and vice versa so all that I'm doing is paying off OUR debts."

Sighing in resignation, she gave in;

"Alright; I'll work on them tomorrow. What about the funeral arrange…."

Lucas didn't give her a chance to finish her inquiry as he knocked the bar stool that he had been sitting on over as he heard a blood curdling scream from Dara's bedroom. Bolting from the kitchen he was in her bedroom in the blink of an eye, followed by Mrs. Adams, to find Dara in the middle of the bed thrashing, still asleep; obviously caught in the throes of a nightmare that wasn't letting her out of its grip.

Rushing to the side of the bed, he gently grabbed her flailing hands as he began trying to either wake her or calm her back to sleep;

"DARA, WAKE UP! DARLIN, COME ON IT'S JUST A DREAM, LET IT GO!"

Seeing that he wasn't having much success, Mrs. Adams asked in panic;

"What can I do?"

Motioning to the living room he ordered;

"Get Crower on the phone."

Seeing that Mrs. Adams had done as asked, Lucas turned his attention to seeing about calming Dara, who had begun to hyperventilate while still unconscious. Unable to stand seeing her in such obvious distress, he made his decision as he gathered her still struggling body in his arms and cradled her to him as he closed his eyes and began drifting towards her in his mind and, finally, he found her in her nightmare.

Seeing the horror that her mind had conjured he could understand why she was so hysterical; she was, once again, in her mother's hospital room, reliving the moment of Gwenna's death. However, this time, instead of passing peaceably, it seemed as if the cancer had engulfed her from the inside out, dissolving her flesh as it slid to the floor to spread and cover everything that it touched. Massing into a hideous slimy creature, it slid its way across the floor towards Dara, who was huddled in a corner, shaking in fear.

As the mass got closer to her the creature extended its claw like hands towards her throat as it accused in a rasping and hideous screech like voice;

"This is your fault, now it's your turn to suffer."

Immersing himself fully into her dream, Lucas crossed the space to place himself between Dara and the creature as he roughly shoved it away from Dara before confronting the phantom of her dream;

"Leave her alone, this isn't her doing; she has no control over what's God's will and you have no right to punish her."

As quickly as the specter appeared it vanished. Pulling her to him, he wasn't surprised when Dara looked up at him;

"You're doing it again, but this time I've glad that you did."

Resting his chin on top of her head, Lucas vowed;

"I'll always come when you need me; rest now it won't be back."

Opening his eyes, he glanced down at Dara and could see that, although she was still sleeping, she had quieted and was once more breathing normally. Rising from the bed with her in his arms, he settled her, once more, in her bed and pulled the comforter over her as he pushed her hair away from her face. Lucas wasn't shocked when she opened her eyes to sleepily mumble;

"Thank you."

before sinking back into slumber for, what he hoped would be, the rest of the night. Placing a kiss on her cheek he offered softly;

"You're more than welcome, love."

Switching the lamp off he pulled the door to and approached Mrs. Adams, who was engaged in a phone conversation with Matt Crower. Motioning for the receiver he wasn't shocked by the worry marking her face as she relinquished it to him to listen to his explanation;

"Hello, yeah, Harvard; no, its okay she just had a nightmare. I don't think so, I'm sorry that I bothered you but I think that she'll sleep the rest of the night. Okay, bye."

With that he pushed the button to end the call as he placed the handset on the charger before turning to Mrs. Adams. Noting the worried look he hastened to assure her;

"It's alright, she's fine now. She just had a really bad nightmare but I think that she'll sleep for the rest of the night."

Glancing to the sofa and the bedding that she had piled on it for him, he ventured;

"Speaking of which, I know that I could use a little myself and I'm sure that you must be tired too."

Realizing that was her cue to leave, she walked to the entryway table and picked up her purse as she advised him;

"Lucas, my number is by the phone, should, either, you or Dara need anything please call me; otherwise, I'll be over tomorrow, goodnight."

After he had locked the front door behind her, Lucas made his way through the house, turning off the lights and making sure the doors and windows were secure. As he approached, what had been, Gwenna's room, he found himself pausing as he pushed the door open and flipped the switch to bring the overhead light fixture to life. Glancing about the room he realized just how empty it seemed without the presence of the hospital bed, even more so without the woman who had occupied it.

