John burst through the doors and made his way immediately to Doctor Clarkson, Anna on his heels. "Where is she? Where's Ondine?"

"She's alright, Mr. Bates. We've got her stabilized and we're prepping the surgery as we speak."

"Surgery?" John raked a hand violently through his hair, "Why the surgery?"

"We're doing a transplant."

"What?" John shook his head, "I don't understand."

"The accident killed Mr. Carlisle, the man in the car with your ex-wife and daughter. He was a donor and he's a compatible match to Ondine. Over ninety percent compatibility so we're performing the transplant now."

John hauled in a breath, "Ondine's going to be okay?"

Doctor Clarkson smiled, "More than okay. She's going to be cured, Mr. Bates."

He collapsed against the wall. Anna grabbed his arm, trying to help him stand and rested him on a chair. With her hand smoothing over his back, John stared up at Doctor Clarkson. "Are you serious?"

"I've very serious, Mr. Bates. She's going into surgery now and she'll be out in a few hours. You're welcome to watch from our observation room. We'll have Nurse Crawley escort you there."

"Please." John grasped Anna's hand and they followed Sybil toward the observation deck.

"She's very lucky Mr. Bates." Sybil smiled back at them, "The chances of this happening are astronomical."

"I know." John put a hand to his thundering heart. "How'd this all happen?"

"According to the police and the paramedics when they brought in Ondine and your ex-wife, there was an accident. Your ex-wife's blood alcohol level was over point-two-five and she was driving." Sybil stopped outside the door, gripping her hands. "Mr. Carlisle was thrown through the windshield and the force of impact of his collision with the road left him unconscious and they lost him in the ambulance."

"And Vera?"

"The impact shattered her left leg and she's got major and minor breaks throughout her body but she'll live." Sybil took a deep breath. "Just like the other man."

"What other man?"

"The one your ex-wife hit." Sybil shrugged, "His ID says his name is Alex Green but he's still unconscious."

"Green?" John frowned, "I've met him."

"From what they've found, he caused the accident and the police are hoping to question him once he wakes up." Sybil opened the door to the observation room and led them inside. "Ondine'll be in here shortly and you can watch the surgery from here."

John found a seat near the front, Anna taking his hand as she joined him. They both watched with baited breath as the gurney rolled into the room. Smocked and masked doctors and nurses filled the room, beginning immediately to work.

"John?" He turned to Anna, her low whisper coinciding with the squeeze of her hand on his. "When did you meet Green?"

"This morning, coming out of a conversation with Father Crawley." John adjusted in the chair to face her. "The man who recognized you at the carnival."

"He thought he knew me, he didn't recognize me."

"But do you know him?" John waited as Anna looked down at the floor. "I think, after what happened to our house and the boat that we need to be honest with one another."

"I do know Father Crawley and he might recognize me but it's been a long time since I've met him. I knew his oldest daughter growing up."

"Here?"

"No, in Yorkshire." Anna shrugged, "I don't know when their family moved here to Ireland since I was sure Robert Crawley hated the idea of moving anywhere else but he did."

"He joined the Catholic Church when it helped him get over his wife's death and moved here when the parish came available near his first granddaughter." John shook his head, "I guess we all search for peace where we can get it."

"How did Cora die?"

"Infection. Robert found her curled up in bed one night and rushed her to the A&E. They worked as hard as they could but when it perforated her colon there was nothing they could do. She died on the table." John gripped Anna's hand, "I just-"

"Ondine'll be fine." Anna assured him, "They're giving her a new chance to live and she'll be just fine. She's not going to die on that table."

"But what about you?" John cupped her hands in his, "How do you know Green? How does he know you? What does he want? Because I'm assuming he's the one who tore through the house and people don't usually do that unless they're looking for something."

"He is." Anna took a deep breath, "Green's looking for me."

"Why? What does he want Anna?"

"Something I have that I won't give him."

John sighed, "You already told me he's not your husband so it's not you."

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"If I tell you then you'll be responsible for it and I can't do that to you. Not after all you've done for me." Anna shook her head, "I couldn't be responsible for that."

