"Ms. McRae," Brett Wilson called down the hall.

"Mr. Wilson," Nikki replied.

"We did it," Brett said, "graduation tomorrow."

"We did it," Nikki said, "we're really teachers now."

"We are," Brett said, "tomorrow who's coming from your family?"

"Jeff, mom, Owen, Teddy, Nate," Nikki said, "you?"

"My parents and sisters," Brett said, "dr. Riggs is coming?"

"Nate is," Nikki replied, "he's like a big brother he was really disappointed when he couldn't come to my college one."

"How do you know him," Brett asked.

"Owen my brother is 17 years older than me," Nikki said, "I've known Nate my whole life. Owen and Nate went to highschool, college and med school together. They joined the army at the same time with my sister. Meghan was captured in Iraq 8 and a half years ago. She was 14 years older than me. Nate was engaged to Meg. he's just family now."

Your sister was captured," Brett said.

"She was it was a long time ago," Nikki said, 'I was 14 almost 15 when it happened."

"How old are you now," Brett asked.

"I turned 23 in Kenya," Nikki said.

"Was there a celebration," Brett asked.

"I like my birthday low key," Nikki said, "it was the day we went with Nate to that little village. That was my birthday celebration. And Nate had a couple things the rest of the family sent for my birthday in his bag."

"So you celebrated with your kind of brother," Brett asked.

"We did with giraffes, elephants and zebras," Nikki said, "and we had the best mangos they were the size of my head."

"So it was good," Brett said.

"It was," Nikki replied, "memorable."

"Do you want to come for drinks with a bunch of us after the ceremony tomorrow," Brett asked.

"Maybe," Nikki said, "is Jeff included?"

"Just our cohort," Brett said.

"I'll let you know tomorrow," Nikki said, "I'll drive a few people."

"Driving," Brett said, "just take a cab."

"I don't drink," Nikki replied.

"Never," Brett said.

"Three glasses of wine in my whole life," Nikki said, "at home with my sister in law Teddy."

"I don't really drink," Brett said, "maybe one beer. Too many years of playing professional football. I'm an athlete even if I can't play anymore."

"Two reasons," Nikki said.

"Two," Brett asked, "what are they if you want to tell me."

"It's kind of two in one," Nikki replied, "I was a ballerina. I went to Pacific Rim Ballet school for highschool I had an apprenticeship with the Pacific Northwest Ballet right out of high school."

"What happened," Brett asked.

"That July days before I turned 18 two friends and I were coming home from our first company performance and a drunk driver ran a red and hit us," Nikki said.

"Was everyone okay," Brett asked.

"Almost 4 months in the hospital, 6 months of physio," Nikki replied, "my best friend from kindergarten didn't make it and the other girl is a parapalegic. I was the lucky one. It ended my dance career before it started but I found something that makes me happier than dancing ever did."

"Teaching," Brett asked.

"Yes," Nikki said, "why did you choose this and math?"

"I had a math teacher in highschool Mr. Endacot that man was a legend," Brett said, "he saw me as more than jock, more than the quarterback. He believed in me in ways no one else has. I want to be that for a kid."

"Why not football," Nikki asked.

"Two fractured vertebrae," Brett said, "bad tackle took me out of the game. I was playing professionally. I was a second string player but it was the dream. I took a couple years, worked random jobs and then finally got the courage to apply to be a teacher and the GTEP program."

"I'm sorry," Nikki said, "losing dreams sucks."

"It does," Brett agreed, "or is this the dream?"

"This feels better than dancing ever did," Nikki smiled, "this has meaning, this has purpose."

"It does," Brett agreed, "come celebrate tomorrow."

"I will with a shirley temple," Nikki smiled.

"A Shirley Temple," Brett asked.

"It looks like a drink but is non alcoholic,' Nikki said.

"I just have soda," Brett said.

"Not a soda fan," Nikki said, "ballet school for middle and high school kills your love of most junk food."

"Favourite treat," Brett asked.

"Dark chocolate," Nikki smiled, "the really dark like 75 or 85% dark. You?"

"Homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies," Brett said.

The bell rang ending their lunch period.

"Have a good afternoon," Nikki smiled.

"You two," Brett replied as they walked into their classrooms.

At graduation the next day Nikki's family walked towards the stadium.

"We all get to come this time," Teddy said.

"We do," Evelyn smiled.

"Two full degrees in five years," Owen said.

"Wow," Nathan said, "I'm excited to see the wolf pack."

"Good group," Evelyn asked.

"I like them," Nathan agreed, "I think there could be an Owen / Teddy situation between Nikki and Brett Wilson."

"Owen / Teddy situation," Owen asked.

"She's you sister and more like you all the time," Nathan laughed, "she was really good friends in Kenya with this guy Brett from her cohort. He's a math teacher and there was some flirting. They acted like a couple but are just really good friends. He's at her school now. He's good for her, he listened to her, they talked and threw a football."

