The suns rays pierced through the blinds covering the windows, a line of light just peeking across Dewey's face. His eyes shuttered open, closing when the sun's light blinded his adjusting pupils and pulled a tired arm up to block the rays. There hadn't been another nightmare when he went to sleep the second time around, and he assumed the same was with Gale considering that he wasn't awoken by shifting or crying. The sun's rays outlined her face with a radiant glow, shining her dark brown hair - even though she's older than him, he seemed to find more gray hairs on his head than hers.

He decided it was best to let her sleep, and so therefore lifted himself off the bed, untangling himself from her arms. He thought he'd bide his time by checking in on Sidney and Tatum and then going to the cafeteria for breakfast, even if the food tasted horribly bland. He pressed a kiss to Gale's temple before grabbing his phone and leaving the room. Of course his back was in pain, but that was par for the course at this point - granted it felt a bit more sore than usual due to his sleeping position and bedding. As he walked down the hall to Tatum's room, he checked his phone for any messages from his department.

His inbox was filled, with messages from officers and deputies alike. Hoss and Perkins were dead, there bodies found in the street outside the Roberts' house. Judy messaged him about how it was determined that they had been murdered before the Stabathon, but the mystery was who killed them. Of course it very well could've been Walker, but they hadn't ruled out a second killer just yet. Jill was found at Kirby's house, having slipped out to hang with her friends before Dewey's deputies were killed, explaining why she hadn't heard them being murdered.

Apparently Walker and one his friends, Robbie Mercer, were meant to go to Reed's house, and there's no doubt in his mind that that was where the final act was going to occur, but Charlie's death put a stop to that. He silently sighed in relief to himself, knowing that because Walker was dead that meant nobody else needlessly lost their lives. He pocketed his phone once at Tatum's door, knocking lightly before peeking inside.

Tatum: Gale slept through Dewey waking and easing away from her, the events of the day before having worn her out mentally and physically to the point that once she finally gave into sleep, it was going to take quite some effort for someone to wake her up before her body decided it was ready. She didn't feel Dewey's kiss or hear him leave, and she continued to sleep as he went down the hospital corridor to Tatum's room.

Tatum was already awake when he knocked on the door; having gone to sleep at a fairly reasonable hour, and with Sidney's efforts to head off nightmares, she had managed to sleep well and was in a much better mindset. Sidney had eventually drifted off in spite of her efforts not to close to four or five in the morning and had not yet awakened; Tatum was now the one watching over her, the TV on and with the volume off, subtitles on, in her deference to her sleeping. Tatum was watching over Sidney rather than the TV though, her fingers twined in her girlfriend's and a small smile on her face as she ran her thumb lightly over the back of her hand. When Dewey peeked inside, she turned her head, giving him a smile, and then nodded her head down to the still dozing Sidney.

"Shh. She hasn't been sleeping long, I don't think. Come in, just keep your voice down."

Tatum herself usually wasn't excellent at volume control when it came to speaking, but she was doing far better than usual at the moment. As Dewey came in, she reached out the hand not in Sidney's for him.

"Hi, big brother," she said softly, looking him over. "You look tired. Did you sleep at all? Did Gale?" She sighed. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't know it would make her so upset, saying I loved her. I just thought I should, because we haven't before, you know? And after everything that happened, and has happened before, it just seems silly not to say something that's true when we don't know if we might not ever get a chance to say it again. But I didn't want her to get upset about it."

"Hey Tate," he greeted, taking her hand and keeping his voice low as to not wake a sleeping Sidney. He remembered a time when they became the best of friends in kindergarten, and wasn't all too surprised when they started dating - only slightly, as he had assumed Sidney was straight based on the people she had dated in the past. He always sort of knew Tatum had an interest in girls, as she used to confide in him about other girls she thought were 'cute' when she was still in the stage of being attached to his hip. Sure he found it bit odd for himself as he had considered Sidney as another little sister to him, but he found he could manage having her as a pseudo-sister and, possible, future sister-in-law.

"That's 'cause I am," he said matter-of-factly. "I got a couple hours of sleep, Gale too. Nightmares," he added, explaining their lack of sleep. "How about you?"

