When the town car pulled up in front of the Fine's building, Val was standing inside the vestibule watching for Max to show up. He threw the car door open, not waiting for his driver, and ran towards Val. She opened the door for him but stopped him from continuing into the building.

"Mr. Sheffield! I'm so glad you made it! But don't go up there, the girls might still be awake. I'll go get Fran and bring her downstairs. Oh, Mr. Sheffield, something is going on. I'm so worried!"

"Me too, Val. I just want to get her home and settled down. Do you really think she'll talk to me?" Max asked, anxiously.

"Well, she won't talk to anyone else. Not yet, at least. Just be careful with her, I'm afraid if anybody pushes her too hard it will just make things worse. I talked to Sylvia and she said the girls can stay here tomorrow night too. I'll come back over tomorrow and she and I will take the girls out to Loehman's or someplace in case they need more clothes or anything. We'll keep them busy. We'll just tell them Fran wasn't feeling good or something and she wanted to go home, like she didn't want to mess up their fun or anything. But I don't know if they'll see through that or not. But we'll be careful what we say to them. We can bring them back on Sunday. Either I'll call Niles or tell him he can call here if he needs to tell us anything."

"Oh thank you Val, I hadn't even thought of that. Thank you so much. And tell Sylvia thank you too. I'll take care of Fran, whatever she needs. I just want her to be better. I need to know she's okay."

"Yeah, we all do. Let me go get her. I need to leave too, I gotta move my car before it gets a ticket. I'll be back first thing in the morning to help Sylvia with the girls. Um, Mr. Sheffield?"

"Yes?"

"When I bring her down, we need to be quiet, okay?"

"Oh, you mean because of the neighbors?"

"No, because of Fran. I think she needs things to be kinda quiet. And I dunno, she might feel a little embarrassed about you coming to get her. Or not. I don't know. At least at first. But I think after a little while she might feel relieved that you did come get her."

"God, I hope so Val." Max pulled his open coat around him tighter as Val turned to go up the steps to the second door.

"I'll be right back." She said, then disappeared through the door. It shut with a metallic CLACK, and Max was left with the eery quiet and cold inside the vestibule. He could see his breath and realized he might make himself hyperventilate if he didn't try to slow his breathing down. He took a deep breath and stood up straight, and stretched his arms down at his sides.

"It'll be ok," he whispered to himself. He began to pace back and forth in the small space, occasionally looking outside as a car went past. He could see the reflections of the yellow flashing lights from his town car as it waited patiently, double parked, on the street. Just then he heard something inside the building and turned to look through the glass of the closed door into the small lobby. Val appeared first, carrying what must have been Fran's overnight bag, then she reached a hand up and there was Fran, stepping down from the last stair. Fran didn't look towards him, but instead kept her gaze down toward the floor. She wore one of her winter coats with the fur lining the edge of the hood, which hung on the back of her shoulders beneath her curls. Max was so happy to see her, he felt his heart almost burst. Instantly his pulse began to race again and he almost had to remind himself to breathe.

Val pulled open the door and let Fran step through first. Max reached out to her gloved hand and helped her down the steps, then took the bag from Val. Max pushed open the outer door, guided Fran through to the cold outside, and gently put his arm over her shoulders to keep her warm. Val followed them and zipped up her coat. She watched as Max opened the car door for Fran and helped her in, then shut the door. He turned to Val.

"Thank you Val. For everything. Are you parked nearby?"

"It's no problem. Yeah, I'm just up there," she gestured up the sidewalk towards the corner.

"We'll wait before we leave to make sure you get to your car okay."

"Oh, okay, thank you. I'm going right now!" She began to hurry briskly down the sidewalk towards her car. Max stepped off the curb to go to the other side of the town car and got in, setting Fran's bag on the floor inside. He told the driver to wait just a minute until they saw Val get off safely. He turned to glance at Fran beside him on the back seat. She was vacantly looking to the side out the window. Even in the dark he could see the shimmer of the tears she seemed to be trying to hold back. He sat back in the seat and put on his seat belt and checked to see that Fran had hers on as well. As Val pulled out of her parking spot and drove away, the driver began to maneuver the town car into a u-turn and headed away from Queens. Max looked at Fran's gloved hand on her lap beside him. He took a deep breath and took a chance, and reached for her hand. He interlaced his fingers with hers and gave her hand a light squeeze. She didn't pull her hand away. As the city lights and vehicles passed by the car almost at a steady beat, Fran shifted quietly in her seat and rested her head against Maxwell's shoulder. Now he had to fight back his own tears as they tried to well up in his eyes.

