"Hi, Buck, come in," said Maddie happily as she opened the door for her little brother. "How are you?"
"I'm good. Are you okay?" asked Buck as he eyed Maddie with a sense of concern. "You are extremely cheerful today."
"I'm perfect." Maddie smiled. "I met the two people that looked after Chim when his mother died last night. They're really lovely people, and they liked me. They told Chim that he chose well."
Buck had to grin at that. He knew that Doug's parents had liked Maddie, but clearly not this much. She had never told anyone that they said their son chose the right woman, and had certainly never been this cheerful about her relationship.
"The Lee's are lovely people," continued Maddie. "They invited Chimney and I to have lunch with them next weekend. They even told me about their own son, and how he would have considered me to be his sister-in-law within seconds of meeting me."
"That's nice."
Maddie laughed. "Anyway, so, did you want to go out for lunch, or should I make us something?"
"We're going out. It's my treat... Providing you can actually walk without being distracted?"
Another laugh escaped Maddie's lips as she shook her head. "You're so silly, you know that?" she asked rhetorically.
Maddie and Buck found themselves a table near the cafe's window and sat down, their orders in their hands. Both were quiet, lost in their thoughts, when Buck finally got his sister's attention.
"Hey, Mads, you remember how we said we were lucky to have each other the other day?" he asked.
"Of course," answered Maddie as she sipped her hot coffee. "Why?"
"Did you always feel that way?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... you were already ten when I was born. You had spent ten years as an only child, and, all of a sudden, there was a new baby around. Weren't you jealous?"
Maddie shrugged. "A little, but everyone at school had siblings, and I had always wanted one. I got to help mum and dad look after you, and that was something I could brag about at school. I didn't want to have a sibling at the start, when you came home from the hospital, but I got over it pretty fast."
"What about now? You still want me around, right?"
Maddie nodded. "You can be a pain, but I love you no matter what. You are a good brother, and you care about me. I couldn't ask for a better brother, honestly."
"You mean that?"
"Yes. Who else can say that their baby brother came to the rescue when they were lost in the snowy woods, bleeding from a knife wound? You stayed by my side at the hospital, kept me conscious in the ambulance. You're the one that took me in when I was running from Doug. You protected me like no-one else ever has." Maddie looked at Buck. "Where is this coming from?"
Buck looked away, an embarrassed grin on his face. "Well... I was just thinking... the way Albert and Chimney were acting... it made me realise that I have something I can truly say is special. You've been the best sister in the world for as long as I can remember. I just..."
"Just what?" Maddie prompted.
"I... I don't want to lose that. We get along so well, despite all the arguments we have. I just want that to last as long as possible."
Maddie smiled. "That isn't going to change, Evan. We've been through a lot this past year, and we've come out of it stronger than ever. Nothing is going to change the fact that we are family, and family sticks together."
"I know that," said Buck, finally smiling and returning to his normal self as they finished off their lunch.