~x~x~x~x~x~

Part Sixteen

~x~x~x~x~x~

He'd known the question was coming, but somehow actually hearing it for real was so much worse. Shawn's breath caught in his throat and he coughed, causing some of the tears he was holding back to fall.

"Where's daddy?" Devlan repeated. From the tone in his voice, Shawn knew that Devlan was aware that something was wrong.

"Dev, what do you remember?" Shawn asked, only vaguely aware of the door opening behind him. He quickly swiped at his eyes, hoping that Devlan hadn't noticed that he was crying.

"It's the lady from TV!"

Shawn turned and gave Lita a sad smile as she entered, placing a hand on his shoulder. He smiled at her and she squeezed his shoulder before looking at Devlan.

"Hey there, Devlan," she said with a smile.

"Hi, Lita."

Lita smiled and glanced at Shawn before turning back to his nephew. "How did you know my name?"

"Unca Shawnie told me." Devlan looked very proud. "I got to watch you help beat Unca Hunter."

"Oh." Shawn could tell that Lita wasn't sure what to say to that. She had obviously forgotten that he and Hunter had been so close, an easy thing given the current situation.

Devlan turned to Shawn again. "Unca Shawnie, where's Daddy?"

Lita's grip on his shoulder tightened as Shawn took a deep breath. But before he could answer, the door opened and Jeff and Torrie returned with the nurse. She busied around, making sure that everything was all right, and when she was satisfied, she gave them a smile and left the room, Jeff and Torrie following close behind.

"Unca Shawn?" Shawn could hear the fear in his nephew's voice. The boy was very perceptive and Shawn knew he was worried that his question had yet to be answered. "Where's Daddy?"

"Devlan, do you remember that you were in an accident?"

Devlan nodded. "Uhu, Daddy and I were coming to see you beat up Uncle Hunter." He looked seriously at Lita. "Unca Hunter went all mean."

Lita smiled. "He did, didn't he?"

Devlan nodded seriously. "Daddy said that we would watch from the very front."

"Do you remember anything else, Dev?" Shawn asked.

"There was a big car moving funny on the road. It was driving at us and daddy said a bad word." Devlan finished in a whisper that caused Lita and Shawn to share an indulgent smile. But the minor happiness was short lived. "I remember a bang and then lots of people were shouting. Daddy was quiet."

Shawn took another shaky breath and leaned closer to his nephew, before just moving to sit on the bed beside him. Lita moved to leave but Shawn shot her a glance, begging her to stay. She nodded and moved to sit on Devlan's bed, her knees touching his.

"Devlan, your daddy didn't want to get anybody hurt, so when the car was going to hit you, he had to move out of the way. The bang was when you hit a tree."

"Just like Mummy?"

Shawn closed his eyes, ignoring his tears. "Just like mummy."

"But Mummy's with the angels."

"Yes," Shawn said, squeezing his nephew closer, trying not to hurt his injuries further.

"Is-is Daddy with the angels too?"

"Yes, Dev," Shawn whispered. "Your daddy's with the angel's too."

The boy was quiet for a moment, and it broke Shawn's heart when the soft sniffles started. He held onto Devlan, not letting his nephew forget that he was there, that no matter what, he would always be there.

Lita squeezed his knee, and he looked up at her, suddenly realising that she was crying as well. She offered him a watery smile, and he was suddenly very glad that she had stayed with him. Support was something Shawn had been learning to live without, but this was different. He needed her, and it was only then that he realised just how much he missed having someone in his life. Another adult.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed, wishing that he hadn't put her through this.

"Don't be," she mouthed back.

He reached out one hand, the other still holding onto his crying nephew, and Lita took it in her own. Devlan had snuggled closer, a small "owe" penetrating the air when he moved onto a sore spot. Shawn hated it. He hated that such a small child had had his family ripped from him in such a cruel way and was still hurting. He was suddenly filled with rage at the other driver, knowing that the man or woman must have been drunk. 'A mild concussion', the doctor had said. Where was the justice in that?

"Shawn," Lita said softly, and it was then that he realised that Devlan had fallen asleep again. He eased himself away from his nephew, not wanting to leave the boy's side, but knowing it would be easier on Devlan's injuries to be sleeping alone on the bed.

He took the chair again and pulled Lita onto his lap with the hand he was still holding. He sat there for a moment, not quite sure what to do now. He felt a gentle tugging on his head, and he allowed Lita to pull him closer, feeling the dam burst as she gently placed a kiss on the top of his head. And Shawn cried.

~x~x~x~x~x~

End of Part Sixteen

~x~x~x~x~x~

This part was *so* difficult to write and I can only hope I did it justice. Your continual feedback for this fic has been great and I can only hope that this part met with your expectations. Drop me a line and let me know what you thought.