"Ali?" I asked, the name seemed bittersweet against my tongue. I hadn't forgotten the years and years of friendship between us. But she hadn't forgotten that I had been more equipped to raise her children than she had.

"Lily?" She asked, her voice scratchy and slow with sleep. "It's…four in the morning." She stated, the question for why I was calling not needing to be asked.

"Riddle and Ronan are in the hospital." I said, before hurrying to explain further. No need to cause unnecessary worry. "They're fine, they just had a bacterial infection. The doctors wanted to keep them overnight because they're so young and had a fever. They'll just need some antibiotics after they're released tomorrow. I just thought you might want to know." I said, and I tried to keep my voice light.

There was still an edge to it though.

Another thing I couldn't forget was that she hadn't asked to visit her sons since she'd signed over custody to me.

"Oh…" She said, her breath coming out in a sigh that was both worried and conflicted. "Do you…do you need me to come down there?" She asked.

A year ago it wouldn't have been need. It would have been want.

"No, no, it's fine. I just wanted to let you know. I thought you should hear it form me first." I said, not knowing who else would've told her anyways.

"Oh well…thank you. They're fine though, right?" She asked.

"They're fine. Just a little cranky." I responded. The silence that descended afterwards was full of words she wanted to say but never word. Bitter resentment and long-standing affection that refused to fade.

"I'll let you get back to sleep. I'll call if anything changes." I said quickly, barely hearing her response before I hung up, hating the weight that fell into my stomach after every phone call I made to her.

I missed her.

I didn't have the mental strength to do it right now though, so I shoved the feelings aside and walked back to the room.

I'd think about it tomorrow.

"How'd it go?" Niall asked immediately upon my return, slowly opening the door and allowing me back into the room. Now apparently it was Ronan's turn to be awake.

"She sounded worried." Was all I said. Because really what else had happened? I couldn't very well tell him about all the subtext that had passed during those silences.

"He's waking up." He said, pointing to Ro, like he somehow knew this wasn't a subject I was comfortable discussing with strangers. Even strangers who waited up all night in a hospital room with other strangers.

"You know this isn't normal right?" I asked him as I approached the crib, reaching down to run a finger over Ronan's cheek. "You being here I mean. It isn't a normal thing for stranger's to do."

"I'm not a normal stranger though."

"But you are just a normal person." I said, smiling when Ronan calmed at my touch, blinking his eyes sleepily up at me, lethargic and crusty.

"Yes." He agreed, moving to stand closer to the crib, watching. "So I guess it'd make sense for me to be enchanted by these boys huh?" He asked, as Ro's eyes flickered to him, unrecognizing but immediately trusting. "I can only assume that all people do."

"Only the smart ones." I joked.

"Ma." Ronan started. "Mama." He said again, and my heart squeezed in my chest. He was a smart kid; quicker to stand and quicker to take his first wobbly, steps holding onto the couch but also the more reserved of the two. While Riddle demanded attention in everything he did Ronan simply stood back and waited for someone to notice his feats. Patient, one might say if he wasn't just a toddler.

"Yes Ro. Mama's right here. This is Niall." I said, pointing to the blonde now standing very close to my side, leaning over the crib with me. I felt the heat of his body against my torso. I tried not to react.

"Hello Ro." He said, not bothering with the full name.

"Mama." Ronan said eyes moving away from the stranger and back to me. He reached up, very slowly, and very softly touched my hands.

"Ronan are you feeling any better?" I asked. "The boo boo is going to go away. You're going to be all better. We'll go home tomorrow okay?"

"Oh. Oh. Oh." He said, his mouth forming the shape dramatically, spit making his lips shiny.

"Yes oh." I smiled, watching his eyes drift closed again. Fighting the infection made him weak. He was doing a good job of fighting it off though, his hands still holding mine.

"mhmhmmm." He grunted, and I knew, even with how indecipherable it was to most people that he wanted a song. Just because Ronan and Riddle were twins didn't mean they had the same words—or rather sounds—for things.

"Um…He wanted a song." I said. I wasn't going to not do it because we had company it was just…slightly embarrassing.

"I can uh…I can go if you-"

"No it's fine I'm just…not very good. So…you know, don't judge me mr. rockstar." I said, turning back to the crib and very carefully keeping my eyes on Ronan's face. "Lavender's blue,
Lavender's green
When I am King,
you shall be Queen

Call up your man,
Set them to work
Some to the plough,
Some to the fork

Lavender's blue,
Lavender's green
When you are King,
I shall be Queen

Call up your man,
Set them to work
Some to the plough,
Some to the fork.

Lavender's blue,
Lavender's green
When I am King,
you shall be Queen."

Niall didn't say anything for a minute after I was done, waiting to be sure Ro had fallen back to sleep.

"I remember my mum singing me that song." He said, and I didn't have to turn to know he was smiling. I could just tell, he was one of those boys that always smiled.

"Yeah well…Ro's a traditionalist." I said, moving back towards the wall and sinking down onto the cot. "You can sit here if you want. I'm sure it's more comfortable." I offered him. He didn't protest, instead just taking a seat beside me and grabbing one of my books from beside him.

"What're you studying?" He asked, looking at the Anatomy book.

"Pre-med." I said. His eyes widened, but other than that there was no reaction. I was grateful for that.

"Do you have a class tomorrow?" He asked, looking at the pile of notes and notebooks that I had piled on the floor. I sighed and looked at the cribs.

"I did."

I'm not sure when exactly I fell asleep, but when I next blinked it felt later. Or rather, early in the morning and when I glanced at the clock I realized it was 7:09. Well.

I glanced beside me, understanding that I must've fallen asleep with my head against Niall's shoulder, but I couldn't really bring myself to care.

Not long after the doctor came in, turning the lights on and moving over to check on the boys. Niall woke up then too, moving to stand next to me as the doctor checked all the numbers and took pulses.

"Well, I think you can take them home today. I'll have the nurse bring you the release forms. Here," He said, writing something on a piece of paper. "Is a prescription for an antibiotic. It's very important that they get it when they should. We'll have a follow-up appointment in about another week. If their fever comes back you should bring them back though. Even if they just have an unusual appetite. Anything that seems off, have them back here as soon as you can. We don't want to take any chances." He said, handing the forms over to me.

"Of course. And thank you, again." I said,

We finally got checked out at 10 in the morning, and not surprisingly, Niall helped me carry the boys to the car, one hand gently caring Riddle, his hands curled gently into his shirt, and the other carrying a neat pile of books.

"Thank you," I said, after we had buckled them in and shut the car door. "Really just…thank you. Tell Danielle I'll never be able to understand or repay her for her kindness. And I guess tell the other guys thanks too. For staying as long as they did, even without having any idea who I was." I smiled, watching him walk around the car.

"Of course." He said, stopping in front of me.

And for one terrifying moment I thought he was going to kiss me.

And while I wasn't opposed to the idea of kissing someone as handsome as him, I hadn't brushed my teeth all night and I had two sick toddlers to get home.

But he didn't kiss me. Instead he took my hand gently, and placed a kiss over my knuckles, a gesture that was so achingly archaic that it probably caused my heart to stutter more than it should have.

"It was lovely to meet you, Lily." He said.

And then he walked away, back towards the bus stop. I almost called out to him, offered to drive him back to where he was staying, but some part of me knew that that would drag this out too long.

The strange encounter was meant to end here, my logical side told me.

And I'd be lying if I said I ever expected to see or hear from him or Danielle again.