"Lesley Lu, I need to talk to you," my father told me. His strong eyes were unsure and shone with tears. "It's about your mother."

"I know," I replied softly, clutching Dillon's hand desperately. He rubbed his thumb across my wrist in a sign of support, and I feel a calm serenity consume my body. "I know it's about her. Just tell me."

Is Lulu okay?

"Robin Scorpio contacted me a few months ago about a new medication that could help bring her out of the catatonic state," he stated evenly. "I've met with researchers and specialists, I've heard every angle. Last night, I decided to go ahead with the procedure."

"That's where you were when you disappeared," I realized. "Will this work?"

Dad shrugged. "I don't know. No one knows. There isn't any way of telling. We're just taking a shot in the dark and hoping that we come up with something.

"What's the downside, Dad? You would have told us before if it was as easy as this."

I just want to say I'm so sorry.

"Well…"

Dillon turned to me. "Lu, it could kill her. The chances are low, but it's still a possibility."

"So, you might have killed my mother?" I spat at my father angrily.

"She'd want me to take this chance, Lulu. I know you're mother, and if this was the only chance she had to be with you again, she'd take it. I couldn't deny her the one chance she had at living again. She'd want this, I know it."

"Have you told my brothers yet? They deserve to know."

"I will tell them. I didn't even want to tell you, but your fiancée there insisted on it."

I looked over at Dillon, whose half smile showed his concern. "You wanted to tell me," I remarked. "Thank you for wanting to tell me. It's more than anyone else has ever done for me."

I think you get to be upset about the fact that your mom's fading and there's nothing you can do about it.

"I don't want any secrets between us," he told me before shifting his eyes to Luke. "I won't do it again. Everything is out in the open. If you can't tell your daughter, please don't tell me. Maybe Elizabeth and Emily can handle it with Lucky and Nikolas, but I won't lie to Lulu. She wouldn't do it to me."

"When will we know anything?" I asked.

"We should know tomorrow," my father replied. "They are going to give her a dosage in the morning. Patrick said that if she is going to respond, she'll do it by then."

"I want to be there."

"Lulu, I don't know if that's such a good idea," my father retorted. "I don't want you to be upset."

"You've never cared about upsetting me before, so don't start now. I can take care of myself. I know what my body can handle."

I came by to help you pack up some of your stuff and bring it back to the house.

"And if there are any problems, I'll be there with her," Dillon added. "We're going to be there, Luke. Don't make this harder on her than it needs to be. This isn't just about you anymore; this is about Laura's children."

My father shot Dillon a withering look. "Don't pretend to know what my wife would want. You don't know my wife."

"You're right, I don't," Dillon shot back. "But I know Lulu."

"Fine," Dad relented. "I won't stop you from being there. I'm sure that your brothers will want to be there as well. It will be a family affair."

"I need to go home," I announced, rising carefully to my feet. "Dad, I can't have this conversation right now. I am going to go home and sleep on it. I guess I won't be able to figure out how I feel until we know what's going to happen."

You're coming back, right?

Standing up slowly, my father reached out and wrapped me in his arms. "I'm sorry, Gumdrop. I'm just so sorry."

I buried my head in my father's chest briefly before pulling away wordlessly. Dillon reached out and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the room and back to the car. Neither of us said a word on the way home. He simply held my hand and let me be alone with my thoughts. Finally, when we were back in the house, I allowed him in. "I can't believe that my mom might come back, Dillon. I mean, I never thought I would ever get the chance…" The tears had started to come by that point. Dillon knew better than to say anything in return. He just lifted me effortlessly in his arms and carried to our room.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. "This is me, a mess."

"I hate to break it to you, Lu, but I've seen you like this before," he teased as he slipped into the bed next me. "You have every right to be upset. I knew you would be, that's why I wanted to tell you. I thought that it might upset the baby so I agreed to keep it a secret, but I realized that it was more important that you know."

"I'm scared to get my hopes up," I admitted. "I mean, how is this even possible? I have prayed for this for the last four years, and now, it might come true. I've had so many dreams coming true lately, Dillon."

"Maybe this one will, too."

I'm sorry.

"I've already had too much good come my way. I am a Spencer, I know better than to believe that I deserve it. This is going to be taken away from me. I don't know how or what, but I'm going to lose something."

"Look at me," he demanded instantly. "I'm not going anywhere. You need to hear me when I say that. I don't know what is going to happen with your mom, but I know that we're going to get through it. We're going to get through it together."

"Together," I echoed. "I've never had that before."

"Well, you have it now," Dillon replied. "We have it now."