Author's Note: Thank you as always for your continued interest and reviews. I apologize for the many month-long break between chapters. I had to take some time to be sure I could do this story as much justice as possible (and school got in the way!) Thank you, again! Hope you enjoy.

"Jason!" Henry cried. His son's face was tear streaked and his eyes were red. "Buddy, are you okay?"
Jason was looking at him as if he were a ghost.
"Jas," Henry softly said his name again, reaching for him with his good arm. "I'm all right, pal."
He felt himself well up with tears at the sight of his son. Jason stood as still as a statue in the middle of the room, gazing at him.
"I look that bad, bud?" Henry asked him, trying to keep his tone light, but his voice cracked and gave him away.
"No, Dad. No," Jason shook his head, vehemently, "It's just-"
Henry watched his son bite down hard on his bottom lip. "Buddy, c'mere," he said, gently and Jason came in close to hug him.

Henry let himself breathe, the knot in his chest loosening for the first time since he woke up. He felt his tears start to fall when Jason's back shuddered beneath his hand and his son gave a sob.
"I was real worried, Dad," he wept into Henry's shoulder, "We were all really scared. I'm glad you're okay..."
"I love you, Jas," Henry whispered, earnestly, "I'm so glad you're okay, too. You've been with Allie?" he asked, cautiously. All of his children had been through hell and back tonight and he had to be more careful than usual with each of them.
"Yeah, Allie- she's doing fine. Stevie's with her right now and Mom's on her way."
Henry skimmed his son's face. He wasn't used to seeing Jason's gaze so clouded with anxiety.

When Jason sat down carefully on the edge of the bed beside him, Henry affectionately ruffled his hair.
"Don't worry, bud. It's gonna take more than that to get rid of me," he said with a slight grin, trying to make Jason smile, but his son's tears continued to fall. Henry reached across to the side table and pushed the tissue box toward Jason. "Crying does not indicate you are weak, Jas. From birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive," he said softly, wiping his own tears away with his hand. Jason nodded and Henry rubbed his son's back through his sweatshirt. "It's okay, Jas. I'm gonna be all right," he soothed him over and over.
"You got hurt," Jason said, it wasn't a question. It was a statement and Henry couldn't deny it. He nodded, "A couple broken bones and a concussion. Nothing life-threatening, thank God."
Jason looked at him, something stirring behind his light eyes. "Dad, Allie and I – we prayed for you earlier."
Henry seemed only mildly surprised, "I knew somebody had to be putting in a good word for me with The Man Upstairs." Jason gave a slight smile and half rolled his eyes. Henry patted his back.
"I'm sorry you and Stevie had to go through all this alone tonight," he said, "You've been a lot braver than I ever could have been at your age, let me tell you."
Jason flushed with his father's praise and Henry took advantage of his son's smile.
"By the way, this concussion hasn't screwed up my memory too badly. What I said about the tears? That was Charlotte Bronte." Henry whispered, grinning as Jason laughed.

Allison jerked awake, her neck aching. Her dark eyes surveyed the dimly lit room before her. Stevie hadn't returned, which was probably a good sign. It meant she'd been able to get in touch with their mother.
Jason was still upstairs with their father. Allison couldn't blame him. She desperately wanted to do was see Dad, too.
She gave a heavy sigh and reached for the light pink blanket that had been tossed across her shin. Her hands were tender beneath the bandages and she winced as she brought the blanket close to her cheek. It smelled faintly of her sister's vanilla scented shampoo.
If they were at home, she'd be curled up in her own bed by now...

The faint sounds of the shower running.
Her father's voice speaking softly to her mother on his cell phone, as he walked down the hall. He would stop and lightly tap on her door, "You okay, Noodle?" he'd ask, checking on her.
Jason's amused laughter would drift up the stairs from where he sat, watching TV in the living room.
These sounds, their routine, as familiar to her as her own face in the mirror, lulled her to sleep night after night.
Sometimes she stayed awake long enough to hear the tip-toe of her mother's delicate steps on the hardwood. She would stop in Jason's room to turn off his computer, then into Stevie's room to make sure she hadn't fallen asleep at her desk. She'd slip into Allison's room, just as sleep was arriving. Elizabeth's soft hair would tickle Allison's cheek when she bent to kiss her goodnight, her lipstick all worn off from the long day.

