After a few trials of ambulation and a long weekend, Erin was finally going home. She sat in the wheelchair waiting on her father who had just run things down to the car. Part of her was happy to be out of the hospital, her hospital delirium had slowly started to creep in, but the other half of her was with Jack.
"Ready Mom," Nicki bounced in her mothers room, excitement in her step.
"As I'll ever be," Erin smirk wrapping her arms around her daughter. "Weren't you with your father?"
"Yes but I want to get you settled in at home."
"I believe your great grandfather and grandfather have that covered," she scoffed, "My weeks itinerary is already written out."
"Not fun being the one whom everyone else is over protective with," Nicki teased.
"Not in the least." Nicki chuckled and gathered the remaining items in the room, carefully piling them on Erin's lap before taking the reins of the wheelchair
"Off you go Ms. Erin," Haley stood cross armed in the hallway ready to say her goodbyes.
"Not without saying goodbye and a thank you that couldn't possibly be expressed enough."
"Don't get all sappy on me, my shift just started I don't to be crying." She leaned down and gave Erin a gentle hug. "Good luck, and I don't want to see you back here, you better listen to your family and not over do it," Haley warned.
"I'll be sure to keep a good eye on her," Nicki promised.
"A good daughter you have here," Haley reminded her. "And Ms. Nicki, don't forget my suggestion," Haley nodded towards Noah.
"Thank you Haley," Nicki said her goodbyes as she pressed the button to the elevator. Nicki wheeled Erin to the elevator and pushed the first floor button, waiting in silence as it made its long defend down. The doors opened and they were in the bustle of the lobby. "Ready to go home?"
"Absolutely," though her mind lingered on floor three she knew she'd be back.
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"Are you supposed to be up?" Erin cringed at the sudden presence who had caught her in her grand plan to escape the confines of the make shift room her father had set up in the Parlor.
"No," she said defeated before turning to face her brothers.
"We though so," Danny smirked.
"I just wanted to get a glass of water."
"And you couldn't ask Dad or Pop," Jamie questioned.
"I though I could get away with it since the wardens seem to be upstairs." Both brothers helped her settle back on the pull out couch, Jamie quickly disappearing and reappearing with a glass and small pitcher of water.
"Not so fun being the one who has to be taken care of huh," Danny grinned.
"You've been talking to Nicki," Erin glared.
"No but quite like you to play mother hen but the minute it's you, well how the tables have turned," Jamie handed her the glass.
"And speaking of Nicki, as per her request we are not allowed to let you out of this bed unless specified to be necessary," Danny added.
"Traitors," she mumbled.
"I'd ask how you're feeling but I know you would lie," Jamie laid next to her, Danny taking the other side.
"Miserable, I feel like a caged animal," she whined.
"Hence why we are here,"Danny crossed his arms across his chest and closed his eyes.
"Is that how you're justifying a nap," Erin rolled her eyes.
"Hey to get you to relax we have to relax," Erin tolled her eyes again.
"We just need to be her, I know Danny won't complete admit it but we thought the worst when we got the call, we are glad it wasn't." Erin felt guilty all the fear and pain they went through. She took one of each of their hands and gave it a squeeze.
"I'm not going anywhere."
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Everything hurt, it was as if a fireball had irrupted from his body. He tried to call out but nothing came of it, he could barely even lift a finger let along make a small sound. He knew there was a reason though, he could feel the discomfort in the burning of his throat. He tried so hard to open his eyes but the grogginess was defeating him and soon he lost consciousness again.
The second time around he heard the muffled voices, the outlines of which sounded familiar, one he knew almost immediately to be Nicki and the other one he couldn't quite place. He knew he had heard the voice, someone he had known before but not someone he had heard from in a while. He couldn't place it, at least not now, not while his brain was fighting against him.