He recalled last night when Gale told him about how Tatum told her she loved her. It was true that he had never heard them say it to one another, but he wasn't certain if they said it when he wasn't around, but he got his answer. "I shouldn't be the one to tell you this, but," he started. "Gale wasn't upset about it. She was just...surprised, is all. She doesn't hear it a lot - besides from me, of course."

Tatum: Tatum squeezed Dewey's hand, moving the other to Sidney's head when she stirred slightly. She patted Sidney's head in a similar manner of how Sidney had kept her calm in her sleep, unconscious that she was repeating the motion she had taken in, and Sidney settled again.

"You need to sleep more," she said to Dewey in her direction manner. "You look like hell. I guess Gale's sleeping now? Didn't figure you'd leave her if she wasn't. I slept okay. Better than I expected."

She knew that at 32, she was pretty old to take comfort in something as simple as her older brother's presence and holding her hand, but it couldn't be denied that she did feel it. Dewey had always been her favorite person, second to Sidney, even during those years as a teenager where she denied that fiercely, even to herself out of embarrassment. She said that to him now on impulse as he corrected her on Gale's response, speaking with surprising intensity, though still pitching her voice low.

"Well, that's about to change. She's about to hear it more because it's stupid not to say something that's a good thing, a real thing, like how you feel about someone. She's going to hear it again from me until she does get used to it, and I'm going to push Sidney to say it too. I want you guys all to know, because we could have died, Dewey. Both of us. You and Sidney could have."

She squeezed his hand, dark eyes earnest. "I want you to always know I love you, and I'm proud you're my brother. You're my favorite person in the world after Sid. You always have been."

"Oh really?," he joked, unconsciously rubbing at his face as if to wipe away the wrinkles and bags under his eyes. "Next thing you'll tell me is that I'm growing gray hairs."

He nodded his head. "Yeah, she's asleep; had a pretty rough time last night, with the nightmares and all."

He was reassured to know that Tatum's sleep wasn't as bad as it could've been, grateful even. He felt guilty leaving the way he did, bursting out in a rageful meltdown and returning only to cart an anxiety ridden Gale away. He knew Sidney was with her though, which gave him enough comfort to let him sleep.

It almost made him mad that Tatum didn't feel like she told them she loved them enough. If it weren't for people like Walker, who dressed in a black cloak and ghost mask, she wouldn't need to feel like she underappreciated her loved ones. He was able to chuckle lightly though when she called him her 'second favorite' person.

"At the end of the day, I'm still clambering for number one," he joked, squeezing her hand back. "I couldn't ask for a better sister. Or for a better family than this."

It seemed that each of them weren't given the fairest of starts in their biological families; Sidney's mother was murdered by her own *then* boyfriend, Gale had an absentee father and inattentive mother, and Tatum and himself had a father who left because he couldn't bring himself to love his own children for who they were. Although an unfortunate circumstance, the murders brought them together, where they then created their own family, as chaotic as it was.

"I love ya', Tate," he said, releasing his grip from her hand and ruffling her blonde locks like she were a child. He rose from his seat and went to leave, only turning back to ask "Is there anything you want from the cafeteria?"

Tatum: Tatum grinned cheekily, nodding towards his head at his comment.

"Check the mirror, you do. You're almost 40, it's bound to happen. Unless you're effortlessly as youthful looking and gorgeous as me, of course."

Tatum looked concerned at his mention of Gale's night, knowing that his as a result was no better or easier. She tugged on his hand, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't forget to take care of yourself too. I know you're worried about all of us, but you can't forget you. If you need to sleep when she's up later and you don't want her alone, you and Sid can switch out for a while and you can sleep in here. I don't mind, and Gale will be okay with Sidney for a while. Seriously."

She smiled back at him when he told her he couldn't ask for a better sister and that he loved her, rolling her eyes when he ruffled her hair. Shrugging, she made a face, remembering all too well the offerings of the cafeteria food.

"If they have something like pastries or pop tarts that they can't mess up, sure. And if they have those little k pods yet that are actual flavored coffee instead of that muddy water crap."

As he left, she felt Sidney stir again and tried to shush her back to sleep, but Sidney was squinting and pushing up stiffly, already scanning Tatum for signs of anything wrong.

