A/N: Enjoy.

18.

Claudia.

Janine had taken us, meaning herself and me, and Claus to a Japanese restaurant she liked. Claus was interested in Japanese food, going for steak and scallops. I guess it had something to do with him being blind, made him develop all sorts of different tastes.

"Claud?"

"Hmm?"

"You're grades, they've been slipping."

"With everything going on-" I began.

"I understand you're dealing with a lot, but they'll catch her, I know it."

"Her?"

"Mary Anne told me. She was trying to reach you, and I picked up."

"Ugh."

"At least I recommended Doctor Antonov to her. She wanted me to be her OBGYN."

"She was in a panic."

"Understandable, but, I'm a physicist, not an OBGYN."

"How's Charlie?" I asked, watching as Claus speared a piece of meat, and sipped his tea.

"Quite well, despite what he found out about his father."

"Makes me hate him even more. He walks out on his wife and kids, now this?"

"I'm confident Logan won't be another Patrick Thomas."

"He'd better not."

Later on, as I was returning from the bathroom, I heard both Claus and Janine speaking German, as she helped him finish off the scallops.

"Vanessa, hmm?"

"Ja. Wants to be a novelist like Mallory."

"Her fad was poetry."

He laughed.

"Wish I could understand that more. I prefer novels. All kinds."

"Mysteries?"

"Yeah. Spy novels, biographies, memoirs-"

She laughed, obviously getting his point.

A bit later, I offered to help them pay when it happened. Claus slumped into his chair.

"My head." He managed, before falling face-first onto the table.

Janine managed to find a phone and dial 9-1-1. An ambulance arrived. Claus was placed in between us.

I couldn't stop crying, worried about what this could be.

A few hours later, we soon got our answer.

"Migraine."

"A what?"

Janine explained.

"It's like a headache, but worse."

"You're sure that's all it is?"

"He'll be fine after some pain meds." The doctor told me.

"Thank God."

"You were worried?" Janine asked.

"I thought it might be an aneurysm or a stroke."

"Like Mimi."

"Yeah."

The memory soon came back to us.

"I should let Stacey know."

"Good idea."

Stacey soon answered on the fourth ring.

"Claud?"

I managed to explain it all.

"Shit. He thought it was just sinus issues."

"Yeah?"

"Yup."

Stacey soon arrived to get her future step-brother home, pain pills and all.

The doctor said it could last a few more days, but, as long as the pills worked, he'd be fine. We were all so relieved. One crisis averted.