So sorry for the long delay! Between finals, extra hours at work and the holidays I just haven't been able to write as much as I normally like to. This chapter is a little longer than usual – my pitiful attempt at trying to make up for keeping everyone waiting so long for the next chapter. Thanks everyone for reviewing – it helps so much in inspiring me to continue the story. Hope you enjoy this installment:

Chapter 16 – Family is Best

Before they could argue further into the issue of going home, Lucas appeared in the doorway with Peyton's bag over one shoulder and a colorful bouquet of daisies in the other hand.

"Two of my favorite girls," he said with a happy grin.

"Hi daddy," Winifred said as she caught sight of him. He leaned down to kiss her forehead. He showed her the flowers and she smiled. "They're beautiful. Thank you."

"They're not from me, unfortunately. Jake was the kind-hearted sap. But this might pique your interest." He set the flowers on the windowsill and pulled a wrapped package from Peyton's bag. Seeing that she wasn't in a position to unwrap it herself, Lucas carefully unwrapped it and showed her the contents.

"Daddy!" She cried happily, trying to bounce up into a sitting position. Luckily, Peyton had been paying attention and was able to keep her daughter in bed. "I love it! Thank you!" Lucas laid the old volume in Peyton's hand and she thumbed through it carefully, holding it so that Winifred could see the pages of one of the first editions of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

"I'm glad you like it, bug. You'll have plenty of time to read it. Tomorrow." Winifred rolled her eyes, but still looked happy. Lucas kneeled down beside the bed so that they were at eyelevel with one another. "I have to go home for a while, but I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning. Alright?" Winifred nodded, her eyes closing as soon as he stood to leave the room. Peyton followed Lucas out, standing with him just outside her hospital room. Peyton leaned against her husband, allowing her shoulders to sag for a moment.

"It's going to be okay," Lucas whispered reassuringly. His voice returned to normal and he pulled her to arms length so that they could see one another while he spoke. "Mom's going to keep Gretchen at the Café with her tomorrow, so I'll be back as soon as I drop the boys at school. Are you going to be alright?"

"I'm fine," Peyton answered firmly. "Now go. I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her once more and then she watched him leave the corridor before walking back into Fred's room. The little girl was already deep in sleep, the book Lucas brought in one hand and her favorite stuffed dog under the other. Peyton gently pried the book away and placed it on the nightstand before turning and wondering what she was going to do for the night. Being married to Lucas, she had already read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe several times. Anything he thought was a classic was almost like required reading in their home. If she wanted to understand what he was talking about at any given point, she found it most helpful to read his preferred books.

Sighing, she sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs and began digging through the bag Lucas had brought for her. A genuine smile graced her lips for the first time that day when she realized that he had included a sketchbook among her clothing and that her pencils and pens, in their black leather case, floated at the bottom of the bag with her hairbrush and glasses. Her mp3 player was also thrown into the bag, so she switched it on and happily realized that Lucas had loaded it with different tracks. Two hours later, when a nurse entered to check on Fred, Peyton was oblivious of her presence.

"Mrs. Scott?" When the young nurse realized that the blond had earphones on, she tapped her shoulder, causing Peyton to jump. She sheepishly removed the earphones and smiled at the woman.

"Hi. If everything okay?"

"Oh, yes. I just wanted to know if you'd like one of the orderlies to bring in a cot. You could try to get some sleep. She's out for the night."

"No, thank you. I'll be fine."

"Let someone at the desk know if you change your mind."

"Thanks." When Lucas arrived early the next morning with breakfast from his mom's café, Peyton looked worse than Winifred, who was actually looking better than she had in months. She looked up from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when Lucas walked in and smiled happily.

"Hi daddy!"

"Hey bug," he said as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I think we can go home." Lucas laughed, setting a bag on a nearby table.

"I hope you're right, kid." Peyton didn't move from her chair, but she smiled at Lucas. It wasn't a large smile, but at least it was real. He walked around the bed and crouched next to her, hugging her and kissing her gently. "Mom sent real food."

"That's good. Maybe later. I'm not very hungry—"

"Peyton. At least try some. You look awful."

"Thanks," she said dryly.

"Hey, I'm serious," he continued in a concerned tone. "Did you sleep at all?"

"A little. How is everyone?"

"Good. Ashton's a little worried about what he's going to do for a Halloween costume. You weren't there to brainstorm with him. But he thinks he can wait a few days."

