"Is she alright?" Lin asked, searching the officer's face for clues

"She's being treated at Mount Sanai for a gunshot wound to the arm," he told the distressed father.  "You can head down there now."

Lin felt his heart drop.  In a way, he was relieved that she wasn't dead, but he was being torn to pieces thinking that his little girl had been shot.  How scared she must have been.  Lin didn't waste a second.  He was out the door and rushing down 94th street.  It was only a ten minute walk.  He got there in five.

Lin found the main reception area and gave them Emma's name.  He was told her room number.  On the way over, he'd frantically called Vanessa to tell her the news.  She was going to call his parents to come watch the kids again so she could join him.  Lin found Emma's room number and found it empty.  He looked around for a nurse and saw one working at a station nearby.

"Excuse me, nurse?" He asked her and she looked up at him.  "Do you know where my daughter is?  Emma Miranda, she's supposed to be in 412."

"Let me check my computer," she said, turning to her screen.  Lin waited impatiently as she searched for her name.  "Looks like she's being prepped for surgery."

"Can I see her?"

"Likely not," she said.  "But surgery is up one floor.  She may not have gone in yet."

Lin once again rushed down the hallway and up the stairs.  He looked around, horrified at the number of Hunter families waiting around.  Their faces were painted with worry as their children were either prepped or in the middle of surgery.  A fellow father of a junior stopped Lin.

"Emma's down the hall," he said.  "She hasn't gone in yet, but she was awake."

"Thank you," Lin said as he made his way down the hall.  He reached the room the other dad had pointed out and looked in the window.  Emma was laid out on the hospital bed, her eyes open as a nurse tended to her.  Other hospital workers were all around her.  Lin pounded on the window, and Emma looked over.  Her eyes lit up when she saw Lin.

He couldn't hear her, but he could see her say his name.  She started tearing up, obviously scared and wanting a friendly face.  The nurse who was with her smiled and walked to the door.

"Are you dad?" She asked Lin.

"Yes.  Can I see her before she goes in?"

She looked over her shoulder and then nodded.  "Quickly," she said, opening the door and stepping aside.  Lin rushed to Emma's side and leaned down to hug her.

"Oh, Emma," he started crying as she wrapped one arm around him.  Her other arm was immobile, having been hit by a bullet.

"Lin!" She sobbed.  "I'm so scared."

Lin kissed her forehead and pulled back.  "You're gonna be just fine," he told her.  "Looks like just your arm was hit.  No major organs.  The doctors are just gonna go fish it out."

"But what if I don't wake up?" She asked, terrified.  Lin grasped her hand in his and looked her in the eyes.

"You are going to wake up," he assured her.  "The doctors here are amazing.  You're in very good hands."

The nurse pressed a brake release on Emma's bed and Lin knew it was time for the surgery to begin.

"Lin!" Emma sobbed as he stood up, still clasping his hand.  "Don't leave."

The nurse began to wheel her into the room, and their hands disconnected.  Lin didn't think he'd ever have any worse memory than seeing his daughter being wheeled away, a look of absolute dread and terror on her face.  His heart broke as she was taken into the room. 

"I'll be right here!" he called to her.  Lin leaned forward and rested his hands on his upper thighs as he fought to keep himself together.  He reminded himself she was alive.  This wouldn't be a major surgery.  They just had to get the bullet out.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and a few firm pats. 

"Lin?" It was the dad who had pointed out Emma's room.  Lin slowly stood up and turned to face Mr. Duncan, who had a son in 11th grade.  He embraced Lin, giving him supportive pats on the back.  "She'll be fine."

"Thanks, Joe," Lin said as he began to get better control of his breathing. He pulled back and they stepped back into the hallway. "How's Matthew?"

"He's still in surgery," Joe reported.  "Bastard got him twice in the leg.  It'll take him after basketball for a while, but otherwise he should be fine.

"Oh good," Lin said.  "Have you heard about anyone else?"

