"D-dead?" Carol repeated.

"When did this happen?" Susan asked.

"About two years ago," Elizabeth replied. "The cancer came back, and...it was just...just too much."

"Oh, no." Carol said, dropping onto the couch.

"I'm so sorry," Susan apologized sympathetically.

"It's alright." Elizabeth looked at the floor for a moment.

"But what notice?" Carol asked, confused.

"A death notice." Elizabeth replied. "We sent it to Doug in Seattle, I suppose it didn't reach you."

"No, we moved to Aberdeen." Carol replied. "Elizabeth, I...."

"I know." Elizabeth patted her shoulder reassuringly. Carol looked up at her, catching a glimpse of a photo stuck on the refrigerator. It read;

Merry Christmas From the Ross Family,
Doug, Carol, Tess, Kate, and Ahna

They had seemed so happy then. Now everything had changed.

"Well, I promised you both a tour, and I want to check up on my little girl." Elizabeth changed the subject quickly.

"OK." Susan said.

"Let's go." Carol brightened her tone, though she wasn't able to shake the fact that one of her best friends was dead. And had been for two years.

~*~

"The nursery's right up this corridor." Elizabeth pointed down the darkened hallway. They had nearly finished their tour, seeing everyone from Dave to Doris, excluding Mark, Abby Lockhart, and Deb Chen.

"I remember bringing little Suzie up here every day." Susan sighed happily.

"And then Tess and Kate," Carol smiled. They walked up to the observing window, next to a woman with short brown hair.

"Slow day, Abby?" Elizabeth asked, standing next to her.

"Yeah." Abby replied, not looking up.

"I've brought some visitors." She said, standing back so Abby could see them.

"Carol?" Abby laughed. "Oh, it *is* you!" She hugged her.

"Abby, this is my friend, Dr. Susan Lewis," Carol introduced.

"Hi," Abby shook her hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Susan had a conference so I decided to come." She smiled.

"How's Doug? And the twins?" Carol took a deep breath.

"Right now, the twins are with Carter and Doug...who knows where Doug is."

"Oh," Abby said softly. "Come over here, look at this." She moved over so that all four could squeeze in to look in the window. They stood smiling at the little children, playing peacefully, not caring about the place of death and disease they stood in.

"There's my little Ella." Elizabeth pointed to a young girl wearing a yellow dress. She had her mother's pale skin and nose and her father's mouth and eyes with a feminine twist, along with a crop of curly auburn hair, comprised of her mother's light strawberry blonde and her father's brown.

"She's adorable." Susan commented.

"Thank you." Elizabeth smiled.

"Right there is my little baby." Abby pointed to a small boy of around the age of one or so, sitting on the ground, happily chewing on a piece of construction paper before the sitter took it away. He had dark wavy hair and dark toned skin that complimented his big dark eyes.

"You had a son?" Carol raised her eyebrows.

"A little over a year ago." She replied, smiling a devious smile.

"What's his name?" asked Carol.

"Adrian Eric Kovac."

Carol's mouth dropped open and she laughed.

"You and Luka?" she smiled. "He didn't say anything...."

"Typical Luka. We tied the knot two years ago. Then this little demon child came along, and that's the way it's been ever since." Abby grinned and caught her son's eye.

"Demon child?" Susan repeated.

"My sweet little nickname for him." She glanced down at her vibrating pager. "Gotta go, I'll check with you later. Nice meeting you, Susan."

"You too." said Susan.

"Goodbye, Abby." Elizabeth waved her off.

"Let's go find my own little demons." Carol suggested. They walked downstairs to the admit desk where Carter and Dave were spinning the twins in a chair, one at a time.

"Fun!" Kate shouted happily.

"Carter, if they throw up, you're cleaning!" Carol shouted over their shrieks.

"Lucky Carter." Dave smiled.

"C'mon, girls, time to stop." Carter slowly stopped the chair, lifting Tess up and putting her on the ground, where she went wobbling over to Carol.

"Mama, the room is...spinning." She said loudly.

"I know, baby." She lifted her up.

"We're hungry, Mama."

"Can we go eat?"

"I want cookies!"

"I want a samich!"

"A samich?" Malik asked.

"Sandwich." Carol clarified.

"We could take them to Doc's and then go to the hotel." Susan offered. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty wiped."

"And these two only slept a little on that plane." Carol said absent-mindedly. "Would you mind carrying Kate?"

"Not at all." Susan smiled and picked up the little girl.

"Are we leaving?" Kate asked.

"We're going to get some dinner." Susan explained.

"Where?"

"A good place, Doc Magoo's."

"We know a Dr. Mazule!" Tess cried, lifting her head from Carol's shoulder.

"That's great, Tess." Said Susan.

"You'll swing by again, won't you?" asked Dave.

"Of course," Carol smiled.

"Then we'll see you soon," Haleh hugged her goodbye and, with a final wave, Susan, Carol, and the twins exited the hospital.

"It was so good to see everyone again." Carol said.

"Yeah. But poor Mark." Susan sighed. "I mean, we can't do anything about it, but...did you say goodbye?"

"No, I barely talked to anyone once we moved to Aberdeen, and that was three years ago."

"I think the last thing I told him was that I'd never forget him." She smiled. "After he kissed me."

"He kissed you?" Carol laughed. "We sound like a couple of teenagers."