Although he had been in the room before, Lucas couldn't help himself from taking in the various photographs that were displayed on the walls, dresser and tables in the room. Picking up a silver frame from the bedside table, he could see that it was, what he assumed, a graduation portrait of Dara. Placing the photo back in its place he found himself drawn to another photo of, what he guessed were, the three sisters. Grant it, Dara was much younger in this photo but it was easy to discern her from the others by the color of her hair and eyes. Noticing a photo on the dresser, he took the frame in his hand and studied the image; realizing that this was a photo of all four children, although Dara was no more than a baby. Even had he not been able to recognize her by the color of her hair and eyes, he knew instantly that the infant in the photo was Dara by the gleam in the child's eyes that he had grown accustomed to seeing in Dara's.

He couldn't help but feel as if, somehow, he were intruding as he wandered among Gwenna's treasured memories of her children; that thought in mind he flipped the light switch before pulling the door to behind him as he glanced at the sofa. He was indeed tired but he realized that he would be no more comfortable there then where he truly wanted to pass the hours until morning. Making his way to Dara's room he softly opened the door as he entered the room quietly.

Making certain that she was still sleeping soundly, he silently pulled the padded rocking chair closer to the bed so that he would be able to, at least, stretch his legs out. Once he was satisfied with his efforts, he readjusted the comforter over Dara and placing a gentle kiss on her lips before he took his place in the chair to keep watch over her till the morning.

Lucas wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping, but he knew, even before opening his eyes, that something was different. Although he was still in the rocking chair with his legs stretched out on the bed, he realized that a blanket had been placed over him. Taking a second to orient himself to his surroundings, he realized that the bed was empty. Glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand he could see that it was about two a.m. Standing to stretch, he went in search of Dara.

Having searched the entire house and having not found Dara, Lucas was beginning to feel fear until he walked by the picture window in the living room that overlooked the river and saw her standing at the end of the pier. Grabbing his own coat from the sofa where he had tossed it earlier, he made his way out the back door near the large window and headed towards the pier.

Dara leaned against the railing of the pier as she studied the water, as if she thought that it might hold a cure to help ease the pain she felt tearing at her heart. Not bothering to turn around when she felt two strong, familiar hands drape the oversized jacket over her small shoulders, already knowing who it was, she simply sighed as she asked softly;

"She's really gone, isn't she?"

Lucas nodded as he wrapped his arms around her before offering;

"I'm truly sorry, sweetheart, but yes, she is gone."

He knew that her thoughts were, more than likely, jumbled in her mind, but Lucas couldn't help but feel a stabbing pain in his heart for the depth of the misery that he knew she was suffering. However, he wasn't prepared for the self recrimination in her voice as she hung her head, as if she were filled with shame before confessing;

"I feel so guilty, Lucas; I watched her suffer for so long that I began praying that the suffering would end for her as soon as possible. Then, when Matt told me that this would be the last time that she would be in the hospital, that her condition had advanced so far, all that I could think about was how badly I wanted her to stay with me; to not leave me alone."

Shaking her head at, what she perceived to be, her guilt, she continued;

"I feel like I'm the biggest hypocrite in the world right now."

Turning her to face him, Lucas hooked his finger under her chin to lift her eyes to meet his as he shook his head adamantly;

"Darlin, you have absolutely nothing that you need to feel guilty about. You did what a lot of people wouldn't do, not even for their parents. Honey, what you felt, it's only natural. Do you remember what we talked about last night; well if you do then you know that you're not alone and as long as I live you never will be; I promise you that."

Searching his eyes, she asked softly;

"Did you really mean what you said last night?"

Placing his hand along her cheek, Lucas smiled sadly as he offered;

"Honey, I know that it wasn't the best way to propose and it definitely wasn't how I wanted to do it; but, yes, I meant it. When all of this is settled and behind us then we'll get married; however you want to."

Tilting her head to the side as she considered his statement, she questioned;

"How did you want to propose?"

Never letting his eyes lose contact with hers, Lucas knelt on one knee before taking her hand in his as he ventured;

"Dara Cherice Chambers, I love you with all of my heart and soul, something that I didn't even think I possessed until I set eyes on you. I want you to be by my side for the rest of my life and to be the mother of my children. I know that I'm not a saint and I'm not going to promise you that I'll change but I promise you this; no matter what, I will always love you and only you and I will always be honest with you. I will do my best to be a better man so that you never regret being my wife. Will you please marry me?"