"Tatum? You should have woke me, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Well, you needed it, and you still do. Go back to sleep, I'm fine," Tatum told her, but Sidney was stubborn, combing her fingers through her hair and scooting back carefully to sit on the edge of the bed, giving Tatum more room.

"You okay? Pain bad this morning?"

"It's not great, but they should dope me up before long when they come check on me," Tatum said. "You just missed Dewey, he went to get something to eat. He didn't sleep much either," she rolled her eyes playfully at Sidney even as she twined their fingers.

Sidney wasn't surprised by that. She was just as worried for him as for the two in the hospital.

Sidney: She was relieved to see that Tatum looked brighter this morning with sleep, less pale and definitely less shaken up. She squeezed her hand, stifling a yawn.

"He say if Gale's okay?"

"Said she had a rough night. Nightmares." Tatum reached to trace Sidney's nose. "You really can sleep, you know."

"Nope. You're up, I'm up."

As it was relatively early in the morning, there was next to nobody in the cafeteria, so it didn't take long to get through the line. He grabbed some muffins and cups of coffee, setting them on a tray and bringing it upstairs. He stopped at Tatum's room first, dropping off some food.

"Morning Sid," he greeted. "How're you doing?"

He stuck around for a few minutes making discussion, but he excused himself to go back to Gale's room so that her food and coffee didn't go cold - even the highest quality coffee in the hospital goes cold fast.

He reentered Gale's room, quietly, and set the tray on the bedside table. With the armchair still pulled up to the bed's side, he sat down there, drinking his coffee and taking occasional bites of his muffin. He glanced over at Gale every so often as he watched TV - he had only started watching the episode half way through so he didn't know the name.

It was a sitcom, and seemed to be about a group of friends living in the same apartment complex in New York City. He saw that it starred David Schwimmer, the actor who portrayed him in the first Stab movie, as he had been told by Randy back in '97. He didn't quite get the time for a double take when he had checked on Gale again before returned his eyes to the TV and seeing two characters that looked suspiciously close to Gale and his likeness.

The episode cut to commercial, so he took the time to finish his muffin and turn over to Gale. He grabbed her hand gently and spoke softly. "Gale," he whispered. "I got you food and a coffee, better get it before I do," he jokingly threatened - if there was one thing Gale would fight tooth and nail for, it was for her cup of coffee in the morning.

In Tatum's room, Sidney and Tatum accepted the food and coffee from Dewey and had a fairly calm breakfast together. Sidney discussed the possibility of going to get some things for Tatum and herself from her aunt's house later in the day, though she didn't want to leave Tatum alone with a killer still on the loose. Maybe Dewey could get someone to guard her, just in case, or bring her and Gale back into the same room. Sidney was glad to go pick up whatever Dewey needed for himself and Gale too if he didn't want to go home.

She took time to call at the Roberts' house to check in and update them about Tatum and Gale; it had slipped her mind to do so the night before, and she had wondered if Jill and Kate were worried. Kate had told her about Jill's sneaking out and the murder of the cops in the same flat tone that Sidney was used to from her aunt, barely having a reaction to either fact. Concerned, Sidney had asked to speak to Jill, who had expressed remorse and concern for Tatum and Gale, as well as sorrow and disbelief over Charlie. She kept saying to Sidney that she couldn't believe it, that he had been her friend- a sentiment Sidney understood all too well.

Sidney sighed as she hung up, turning back to Tatum. "Never gets easier to process this shit. Hard to believe we were ever that young."

"Nah, it isn't," Tatum said lightly, though her face showed she understood the seriousness of the position Sidney was in and the stress of the conversation she'd had. "My boobs are still the same, and yours are damn close."

She grinned when Sidney mock scowled at her but laughed; one thing she loved about Tatum was she usually could lighten the mood when things were too stressful for too long.

When the nurses came in to check on her, they declared that Tatum's vitals were good and her injuries weren't developing infections. They changed and cleansed her wounds again and gave her more pain medication, estimating she could be released within a day or two of all went well.

Gale stirred when she felt Dewey take her hand, automatically pulling it close to her chest. She didn't respond at first when he spoke her name, and the offered food had no immediate impact until she heard the word coffee. Slowly she sat up, stiff and sore, but reached out a hand for the coffee like an addict needing her fix. Which was exactly what she was.

