Georgie awoke the next morning to find the other side of the bed empty. How quietly had Lou moved for the door when she realized Georgie had fallen asleep here?

She sat up, her thoughts muddled. Looking down, she realized she was still wearing the clothes from last night. My suitcase is still in the mudroom.

When Georgie arrived in the kitchen, Jack saw her and froze.

"Hey," she said, a bit sheepish.

Jack recovered soon after, a smile making its way onto his face. "It's good to see you. I'm glad you're home."

Georgie nodded. "Yeah. Me too," she said, unsure how much she believed that. "Where's—where's my mom?"

Jack gestured to the window, and upon taking a step closer, Georgie could see Lou and Peter's heads as they were sitting on the porch.

Before Jack could stop and offer her something to eat, Georgie grabbed her suitcase, picked out some clothes and a towel, and got into the shower.

Georgie, her hair still damp, emerged from the bathroom about a half hour later. She was parked in the hallway, scrubbing her hair dry with the towel, when she spotted Lou and Amy. Georgie hovered, uncertain, but Amy caught sight of her and called her over.

"Georgie! I didn't get a chance to talk to you last night."

Georgie smiled, walking over to stand just beside Lou. "I know, I was tired," she apologized, combing her fingers through the hair above her temple.

"Oh, that's fine." Amy waved her hand dismissively.

Georgie nodded, her gaze dropping to Lou for a second. Her mother wouldn't meet her eyes, the heaviness from their conversation the night before still lingering.

"How are your classes?" Amy asked in an attempt to fill the silence.

"They're fine."

"And training? How's Quinn?"

"Yeah, everything's great."

"Does he know you're here?"

"I, uh, called him from the airport. He knows."

Amy and Georgie both fell silent when the former ran out of things to ask. Georgie observed her mother, who was fidgeting with her ring finger. Though it was bare, Georgie knew it was a habit she'd picked up years before the divorce—twisting her ring when she was worried or anxious about something.

"Georgie, honey…"

Georgie inhaled, preparing herself for what was about to come her way.

"About what you said yesterday. I didn't tell you because…" Lou trailed off, looking up at Georgie to see if she would cut her off. She didn't, and Lou went on. "It's just, I know how it feels to be so far away and…and get a call like that."

Georgie frowned, trying to make sense of her mother's words.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

There was a heavy silence as Lou tried to figure out whether or not she should answer honestly. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times.

"Lou, what are you on about?" Amy tried again.

"When Mom…," Lou began. "…when she…"

Amy took in a sharp breath. She stared at her sister, wide-eyed. "But that was—that was completely different," she managed to get out.

Lou wouldn't answer her.

Georgie's feet seemed to move of their own accord. Next thing she knew, she'd taken a seat beside her mother and reached for her hands.

Lou's fingers automatically curled around Georgie's.

Amy continued. "Lou, we don't know for sure that something's wrong."

Lou kept her gaze sealed on her and Georgie's hands intertwined. Don't we?

Georgie took her free hand and combed a lock of her mother's hair. "I thought we weren't going to worry until there was something to worry about."

"I'm trying not to," promised Lou.

"Yeah, I'm trying not to, either," said Georgie.

The sincerity in Georgie's voice prompted Lou to meet her gaze. There was a kind, almost maternal look in her daughter's eyes.

Georgie didn't let the moment linger, and she instead moved her arm around Lou's shoulder and brought her closer. She rested her face on Lou's hair.

They stayed that way until Georgie discerned her sister's footsteps, the way she would drag her feet in the mornings when she still wasn't up to walking properly. Georgie turned, her eyes meeting Katie's. "Hey."

Katie froze, a hand stretched out in mid-air. "What?"

"Nothing," said Georgie.

Katie kept quiet.

"They haven't called yet," Georgie reassured her sister, and watched as her shoulders slumped and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you want pancakes?"

"Who's making them?"

"I will," said Georgie.

Katie nodded. "Pancakes sound good."

Georgie turned to Lou. "You stay right here."

"You go," said Lou, a smile at her lips.


The call didn't come in until an hour before dinner. Georgie had been washing the lettuce when she turned off the tap and crossed over to the phone.

She stared at the display for a second. Private number. Not wanting it to go to voicemail, she pressed the answer key and brought it up to her ear.

"Hi, this is Dr. Martin. Is Lou around?"

Georgie's eyes flitted up to see her mother approaching, a faltering look on her face. Georgie removed the phone from her ear and held it out. "It's your doctor."

