It was obvious to the hospital staff that none of the three men were leaving that girl's side that night, so they came into the room to check them over. None of them had been as badly damaged as Mabel, but they still needed bandages and medical attention. When they were done they brought another bed into the room, and both men decided Dipper needed it more than either of them. The poor boy was too tired to argue, though he did make sure he was positioned so he would be as close to his sister as possible.

Ford gave a small smile as he tucked a blanket around the sleeping boy. He then grabbed a chair and sat next to Stan, who had not left Mabel's side. Ford noticed his brother was shaking.

Ford put his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Stanley, none of this is your fault. You know that, right?"

"I can't do this, Ford." Stan buried his face in his hands. "I'm in over my head. The kids would be better off with anyone but me."

"Stanley, you aren't honestly suggesting we release the kids to the state, are you? That's basically a death sentence for them! They're teenage twins. They would be separated. They would end up in the homes of complete strangers. They would-"

"Be safe." Stan cut his brother off bluntly.

"Stanley, I know that this has all hit you hard, but you can't honestly believe that going off with strangers would be better than having a home with us, do you?" Ford said hoping that he could bring his brother to his senses.

"Ford, we don't even have a home anymore!"

"We'll rebuild the shack. Heck, the place has been through worse over the summer. In fact, I am nearly positive insurance will cover most of the damages. Not to mention now that the perpetrators have been brought to justice, we will probably win some financial compensation for our pain and suffering-"

"The shack is not the point here Ford! The point is that Mabel nearly died twice this week because I couldn't protect her! She flatlined, Ford!"

Ford's eyes widened and he gasped in horror. "She…what?"

"On the way here…on the ambulance, she flat lined," Stan placed his hand over his mouth trying to hush the sobs that came from his mouth. He couldn't risk waking the kids and letting them see him break down. "I thought…I thought she had died."

Ford hugged his sobbing brother as he stared down at his niece now that he finally understood how close he came to losing her tonight. Much closer than he thought. He had finally opened himself up to getting to know Mabel and she was almost taken away from him. Tears flowed down his cheeks, but he tried to keep his composure to comfort his distressed brother. "Shh, Stanley, shh."

"We…we really almost lost her tonight, Sixer. I couldn't live without these kids, I mean that. But this isn't fair to her. She's a kid Ford! She should be going to school, spending time with her friends, enjoying her life! Instead, she's lying in a damn hospital bed because I couldn't keep her safe! Because I'm nothing but a no good coward," Stan said as more tears flowed down his face.

"What are you talking about?" Ford asked genuinely confused.

"When we were in that ambulance and she…." Stan couldn't even say the word. "They gave her CPR, but I couldn't help them. I couldn't do anything to help her. It was the worst feeling I've ever had. These kids deserve better than me," Stan said as he looked not only at his hospitalized little girl, but her dear brother who was almost certainly permanently traumatized by the events of the evening.

"Stanley, you are no coward. Do you have any idea how heroic you have been these past few days? You saved Mabel from being raped and murdered by a predator. Tonight as our home was ablaze, you didn't even consider leaving the house until you had Mabel with you, and by doing so you were a hero to all of us. We could have lost so much more than an old wooden shack tonight." Ford said as his eyes traveled down to his sleeping niece. Just the thought of losing her sent a shiver up his spine.

Ford put his hands on Stan's shoulders. "You risked your own life for hers. Do you think some state worker would do that for her?"

Stan had no response to that.

"We've heard the horror stories about the foster care system. How do we know there isn't a monster like Brad who will take Mabel into his home and abuse her? Who will protect her then? Who will stop him from climbing into bed with her?"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Stan shoved Ford's hands off his shoulders as he tried to shake that terrible thought from his mind. "You're right. I may not be what she deserves, but I'm what she's got. I can't let her get hurt again."

"and you won't, we won't" Ford assured as he put a hand on Stan's shoulder and smiled at him. Stan managed the slightest smile back.

"You know, Stan, Mabel's not the only one who needs rest." Stan was about to protest, but Ford beat him to the punch with a compromise. "We'll sleep in shifts so one us is looking after the kids. But you're taking the first shift."

Stan only agreed not for his own sake, but for his brother's. Ford needed his own shift to sleep as much as Stan did. "Fine, whatever, know it all."

Stan crossed his arms and tried to find a comfortable position that one could possibly find sitting up in a chair. Then, he felt six fingers grab onto his shoulder and pull him to lean against the body said hand belonged to. Stan's first instinct was to pull away (as a man does when shown any physical affection), but he found himself unable to pry his head from his brother's shoulder. He was far too comfortable to move now.

"Sap…" Stan muttered.

"Knucklehead," Ford whispered.

But Stan couldn't sleep without physical reassurance that Mabel was with him. He took Mabel's hand not intending to let go for the rest of the night.