"Mm," she grunted, "it's going to suck, but I still want it."

She sipped it, ignoring the food. Shortly after having checked over Tatum, a nurse came in to check in on her as well. She commented that her pulse was high, but Gale dismissed this inwardly, knowing it was likely due to anxiety more than physical issues. Her stab injury was checked and her arm replaced in a sling after, and to Gale's discomfort, the nurse also insisted it was necessary to give her a pelvic exam to check the state of her miscarriage. Gale squeezed Dewey's hand hard as she could during this, biting down on the inside of her cheeks to keep herself from making noise or crying from the physical and emotional discomfort.

As the nurse finished, helping pull Gale's gown back, she told them that Gale had passed all fetal tissue and although still bleeding, it was light now and to be expected for the next week or two. Giving her further pain medication, she left them alone as Gale continued to grip Dewey's hand, definitely not going to eat now.

"Please tell me you'll take me out of here today," she almost begged. "I can't stay here. I can't stand being in this room."

A smile crept onto his lips as she rose up at hearing the word 'coffee' - there's only one way to wake her up in the morning. "Oh it does," he commented, still able to taste the remnants of his own coffee on his tongue. "But it's the most expensive one I could buy, which means it must taste better than the other ones," he added, sarcasm lacing his voice - even though they were already being bled dry of their money for even staying overnight, the hospital just had to get another $9.99 out of him.

He could immediately tell when Gale became uncomfortable as soon as the nurse suggested a pelvic exam, well before her grip on his hand tightened. He placed his chin atop her head, knowing she wouldn't want him to see her face twisted in discomfort, and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles during the exam. He listened to the results when it ended and stayed in the same position as they sat in silence after the nurse left.

"Yeah, I can take you out of here," he assured her. "Tatum offered free access to her room whenever one of us needed it. You want to go now?"

"Don't count on that," Gale said with equal sarcasm, rolling her eyes. "Bet they take the exact same coffee and just put different prices on it. They think no one can tell. Maybe later I'll arrange a taste test protest. Expose the lie."

Her humor, snarky as it was, disappeared once the nurse had to examine her and stayed gone. She nodded shakily against his chin, taking a few breaths, and squeezed his hand again.

"Yeah. Yeah, please."

She waited as he got one of the nurses back to help her into a wheelchair. As they entered Tatum's room, Tatum and Sidney both greeted them, Tatum with a smile and wave, Sidney standing up to make room for them by Tatum's bed.

"Hey again," she greeted Dewey, before looking at Gale. "Hey, Gale."

She noticed the strain in her face and tensed muscles, looking up to Dewey to check his expression as well before looking back at Gale. "Did something happen, or is it just the no sleep?"

"You didn't sleep," Tatum scolded Sidney gently, rolling her eyes. "Much, anyway." She looked Gale over too. "They check you over yet? I got a good report so far."

Gale avoided their eyes, conscious of them watching her as she picked at the gown at her knees. Finally she muttered, "They said I'm okay. Just had to have a pelvic."

Both women winced in sympathy, Sidney putting a hand on her back and rubbing gently. Gale trained her eyes to her knees, plucking at the gown.

"Hang around as long as you want," Tatum offered softly. "We are obviously not busy in here."

He smiled to Sidney in greeting before rolling Gale beside Tatum's bed and taking a seat next to her. He hadn't noticed Sidney looked at him as he had his eyes trained on Gale. As Sidney and Tatum squabbled, Dewey rubbed the nape of Gale's neck in comfort.

He couldn't relate to the three woman's pain concerning a pelvic exam, but he certainly knew how uncomfortable it was for him to do a prostate exam, and so was able to share his sympathy there - of course, he also shared empathy for her pain.

As much as he would love to be able to stay, he was still Woodsboro's Sheriff, and what occurred last night, what with Hoss and Perkins dead and Tatum and Gale attacked, was going to get around town fast. "I'l probably have to drop out soon," he stated. "They're gonna need me at the station now more then ever, especially now that Hoss and Perkins are -" he stopped before declaring them dead, becoming aware that maybe saying such words would be too soon to use.

