Something To Believe In

Bobby could sense his mother getting more tense and jumpy every time her phone vibrated with an incoming call she refused to answer. He held the mobile shuddering violently in the palm of his hand, knowing they were making Kevin angrier with every ignored call but at a loss for what else to do. "Mom?" he ventured softly, and even the sound of his voice made her fingers clench tighter around the steering wheel as if the car was the only thing she had any control over anymore. "We can't keep ignoring Dad's calls. You know we'll just be even more screwed when he catches up with us." The eight-year-old trailed his fingers over the detailed facial features of the Christmas angel's head, which he was still clutching like a lifeline. He had tried to convince himself and Melissa that they would be fine without Katie's help but seeing his mother's brave façade cracking, it was getting harder to keep that faith. It had already been a few missed calls since Melissa's passionate declaration that Bobby meant the world to her, and her son could see her courage waning by the minute. "Why don't you just answer one?"

"No!" snapped Melissa shortly, when what she really wanted to say was that they were screwed either way. The headlights of other cars whizzing past them on the highway seemed like twinkling stars in the wintry mist, mocking her short temper with the illusion of other people's perfect lives. There was a hurt silence, and Melissa took a deep breath, the apology rising from her soul even faster than the irritation had. "Bobby, I-" she began regretfully, but that was all she could say before there was the deafening screech of skidding tires behind her. Their little Ford's bumper was rammed so hard that the rear windshield shattered.

It happened so fast that she didn't even have time to scream before her head slammed against the dashboard, squashing the limp airbag before it had the chance to inflate properly. The car spun out of control with the jarring force of the impact. Melissa felt blinding pain explode from the spot where her head had collided with the steering wheel. The last thing she heard before she passed out was the crunch of metal when the passenger side of the car was crushed against a roadside construction barricade. Even in the shock of the crash, Melissa's arm had flung instinctively to the side to keep Bobby from slamming forward. The last thing she felt before losing consciousness was his desperate fingers squeezing her hand, trying to keep her awake in vain.

The sound of his own cries pulled Bobby from the drugged slumber, and he gradually became aware of both prickling pain in his broken arm and a gentle squeeze to his unbandaged hand that wasn't there before. "Mom?" he whispered hopefully, and the blurry figure shook her head sadly.

"Only her way less calm baby sister," said the voice he'd been longing to hear as desperately as his mother's. "Bobby…oh God, I'm so sorry."

"Aunt Katie?" he said in disbelief and then caught sight of the tell-tale pale pink nail polish that Katie liked on the shaking fingers squeezing his hand. "You came…I knew you would."

"I'm sorry I ever said no," Katie choked, feeling her guilt catch in her throat when her gaze was drawn to the bruised bump on his forehead. She shifted so that he could more easily lean into her embrace. "I'm never leaving you alone with your dad again, okay?"

"Where's Mom?" asked the eight-year-old, and the edge of panic was audible in his voice.

"I don't know, baby," she said honestly, stroking his hair gently. The nurse who had agreed to help her find Melissa hadn't returned yet, and Katie had no idea if no news was good news in this case. "Nurse Jennings seems to have a soft spot for you; I asked her to find your mom for us." Unable to bear the pain in his eyes, Katie glanced at the head of the Christmas angel permanently clutched in her nephew's fist; "I can't believe you're still hanging on to that thing."

"Well, I didn't have you," said Bobby; "it was just something to believe in."

"Why do you have so much faith in me, kid? I'm such a mess; your mom is the one always saving me."

"That's what I was trying to tell you at the clinic," the boy said almost impatiently. "You save us, too; you just don't see it. She's not strong enough to leave Dad alone, and you know it."

"I guess that's true." Katie's blue eyes masked a storm of frustration at Kevin's hatred for her and the only family she had. But she shoved her anger aside when Bobby's eyes filled with tears, scared and in pain like she had never seen him before. "Do you know how brave you are?" she asked him, and Bobby glumly shook his head. "I promise everything's going to be okay. I love you."

"You sound like Mom," he told her, and Katie couldn't decide whether it felt like a compliment or just painful.

"Well, I learned from the best." That was all she could say before he curled into her lap, ignoring all the pain of his injuries just to be as small as humanly possible. "We'll find her, baby. Just wait and see."

At the Scott mansion, Quinn was sitting on the floor opposite Lydia, rolling a small ball back and forth between the boundaries formed by their legs. "Aunt Quinn, you have to push harder; I'm little," the three-year-old complained when she couldn't reach the ball for the fifth time. She shoved the ball to one side and clambered into her aunt's lap, frowning up at her dazed and miserable expression. "Are you sick?"

Quinn wiped her eyes subtly before curling her arms around her niece. "Kind of, I guess," she sighed. "You're my favorite little munchkin; you know that?"

"Does your tummy hurt?" asked Lydia, pressing a small hand to Quinn's stomach. "Mommy lets me drink Coke when my tummy hurts; otherwise, she says it's bad. Maybe you need Coke."

"I don't think Coke can fix my problem, honey," said Quinn, the words sticking in her throat at Lydia's pure innocence. "But thanks for the offer."

"What about presents?" Lydia suggested in determination. "Were you good for Santa this year? Daddy gives us early presents sometimes…I'm cute, you know."

