A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

Alex noticed the wary looks the funeral director kept casting toward Bobby as they met with him in his office. Bobby, however, took no notice, distracted by his pain and the troubling dizziness that came and went in his head. He sat heavily in a chair in front of the desk and got right to business. "My mother... made everything easy for us," he said wearily.

Alex was pleased to hear him use the pronoun 'us'. As for making things easy, this was probably the only time in his life she had ever taken any sort of burden from him. Bobby withdrew an envelope from his jacket pocket and passed it across the desk. "She picked out her casket, the verse for her memory cards, the readings she wants for the Mass...everything. In fact, she discussed her memorial Mass with Father Patrick, so he knows more about it than I do. The deed for her burial plot is there as well. I'm not sure why you wanted to meet with us. She took care of everything before she died. There are no decisions left to be made."

As the director reviewed the papers, Bobby looked at Alex and gave her a brief smile. "She didn't even trust me with this," he said softly, for her ears only.

Her only reply was to reach out and close her hand over his, giving it a squeeze. Her feelings toward Frances Goren were complicated. On one hand, she realized that many of her actions had been driven by her disease and were beyond her control. She tried to be understanding of that extenuating circumstance. On the other hand, she deeply resented the insecurities Frances had fostered in her younger son. Since talking with him the day before, she had trouble getting some of the images he placed in her mind to leave. Locked in a closet, thrown down the stairs, chased with a baseball bat...those actions were unforgivable, disease or not. And yet, Bobby loved his mother and forgave her for every injustice, because she was his mother. Every injustice, that is, except for the last one. She did not think he could ever forgive anyone, not even his mother, for causing his children any harm. She knew he did not forgive himself for the accident that injured Maggie, and he could not forgive his mother for what she had done to Maggie and Tom, even if their little daughter could.

She tightened her grip on his hand, and he did not pull away. The funeral director looked up. "It seems everything is in order here. A couple of signatures and you folks can be on your way."

Once they were back in the car, Alex said, "That didn't take anywhere near as long as we thought." She looked at him. "Are you going to try to find your brother?"

He shrugged. "I really haven't thought about it. I suppose I should."

"Maggie has been wanting to meet him."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"Why? Do you think he would hurt the kids?"

He shook his head. "No. He would never hurt them. Frank's not a violent man. But how do you want to handle his inconsistent appearances and disappearances? He's very charming, very likable, and very undependable. Not to mention he's a bad role model...but he tells great stories. None of them are true, but they're fun to listen to...and easy to believe. Frank's a liar, a junkie and a player, but he knows how to be charming and how to get what he wants. He always knows exactly what to say."

She allowed herself a smile. "I've seen a lot of that charm in you, too, you know."

"My father's legacy," he answered bitterly.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, Bobby. It's helped us solve more than a few cases. And I find it by measures irritating and irresistible."

He managed a small, amused smile before resting his head back and closing his eyes. She watched him with concern. "How is your head?"

"Not so good. I still have trouble...focusing and when things start getting blurry, everything spins. It's really getting old."

"Has it improved any?"

"A little but not much."

"Let's get Maggie for her appointment and then get you over to see Dr. Wrightweiler."

He squeezed her hand in reply and tried to relax.

Dr. Marisol Perez finished examining Maggie after reviewing her x-rays. "Everything looks good," she assured the little girl's parents. "The bone is in place and the swelling is nearly gone. We'll put a cast on her leg up to her knee. In three weeks, we can put a walking cast on and two weeks after that, if everything continues to look this well, the cast can come off. Any questions?"

Maggie nodded. "Can I have a red cast?"

"Of course you can, sweetheart."

"An' I can go back to school?"

Perez nodded. "You can go to school tomorrow."

When the doctor turned her attention back to Bobby and Alex, Bobby asked, "What about her pain?"

"Once the cast is on, her pain should quickly diminish. She should continue to use her crutches until we put the walking cast on, but I don't anticipate her pain continuing for much longer. She's five; she'll mend quickly."

Once they were done with the doctor and Maggie had her new red cast on, they proceeded to Wrightweiler's office. They were not kept waiting long before they were taken back to an exam room. When Wrightweiler entered the room, he smiled at Maggie. "Well, well, look who we have here in this pretty red cast."

She smiled at him. "Hi, Daddy's doctor."

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Maggie. Thank you for bringing your daddy in to see me."

"Can you make him better?"

"That is exactly what I plan to do."

He stepped up to the exam table and shook Bobby's hand and then Alex's. "I don't think I saw you this much in the hospital." He examined Bobby's eyes. "Aside from the pain, what other trouble are you having?"

"Dizziness, blurred vision, trouble concentrating, headache. And the medicine makes it worse."