"I think all in all there were eleven shot, including the shooter."

"Do they know who the shooter is?"

"They haven't said," he reported.

"Are all the kids okay?" Lin asked.

"As far as I know, yes," Joe said.  "No report of fatalities."

Lin nodded and then excused himself to call Vanessa.  He realized his hands were shaking as he spoke to his wife.  She was just about to leave.

"Lexi asked to come, but I told her no," Vanessa said.  "She's still shaking."

"Poor kid," Lin commented. 

"I ran a bath for her before I left, with lavender."

"Good idea," he commented.  "Anyway, I'm on the fourth floor.  There's a whole bunch of Hunter families in the hallway.  Can't miss us."

They hung up and Lin began to pace up and down the hallway.  He couldn't sit down while Emma was in surgery.  He was relieved to see his wife walk in about fifteen minutes later.  She immediately embraced him, and they just stayed that way for a long while.  Lin led her over to a set of chairs and they held hands.

"Any word from the doctors?" She asked.

"No," he said, checking his watch.  "She's been in there for about twenty minutes.  They said it might take a couple of hours."

The nurse who had let Lin in the room earlier took pity on the parents, knowing they must be worried out of their minds.  She excused herself about a half hour later to update them.

"She's doing great," she assured them.  "The doctor's going in very carefully to make sure he doesn't disturb anything surrounding it.  She should be done in the next half hour."

Lin and Vanessa sat back in their chairs, relieved.  They were incredibly grateful to get the update.  Friends and family had been texting like crazy, trying to get updates.  He sent a couple group texts letting them know she was doing well and almost done.

A couple doors down, Joe's son Matthew was wheeled out of surgery.  The kid looked groggy but seemed okay.  His dad held his hand as he was taken to the elevator to recover downstairs.

Finally, the doors to Emma's room opened and the two parents stood up immediately.  They caught sight of her face.  She was still conked out from the anesthesia and she just looked like she was sleeping.  The nurse smiled at them. 

"She got through with flying colors," she reported.  "Not one complication."

Lin and Vanessa smiled weakly, glad to get some good news.  They followed Emma and her bed downstairs to her room to recover.  The nurses set up her vital machines, hooking her up to all sorts of monitors.

"She'll probably be out for a good half hour or so," she told them.  "Feel free to talk to her.  When she does wake up, tell her that this little button delivers more pain medication every half hour."

"Will do," Lin said.  "Thanks."

They both sat down on the chairs, listening to the period beeping of machines.  There wasn't much to say, so they mostly sat there holding hands, glancing over at Emma every once in a while.  Vanessa stood up and gently moved the sheet away from her arm.  There were stitches over her wound, a couple inches long.  A little scar would be all that was physically left of the incident.  Vanessa couldn't imagine the emotional turmoil Emma might have to soon face, along with her classmates.  Lexi had been pretty shaken up as well.

A half hour later, Emma groaned and began to move a little in her bed.  Vanessa was by her side and Lin stood at the foot of the bed.  Vanessa took her good hand in hers and gently rubbed it.

"Emma, you're okay," she assured her daughter sweetly.  "It's Vanessa, and Lin's here too."

She furrowed her eyebrows and winced, obviously in pain.  Vanessa reached down to the little button and pressed it so she would get some more pain medication.  Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at Vanessa.

"Surgery went great," she reported.  "The bullet's out and you'll be fine."

Emma turned her head and tried to lift her arm, but she couldn't.  However, she could see the wound and the stitches.  She fingered the stitches for a moment, feeling their roughness.

"Why can't I move my arm?" She croaked out.

"Well, the muscle was probably damaged," Vanessa explained.  "But we'll talk to the doctor.  I'm sure it's fine."

All of a sudden, Emma seemed fully awake.  "Where's Lexi?"

She tried to sit up, but Vanessa shooshed her and guided her to lay back down.  "She's fine, sweetheart. She's at home."

"Did she get hit?"