"They've already been to my home, Anna. He's the reason my daughter's on a table right now with an incision in her." John jabbed his finger toward the window. "If he's some kind of jealous seal-man or water creature or whatever I need to know so I can protect my family. "

"He won't hurt Ondine."

"I wasn't just talking about Ondine." John took Anna's hand again, not speaking again until her eyes met his. "I mean all of my family Anna."

She stared at him a moment longer before nodding. "Alright. But I do need to speak with him. I need to send him away so he never harms us again."

"Would that cost me you?"

"No," Anna shook her head. "He's not that kind of stupid."

"But he is a kind of stupid?"

"We all are in a way." Anna smiled at him but it did not reach her eyes. "Like me believing I could be here without any consequences at all and trying to outrun what's always dragging just a few steps behind me."

"What's dragging behind you Anna?"

"Green is."

"Why?"

Anna took a deep breath, "I'm not a selkie, John. I'm as human as you or Ondine or anybody. I grew up in Yorkshire, outside of Whitby. I swam there as a child and I competed in swimming events from the time I was six so I'm a very strong swimmer.

"But, when I went to University my father died. My mother, desperate for money, married a man who abused her. I tried to do what I could to help but I couldn't do anything and when he thought I'd interfered he cut me off. Shortly afterward my mother died and my stepfather took everything she had and ran before they could investigate it. Even with their suspicions he did it there was no way to find him. I had no money, I still had to finish school, and I had nowhere to turn."

"Is that when you met Green?"

She nodded, "He offered me a chance to earn quik money and I was desperate so I took the chance. I should've just starved instead."

"Why?"

"Because Green peddles drugs." Anna closed her eyes, "Once he found out I could swim I became his mule. There'd be these boats, from the Netherlands, that would come close to the beach. I'd have to swim out and get the drugs and then swim back."

"How often was this?"

"Twice a month or so. Green would wait on shore and take the drugs. I don't know what he did with them after that except sell them and give me a cut of it." Anna swallowed, opening her eyes. "But, after awhile, he stopped paying me. When I confronted him about it he said the cost of my working for him was that he wouldn't turn me into the police for what I was doing."

"What?"

"I threatened him right back, said I'd turn on him but because I didn't know anything else about the business he called the bluff. I'd spend the next ten years of my life in prison for that."

"So you helped him?"

"I didn't have any other choice." Anna took her hand from his grip and pulled her knees to her chest on the chair. "So I went along with it. And when he wanted to bring his drugs to Ireland, cutting into the business here, he needed me to help him transport his supply."

"Is that how you ended up in my net?"

"The Coast Guard tracked the boat and Green couldn't swim so he had me take the drugs and jump into the water to try and make the shore while they boarded him." Anna managed a half-hearted laugh. "I underestimated the strength of your waves. I couldn't beat them and I got exhausted."

"You gave up?"

"I thought, for a moment, 'wouldn't this be easier? I'll just slip into the waves and vanish'. And so I did. I let myself relax and the current took me where it willed." Anna shrugged, "I passed out, lost the bag, and the next thing I knew I was on the deck of your boat breathing."

"And the drugs?"

Anna bit her lip, "Ondine thought they were my seal coat and had me bury it in your greenhouse."

"You buried drugs in my conservatory?"

"No, that's where they were." Anna met his gaze, "They're not there anymore."

"Was this before or after Green came and ransacked our house?"

"Before. I moved them after I saw him at the regatta. I couldn't take the chance he'd follow me." Anna snorted, "But he did that anyway."

"Is he still looking for them then?"

"That's my guess."

"So if we just gave him the drugs he'd go away?"

"No," Anna shook her head, "We need to end this forever. We can't just expect he'll leave us alone."

"Then what do we do?"

"When I started I didn't know anything about the business and Green was right when he threatened me. I didn't have anything on him then but that was his mistake." Anna straightened, "I remembered all the dates, times, and ship models from the nights I did retrieval. I grew up watching those boats and I found the ones that shipped the drugs."

