You guys! My lovely readers, thank you for the sweet reviews. They're not showing up here for some reason, but I am getting e-mail notifications and I want to tell you that I really do appreciate it. I am most definitely not a writer but sometimes my imagination takes off and I have to get these ideas out of my head, and you make me feel like I'm not just wasting my time so again, thank you.

Obviously this is going to be another sad chapter, but I promise there will be happiness in the future. I haven't quite figured out when it will come, but don't lose hope. It won't be 100% depressing forever.

The next few days went by in a blur. Amelia bounced back and forth between the hospital, the funeral home, and everywhere else she needed to be to plan the funeral. Meredith and Nathan hated going back to work on Monday but with Owen and Amelia out the hospital couldn't afford to lose them too. They took comfort knowing that at least Owen had his mother by his side and Amelia was in good hands with Carolyn and Addison.

On his fifth day Owen convinced his doctor to discharge him after morning rounds; while the doctor would have preferred to keep Owen another day or two the incision was healing nicely and he knew the best place for Owen was home, surrounded and supported by his family.

When Amelia arrived at the hospital to go over the discharge papers and bring him home she was predictably stoic. Owen hadn't seen her cry since that first day. He knew it would come eventually, but for the time being she was matter-of-factly going over the plans she'd made, making sure he approved of every last detail, or updating him on who was coming into town and when.

Owen had cried until he was sure there was nothing left but as soon and he crossed the threshold the tears started anew. The pictures of his little girl hanging on the walls and filling photo albums were all there would ever be; the toys still scattered around the house would never be played with again. It was all too much for his aching heart to bear.

Amelia put a thin arm around his waist and helped him upstairs, where she put him to bed. There were a million and one things to do, but they could wait; she climbed under the covers and pressed herself against him, craving closeness after days of being separated by a guardrail, of wires and tubes that got in the way, of responsibilities pulling them in different,directions. Delicate fingertips brushed away every tear, soft pink lips kissed his and murmured gentle words. They spent the day clinging to each other, feeling more like one being than two, with Amelia only prying herself away from her husband long enough to fetch food and water that she insisted he needed to regain his strength and continue healing; he observed that she never consumed any herself, but she brushed him off, insisting she'd eaten while she was downstairs. Eventually the sun began to set and Owen, aided by the prescription painkillers that he had discreetly - or so he thought - counted and stashed away, drifted off. For the first time in days he slept soundly, comforted by the slender arm draped across his chest, the small hand clinging to his t-shirt, the soft, espresso-colored hair that tickled his cheek.

The next morning, however, Owen woke up alone. He stumbled to the bathroom where he relieved himself and splashed cold water on his face, then went off in search of his wife. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard his mother-in-law's voice.

"For God's sake, Amelia, would you just sit down and eat something?" the older woman begged.

"Nancy, Liz and Kate are coming in this morning. They'll be here any time now," Amelia pointed out as Owen entered the kitchen to find her mopping the floor with harsh, angry strokes. The rest of the kitchen was spotless, as was what he could see of the rest of the house; he guessed she was probably up most of the night while he and Carolyn slept.

"And they're not coming to inspect the cleanliness of your house! You need to take care of yourself!" Carolyn looked at Owen, her gaze an unspoken plea for help.

Owen shrugged as his wife scrubbed furiously. "She's managing," he explained sadly. Although he hated it, he knew that by keeping busy, Amelia was taking care of herself the best she could; to sit idle was to welcome in the grief that would cripple her and tempt the long-stifled desire for drugs to numb the unbearable ache. Right now cleaning was her drug, distracting her from the gaping hole in her heart.

He understood Carolyn's concern, though, so he took the mop from Amelia's hands and guided her to the table where a plate of scrambled eggs and toast sat untouched. He put his hands on her shoulders - he was sure they felt thinner than they had six days ago - and firmly lowered her to a chair. "Come on. Just a few bites?"

Anger flashed in her gray eyes, but when he brought the fork to her lips she opened her mouth and accepted the food. She looked as though it was killing her to chew and swallow but she did, and took the next bite he offered, and the next. The fourth mouthful proved to be her breaking point, though, and she sprinted towards the bathroom with one hand clamped over her mouth. She slammed the door and locked it before anyone could follow her in, leaving Owen standing helplessly outside flinching as she gagged and retched before everything came up. Finally he returned to the table with a defeated sigh and sat with his head in his hands.

