Soo sorry about the long wait in updates! I have been incredibly busy with homework and work! I'm on a two week break now from school so I will have much more time to write though! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! I love the ending!

Chapter 21: Not so Safe and Sound

A bouquet of bright red, orange, fuchsia, pale yellow and light violet flowers, shadowed by thick green bushes and trees, paint the entry way to the house. July is hot. While I water the array of plants in the yard, the kids play in the cool sanctuary of the covered front porch. It isn't much cooler but the kids enjoy being able to still play outside and watch as I tend the yard.

From where I stand, pouring water over the dry dirt beneath a rose bush, I can see Ezra in the side yard, his shirt off, muscles flexing, as he pushes the lawn mower back and forth along the yard. The hum of the mower steady in my ears. I finished watering the flowers and lean down on my hands and knees to pull a few weeds that have scattered throughout the flower bed since the last time I weeded it, which was just last week.

"Mommy?" I hear Lila's angelic voice break through the quiet summer air.

"Yes baby?"

"Can I help you?"

"Sure sweetie but just for a few minutes. I don't want you to get a sunburn." I tell Lila as she pushes the gate on the front porch open, shuts it behind her and comes down the steps toward me. She kneels beside me, pulling her little Dora gardening gloves out of my gardening box and putting them on her hands. She pulls at a tough green weed, nearly knocking herself over when the roots finally release from the ground.

"Woah! That was a tough one wasn't it?" Ezra's voice sounds from behind me and Lila jumps up.

"Yeah! Look how big it is Daddy!"

"I see! Good thing you're so strong!"

"Yeah! I'm strong just like you!"

"You sure are." Ezra says. Lila tosses the pulled weed into the pile and returns to her knees to pull more as I stand up and pull my gloves off.

"Hey, how's the lawn mowing going?"

"Just about done. Looks like you're almost done with the yard work."

"Almost. Lila makes a great helper, I should be done soon."

"Alright, well I'm going to head in a shower real fast, we have to leave soon for Dr. Sullivan's."

"Okay. I'll clean up out here and bring the kids in. Spencer should be here soon too. The kids are excited to see her and Liam."

"I know. They haven't seen Liam for a while now. They'll have fun."

"Yeah they will."

"Alright, I'm getting out of this sun before I turn into a lobster." Ezra smirks, gazing up at the blazing sun. I laugh, smacking his butt as he walks away.

"Okay Lila, time to go inside." I tell Lila just as Brennen begins to fuss. "Auntie Spencer will be here soon with Liam." I hurry to pull Lila's gloves off and place my tools back in my gardening box and hurry up to Brennen, Lila on my heels.

"Yay Liam!" Ben exclaims as I'm reaching down to pick Brennen up. I glance up in time to see Spencer's silver Toyota Camry pulling into the driveway. It comes to a stop and she steps out, wearing a teal flowing tank top that nearly conceals her protruding belly and just covers the waist of her denim shorts. Her hair is pulled back into a long, shiny ponytail.

"Ugh, it is way too hot out here for a pregnant woman." She greets as she carries Liam up the path toward the porch, setting him on the ground as she reaches the steps.

"Well aren't you enjoying being pregnant!" I tease, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I can tell Spencer is glaring at me even from behind her Gucci sunglasses.

"If it was anything like it was with Liam then yes I would be enjoying it, but this baby is determined to remind me that it exists at every waking…and sleeping, minute. Oh, and if Toby could just hurry up and figure out what the hell is wrong with our air conditioner or at least consent to get a new one then this Mama would be much happier." Spencer vents to me as we make our way inside the house, ice-cold air instantly enveloping us as we step over the threshold.

"Well at least you're glowing." I reassure her as she sinks down on the couch.

"Ugh, I feel more like a sweaty pig than a glowing, radiating pregnant woman."

"Are you sure you want to watch the kids?" I question as Spencer lifts her feet up onto the coffee table.

"You're not trying to kick me out of an air-conditioned house are you?" Spencer replies back haughtily.

I raise my hands up in surrender. "Of course not! I just don't want you to overdo it."

"I'll be fine. Trust me. Liam has the energy of both Lila and Ben, I'm sure I can handle three of them for a couple of hours."