Third times the charm, at least that's how the saying goes and it sort of applied here because he was finally able to open his eyes. Everything as a blurry mess of erratic shapes. It was dark though a small light that shone brightly was to his right. The voices were gone and instead he heard a full beeping noise. He tried again to make a sound but remembered he couldn't because of that pain in his throat. His efforts to move and make a sound had exhausted him and soon he could feel that blanket of sleep fall over his eyes before he faded out again.
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"No," Nicki shook her head at James who sat across from her. He glared at her as he thought for a moment, "No," Nicki repeated again as he tried to make his next move. He looked at her again before making up his mind. "Checkmate," Nicki smirked as she moved her knight next to his queen.
"I remember when you were little you barely knew chess, I was teaching you."
"Obviously you wouldn't have made a great teacher," she joked.
"Ouch," James grabbed his chest in his fake injured state.
"So tell me more…about my cousins." She started to reset the pieces
"Well I told you about my boy Ryan."
"Star of the lacrosse team, straight a student and set to graduate next year."
"Then there is Simon, he is our comedian much like your father."
"My dad, a comedian," Nicki laughed in disbelief.
"On top of a charmer, your dad always had the student body laughing."
"I find that hard to believe."
"It's true and that is exactly how Simon is, so many years it heart to have that personality around because…well I missed it."
"I hope to see it," Nicki looked at her father. "Now that your back I hope to meet your boys and wife, it's going to be weird having other cousins.
"They will love you." She focused back on the board in front of them, making her first movie before looking at James to see where he was going next, that's when she saw it. Out of her focused vision she saw movement, her eyes darted over to her father, a second passed and nothing happened. "What," James asked looking back at his brother.
"I thought I saw something," She rubbed her eyes and returned her eyes back to the game.
"Well, I called my wife, I guess you can call her Aunt Clara," James shrugged as he moved his next piece.
"Clara, that's not Clara Jannie?"
"Actually yes, how did you know that?"
"Dad used to talk a lot about his school years, when he mentioned you, he would talk about you and Clara in school, how you were best friends but lost touch when she moved a town over."
"We found our way back." She smiled; she was glad she was getting to know him better. She moved her rook and waited for him, out of the corner of her eye she saw something again, this time she jumped up. "What, did you see it again?"
"I swear I saw his hand," She slowly walked over and took his hand into hers. "Dad, it's Nicki; I'm here." She waited a moment and when nothing came, she almost laughed at herself. It was as she stood to return to the game and her hand was about to leave his that she felt it. It was so gentle, so weak that she almost missed it but then it happened again. "Dad," She turned around again this time clutching his hand tight to her. Slowly he began to move to the sound of her voice, a fight to get back to her, "Go get a nurse," She called back to her Uncle. "Dad, come on open your eyes im right here." A tear rolled down her cheek and fell on his shoulder. He slowly began to lift his eyelids, they felt like sandbags, but they finally did, and he looked into the eyes of his beautiful daughter. Her smile greater that he had ever seen, tears fell down her face as she began to sob. "You came back, you're really back."
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One thing that Frank never had was the close relationship of a sibling, being an only child had its advantages but as he watched his own kids grow up together and learn, fight and love it made him a little envious. When he walked into the parlor, he felt that moment. Danny's head rested against Erin's shoulder, his arms crossed and his mouth wide open with a grand snore going. Erin leaned against Jamie, her arm thrown across Danny's chest, and Jamie had his cheek rested on top of Erin's head. It had been an exhausting week, not much sleep had happened so to wake them seemed a crime.
"Francis," Henry yelled from the other room. Frank could hear him grow closer.
"In here Pop," He whispered back.
"Oh, I'm sorry," He lowered his voice. "Wow, I haven't seen them like this since that trip to upstate."
"That was a good trip, they all got along."
"Well Nicki just called, that's why I came to find you, Jack woke up."
"Thank God," Frank smiled.
"Yes, she was really cut for time, I think they were going to take him off the ventilator.
"I'm sure she will want to know."
"Maybe when she wakes up," Henry suggested.
"She needs the rest."
"They all do," they both nodded in agreeance and let the three of them sleep.
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