"You know who's working with him?"

"He made the mistake of underestimating me the way I did the waves. I know enough know that I can finish off his business and hand him over NCA."

"Why haven't you?"

Anna let her gaze drift to the window and John followed it to see Ondine, still under the knife, before their eyes met again. "I found you both and I didn't want to leave. I thought I could bury my past with those drugs and forget who I was, be someone new. Be a part of your lives and make a new life. I wanted it so badly that for a moment I thought my wishes came true."

"Only for Green to show up again?"

"The news of a blonde woman no one'd ever seen before coming in on a boat got his attention since he'd been looking for me for awhile." Anna let out a breath, "And that's my story. The whole, sordid tale of Anna May Smith, presumed selkie but actual drug mule."

"I don't know." John took her hand again and turned her chin to have her face the window again. "Do you remember how you wished that Ondine would be cured?"

"Of course I do."

"That wish came true." John kissed her hands, "Mine can too."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Let me make a call and we'll see about that." John dug into his pocket for his mobile as the door to the observation room opened.

"Mr. Bates?" Both John and Anna stood as Sybil entered the room, "Your ex-wife's awake and asking for you."

"What about the other man, Green?" Anna's voice drew Sybil's attention and she shrugged.

"Far as I know he's still unconscious. He wasn't as badly injured, in general, but he's in pretty rough shape."

"When do they think he'll wake up?"

"No idea." Sybil twisted at the hip to check her pager. "I need to answer this but Mrs. Bates is in room 1912."

"Thank you." John bit at his lip, turning toward the observation windows a moment before Anna put a hand on his face.

"I'll watch her. I'll let you know if anything happens."

John nodded and left the room. He found his way to the specified room and knocked on the door. An older woman, dressed in a nurse's uniform that matched Sybil's, answered the door.

"I'm looking for Vera Bates."

"She's in here." The woman stepped back and pointed to the bed. "She's dozing right now but she's fine otherwise."

"Sybil said she'd shattered her leg."

"Among other things." The nurse checked her iPad and John noticed her badge read 'Crawley'. "They think she'll make a full recovery but she'll need a cane for awhile once she gets out of the wheelchair and the boot they've planned for her and a lot of physical therapy."

"But she'll make a full recovery?"

"From what we can predict, yes." Nurse Crawley lowered her iPad. "She was very lucky. The alcohol in her system slowed her responses and her body was loose enough to survive the impact."

"But not Mr. Carlisle?"

"He was the only one in the vehicle not wearing a seat belt." Nurse Crawley stepped outside the door, "I'll give you some privacy."

John smoothed his hands over his jacket and walked to Vera's bedside. He rested his hand on hers, as gently as he could, and whispered to her. "Vera?"

Her eyelids fluttered open and she turned to him. John tried to swallow back his wince at the cuts on her face, the swelling around one eye, and the purpling bruising around her jaw. Somehow, even with her body as battered and broken as it was, she managed a snort.

"Looking sad there Batesy. Maybe you should try to save your compassion for someone who wants it."

"Vera-"

"Don't pretend this won't make all your dreams come true."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll lose Ondine for this." Vera sniffed and John's eyes widened at the sight of tears in Vera's eyes. "Once they process my blood-alcohol and my injuries you'll get full custody. I won't get her anymore and that'll be it. I'll lose my daughter because I was stupid."

"Someone told me earlier that we're all stupid." John gestured to Vera's body. "And you know you won't be in any state to care for Ondine. Especially when she's going to be recovering from surgery."

"Surgery?" Vera tried to sit up but hissed and laid back. "What surgery? What's wrong with my baby?"

"Nothing, everything's alright. She's getting the kidney transplant she needs and she's cured. She's going to be alright Vera."

"Ondine's going to be alright?"

John nodded, "She'll walk and run and play like everyone else. No more wheelchairs or dialysis or anything."

"How?"

John bit at his lip, "Richard didn't survive the accident. He died in the van on the way to hospital and he was an organ donor so they went to take his organs and found he's a match for Ondine."