"Ghostface got them," he said instead. "Before the Stabathon."

Sidney hadn't yet shared her aunt's message about the officers with Tatum, but having heard from Kate, she nodded, her expression serious.

"Kate told me. Jill's pretty upset. She knows it was stupid to leave last night, but what can you say to teenagers."

Tatum nodded, partially in empathy and understanding of Jill; she had once been thr reckless teenager that partied with friends while a murderer was on the loose herself, and she had paid for it dearly. Her eyes move to Dewey though, showing concern for him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Did you just hear?"

Gale looked back at him too, this being the first she's heard about it. She reached for his hand and squeezed it silently, searching his face; her gesture is comfort for him now instead of seeking it, and she is looking to see how deeply he is taking the death of his rookies. Sidney, seeing the wordless exchange, speaks up to reassure Dewey.

"Do what you need to, Dewey, don't worry about any of us. They need you out there. We'll be fine here, and I'll check on Jill and Kate

when I run to get things for us. And make sure they keep calling in."

"Yeah, we'll look out for each other," Tatum backed her up, not so subtly inclining her head towards Gale to imply that she mainly meant the two of them would watch out for Gale in his absence.

Gale raised an eyebrow at her, somewhat put out, somewhat amused by the idea of women 15 years younger than her more or less declaring what she viewed as an intention to babysit her. Tatum called her out on it, pointing a finger towards her partly sternly, partly earnestly.

"No, don't even give me that look. We are looking out for you, Gale Riley, because that's what you do for family, and friends, and people you love. That's right, I said love," Tatum said fiercely, in response to Gale's blink and look of discomfort. "I said it yesterday and I'm going to keep saying it. We love you, just like we love Dewey."

"Well, not just like, because you're a different person," she added as an afterthought. "But anyway we love you, right Sid? So deal with hearing it."

Sidney looked a bit startled but nodded. "I mean, I probably wouldn't say it with Tatum's passion, but of course we love you, Gale. Both of you."

Gale couldn't look either of them in the eyes, her throat growing tight. She tried to roll her eyes but couldn't pull it off, and her voice was a little uneven as she said, "Okay, okay."

"And I know you don't want to hear this either, and you probably don't want to talk or think about it," Tatum persisted, her own voice getting emotional as she tried to keep looking at her as Gale kept trying to avoid her. "And I know you always said you don't want kids, but we're still so sorry and sad for you and Dewey. It's not okay that you didn't get the choice yourself."

Her brown eyes glistened as she blinked back tears. Sidney put a hand on Tatum's shoulder even as she shushed her.

"Tate, not now, I think that's enough."

But something about her persistence and the obvious effort she was making to show her caring, even if the way she was going about it was a little invasive or overwhelming, broke through some of the chinks in Gale's defenses. Between that and the admission she had made to Dewey the night before, Gale felt herself crack a little, her own eyes bright with held back tears that she tried to push away as she responded hoarsely.

"I wanted the choice," she admitted for the second time, her hand squeezing Dewey's again. "I...I wanted them. The...baby. I didn't know I would, but I did. I do."

This was the first time that she was able to say the word baby aloud, and it was the first time that she let a tear slip out her eye in front of anyone besides Dewey. From what little she could see of them with her head down, both Tatum and Sidney didn't look shocked or pitying, as she would have feared, so much as further empathetic. Not that this was much easier.

"That's horrible," Tatum breathed, sniffing, obviously crying herself or trying not to. "Mother fucker."

"Tatum!" Sidney shushed her again, even as she moved closer, addressing Gale. "It's not the time, I know. But if you ever did decide to try again, and you needed or wanted, I'm more than willing to be a surrogate for you."

That was one thing Gale had not expected to hear. Slowly her head came up, finally meeting Sidney's eyes. "...what?"

"Well she should be taking this seriously," he said, anger edging his voice. He knew that Jill was just a teenager, and that they're rebellious, but he's already seen too many people die to recklessness. "Reed says that Walker was invited to her house after the Stabathon, so what do you think would've happened if you hadn't killed him?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose to shut himself up, so his anger didn't get the best of him. "She's a target," he started again. "And I don't think she understands that."