"It's three weeks away," Peyton said with a sound resembling a laugh.

"Which is why he can wait. I'm here, why don't you go home and get some rest? Mom has Gretchen, so you'll have the house to yourself for a while."

"No. I'm staying."

"Peyton—"

"Lucas, I'm not leaving." Her voice was firm and the glare in her hazel eyes won over the dark circles that lay beneath. Lucas sighed and pulled a chair next to hers before pulling out the boxes from his mom and dividing the breakfast. They had almost finished when Dr. Triol walked in with a folder, looking cheerful.

"It certainly smells better in here than in the hospital cafeteria."

"My mom owns a Café," Lucas explained sheepishly. He had not even considered whether or not he should be bringing food into the hospital.

"Well, I have some good news for you." Peyton and Lucas sat up in their chairs, setting the food aside while Fred laid her book down, paying full attention. "From the test results, we at least know that Winifred doesn't have any sort of cancer, immunodeficiency, or meningitis. Mononucleosis is also out of the question."

"That's good," Peyton said slowly, relieved that three of the scariest words were no longer a possibility. Her heart was still racing as her mind tried to run through the other options and decide which would be the least devastating. Lucas grabbed her hand and squeezed, calming her slightly before the doctor continued.

"Do you have any idea what it is?" Lucas knew the doctor was trying his best, but he was losing his patience.

"I have an idea," he said with a nod, setting the folder on a table. He walked to Winifred's bed and asked her to relax. He pressed lightly just below the base of her neck and Winifred howled in pain, fresh tears springing to her eyes, causing both Lucas and Peyton to jump up, ready to push him away from their little girl. He held up a hand, gesturing for them to wait a minute. His fingers gently pushed at another point, this one just at her hip bone. This too, seemed to put Winifred in a great deal of pain.

"Okay, you can stop now," Peyton said angrily as she sat down next to Winifred and pulled the young girl into her arms. "What in the hell are you doing?"

"Those are pressure point," the doctor said carefully. "I'm sorry. I had to see if they did bother Winifred. It confirms my suspicion. Although it isn't usually the case for a young girl, Winifred has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also called Fibromyalga."

"What is it?" Lucas was apparently in charge of the conversation while Peyton calmed Winifred, whispering and rubbing her back in an attempt to stop the flow of tears.

"A disease much more commonly found in adults, mostly women. It's characterized by short fevers, aches, exhaustion, those pressure points, loss of appetite."

"What can we do?"

"There isn't a cure."

"What?" Peyton's angry voice scared Winifred, who had never had the occasion to anger her mother enough to make her yell.

"There's no cure," he repeated calmly, avoiding the death-like glare of the young woman and instead looking at her much more rational-seeming husband. "But there are treatments. A change in diet. Shortening the school day, making everything more routine. I'll give you more information before you leave. And you'll want to make an appointment with your primary care doctor."

"They didn't believe anything was wrong," Peyton snapped.

"I'll conference with—" he looked at the folder that he had once again picked up, "Dr. Ryan and make certain she realizes the situation."

"So we can leave?"

"You just have to fill out a few forms, and then you're free to take her home." Lucas nodded and turned to Peyton, who was still sitting, with Winifred curled up in her lap.

"I'll fill them out if you get her ready to go." Peyton nodded and waited until Lucas followed the doctor out of the room before moving to get ready. She gently nudged her daughter into a sitting position and stood up so that she could grab her bag, which held a change of clothing for the thirteen year old.

"Sorry," Peyton said when she saw the clothes in the bag. "Your dad picked them." Winifred laughed when she saw the choice; a cute little outfit she usually only wore when the grandparents were going to be around or they were going to church.

"It's okay, as long as I can go home."

"That's where we're headed."

"What did he mean by cutting down school hours?"

"I don't know," Peyton answered honestly. "We'll have to see."

"I don't want to miss too much. If I don't pass, I won't get to go to the high school next year—"

"You'll pass," Peyton answered with a knowing smile. "Between you, your dad, and Aunt Haley, you'll pass. Don't worry about it now." Winifred nodded and allowed her mother to help her dress in the pink sweater and matching pink and white skirt.

"We might have to explain to dad about the uses of formal clothing," Winifred said as she looked down at the skirt.

