An: Sorry about the wait. As some may know from the little AN in the last chapter in "Place at the table" University was kicking my butt. Finally I got enough time to write this. Hope you enjoy :)

Callie POV

"Markus?" Amy asked as she frowned up her face in confusion. She took her phone away from her ear and looked at the screen. I noticed that the phone call was still going. Amy raised the phone back to her ear asked again, this time, in a bit more frantic tone of voice "Markus? What was that noise?! Markus?"

Amy jumped up to her feet and started to pace around the living room "Markus! Talk to me! Markus? Aaron!? Someone, please talk to me!"

"What's going on?" I asked curiously, not understanding why Amy suddenly looked to be in such panic

"I don't know," Amy replied quickly to me before she once again checked if the call had been interrupted. It wasn't. Her left palm went to her forehead before she once again called out "MARKUS! Markus?" I could tell Amy was now in distress "Markus, are you there?"

She ran her left hand through her hair. I could tell by her facial expression, something was seriously wrong "Please…someone," Amy turned to pleading "Markus, talk to me, please! Markus?"

Even I started to get more and more concerned with every minute that went pass. Amy suddenly turned to me and handed me her phone "Here!"

"Wha—" I took the phone recurrently from her hands

"Just...talk! Don't end the phone call!" Amy said as she ran out to the hallway

"Hello?" I raised the phone up to my ear. A strange sound was coming from the other end. I thought I heard engine, but than again, it didn't exactly sounded like the car was driving down the street. There was this sound, like, someone was pushing the horn on the steering wheel. But it was distant. I don't think it came from their car. And if I listened more closely to the background sound, I thought I could hear people yelling or shouting.

"Markus?" I asked, but no one answered "Hello, are you there?"

I heard Amy's voice from the hallway. When I glanced to the hall, I saw Amy pacing back and forth, with the land line phone to her ear. She was muttering to herself "Come on, Aaron, pick up! Pick up, goddammit!" The worry and panic look in her eyes had only grew with every minute that went by.

"Your mom wants to talk to you," I said in the phone, when I remembered that she had asked me to talk to Markus. My eyes were still on Amy, who was pacing back on forth in the hallway. Nothing had changed on the other end of phone call. Markus still hadn't replied.

"You should answer…she looks worried," I replied finally taking my eyes off Amy and averting them to the coffee table in front of me, where the poker cards were still out

"I'm starting to get worried as well," I added quieter. I had a bad feeling about this.

When I heard sirens in some far distance, I slowly looked to Amy "Markus, please be okay..." I felt tears forming in my eyes, when I thought about, these two people dying. The sirens in the distance gave me uneasy and restless feeling. I don't exactly love these people, but I never wanted them to die. They have been the best foster family that I have lived with. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love and I don't want Amy to go through it as well.

"Anything?" Amy's panic filled voice filled the house. She was still holding the landline phone to her ear, hoping for Aaron to pick up his phone. Hating that I didn't have better news for Amy, I shook my head stiffly and slowly.

Amy closed her eyes for a brief moment. To me it looked like she was trying real hard not to think about the worst case scenario. I noticed her lips quiver, before she turned her back to me and pleaded "Please, pick up your phone Aaron! Please..."

"Markus, can you hear me?" I asked, hoping to hear a reply or at least a voice or a groan, to know that he was still alive. I wanted desperately to deliver Amy some good news.

"Markus…please be alive!" I whispered in the phone, when I saw that Amy with a heavy heart ended the phone call as she had been unsuccessful about contacting her husband

~o~o~o~

It was 22 minutes after Amy's conversation with Markus had been suddenly cut short. It was about 17 minutes ago, that she had, with tears in her eyes, ended the phone call with Markus. Amy was holding the phone in her hands, her elbows were pressed to her knees. She was staring down to the phone, waiting for it to ring. We sat in complete silence. Neither me, nor her had said anything in the last couple of minutes. I wasn't brave enough to say anything, so I simply sat with her and waited with her. The thought about leaving, heading upstairs, hadn't even crossed my mind. I wanted to stay here with Amy, I needed to know what had happened.

The phone in her hands rang. Amy picked up the call up so fast that I didn't get a look at the screen to see if Aaron, Markus or some unknown number was calling.

"Hello!" Amy said in a loud voice as she jumped up to her feet "Yes, this is she!" She replied after a brief pause. That ended the discussion on who was calling her. There was one reasonable explanation in my mind - it was the hospital calling, asking for Amy to come down there because there had been an accident.

