Her worried - and overprotective - brother cut her off: "Belle, love, what's the matter?"

"It's okay, Killian. I'll be fine," she tried to reassure him - only for him to refute.

"You're not okay. I can see you're upset."

Before she could form a response, he shot a glare toward their father.

"Did you bloody have something to do with this?"

"It's not his fault," Belle placated - but her words fell on deaf ears.

Brennan then told him, "We only talked about your brother and Belle's mother - surely you can see why she's emotional."

Killian eyed him for several long moments. He then turned to his sister and asked, "Is that really what happened?"

She nodded. She then explained, "I only talked about how I wished I could have known Liam, and I wondered what my mother would have thought about…all of this," gesturing with her hands.

She took a deep breath before she continued, "I just sometimes wish things could be different."

"Aye, love, I feel the same way - I don't think I can describe how much I miss my brother," Killian said as he sank back down in his chair. He then took a deep breath and surmised, "I know thinking about those damn what ifs and living in the past isn't conducive, but that doesn't mean it isn't bloody unfair."

He then sipped on his coffee before biting into a glazed donut. He then let out another deep breath and ran his hand over his face.

Belle sat quietly - her face a plethora of emotions. Her eyes flitted downward as she ran her fingers along the rim of the mug.

Brennan regarded the two of them for a moment considering what he could possibly do or say. He then exhaled deeply and empathized, "I understand that this is hard for you - I miss them, too, "his voice cracking a bit, "And Alice as well. Like you two, I hold so many memories that I sometimes wish to relive."

Killian scoffed. "You mean before you abandoned all of us? Of course, you didn't do that to my mother, but you still stomped on her memory by purposefully leaving the sons she would have given everything to stay with."

"Maybe you shouldn't…" Belle tried to placate her brother - only for him to ball his fist.

"Shouldn't what? Tell the bloody truth?" he seethed.

He then pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke, "Look, I'm trying so bloody hard to slowly let you in my life, but I can't sit here and listen to you go on about how much you miss our family," gesturing between himself and Belle.

She let out a sigh before she offered, "I don't think he meant anything by it - he was only trying to be sympathetic."

"When he's the bloody reason we were miserable?" Killian argued, gesturing wildly.

"Killian, if you only listen…" Brennan tried to reason - only for his son to interrupt.

"Listen to what, pray tell?"

Brennan only sighed before Belle spoke, "Killian, I know how hard this is - believe me, I do - but dredging up all of this isn't going to help us."

"Neither is acting like either one of us actually knows how to let him back into our lives - or if it's even what we want," he refuted, slamming his finger against the table.

Brennan ran his fingers through his dark hair and lamented, "I was afraid this would happen."

Killian clenched his jaw and readied himself to argue when Belle told him, "Give him a chance to explain."

His jaw remained clenched as he glared at their father. He then sighed and let out a deep breath.

He relented, "Fine. What is it you want to say?"

He took a deep breath as he looked back and forth between his children.

"I knew there was a very real possibility that you would want nothing to do with me. These last few months gave me hope, but perhaps I was a bit premature."

"A few months can't make up for the fact that we lived our entire lives without you," Killian pointed out as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not suggesting that it does - but it has been rather nice getting to know you two," the older man began, a small smile brightening his features.

He paused - his expression growing somber - before he continued, "But today showed me that you two truly have your own lives - and I don't know where I fit."

"What did you bloody expect? That we would just make room for you?" Killian sneered. He then chuckled humorously and sarcastically offered, "So, we can just be a happy family and spend our Christmases together."

Brennan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Son, you're not really listening to what I'm saying."

"Oh, son, is it, now?" he refuted, his blue eyes stormy, "I've been listening since that day outside the restaurant. Believe me, it's taken everything to get this far - but I can't sit here and listen to you prattle on about you want us to trust you."

"I know you have trouble trusting me, but it's still hard…"

"It's hard for you? How the bloody hell can you even say that?"

"If you would actually stop and listen, maybe you would bloody know!" Brennan snapped.

