"What should you tell me?"

Julia carted around startled and found herself confronted with Sarah's questioning, apprehensively looking eyes.

"How long have you been standing there for?"

"Since somebody should talk to her soon and tell her what's wrong with her mother," Sarah repeated the sentence.

Julia groaned innerly. It was exactly this kind of situation she wanted to avoid when she promised Sean not to tell Sarah anything yet at the moment. It gave her great inner turmoil about what she should do now, "come on, let's sit down. Did Annie finish her homework?"

Sarah nodded mechanically, "she asked me a short while ago if I would like to go to her friends' Tori with her. But I told her I'd rather read something. I was just about to get a book from the living room. I didn't wanna spy on you two!" She quickly added.

"No, I'm sure of that," Julia said looking at Sarah compassionately, "so," she started hesitating after they sat down, "as it seems your mother will have to stay in hospital for a while longer."

"A while longer?" Sarah looked at Julia alarmed, "for how long then?"

"I don't know that exactly myself," Julia managed to say, "but of course you stay with us till then," she added promptly.

"Please tell me the truth Mrs. McNamara!" It suddenly blurted out of Sarah, "how ill's my mom in reality?"

Julia closed her eyes. She felt her mouth becoming dry and she started to clear her throat nervously, "very ill, Sarah..." She finally confessed to the young girl.

"Will she die?"

Julia looked at Sarah surprised. She didn't expect that question. Apparently Sarah had been more worried about her mother's health than everybody thought she was.

"I don't know," Julia said honestly. She hesitated a moment before continuing, "but the doctors are doing everything to help her."

Tears were silently running down Sarah's cheeks, "I don't want her to die!" She sobbed, "she's all I have," she put her hands before her face and started to cry unreserved.

"Sweetie," Julia fought her tears when she took Sarah into her arms on instinct and was stroking her hair reassuringly, "you're not alone," she said quietly. She considered for a moment whether she should tell Sarah Christian was her brother. But she dismissed the idea again right away. Sarah's shock was big enough already without her knowing that her mother was raped when she was fourteen and became pregnant as a result, "I'm so sorry! I didn't want you to find out this way."

Sarah straightened up a bit and looked at Julia through her tears, "did Kimber know as well?"

Julia nodded. She stoked Sarah's face softly, "you shouldn't be angry with her. She didn't tell you because she didn't wanna upset you."

Sarah jerked herself free from Julia's embrace, "why does everybody always think I'm still too young to understand?" She said all riled up.

"But nobody does think that," Julia said sympathetically, "Kimber only thought it would maybe better if it was your mother who tells you about it first."

Sarah nodded hanging her head. She stood up and cleared the tears away off her face, "I think I'm gonna go with Annie anyway," she said quietly.

"That's a good idea," Julia forced a smile. She watched worriedly as Sarah was leaving the living room and went through the hall towards Annie's room.

Cedars Medical Center

"I'm really happy you're here Sean," Christian stepped forward to meet his friend half way as he got to the waiting area.

"Any news about Kimber?"

"No," Christian shook her head, "I have called everywhere-home, the fitness club, the practice, her hairdresser, the model agency..." Christian didn't complete the sentence and let himself fall back onto a chair moaning, "it's like the ground would've have opened and then swallowed her," he said desperately, "the whole time I'm thinking I maybe told her something or I did something that led to her leaving the hospital," she shrugged admitting defeat, "but there was nothing at all. Everything seemed to be okay when I left here."

Sean suddenly remembered what Julia had told him, "Kimber knew Sarah told you about Gail being in hospital," he said unenthusiastically.

"From who?" Christian lifted his eyebrows surprised, "from Sarah?"

Sean shook his head while sitting down as well, "from Julia. She and Kimber had talked on the phone."

Christian shook his head, "I still don't understand. Why did she run away? And next question-where to?"

Sean looked at the clock, "visiting time's over. Maybe you should drive home and sleep on it first," he suggested.

"Sleep?" Christian shook his head and regarded Sean with a reproachful look, "could you sleep peacefully if Julia was out somewhere and you didn't know she was all right or not?"

Sean slowly shook his head, "but staying here doesn't solve anything either," he said calmly.

Christian ignored his last objection, "when can you report missing persons at the police?" He asked while he rigidly stared ahead.

"After forty-eight hours," Sean specified.

Tiredness closed Christian's eyes, "why's she doing this to me? I thought everything was squared away between us," he opened his eyes again and looked at Sean desolately, "we wanted to get married in ninety-six hours time. I should maybe better call the priest and tell him there will be no wedding."

It almost broke Sean's heart to see Christian so unhappy, "and what would you cite as the reason?" He asked quietly.

"The bride disappeared...yet again..." He shrugged surrendering, "it doesn't seem like it was granted I will be happy," he stood up and went towards the way out.

"Where do you wanna go?"

"I'll take your advice and I'll drive home," Christian answered sighing.

Sean scrutinised him, "and you swear you don't wanna do any stupidities?"

Christian lifted his hand and put his index and middle finger in a cross, "I swear," he pulled his lips into a hardly noticeable smile, "thanks for your support! I'll see you at the practice," he turned and walked out.