When Quinn pulled up in front of the hospital, Lou exited the vehicle and stood on the sidewalk. Lou wasn't entirely sure how it felt to be back. All of her follow-up appointments had been at the clinic, but Georgie's blood thinners were only available here at the hospital pharmacy.

Lou sighed, readying herself. She'd had a lot of difficult conversations with her daughter in the rooms of this hospital. She'd heard some things that had rendered her senseless. Part of Lou knew that that was all behind her and it couldn't hurt her, but the little voice inside her head made her unsure…what if Georgie was still struggling with those thoughts? What if she still thought that she deserved to—

Quinn had come around from the other side of the car. He reached out a gentle hand to Lou's arm, interrupting her train of thought, for which she was thankful for.

"Should we head inside?"

Lou smiled, trying to seem normal in front of him. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go." She closed the door and stepped away while Quinn locked the car. Lou put a hand to her arm, as if to comfort and hold herself as she walked back in.

When they entered the building, and the infamous hospital smell hit, Lou put the back of her hand to her nose. "Oh…" she said, squinting her eyes.

Quinn glanced over. "Yeah, I hate the smell too. But eventually you get used to it."

"I don't exactly want to get used to it, though. Not again."

"Well, there's that. Don't worry, we'll be out of here in no time." Quinn started for the hallway right across from them.

"Isn't the pharmacy that way?" Lou asked, pointing to the left.

"Oh, yeah. It's just that I know a shortcut."

Lou wondered if Georgie had awoken by now. She'd probably be wondering where Lou was, and Quinn. Lou glanced over at him right then.

He was walking a step or two ahead of her. He was walking with determination, but he wasn't rushing or anything. Every now and then, he'd look back to make sure Lou was still there. That made her smile. He had this innocence about him.

When they arrived at the pharmacy, Lou took out the prescription and moved to stand in line beside Quinn. She noticed a young man eyeing them eerily, and she sensed that Quinn noticed as well. He moved in front of Lou, blocking her from the man's view.

Quinn turned to her, smiling encouragingly. "You're feeling okay so far?"

Lou nodded, exhaling. "Yeah, I am."

"If you wanted, you could take a seat and I'll wait in line for you."

"Oh, no. I appreciate it, but I'm good to stand."

Quinn nodded, smiling. There was concern in his eyes, but he tried his best to shield it. His conversation last night with Georgie had filled him with worry. He was a natural worrier, but especially now, he kept close tabs on Lou. He knew that Georgie wasn't here, neither was Mitch. He was the next best thing. He had to look out for Lou.

When it was their turn, Lou stepped forward and placed the prescription on the surface in front of the pharmacist. "Hi, I actually need a refill for this prescription."

The man behind the counter looked up at Lou. As he took his glasses off, he smiled politely. "Sure thing. Can I get a health card to verify this info?"

Lou lightly tapped her forehead. "Oh, right. Yes, of course. It's for my daughter," she said, reaching into her purse and grabbing her wallet. She opened it and took out the card. Holding it out, she said, "Georgie Fleming-Morris."

"Perfect. I'll just be a moment," said the man as he disappeared behind a wall.

Lou sighed, turning around to face Quinn. "They should have that ready in a little while."

He nodded. "Sounds good." Quinn was deftly aware of the man behind them. He had heard him shift a little and come closer, so Quinn himself turned around to face him. "Can I help you?"

He shrugged. "No, I'm just waiting for my meds."

Quinn stared at him for a moment. "Do I know you?"

"No, but your girlfriend does."

Lou's head turned toward. Her daughter's name was being thrown around and it made her crazy. But she knew she had to keep her calm; they were in a hospital, after all. There were patients nearby.

"What are you talking about?" Quinn questioned him, a hint of anger rising in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm Parker. My brother's vehicle is the one that collided with Georgie's that day. Left me with a broken leg, my brother in a coma."

Quinn's lips parted, and he looked over at Lou apprehensively. She seemed frozen, unable to do or say anything.

"Look, I'm not exactly supposed to be talking to you. My brother's trial is going to be starting soon."

"Okay…"

"Well, I've been thinking of tracking you down for a few days now. It's just…you should know that Georgie wasn't meant to be arrested, detained, or end up in the hospital…"

Quinn was stunned, at a loss. He stood there, wide-eyed, baffled. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I don't know much. You should ask her yourself what happened that night."

"And you're telling us this because?"

"Because you guys should have the right information going into this trial. You should probably hire somebody to represent you."

"Mr. Anderson?"

Parker perked up and walked around both Lou and Quinn and went to pick up his prescription.

Lou turned, her eyes following the young man. "So, the crash…" she began.

"Was his fault," said Parker, confirming Lou's suspicions. "My dad is crazy protective of him. He is going to play hardball to keep him out of trouble. I just thought you should know."