"No, she was in a classroom on the other side of the school.  No one around her got hurt."

Emma breathed out and then started crying.  She covered her eyes with her good hand.

"I'm sure it was very scary," Vanessa said, rubbing her arm gently.  "It's okay to let it out."

"Why did this have to happen?" She asked tearfully.  Lin and Vanessa looked at each other.  That was the question everyone was asking.  They still didn't know who the shooter was.  They didn't want to ask Emma, not wanting her to relive it if she wasn't ready.

"We don't know, sweetheart, but we need to concentrate on getting you better," Vanessa explained.

"How long do I have to be here?"

"Probably a couple days," Lin said.  "It all depends."

"I wanna go home," she sobbed, getting upset.  The nurse walked in and smiled to see that she was awake.

"Emma, good to see you wide awake," she said, and Vanessa stepped aside to give her room.  She took Emma's pulse, which was slightly elevated.  They were finding that with many of the Hunter kids who were here.

Lin's phone rang and he saw it was his dad, so he went outside and picked up.

"Hi Dad," he said.  "Emma's awake now.  She's talking."

"Oh good," Luis said.  "And everything's fine?"

"Physically, yes," he said.  "She's having some trouble moving her arm, but I think that will heal up.  How's everything there."

Luis sighed.  "Lexi's having a really hard time," he told his son.  "She's asking for you."

Lin glanced back at Emma's room, where the nurse was doing an exam and talking to his daughter.  He hated to leave her, but he also knew Lexi must be scared out of her mind too.  If it was okay with Vanessa, she could stay with Emma and he'd head home.

"Alright, Dad, thanks," he said.  "I'll try to head home in a few minutes.  Is Lex there?"

Luis handed the phone over to his granddaughter.

"Lin?" Lexi asked tearfully.

"Hi sweetheart," he said gently.  "Are you okay?"

"No," she admitted, crying softly.  "I want you to come home."

"I'll be leaving here in a few minutes.  I just need to talk to the doctor about Emma's arm," he explained.  "I think V will stay here overnight with her."

"You'll be home soon?"  she sounded so scared and small.

"Yes.  I promise," he said.  "Now go cuddle with Abuelo and Abuela until I'm home okay?"

"Okay," she agreed and hung up the phone.  Lin walked back into the hospital room where the nurse reported she was doing great.  Emma was asked if she was hungry and she was allowed to order some food from the cafeteria.  While she was ordering, Lin leaned in and whispered to his wife that Lexi was having a rough time and wanted him to come home.  They agreed that she'd stay with Emma and he'd go home as soon as they spoke to the doctor.

About fifteen minutes later, the doctor came in while Emma was eating some soup for dinner.

"The wound was pretty clean, luckily," he told them, putting an X-ray up on the monitor.  "The bullet lodged in the bone, so it was just a matter of going in and carefully pulling it out.  Emma, how are you feeling?"

"Okay I guess," she said.  "But I can't really move my arm."

"It's been through a lot so give it some time," he told her.  "Let the muscle rest and you should be back to normal in a few days."

"When can I go home?" She asked him.

"We'll probably want to keep you for two days to observe you," the doctor said.  "But I don't see there being any problems."

Lin and Vanessa had a couple follow up questions, and then the doctor excused himself.  Emma was finishing off her dinner.  Lin walked over and took her hand.

"Em, I'm gonna head home now because Lexi needs me," he explained.  "But V's gonna stay here with you, okay?"

"Okay," she said, seeming unfazed.  She was doing remarkably well considering the trauma she'd been through.

"Okay," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.  "You rest up. I'll be back in the morning."

Lin kissed his wife goodbye as well then took a taxi home.  By the time he'd gotten home, the little kids were all in bed.  Lexi was curled up on the couch cuddling his with mother.  When she saw her father walk through the door, she stood up and ran to him.

Lin held her in an embrace for a good long while, rubbing her back.  He was concerned to observe that she was still shaking a bit.  Her whole body felt very tense.

