**Here is the donation piece I wrote for the Fandom for Oklahoma Compilation. This belongs right after the chapter where Nalani died. Once TotS is completed, I'll plug it in where it belongs and renumber the remaining chapters...for now, though, yeah, it's another tissue chapter. The Spearward and Clementine reunion chapter you're waiting for will be along in a few days.**

^^TotS^^

Riley's POV

"Hello?"

"Riley, it's David Kaweha."

I pick my head up off the pillow to check the clock. 12:18 a.m. Why is a cop calling me in the middle of the night?

"Yeah." I rub my hand over my face to wake myself up. "What's up, Dave?"

"Listen man, you need to meet me at Castle Medical. I got radioed to an accident on Eighty-Three; it's Nalani's car."

I instantly sit up and jump out of my bed. "Fuck! Is she all right? Where are you? I'm coming!" I yank on a pair of sweats and pull on my sneakers.

"No, don't come here. We've almost got her out."

"Almost got her out! What the fuck does that mean?"

"She's pinned inside, and she's hurt, Ri. Just meet us at Castle."

"I've got Kalia asleep in the next room," I say out loud, panicking. I'm not asking him what to do, but trying to figure out who to call to come stay with her.

"Bring her," he says with a somber tone. "You should definitely bring her."

My stomach sinks at his words and their implications while my inner-agnostic starts praying to whoever might be listening. Please let her be okay. Please just let her be okay.

I end the call, not even sure I thanked him. Opening the door to Kalia's bedroom, I find her curled up under her covers, sleeping peacefully. I hesitate, terrified that I'm about to wake her from what might be the last night of sound sleep she'll have for a long time.

No.

Stop thinking that way. Nalani's gonna be fine.

"Short stack," I whisper, rubbing her shoulder. "Kalia, you've gotta get up, baby."

^^TotS^^

Rosalie squeezes my hand as Emmett reassuringly puts his hands on Kalia's shoulders before I trudge out of the waiting room. I make the long and lonely walk back to the private room where Nalani is being held. As I follow the medical team, the phrases the doctor just quietly relayed run through my head on a sickening loop:

Massive internal hemorrhaging.

Irreparable damage.

Likelihood of survival.

Morphine to keep her comfortable.

Decisions.

My head is swimming, but I have to keep it together. Nalani refused surgery until Kalia and I got here. I owe it to her to have my head on straight.

I walk into the room. My eyes fall on her body which looks dwarfed by the twin-size hospital bed. There's a gash above her left eye that's been taped up. Her left arm is stabilized on a board, as well. Aside from those two obvious indicators, she just appears to be resting. I don't remove the sheet to see what lies beneath.

"Hey, baby," I whisper and touch my hand to her good arm. Her eyelids flutter and she swallows a few times before opening her soulful, brown eyes. Her mouth cracks the slightest smile and it's like a dagger through my heart.

She's smiling. She's smiling for me while she's dying.

"Aren't you always telling me I'm the attention-seeker?" Her voice is breathy and strained. "Well, here I go again, proving you right."

I lose it. Though her humor never fails to bring a smile to my face, the thought of her not being next to me forever guts me. I break down, laying my head alongside her hip.

"Please," I croak out…begging for mercy.

"Hey, hey, hey. None of that," she grunts and then whimpers. Knowing she's in pain right now makes me want to tear down walls in rage. "Look at me, Riley."

I raise my head, my face soaked in tears as she stares back at me.

"You know what's gonna happen here, right?"

I swallow tightly, my face cracking again, and I nod.

"You know I'd do anything to stay with you and Kalia." Her voice wavers.

I close my eyes for a second, unable to interrupt.

"She'll need you, honey."

"We haven't had enough time." I choke out, her hand in mine. I'm being selfish, desperate for her to figure out how to hold on. My tears don't stop. I can't even look her in the eye right now, but in my periphery, I see her eyes watering as well.

"Please tell me—"

My head snaps up as my pendulum swings from anguish to anger.