Lou inhaled sharply.

Before heading out, he turned back to Lou. "For what it's worth, I'm really sorry this is happening."

Quinn stepped forward and came to stand beside Lou. "I wasn't expecting that."

Lou shook her head. "Me neither," she said in a whisper.

"You okay?"

Lou looked over at Quinn, whose face held a mixture of worry and anxiety. "Um, yeah. I just…"

"I know. We need to get home and then we will sort all of this out."

"Georgie. Georgie, she…she told me they didn't do anything. She hid this from me as well?"

"Maybe she doesn't even remember everything from that night."

"No, no, she…she had to have remembered."

Quinn was silent for a few moments. "I honestly can't say for sure. But he said his brother's trial is starting soon. I mean, I don't know if…"

"We need to get a lawyer."

Quinn sighed. "Yeah. Definitely."

"He said that they hurt Georgie—" Lou's voice cracked, and she went quiet. Lou could feel her lip quivering. She hastily brought a hand up to her mouth. "I don't—I don't understand. Why would they do this? Do they not realize she's someone's child? My child."

Quinn wasn't exactly sure what to say. He knew Lou wasn't really asking for an answer, but he figured he'd offer one anyway. "I know this is hard. But times like this, they don't look at any of that. They're simply trying to take the attention away from their son and…and pin it on Georgie."

"But hurting her…" Lou's voice was heavy, brittle. "Why?"

Quinn was silent. Listening to the way Lou's voice was quivering made a shiver run through his skull.

"You know where I was when all that was happening? Completely unconscious, bed-ridden. I cannot even conceive the pain that she—" Lou broke off.

"I can call up a lawyer," said Quinn. He felt ridiculous for saying this in response, but he was trying to offer up a solution, trying to make Lou feel better. "My dad knows him, he's out in Calgary."

"Calgary?"

"Yeah. He's defended people in some pretty high profile cases."

"You'd do that?" Lou asked him, an innocence about her.

A smile settled in Quinn's eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. I'll just…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "I'll call him and see if he's free to meet with me. I'll drop you off, and then—"

"No, I'm coming along."

Quinn hesitated a moment. "But Mitch said—"

"You let me worry about Mitch."

Quinn thought back to his conversation with Mitch before he left with Lou. He'd said that things had just gotten better, that Lou had just made it out of the woods. "Um, okay. But if you begin feeling even a little bit off, you have to let me know."

Lou agreed. "Fine by me."

Quinn exhaled, nodding. "Alright." He pulled up the lawyer's contact and pressed on the call button. He began pacing away from the seating area, a hand tucked under his elbow.

Lou sighed as she sat down in a chair, leaning her head back against the wall. She was beginning to feel a little weary, but she figured it was probably just because of the news she'd just gotten. That young man had probably helped her more than he gave himself credit for. This way, Lou knew what lay ahead of her. She knew how to plan the coming days; that's how she felt most secure.

When Lou and Quinn walked into the house, they immediately spotted Georgie. She was standing at the roundtable, gripping the edge with one hand and a phone was held in the other.

Georgie had been lost in thought, her mind had been racing. When she heard her mother and Quinn come in, she looked up. She exhaled in relief. "Where were you two? It's been hours!"

"Georgie…" Lou began tiredly. "Honey, just calm down."

Georgie exhaled resignedly. "I'm calm. It's just…" she gestured toward Lou. "You know what? Nevermind. You're home now, so…so it's fine." She dropped her phone onto the table.

Lou removed her jacket and placed it on her chair. But when she brushed past to get to the sink, the jacket fell to the floor.

Georgie walked over and picked it up, feeling the cool leather on her skin. Her mother's scent was coming off strongly and Georgie held it close for a moment before placing it on the chair again.

Lou poured herself some water and sipped the glass a couple times. Her mind was racing as she gazed into the distance through the window.

"Something happen?" Georgie asked.

"No, not exactly," said Lou in a quiet, worn-out voice.

"Well, what took so long?" Georgie tried again, turning to Quinn. "Is she okay?" Georgie mouthed to him.

Quinn nodded reassuringly.

Georgie turned back to Lou. "Mom, please. Give me something."

As Lou looked at Georgie, she felt herself go frail. Her heart ached, and she shut her eyes momentarily. If Marion were here, she'd know what to do. She'd know how to talk to Georgie. "I don't know how to," said Lou in a broken voice. "I really don't."

"Just say it like you would anything else."

Lou couldn't speak. She was terrified that if she made even one wrong move, if she said one wrong thing, then everything would fall to pieces, again. Lou put a hand to her lips, trying her best not to lose it. It was taking every bit of her strength not to burst into tears.