"Come on," he told her.  "Let's go to your room."

Lin took her hand and they went to her bedroom, where he turned on the bedside lamp.  He sat down at the head of her bed and she climbed into his lap, something she'd never done before.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"You're safe now," he told her, rubbing her back.  "Nothing's gonna happen."

She wasn't crying, but she wasn't speaking either.

"Did your bath help earlier?" He asked her.  She nodded into his shoulder. 

"Are you still feeling pretty tense?"  Again, she nodded into his shoulder.  "What do you think will help?"

"Maybe some hot chocolate?" She asked weakly.  Lin smirked and kissed her temple.

"I can make you some hot chocolate," he said.  "Maybe some cookies too?"

She sat up and smiled weakly at him as he nodded. 

"Okay," he said as she climbed off his lap.  "You stay here and I'll go get it."

Lexi refused to stay and instead wrapped her arms around one of his and followed him to the kitchen.  Lin realized he was going to have an extra limb for the near future.  She did not want him to leave her side.  Lin put on the kettle and found the cocoa mix in the pantry.  His parents came over and said goodbye.  Lexi found the chocolate chip cookies in the pantry and got Lin a few as well. 

Once the hot chocolate was made, they went to the couch and began dipping their cookies.  Lexi sat flush against his side.  Lin found the remote and brought up Netflix.  They needed something lighthearted this evening.  He found an animated movie and they just sat and watched it together.

As they watched the movie, Lin texted with Vanessa.  Emma was doing great; she was just tired and having a hard time handling the pain.  The doctor changed her pain meds to something a bit stronger.  By the end of the movie, Lexi had fallen asleep on Lin and he was pretty sleepy himself.  The emotions of the day had really exhausted him.  He turned off the TV and carefully extracted himself from underneath Lexi.

Lin carefully picked her up in both arms and began to walk her down the hallway.  He skillfully pulled back her covers and set her down in her bed.  He pulled up the covers and kissed her goodnight.  Lin wandered down the hall to his own bedroom and quickly brushed his teeth, then hopped in the bed.  He had a feeling he'd have a visitor in his bed that night.

___

Sure enough, a few hours later, Lin awoke to find Lexi curled up right next to him, her face buried between his shoulder blades.  His right arm was falling asleep, but he didn't move so he wouldn't disturb her.  It was Friday, but there would be no school for Hunter.

Emilia awoke a while later, so he carefully moved off the bed and scooped her up.  She needed a diaper change and a feeding.  He took the little tyke to the kitchen to warm up a bottle, feeling like a zombie.  Lin brought her and the bottle back to bed, choosing to sit up and feed her there so he could be with Lexi.  She continued to sleep soundly.

In the morning, Lin managed to get a shower in before Lexi was at his side again constantly.  She was never more than a couple feet away, apparently feeling safer when she was close to him.  Lin wasn't going to complain.  Most tween girls were too grown-up to want their fathers anymore.  Lin successfully juggled four kids, getting them fed, changed and entertained.

Lin made sure not to put the news on.  He didn't want Lexi to have to listen to any of it.  He checked his phone for updates.  The shooter had been a fellow classmate.  A sophomore.  The police had shot him, but hadn't killed him.  Incredibly, no students had been killed.  Ten classmates had been hit and they were all recovering at Mount Sanai Children's Hospital.

Lin's parents were coming over at ten so he and Lexi could go to the hospital.  As soon as they'd arrived, Lin and Lexi took a cab.  When they arrived, Emma was sitting up in bed, watching TV.  She smiled when she saw her little sister.  Lexi gave her a big, warm hug.

"I was so worried about you," Lexi admitted as they hugged.

"I know," she said.  "I was worried about you too.  But I'm okay."