"You're totally cute," Quinn agreed, and before she could say anything else, Lydia dragged her off the floor.

"Daddy, we need early presents!" she shrieked, charging out into the living room where Logan's angel glittered at the top of their Christmas tree. Nathan was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper and didn't lay it aside fast enough to avoid his daughter crashing into his lap and crushing the paper.

"Hurricane Lydia has struck," he laughed, lifting the three-year-old onto his knees. "What's this about early presents?"

"Aunt Quinn is sick," said the toddler seriously; "presents will make it better. I said you give them out early sometimes when I'm cute. Right?"

Nathan grimaced at Quinn's visibly strained smile and carried Lydia back towards her. "That's a good idea, baby girl," he said, setting her down so she could hurtle towards the kitchen where Haley and Taylor were making more Christmas feast preparations with Jamie. "Go tell Mommy and Aunt Taylor, okay?" Then he put an arm around Quinn's shoulders; "It would be nice if Santa could fix this, huh? You okay, Q?"

"It would," she agreed faintly, shaking her head. "God, I'm such a mess."

"If anything gives you the right to be a mess, it's a miscarriage on Christmas Eve." Nathan could see an intense combination of worry and heartache in her eyes. "I reminded Clay to come over anytime, so don't worry about that…just for the record."

"I'm scared he'll shut me out again," she whispered. "Historically, walls are a big problem for us, you know. And this time, I yelled at Logan, how are we supposed to survive on opposite sides?"

"That's a bit dramatic, don't you think? Walls may be something you both struggle with, but Logan will never be a divide, silly. He trusted you before even Clay, remember?"

"I guess so," said Quinn skeptically, even though she knew Nathan's words were valid. Today, those early moments of bonding with her adoptive son were eclipsed by the more recent outburst she wasn't sure she could ever take back. "I love them, Nate…I can't lose them!"

"Nobody's losing anyone, Quinn," he insisted. "I wouldn't even have to bug that phone call with Clay earlier to bet he asked you to come home, right?"

"He did," she admitted sheepishly. "I know it sounds paranoid, but I just feel…lost right now."

"Then it's his job to find you," said Nathan. "The guy put insanely in love in my contract for you, don't forget that. And Logan is a kid; he'll get over whatever you said that you obviously didn't mean."

"Thanks," she said softly, and Nathan had her in a comforting hug when Lydia led Haley and Taylor back into the room with her boundless energy.

"Presents!" the three-year-old demanded, prodding her mother impatiently.

Taylor had already opened the closet where the wrapped gifts were stashed, thoughtfully eyeing the choices. "Haley, which one of these was Quinn's present? Your three-year-old is clearly convinced she's dying."

"Seriously, Tay?" snapped Haley when Lydia's expression crumpled at Taylor's sarcasm. "Honey, Aunt Quinnie's going to be fine, okay?" Without thinking, she pulled out the package she had wrapped for Quinn and handed it to Lydia. "Here, give her this." The toddler bounced across the room and delivered Quinn's present to her, and it wasn't until her sister pulled off the wrapping that Haley locked eyes with Nathan and realized what a lousy mistake she had just made. "Damn it…Q, don't open that!"

But it was too late: Quinn had already popped the lid off the carefully wrapped box and clapped her hand over her mouth in disbelief. The golden hairbrush from her mother, which she had passed on to Haley in honor of Lydia's birth, glinted up at her. "Hales," she choked: "is this for real?"

"It's yours," said her sister softly. "Someday you'll get to use it…we thought that someday was around the corner. Oh, Quinnie, I'm sorry."

"Damn it, I can't stop," Quinn gasped, wiping her streaming eyes furiously. "I love it, Haley Bob…thank you."

"Never stop; you're the heart girl," Taylor chipped in. "And I kind of hate you for making me a softie right now." Her sisters saw Quinn trying to form a sassy retort, but instead, her hands covered her eyes in a vain attempt to hide the floods of tears.

Nathan watched Haley and Taylor surround Quinn with all their strength and scooped Lydia into his arms when she turned to him in dismay. "I don't think presents can fix this one, Lyddie Bug. Let's go help Jamie in the kitchen, okay?" Even with the toddler's arms around his neck, it was one of the few times he felt helpless, and nothing could change that.

Back at New Brunswick County Hospital, Nurse Jennings was returning to Bobby's room with the dread that came from being a frequent bearer of bad news. She had heard Kevin and Katie raging at each other first-hand, had seen the visible love Katie had for her sister and nephew, and now Melissa's condition was critical. In medical school, she'd hated the classmates blessed with photographic memories, but tonight, whether she liked it or not, she couldn't shake the image of Melissa Riley's injuries. The head injury and broken ribs from the accident were terrible enough, but Nurse Jennings' trained eye had picked up the fading purple bruising on Melissa's wrists, signs of forceful violence. Katie Ryan's desperate words rang in her head; the woman's mental state was obviously delicate, and it was clear that her sister kept her grounded. Thinking of Detective Riley's quick temper, there was no doubt in her mind that something had to give in their situation for the sake of Bobby's safety and his mother's life. The facts would shake their world, and with any luck, the pieces would fall back into place in a better way for everyone. The alternative didn't bear thinking about.

A / N Between my limited experience with three-year-olds and the OC struggles, I really hope everyone enjoys this! xx