The sounds of slow and steady beeping coming from Lacy's heart monitor filtered through the room as she still laid unconscious in the Med Bay of the Rescue Command Centre. Matt Medic felt his heart drop with guilt and anger as he watched the vital signs on the monitor. He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh. It was, unfortunately, common to see children with injuries in the ER, resulting in either from just an accident or abuse. As a physician, he was obligated to report any suspicions to Child Protective Services. In each case, seeing the children suffer was something that broke his heart often. The Rescue Hero team should've contacted them as soon as they heard from each child what was happening at the family home. He should have. It was his duty. It was an obligation for him to report it, and he didn't.

The amount of guilt made his stomach churn. He moved a chair beside Lacy's bed and sat down, glancing over the bandages wrapped around her head, the sling around her arm, and the wires that she was hooked up to. His eyes scanned over Lacy's vitals and shook his head. The only positive thing that came out of this ordeal was that her sorry excuse of a father is currently in jail, and she didn't have a spinal injury.

Unfortunately, she – as well as her siblings – would have to deal with the chance of being separated, temporarily or permanently, once CPS arrives, which Matt knew was coming soon. It was something he dreaded deeply. Not only that, but the therapy that they would all have to, eventually, go through. Having to relive the trauma that they lived through. It was something that he wished that he could save her and her siblings from.

A soft knock on the door broke Matt from his thoughts as he looked up in time to see Billy coming into the room. Billy nodded at her, his eyes over on him. "How is she doing, Matt?"

"She is still unconscious." Matt began. "Lacy was put through the wringer. When Jake and I first arrived, she was intubated as she was having issues breathing. Now though, she's breathing on her own." He sighed, shaking his head. "The injuries that she has sustained today could've been more serious than what they are. There's a large gash on the back of her head. Her sprained ankle is now broken, a couple of cracked ribs, a broken clavicle. As well, her teeth broke through her bottom lip. She is responsive to a sternal rub, so that's good. She doesn't have a spinal injury, thankfully. She will need to remain for observation."

Matt could feel Billy studying him, and his leader sighed, "You shouldn't blame yourself, Matt."

"Billy, I am a physician. You know that I should report this! To keep those children safe. To keep Lacy safe and now look at her. We are supposed to be there to protect those who need it the most...and it feels like we did not rise to the occasion."

Billy nodded to him and leaned against the wall, no longer talking as they all slipped into their minds again, mulling over the day's events. After a while, Billy pushed off the wall and headed back to the door. "CPS will be arriving within the hour. Keep us updated on her condition."

Lacy was coming in and out of consciousness when her siblings came barrelling into the Med Bay, soon followed by Billy and Wendy, who were trying to gather the kids and take them out. Matt whirled around, "What's going on?"

"They want to take us away! They want to break us up!" Damien sobbed as he fought against Billy's hold.

Ellie was crying. "Please! Please. Can't we stay here? We want to stay with our big sister! Why can't we stay?"

After a few moments and coaxing, Wendy took the now sniffling children out of the room. Billy looked back at Matt, who was shaking his head. "What is CPS saying, Billy?"

Billy shook his head, "For now, we can't do anything. CPS is handling it the best we can. Lacy is too young to take care of her siblings. She needs time to heal. They all do."

"How are they going to heal when we're breaking up a family even more? It hasn't even been a month since their mother passed away, their father is now in jail, their big sister is lying here after being beaten to an inch of her life, and now CPS is here to take her siblings away. We...we can't do this to them, Billy. We just can't."

Billy gave a small sigh and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Matt, my hands are tied here."

"Billy…"

"I'm sorry…."

Matt watched as Billy exited the medical bay before he turned his head and looked down at the teenage girl still on the bed and closed his eyes as his chest constricted in guilt. This girl and her siblings have suffered so much, and they were going to make it worse. Matt's hands balled up into fists as he opened his eyes, and instead of guilt or defeat in those dark eyes, there was a newfound determination in them. Without a second's hesitation, he exited the room and took off down to where the lobby was, just in time to see Ellie and Damien being taken away by Child Protective Services.

Matt called out, "Wait!"

"We…we don't want to go!" Ellie sobbed, turning around to look up at Matt. Matt glanced to both of the Social Workers then down to both children, kneeling beside them.

"Ellie, Damien, do you two want to stay here until your sister is in better condition?"

"Matt!"

"Sir, what do you think you're doing!"

"Keeping a promise." Matt's eyes never left the children as they looked at him. He couldn't decipher the emotions in their eyes, but he swore he saw what he thought could only be a relief. "Would you like to?"

They both nodded.

"Sir, can we speak to you for a moment, please?" One of the social workers asked. Matt could tell that the woman was not pleased with him as she led him over near one of the windows and away from the children. The second they stopped, she turned on him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Keeping a promise." He repeated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Matt, was it? We had finally got those children to come with us without having to haul them out of here by force, and now you have ruined that—"

"Good." Matt interrupted. "Their sister is currently in my medical bay, and as such under my care, she does not want to be separated from them, and if they go into the system, there is a good chance that that will never happen."

"You don't know that." The woman started after a split second of hesitation. "Even though we haven't been able to find any living relatives for them at this time, we will do whatever we can to ensure that they are all taken in by a nice family. You don't know what the future holds."

"With all due respect, but neither do you. You have no idea what will happen to them either." Matt replied. "That family has been through the wringer here, and you know that the chances of all three siblings being adopted aren't great here. Perhaps it'd be easy if they were all under the age of ten, here, but that's not the case here."

The woman looked away from him to the children. The children were holding onto Wendy and Ariel, both women doing whatever they could to comfort them. The social worker turned her attention back to him. "What do you suggest we do then?"

"Listen, just let them stay here, just for the next couple of days until their sister is in better condition. This way, it'll let them stay together while CPS is still trying to get in contact with any family…if there is any."

"Do you guys have any rooms available where they can sleep here?"

"Yes. There is."

"…Fine. Just for the next few days, and then we'll be back to take them, whether or not they have a family member to get them or not." The social worker gave him a look that said that the conversation was now over as she took a couple of steps back, turning on her heel as she headed back to where the others were. Matt watched as she spoke to her partner, who glanced up at him, then to Billy and Wendy, kneeling down to the children.

After that, they gave him one last final look and then exited the Command Centre. Billy looked to Wendy and Ariel and said something to them before he came over to him. "Don't you think that maybe you should've asked me whether or not they can stay, Matt?"

"I figured it was better to ask for forgiveness later." Matt watched as Wendy and Ariel took the children out of the room, his eyes darting back to Billy.

"What is going through your mind right now?"

"I feel like we have to right the wrong that we had made," Matt stated. "Billy, if they ended up in a home where they were in a worse situation than they are now, or that they were split up after Lacy had told us that she didn't want that."

"She is also fourteen years old. She is still a minor and is not the guardian of her siblings."

"That's correct; however, Lacy isn't so young that her voice shouldn't be heard." Matt's arms dropped to his sides as he stepped away from Billy and headed towards the door where Wendy and Ariel left. "I have to go check in on Lacy. I'll give you any updates if anything changes. Goodnight, Billy."