Author's Note: Thank you (as always) for your continued interest and reviews.
"Earth to Henry. Come in, McCord..."
"Sorry, what?" jerking his head up to see his mother and Erin, wearing matching smiles.
Erin's contagious giggles, their mother trying to keep a straight face.
"I know! I know the drill!" Erin cried, hopping off the counter, they could hear her dashing up the stairs.
"When do I get to meet her, Henry?"
"Who?"
His mother's turn to laugh, "The young lady?"
"Soon."
"Does she have a name?" his mother's voice was gentle, playful.
Unable to contain his smile, "Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth McCord? That sounds kinda pretty!" Erin piped up, from her hiding place on the stairs.
"Were you all by yourself?" Jason asked, his soft voice bringing Allison out of her anxious reverie. She looked up at her brother, his eyes were wide and full of concern.
The car, the cold, the snow, the ambulance.
She wasn't ready to tell anyone about what had happened before she got to the hospital.
She wasn't sure she'd ever be ready.
She was quiet and then settled for the simplest answer, the one she felt most willing to give. She didn't want Jason to be afraid. She nodded yes, "For about an hour, I think. Before you guys got here."
"Were you scared?" Jason asked, and Allison was reminded of when they were small.
"C'mon! You gotta tell me something about her! Otherwise, I'll assume she's mean like Bill's new girlfriend."
"She's not mean."
"Erin, leave your brother alone."
"C'mon, Henry. Pleeeeaseee? Just a couple questions?"
"Okay, shoot."
"Brunette or blonde?"
"Blonde."
"Tall or short?"
"Petite."
"Like as tall as Mom?"
Surveying his mother, as she stood at the sink...
"Yeah, Mom's a little taller."
"What color are her eyes?"
"Really blue."
When they were younger, they were always frightened of monsters hiding in the dark beneath their beds. Their father would conduct his nightly routine of checking each closet, under-bed space, and cubby hole for monsters.
He never did find a single one, but that didn't stop little Jason from asking, "Aren't you scared, Dad?"
Henry would always laugh and scoop Jason up to sit him on his shoulders, "Hey buddy, help me check the closet for monsters. All clear, Bud?"
She thought about how perceptive her brother was and how sure she was that he knew everything she was withholding.
Allison felt Jason's hand cover hers once more. She nodded in answer and he put a comforting arm around her.
"Jas," she breathed, a sudden thought striking her. "Do you think we should say a prayer or something?"
She felt Jason nod against her shoulder. "It's what Dad would want," he told her.
Allison closed her eyes and gripped her brother's hand tighter.
It wasn't often that she spoke to God, but she knew their father did so all the time.
"What do you wanna say, Al?" Jason asked her, his voice hushed.
"The Our Father?" Allison replied, the words spilling from her mouth. It was the first prayer that came to her mind and the first that Henry had taught them as children. She heard her brother's voice beside her own, as they spoke the words of the prayer.
When they were finished, Allison whispered, "Please. Please. If you could help our Dad..." she felt weak and hypocritical asking for something as important as their father's life, when she didn't really pray often at all. She felt strange, asking for such a miracle.
She struggled to take a breath, brushing tears away from her cheeks, "Dad says The Our Father is the Universal-"
"Prayer of Protection," Jason finished for her, understanding.
They were quiet for a long time before- "Al, I think God or somebody's gotta be listening..." Allison looked at him, curiously.
"I mean, you're here, aren't you?" Jason whispered, thoughtfully.
Holding her hand the entire drive to Pittsburgh. Singing along to the radio, making her laugh.
Elizabeth, falling asleep.
Glancing over at the passenger seat every chance he got. Her blonde hair was strewn across her cheek, her head resting on his scarf that he'd bunched up and handed across to her. Silently praying for the strength to get them through this weekend without any catastrophes.
Waiting to wake her, after turning onto his street.
Irrationally, wanting to turn the car around and go back to Virginia. They could have Thanksgiving together, just the two of them...
Maneuvering the car into a parallel spot and turning off the engine.
Looking over at Elizabeth, she was sound asleep. Taking a deep breath and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Babe, we're here."
Elizabeth stirring slowly, her big blue eyes blinking sleepily at him. "You ready?" she asked with a soft smile.
Rolling his eyes and giving a low groan, "They haven't spotted us yet. There's still time to make a break for it-"
Her pealing laughter fillied the car.
Keeping his expression as serious as he could, but only half-joking with her. "You're still gonna love me after this, right?"
Elizabeth's giggles as she leaned close, kissing his cheek and opening the door. She fixed his scarf around her neck, and stepped out into the November evening air. "Relax, Henry. It's gonna take more than this to get rid of me."
The sound of the front door opening, "Hi, hi, hi!" Erin's excited cries.
He hadn't even gotten around the passenger side of the car before his mother had Elizabeth enveloped in her arms. "Elizabeth, sweetheart! It is so good to see you!"
Meeting his mothers eyes, alight with the sweetest of emotions...
He wouldn't fully understand until years later...
"Stephanie McCord," the doctor said in a gentle voice. It wasn't a question and for a moment Stevie wondered how he knew who she was.
"I'm Doctor Andrews. I've been caring for your father."
He lead Stevie to a small seating area off to the side of hallway and gestured for her to sit down, but she couldn't move her legs.
"Dr. Andrews, please-" she started, when the Doctor stood up and placed his hand tenderly on her arm.
"I'm gonna say "yes," you know." Elizabeth, announcing over breakfast one morning.
"What, babe?" Looking up from the Sports section, expecting to meet her eyes but instead found himself gazing at the front page of the newspaper, completely obscuring her from his view.
Grinning, as he stood and peeked over the top of her half of the paper. Her eyes never leaving the print. "What were you saying, Liz?"