"She didn't eat for a month after her father died," Carolyn said as she took the seat next to him. "I mean she took a few bites here and there, but it was barely enough to keep her alive. She also stopped talking for a month, so I guess it could be worse…"

"I wish I could help her. I don't know what to do," Owen admitted as he turned to his mother-in-law.

Carolyn offered Owen a sad smile. "Love her, Owen. Just love her. With Amelia, sometimes that's all you can do until she's ready to let you help her."

Owen nodded, knowing she was right, before a knock on the door drew their attention. Before either could answer Addison let herself in, weighed down by at least a half dozen grocery bags filled with fresh fruit, pastries, and other goodies. "I figured the family would be hungry when they got here," she explained as Owen reached for the bags. "I got it. You need to take it easy," she ordered as she brushed past him and dropped it all on the counter. Then she turned to him and pulled him into a hug. "How you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Owen lied. Of course she saw right through him, but what else was there to say?

"How's Amelia?"

As if on cue the bathroom door opened and Amelia emerged. Her red, watery eyes and flushed cheeks gutted Owen, but he was relieved that she let him take her in his arms. "No more food," she whimpered into his chest as he stroked her hair.

"Okay. No more," Owen promised. "I'm sorry."

Finally Amelia turned her attention to Addison, who had already arranged the pastries on a platter and was searching for a cutting board and knife to make a fruit salad. "Addison, what is all this?"

"Your sisters will be here soon. It's a long flight, they'll be hungry," Addison rambled on. Truth be told she really didn't know what else to do to help, but food was always a good place to start.

"You're too much. You've done so much already," Amelia insisted as she embraced her ex sister-in-law. "I love you, Addie."

"I love you too." Addison planted a kiss on Amelia's forehead before getting back to work.

"So, have you heard from Jake? When are they getting in?" Amelia asked as she jumped in to help Addison, thankful for the distraction.

"I just talked to him. They were on the road until after ten o'clock last night. He says they should be here by early afternoon, but if course that depends on how the kids do."

Suddenly the door flew open and Nancy, Elizabeth, and Kathleen piled in, followed by their husbands and a number of their children. Some of the kids were in college and, with final exams looming, unable to make the trip but it was still an impressive group.

Owen's jaw dropped as the crowd filled the kitchen. He knew Amelia had a big family, and he had met most of them at one point or another, but he'd never seen so many of them all at once. Amelia's nieces and nephews ranged from teens to thirty-somethings with spouses and children of their own. After many hugs and tears everyone started grabbing plates of food. Owen could tell Amelia was a bit overwhelmed, and yet she seemed almost happy to be surrounded by her family.

He knew it meant a lot to Amelia that her whole family had made the trip. She was never very close with her sisters growing up as she was so much younger, and they had distanced themselves even more as she became dependent on drugs. Amelia convinced herself that she was better off without them but that changed when Isla came along; she couldn't bear the thought of the girl growing up not knowing her extended family. First she'd reached out to her mother - who she'd ignored for months after Carolyn refused to attend her wedding - and gradually she offered an olive branch to her sisters as well. Carolyn had flown out the week after Isla was born, and things had been good between them ever since. The girls took longer to come around, with Lizzie finally coming to visit for Isla's first birthday. The following Christmas, Nancy and Kate agreed to a get-together when Amelia and Owen brought Isla to New York to spend the holiday with Carolyn. Although she still wasn't as close with Nancy, Liz and Kate as she was with the other women she considered to be her sisters - Addison, Meredith, and Maggie - it brought Amelia some peace to know that, after so many years, they had finally resolved their differences.

The house was filled with noise until late in the evening, when everyone but Carolyn took off for the hotel. Addison stayed and helped tidy up. "Okay, I'm out of here," she finally announced as she hugged Amelia and Owen once the dishes were washed and the kitchen once again spotless. "I'll see you tomorrow." She couldn't hide the sadness in her voice, as the wake was the following afternoon. She was so worried about how it would hit Amelia, who she still hadn't seen cry. She knew the breakdown was imminent, but how bad it would be was anyone's guess.

Amelia and Owen made their way upstairs and got ready for bed. "That was really nice that they all made it out here," Owen commented as he climbed under the covers.

"Yeah. It's just a shame it took something like this to get everyone together." Amelia's voice wavered, but didn't break. "Isla would have loved it."

"Yeah, she would have," Owen agreed. He turned out the light and pulled Amelia close as he tried to rest up for what would surely be one of the hardest days of his life.