Chapter 35

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Martin cradled the phone to his ear as he leaned against the doorjamb to the kitchen listening to Iris, Frances' sister, explain that Frances had been discharged but the doctor recommended that she not return to work for at least two weeks. He watched as Nate shoved another large bite into his mouth while Grace carefully examined her slice to make certain nothing she disliked could be accidentally digested. When Iris was done speaking, he sighed and said, "Thanks for calling and please tell Frances to take as much time as she needs and that we all send our love."

"I'm sure she would like that," Iris replied, her accent a blend of Irish and East Bronx. "I know she is just happy those kids are all going to be fine."

"They are but I know they will feel better once they can see that she's okay too," he softly replied. He had tried to arrange a way for him and the kids to see Frances before they left the hospital but she was getting x-rays in another wing and the kids were too exhausted to wait. "I'll call tomorrow to check in on her. If she's up to it, I know the kids and I would like to stop by and pay her a visit."

"Will do," Iris agreed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow Mr. Fitzgerald."

"Good night, Iris," he said before hanging up. He walked back to the table and sat down, picking up his now cold pizza slice. Before taking a bite he said, "That was Frances' sister. Frances is on her way home and she is going to be okay."

Grace plucked a piece of pepperoni off her slice and bite into it, a smile evident on her face. "When can we see her?"

"I don't know yet but hopefully very soon," he replied, the cheese congealed and chewy in his mouth.

The two kids began chatting about the events from the day and he couldn't help but admire the resiliency of children. They had made the car crash seem like a big adventure. Nate announced that how much he liked it when the firemen let him sit on the fire truck while Grace recalled how nice one of the paramedic's had been. They both commented how excited Diego and Mike were to ride in an ambulance with the sirens blaring while Eli was crying uncontrollably until a police officer showed him a magic trick where he pulled a nickel out of his ear.

As he listened he couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on with Diego. When they were checking out of the hospital Rafi had come by to pick up Mike and Eli but Diego was staying overnight. Emma said they were still running tests but she wouldn't elaborate on what kinds of tests. They had all gone upstairs to the room where he was staying and he appeared almost completely unscathed, he had a cut on his forehead that had been stitched up but other than that he seemed perfectly fine. The only evidence that there was something wrong was that while Emma had a smile on her face, there was an undeniable fear in her eyes.

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All of the kids were grabbing for the Sharpie marker so they could sign Grace's cast. Mike won and began signing his name and message in the cursive writing that he had begun learning in school. Grace observed him closely, scrutinizing his work, making sure he didn't take up too much room since she wanted to have her entire class sign it when she went back to school on Monday. Although since she was in kindergarten, Martin couldn't imagine the kids could write more than their names at this point. When Mike was done he laughed and whispered something in Diego's ear, causing the boy to smile as well.

He watched as Grace moved her arm up and down, adjusting to this new contraption, before going to sit next to Diego so he could sign. When the doctor had finished putting the cast on her arm she complained that it felt heavy and weird but once she realized all of the attention she would be getting her disposition had greatly improved. Rafi stood next to her and laughed at a picture that Diego had sketched. She smiled up at him, his bald head almost glistening in the fluorescent lights. He had long ago decided to embrace his receding hairline and started shaving his entire head and when combined with his mechanic's clothes and muscular physique it made him look very scary. That or like a Cuban Mr. Clean.

The door opened and Emma appeared, a large grin on her face but her eyes looking red-rimmed. "I hate to break up the fun but visiting hours are almost over and I'm sure Grace and Nate need to get home." She sat down next to Martin, resting her hands between her knees, glancing at her son in the bed. "Besides, Diego needs his rest."

"I don't want to go home without D," Mike pouted, sitting on the bed, his arm slung protectively over his twin's shoulder. "You're a doctor here. Can't you do something so I can stay?"

"Yeah," Diego added, "It's boring here. Mike can keep me company."

"The hospital doesn't let any minors stay here if they aren't patients and I don't like breaking rules," she replied, sounding world weary. Her eyes softened and she looked at Mike saying, "You and Eli are going to spend the night at your Tio and Tia's but don't worry, your dad and I will be here so Diego won't be by himself. And I promise that dad will pick you up early and you can come back first thing in the morning."

Both of the boys started to scrunch up their faces, preparing to argue when Rafi stepped forward. He placed his hand on Mike's bony shoulder. The twins had both inherited Danny's tall and lanky frame. "Listen to your mom. She knows best." He smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes creasing. "It's just one night."

The boys conceded defeat and reluctantly nodded their heads. Emma smiled at her brother-in-law and whispered, "Thank you."

Rafi gave her a sympathetic look and said, "You guys are my family, thanks aren't necessary," He took the marker next and started signing Grace's cast. "Now let me show you kids some quality art work."

All of the kids fixed their eyes in fascination as he sketched his doodle so Martin leaned in close to Emma and in a hushed tone asked, "Is everything okay?"

Tears began to well in the corner of her eyes and she took a deep breath, wiping them away before they fell. She didn't answer right away; taking time to steady her emotions before finally saying, "They found some thing in Diego's x-ray…" she stopped and inhaled deeply before releasing a long breath. "I just wish Danny was back already."

He glanced over at the kids. They were all still engrossed in Rafi's work so placed his hand on hers asking, "Is there anything I can do?"

She gave him a grateful smile and said, "Can you get a hold of a time machine and jump into the future so you can promise me that everything is going to be alright?" At a loss for any kind of reply he gave her a sympathetic look, squeezed her hand and remained quiet. She sighed heavily and gingerly patted her other hand.

"I wanna go home," Nate said, rubbing his eyes as he climbed onto Martin's lap.

Emma released his hand and he pulled the little boy up, letting his tiny body slump into the embrace, his small head resting on his shoulder. "We'll leave in a little bit. We just want to make sure that Diego is okay first." He rubbed Nate's back and murmured, "But you can go to sleep if you want." He shifted in his chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. It took less than a minute before he could hear Nate's breathing even out, indicating that he was asleep.

Rafi folded his arm across his chest and said, "You don't have to stick around, I'm here and the kids look wasted."

Martin warred with his conscience. He knew that if the situation were reversed Danny would stick around as long as possible to make sure Grace or Nate were okay but they had been here for several hours now and the kids were exhausted.

Emma reached over and ran her fingers through Nate's hair saying, "Go ahead and go home. Really, it's okay."

He met her eyes questioningly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she gave him a gentle smile and nodded. "Thank you though. You're a good friend, Martin."

He stood up, Nate's limp body resting against him. "You know you can call if you need anything. I mean it, any time, day or night."

"I know," she replied.

XXX

"Daddy," Grace asked as she chewed on the pizza crust. "Can we stay up until mommy gets home?"

He knew that Sam wouldn't be home until late and there was no way the kids would be able to stay awake but considering the day they had he couldn't deny them. "Sure, but you still have to get ready for bed and put on your pajamas."

"Yeah!" they shouted in unison.

He smiled and took another bite thinking just how lucky he was to be sitting at home, eating cold pizza with his kids waiting up for his beautiful wife to come home. At this moment, his kids were safe at home with wounds that were going to heal. They were whole and strong and despite the day's events they were still filled with hope and optimism. He wished they could always stay that way but with Diego in the hospital, he knew in his gut that none of their lives were ever going to be the same again.