"When you ask me, I'm going to say yes."
Watching Elizabeth's face hold the most radiant smile he'd ever seen. The sun's rays played over her hair, making her golden locks shimmer against her white dress.
Trying not to cry at the realization that he'd be able to wake up beside her, every morning for the rest of his life.
His plane going down during Desert Storm. Losing two of his best men that day.
324 letters they wrote to each other. The box in the attic still held every last one.
Elizabeth, draped across his lap, asleep. Rocking the light pink bassinet with his foot, as he finished readings for the next day's lecture.
Small Stevie's serious discussions with Elizabeth swollen stomach, "When you get here we can have a tea party. You gotta wear the purple princess dress 'cause the pink one's my favorite."
"Daddy, can we have some ice cream?" His oldest daughter had inherited her mother's sweet tooth, "Please, pleaseeee?"
Laughing, "Darlin', it's not even noon!" Elizabeth had created a monster...
His two year old, violet barrettes in her dark hair, sitting on the floor, playing against his feet.
Stevie singing the song from "Little Mermaid" out in the hallway.
Elizabeth wore one of his old t-shirts as she cleaned up in the bathroom. She had caught him watching her more than once that morning, "What's goin' on?"
Leaning back against the comforter, grinning, "You're gonna think I'm outta my mind..."
"As if I don't already..." she joked, tossing a hand towel at him.
Looking her up and down once more, "I think you're p-r-e-g-n-a-n-t," spelling it out, as Stevie dashed into the room, twirling in her magenta tutu.
Elizabeth, sighing at him in amusement, "What you mean to say is, there are way too many women in this house."
Her blue eyes holding news that made them sparkle before -
"I wanna be where the people are! I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancin'!" Stevie sang out, enthusiastically.
"Honey, don't jump on the bed with your sister so close by..."
Crawling on his hands and knees, chasing the baby through the living room. "Dinosaur, Daddy!"
"Rawr! Grrrrrrr!" His son shrieking with delight. Scooping him up and showering kisses upon Jason's little face.
Allie, weeping in his lap, as he gingerly combed the tangles of bright green Laffy String out of her hair.
Jason, covered in pudding and giggling madly, racing through the kitchen.
Stevie, holding an orphaned baby bird in her tiny hands, "Dad, we gotta help it!"
The girls, camping in the middle of the living room. "Dad! Jason won't leave us alone!"
"Pretend it's not Jason, Al. Pretend he's a raccoon. You're camping in the woods, remember?"
"Ahhhhhh! Dad! Get the raccoon away from us!"
Stevie, throwing up all over his brand new tie at the school's Father-Daughter Christmas Dance, "It's all right, sweetheart. You're not feeling good."
Three dozen Irises for Elizabeth's birthday, her favorite, her surprised smile.
"Are we there yet?" Jason's voice.
"No, Jas. Be quiet." Stevie's sigh.
"Now? Are we there now?"
"Can't we put him someplace else?" Stevie's question.
"How about the roof?" Allie's suggestion.
"We shoulda left him home."
"We shoulda left you home!"
"Guys, we've only been in the car fifteen minutes!" Elizabeth admonishing them, exasperatedly.
"Remind me again why we had all three...?" her light eyes, mesmerizing. Her smile tugging at her lips.
"You wanted to go for a boy." Answering her without missing a beat, as he read the interstate signs.
"Are you guys talkin' about me? Listen, you couldn't go a day without me here!" Laughing at his son's entirely accurate proclamation.
Jason pulling Stevie's hair, Allison slapping her brother's hand away as he reached for the entire bag of cookies, whining...
"Hey! Don't make me come back there!"
"You just- drive. I'll go."
Elizabeth, pressing her hand against his shoulder as she climbed into the back seat.
"Yay!"
"Mom!"
"Can you put the spawn of cookie monster away?"
Catching her eye in the rear view mirror and laughing, "You'd think they were starved for attention."
"Maybe ask Dad..."
"I can't! He's writing." his daughters' voices...
Tearing his tired eyes away from his computer screen, "What? What's wrong, Noodle? Hey, ask me! You can ask me anyth-"
"Henry, I swear. You get up from that chair one more time and I'll-"
Allie weeping, "This is so stupid. I'm so good at English!"
Sitting in his office, finishing his latest book, "Liz, I'm just proofreading-"
Turning around to peek at his family.
His fear of his wife's wrath was trumped by his curiosity and amusement as to what exactly Elizabeth would do to him if he got up from his chair...
Allison's dark eyes were rimmed with red, "I can't do it! I hate math!"
"Hold on, sweetheart. Give me a few more minutes and I'll see what I can-" Elizabeth's phone rang again.
Stevie coming up behind Allie and gently braiding her long dark hair, calming her.
"Lemme help," Jason, coming down the stairs and intervening in the nick of time.
The snow was deep at the farm. They'd ridden all day. Jason's nose was the same color as Stevie's burgundy scarf.
"Come on, you're not all too cool for this."
"I'm twenty!"
"You guys are so weird."
"Mom, hold my phone but please do not film this. I don't want photographic evidence..."
Jason tossing a snowball at Allie's back, missing her by an inch.
All three kids piling on the giant green sled.
"Humor your parents!"
Elizabeth, laughing from the bottom of the hill, her blue parka matching her eyes.
Giving them a strong push, "Stevie, tuck your feet in. Go, go, go guys!"
Gliding fast over the white surface, the snow flying up around them. Stevie's shriek of happiness, Jason's laughter, Allison's scream of joy...
Scream.
Screaming,
Glass breaking,
The darkness was overwhelming,
The car skidding
Crashing-
Allison
"Allie." he murmured, "Allie"
"Henry, can you hear me?"