Did the fawns survive the fire?

That was the first question Carly asked once they had arrived at the hospital. Meghan couldn't even imagine what those poor babies could have gone through. She hoped it was quick and painless.

Their family had a threat; one that was serious in the notes it left if they did not give it something. But what did it want? What had they taken that it desired to have in its grasp again?

Meghan leaned forward in the chair beside the hospital bed. Seeing her child at the hospital and in need of medical help hurt her. She hated imagining her children being hospitalized, and now there she was, in that exact situation. Gordon was on the other side of the hospital bed in a love seat with Carly sitting in silence beside him.

She was traumatized by the experience. They could have all been in that house when it happened. But it was Ryder. Only Ryder.

Her son lay unmoving on the bed in front of her, his chest rising and falling in rhythm of the breaths he took through the CPAP breather strapped around his mouth and nose. The cord attached led to a machine with a screen. It resembled a computer om wheels.

Having had six years of medical school for the four years she was a nurse, Meghan knew that CPAP means Continuous Positive Airway Pressure and that with the smoke he inhaled, Ryder was in need of it at the moment. Though she was grateful that he was okay, she wished it had never happened. They were just getting ready to leave for a hotel. The result was them ending up at the hospital - the one place no one fully enjoyed being at.

The burns Ryder received had been treated nicely. The one thing that caused a slight problem was the injury he had received on his shoulder. The most likely cause was that a piece of debris had landed on his shoulder when the house was beginning to collapse. The doctors had fished out pieces of glass and Gordon had said he had found Ryder unconscious next to the mirror he and Carly had in their room. It was smashed, pieces - big and small - littering the floor and Ryder's clothing.

It got stitched up and provided no serious threat when they were done. He received more needed blood but would be fine soon from what the doctors said. It had been a day since the fire and Ryder had finally woken up in a state of shock, only to fall back into a peaceful sleep. Meghan took his bandaged hand in hers.

"What are we going to do now?" Carly ased softly, her eyes drooping from lack of sleep. All three of them were up most of the night waiting for Ryder to awaken.

"I don't know," Meghan told her. "Once Ryder is released, we will get a hotel until Gordon says his apartment is ready. We can't go back to our house anyway."

"Will all of this stop?" she asked. "Will that person following us stop because they won't know where we are?"

"I hope so," Meghan sighed. "I really hope so."

Gordon said nothing but Meghan could see the doubt swirling in his eyes as their gazes locked. Whoever was stalking them had better stop. All Meghan could feel at the thought of them was pure anger and hatred. They tried to kill them! They could have succeeded in killing her son! She was not one to take that lightly. If they dared show their face again in any circumstance, they had better plead for their life.

"I hope the fawns are okay," Carly sniffed, bleary-eyed at the thought of what could have happened. "You think they got out?"

That was the second time she had asked the question. Meghan couldn't answer the first time and she didn't want to answer now.

"No one knows," Gordon finally spoke. "They could have gotten out. I didn't see them when I went back in to get Ryder."

Meghan inwardly sighed. Maybe that was because they got buried in debris.

She realized that Ryder was shifting slightly in the hospital bed, his face scrunching into what looked like fear. She scooted to the edge of her seat, watching him closely. Gordon leaned forward, too, as Carly merely watched intently. Her son's eyelids twitched slightly before opening, still drooping from the medicine and drowsiness, but alert as well.

"Hi," Meghan said, the same thing she had previously told him when he had woken up briefly in the night.

For a moment, he stared at her in confusion before his eyes widened and panic overtook his face. His hand came to yank at the breathing device around his mouth and he began struggling to get up, breathing heavily.

"Woah!" Gordon grabbed his hand and pressed it down against his chest to keep him from yanking the CPAP off of his face. "It's alright. It's only to help you breathe."

Carly was on her feet, having been startled by her brother's sudden movement. Meghan watched Ryder calm down, quite confused. He was fine when he had previously woken up with it strapped around his mouth and nose.

"Feeling better than when you previously woke up?" Meghan gently asked.

He gave her a curt nod before pulling his hand out of his father's grip and slipping it back underneath the blanket draped over him. Carly sat back down and smiled. "I'm glad you're okay. We were all really worried about you."

Ryder seemed to smile slightly as he looked over at her. Meghan always wondered about their sibling relationship. They always seemed closer than siblings normally would be, but also with that annoyance every child can give another. Ryder took the role of being an older brother to the extreme for the first six years before he turned ten and realized how irritating a sister could be. After that, he hadn't been all over everybody when they would do anything with Carly, but still sprained the wrist of a kid at school who shoved Carly off of the playset.