He remembers waking up this very hospital after the first Woodsboro murders, panicked about where Sidney and Tatum were, with a stitched up knife wound in his back. When he heard of what happened, he blamed himself; he allowed the girls to go to the party, and at one point left them unsupervised - and during that time was when Tatum got crushed by the garage door.

"I heard this morning," he answered, defeated. It seemed no matter if Jill left the house or not, Walker or whoever his partner is was going to go to her house anyways, and most likely ran off when they found her gone. The pair certainly reminded him of himself when he was a deputy, and it was unfortunate that they didn't get the chance to survive like he had.

He gently squeezed Gale's hand back after she reached for it, silently thanking her for the comfort. "They certainly needed a lot to work on, but they were good officers; and good men as well."

He turned to Sidney at her response. "There's gonna be another unit stationed at their house," he plotted aloud. "I'm also going to place another one on patrol of the neighborhood, just to make sure nobodies sneaking around. And I'm sure you will on your own, but make sure to tell Jill what I said, that she *has* to take this seriously - I don't give a damn if things get boring at home."

He was thankful that Sidney and Tatum would watch over Gale without him there - not that he doubted that they would. No, what caught him off guard was that Gale was admitting her feelings about their baby, and how she longed to have had the choice to keep them. He squeezed Gale's hand back, leaning over enough to place a kiss to her temple.

He placed his chin on her shoulder, almost in the crook of her neck, as a pseudo-hug, considering that he couldn't do a real one without hurting her. He almost didn't hear what Sidney said to Gale, at first assuming it was something for Gale to hear more than him, but his ears caught her final sentence.

*"I'm more than willing to be a surrogate for you."*

His head rose almost in sync with Gale's, slow and confused, but a glimmer of a spark of hope sparked in his chest nonetheless. "You...you would do that?"

Sidney held up her hands as though in surrender to Dewey, exhaling. "I know, Dewey. I know what would have happened to her and Kirby both, and believe me, I'll be discussing it again with her if she hasn't got the point already. But she's a kid. She's a kid, and they think they still have the luxury of having fun that we know they don't. They still have innocence that we don't, and I hate to see her lose it like this."

Tatum nodded, echoing her sentiment softly. "You don't think it can happen to you until it does. It wasn't real to her yet."

"We won't let anything happen to her or Kirby," Sidney said in agreement as Dewey spoke of his plans to protect Jill and the others living near her. "I know you'll cover them, and like I said, if she doesn't get it yet, I'll make sure she does."

Gale leaned back into Dewey's gentle semi embrace, still gripping his hand. Her eyes opened wide, still bright with emotion, but not yet daring to feel the hope yet that Dewey is. Instead she's sure she misunderstood- maybe Sidney had said she could get a surrogate. As though she would want or trust that of some stranger.

But Sidney was nodding after Dewey's question, as though her answer was not incredible, but rather a standard one to be taken for granted.

"Of course I would," she said, matter of fact. "If you wanted it, I would do it, no question."

At the stunned look on Gale's face, she smiled a little. "What's so crazy about that? I'm still young enough, I'm healthy, I haven't had major injuries, and I don't have a job where I couldn't take it easy. I've never had problems with periods or anything like that, I don't see any reason why I wouldn't pass the physical. You're family, of course I would do it for you guys."

Tatum's face lit up, clearly as surprised at this offer as they were. "Oh God, yes! I will too!"

"Babe, I don't know if you would be approved," Sidney said gently, turning to give her a kiss on the head. "You literally just got multiple stab wounds.

And a vertebrae injury, and there's your arm. But if the doctors say you can, sure, we can talk about throwing your name in the ring too."

"I'm throwing it in,"Tatum declared, stubborn, in spite of Sidney's points. "All they can do is say no." Then she paused, making a mischievous face. "How fucked up would it be to get to tell everyone I'm carrying my brother's baby?"

Gale was still processing this all, slow to accept what she was hearing. She stared at Sidney, repeating slowly.

"You would carry a baby for me?"

"Yes," Sidney said gently, reaching to touch her arm gently. She said this directly just to Gale first. "Yes, I would." Then she looked up to include Dewey. "I would for you. I will for you. All you need to do is ask."