"Yes. I will be there as soon as possible," Amy said with straight face. I could tell she was trying to stay strong, trying to keep the tears away.

"Callie!" Amy turned to me as she lowered the phone down "Put your shoes on! Let's go!" She said as she ran out of the room. Without hesitation, I jumped up and followed Amy to the hallway to put on shoes.

On the way to the hospital, Amy was gripping the steering wheel much tighter than she usually does. Her whole body was stiff. Usually behind the steering wheel she was very relaxed. But now, even her driving manner had changed. She drove more faster. Amy waited for the last seconds to break down the car, so it came to more harsher stop. When she started to accelerate after she had stopped a light, she accelerated faster and less gently, making the engine roared louder. The way she shifted gears, was more jerky, the car twitched more every time she changed the gears. And she used the honk. She had never used honk ever before.

When we arrived at the hospital, Amy found the parking spot closest to the entrance. We both jumped out and hurried to the hospital. When we entered the hospital, Amy made a B line to the front desk. I fell a little behind, because of how fast Amy walked. She had practically ran inside.

As I walked up to Amy at the front desk, I heard her ask the nurse "What about my husband? Aaron Scott? Is he is surgery as well?"

The nurse typed something on the keyboard, looked at the screen and then returned back to Amy "I'm sorry, at this moment, I don't have information about Aaron Scott,"

"Is he on the way here then?" Amy retorted, not pleased with that answer. I do understand why she needed to know. Obscurity is worlds worst feeling in moments like these.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Scott, I don't have that sort of information," Nurse said with compassion as she stood up and started to walk around the front desk "Please, let me take you to the waiting room. We will come to you and inform you, when we have any sort of information about your husband or son!"

Amy stood still and stared at the nurse, who was now in front of us.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Amy replied with blank face

"Mrs. Scott-"

"He is...because," Amy spoke quietly, slowly nodding her head "If he was alive, he would be on the way to this same hospital and you would have at least some sort of information, that another ambulance is on it's way! But there isn't another ambulance!" Amy pointed down to the floor with her right hand "My husband is not here, he's not in an ambulance on the way here, because...he's dead!" I wasn't sure what to think. Was Amy actually right about this or was this just an assumption, she had made.

"Mrs. Scott-" Nurse said, her voice full of compassion and sympathy

"My husband is dead," Amy's voice cracked and I saw tears in her eyes "And my son-"

"He is in good hands. Our best doctors are working on him!" Nurse reassured Amy as she gently placed her hand on Amy's upper arm "Please, follow me," Nurse said in a soft voice and guided Amy towards the waiting room

~o~o~o~

It was 11:24, when I finally got the courage to speak up "You want coffee?" I asked Amy. We have been sitting in the waiting room for the last hour or even more. I had a feeling Amy needed it - the drink and a little bit of leg stretching.

Amy slowly turned her head to me "Yeah, let's go get some," she replied in a small voice, after watching me for few seconds. There was no spark in her eyes, they were empty and sad, and full of worry and dread.

We walked out of the waiting room and headed down the hallway. I had seen a coffee machine in the hallway, when we walked from the front desk, to the waiting room. When we stopped at the machine, Amy pulled out her wallet from her back pocket.

She found some coins and wanted to put them in the machine. When she raised the first coin up, I noticed how much her hand trembled. She missed the little slot and the coin fell down.

"I got it," I replied quickly and crouched down to pick it up

"Clumsy me," Amy said barely above whisper, she sounded weak

When I stood back up, warily I reached for her wallet "Let me," I replied and took the wallet out of her hand. I found the necessary coins and then one by one, I dropped the coins in the machine.

"Black...with milk?" I asked her, before I pushed the little button. Amy nodded back. While the first coffee was preparing, I counted the required money for my coffee. Once I had the needed money, I gave the wallet back to her. Amy put it back in her pocket.

"Here!" I took out the cup and handed it to Amy

"Thank you," Amy held it with both of her hands, while I got my small coffee cup

As we were walking back to the waiting room, we both saw two police officers talking to the nurse, that Amy had spoken with, when we had arrived here. Amy stopped in her tracks, I stopped along with her. The nurse walked around the front desk and walked towards the waiting room along with the two police officers. That was until the nurse noticed Amy standing in the hallway. The nurse motioned towards us, towards Amy and went back to the front desk.