Max led Fran in the front door and locked it behind him. He opened the closet door and took her coat, then handed her the overnight bag so he could remove his own coat and put it away. They walked toward the bottom of the stairs together and Max gently reached for her hand.

"Do you need anything? Are you hungry?" He asked quietly, trying not to alert Niles that they were home.

"No thank you, I'm not hungry." She briefly glanced up at him but had to redirect her attention before the tears took over again.

"I was thinking, if you wanted to, since it's a pretty cold night- maybe we could go hang out in my room? I can turn on the fireplace and get it warm for you. Maybe if you just want to watch some television, or an old movie? TVLand? Or you know, if you want to talk at all. We could get ready for bed and just- well I could get us some water to drink, we could warm up with the fire…"

"Okay," Fran's voice almost cracked. Max was shocked.

"Okay?" Fran nodded slightly. "Okay, alright. Well let's go up and get ready for bed. I'll get that fire going too." Max followed her slowly up the staircase, noticing that she held on to the rail all the way up. He walked her to the hall leading to her room, then headed to his own room. He dug around on the mantle for the remote control for the fireplace and turned it on, adjusting it to a higher flame because it was fairly chilly in his room. He kicked off his shoes and went into his closet, trying to decide if his previous pajamas would be appropriate to wear in front of her. He worried how he would look, and if perhaps she needed to hug him, or cuddle with him, or stay with him. He went ahead and put them back on, then put on his robe and hurried downstairs to grab a couple of drinking glasses and a pitcher of cold water, then rushed back up to his room. He poured two glasses and set one on each nightstand, leaving the pitcher on the side he presumed Fran might take. He looked around, trying to think of anything else he needed to do. He hurried into his bathroom and brushed his teeth again, then picked up his bottle of Aramis and contemplated putting some on. He wasn't trying to seduce Fran, he just remembered her saying how much she loved his cologne. Maybe it would help her feel at home again. He decided to put on just a little, then went back out to the fireplace. Things were warming up nicely so he lowered the flame a little and set the remote on his bedside table. He looked back towards the doorway, wondering if she was really okay and if it would be much longer. He picked up his glass of water and drank, and just then Fran appeared in his doorway. She wore a plain fuzzy white robe and thick winter socks, and it was apparent that she had removed her makeup. Max thought she looked a little pale. But still beautiful. Her curled hair was still up, with a few stray ringlets dangling down. He loved her hair like that. He moved towards her and stopped in front of the bench at the foot of the bed. "Hi," he said.

Fran stepped closer to him until she could just smell his wonderful cologne. She finally fully realized she was tired of keeping everything in, that she really needed him and needed to tell him everything. She needed to hug him, and to let him hug her, tight. So she did.

His eyes followed her as she came towards him and first, rested her forehead against his chest, then carefully wrapped her arms around his waist. His stomach filled with butterflies and his heart raced. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and squeezed her gently, then rested his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes. She tightened her grip around him and breathed in his cologne.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry? Why?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you. To talk to you. I should have."

"Sweetheart, you don't need to be sorry for anything." He hugged her tighter. "If you want to talk, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here for you, always."

Fran smiled to herself and clutched the back of his robe. She swallowed hard. "I- I just don't know how- how to-" she began to get choked up.

Max looked down at her and turned her face towards his. He stroked her cheek and then rested his forehead against hers. "It's okay Fran. Take a deep breath. It's okay." She tightened her arms around him again and did what he said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You already are," she whispered.

"Would it help to, I don't know, maybe write it down? Or is there something you can use to show me if you can't say it?"

Fran thought for a moment. Maybe there was. She looked up at him. "I need to go get something. I'll be right back.

"Okay," Max gulped. What was she going to get? His mind was racing with possibilities of what she might be about to tell him. What could be so hard to say?

Fran shuffled back to her bedroom and turned on the light, then went to her dressing table and pulled open a bottom drawer. She looked into it for a moment before reaching down and pulling out a stack of papers. She shut the drawer, stood back up and glanced over the first page, then rolled the papers up and stuck them into the pocket of her robe, and shuffled back to Max's bedroom. He was still in the same position he was when she left. "Do you want me to close your door?" She asked.