"He won't get it anyway," Peyton said with a sigh. She sat behind her daughter and tried to work a brush through the curly blonde locks but it was useless; Winifred hadn't been given the chance to use conditioner or de-frizzing type products in over a week and her hair, much like Peyton's always did, was rebelling. "French braids?" Winifred nodded and Peyton set to work on the hair, trying to tame it into two braids without pulling too much. Lucas returned twenty minutes later, a nurse accompanied him with a wheelchair.

Winifred attempted to argue, but the nurse stated that it was hospital policy. Lucas picked her up and set her in the chair, handing her the one little bag of things she had accumulated. Slinging Peyton's bag over his shoulder and leaving his wife to carry only a vase of flowers and her sketchpad, he zoomed out of the room, pretending to race down the hall toward the car. Winifred giggled the whole way and Peyton laughed, trying her best to keep up with them. When they arrived home, Peyton noticed with some suspicion that there were several recognizable cars parked along the street.

Upon entering the house, they found an entire living room full of people waiting to welcome Winifred home. They all knew she needed her rest, but couldn't allow her to come home with absolutely no hoopla. Lucas, who had been carrying his daughter, set her gently on the sofa that Haley and Brooke vacated. Karen and Keith were the first to say hello and the first to leave after wishing their granddaughter to feel better.

"Look in the nightstand drawer," Karen whispered as she hugged the young girl. Winifred grinned, knowing there was probably a well-hidden stock of chocolate in her room, complements of her grandma. Peyton always tried to get them to eat good food, but Karen was always big on the sweets and it transferred onto her grandchildren. Luckily, the young mother didn't hear the doting grandmother; she was too busy being cornered by her two best friends. Haley and Brooke, having ordered their husbands to watch the children, had herded Peyton into her bedroom and were attempting to extract some sort of emotion from her. The tired blond, still in slight shock over the happenings of the past few days, was not folding in response to any of their tactics.

She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, Haley lounging next to her and Brooke pacing anxiously across the room. "Stop it Brooke, you're making me nervous," Haley ordered tiredly.

"Like you weren't already," Brooke stated snidely. Haley raised her eyebrows, signaling that Brooke wasn't completely wrong. "Are you sure you're alright, P. Sawyer?" Brooke flopped down next to Peyton, pulling her arms around the taller girl.

"I'm fine," Peyton said with a half-smile.

"You don't have to pretend," Haley insisted gently. She put her hand reassuringly on Peyton's knee, but stayed where she was. Her large belly and swollen feet didn't allow for much unnecessary movement. Peyton shook her head, casting her eyes down at the bedspread and attempting to shrug off both sets of probing eyes.

"I'm fine," she said wearily.

"No you're not," Haley argued. "And you don't have to do this all on your own. If you need anything—"

"—we're here to help," Brooke continued, nudging closer to her best friend.

"We'll be okay. There's nothing that anyone else can do right now."

"But you tell us the second you need help," Haley insisted.

"Hales, you're almost nine months pregnant. No offence, but you're not able to do much right now," Peyton said, emphatically gesturing to Haley's swollen stomach.

"I can listen anytime you need to talk. Just promise you'll remember that."

"I will," Peyton promised softly. Before any of the girls were able to respond, there was a knock at the bedroom door. Brooke sat up, sitting back on the bed as the door opened to expose Karen and Lucas.

"Sorry to interrupt," Karen said with a kind smile. "But I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Thanks so much for coming." Peyton started to get up as she spoke, but Karen indicated that she stay put.

"I'm perfectly capable of showing myself out. You girls stay where you are." She moved over to the bed and hugged Peyton tightly, holding Brooke's hand as she spoke. "You're so lucky to have one another as family – don't forget that. And that little girl of ours—she's going to be just fine. She comes from strong stock," Karen said proudly as she pulled away and kissed Peyton's forehead. She then stepped back and also kissed Haley, playfully patting her belly before finally standing up and leaving the room. The three girls didn't talk much longer, but their time together made all the difference. Although Peyton knew she had an amazing husband and four loving children, it helped to know that she had friends and sisters to help her navigate the bumpy roads of life.

After Karen and Keith left, the rest of the family followed quickly. They were all waiting for answers as to why Winifred was in the hospital in the first place, but Lucas and Peyton were keeping quiet until they knew and understood more.

The title this chapter comes from the Burmese Proverb "In time of test, family is best."