I watched how the police officers walked up to us. When the officers stopped right in front of us, I looked up to Amy. She contort her mouth to one side and slowly started to nod her head. She couldn't even look up to the two fellow police officers. Amy was focusing her eyes somewhere to one of the officers chest, possibly, the name tag on his shirt.

"Mrs. Scott?" the tallest of the officers spoke up

"Yes," Amy replied weakly

The officer continued, with lot of empathy "We are sorry to inform you, that your-"

"I know," Amy whispered out as she slowly looked up to the officer "I know..." she breathed out as tears appeared in her eyes

The officer swallowed a lump in his throat and briefly glanced to his partner, before he returned his attention back to Amy "Your husband Aaron Scott was in a car accident tonight. He died before the paramedics got there. We are sorry for your loss!" The officer gave the official notification. Now it no longer was just an assumption. It happened. It was real.

I felt a tug at my heart and gulped heavily, when I looked to the heartbroken Amy next to me. God, I hated this. It hurt. I hated seeing Amy so hurt.

"How did it happen?" Amy asked quietly, her voice small, as she averted her eyes down to the coffee cup in her hand

"It happened on the intersection of Friars Road and Morean boulevard. A semi-trailer-truck drove in the intersection at the red light and crashed into the car your husband and son was in," The other officer explained

"The driver of the semi-truck has been arrested," the taller officer added, in a way trying to ease the pain that who ever did this will not get away

Amy took a deep breath in. Her mouth parted a little, but she didn't say anything. Maybe she wanted, but changed her mind at the last second. She pursed her lips together tighter, that way trying to suppress a cry.

"We are sorry for your loss, Mrs. Scott,"

"Thank you," Amy chocked out when she briefly glanced to them. As the officers walked away, Amy closed her eyes and tilted her head back, her breathing became more labored as she tried to deal with the grief of losing her husband without bursting into tears. After all, she still had a son, who was fighting for his life in an operation and she needed to stay strong for him.

One tear escaped and fell down my cheek as I felt for Amy. Quickly I wiped it away, before anyone saw it. Amy didn't deserve this! Aaron didn't deserve to die. This wasn't fair. Amy's life will never be the same again. Why do bad things happen to good people?

"I'm so sorry, Amy!" I whispered out, loud enough so Amy would hear me. I hated that phrase, but there wasn't anything else that I could say. Nothing I say, will bring back Aaron. Nothing I say, will ease the pain. It was still all too fresh.

Amy sucked in a breath and ran her left hand over her eyes "Markus is still alive..." she stated weakly and quietly

"I hope he pulls through," I said trying to show support. I meant what I said. I don't want him to die. He was all that Amy had left. She needed him.

"I hope so too," Amy agreed gazing to me. There were tears in her eyes, they could fall any second. Amy rested her palm on my shoulder gently and we walked together back to the waiting room. We sat down at the same seats as before. Only difference, we were now sipping our coffee's time by time.

When the clock on the wall turned 11:58, I went to to throw out the two now empty coffee cups. As I sat back down, next to Amy, a doctor in a dark blue scrub walked in. He looked around, before his look stopped on Amy. As he started to walk towards us, he took off his scrub hat.

"Mrs. Scott," he spoke, when he was just three steps away from us. Amy jumped up to her feet.

"How is he? Can I see him?" Amy blurred out, expecting some good news for a change

The doctor took a breath and squeezed his scrub hat a bit tighter in his left hand "I'm sorry, Mrs. Scott - we did everything we could!"

"No," Amy cried out and shook her head, desperately wanting the doctor to be wrong "He can't be- This can't be happening!" I tilted my head down at the realization – they both died. Her family is dead.

"His injuries were too severe," he explained Amy in a gentle and soft manner. Amy took a step back and fell back in the chair she was sitting 5 seconds ago. Her look was concentrated somewhere on the floor, distant and empty. There was still shock.

Her lips and chin started to quiver first. Tears started to fill her eyes. Amy's face slowly frowned up as she was no longer keep her emotions intact. I reached out to her and placed my right hand gently on her shoulder blade, trying to comfort her.

The moment my hand touched her back, she hid her face in her palms – suppressing her cries. I didn't pull my hand back. Amy leaned towards me, over the arm-holder that was between the two chairs, and buried her head in my shoulder and cried out, no longer trying to suppress her grief.