Max stepped toward her to help with the door. "Yes, that might be a good idea, you know, in case Niles is lurking about. Do you mind if I lock it, too?" She shook her head, and he locked it after it clicked shut. "Do you want to sit? Here on the bench?"

Fran looked at the bench. "Is it okay if maybe we get in the covers? I'm a little cold."

"Oh, sure, absolutely, whatever you want." He led her to the bed and pulled back the covers to let her get in. He set the pillows behind her and she pulled the covers over her. She kept her robe on. "Do you want me to turn the fire up higher? I can, I have the remote right there…"

"No, the fire is fine."

"Oh! I almost forgot- do you need some water? I poured us some, it's nice and cold." He reached for the glass of water on the table on her side and handed it to her. She drank from it, and he hurried around the bed to the other side and got on the bed, but not in the covers. He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do yet.

"You can get in, too. It's your bed," she said softly, glancing up at him.

"I- I didn't want to presume," he said sheepishly. "Do you mind if I take off my robe?" She shook her head. He slid off the bed, removed his robe, and tossed it onto the bench at the foot of the bed, pulled back the covers on his side, and got in. She seemed to want or expect him to sit close to her, so he did. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yes."

Things got quiet once again. Max glanced over to the fireplace and watched the flames licking around the fake logs. He realized that his heart was still racing, so he took a slow, deep breath, turned his head back towards Fran, and closed his eyes. After a few more slow, deep breaths he felt Fran's head rest against his shoulder. It seemed like that alone settled his nervous tension better than his feeble attempts at trying to relax himself. He felt her hand slide into his, then he opened his eyes as he watched her fingers interlace with his. She brought her other hand over and grasped his upper arm, almost like she was seeking strength or reassurance. He squeezed her hand and stroked her thumb with his.

Fran felt his breathing slow down and felt better. She didn't want to be causing him so much stress. She thought endlessly about how to begin telling him what she needed to tell him. She watched the flames dance around in the fireplace and tried to calm her own tension. She breathed in Max's cologne and remembered that she was home, where she was meant to be, with him. She cleared her throat.

"Um…" she began. She cleared her throat again and Max gave her hand another light squeeze. "I guess, about a couple months ago, before the holidays - when it was starting to get colder," she paused with each thought, trying to make sure she was getting it right. "Um, I- I guess I noticed a couple times," she drifted off momentarily, remembering. "I felt a little off. It's hard to explain. Maybe a little tired? Sort of like when you eat something that doesn't agree with you, or maybe you have a stomach bug that messes you up a little." She brushed her cheek on his shoulder. "But, it would go away. I thought maybe I should be a little better about what I was eating. Maybe try a different kind of workout. Something. Once in a while I would get this- this weird feeling. Sort of in my stomach I guess. Well, maybe not my stomach. My insides."

Max swallowed hard and hoped she didn't notice. He began to feel like the walls were slowly closing in. He couldn't give in to his anxiety, he had to be strong for her, but he was worried about where her story might be going.

"So, maybe like a month ago, I guess that's when I started avoiding things, started skipping meals once in a while, or saying I wasn't hungry because I pigged out somewhere else. Val started working a lot of extra hours by then so it was kind of easy to not have to tell her anything since we weren't going out anywhere- or lie to you and Niles and say I was with Val when I wasn't. And Ma wasn't coming around here because she had to help the neighbor lady with a lot because she, the lady, had a bad fall and couldn't take care of herself. She didn't have any family to help her. So sometimes I would go over and check on daddy, make sure he had something to eat, and I would-" she stopped herself, carefully considering her words. "I, uh, I would go in my old room and would lock the door, and sometimes- sometimes I would take a nap, or try to. Sometimes I couldn't sleep because I didn't feel good. Sometimes I slept because I was just really tired. Sometimes it was because I had been up most of the night not feeling so good. I tried different medicines, you know I have just about everything they make for an upset stomach. None of them really helped. I didn't tell Ma because she had too much on her hands, she would have made a big deal and I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't tell Val for the same reasons. She had a lot of stress trying to learn a lot of new things at work. She really wants to make Assistant Manager there, because if she can get to a Manager's position, she might be able to finally move out of her parents' house. And then-" Max had a pretty good idea what she was about to say. "You were so busy working all the time. It just felt dumb to even think of saying anything to you. What was I going to say? I had a tummy ache? I don't think I even brought it up to Niles. Well, maybe early on. I might have told him I wasn't hungry or maybe I needed to avoid eating certain things for a while." Fran took a deep breath and Max shifted to put his arm around her. She pulled her legs up and curled up against him, and rested her hand against his chest. She was silent a moment.