Comparing their relationship to Meghan and her three siblings, her children won by a landslide. Meghan was the second oldest of four children and realized soon enough that they really didn't want much to do with her. They argued every day over the silliest things and made it a hobby to ruin something one of the others might be doing. Maybe it was a brother-sister thing, but Meghan didn't understand how they could be so close. She had one brother and they seemed closer than her sisters. Unfortunately, it was still a struggle for her.

Gordon had a sister who died in an accident and then three older brothers who were all who knows where. She shook her head at the thought. In both their families, they were never considered to have the ideal sibling goals.

"Once you're released, we're going to get a hotel and all of this will hopefully come to a stop," Meghan told Ryder. "The police had a chat with your father and I, so that is taken care of."

Muffled words escape Ryder and he reached up to slip the device off of his face. Meghan didn't stop him. He gave her a confused look. "Did...did the fawns make it out okay?"

"They weren't found," Gordon told him. Meghan noticed a nurse enter the room silently. "We don't know if they're alive or not."

Ryder nodded and looked at Carly who had grown somber at his question. "Did you get hurt, Carly?"

Meghan smiled at the interaction. Carly let out a slight giggle. "Not as much as you. You hold a new record now. I only got a big bruise on my shoulder."

"I can't believe you're still keeping track of those charts," Meghan laughed. "It really isn't a contest to see who gets the biggest injury or accident while you're both kids."

"Yes, it is!" Carly exclaimed. "If we are going to get hurt in our childhood, we might as well get something fun out of it! Whichever one of us gets the biggest injury before Ryder is eighteen earns fifty dollars from the other."

"Oh, boy," Gordon chuckled. "When was this agreement made, again?"

"On Carly's eighth birthday," Ryder answered humorously. "You gave us the idea, remember?"

Gordon pretended to be shocked at the statement and Meghan laughed again. She looked over at the nurse who was politely waiting for the banter to be over. She must be in there to check on Ryder now that he was awake again. "I never did such a thing! Don't tell lies and false stories."

"Dad!" Carly laughed. "You did! You told us we should do it after I cut my finger opening a present! At the time, me breaking my toe had been the biggest injury received."

"You're lying," Gordon said, pretending to be cross. "Don't lie. It's against what your mother and I taught you."

The family burst into laughter at that and Meghan suddenly felt as if Christmas might go well after all. The small Christmas tree set on a drawer by the hospital bed encouraged the thought. That was all Meghan wanted. For the holiday to be the best one yet.

❄⛄❄❄⛄❄

"I'm tired of the hospital," Carly sighed, watching Meghan as she approached the food machine to get three bags of cookies. "When can Ryder come home? When can we go to Dad's apartment?"

Meghan gave her a weary smile. It had been three days since the fire and Gordon announced that his apartment was pretty much ready for them to move in with him. Ryder was supposed to be released the following day but Carly was keen on leaving early. She had been quite grumpy at the hospital and cried the previous night over the fawns and everything that had happened.

"Hopefully, tomorrow we will be able to get out of here," Meghan said. "And your dad and I think it is a good idea to look for another Christmas tree to take to his place once we get the chance. That will be fun."

"I guess." Carly frowned and took the bag of cookies Meghan held out to her. They began heading back to Ryder's room. "Are Ryder and Dad still going to have the day out together that you made him agree to?"

Meghan had almost forgotten about that. Would it even be a good idea to separate at the moment, even for a day? With a new location, the stalker should stop following them, but Meghan didn't feel like anything that could risk their location should be made. "I don't know, sweetheart. I guess that's for them to decide."

"What if Ryder decides no?" her daughter pouted. "I want him to finally like Dad. It's weird when he doesn't because there is so much awkward tension."

Meghan considered Carly's words. She spoke much truth, but lately, Meghan had noticed a slight change in her son's behavior. He spoke to his father and was more opened toward him. Slowly but surely, he might be getting to a good point.

They stopped outside of Ryder's room and Meghan saw the hesitance Carly had in going inside. She hated being cooped up. Some might say she was a bit claustrophobic when in one unfamiliar place for too long. She had a panic attack just last year when Meghan had taken she and Ryder to spend the weekend in a cabin at the beach. Just one night inside the cabin and Carly had a panic attack that scared Meghan to a point of taking her to the hospital. Since then, she had made it a goal not to spend nights in places Carly wasn't comfortable at.

She had been very good about the three days they were stuck there. Meghan had asked her yesterday if she was okay being there for so long and her daughter had replied with, "It's scary and makes me feel sick sometimes but I want to be with Ryder." Since that talk, Meghan had kept a closer eye on her to make sure a panic attack didn't ensue.

Meghan looked through the small window that opened into the hospital room. Ryder was asleep in his bed with Gordon in the seat next to it watching some television. There wasn't much to do, and she realized this could be a good opportunity for some mother/daughter time.

"You know what," Meghan said, looking down at Carly. She recalled her thoughts just moments before about separating but pushed it away. Quality time was important. "How about you and I go out for lunch? Just you and me. No boys."