Lexi climbed into the little hospital bed with her sister.  Emma was able to move her arm more today, which made everyone feel better.  The sun was coming in the window and the feeling in the room was optimistic.  However, Lin and Vanessa knew this couldn't be taken lightly.  The girls were likely to have flashbacks and even PTSD.  They were both absolutely going to therapy for this.  But for now, it was time to just be together and heal.

Vanessa was ready to go home, having slept there overnight.  There'd been a pull-out cot, but it hadn't been very comfortable.  Vanessa kissed everyone goodbye and went home, hopefully to take a nap at some point.

Lin sat back and worked on his laptop as the girls chatted and watched TV together.  Nurses and doctors came in every once in a while to check on Emma.  All reports were positive, and it looked like she'd probably be released the next day.

She was still recovering from surgery, however, and got tired pretty easily.  After a couple hours of visiting, I told Lexi it was time to go home.  We could come back later to visit again.  I think Emma wanted a bit of time to herself.  We kissed her goodbye and took a cab back home.

Vanessa seemed to have everything under control at home.  The boys were playing happily on the floor and she was holding Emilia as she worked on her laptop.  Lin kissed her hello and put on the kettle to make some tea.  Once again, Lexi followed him like a shadow.  Lin liked it for now, but was starting to get worried how long this would last.  It wasn't healthy to want to be around your parent 24/7.

That night, after another visit to see Emma, Lin sat in bed with Lexi, reading her a chapter from a book she was assigned at school.  The sound of him reading seemed to calm her down a bit, and she rested her head on his shoulder.  At the end of the chapter, he marked the page, putting the book on the bedside table.  He gently ruffled her hair then kissed the top of her head.

"How are you feeling, kiddo?" He asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"Okay I guess," she mumbled.  He put an arm around her and patted her side.

"Really?  You haven't left my side since yesterday evening," he pointed out.  "Not that I'm complaining."

"Can I sleep in your bed again tonight?" she asked him.

"Well, V's home tonight.  How about we set you up on the floor?"

She nodded in agreement.  He grabbed her comforter and she grabbed her pillow, then they went to the master bedroom together.  They set her bed up at the foot of the bed and she settled down.  Lin crouched down to give her a good night kiss, then disappeared to the living room to relax with Vanessa.

They cuddled up together to watch a movie, though they doubted they'd get to the end.

"Well, Lexi's totally obsessed with you right now," Vanessa commented.

"Mmmhmmm," he agreed, stroking her hair.  "She's definitely gonna need some therapy.  And soon."

"I'll call Monday," she said.  "I'll see if the therapists they saw after the crash are still available."

"Do you think they'll send the kids back to school Monday?" He wondered.  It was Saturday and they'd had Friday off.

"I don't know," she said.  "I'm not sure if either of them are ready to go back."

___

The next day, Emma was released from the hospital.  She wore a sling so her arm could rest.  Sebastian and Francisco greeted her warmly.  They didn't really know what had happened.  They just knew she'd been away for a few days.  Lin and Vanessa didn't want to tell them their sister had been shot at school.  They'd find out later in life.  For now, they just explained that Emma had a boo-boo on her arm.

Emma had been given some pain meds, but they only lasted about a week.  They'd privately spoken to the doctor about her recent addiction to Adderall, so they were watching Emma closely for any signs of addiction.  They would not prescribe her more meds, because they could be addictive.

Emma was obviously glad to be home.  After visiting with the family for a while, she excused herself to her room to relax and be by herself.  She came out at dinner time, and it was nice to have all seven of them around the table.  It was the first time in days that Lexi actually seemed relaxed.  She was smiling and even laughing.

On Sunday, they got a robo-call from the school to say classes would resume Monday, but attendance was not mandatory.  Counselors would be on hand to talk to students and teachers.  Once the boys and Emilia had been put to bed, Lin and Vanessa asked the girls to come to the living room so they could have a conversation.

"So, the school called," Lin began.  "And school is happening tomorrow, but it's not mandatory.  So, we need to think about how you're feeling and what the best thing is to do."

