Thanks to superfly99 for letting me know I posted the wrong chapter...S.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the staff went to work on trying to revive Vicki. Henry watched helplessly as they inserted more iv's, the doctors barked orders and everyone worked frantically and tediously. Although the machines and staff kept Vicki's blood flowing and heart beating, for all intensive purposes, she was dead. Henry stood and waited for that familiar beat hoping against all hope it would return. With his head bowed in a silent prayer, a single tear streamed down his cheek and hit the floor. As it hit, Henry's head jerked up toward Vicki. His slow beating heart stopped as he strained to hear and hope he had heard what he was praying to hear.

"…so you see Vicki, it's time to go back. It's not time for you to be here. I've given you some choices as to what you can have once you return and you'll need to let me know what that is before I can send you back," Ian said softly.

Vicki blinked then said, "Oh," and nodded in understanding.

"Have you decided on what you want yet?" Vicki bit her bottom lip and nodded yes.

Ian smiled, "Okay then, we need to get you back. Come on, you have a life to live."

Ian put his hand out, Vicki told him what she decided and in a flash, she was sent back.

**

Mike made it to the hospital in record time bringing Lisa and Coreen with him. When they arrived, he searched for Vicki but only found Henry sitting alone in a waiting room.

"Well?" Mike asked. Lisa held a sobbing Coreen's hand and stood stoically, just as Vicki would.

"They got her back, it's a matter of time now to see how she does, I've been waiting to take you upstairs," Henry said solemnly. Coreen threw herself at Lisa. Lisa, being a caring and loving mother, held Coreen tight, stroked her hair and said Vicki was strong and she would be fine. The hospital was large and bright, almost cheery, however. The somber group was anything but cheery when they entered Vicki's room in intensive care. Coreen's eyes widened. Vicki looked like a machine, there seemed to be a tube or wire attached to every part of her body.

"She's alive?" Coreen asked.

Henry nodded slowly and sat on the edge of her bed, "Yes, she is." He kissed the hand that was uncovered by any tape or tube and held it gently. Lisa brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.

"I promise, I will be here when you wake up, I will tell you everything," Lisa whispered. Henry tilted his head, he was the only one that heard her and wondered what she was going to tell her.

"Jeez, Vic," Mike tapped her leg lightly, patting it and toeing the floor nervously.

Coreen sniffed, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know, I just feel like when this happens I'm at fault," Coreen answered.

"Honey, I'm the one who had her investigate, if anyone is at fault it's me, but let me say this, it's no one's fault. This woman was crazy, you can't stop crazy people. Don't beat yourself up over this Coreen," Lisa reassured her. Coreen bit her bottom lip and sniffed again.

"Mike, do you think you could take Coreen home?" Henry asked. Mike agreed and with a warm hug and a light peck on the cheek, Henry sent Coreen away.

"Well, guess we sit and wait huh? What about you? You've not got much time left," Lisa bobbed her head toward the window signaling approaching sunrise.

"That's why I sent them away, I was wondering if you might help me," Henry asked, "I don't want to leave the hospital."

"Sure, what can I do?"

Henry explained that under the basement was a sub-basement. There was a room that was no longer used except for storage. He could stay there as it was devoid of any daytime light. His concern was someone might open it by mistake and find him.

"Could you push something in front of it after I'm settled?"

Lisa smiled, "Of course I will. I'm not leaving her either. I've called Mike but I'm not calling my sister until she wakes, besides, she will be pissed if I call her mother!" Lisa laughed.

Henry chatted with Lisa for a bit longer until he felt the pull of sunrise fast approaching. Never in all of his long years had he wished he were mortal again, if nothing more than just to stay with Vicki for the day. Henry bent to Vicki's cheek and kissed her as long as he could before he had to tear away from her. His eyes glistened again with tears as he whispered, "come back to me."

Lisa followed Henry downstairs and randomly gave him a hug, "You just look like you need a hug Henry."

"Thank you," he told her honestly he did. She pulled him into a big bear hug and while Henry was stronger than any human alive, when Lisa hugged him she felt as if she were hugging a very frightened young man, a normal human young man instead of a vampire.

"Henry, I know you love my niece with all your heart and I know you want her to live, she will, she's strong but what would you like to have for you both? What kind of life would you like to have?" Lisa asked.

Henry furrowed his brow, "It sounds ridiculous but a happy long life with children, but that is impossible so I would be happy with whatever life I would have with her."

"That's not ridiculous, that's human," Lisa replied. Human. That's the one thing Henry always worried he wasn't and here was this Vicki look-a-like accepting what he was and calling him human. There was nothing better than that for Henry at that very moment. He never cared to be human after Christina left him, there was nothing in the world he desired to enjoy as a human until Vicki.

Lisa pushed a large supply cart in front of the door as Henry had asked. She would return thirty minutes before sundown and remove it. On the way back upstairs, Lisa looked at her reflection in the elevator doors.

"Boy oh boy, Vicki, are you going to be surprised," she sighed…..