Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of update. Hope you all had a great holiday! We're finally in the last stages of this story and I really want everyone to enjoy them so please let me know by reviewing okay? :)
~JP
PS-Queen, adjust your PM settings so I can reply to you, k? :)

True North
By Jaclyn Parker

"Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven."
~Tryon Edwards
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It had been three days since Carly had first opened her eyes and spoken to Jack.

At first he had been alarmed when, just after she had spoken, she seemed to fall right back asleep. Jack had frantically called for Lee but when the doctor had come in to check Carly, he was able to rouse her again right away.

After a brief examination, and with barely concealed relief, Lee had explained that they would run some tests but for the most part her memory was intact and her vitals were good. He also explained that for the first few days, Carly would probably only be awake in spurts as most people did not awaken from comas and immediately jump back into their lives as shown in television shows and movies for dramatic effect.

So for almost 72 hours, Jack sat by Carly's bed and waited for the moments she would open her beautiful blue eyes. Like Lee had said, it was usually for only a few minutes or, at maximum, an hour at a time and more often than not she didn't speak at all. She would only smile at him as he filled her in on as many details as he could before she would blink sleepily and she was off in dreamland again.

Some would have found it frustrating but to Jack…it was sheer heaven.

Jack had told the children about Carly's opening her eyes the evening it had happened but, as harsh as it may seem to some, he had forbidden them to see her until Lee gave the all clear. He couldn't risk getting their hopes up if she had slipped back into her coma especially since if that had happened he, himself, didn't know what he would do.

But by late Wednesday morning, Carly had stayed awake for over three and a half hours straight and showed no sign of drowsiness, therefore causing Lee to declare her well enough to have visitors other than Jack. Which was why, he was now in the adjacent sitting room of the hospital's luxury suite trying to explain the rules about seeing Carly once again to three very anxious kids.

"And if she looks like she's getting tired…" Jack said, holding Sage's hands in his own as she shifted in front of him impatiently.

"…then we have to leave, but we'll see her again later." J.J. finished for him and sighed with annoyance. "We know, Dad!"

"We just...please…we just wanna see her now." Parker said and Jack sighed, reaching over to place a hand on Parker's cheek.

"I know. I'm sorry." He said, giving them an apologetic smile. "Okay, let's go see your mom."

They silently followed Jack into the room but stopped upon seeing Carly propped up in bed with her eyes closed, looking absolutely no different than any of the other times they had come to visit. Three pairs of accusing eyes looked from her still body to Jack until a shifting noise came from the bed.

Carly blinked slowly and then fully opened her eyes, sending a beaming smile in their direction.

"Hey, guys." She said softly and lifted her left arm up to wave them over. "Come here and say hello to me!"

Parker and J.J. instantaneously walked over and each gave her a long hug, soaking up the comfort that her presence gave off.

"Mom, you scared us shit…" J.J. said and then at a quick jab in the ribs from Parker, quickly changed his wording. "We were worried."

"I know. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this." Carly said, frowning as she saw the fear and anxiety flicker on her son's faces that they immediately tried to hide again.

"You're really okay though, right? Like, you're not gonna go back into…" Parker trailed off and Carly shook her head.

"No, all of my tests have come back with good results. I might be a little weak for a while but Lee says he thinks that if I keep up my physical therapy daily that I might even be able to go home in about another week or so."

Parker's whole body seemed to sag with relief and he gave the first real smile that Jack had seen in over a month.

"That's great, Mom, really." Parker said, words not able to express how truly happy he was to hear that.

Carly smiled at him but her attention had shifted to where Sage was still hovering a few feet away from the bed, holding on to Jack's hand like she had on her first day of kindergarten.

"Hey, Sage. Where's the love from my girl, huh?"

Sage frowned and shifted on her feet but didn't speak, even when Jack nudged her forward. She stiffened and only moved a few inches before rooting to the ground again.

Carly frowned again and a troubling thought popped into her head.