"NO! Keep fighting, Nalani. You've been a fighter all your life. Don't give up." We're ready to promise each other forever…how can this be happening?

Her tears stream silently down her cheeks.

"Please tell me you'll take care of her…keep her s-safe." She no longer holds back and her chest heaves as she weeps.

A sob erupts from my chest. "Of course. Of course I'll take care of her." I gently brush her hair away from her forehead. "I'll never, ever abandon her. Kalia's been my little sister for a long time…you and I didn't need a marriage certificate to prove it."

This time it's Nalani who's nodding. I swipe my thumb across her cheek. Her skin doesn't feel as warm as it normally does. Cool, clammy…sickeningly unhealthy.

"All the paperwork's in order. It's in my will this way."

I nod, my tears unrelenting. "I remember."

"I need to see her, Ri. I want to say goodbye."

A million thoughts and questions run through my head, the first being what kind of damage are we about to do to this little girl if we force her to talk to her dying sister? But then I realize that this is for Nalani as much as Kalia, and I'll do everything in my power to help Kalia through any emotional scarring that comes from this night.

"I'll go get her." I push myself up off the hospital bed and lean in to kiss her. I gently touch my lips to hers as our tears mix with our faces so close together. "I love you so fucking much. I can't— I can't…"

"You've got to," she interrupts and forces me to accept reality. "Please. I have to see her, honey."

My head bobs once again in agreement as I force my feet to move toward the door. I pause to scrub my hands over my face so that I'm not a basket case walking out to the waiting room. When I arrive, I see Kalia curled up in Rosalie's arms. Emmett is next to them, his head in his hands.

"Emmett," Rosalie says, bumping his shoulder to get his attention. He looks up and stands as I approach.

"She wants to see Kalia." Emmett nods, and Rosalie rouses Kalia, helping her get to her feet. "Can you guys come back with us? Just— just in case…"

"Of course," Rosalie responds without needing further details.

I hold Kalia's tiny hand in mine as we get to the door of Nalani's room. Taking a deep breath, I crouch down to get to her eye-level.

"Hey, short stack," I try to swallow down the bile attempting to rise in my throat. "Lani's in there, and she wants to talk to you, but her voice is very quiet and she's super-sleepy because of the medicine the doctors gave her."

She furrows her brow, her mouth turned down in a sad frown.

"You know she loves you so much, she just wants to tell you again," I get choked up but I feel Emmett's hand on my shoulder for support. "So you've got to be really brave. Can you do that for me and for Lani?"

She nods, her voice meek. "Okay."

I push the door open and Kalia goes running to Nalani's bedside. I linger near the foot of the bed, not wanting to horn in on their sisterly bonding. They whisper back and forth until I hear Kalia whine. When I see Nalani shaking her head with the tears streaming, I step closer and put my arm across Kalia's back.

"But I don't want you to go!" Kalia is crying and whimpering. "My birthday is coming. You said we'd have a Hello Kitty party!"

Nalani is silent and wincing. I don't know if it's the physical or emotional pain that's tormenting her at the moment. It really doesn't matter. My fiancée is hurting and it's slaughtering me.

"Kalia, I promise you we'll still have a Hello Kitty birthday party."

"But Lani won't be there," she wails into my side.

Kalia pulls away from me and flings her small body on top of Nalani. I try to move her off and Nalani weakly shakes her head, wanting her little sister to stay where she is.

"Kalia, c'mere. I need to tell you one more thing."

The little girl inches her body up and puts her ear to Nalani's mouth. I see Kalia shake her head and then lay her head down on Nalani's shoulder. My fiancée stretches her hand out for me, and I perch myself on the edge of my chair, holding her hand in mine, my lips kissing her delicate fingers.

Less than fifteen minutes later, with her eyes closed and Kalia still hugging her, Nalani's heart rate slows steadily till all we hear is the high-pitched tone. A nurse and doctor walk into the room and the nurse quietly turns off the machines. I look up at the doctor and he sadly confirms what I already know.