Georgie sensed her mother's struggle, and she relented. "Okay, fine, it's okay. You take your time." Georgie moved forward and hugged Lou, holding her at her waist.

Lou leaned into Georgie's hug, resting her face to her daughter's hair. She exhaled heavily.

"I've got you," said Georgie, holding tight. She rubbed Lou's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm right here."

If I didn't have her, where would I be today? This daughter of hers didn't understand how important she was to her. Holding onto Georgie helped Lou regain her ground and slowed her heartbeat.

Lou didn't want to let go, but she knew the longer she kept holding on, the more worrisome Georgie would become. So Lou moved back, plastering a smile to her lips.

Georgie was searching her mother's eyes, her face for any indication of what had happened, if her mother really was alright.

Lou inhaled deeply, readying herself to talk to Georgie. "We were at the pharmacy, waiting for your meds." Lou began slowly, choosing her words carefully. "And this boy, a few years older than you, he recognized us and began talking."

"Alright…"

"His name was Parker. He was the brother of the boy who killed—who was driving the other vehicle that day."

The wrinkle between Georgie's brows disappeared. She tensed up.

"He told us that his brother's trial was starting soon. That his dad had orchestrated your arrest."

Georgie gaped for a moment, trying to take in the news. "Is that…is that why you're upset?"

Lou looked at her pointedly. "Honey, why else would I be? I was completely out of my senses while they—" she broke off, looking to the side.

"Okay, it's okay," said Georgie, putting a hand to Lou's forearm. "It's behind us. Just stop thinking about it."

Lou shook her head intensely. "No! I can't, okay? The trial is starting up soon, and I need it to go right."

"Trial? Woah, wait a second. You're saying that you want to get involved?"

"Honey, we don't have a choice. They are going to involve us whether or not we want it."

"No! It's a case with the defence and the province! It's as simple as that. We have no place there." When Georgie got nothing in response, she exhaled heavily in frustration. "What took you so long?"

"Georgie."

She turned toward his voice.

He nodded slightly, as if to prepare himself before getting into this. "We were in Calgary."

"Calgary? When Mitch said you were headed into town, I assumed he meant Hudson."

"Yeah, we went there first. And then we ran into Parker, and…" he trailed off, inhaling sharply. "We called up a lawyer. We went to go meet with him."

"Oh," Georgie laughed bitterly. "You've already set it in motion. I have no say in this whatsoever."

Lou brought a trembling hand to Georgie's chin, turning her to face her. "Honey, you weren't supposed to get arrested. You were never meant to end up in the hospital. It was done to you."

A sad smile made its way onto Georgie's lips. "It was what was meant for me. It happened, it's over. Let's move on."

Lou shook her head. "I can't accept that. Those monsters dared hurt my daughter—"

Georgie inhaled sharply, looking to the side. "She's gone. The one they hurt is gone."

"That's—" Lou broke off, shutting her eyes tight, exhaling. "That's not what I meant."

Georgie quieted. She thought about it for a minute. "If this is what you want, then I won't stop you."

Lou looked at her, unsure if she had heard her correctly. "Really?"

"If it's what you need, I'll get over myself."

"Sweetie, this isn't about me."

"No, I know. It's just…I get it."

"You're sure you're okay with this?"

Georgie nodded. "I'm sure. I'm not about to take this away from you, too."

Lou's eyes darkened. "What did you just say?"

Georgie recognized the tone in her mother's voice. It wasn't that she hadn't heard what Georgie had said, it was that she didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Georgie," said Lou in emphasis, trying to get her daughter to look at her.

"Look, I know that's not what you want to hear."

Lou shut her eyes, exhaling tightly. She was frustrated. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she needed to, but she could barely speak without her throat closing in on her. She didn't want to cry, not in front of Georgie.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know how getting involved is going to help us. He'll get what's coming to him, and I think we should be thankful for that."

"But honey—"

"But my arrest," said Georgie, nodding. "I know that's why you're upset. I know you're enraged that they did what they did, but I mean, I got through it."

"You must have been terrified."

Her mother was focusing on all the wrong things. Georgie was trying to get one point across, but Lou kept hearing something else. "I love you. And I know you love me. And that's why you want to see this through, but…"

"But what?"

"I just don't want us to lose each other over this."

Georgie's words hit Lou right in the heart. Surely Georgie knew that whatever came their way, Lou would never turn away from her, right?

Georgie exhaled. They weren't getting anywhere with this. "Why don't I make some coffee for you guys? You must be exhausted."

"No, I think I'm going to go lay down for a few minutes," said Lou defeatedly.

"Mom—" Georgie tried as her mother brushed past her.

When Lou was out of sight, Quinn turned back to Georgie, who was still facing away from him. He sighed, walking over to her and planting a kiss to her hair and placing a reassuring hand to her shoulder.