Lexi immediately looked horrified.  "I'm not going back!" she said instantly.  "I'm not going back ever."

Emma looked at her sister and bit her lip, thinking.

"Lex, if you really don't feel safe at Hunter we can move you somewhere else or you can homeschool for a while," Vanessa said.  Lexi had, after all, home schooled for a whole year after her parents passed away.

"Emma, how are you feeling?" Lin asked his oldest.

"I want to go back," she said without hesitating.  Lexi looked at her, shocked.

"Are you crazy?" she asked her older sister.  "You got shot.  Why would you want to go back?"

"To prove that I'm strong," Emma said.  "The other students will be looking to us to see if it's okay.  I feel fine.  I mean, it won't be easy but I'm not gonna let that punk kid made me afraid to go to school."

The girls had since learned that the shooter had been a fellow classmate.  Neither of them knew him.  Vanessa and Lin looked at their oldest daughter, proud.  A couple months ago she had been in the throes of addiction and they struggled to trust her. Now she was showing enormous strength.

"If that's how you feel, you can certainly go back," Lin told her.  "But that doesn't mean you have to, Lexi.  You're both feeling very differently."

"Good, because I'm not," she said, crossing her arms.

"We want to talk to you about something else," Vanessa continued.  "This was a very traumatic experience, so we want you both to go to counseling."

Neither girl seemed to be opposed to it.  They knew it had helped after their parents died.  They talked about seeking out Lexi's old therapist.  Emma was already in counseling, so she was covered.  When the conversation was over, Lexi abruptly stomped off to her bedroom and shut the door.  Vanessa gave her a few minutes, then followed her daughter.  She gently knocked on the door and then came inside.

"You know you don't have to go back until you're ready," Vanessa reminded her as she sat on her bed.

"I know, but I don't understand how Emma's already ready to go back," she said.  "I mean, she got shot four days ago and she's going back tomorrow?  That's crazy."

"Well, people deal with these situations differently.  I imagine quite a few of the other students who were shot are not going back tomorrow."

Lexi sighed, looking thoroughly confused.  "I don't want her to go back."

"Why's that?"

"Because it's not safe!" She said.

"Lexi, this was an isolated incident.  The boy who did this is not coming back and he's getting mental health treatment.  This will not happen again."

"But you don't know that for sure," Lexi pointed out.  "How do you know someone won't walk in tomorrow with a gun?"

"Well, we don't, but Lex - we can't live our lives in fear of what might happen," she explained.  "Otherwise we'd never leave the apartment."

Lexi teared up.  "I'm still scared," she admitted.

Vanessa leaned forward and pulled her into a hug.  "I know," she said, rubbing her back.  "I can't imagine how scary it must have been."

"I didn't know where Emma was," she cried into Vanessa's shoulder.

"Emma's safe now," Vanessa assured her as she continued to hold her.  Emma sniffled quietly and Vanessa guided her to lay down on her bed.  She laid on her stomach and Vanessa rubbed her back, something she'd discovered calmed Lexi down.

"You'll stay home tomorrow," Vanessa said.  "And we'll think about what you want to do for the rest of the year.  Do you want to sleep in our room again?"

She nodded, and soon she was setting herself up at the foot of Lin and Vanessa's bed.  Later as Lin and Vanessa climbed into bed, they snuggled as the sounds of their two youngest daughters sleeping filled the room.  Lexi snored lightly, and Emilia breathed in and out quietly, barely a whisper.  As Lexi's energy and angst seemed to wind up, Emilia's was finally winding down.  Her colic had been lessening.

"Do you think Lexi will go back to school?" Vanessa wondered out loud.

Lin sighed and shrugged.  "I think only time will tell," he said.  "I don't think she'll be going back this week."

"I think it will help her to be around friends," Vanessa said.  "She should have Emily and Savi over.  They still have the talent show coming up."

"Yeah, that'll do her good," he agreed, rubbing Vanessa's arm.  He kissed her gently and the two finally fell asleep.