"What'd you know," Vera gasped out, "The man I found after I left you fixed what you gave our daughter."

"Seems so." John sighed, ignoring the barb. "But she's going to be alright, that's what matters now."

"And you'll get her, like you always wanted."

"I never wanted her like this Vera. I didn't want to take her from you. I just wanted to be the father she deserved. To have a chance to watch my daughter grow everyday and not just when she needed something you didn't want to give."

Vera shut her eyes, "We've made a mess of this haven't we, you and I."

"You could say that." John sat back in his chair. "We need to stop hating one another, Vera. For Ondine if not for our own souls. She needs us, she's always needed us, and now we've a chance to change."

"Why now?"

"Because you both just avoided death. You should've died in that car, the three of you, but by some miracle you and Ondine survived. I'm taking that miracle with both hands and I'm running with it Vera." John sighed, and leaned forward, "Look, we missed our chance. You and I destroyed ourselves and whatever we once had and there's nothing to be done about that now. We burned the bridge we jumped off of a long time ago, that's a fact. But now we've got a chance to be better for her."

"You think I can be better?"

"I think you'll have to be." John opened his hand, motioning to her body. "You'll need help, Vera. Help I'm wiling to give because, despite what we're not to one another anymore, we're Ondine's parents. You're the mother of my child and for that there'll always be a part of me that loves you."

"It's a tiny part John."

"Doesn't mean it's not there." John offered her his hand, "Let me help you Vera. Do it for Ondine. Do it for the baby who's going to walk again, who'll never need dialysis again, who's going to grow old like we will."

Vera placed her hand gingerly in John's grip. "I'm not going to be easy."

"I know but that's not the point." John lightly squeezed and then placed her hand on the bed. "The point is that we're trying."

He made it to the door before Vera called out to him, "Tell Ondine that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for… everything."

"I will when she wakes up and bring her to see you the moment I can."

John worked his way back to the observation room, whistling when he checked the time and realized how late it was… or early. When he opened the door a smile took over his face as he noticed Anna curled up in a chair and breathing deeply. His hand on her shoulder woke her in a moment and she went to move but he stopped her.

"It's alright. They're still doing the surgery."

"How's Vera?" Anna extended her legs, cracking her neck and stretching.

"She's… changed."

Anna stopped, "For better or for worse."

"For better, at the moment, which I suspect has no small part owed to the medications suppressing her pain." John brushed Anna's hair back. "Will you come with me and do something?"

"What?"

"I want you to marry me."

"What?" Anna's smile riddled with suspicion.

"I want you to marry me, Anna. Right now. That way, no matter what happens in the coming days with Green and Vera and Ondine we're together."

"That's madness."

"Hear me out." John took a breath, "I want you to be my wife because after everything we've endured together we can't take these next steps as anything less than man and wife."

"We can't John."

"You don't think I'm strong enough?"

"I don't doubt your strength, John."

"Well then," John took Anna's hand, "Trust that I can do this. That's what I'm thinking. That if you can stick by me through the thick and thin-"

"I'm sure it's thin and thin."

"Anna," He waited until her eyes met his. "If we have to face what's inevitably coming when we confront Green then we're doing it as husband and wife. I won't have anyone or anything move me to the sidelines in this to watch you suffer from a distance with no right to even be kept informed. I'll be your next of kin, they won't be able to call me or Ondine to testify against you, and you can't deny us the opportunity to do what we can to protect and defend you."

John swallowed, clearing his throat past his tears. "Please don't deny me that."

Anna kissed John's hand in her grasp and put her other hand to his face. "Alright."

"Then follow me." As John led them to the small chapel he pulled his mobile from his pocket. It rang a few times before a bleary voice, gruffed in sleep, answered. "Father Crawley, would you come to the hospital chapel?"

They waited less than twenty minutes before Father Crawley, flanked by a smiling Sybil and a confused Nurse Crawley to serve as witnesses, pulled out his book and faced the smiling John and Anna.

"Dearly beloved, we gather here…"