Georgie leaned against him. She reached her hand on top of his and held it there, shutting her eyes tight.

A little while later, Mitch returned to the house. Quinn and Georgie filled him in on what had happened in town, and Mitch then made his way to his and Lou's room.

"Lou, honey?" He asked as he made his way into the room, his eyes taking a second or two to adjust to the darkness. Lou was lying on her side, facing the window. He walked over and sat beside her in the space that was available.

Mitch placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her temple. "Hey, the kids filled me in. Are you okay?"

Lou nodded silently.

"Are you sure?"

Lou exhaled, turning a little to face him. "I don't know. I'm trying to be."

"Look, it's okay to have emotions. And you don't have to pick yourself up every time for me. But for you…Lou, you can't overwhelm yourself every single time something goes wrong."

"I'll be fine," she said reassuringly. "I just needed some rest. Today took a lot out of me."

Mitch inhaled sharply, worrying like always. "Okay, that's fair."

"Thank you."

Mitch was surprised. He furrowed his brow, smiling a little. "For what?"

"For always being there for me. I never feel alone around you."

"And why would you? You know I've got you," he said, moving the hair out of her eyes.

Lou pulled herself up, and as she did, she felt Mitch lean forward and catch her in his arms.

He embraced her both lovingly and fiercely, wrapping his arms around her waist. He put his lips against her hair. "I love you." Rubbing her shoulder, he said, "As long as I'm with you, you'll never be alone."

Lou inhaled, as if on impact. She felt her throat tighten, and she was rendered speechless. She gripped him harder, rattled by the notion of him someday not being there.

"You know, today's been a weird day, and it's not even over yet, but…it wasn't all bad."

Lou moved back to look at him. "Yeah? What happened?"

"Georgie, she first asked me where you were. So I told her. And she was about to go, but she turned back to tell me that there was something going on with her yesterday and that's why she snapped. That she loves us both—"

Lou looked up at him when he said that. A smile made its way onto her lips.

"And that she was sorry."

"You must have been over the moon."

Mitch laughed a little. "Yeah, I was. Still am."

"Good. Hold onto that. I have a feeling we'll need it in the coming days."

Mitch's smile faded. He sighed.

"What?"

"No, nothing."

"Come on, I know that look."

Mitch shook his head, dismissing her concerns. "No, don't even worry about it. Trust me, honey."

A guttural scream came from the kitchen and it startled both Lou and Mitch. She recognized whose voice it was and it made her blood run cold. Before Lou had a chance to react, Mitch was up and out of the room. She quickly got up as well, shaking as she was, and put a hand to the bedframe to help steady herself.

When Lou arrived in the kitchen, she saw Mitch hovering beside Georgie and moving to turn on the cold water from the tap. He brought her hand under the running water and seemed to relax his shoulders.

Lou walked over and when she was behind him, she asked, "What happened?"

Mitch turned and moved, giving way for Lou to step forward.

As she did, she saw that Georgie's hand was red. As if on impact, her chest tightened and she subconsciously put her hand over her heart. "Honey…"

With her hand still under the faucet, Georgie looked at her mother. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to spill all that water onto my hand."

Georgie's response rubbed Lou the wrong way. Why was she offering up explanations?

Georgie turned back in front of her, exhaling in pain.

"Keep your hand under the water for a while, alright?" Mitch instructed her. "I'll go grab the first aid. It's in my truck."

When Mitch left the house, Lou reached for her daughter's injured hand. The cold water trickled over Georgie's hand and waterfalled onto Lou's. She leaned forward. "Honey, how did this happen?"

"I wasn't paying attention and it just happened. I don't know."

Her voice sounded strained, and Lou could feel how much pain she was in. Usually when Georgie would get hurt, she'd spend her time reassuring her mother that it was no big deal, that it was just a light scratch. She didn't say anything like that this time. That's how Lou knew how serious this was.

"Um, Quinn went back to his apartment for a little bit. He said he wanted to check in with his roommate."

"Okay, that's fine."

She nodded, trying to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I shouldn't have screamed so loudly."

She cupped Georgie's face with her free hand, trying to reassure her. "Don't you worry yourself."

A/N: As always, thank you for reading this story. It does mean a lot to me. Also Kelsey, thanks so much for all your input. A lot of what you said, I promise I have in my notes xD I'm definitely working on adding to Lou's POV more. She's my favourite character, but because I'm around Georgie's age, it's easier for me to see things through her eyes. But I'm working on it, I promiseee. And more Lou and Mitch moments, you got it!

To tell you the truth, I've been planning this story for a while now, and there's some parts to get through, and then I promise the characters are not going to be stuck in this sort of state forever. There will definitely be a different vibe later on. Stuff's gonna happen, words will be said. I'm excited to take this story forward.