Carly's face quickly brightened up as a huge smile appeared on her lips. She bounced on the heels of her feet, suppressing what Meghan guessed was a squeal. "Really? Go out?"

"Yes," Meghan laughed, nudging her playfully. "What do you say?

"Yes!" Carly squealed. "A hundred yeses!"

"Shh!" Meghan smiled, glancing around to make sure no other patients were disturbed. The hallway was empty and quiet, with only one nurse making an appearance to enter a different room.

Meghan opened the door in front of them and Gordon looked up to watch them enter. Like the two of them, he also looked as if he hadn't slept well. Hopefully, once they left the hospital, things would get better. She tossed him the bags of cookies and he caught them with ease. "Carly and I are going to go out for lunch. Is that alright?"

Gordon looked between the two before smiling and giving a nod. "Of course. Go have fun!"

"Thanks!" Carly exclaimed, noticeably excited to get out. As they left the room again, Carly skipped down the square patterns on the floor, taking care not to touch the lines. Her bag of cookies was still in her hand, forgotten by the girl.

"Any specific restaurant you would like to go to?" Meghan questioned.

Carly pondered for a moment, pausing to allow Meghan to catch up to her. "Genki Sushi?"

Just at the mention of sushi, Meghan's stomach nearly growled. She had always loved sushi and the love passed down to Carly and Ryder, whereas Gordon never found it appealing. Genki Sushi was their favorite restaurant but was pretty expensive. They didn't have much money at the moment.

Carly was waiting expectantly for an answer. Meghan did want to go but wasn't sure they should. It was only about forty-five minutes away. That was a day out with her daughter and she wanted it to be nice. "Alright, sounds great! But we won't be getting a lot of plates."

Carly nodded enthusiastically before giving Meghan a tight hug. "Thanks, Mom!"

Meghan smiled at the joy her daughter had. Seeing her children happy was the most important thing to her, and lately, it had been a rare sight. It was the Christmas season. Meghan hoped that as Christmas day drew closer, the family would too. Christmas was the one holiday that got Meghan and her sisters to grow closer together. December was the only month her family actually seemed to be just that. A family.

That Christmas, though, they left Meghan and her children behind. It hurt Meghan to know her sisters and Mom were enjoying themselves without her but she couldn't afford plane tickets for all three of them.

As they stepped outside, Meghan took a moment to relish the feel of the fresh air blowing through. Freshly fallen snow glistened in the sunlight. Carly smiled at the sight of the outdoors and began walking through the snow. The satisfying sound of the snow beneath her feet greeted Meghan's ears. She followed after her daughter, her feet sinking into the soft powder with each step.

As they get closer to the car, Meghan studied the snow piled on it. She reached into her purse to pull the keys out. Although she loved snow and wintertime, the cold air wasn't her favorite. Her fingers curled around something cold and stiff. She furrowed her eyebrows and pulled it out of her purse, immediately feeling nauseated as she gasped in panic and threw it to the ground. Carly turned to look and quickly backed away.

It was the finger Gordon had chopped off of their stalker. It was dried out, bits of skin flaking off of its grayish tone.

How did it get into her bag? Meghan shuddered, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Mom?" Carly whimpered.

Meghan looked at her, then back at the finger buried in the snow. "Let's...let's go."

She discarded the finger, but it had already set an uncomfortable mood for she and Carly to dwell in as they climbed into the car. She wanted their outing to be fun, regardless of Meghan's sudden fear. Unfortunately, it seemed as if that fun had been stolen and burned in some dark flames of misery.

Meghan gave her daughter a glance after forty minutes of complete silence. "So, uh, you glad school is on break?"

Carly nodded. "Yes."

Meghan also nodded, focusing on the wheel again. She tried to relax the tension in her arms that had taken place. The finger just accidentally got in there. It must have. No one had been around her except doctors and firefighters since Gordon cut it off.

Carly fiddled with the fog on the window, tracing shapes into it. Meghan focused on pulling over to another lane. What can she say to put Carly at ease? "When was the last time we went out together? Just the two of us?"

Carly giggled softly, looking at Meghan with her brown eyes. "When we went to the amusement park since I stayed home from school. Ryder was so mad we went without him."

Meghan laughed at the memory. "That's right!"

Carly had gotten sick when she was eight and had stayed home from school after puking. Near the afternoon, she had wanted to go to the amusement park, in which Meghan agreed. Going to school in the middle of the day wouldn't be worth it and if she happened to get sick again, the amusement park was a good place to use as an excuse. Having had nursing classes, you'd think Meghan would have kept Carly at home to relax. She probably should have. But it was the first time the two had ever gone and done something with just the two of them.

"It was fun," Carly mused. "And I'm excited about today. I have actually decided that I don't like the hospital."