He was practically awestruck, completely taken by surprise that Sidney would offer. He knew she'd do anything for them, but carrying a baby was beyond what he ever would've thought she would do. And of course Tatum would offer to do the same, and while it was a sweet offer, he'd rather his sister not bear his child.

"Very," he said, nose scrunching a bit. "It would very much be so, Tate."

His attention returned to Gale as she barely pushed out the question. Sidney once again affirmed to them that she'd be more than willing to do so, looking them each directly in the eye as a promise. He broke eye contact with her to make it with Gale, his eyes asking the question for him.

*"What do you want to do?"*

Tatum grinned, giving a double thumbs up. "I'll totally do it. God, that would be fun. Please, please let me do it too! Double chance of success if we both get some eggs in us!"

Sidney raised an eyebrow at her. "Tate, are you wanting to help and support, or just have the joy of going around shocking and skeeving everyone out?"

"Can it not be both?"

Sidney rolled her eyes but grinned; she knew Tatum well by now and loved her for all her quirks. She gave her a quick kiss on the lips before reminding her gently, "Don't think it will be a thing, Tate. Pregnancy means your entire skeletal system and organs have to shift and move to accommodate the baby. You still struggle with your arm and shoulder sometimes, along with your neck, babe, and now you have your back and ribs to worry about healing too. I don't think the doctors would like the idea of the strain it could put on you."

Tatum pouted a little, shrugging. "I'd take the risk. But okay, you can try first."

She's clearly already assuming this will be a thing.

As Gale continued to process this turn of events, her heart light and full with a mix of both anxiety and awed gratitude and love for the woman making the offer of a lifetime to them, she met Dewey's eyes, her desire for this clear.

She wanted this. Badly.

Even so, her eyes were on Dewey's as she answered Sidney.

"Sidney...I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking," Sidney replied calmly. "I'm offering. All you have to do is say yes to my request. Gale. Dewey. Will you let me be your surrogate?"

Gale felt her heartbeat quicken, threatening to burst through her chest, and she kept her eyes on Dewey as she answered, her voice soft and trembling slightly with emotion.

"Yes. I- yes."

Tatum whooped, giving a fist bump that made her cringe in pain but left her undaunted. "Yesss! I'm going to be an aunt!"

He held her gaze as she kept it in spite of talking to Sidney. Her words contradicted the look in her eyes - she desperately wanted this chance, but she acted as if it was too much to ask of Sidney. He certainly didn't want to put potential risk on Sid, but, as she stated, she's healthy and still young enough to carry a baby without it causing lifelong harm to her body.

When Sidney asked them straight up if they'd allow her to be their surrogate, he wanted to say every 'yes' he could until his vocal chords gave out, but he bit his tongue and waited for Gale's response - if there was one opinion he cared about concerning this topic, it was hers. Sure, she had told him that she wanted their baby, but he couldn't tell if the loss would permanently keep her away from the idea of children out of fear of loosing them again or make her jump from her wheelchair and give Sidney the strongest bear hug in the world.

*"Yes. I- yes."*

His heart picked up its pace from the pure joy his mind exploded with - if he were a dog, his tail would be wagging a million miles per hour. A genuine, happy smile plastered his lips, and he pressed them to Gale's in a soft kiss before resting his forehead against hers. He sat there with her for a moment, eyes held gently closed, before he rose from his seat and pulled Sidney into a warm hug.

"Thank you," he said in an almost whisper, drops of tears falling down his cheeks, although these tears weren't of sadness - they were of happiness.

Sidney smiled widely at Dewey's response, and laughed at Tatum's, tugging lightly at her hair in affection. Gale too smiled, though with more nerves than full on happiness. This still feels unreal to her, and as aware as she is of the monumental nature of the occasion, she still can't quite feel full on joy so much as quiet, uncertain hope.

She returns Dewey's kiss, her hand moving to cup the back of his neck, and breathes, appreciating the moment of centering with him. She isn't surprised when he starts to cry while hugging Sidney- she had in fact expected it.

Sidney hugs him back tightly, holding on for several long moments. She kisses his cheek when they part, and behind them Tatum's eyes also glisten with tears even as she beams.

"Hey, I want hugs too, come here, doofus."