Belle's eyes widened in shock while Killian's glare only intensified. He then challenged, "I guess my temper didn't just come from my mother."

With a sigh, he seethed, "No - but I never could get a word in with her either."

"Well, isn't that a lovely way to speak about your wife."

"Maybe we should calm down," Belle tried to reason - but it was to no avail.

"I loved her more than anything - and I loved our lives together."

"Is that why it was so bloody easy to drag us to the States? And for you to abandon us?"

Killian then glanced over at Belle and added, "And we can't forget that you did the exact same bloody thing to my sister and her mother."

"Killian, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Belle intervened, giving her brother a pleading look.

He ignored her and continued to argue: "The hell it isn't - I just can't…ugh!"

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I just can't listen to this - this bloody self-righteous attitude."

Brennan sighed before he told him, "You have no idea how much I've regretted everything - how I've longed to make things right."

"So you've said many times - but I still don't know how to bloody trust you!"

"By giving me a bloody chance! I have done everything you've asked and given you space! What else do you want me to do?"

"That right there is the bloody problem! You're expecting us to do something for you!"

"Because I just want to be close to you! Is that a crime?"

"It is when you've thrown away the chance to be a father, not once, but twice!"

"And I'm trying to do the right thing now! Doesn't that count for anything?"

"You're the one who bloody said that you didn't even know if you could fit into our lives! That just sounds like a bloody damn excuse to run!"

"I don't want to make that mistake again, Killian."

"Oh, you don't want to, huh? But that doesn't mean you wouldn't! You should really just save us all the trouble of having to actually let you in our lives!"

"Stop! That's enough!" Belle shouted. Though initially shocked at the outburst, Killian and Brennan continued to glare at each other.

A glare appeared on her features as well - but she then began to shake.

"This isn't helping…" she then tried to speak - but she began gasping for breath.

She placed her hands flat on the table and breathed in and out slowly. Her breaths came out short and shallow.

Killian and Brennan stared at her with wide, worried eyes. The former then asked, "Belle, are you alright?"

She managed to shake her head in the midst of labored breathing.

"What is…" he asked – she then clutched her chest and chill bumps appeared up and down her arms.

"I - I can't…can't feel…" she stammered as she rapidly moved her fingers.

"What the hell is happening?" Killian shouted as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm - I'm having -"

Her head dropped against the table, her arms falling limply at her sides.

"Belle!" Killian called out - his blue eyes filled with terror.

"Carry her to the car," his father's voice then rang out beside him.

"What?" he asked, his eyes still glued to his sister's still form.

"We're going to the hospital - now," Brennan stated. He said nothing else as he rushed to the door.

Killian took a breath before he grabbed Belle and quickly maneuvered her into his arms.

She had started to wake, her whole body weak and numb. She couldn't manage to speak, so she laid her head against her brother's shoulder.

He rushed out of the coffee shop, leaving an array of whispered gossip and worried confusion behind him.

A few minutes later, Brennan, Killian, and Belle arrived at the hospital. She still slumped in his arms.

He marched over to the desk and demanded, "My sister passed out - tell me what the hell is happening!"

"Sir, I need you to calm down," the nurse began, "Was she experiencing any symptoms before she fainted?"

"I don't bloody know - I'm a little more focused on the fact that she bloody passed out."

The nurse sighed before Brennan spoke, "She had trouble breathing, and I believe she experienced chills."

The nurse nodded before she noticed Belle's alertness. In a gentle voice, she asked, "Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?"

Before she could answer, Killian interrupted, "She's so weak that she can't bloody stand - why the hell do you think she can tell you anything?"

The nurse took a breath before she explained, "We'll admit her and find out what happened."

She then called out for an orderly to bring a wheelchair. "Are you able to get into it yourself?"

Belle nodded, and Killian let her down. She shivered as she took a seat in the chair.

The orderly wheeled her away as another nurse followed them. The screening nurse then informed Killian and Brennan, "You two can have a seat - we'll let you know something soon."