"Yeah...That's a double edged sword there. It's impossible to fully judge your mental status with those pain killers, but you need them. How's your hip?"

"Sore but all right."

"And the knee?"

"Not so well. It's started buckling on me."

"How often?"

"Every time I get up. Once or twice after I start moving around."

"Use the cane and stay off it as much as you possibly can. I want more of that swelling down before I send you for an MRI." He examined Bobby's eyes more closely. "How does your head feel right now?"

"Not terrible. It hurts and I feel a little dizzy, but my vision is clear at the moment."

The doctor gave him a quick neurological exam and then went through a series of questions, glancing toward Alex for confirmation of the answers. He leaned against the exam table, pensive. "How long were you out after the accident?"

"A couple of hours."

He rubbed his chin, thinking. In the corner, Maggie watched everything taking place around her with intense interest. She got up from her chair while the doctor thought and hobbled over to her mother, who lifted her and set her down beside Bobby. She scooted closer to him and pressed into his side as he put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. The doctor turned his head to look at her. "You were with Daddy when he crashed his car, weren't you, Maggie?"

"Yes. That's how my leg got hurt."

"Do you remember the crash?"

"No. But musta went to sleep because I woke up an' it was cold an' my head an' my leg hurt. The car was all crashed up, too."

"And Daddy?"

"He wouldn' wake up. So I got in the front seat with him an' pulled his coat aroun' me, so I would be warm an' I could keep him warm, too. It was snowin' out."

Wrightweiler nodded his head slowly. "And after Daddy woke up, did he seem to be okay?"

"He hurt his leg, too, an' his head was bleedin', like mine did."

"But he talked to you okay?"

She nodded. "Yes. We hadda save Wally and his sister from a car that got upside down. Daddy taked them outta the car an' I he'ped take care-a them."

He smiled. "You're a big girl. Very good. Thank you for the information, honey."

"Now are you gonna make Daddy better?"

He stepped away from the exam table and touched her cheek. "I think Daddy will get well on his own, but he's going to need a lot of rest."

Maggie looked up at her father. "I can he'p take care-a him."

"You are very good at taking care of Daddy," the doctor said, smiling.

Wrightweiler turned his attention from Maggie to her parents. "You had a serious concussion, and it's going to take time and rest to heal. I am encouraged that you have noticed some improvement. It's only been two days. Give it some more time. You should see marked improvement over the next week. If you don't notice any improvement by Friday afternoon or if you start getting worse anytime, call me and I'll send you for a CT scan, but I think you'll be all right. As for your knee, stay off it. Elevation and ice, and I want you back in two weeks as scheduled. Then we'll take a peek and see what damage has been done. If you have to walk, use the cane, but don't walk any more than you have to." He wrote on a prescription pad and handed the paper to Alex. "An anti-inflammatory and pain medicine. Take them if you need them, Bobby." He placed a hand on Maggie's head. "It was a pleasure to see you again, Maggie. Take good care of your daddy."

She returned the doctor's smile. "I will!"

He laughed, then said, "Two weeks, but call me if something worries you. You have my numbers."

Alex gave him a nod as she slipped the prescription into her pocket. "Thank you, Dr. Wrightweiler."

He looked at Bobby and cautioned, "Rest."

Bobby acknowledged him with a brief incline of his head, and Wrightweiler left the room.

Once at home, Bobby took his medicine, at his wife's insistence, and laid down on the couch. Mike had taken Tommy and Molly to his place to play with Sean, so Alex took advantage of the break to start dinner. Deciding on a simple meal, she put a large pot of water on to boil and took out a package of macaroni elbows. She set a carton of Velveeta cheese on the counter. Maggie and Tom loved macaroni in any form, and macaroni and cheese ranked right up there with spaghetti.

After her mother went into the kitchen, Maggie hobbled to the couch and set down her crutches. Bobby readjusted his position and settled her against his chest with her head resting on his shoulder. He retrieved the remote and put cartoons on for her to watch. "The doctor said I can go to school t'morrow," she said casually as she settled snuggled into him.

"Yes, as long as you're careful about your leg."

"Will you be okay when I'm in school?"

"I'll be fine. I'll stay right here and wait for you to come home."

"An' you'll let Tommy and Molly go to Grampa's so you can rest?"

"Yes. Mommy will take them before she goes to work. You'll stay here with me and someone will come by to take you to school when it's time."

She sighed and turned her attention to the television. "That sounds good."

He smiled and kissed her head, content to hold her and watch cartoons with her.

When Alex stepped out of the kitchen to check on them, they were both asleep. Maggie had turned toward Bobby and her hand was buried in his hair.