Carol drove as fast as she could without crashing into the nearby cars. The hospital was half an hour away from the airport. It was a good thing she had left her car in the parking lot, otherwise she'd have to take some crowded bus with a bunch of people, waiting to get off at their stops. She kept playing the scene in her head, over and over. Her mother had come into the room to tell her Doug had fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree, a massive tree, one she had passed driving to the airport. She quickly goodbye to her girls, not caring about her things.

"Where are you going, Mama?" Tess asked.

"Daddy was hurt in his car, Mama's going to see how he's feeling." She replied.

"You know where he is?" Kate asked incredulously. Carol nodded. "Can we go too, Mama?"

"No, honey." Carol shook her head. "Mama has to go alone." To see if he would take her back.

"OK." They had sighed reluctantly and given her a kiss and a hug.

"Take care," Helen advised, kissing her cheek.

"I will, Mama." She nodded. "You'll fly up with the girls if we get back together?"

"*When* you get back together." Helen smiled and told her she loved her and good luck in Russian. Carol had taken a speeding cab to the airport and immediately caught the next plane to Seattle. While waiting for her plane, she had used the phone.

"Hello?" Susan's tired voice mumbled into the phone.

"Susan, it's Carol." She had said quickly.

"Carol? What are you doing, calling at...three seventeen?"

"Doug was in an accident."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Anything I can do?"

"In the morning, call Peter Benton and tell him thank you, but I won't be able to talk to him. Tell him what happened and that I'm going to Aberdeen to see if he still loves me."

"Good luck, Carol." Susan had said.

"Thanks." Carol replied and hung up, boarding her plane twenty minutes later. She had flown in a daze, not caring what was going on around her, making her way to the parking lot and getting into her car. She noticed she was passing the tree Doug had crashed into. His car was still there, an old red Mustang he had insisted on buying and finishing up, even though he was no mechanic. It had turned out fairly well, and now it was ruined. Tears sprang to her eyes. It was a cruel twisted pile of metal, destroyed completely, with the driver's seat, where Doug had been, entirely damaged. Seeing this sent a new surge of tears to her eyes and she drove ever quicker to the hospital.

"Mrs. Ross!" One of the nurses, Tabitha, shouted, running up to her.

"Where is he?" she asked frantically.

"Over here, in room five." She pointed to the room.

"What happened?" She asked, walking over there.

"Someone called 911, they brought him here. He crashed, but we brought him back." Her heart jumped into her throat. He had crashed. He could have died and she would never have known if they could have gotten back together. Carol looked into the room. Doug, her Doug, lay on the bed, hooked up to a respirator.

"Can't he breathe on his own?" she asked.

"When your mother said you were coming, then we were going to wait until you came to decide. If he can't…then either you can sign a DNR or hook him back up." Carol reached out and stroked the side of his bandaged face.

"When will he be waking up?" she asked quietly.

"Not for a while, if he does. Would you like anything?" Tabitha replied.

"No, I'm fine." She sat down in a chair next to him.

"Carol?"

"Yes?"

"Why were you in Chicago? Just visiting your mother?"

"To tell you the truth, Tabitha...I ran away with the twins." Admitting it now made her sound like a young teenager running away from home. "We argued a lot, and it just got too much."

"Then why did you come back?"

"Because he called and said he loved me." She ran her fingertips down his brown hand.

"I'll be back to check on him later." Tabitha gave her shoulder a squeeze before walking out.

~*~

Carol awoke to a hand stroking her face. Her eyes fluttered open to Doug, his eyes open as well, looking up at her.

"Doug," she murmured, clasping his hand. "You're awake." He nodded, unable to speak. "I'll go get someone," She squeezed his hand and walked out of the room, stopping Dr. Cara Nelson, a young woman with long red hair, and Tabitha in the hall.

"Morning, Mrs. Ross." She greeted.

"Cara, Tabitha, Doug's awake," She said happily.

"He is?" Cara's brow furrowed and she nodded.

"That's great!" Tabitha smiled.

"Then let's try to take off that respirator." Cara clapped her hands and walked into the room. "So, Dr. Ross, you're ready to breathe on your own?" He nodded. "You know the drill." She unhooked the respirator and then quickly pulled out the tube. Carol watched with the hands pressed against her mouth as he took his first breath on his own.

"Bravo, Dr. Ross," Tabitha cheered.

"We'll come check on you in a few." Cara smiled and ushered Tabitha out of the room.

"So you actually came." Doug said hoarsely.

"When I heard that message...that combined with my own doubts about leaving…I couldn't stay away when they called." She blushed a little.

"Where are the girls?" he asked.

"At home with Ma." She replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Achy, but it's not that bad." He smiled.

"Yeah sure." She ran a hand down the side of his face.

"I kept remembering your engagement party." He smiled and she groaned. "When you told me to stay out of your life."

"I remember." She nodded. "I was so incredibly furious."

"And then Tag and I get into a fight, remember?" she nodded. "And I swore to myself then and there, I'd get you someday. You'd be mine. Only mine." He grasped her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Oh, Doug," she whispered, a tear dropping from her eye. He pulled her close and kissed her, but she pulled away.

"What is it?" Doug asked.

"Are we automatically together again? What about all that fighting? We can't erase that, Doug, and I don't want Kate and Tess growing up in a home like that." She said warily.

"If I promise you that I won't work as much and I won't fight as much and I'll love you even more, will you come back home?" he asked, cradling her face in his hand. She nodded happily and he pulled her close, kissing her passionately.

~The End~

Much thanks to my sister, Kate Ross, whom I adore.
We're exactly the same, yet entirely different.
How can that be?
Your twin, Tessie.