I take a deep breath and lean over my girls. "Kalia?"

I realize she's fallen asleep, poor thing. It's almost two in the morning. She's emotionally and physically exhausted. I pick her up and twist her into my arms.

"C'mon, let's get you to bed." My eyes well up with tears again listening to how normal a statement that was, when, from now on, our lives will be the furthest thing from what we've known as normal.

^^TotS^^

My friends have been my rocks for the last few days. I don't know how I would've ever gotten through the preparations or funeral without them. My mom and brother have to take off tomorrow. They've been incredibly helpful and supportive as well.

So many people have been here to help. Sleeping here, feeding us, cleaning…the list is endless. I need to be on my own tonight, though. I need to see if Kalia and I can make it through a night together without anyone's help.

It's close to ten, and Bella's tucking Kalia into bed. I'm so thankful she and Rosalie have been here. Kalia feels very comfortable with both of them. I hope it's not a mistake that I'm relying on them so much right now. Two weeks from now, they'll both be gone, and I'll be on my own with Kalia.

I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think about being the only one responsible for this young girl. I'll never regret telling Nalani that if anything ever happened to her, I'd take in her little sister.

"How're you doing?" Edward asks quietly, jostling me from my thoughts.

I shrug. "I think I'm still in function-mode. I'm not dumb enough to say, 'I think it'll hit me now that all the services are done.' It's at the forefront of my mind. I haven't stopped reminding myself that she's gone and I have to take care of Kalia…but I'm scared shitless."

Edward exhales audibly. "I know what you mean."

"Thanks for everything you and Bella have done for us." I clear my throat of emotion at the end. "I couldn't have made it without you two. Bella's a saint. I don't know how Kalia and I will survive her being in Korea," I say, bewildered. "How're you gonna do it?"

He raises his eyebrows briefly and shrugs. "We'll figure it out, I guess."

His tone is off, but I don't pursue it. It's no secret that between CACO calls and tragedies in his personal life, Edward has a tough time dealing with death. Survivor's guilt, maybe? I suppose survivor's helplessness is more like it in his case.

Bella steps out of Kalia's room, pulling the door closed behind her.

I meet her halfway across the room. "How is she?"

"She's quiet but tucked in. If she has a rough night—"

"I promise to call. I just want to see if we can do it for this one night on our own."

We'll take it one day, one night at a time. We have to start somewhere.

^^TotS^^

"Riley?"

I instantly sit up, hearing her sweet voice and try to focus my eyes in the dark. It's not hard because I left the hall light on.

"Hey, short stack." I reach my hand out and she runs as quickly as her little feet will take her, jumping onto my bed. She crosses her legs in front of me, readying herself for a heart-to-heart.

"Couldn't sleep?"

She shrugs. "I was sleeping, but I woke up and got sad again."

My nose stings with the tears that threaten. "I know what you mean. When I've fallen asleep over the last few days, I get sad when I wake up, too." I take a deep breath. "This isn't going to be easy."

"I miss my sister." Her fragile voice is pitiful. What I wouldn't do to take away her fear and pain.

I stretch forward and pull her onto my lap. She starts sniffling, and I tip her head to my shoulder, rocking back and forth, trying to soothe us both.

"I know you do…I miss her, too."

We're quiet for a few minutes. Rocking, sniffling, sighing…trying to figure out the next step.

"What's gonna happen to me, Riley?"

My eyebrows furrow and I pull back from her body.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…who's gonna take care of me? Lani's in heaven now. I have no mom or dad and you have to move away soon."

I berate myself for not making sure she fully understood what I told her when we got home from the hospital that night. I should've been reassuring her over and over— every single day— that I'd take care of her even though Nalani is gone.

Forgive me, Nalani. This is probably the first fuck-up of many.

"I'm going to take care of you." I turn her around so that she's sitting directly in front of me on the bed. "Lani wanted us to stay together. D-do you want to stay with me?"

"But you're leaving Hawaii."

"In a few months, yes, I have to move to Japan…but I want you to come with me. I want to take care of you."

