Ella immediately burst into tears. Weeping, wailing sobs. Nick tried to sit up and reach out to her, but he was immediately met with excruciating pain at the effort. Jen stood up and scooped their daughter into her arms and held her tight on her lap.

"Breathe, Ell," Jen instructed, speaking softly and soothingly, stroking her hair and letting her cry as much as she needed to. "Daddy's alright. We're all alright. It's okay, sweet girl."

Cody was awake by now and staring in horror at his sister. He was not easily fazed by things, was Cody, but when something upset him, he did not often cope very well.

"Mate, look at me," Nick said to his son. When Cody swiveled his head to look in his eyes, Nick asked, "You okay?"

The little boy nodded slowly.

"Tell me you're okay," Nick instructed. His voice was hoarse from disuse and his head was a bit foggy and he was in so much pain he might start weeping himself in a minute, but there were more important things to focus on.

"I'm okay, Dad," Cody replied.

"What's that on your arm?"

Cody held up his green cast. "My arm got broken at church. I picked the green one because you like green. Do you like it, Dad?"

Nick looked at Jen in slight horror. He only had a vague memory of what had happened at the church…when was that? What had happened since? How had Cody broken his arm?

Jen was still calming Ella but looked over her head and gave him a small nod. She also reached into the pocket of her hoodie to find her phone. She sent a quick text one-handed.

"I like the green, mate. That looks really cool," Nick said to Cody.

Cody smiled at that. "Thanks, Dad."

In almost the same instant, Sam walked into the room. "Everyone's awake, I see," he greeted with a grin.

Jen looked over to him with a grateful expression for coming to help out so quickly after she'd sent the message telling him Nick was awake and asking him to take the kids for a little while. "Ella, Cody, go with Uncle Sam to get some breakfast, okay?" she suggested.

"I've been looking in the cafeteria and I think they've got chocolate French toast. What do you say we try some of that?"

Ella wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and clambered off her mother's lap. Her face was blotchy and her eyes were red, but with Sam holding her hand, she looked a little calmer than she had before. "Can I have whipped cream?" she asked him.

Jen gave an internal prayer of thanks to hear her daughter speaking again.

"Sure you can," Sam answered brightly.

Cody also joined Uncle Sam for the exciting breakfast, and Sam told Nick and Jen they'd be back later.

And Nick and Jen were left alone.

"What the bloody hell's happened?" Nick asked. "Ella's crying, Cody broke his arm?"

Jen herself felt like crying at that moment. "I'll tell you everything but first, I just…" She stood up and leaned over Nick in the hospital bed and put her arms around him as best she could and buried her face in his neck. He reached up, with great difficulty, and held her as best he could.

"I'm okay, Jen," he told her softly. "I'm okay, it's gonna be okay."

She lifted her head just enough to kiss him rather fervently, knowing that the feel of his lips was the only thing that could truly convince her of that fact. When she pulled away, she wiped away tears that had escaped her eyes and sighed in relief. "You almost weren't okay, Nick," she told him.

"What happened, Jen?" he asked again.

She pulled her uncomfortable chair up as close to him as she could and took his hand like she had the day before. But now he squeezed her hand right back. It was more comforting than anything else possibly could have been. "The wedding was yesterday afternoon. And we were all at the altar when a man came in with an assault rifle and started shooting. I was a few people away from Ella, so I ran over and grabbed her and held her down on the ground. You grabbed Cody and dove to get to us. Duncan covered Hope. And when it was all over, you and Duncan had been shot, and Cody landed funny on his arm."

"Duncan?" Nick asked in terror.

"Shot twice in the stomach. He's okay. Woke up last night. Talking and laughing like always. Your sister's a bit upset she didn't get married. She was running around in her wedding dress covered in his blood till Kim and Danielle could convince her to change clothes."

"Everyone else is alright?"

"Father Lewisham died. He was the only fatality. The family's all fine. Now that you're awake. In case you're interested, you were shot three times in the back. Surgeons repaired your lung, liver, kidney, and spine. And yesterday your heart stopped right in front of me and I had to watch them shock it back."

Nick squeezed her hand. "Jesus, Jen, I'm so sorry. I hate that I put you through that."

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat but to no avail. "It's okay. I'd go through whatever to make sure you're okay. And you're awake now. God, I can't tell you how much I needed you to be awake," she sobbed.

"Shh, it's okay, Jennifer, it's okay," he reminded her. He wished more than anything that he could cuddle her close to him, but if he'd been shot three times and had half his major organs repaired, there was no way his body would allow him to do that just yet. Christ, no wonder he was in pain.

Jen did not want to cry anymore; she'd done so much of that already. But at least this time, her tears were ones of relief and not of fear. She had Nick holding her hand and speaking softly to her, just as he had every time she was ever afraid or upset over the last decade. And that was enough.

"Is Ella okay?" Nick asked. "Cody broke an arm, but he seems okay otherwise. What happened to Ella?"

"The trauma, I think," Jen replied, lifting her head to speak to him again, grateful she could shift away from her own feelings for a little while. "She was sobbing hysterically like that at the church after the shooting, and then she didn't speak a single word till she said hello to you when you woke up. But I think she's talking again now."

"We'll need to find a therapist for them both," Nick mused. "Do you think Claudia would know anyone? Or how about Muriel?"

Jen nearly smiled at that. Such a typically Nick thing to do, jump to trying to find a plan of action, a way forward, anything to help his loved ones even while he himself had barely survived. "Once we're all back home, I can make some calls," she said in agreement, knowing that either their friend the police psychologist or the children's worker they knew would have recommendations.

Nick looked at his wife and felt his heart constrict with the way he ached for her whenever she was upset. This whole ordeal had been so much for everyone, he was sure, but knowing Jen, she had borne the brunt of it. After all, Jen was the strong one. She was strong for herself and for anyone who needed her. Nick had always been the only one who was ever strong for her. And he hadn't done a good job of it, lying in that hospital bed.

He wanted to ask her more questions. There was something in her eyes that told him that she had more to say. But for now, the silence was a blessed relief. Well, not quite complete silence. There was a hum of machines and that steady beeping that reminded them all that he was alive. And they would be okay.