"Sage, it's…it's okay if you're mad at me, you know? About what happened. Even though I didn't mean to get so sick, I know it must have been pretty scary for you."

Sage's eyes widened and she shook her head fiercely. "I'm not mad. I just…"

She stopped as her apprehensive gaze traveled over Carly's body and the wires still attached to her. Carly felt her heart squeeze and smiled reassuringly as she gestured to the monitors.

"Sage, what I told your brothers is true. I'm not going to fall back into the coma again. These are just to make sure that my body is back to doing everything that it's supposed to do."

She tilted her head and lifted a hand out to her daughter. "You won't hurt me. I promise."

Sage hesitated again for a brief moment before taking Carly's hand in hers.

"See? I'm here. I'm okay." Carly said, slowly pulling Sage closer to her. Holding on tightly to her mother's hand, the girl tentatively reached out to touch Carly's arm then moved up to her shoulder, and then to feel the edge of her jawbone with feather light contact.

When Carly reached up to place her other hand on Sage's cheek, a flood of emotions flashed in child's eyes.

"Mommy, I...." She whispered before almost launching herself into Carly's arms. Sobs of relief racked the girl's body as Carly held her close, murmuring soothing things into her ear, while her own tears made their way down her cheeks to land in her daughter's hair.

Carly should have known that it would have probably been hardest on Sage. While she was eleven and the youngest, it was so much more than that. Their daughter could be as stubborn as the day was long, a trait inherited from both sides of the fence, but Sage was also an extremely sensitive soul, especially when it came to her parents. She seemed to be interconnected to the two of them in a way that couldn't be explained. It had been that way almost from the moment she was born in a tiny cabin in Montana with only Carly and Jack as witnesses.

"Well, if you couldn't tell, we missed you." Jack joked after a minute or two, trying to lighten the mood even as he forced tears back.

It did the trick because they all laughed quietly and Sage finally let go of Carly. Although the girl didn't go far, hovering by the head of the bed and keeping a tight grip on one of Carly's hands as if to continuously assure herself that her mom was really there.

"So have you seen Emmy yet?" J.J. asked and Carly shook her head.

"No, not yet. Lee said that I might be able to later this afternoon if I take a nap." She answered and made a face, causing Sage to giggle and the boys to smile, relaxing them even more.

"Knock, knock." Molly's voice rang out as her head popped into the room from the door that led directly to the hospital hallway. "Is this a private party or can anyone join?"

Carly's face lit up at the sight of her cousin and she grinned. "I guess we can make an exception for family."

"How about two exceptions?" Molly said, tugging Mattie in from behind her.

"Of course. I said family, didn't I?" Carly said and Mattie grinned as she made her way over to give Carly a gentle hug.

"Hiya!" Mattie said, pulling back to look Carly over. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, I think, for someone who's missed a month of living in the real world." Carly joked and Mattie stepped back to allow Molly to hug Carly as well.

"Welcome back, Cuz." Molly said and then added. "Don't you ever do that again, understand?"

To everyone's ears the scolding came off as playful, but Carly could hear the undertone of the worry and genuineness behind her cousin's words.

"I won't." Carly promised, closing her eyes as she hugged Molly just as hard.

Molly let go and gave Carly a sisterly kiss before taking a step back, swiping quickly at the few tears that had slipped through her perky façade.

The conversation quickly turned into a light game of catch-up in all the current events in Oakdale, or at least the PG rated ones since Sage was in the room. Towards the end, it centered on the start of the upcoming school year and the fact that Parker, J.J., and Mattie had all found after school jobs.

"Are you sure this isn't going to interfere with your school work?" Carly asked, frowning at all three of them.

"No way, Mom, it's fine." J.J. said, waving a hand. "I am only going to be doing the paper work at the repair center and maybe a few tune ups with Mr. Garvey, if he lets me. He already told me that I can do my homework in the office on my down time if I need to and then I'll just finish when I get home."

"What about hockey?" Carly asked and J.J. shook his head.

"We don't get our schedules until the end of September. Mr. Garvey said we'll work something out when that happens."

