Never Wake
by: Liv-x-Case-Benson & dcmasters
Ch. 3: Pictures
The next thing she knew, Lindsay placed a plate of breakfast in her lap.
Lindsay took the photo, placing it beside her. "Mind if I go out a while? I've dressed the twins."
"Where to?"
"The lab. I left my phone there."
"I'll go after I eat, ok?"
"I want to go on my own. Then I'll make that appointment on the way back. Don't worry, I'll get a cab."
Sara nodded. "Be careful."
Lindsay kissed Sara's cheek. "See you soon, Mom," she offered, walking from the room.
Sara nodded, eating her breakfast and watching for the twins.
They ran downstairs ten minutes later, Mason just beating his sister into the room. "I won!" he grinned.
"Nah uh! You pushed me!" she protested.
"Guys! Guys! What's going on?"
"We raced downstairs. He says he won, but he pushed me!"
Sara walked over. "Back upstairs and try it again."
"No! He'll cheat again," she said, hugging Sara tightly.
"All right. What do you guys want to do?"
"Cuddles," she replied.
"I want to go outside," Mason replied. Though they were twins, there were times when they were the total opposite of each other.
Sara smiled, picking up Madison. "Should we go outside?"
Madison nodded as Mason raced ahead. When he made it outside, he went behind the big oak tree at the end of the garden.
Sara smiled. "What are you doing?"
"...nothing."
"Mason..."
"What?" he asked, walking out.
"What's behind there?"
"Nothing," he shrugged. Nothing she could see anyway.
Sara walked over.
"See," he said. There was nothing physically obvious, except some marks in the tree making a square.
"What's that for?" she asked, pointing to the square.
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"It's a secret."
She smiled. "Ok, so is there something you want to do?"
"Stay here with the square."
"But why?" she asked, sitting Madison on the ground, kneeling beside him. "Is it for Mama?"
He gave a slow nod. "Mama said I couldn't tell because you like trees."
Sara rested a hand on his shoulder. "Did you make that with her?"
"Yes, but it's not just a square."
"Then what is it?"
He grabbed a nearby twig and put it the gap, forcing the square out. Inside was a deep hole in the trunk, filled with all Mason and Catherine's favorite things, including several of items of Catherine's that had disappeared over the years, including a photo of her and Mason, a necklace and their favorite storybook.
Sara kissed his cheek. "If you want to keep this stuff here you can, but when it gets cold out a few things might not last."
Mason nodded, holding Sara tightly.
Sara hugged him. "How about, when Lindsay gets back, we'll go out and get a sturdy metal box you can put all those on and then put it back inside the tree. They'll last longer."
"Ok," he said reaching into the hole, pulling out Catherine's old locket, handing it to Sara. "You can keep this."
Sara smiled, putting it in her pocket. "Are you two hungry?"
"Lindsay gave us breakfast in bed. I'm glad she came home," Madison replied.
"Yeah, that was nice," she said, putting the square back in place. "What should we do?"
"Can we plant those seeds for the flowers we got a few weeks ago?" Madison asked as Sara's cell rang.
"Sure. Hang on. Sidle."
"Hey, it's Nick. Just letting you know Lindsay's here. Wanted to check you knew."
"She was going to grab her phone," Sara said, heading inside to get the flower seeds.
"Ok. She's gone to speak to Archie. About what I don't know. Did you want me to let you know when she's on her way back?"
"Uh, sure. Thanks Nick," she said, hanging up and going back outside.
The twins kept Sara amused for the next few hours until Lindsay finally walked through the door.
Sara smiled. "Everything ok?"
"I got you a present. Well, it's sort of a family present."
"What is it?"
Lindsay sat on the bottom step. "Come here."
Sara walked over. "Yeah?"
Lindsay placed a silver plated photo album on her lap as the twins sat behind her. "Last night in Mom's office... I found that phone she lost a few weeks before... Anyway, Archie helped me charge and download the pictures," she smiled, slowly turning each page. There were various pictures of each of them with Catherine, ones of the kids and Sara and loads from their park and holiday adventures.
Sara smiled. "Wow."
"I thought we'd lost them forever."
"So did I."
Lindsay handed the album to Sara, indicating to the twins they should all go inside, and they quickly left the brunette alone.
Sara smiled, opening the album again.
The final picture was one of Catherine and Sara wrapped up in bed together under a thick blanket on a rainy day. The redhead wore her usual infectious smile, her head resting against Sara's.
Sara traced Catherine's face. "We miss you, Cath."
Catherine's voice seemed to ring clearly in her mind as she heard a soft 'I love you'.
Sara stood, taking the album back into the house, sitting on the couch.
The twins were talking softly in the corner of the living room and Lindsay had disappeared to her room.
A card lay on the living room table for a local scan clinic reading 'Thursday 4:30'.
Sara smiled, grabbing the card.
"Mommy, are you ok?" Madison asked.
She nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yes sweetie. Why?"
"You were crying."
"I'm ok," she assured. "Just thinking."
"About Mama?"
"Yeah."
"Well, we're still here."
"Yeah, I know," Sara said.
"You want us to go upstairs?"
"No. You guys are fine."
The both stood cuddling either side of Sara. "Lindsay went upstairs to lay down. She said she felt sick."
"Yeah, she hasn't been feeling good," Sara said, wrapping an arm around each of them.
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