"She played football," Owen asked.

"And soccer," Nathan said, "Kenya was good for her. She got a lot more confident over there."

"When Jeff isn't around," Teddy said.

"What is she doing," Nathan asked, "I don't know if she really loves him and he's not good for her."

"I get it," Owen said, "she's scared, she knows he's there even if he's not good for her or for our family he knows he's there. It's familiar and reliable. I did it."

"We know," Teddy laughed, "glad you smartened up eventually."

"She will when she's ready," Owen said.

"She will," Teddy agreed, 'hopefully she learns faster than her brother."

"She just needs to see how she should be treated," Nathan said, "she's only seen you two."

"We know," Teddy said.

"She's content for now," Evelyn said, "teaching is taking all her time."

They found their seats and sat for the ceremony.

After the ceremony they all met up and took a bunch of pictures.

"We did the big hoopla for my undergrad," Nikki said, "calm."

"We're ordering Thai," Evelyn said.

"That I can do," Nikki replied, "I'm meeting my cohort for a toast at 7:30."

"You're going,' Jeff asked.

"I am," Nikki replied, "one and I'm coming home. I want to celebrate with them."

"Go and have fun," Owen said.

Meghan was walking out of the OR and looking for her son.

"Faroke," Meghan called.

"Hi mama," the boy replied, hopping out from behind a broken down truck.

"Don't hide from me," Meghan said.

"I wanted to play hide and seek," Faroke said.

"Not here and not today," Meghan scolded.

"When can we go home," Faroke asked.

"I don't know," Meghan said, "I go where they take me. This will never be home. Home is Seattle."

"Tell me about Seattle," Faroke said as Meghan sat on a bench.

Meghan saw with the six year old telling him all about her family and the places she had loved. Sitting in the crows nest with coffee talking to Owen running on the beach or through the park with Nathan. She thought of the Facebook posts she had seen over a year earlier and wondered about her siblings. Her mom should be retired by now. Owen seemed to have two kids and Nikki she had no idea, her baby sister had finished college was all she knew. She built her fantasy world for her son, her siblings were friends now, they still saw Teddy and Nathan, Owen was with anyone but Beth.

A man she didn't know roughly grabbed her arm and tried to pull her into a building. Meghan resisted because she didn't know this man and he wasn't speaking a language she understood. She was fluent in Arabic now and out of necessity had learned to read and write it.

"Mama," Faroke yelled, grabbing onto Meghan's legs.

Meghan fought to keep her voice level, "Faroke go find Batool. I will be back."

"No mama," Faroke argued.

"Go," Meghan commanded, "I have to work. You have to go see Batool and help her. Get her to give you a job to do. I will come as soon as I'm done."

Meghan followed the man into the darkened house smelling blood as she entered.

"Help," the man said in arabic.

Meghan looked around and saw a woman writhing on the floor. She tried to introduce herself in Arabic first then English. She realized the woman was in labour and needed help to deliver the baby. With the help of a local woman who knew Meghan it was explained that she was an american surgeon and could help. It took all of her skills to save both the woman and her twins but she did it. She had done so many things outside her trauma training now. It was late when she washed up and found her son.

"Are you done mama," Faroke asked.

"I am," Meghan replied, "you need to get ready for bed."

"Already," Faroke asked.

"Already," Meghan echoed, she wasn't sure what time it was she hadn't had a working watch in years but she knew it was time for her son to go to bed with how dark it was out and the sounds around her.

"I'm not tired," Faroke said.

"It's time for bed," Meghan said, taking him by the hand.

"Can you tell me a story about Seattle," Faroke asked.

"Not tonight my sweet boy," Meghan said, "I'm going to come to bed two."

"Until you fall asleep," Faroke begged.

"Until I fall asleep," Meghan agreed with a yawn. Her stories of Seattle were like the fairy tales her son grew up with, whispered in the cover of darkness at night, songs softly hummed while she worked or he fell asleep.

Ready for bed Meghan sat beside Faroke rubbing his back as the small boy fell asleep listening to the stories of Grandma, Uncle Owen and Auntie Nikki. These were the mythical figures her son knew, instead of stories of kings, princesses and dragons his fairy tales were of her family and where she grew up. It gave her hope and something to cling to. Thinking of playing soccer with Owen and racing around on their bikes, reading to Nikki and holding her baby sister. But what she had seen a year ago Nikki was a woman now, and Owen had kids, she prayed every day that she would get to see them soon. Eight and a half years she had been gone, nearly nine. Did Nikki even remember her or was Meghan the mythical figure only alive in the stories told by their mom and Owen? She was trying to figure out how to let them know she was alive, the next time she got her hands on a computer she was going to try to email, but did anyone still use the same email addresses?