Killian took a deep breath before he and Brennan continued into the waiting room. The older man then asked, "Should we call Emma and August?"

"Don't," Killian seethed.

With a sigh, Brennan told him, "It's bad enough we fought in the coffee shop - surely you don't intend to do it here."

"If you didn't act like all of this was so bloody simple, we wouldn't have fought in the first place," Killian argued as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"All I was…" Brennan began but trailed off. He shook his head and continued, "I'm gonna go get some fresh air - let me know how she's doing."

His son didn't respond, so he simply stood and walked back out the double doors.

Killian stewed as he crossed his arms even tighter. His mind raced with a million different thoughts, his emotions splayed somewhere between furious, hurt, and worry.

He began bobbing his leg up and down. He then grabbed a magazine and flipped through it.

A few moments later, he glanced up and saw a doctor approaching. He quickly stood as she stopped in front of him.

"You must be Miss Jones' brother, Killian, is it?"

He nodded. He then asked, "Is she alright?"

"She's fine," the doctor reassured him. She then took a breath and told him, "And she insisted on telling you everything herself."

Killian raised an eyebrow but agreed nonetheless. He then followed her down the hall and through one of the doors.

The doctor further explained, "Here she is - she really is recovering quite well, and she can leave when she's ready."

"Thank you again, Doctor," Belle told her, receiving a nod in reply. The dark-haired woman then left the room.

Killian peered at his sister for a moment. He then spoke, "Are you truly alright, love? You had me rather worried."

With a deep breath, she answered, "I'm fine - I promise. I had a…panic attack."

"Bloody hell - a panic attack," Killian stated, running his fingers through his hair. He then asked her, "Have you had one before?"

"Twice, actually. Once in junior high and again during my senior year of high school," she explained, letting out another deep breath.

She then tilted her head and surmised, "Where's Brennan? Wasn't he with you?"

With a shrug, he told her, "I think he went to get air or something. I don't bloody know."

Belle fought an eye roll as she questioned, "Shouldn't you have let him know I'm okay?"

"Why the hell should I? He hasn't shown an ounce of care or regret in decades - what's changed now?"

She sighed. She gestured with her hands as she challenged, "Why am I not surprised you're still being unreasonable?"

Killian drew back as though she'd hit him. "Unreasonable? Unreasonable? You dare accuse me of being unreasonable?"

"Yes, I do. You're the one who wouldn't even let Brennan get a word in."

"Oh, he said plenty in case you weren't listening."

"Because you goaded him into it!"

"Because he kept justifying bloody reasons to leave us both - again!"

"That wasn't at all what he was saying! He only wanted us to see that all of this is hard for him, too!"

"Hard for him? For him? He chose to leave us, Belle. He doesn't get a bloody pass for that."

"And he shouldn't! But he's still having to figure out how to be a father to his adult children."

"If he hadn't spent his entire life running, he'd know how."

"He's here now - and he has been for months. What happened to trying to give him a chance?"

"That was before he bloody complained about how it's so hard for us to let him in!"

"None of this is easy, Killian. But that doesn't mean we can't at least try."

"By all means, sis, go right ahead. Since you're so keen on simply forgetting every damn thing he did to us!"

"I'm not! But being in a constant battle only makes things worse!"

Killian's jaw clenched. He opened his mouth to argue when the doctor threw open the door.

"What is going on here? The yelling can be heard all the way down the hall."

The siblings only glared at each other. Belle folded her arms over her chest and stated, "Nothing - he was just about to leave."

He continued to glare at her as he said, "She's right. Me being here doesn't change a damn bloody thing."

Killian then turned and marched past the doctor and stalked down the hall, fuming every step of the way.

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the latest installment of "Second Chance" - and this pretty intense cliffhanger. I hope y'all are excited about what comes next.

And just a little note about what I plan to update next. I'll be back in the world of Where We Belong & Together before I dive into Book 2 of the season seven fic. Until next time :)