"Hmm and what about you?" Carly said turning her head to look at Parker.

"Well my internship at the radio station helped a lot but I also wanted to try doing some work at WOAK to see if I liked film too. So I talked to Mrs. Hughes and she got me a job Mondays, Wednesdays, and some Thursdays, helping out the PR department."

"Well, that sounds like fun." Carly said, shooting a look to Jack who nodded to her, letting her know that he had checked both jobs out and they were okay. She smiled at him and then turned a raised eyebrow to Mattie.

The teenaged girl blankly looked back at Carly and then her eyes widened in surprise at the realization that Carly was checking up on her after-school job too.

"Oh, me?" Mattie asked, pointing to herself and Carly laughed.

"Yes, you! I want to know that I don't have to worry about your school work too." Carly said, but then grinned at Molly. "Although, I'm sure Molly checked over the job well enough already just so Lee didn't pitch a fit."

"Well she really didn't have to since she and Lily helped me get it." Mattie said and shared a look with the woman who had become a vital part of her and her uncle's life.

"What do you mean?" Carly asked, bewildered and Mattie laughed.

"I'm going to be helping Mr. Snyder, I mean Holden, with the horses at Mrs. Sny…um Aunt Emma's…farm." Mattie said, correcting herself with the names that she had been told to call them now. "I don't even want to think about what would happen if Aunt Emma thought that I was skipping out on my homework. Parker has told me enough war stories, thank you very much."

Parker just shrugged with a smile when they looked at him and then they all burst out laughing, knowing that it was true. Emma Snyder was someone you did not want to cross if you didn't have to, especially when it came to the importance of school and planning out your future.

"Hey, what did I say about not having a party in here until after I'm done my shift?" Lee said, walking in and glaring playfully at everyone. They all smiled at him and Molly walked over to kiss him hello.

"Yeah, well, who listens to you anyway? It's not like you've got an important job around here or anything." She said impishly and he narrowed his eyes at her before leaning in to nip at her nose.

"Yeah, yeah." Lee said but then turned semi-serious. "But I'm afraid that I am going to have to break this up."

"Oh Lee, not yet." Carly pleaded, her eyes scanning the room filled with faces that she had missed terribly.

"Sorry, Luv, but if you want to make that special rendezvous I promised earlier than you need to get some rest." Lee said, shaking his head adamantly.

Carly let out a long sigh and Jack nodded discretely to Parker, who picked up on his cue immediately.

"No, it's okay, Mom. We'll come back tomorrow." Parker said, shooting Sage and J.J. a similar look to the one that Jack had just sent him. "Won't we, guys?"

"Yeah, Mom." J.J. said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "You do need your rest. Didn't you say once that good patients are supposed to take naps so they can get better faster?"

"Yeah, I think she did. It was followed by bribery in the form of popsicles if I remember right." Parker chimed in and Carly rolled her eyes.

"Okay, when I told you that, you guys that you were still in elementary school and hit me with a double case of the flu. If I hadn't gotten you to nap somehow, I probably would have gone insane." Carly said, shooting them both a look but her lips quirked up in a smile anyway.

"Eh, still applies, right?" J.J. said and Parker nodded along with his brother.

Jack grinned, throwing his arm around his sons' shoulders and ruffling their hair, in spite of their loud groans of protest.

"Definitely applies." Jack agreed and then changed his face into a mask of absolute innocence when Carly turned her glare on him.

Although she had watched the amusing exchange with a small smile, it was obvious that Sage was hesitant to leave Carly's side again. However, looking at the reassuring faces of Lee and Jack, she gave in with a sigh.

"We'll come back first thing in the morning, Mommy. We promise." Sage said, her eyes flickering to Jack and receiving a smile that assured her that it would be so.

"Oh and when I come see you tomorrow, I'll show you the scrapbook that Aunt Emma and I have been making for you about Emmy." She added, her face perking up at the thought. "Okay?"

"Sounds perfect." Carly said and then smiled tearfully at all three of her older children. "Okay, then, I'll see you tomorrow."