"Do you need some water?" He whispered to her.

"I'm okay." She took another deep breath. "I'm sorry I didn't come to you. I should have." He rubbed her arm and kissed the top of her head. "I was avoiding you and Niles. I didn't want you worrying. I knew if I said anything to Niles or if he suspected anything, that he would go right to you. And the kids-" She had to stop herself again before the tears came and stopped her from talking altogether. "I tried to make sure they were up in the morning and got ready for school, told them I had to hurry out to help my parents or whatever. I'd try to make sure I didn't run into you or Niles, and maybe leave a note somewhere. Then when I came back, if I didn't have to pick up Brighton or Gracie, I'd peek in the front door to make sure I didn't see Niles and that your office door was shut, and I'd sneak in and run upstairs. I'd get so sick to my stomach trying to sneak around, it wouldn't help matters at all. I didn't know how long I could keep it up." Fran shifted herself up a little and tightened her grip around Max. He stroked her arm in response. "So," she cleared her throat. "A few weeks ago or so, I got a fever. It woke me up at night. It wasn't really high, maybe 100 I think. And I had this pain in my right side. Not bad, just weird. Sort of where I had been having the weird feeling. I didn't have anything to take for it, so I had to sneak down to the kitchen in the middle of the night and look for something in the cabinet where Niles keeps everything. It didn't come back the next day so I just thought it was a one-time thing. Then a couple days later it happened again, at night again. So I had to sneak downstairs again. The next day I just want to the drugstore and got my own pills in case it happened again. I thought maybe I was getting a virus or something and it was just taking a while to kick in. But then I'd have a couple days without fever, but I'd have the tiredness and weird feelings. I was getting pretty upset about it all too and just couldn't make a decision about what to do. I'd say I would make a doctor's appointment, but then it would stop so I wouldn't. Then it would happen again. Well…" She was getting choked up again and had to stop. She sat up and reached for the glass of water this time. Max was genuinely concerned and was afraid to say anything. She put the glass back after taking several gulps, and turned to Max, looking him in the eyes.

"Fran…" Max took her hand. She pulled his arm around her shoulders and curled up to him again, then turned her face towards his.

She cleared her throat.

"What is it, darling? You can tell me." He stroked her cheek, and her eyes began to well up with tears.

"Last week, I was so tired. The fever thing had happened like, maybe five times? Mostly at night, but once during the day. Then it happened again and I couldn't get back to sleep. The weird pain was back. It was sort of a tugging feeling that would come and go. The fever didn't let up. That morning I had to ask Maggie to cover for me. I hated doing that. I said I thought I was coming down with something but not to tell anyone, that you all might freak out that you would get sick too. She said she would just say I overslept. But I heard you talking to Niles before that and saw you leave before the kids were ready. So, after the kids left I was worried Niles was going to come up to check on me. I had already showered earlier because I couldn't sleep. And all I could think of was that time you had appendicitis. Since I had fevers and the pain was in my lower right, I thought I better just go get checked out because I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't keep lying. And I was hardly eating anything. My clothes were getting loose."

"Oh Fran," Max wrapped both arms around her tightly. "Did you go to the doctor?"

"Yes. I had to sneak past Niles and walk a block before I could find a cab. I was feeling pretty awful. I went right to the ER. I told them I thought I might have appendicitis, and when they checked my temperature and I told them where the pain was, they took me in right away. I still had the fever, and they said I was dehydrated so they put an IV in and admitted me."

"They admitted you? Oh Fran! You were there by yourself? They didn't call anyone?"