"You do?"

"Of course I do." I cup her cheeks and pull her forward to kiss her forehead. "Kalia, I love you so much. I met you when you were only seven years old. I've watched you grow up for the last couple of years and I can't imagine not watching you grow up to be a beautiful young lady."

Her tears spill down her cheeks, and I rub them away.

"Saying goodbye to Nalani was so sad for me, honey. But she wanted us to stay together…and that's what I want, too. Unless you don't want to?"

My stomach sinks for a moment thinking my moronic assumption that she'd be along for the ride without any issues was grossly misguided.

"I don't want to have to say goodbye to you, too," she chokes out. "You're the only family I have left."

My body shudders with emotion, and I pull her into my arms.

"What was written on that bracelet I gave you?"

She sits back and wipes her eyes. "Ohana forever."

I nod. "Exactly. Ohana forever. We are family forever. Nalani will always be with us…always in our hearts and part of our family. But you and I," I touch her heart then mine, "we're in this together, okay?"

She doesn't respond immediately, so I continue.

"I'm not going anywhere, Kalia. I love you so much and I promise I'm going to take care of you and keep you safe. We're gonna be okay."

We stay wrapped up in each other's arms for a few more minutes before she pulls away.

"Riley?"

"Yeah?"

"Since Lani's in heaven, and now you can't get married…I guess you aren't gonna be my big brother anymore."

"I'm your big brother in every way that counts, Kalia. And nobody can ever take us away from each other. We're together because Nalani wanted us together…but I want you to be my little sister even if she can't be with us anymore."

Her smile is barely detectable, but it's there nonetheless…so it counts.

"You're gonna be a great big brother."

My heart stutters in my chest and my throat constricts listening to the honesty she's pouring out for me.

"And you're the only baby sister I've ever wanted. I'm so lucky you chose me. I love you, short stack."

I hug her again, rubbing her back…hoping with all I have that I'm choosing the right words for this little girl.

"Riley?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you walk me back to my room?"

I smile. "I can do better than that." I sit on the edge of the bed and lean forward. "Hop on."

She giggles for the first time in almost a week and wraps her warm arms around my neck. When we arrive at the foot of her bed, she kisses my temple and jumps down. I pull her covers up and smooth her hair away from her face.

"Want me to stay with you till you fall asleep?"

Her big brown eyes look hopefully back at me while she nods. I feel a smile crack on my face.

"Let me just go grab my pillow."

"Here, you can have my extra one. It has One Direction on it," she offers with a silly grin.

I snort, happy that she and I are finding a moment of humor in what has been the worst week of our lives.

"This is gonna be the best night of sleep I've gotten in a while. C'mere, One Dee."

She laughs at me while I lay down on the carpet next to her bed.

As I watch the blades of the ceiling fan go around, I reflect on the last few days and the road ahead. It's not going to be easy, far from it, but I'm willing to go the distance. I was robbed of a future with the love of my life, but I know she'll always be with us. And this little girl is the only piece I have left of Nalani. I'll do everything in my power to keep her healthy, safe and happy…for as long as she lets me.

Our journey is just beginning. And if we can find some laughter along the way, whether piggy backs or teen heartthrobs are the cause, I'll take what I can get and treasure every moment…because life is too short to live any other way.

A/N: That was rough. But I wanted to show you the true and loving connection this little family shared before it was ripped apart all too soon. At least Riley and Kalia still have each other. It's a horrible way to learn the lesson, but life really is too short. Make every day count with those you love the most. It's the only way to live. And for the love of God, do not text and drive.

The lovely banner that accompanied this outtake was generously made by Born Onhalloween. Come over to Facebook to check it out! Love and thanks to Team Cabana for their sharp eyes in helping me fine-tune this piece. Hope you liked it.

And as I said earlier, the next chapter for TotS, aka the big reunion, will be published in a few days. Stay tuned!

Thank you to all my readers and those who take the time to review. I so appreciate hearing your feedback.

xo, Jen