"Alright, Ezra should be out of the shower by now so I'm going to go get cleaned up. Sounds like the kids are in the playroom. Holler if you need anything."

Spencer takes Brennen from me, shooing me away with her hand.

Fifteen minutes later, Ezra, Wyatt and I are walking out the door to the car. Ezra swings my hand, clutched in his, as we hurry to get into the car and turn on the air conditioning. Fresh, cool air flows across my face, sending strands of my hair swirling in front of my eyes when Ezra starts the engine.

"Buckled in Wyatt?" I ask, turning around in my seat to check that Wyatt is buckled in properly. He nods his head in response, eyes already focused on the Nintendo DS clutched in his hands. Ezra backs out of the drive and in a moment the brilliant green manicured lawns and overflowing gardens of Rosewood become a blur of color as the car drifts down side streets.

Less than fifteen minutes later we pull into the parking lot parallel to the old brick building that houses Dr. Sullivan's office. The waiting room, painted in neutral earthy tones and decorated much the same, is a cool escape from the overwhelming heat momentarily pressing against us on our walk from the car to the front door of the building.

"Good afternoon!" Claire, the receptionist sitting behind the front counter, trills when we reach her desk.

"Hello Claire. How are you?" I ask.

"Great! Here to see Dr. Sullivan?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I will let her know you're here."

"Thank you."

Ezra, Wyatt and I move to sit down on one of the plush pale-green couches that trim the waiting area. It's just a few minutes wait before Dr. Sullivan calls us back to her office, a smile spread across her face.

"It's so good to see you. How have you been doing?" Dr. Sullivan asks as soon as we sit down in her office. She pulls out her notebook and pen and my file.

"Good. We've been enjoying the sun."

"So have I." Dr. Sullivan says. Pausing, she flips open my file, shuffling through a few papers until she finds the one she is looking for, then her eyes return to mine.

"Still having nightmares?"

I nod my head, a rush of memories of waking up from the most recent nightmare, last night, running through my mind. A quiet, blackened room, the sudden ear-piercing sound of screams, and the soothing touch of Ezra's hands running over my body penetrate my senses for a split second.

And then I'm back in the office, facing .

"You've had one recently?" Dr. Sullivan asks, her expression growing concerned.

"Last night." I say quietly, looking over at Wyatt. He is still engrossed in his video game and I am thankful that he isn't paying attention. He doesn't need to know about the nightmares that have been plaguing me since I woke up in the hospital after my near death experience.

"And are they about the same thing?"

"Yes, every time. But now they're getting more intense. I scream longer when woken by them and it's harder for Ezra to get me calmed down."

Dr. Sullivan nods her head, scratching something down in her notebook.

"These nightmares, though extremely realistic and frightening, are a common symptom of PTSD, as we know you have. It just appears that your PTSD has begun to become more extreme since your incident. I don't want to place you back on any medication just yet, but I certainly want to keep any eye on these nightmares. They may dissolve away completely over time, or they may continue to get worse." Dr. Sullivan explains.

"Is there anything else I can try to help ease them?"

"Make sure you're going to bed calm, not stressed, with a clear mind. Take a bubble bath before bed. Just try to relax as much as possible. Focus on your hobbies, photography and writing, and of course your family. Try to focus more on the positive improvements rather than these nightmares. Other than that there isn't much you can do but wait to see if they go away I'm afraid.

I nod my head, feeling Ezra's eyes on me and my hand clutched In his.

"But other than the nightmares you're still not feeling any sudden signs of anger, sadness, fatigue or thoughts of suicide?"

I shake my head. "No."

"Good. Aria, you really are healing remarkably well. I expected this process to be much longer, but despite the nightmares, you are doing amazing." Dr. Sullivan says proudly, scribbling something else down on her pad.

"Thank you Anne." I smile.

"You're welcome sweetie. Okay, now let's see if we can pull this boy away from his game long enough to talk for a few minutes. Wyatt?"

Wyatt looks up at Dr. Sullivan, his ice-blue eyes expectant, a playful smile on his face. But all I see are the ice-blue eyes that star in my dreams, revengeful, ice-cold eyes that glare up at me, lost in a salty sea.