"No, they didn't ask me right away, and it was all just kind of a blur. They didn't have a phone there and I just wanted to feel better. I thought I was making a big deal out of nothing. That they would fix it and I could go home and no one would ever know. But after a little while, they took me over to have an ultrasound so they could check my appendix and see if that's what was causing the pain. The technician wouldn't tell me anything, but said if anything was hurting me too much to say something and he would stop. He had to help me on and off the table in there because it was hard for me. I mean, I could do it, it's just that weird pulling pain made me worry. And they took me back there in a wheelchair with the IV bag and everything. I hadn't changed into the hospital gown yet, but after the ultrasound they had me change and then put all the other monitors on me, so I could see what my temperature was and heart rate and all that. I just wanted to sleep but there was that constant beeping, and all the other noise going on from other patients. I did feel a little better after they gave me the fluids, but they wouldn't give me anything for the pain or the fever until they could diagnose the problem I guess. So every once in a while a nurse would come check on me. They brought me some ice water which was good. They said the radiologist had to consult with the doctor and then the doctor would come in to talk to me about what was going on with me." Fran clutched Max for a while. The long talk was taking a toll, emotionally and physically. Max let her rest for a bit. He knew she was getting to the most difficult part, and even though it left his stomach in knots, he had to let her take her time with it. He gently stroked the back of her neck with his fingers. He leaned back slightly so he could look at her. She turned to face him and the look in his eyes melted her.

"Fran?" He whispered. "You do know how I feel about you don't you?"

She clutched his t-shirt. "I'd like to think I do, but, you know…"

"I know I've done just about everything to run away from it. But it's still there. It's always been there." He raised her chin with the light touch of his finger. "I love you, Fran. I'd do anything for you. I need you to know that." Fran smiled as the tears started.

"I love you too, Max!" She kissed him on the lips and he reciprocated. Somehow he knew what she needed to hear before she could tell him the rest of the story. To say it afterwards might come off as obligatory, and maybe he figured that out. They loved each other, and right now she really needed him. She held his face in her hands and kissed him again, then tried to wipe off the tears as she sat up. "God this is hard!"

"You're doing just fine, Fran. You're doing great!" He hugged her tightly. "I love you, and I'm not going anywhere. I don't like to see you suffer, and know that you've been suffering so much by yourself."

"Max, I don't know if I can say this part. Especially to you." She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. "Wait-" She remembered the rolled up papers in the pocket of her robe and pulled them out. "Can I show you? What the doctor talked to me about?"

"Of course."

Fran opened the bundle of papers and handed them to Max. "This first one, that's the bloodwork they did. Oh, I forgot to say that when they did the IV they took blood, too. You can see where it shows what things were out of range," Fran pointed to several results that had been flagged by the lab. Max looked the paper over, and flipped to the second page. He had to remind himself to take a breath.

"Okay, it looks like your system is definitely fighting something off."

"Yeah. After he talked about this stuff, he talked about the ultrasound results." She moved the lab results behind the rest of the papers to reveal the radiologist's report from the ultrasound. Fran was quiet and clutched his upper arm as Max began to slowly read through it, sentence by sentence, letting the details try to sink in. A mass… lower right quadrant… consistent with rapid growth… recommend oncological and surgical consultation… Max gulped hard and cleared his throat, then wrapped his arm around Fran.

"Sweetheart! My darling! This says that- that-" he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"I know, I'm sorry!" She clutched her arms around him and buried her face in his neck.

"Fran, you have nothing to apologize for."

"But you see why, don't you, why I couldn't tell you?" He held her close to him and kissed her forehead.

"Yes, I get it now. But Fran," he turned her face to his and kissed her lips. "Don't let what happened to me before keep you from coming to me. To any of us. We love you, we worry about you."

"I love you guys too. I just, I didn't think it would turn out to really be…"

"Hey now, we don't know for sure, Fran. We don't know anything for sure."

"The doctor was calling it a tumor."

"Oh, Fran. It's going to be okay. Even if they call it a tumor it can be benign. They just don't know that for sure yet. When are you supposed to get that consultation?"

She reached for the papers again and shifted the ultrasound report to the back. The next was the hospital's release instructions and a scheduled followup appointment. "They scheduled an appointment for Monday morning. I have to get more tests at the hospital and then meet with the doctor. I think just thinking about how close that was getting and that I still hadn't told anyone what was going on, it was just making me more depressed and anxious. I was getting scared that I would be dealing with that by myself too. The doctor said he wanted me to bring somebody-"

"I'm going with you Fran, and you can't stop me. I'll go with you to every appointment, however many there are. You aren't alone in this. Okay? I'm going with you."