"Oh, have you?" Meghan chuckled.

Carly gave her a cheeky smile before turning back to her artwork. Meghan turned the heater up. Her hands were numb. Probably not a good thing when you're driving a car.

"How much longer until we get there?" Carly asked.

"Two hours."

"What? Seriously?"

"No. We have about three more minutes according to the GPS."

Carly giggled again. "We were quiet for that long? I'm never quiet for a long time."

"At least you know it," Meghan teased with a relaxed smile. Since December started, she'd been anything but relaxed. At least she was having a day of relaxation with her daughter. It helped to shake off the holiday humbug and havoc.

"MOM!"

Meghan gave a startled jump, her hands accidentally yanking the steering wheel to the left. She shrieked and quickly swerved the car back into the correct lane as the oncoming truck bypassed in the opposite direction. She inhaled sharply, her heart beating fast. "Carly! Don't you ever-!"

"I saw it," she whimpered, gripping her seatbelt as if it were her lifeline. Her face was deathly pale, her body trembling.

Meghan swallowed. "Saw what?"

"The hooded person from home."

The air from the heater suddenly felt cold as Meghan shivered at her words, her hopes of change dropping like the temperature. Carly had tears shining in her eyes, proving to Meghan that she was not making it up. "Maybe...maybe it was just a hallucination from stress."

"No," Carly whispered, staring at her lap. "You didn't see it?"

"No." Meghan blinked tears out of her eyes. Genki Sushi was up ahead, but she suddenly felt a disturbing reluctance to park and get out. They'd be exposed. "Where was it standing?"

"It was at the gas station we passed," she answered, her voice hushed.

"Well, it's...it's a forty-five-minute drive away from home," Meghan tried to reason. "They must have walked here over the nights we were at the hospital. They probably don't even know we're here. They probably came here to find a new target."

That's not any better though.

"Can we tell the police?"

Meghan quickly nodded, agreeing with her daughter. "There's a police department nearby. We'll head there, file a report, and then go to lunch. Sound good?"

Carly nodded, her face paler than before. Meghan suppressed a sob as she swallowed again. It was there. But they were probably just here for a new target. After all, they knew the family didn't live over there. Meghan let go of the steering wheel with one hand to grip Carly's hand in hers. Carly stared out the window, silent again, as Meghan passed Genki Sushi. She didn't see it. But she would feel better anyway after reporting to the police.

❄⛄❄❄⛄❄

"Thank you for your time."

Meghan stood up, handing the papers over to the police officer. He took them and rose to his feet. "So, will you look out for the figure?"

"Yes," he assured her. "By your description, they shouldn't be too hard to detect."

"Thank you," Meghan said, inhaling deeply. "I hope you catch them. They need to be in jail."

The officer pursed his lips but nodded. "We'll be on the lookout."

"And could you tell the other departments in the state?" Meghan asked as he walked her to the door. "I want them to be aware too."

"I'll see what I can do," he said, opening it up for her.

Meghan stepped outside as the man - Officer Jyles - shut the door. Having them on the lookout brought a sense of relief to her. It shouldn't be long before they were caught. Especially if they attemptrd to harm any other people there in that part of the state.

When she opened the car door, a rush of cold air blew past. She climbed in and shut it, tired of feeling cold. Carly watched her expectantly. She had stayed in the car while Meghan went in. "Are you going to tell Dad what happened?"

"Probably should," Meghan sighed. "But keep it from Ryder for now, okay? He needs to heal and I don't want him worrying that we aren't safe."

"What about me?" she asked. "I'm worried that we're not safe."

"I know," Meghan told her, starting the car. "And I wish you weren't. I wish you hadn't seen that."

She sighed as Meghan pulled out of the parking lot. The outing had been going fine up until then. Now, Meghan wasn't sure how to lighten the mood again. Carly took her hand and Meghan squeezed it, forcing a smile. She needed to remain calm for Carly. "Come on. Let's have some fun eating sushi."

❄⛄❄

Don't you love when you have an idea and then an even BETTER one comes to mind and you write that instead? I LOVE when that happens!

Just FYI, Genki Sushi is one of my favorite restaurants! I just LOVE sushi! When we lived in Hawaii, we had one nearby and went quite a few times. I miss it! Writing about it is making me crave. XP

{Drawing above was done November 1st when I just felt like drawing Ryder in the hospital. Sorry. XP}

This poor family just can't get a break, can they? I feel bad for Carly. I feel bad for ALL of them but she is just so innocent. If I were in this situation with my siblings, I would want to protect them from harm's way.

Question: Why do you think the "thing" was there - forty-five minutes DRIVING - away from where it had been before?

Bonus Question: Do you think it is wise to keep the event from Ryder?

Bonus Question: How do you think the decapitated finger got into Meghan's bag?