Searching his eyes for his sincerity, Dara could see the seriousness with which he took his pledge. Biting her bottom lip, she offered a small smile as she cupped his face in her hands before replying;

"Lucas Buck, you are, without a doubt, the most manipulative, arrogant and stubborn man that I have ever had the pleasure to meet. But, I do love you with all of my heart and soul and I can't imagine anyone else being the father of my children; so yes, I'll marry you."

Wrapping his arms around her, Lucas lowered his head and kissed her deeply. When he lifted his head he looked into her eyes as he suggested;

"Tomorrow, if you're up to it, we'll see about settling everything with your mother's arrangements. Afterwards, if you want, we'll see about getting our marriage license; alright?"

Nodding sadly as tears began falling from her eyes, she lamented;

"I just wish that Mama were here to see us get married; she wanted me to be settled so that she would know that I wasn't alone."

Lucas, seeing her obvious pain at the thought of her mother having been unaware of her child's security, decided to ease her mind by sharing his and Gwenna's conversation;

"Darlin, do you remember the night that you and I went to Sally's restaurant?"

At her nod, he continued;

"Well, while I was waiting for you to finish dressing, you mother and I had a long talk. She wanted to know, point blank, if I cared for you; I told her that I didn't think that was the right word for what I feel for you, that love was a better word, although even it doesn't fit just how strong what I feel for you is. Anyway, I told your mother then that I knew you were working through your own feelings and that I wasn't going to push you because I was afraid of losing you if I did."

Seeing the shocked look on her face, he decided to continue; deciding that he might as well make a full confession;

"Dara, I told her then that I planned on making you my wife and that I was going to marry you when you were ready."

Realizing the source of his anger the day of their argument, she ventured;

"That's why you were so angry with me that day, wasn't it? You wanted to be included and you wanted me to share what was going on with you, to include you."

Nodding he explained;

"Yes, darlin; all I knew was that you were hurting, but I wasn't exactly sure why. I had no idea that your mother was terminally ill and I'm afraid I let my jealousy override my good sense that day."

Concerned that he would trigger a flashback of the horror she had witnessed after her mother's death, he asked cautiously;

"Do you remember when you went to sign the papers earlier tonight?"

Considering a moment, she shook her head as she offered apologetically;

"I'm sorry, darling, but no I don't. I remember leaving the room but to be honest with you, everything afterwards is just kind of a blur; why?"

Glad that she didn't remember seeing her mother's body wheeled in front of her eyes, Lucas explained;

"Well I knew that you wanted her to feel like someone was there with her at all times, so I took her hand when you left. Anyway, when I did she opened her eyes and asked me if I had asked you to marry me and if you said yes. She said that you were better than what I deserved but that she knew that we love each other and that I would take care of you. She also said; 'tell Little One not to worry that I'm going to a much better place and that I love her."

Dara stood, staring in shock as she remembered her mother's promise that she would always know if there was something taking place with her children. Shaking her head in astonishment, she stated;

"She knew, even then, she knew. She always said that she could tell when something was going on with one of us."

Seeing how she was beginning to shiver, despite the warmth of his coat, Lucas noticed that the slippers she wore were hardly adequate for the cold, hard and uneven ground. Deciding that they had been out in the damp night air long enough, he observed;

"I think that you, my love, have had enough of this cold, damp night air."

With that he swept her up in his arms before making his way inside. After kicking the door shut behind him Lucas set her back on her feet as he remembered Crowers statement regarding the lack of meals that she had taken. Although he had suggested that she try to eat something, she refused, explaining;

"No, I'm not hungry; I promise that I'll eat something in the morning. Let's watch some TV, I don't want to go back to sleep right now and I need the distraction."

Grabbing the remote as he passed by the set, he handed it to Dara as he settled himself on the sofa. Propping his feet on the coffee table, he took the blanket from the back of the sofa to place over he and Dara; once she had made herself comfortable as well. Lucas couldn't help but chuckle as he glanced down at her small frame with her head lying on his chest and the rest of her stretched out on the sofa. Shaking his head he demanded;

"You do see the unfairness of the situation, don't you? I take up at least half the couch and I still have to stretch out on the coffee table; you, on the other hand, don't even have to curl up. You definitely get the better end of the bargain."

Pretending hurt at his observation, Dara made as if to rise as she offered;

"Well if you'd rather, I can sit in the rocking chair."

Pulling her back against his side, Lucas shook his head vehemently;

"Not on your life; I like you like this beside me."

With that they settled down as both fell asleep.