"Do you mean that? Oh Max, thank you. I'm nervous about it. They are supposed to do an MRI. I've never had an MRI. I never even had an ultrasound before. It's just a lot to take in." Max kissed her temple and pulled her close and looked back at the papers. He began reading through the release papers.

"Fran, is this weight right for you?"

"Pretty sure it is. I lost almost five pounds."

"Oh Fran, you're too small to lose that much weight! We have to find a way to get some food in you."

"Yeah, there's a paper in there on food restrictions. The doctor thinks if I avoid certain things that it might be easier to have others. I have to have small meals."

"They gave you a prescription, too?"

"Yeah. For the fevers and pain. I'm only supposed to take it when I absolutely need to. Oh, I almost forgot, I'm not supposed to take it Sunday night at all. I think because of the other tests on Monday."

"Yeah, I see that here. Do you think you will be okay without it?"

"I hope so."

Max gave her a squeeze and continued reading through the papers. Fran rested her head against his shoulder. She felt like she was finally starting to come down from all the stress that had been building up for so long. She read through some of the information along with Max, even though she had read it dozens of times already. She closed her eyes and listened as he flipped through each piece of paper.

Max clenched his jaw and felt his stomach churn. He read the lab results and radiologist's report again and again. How could this be? How could another woman he loved so much be facing something like this? He felt so guilty. Guilty about denying his feelings for her. Guilty over pushing her away and being so mean and rude to her. She was always so forgiving, but was he? His heart was crushed at what she must be feeling. He knew the fear all too well. He knew the uncertainty. He didn't want to go through that again. He didn't want her to go through it. He would do anything for her. He would do everything, if she wanted him to. He felt her soft breathing against his arm and realized she must be falling asleep. He set the papers beside him on the bed.

"Fran?" He whispered. She stirred lightly. "Fran, why don't you lie down and get some sleep. Let me turn the lights off."

She lifted her head off his shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Here, lie down. Let me get the covers for you. Do you want to take off your robe?"

"Yeah, I'm not so cold anymore." She untied her robe and pulled it from around her. Max took it and tossed it to the end of the bed, then got her settled into the covers. He slid off his side of the bed and put Fran's papers on the bedside table. "Don't go anywhere-" Fran panicked.

"I'm not, sweetheart. Just turning off the fireplace and the lights," he said. He quickly turned everything off and climbed back into the bed. He let Fran curl up next to him and she rested her head on his chest. He pulled the covers up and wrapped his arm around her tightly. "I love you Fran. I'll take care of you. We'll get through this. Everything will be okay, my darling." He kissed her forehead. "Thank you for telling me."

Fran squeezed him, then raised her head enough to give him a light kiss on the lips. "I love you, too, Max. More than anything. Thank you for coming to get me. I really needed you." She rested her head back on his chest and closed her eyes.

"Don't be afraid to tell me anything, Fran. No matter how scared or anxious or sad you may ever get. Please come to me. We'll talk about it. Okay?"

"Okay. I will. And you come to me too, okay? I don't want you trying to protect me, or telling me you are fine if you aren't. I know how this all has to be affecting you. I'd never wish anything like this on you, Max. It hurts me to see you having to deal with it again."

"Oh darling, I don't want you feeling guilty or anything about that. Things like this happen in life. We have to take care of each other. No matter what. I love you. I need you. We all love and need you." He cuddled her tightly and kissed her forehead again. "Try to get some sleep, alright. I know you must be exhausted. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here if you need me, okay?"

"Okay. Okay. I love you so much, Max," she sighed.

"I love you, too, my darling."

Max lightly stroked her shoulder with his thumb. She was wearing cute pajamas, at least from what he glimpsed when she took off her robe. A cute cotton shirt with a wide neck and cropped short sleeves. Some kind of thin cotton pants that tied in front. He could stroke the skin on her arm right below her sleeve. Her skin was so soft. Her hair smelled faintly of vanilla. He was so happy to have her in his arms, but so scared at the same time. He didn't want to ever let go of her again. He tried to hold back the tears, but they came anyway, running down the sides of his face into his hair. He breathed deeply to try to keep from choking up, and kept his arms wrapped tightly around Fran. He closed his eyes and listened to her breathing- her chest pressing into his side with each breath. Eventually, he too fell asleep.