Gale used her left hand on the wheels to awkwardly push the wheelchair back herself as Sidney and Dewey drew apart, then carefully stood, steadying herself on the rail of Tatum's bed. She took Sidney's arm, turning her towards her, and then silently pulled the other woman into a one armed but fierce embrace. Sidney tried to put distance between them and be gentle, mindful of her stomach and shoulder, but Gale hung on, not caring about pain in the moment. This was more important to her in the moment. She tightened her arm around Sidney until Sidney very carefully put her arms back around her, cupping the back of Gale's head in an effort to at least avoid the shoulder in the sling.

"Thank you," Gale said back, an echo of Dewey. And then, very quietly into Sidney's ear, "You too. With- I do, you too. Love you."

It was incredibly awkward, the first time she had ever said so to Sidney, and definitely the first person besides Dewey since- well since she could remember. But she said it. She felt like Sidney deserved to hear it then, so she said it.

He hugged Tatum as carefully as possible, wrapping one arm on the back of her shoulders and the other around her neck. He couldn't believe it. He went from accepting he'd never get to be a father, to yesterday finding out that his chance at fatherhood was gone, and to now, where he was *finally* given the opportunity he had been waiting for for the past two decades.

"Don't you go around telling people that you're girlfriend is going to be carrying your brother's baby," he jokingly demanded of Tatum. "People already give us weird looks."

He heard for the first time Gale say 'love you' to someone other than him; she had certainly loved Sidney and Tatum, but Gale was never one for words and didn't quite know how else to tell them. Plus, it was hard for her to even admit to *him* that she loved him as a result of her loveless home, and he was happy to know that he was the first person to ever be told that powerful phrase - *I love you*.

He parted from Tatum's hug and approached back towards Gale when she pulled from Sidney. He helped her sit back down in the wheelchair, as much as he could tell she was already fed up with the piece of equipment. He brought up his watch and saw that he only had eleven minutes to get to the station.

"I don't mean to ruin the party," he started, rubbing the back of his neck out of guilt. "But I have to get to work. There'll be a fuss if the Sheriff doesn't show up with a possible second killer running around."

He departed from the hospital following his goodbyes to the three women and made it to work just shy of a minute late - today was going to be a *long* one.

As Tatum pulled back from Dewey's careful hug, she grinned cheekily, waggling her eyebrows at him. "Oh, come on. You seriously think I can go nine whole months without telling one single person about the great irony of my girlfriend carrying my brother's baby? I have to. It's happening. Just be prepared for that now."

Both Sidney and Gale rolled their eyes but smiled nevertheless; it was Tatum, and there was going to be no stopping her. As Sidney patted Gale's back, gently encouraging her to let her out of the hug that she knew was uncomfortable for her physically, she murmured close to her ear, "I know, Gale. I know you do," in response to Gale's awkward effort at telling her that she loved her. Gale let Dewey help her back into the wheelchair reluctantly, scowling down at it; there was nothing wrong with her legs, in her opinion, so being tired and sore and in pain had no correlation to having to be in a wheelchair, or in a hospital bed either. The three said goodbye to Dewey as he left, and that left the three of them for a long day in the hospital, putting up with being poked and prodded and invaded on, in Tatum and Gale's cases, and in Sidney's, having to put up with watching out for them while simultaneously worrying about her cousin, her cousin's friends, and her aunt.

Both Sidney and Gale rolled their eyes but smiled nevertheless; it was Tatum, and there was going to be no stopping her. As Sidney patted Gale's back, gently encouraging her to let her out of the hug that she knew was uncomfortable for her physically, she murmured close to her ear, "I know, Gale. I know you do," in response to Gale's awkward effort at telling her that she loved her. Gale let Dewey help her back into the wheelchair reluctantly, scowling down at it; there was nothing wrong with her legs, in her opinion, so being tired and sore and in pain had no correlation to having to be in a wheelchair, or in a hospital bed either. The three said goodbye to Dewey as he left, and that left the three of them for a long day in the hospital, putting up with being poked and prodded and invaded on, in Tatum and Gale's cases, and in Sidney's, having to put up with watching out for them while simultaneously worrying about her cousin, her cousin's friends, and her aunt.