The frigid wind whipped her blonde locks across her face, her warm tears drying automatically against her cheeks. Elizabeth forced herself to draw a breath and felt her stomach turn over once more. Swallowing hard, she willed herself not to become sick again. She sat back on her heels and fought to regain her sense of control. The night was black, in stark contrast to the white flakes that continued to swirl around her. The only light came from the headlights of the SUV, more than a few yards away. Elizabeth inhaled again and pressed her hands to her frozen thighs, as she tried to stand. She became vaguely aware that her slacks were soaked against her legs and how her knees would be bruised from where she'd stumbled onto the frozen ground.
One of the heavy SUV doors slammed shut in a gust of wind and Elizabeth jumped at the harsh sound. The last few minutes came rushing back to her...

Stevie's sweet voice, reassuring.
"To the Moon."
Losing her grip on the phone.
"Ma'am, I'm so glad they're-"
Her stomach rolling, rolling, rolling...
Jay's expression, as she was sure her face turned as pale as the snow.
"Stop the car!"
Pressing all of her weight against the door -
Out, out, out into the darkness of an open field...
She couldn't breathe until-
Doubling over and becoming violently ill.
Trembling, sinking weakly to her knees...
The blast of cold air that assaulted her skin hadn't registered, the chill of the snow creeping up her arms in her silk blouse hadn't phased her...

She could just make out Jay's silhouette, standing near the car with her coat in his arms, ready and waiting for her. She looked down into the deep snow that surrounded her. The night was strangely silent. The wind, the snow, the rumble of the car engine were the only sounds she could hear. She became aware of the sound of her own shuddering breath and she forced herself to move. One step at a time, she picked her way gingerly across the snow-covered field. Each step she took became a mantra:

Allison
Henry
Stevie
Jason
Henry
Stevie
Jas
Allison
Stevie
Jason
Allie
Henry
Alive
All right
Safe

She didn't remember covering so much ground. She didn't remember making it back to the SUV or Jay's hands touching her shoulders when he wordlessly helped her into her warm coat. She didn't remember shivering uncontrollably, or her teeth chattering, or slumping against the arm rest and drifting impossibly off to sleep.
She remembered Henry's kiss against her temple, hours and hours before, when he'd shifted in their bed and tried not to wake her. She remembered brushing Allie's hair behind her ear, as they'd all fought for space around the kitchen counter, during the morning breakfast rush. She remembered Jason's gentle pat on her shoulder as he left to catch the bus and Stevie's quick hug as she hurried off to an early seminar. She remembered leaning against the table, smiling softly to herself, despite the noise and commotion of their morning routine. She remembered her mother's words: "I love you, Lizzie. You'll be fine." and her daughter's: "You'll be here soon, Ma."

In her semi-conscious state, Elizabeth felt her head bump against the arm rest, as the SUV came to a halting stop. Jay's voice seemed far away when his hand brushed her shoulder, "Ma'am? Elizabeth, we made it. We're here."

Slowly, Stevie made her way back down the hallway toward her sister's room. Her legs felt heavy with exhaustion.
She peeked into Allison's room. Her sister's dark hair was fanned out over the white pillowcase. Inexplicably, Stevie felt the smallest smile tug at the corner of her mouth. All she wanted to do was curl up beside her sister and let sleep overcome them both; but she pushed herself on, past Allison's door. Someone had to be awake when their mother arrived.
Elizabeth would be frantic, that much Stevie knew. Her mother would need someone to lean on, to explain, to comfort her. She walked down the silent hallway toward a window at the far end. She grasped the window ledge with her fingertips, feeling the chill of the glass against her skin.
She looked up at the sound of the elevator doors opening. "Hey," her brother's face was pale and his tired eyes mirrored her own, "Is Mom okay?"
Stevie leaned up against the wall and touched his arm, "She's fine. Now that she knows they're okay she's even better. How 'bout Dad?" she asked him, gently. Jason gave her a tentative smile, "He's all right. He's-" he looked down at the floor and cleared his throat, fixing his gaze on their feet. "Stevie," he whispered and she enveloped him in her arms. In the middle of the empty and quiet hallway, they wept. Jason gave a soft laugh against her hair and asked in a low voice, "Why are we even crying?"
Stevie pressed a kiss to his temple, "We are way over-tired, kiddo."

"You gonna go see Dad?" Jason asked her quietly, pulling back from her embrace. "I'll sit with Al."
They crept back into Allison's room and Stevie used an extra sheet to cover the recliner chair in the corner.
"Stevie, I'm fine," Jason whispered to her more than once. She tossed an extra pillow in his direction as a response. He caught it deftly and settled himself in the chair. "Look, I'm settled. Pillow, blanket-" he failed to stifle a yawn. "Go see Dad."