"Oh, well." Susan opened the door to Doc's. "Here we are."

"Good old Doc Magoo's." Carol smiled.

"Is this where we're going to eat, Mama?" Kate asked.

"Yes, this is where we're going to eat." Carol replied, putting her on the ground and helping them slide into a booth.

"Can I get you folks something to drink?" The waitress asked.

"I'll have an iced tea, non sweetened." Susan said.

"I'll have the same, and what do you girls want?" Carol leaned towards her children.

"Shirley Temples!" Tess shouted.

"Yeah!" Kate echoed.

"Fine, then, two Shirley Temples." Carol looked up at the waitress.

"Alright." She nodded and went on her way.

"Mama, do they have samiches here?" asked Kate.

"Yes, do you want turkey?" Carol pointed to it on the menu.

"Please." She said.

"Can I have cake?" Tess asked hopefully.

"No cake." Carol commanded. "Do you want a samich too?"

"Cheese?"

"Cheese. What are you having, Susan?"

"French onion soup. You?"

"I'll stick with the salad." She smiled.

"You ready to order?" The waitress asked, coming up to their table.

"I'll have a cup of French onion soup." Susan said, handing her her menu.

"And I'll have the house salad, a turkey sam-*sandwich*, and a cheese sandwich." Susan caught herself from laughing at Carol's flubbed word.

"They'll be right out." She took Carol's menu and walked away. Indeed they were, only taking fourteen minutes before making it's way onto their table.

"Remember that night you came here, celebrating your engagement to Tag?" Susan asked.

"Don't remind me...." Carol groaned, but laughed. "Yeah, you couldn't make it."

"I could." She sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"I sat in my car."

"Oh."

"I was just thinking of all the times I've eaten here. Do you know how many Doc Magoo's onion soups I've had?"

"A billion and one?"

"Just about." Susan laughed. "Oh, look at that." She pointed to Kate and Tess, who were slumped against each other, dozing.

"We should get them home." Carol said.

"Let me pay." Susan began to dig around in her purse.

"No, you're the generous one who let us come with you, let me." Carol protested.

"I insist, Carol. You are not paying. I am." She got the check from the waitress and promptly paid it. "There."

"Fine, I can't stop you." Carol lifted Kate onto her hip and Tess onto the other.

"Let me carry one." Susan said, holding out her arms. "You can't make it up the El steps with two kids."

"You always get your way, don't you?" Carol handed Susan Tess.

"Pretty much." They walked to the El and waited, boarding the train quickly, sitting amongst a few gangsters, an elderly couple, and a group of teenaged girls.

"Oh, look," Carol pointed out the window as they neared a small cluster of homes.

"What is it?" asked Susan.

"That was my home." The once ugly abode had been made beautiful with a fresh coat of paint, a few repairs, and a swing-set in the backyard for the children of the household.

"Looks lovely." Susan commented.

"It wasn't when I lived there." Carol laughed. They sat back and enjoyed the rest of their ride, coming off the train and heading into their hotel, Susan helping Carol put the girls in their nightgowns and then into bed.

"You going to bed now?" asked Susan.

"No, I want to call my mother." She replied. "I'll be up for a little bit more, then I'll go to sleep, probably go see Ma in the morning."

"You gonna stay with her?" Susan asked.

"I don't know. Seeing everyone and the hospital and everything reminded me of how much I liked being a nurse. I think I might actually stay in Chicago, find a job at Mercy or County if they'll take me, stay with Ma until I can get a place for me and the girls."

"Sounds good." Susan hugged her. "'Night, Carol."

"'Night." She sat down at the desk and lifted the phone off the hook. "Nine to get out," she muttered to herself, pressing 9 and then dialing the familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Ma?"

"Carol?"

"Hey, Ma."

"Carol, what are you doing, calling at this time of night?"

"Ma, it's only...nine."

"Why are you calling? Is it an emergency?"

"No, Ma, I just wanted to tell you I'm in town."

"You are?"

"Yes, with a friend, remember Susan Lewis? The girls and I came with her."

"You left Doug, right?"

"How'd you guess?"

"He called, looking for you."

"What did you say?"

"I told the truth, you hadn't called me in weeks and I didn't know where you were."

"Ma, I called to ask if the twins and I could stay with you. We're barging in on Susan and it feels odd."

"Of course you can stay with me, I'm always ready to see my grandchildren."

"Thanks, Ma."

"You'll come in the morning?"

"I'll be there at...eleven, how's that?"

"That's fine."

"Goodnight, Ma."

"I love you, Carol."

"I love you, too, Ma."

"Goodnight."

Carol dropped the phone back on the receiver, burying her face in her hands. She walked over to her little ones' bed, tucking Tess's foot back in under the covers. Carol changed into her nightshirt, noticing it was an old one of Doug's.

"I'll have to buy a new one tomorrow." She mumbled to herself, buttoning the last of the buttons. She pulled back the neatly folded coverlets of the second bed and slid in.

"Mama?" Kate's small voice called.

"What is it, sweetie?" Carol leaned onto her elbow.

"Can we sleep with you tonight?" Tess asked.

"Please?" pleaded Kate.

"Alright." She threw back her covers and in scampered her two daughters. "I love you," she whispered to them, kissing their heads.

"I love you, too." They whispered back.