Molly and Mattie also said their goodbyes, before Molly ushered them all towards the door offering to take them to lunch at Al's Diner.

"Love you, Mommy." Sage said, pausing by the door to look back at Carly one last time.

"I love you too, Sweetie. Always and forever." Carly said and blew her a kiss. Sage's eyes filled with tears as she finally got the answer that she had been hoping to hear every other time she had left Carly's hospital room during the past month. Waving goodbye again, she slipped out into the hall with the rest of the kids.

Molly paused before she left and looked back at Carly.

"I'll come back later tonight, Cuz, okay?"

"That'd be great." Carly said and smiled at Jack who had moved to sit next to her again. "It'll give Jack a chance to go home and get some sleep…and maybe a shower."

The man in discussion looked like he was about to protest but he saw the stubbornness in Carly's eyes that made him sigh with resignation.

"Was that a hint that I smell bad?" Jack asked with overplayed indignation and she gave a small shrug.

"Well…you're no rose." Carly said and when he scrunched up his nose at her she just smiled as innocently as he had before and turned her attention back to Molly.

"Besides, my cousin and I have a lot to talk about." Carly added, having noticed the three stone diamond engagement ring that sat on Molly's left ring finger replacing the one that Lily had loaned her in court that day. It hadn't been a topic of discussion earlier, and Carly was itching to know the details. "Right?"

"Right." Molly agreed and then gave the signature impish grin that seemed to be genetic in their family. "Maybe I'll even sneak you in some real food from La Bella Luna."

At the mention of her favorite Italian restaurant, Carly's mouth watered and she could almost smell the chicken alfredo pasta dish that she knew would be coming her way tonight. She sent Molly a conspiratorial wink, as Lee finally shooed her out the door along with a quick kiss goodbye.

"You are such a party pooper. I'm not even tired." Carly muttered even as she found herself fighting back a yawn midway through her sentence.

"Uh huh, right." Lee said, rolling his eyes. Turning to Jack he pointed a finger at him. "I'm leaving her in your care, Soldier. Make sure she gets at least two hours of rest or else you're the one I'm sticking with a two-inch long needle."

"You got, Doc." Jack said, playfully saluting Lee and causing Carly to roll her own eyes.

"Fabulous. I'm unconscious for a month and you two become Laurel and Hardy."

Jack and Lee exchanged grin before Lee went over Carly's chart a final time and left the room as well.

"Come on, Babe. You heard the man. You need to get at least two hours and then you get to go meet our baby girl." Jack said, lifting the blankets to begin to tuck her in.

"I know, I can't wait." Carly said, her eyes shining with excitement. "I don't know how I'll ever fall asleep."

Jack watched her try to hold back another yawn as her eyes drooped and then sprung open again. He couldn't help but smile since she looked exactly like Emmy did when she tried to fight sleep after her feedings. Truth was, Jack also couldn't wait to watch the reunion between mother and child especially since he had dreamed of little else for just over a month.

"Hmm, somehow I think you'll do just fine." He said, smiling tenderly as he brushed a finger down her cheek.

"Jack," Carly said softly, catching his wrist and blinking drowsily at him. "Will you lay with me?"

"You don't even have to ask." Jack said, leaning forward to kiss her softly. Helping her shift over in the bed, he carefully climbed in with her and soon she was curled into his side and wrapped in his embrace.

"I missed this; your arms around me." Carly said, her voice barely above a whisper as she felt sleep beginning to claim her. Although she was never one to have trouble falling asleep, she never slept as deeply or as peacefully as she did when she was being held by Jack.

"Me too, Baby. More than I could ever explain." Jack said, kissing her head before snuggling closer. "And I am never letting you go again."

But he could tell by the sound of her even breathing that she had already fallen asleep by the time he had even finished his sentence. It didn't faze him, however, because he knew that he would have plenty of time to prove it to her.

Holding her close, Jack let his own eyes drift shut and he promptly followed her lead, falling fast asleep.