Almost in slow motion, Lou took the phone from Georgie. She answered, and before they could get too far into the conversation, she stepped out onto the porch.

Peter and Katie joined her in the kitchen as Georgie peered out the window, watching Lou. Her mother's back to them, she nodded occasionally, a hand holding her upper-arm.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Lou lowered the phone, and Georgie's heart pounded apprehensively. But her mother didn't move, just stood on the porch, facing out toward the barn.

"What do you think the doctor said?" Katie asked in a small voice.

Nobody knew how to answer. The silence went on for too long.

When he realized she wasn't going to come into the house, he turned to his daughters. "Stay here, I'll go check on her."

The girls watched from the window as Peter approached Lou. They spoke for a minute too long and then Peter's arms went around their mother.

Georgie stood there, trying her best to decipher the hug.

Katie seemed to echo her thoughts, because the next thing she said was, "Do you think that's a happy hug, or…?"

Georgie sighed, stepping away from the window. There was no point in watching; it wouldn't make the answer come sooner. She turned and saw Katie had leaned far over the counter to get as close to the window as possible. Georgie tugged at her sleeve. "Let's just give them a minute alone." Katie tried to protest, but then Georgie added, "We'll know when we know."

The screen door finally opened, and Georgie and Katie turned in unison to face their parents. Georgie tried analyzing her parents' faces, but part of her already knew.

They all stood there, staring at each other.

Katie spoke first. "So…?"

Georgie opened her mouth, maybe to reiterate Katie's question, or maybe to answer it, but no words would come out. Something in her chest felt heavy, like her heart was twisting in on itself, wringing out all its blood.

Peter glanced at Lou, who nodded almost imperceptibly, and then he took a deep breath and confirmed Georgie's worst nightmare: it was bad news.

Georgie's heart stopped twisting and seemed to sink right down to her stomach. She felt like her feet were rooted to the floor.

Katie must not have felt that way because she was out the door in three long steps.

Peter moved like he was about to go after his daughter, but Lou caught his wrist. "She needs a minute."

All Georgie could think of right now was that she needed a minute as well, but she was unable to move, unable to go and find sanctuary. Her face scrunched up, and she considered letting the tears loose, but decided that it was best that Lou not see her like this. Her mother was the one that was sick, after all.

Her mother, she was sick. For some reason it wasn't processing. Georgie turned, spotting the half-washed lettuce. She moved to the sink, turning the tap back on.

Peter stared at Georgie. "Honey, what are you doing?"

"We have to eat, right?" Georgie responded, not bothering to look back at her father.


When the dinner table was set, Georgie walked over to the living room where Lou sat on the couch, staring into the unlit fireplace. She crouched in front of her mother and placed a hand on her knee. "Hey, dinner's ready."

Lou started, meeting Georgie's eyes.

"Dinner's ready." Georgie repeated, thinking her mother hadn't heard her.

Lou paused for a second before she tucked Georgie's hair back behind her ear and said, "I wish I'd had better news to give to you."

Georgie took her mother's hand and kissed her fingers. "I know," she spoke into them. She straightened, reaching out to help Lou stand.

Dinner was quiet, the sound of forks clinking against plates. Lou excused herself halfway through, saying she was tired. Nobody stopped her.

Later in the night, Lou crept carefully into the kitchen. She was thirsty, and although both Georgie and Peter had told her to call if she needed anything, it didn't feel right to Lou. Besides, if she wasn't yet weak and frail, what was the need to act like it?

She opened the tap, and placed a glass on the basin right under the stream of water. She perked up at the sound of a truck coming into the yard. It was Jack's.

Lou hurriedly took a few sips before her grandfather stepped into the house. He gave her a smile, apologizing for missing dinner.

Lou abandoned her glass of water, and took a step forward, blinking her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up. "Grandpa."

The disquiet look on her face made Jack stop. "They finally called," he said, but it was more of a question.

She nodded, confirming his suspicions. "Yeah," she said in a small voice.

Jack crossed over, casing her in a hug.

"I'm sorry," she said into his jacket.

"You're sorry? For what?" Jack asked her, squeezing her tighter.

There was a natural order to things, a way things were meant to happen. Granddaughters were supposed to bury grandparents, not the other way around. Jack had already lost so many people. What if, after burying June, Lyndy, and Marion, he had to bury Lou, too?

Neither of them voiced this out loud.


A/N: Thank you guys for reading and reviewing, your comments make me smile :D I hope you liked this chapter!