'The doctor says she can leave whenever she wants,' Maria said, walking back into the private hospital room.

Shane looked at her gratefully. 'Thanks, honey.'

'I think she should come home with me,' Linda spoke up. 'She really shouldn't be left alone by herself.'

Shane and Maria exchanged a look. He knew exactly what she was thinking, and vice versa.

'Actually, I was thinking that she stay with us,' Maria said, walking closer towards the bed. 'We really haven't seen much of Steph in a long time. It would be great to have some company around the house.'

Linda stared at Maria for a moment, and Shane was surprised at the hard look of anger on his mother's eyes. But Linda smiled and the look was gone. Shane could almost make himself believe that it had never been there in the first place. Almost.

'Well, if you're sure you guys can handle her?' Linda said, her voice gentle. 'I just don't want her going back to Hunter. Especially after the way he treated her last night.'

'Of course not, Mom,' Shane replied. His voice sounded shallow to his own ears.

Throughout the whole conversation, Stephanie stared passively out the window.

*

'Steph?'

His sister looked up slowly at him, saying nothing. She hadn't spoken a word the entire trip to the house, and when they arrived she insisted on staying in the guest bedroom. For the past hour Stephanie had not moved from her sitting position on the side of the bed.

Beside him, Shane felt Maria squeeze his hand reassuringly. He took a deep breath, bolstered by his wife's enduring support. He squeezed back tightly before releasing her hand, then knelt down in front of his sister. 'Steph, there's something very important that we need to tell you.'

'Okay.'

'When Jericho took you to hospital, it was a lot more serious than any of us expected. You didn't just collapse, you…'

He trailed off, unsure of how to put into words such a delicate and devastating piece of information. Shane knew that the news would completely destroy his sister, and he hated having to be the one to tell her. But there was nobody else.

'I what, Shane?' Stephanie asked without interest.

He swallowed hard. 'This is the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, Steph. I don't-'

'Just tell me, Shane,' his sister interrupted, her voice not changing. Dull eyes looked dispassionately at him.

Shane hesitated slightly before lightly putting both hands on her knees. 'When you collapsed at the arena, something else happened…your baby…you had a-'

'No…' Emotion finally glimmered on Stephanie's face, but it wasn't something he wanted to see. A look of utter despair. 'No…it can't be…please…oh, God, please…tell me it isn't true…?'

'Honey, we're so sorry,' Maria murmured compassionately, sitting beside Stephanie and wrapping her arms around her sister-in-law.

Stephanie turned to Maria, the pure horror in her eyes unmistakable. 'Maria…?'

'Oh, Steph, I wish more than anything that it wasn't true,' Maria replied, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Stephanie turned back to Shane, and he wished that she hadn't. The flicker of emotion in her eyes slowly started to fade once more, and he hurriedly tried to reach her, calling out her name frantically.

She took no notice of him.