They had a bad tornado that fall - Hershel had to rebuild the barn and added on an extra 2 bedroom to the house. That following summer, was different though. Something seemed to change in the air besides the weather change. Meredith and Hershel were sitting outside, watching Maggie, Beth and Joel play in the kiddie pool, with Luke and Daniel playing with bubbles. They were in the chairs next to the pool watching. Maggie was 11, Beth was 7, Joel was 3 and the twins : Luke and Daniel had just turned 1.

"You and your darn magical sperm." Meredith laughed slightly as Hershel shook his head taking a break from working on the farm to watch the kids for a minute. He chuckled.

"I know. We got some real talent here." He smiled.

Meredith shifted slightly in the chair. She was used to being pregnant in the summer but this felt odd. "You got that right." she sighed softly, putting a cool rag on her neck and smiled. She was 4 months along.

Hershel rubbed her feet for her. "Sorry you're having a rough time this time around." He glanced as his watch and saw it was noon and he had just checked on the hog roasting. He knew it was really done.

"It's alright." Meredith smiled slightly. "I enjoy it."

Hershel looked at his watch. "Lunch!" He hollered. He rang the bell letting his farm-hands know it was time to eat, along with the kids. They had a pig roasting the had it going since yesterday night to make sure it'd be done today for lunch. They had all the normal meal fixings also, bread, veggies, everything. They just wanted to thank the farm hands for helping out so much extra time lately.

Maggie and Beth got out of the pool - Joel fell on his face and Maggie helped him up. He was coughing and went over to Meredith, she was rubbing his back. She wrapped him in a towel to get him dry along with the girls and Hershel scooped up the twins and took them to the outside table. "Lets eat." she smiled kissing Joel, and the girls. "Daddy roasted a hog."

They all sat down at the table, and bowed their heads as Hershel said the prayer. They smiled and said Amen, then Hershel and Otis cut up the hog and everyone got their plate. Joel sat in between Hershel and Meredith, he was only eating a little bit, and still coughing.

Joel leaned against Meredith. She wrapped arm around him. "What's wrong honey?"

"Tired, Mama." he muttered closing his eyes.

"You are? Well you did have fun in the pool.." She looked down at him. "Eat two bites and you can go lay on the sofa inside." She rubbed his back more.

Joel nodded tiredly, and ate two bites of his roll. He got up and walked inside and laid on the sofa curled with his blanket next ot him.

Meredith got up from the table, walked inside to check on him he was awake watching scooby doo, then went into the bathroom to use it. She came out 10 minutes later and went in to check on him again. She found him hunched over on the floor holding his chest and having a hard time breathing. She hurried over to him as he collapsed to the floor. She picked him up and carried him outside laying him on the porch table. "Hershel!" She screamed his name, she never used his name. She started doing CPR on him.

Hershel grabbed the house phone and called 911, and took over doing CPR on their son. "What happened, Meredith?" He asked as she took over talking on the phone.

"He was laying on the sofa, when i went inside. I came out of the bathroom and saw him clutching his chest and gasping for breath. Then he collapsed." She said putting the phone down and took over doing CPR also.

Hershel nodded and continued doing CPR with her until the ambulance arrived and loaded up Joel. Meredith got in with him and Hershel followed in the truck. Justin and his wife Adrienne took the girls inside and stayed with them. The ambulance took him to Atlanta.

The doctors and nurses took over and asked Meredith what happened and the paramedics filled them in also on his stats and stopped Meredith from going back, they had her go to the waiting room. She was on her knees praying and crying, as Hershel came in and wrapped his arm around her and joined her in prayer. He tried calming her down also, but couldn't help worrying also.

Meredith managed to get up from the floor and into a chair, and laid her head against Hershel's shoulder. Hershel kept an arm around her.

Hours passed.

A doctor finally came out and asked them to come back. "Mr and Mrs Greene. We spent an hour resuscitating him….I'm sorry to say this, but your son is on oxygen and medications.."

Meredith started panicking, "Will he be okay?." She was trying to not break down.

"Mrs Greene." The doctor said softly. "From the description of what happened, he went into cardiac arrest from dry drowning."

Hershel held Meredith as she broke down crying. "Dry drowning?" He asked holding her and rubbing her back.

"He must of inhaled water, and doing that - your lungs can't produce oxygen and you go into cardiac arrest."

"He wasn't playing in that much water." Meredith said in between sobs.

"If he inhaled it, it still happens. It usually doesn't happen, it's a rare thing to happen." The doctor shook his head. "It can happen taking a bath in the bathtub."

"Will he be okay?" Hershel asked watching him.

"Time will tell." The doctor said leading them back to the room were he was admitted.

They went back and stayed with their son. Hershel called back at the house and told them what happened and they would be staying. Meredith sat their holding Joel's hand and didn't really move unless she had to. Hershel did the same. It had been a day since it happened, when his monitors went off and nurses rushed in and had Hershel and Meredith wait outside the room.

The doctors available went in and helped also.

A while later the doctor came out and told them they were going to do some tests. Meredith and Hershel okayed it and they ran the tests. Meredith sat with Hershel in Joel's room waiting. Meredith rubbed her side trying to calm down. Hershel watched her and rubbed her side also. "Doing okay?"

"Just braxton-hicks." She sighed softly laying her head on his shoulder. "Been having them off and on since yesterday."

"You have?" He frowned slightly. "Dove."

"Bear." she sighed softly. "Sorry. Just started after doing cpr.."

"Probably over-exerted yourself." He sighed, rubbing more.

The nurses brought Joel back in and they were waiting for the doctor. The doctor came in a while later looking over the x-rays and stuff. He sat down in a chair and looked at them. "His swelling is getting better He's getting better. Probably going to have to stay for a few more days." He smiled showing them the x-rays from when he first came in, and from the new ones.

Meredith sighed in relief, hugging Hershel and smiled. "Thank you Jesus."

Hershel smiled hugging her back also, "Yes, thank you Jesus." He kissed her forehead.

The doctor smiled. "Yes, I've never seen a kid survive with that much fluid in his lungs. He's going to have to take it easy for a while once he does come home."

"Thank you doctor." Meredith smiled and got up and shook his hand. Hershel did the same, and they talked with the doctor more about his homecare and what to watch out for. Hershel called home and gave them updates..

They took Joel home a few days later and were greeted by all the farm-hands and their wives and kids. They were happy to see Joel home and doing better.