TW discussions of suicide and euthanasia. Opinions discussed may or may not be reflective of my own; please keep any discussions respectful.

"Work done for the day?"

I'm lying on the beach. I never used to enjoy it, but it feels nice as summer approaches to soak up some sun. Anyway, mom always said I was scarily pale.

I glance behind me, and spot Elliott, who lives in the cabin on the beach.

"Yeah. All done."

"I'm glad you're taking some time to relax, in that case." he smiles and takes a seat next to me. "I wish I could say I work as hard as you, Miss Madeleine, however I spent all day fantasising about my protagonist's love interest and not actually writing about her."

I laugh softly. "At least you thought about it."

He smiles softly. "I've seen you and Shane getting close lately. He's spending less time in the saloon, isn't he?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"That's good, that's good. Honestly, when I heard what happened... how he attempted to take his life... it was heartbreaking. It's awful seeing someone suffer. But he has proven that even when you reach the lowest point, the only way to go is up. I must ask, Miss Madeleine, is it true you took him to Doctor Harvey?"

"That's true. But it was him who asked me to take him." I pause. "Suicide should never happen and everyone deserves access to help. But... ultimately, it wasn't my decision whether he lived or not. If he was dead set on doing it, even if I had helped him, he would have just tried again the next chance he had."

Elliott ponders this for a second. "I never thought of it in that way. Do you believe euthanasia should be legal?"

"It's not a decision to be taken lightly." I say. "But... well, ultimately, if you're serious about it you're gonna do it. There should be ways to access it in a painless way that won't be so shocking to the family, with councillors available every step. Of course, only as a last resort, as well."

"I enjoy hearing other people's perspectives. Apologies for making the conversation so serious all of a sudden." he pauses. "This conversation has inspired me. If you don't mind, I shall return and write while the motivation to do so is here. Thank you for speaking to me, Miss Madeleine."

I smile as he returns to his cabin, and start walking home.

I pass by Marnie's ranch and spot Shane sat with Jas. There's a toy tea set out, and some teddies. His back is turned to me.

"Thank you, Miss Jas. Your hostess skills are truly impeccable, and I believe Mrs Bear agrees."

Jas giggles and points at me. Shane turns.

"Oh! Hi, Madeleine. Don't mind us. I'm just having a tea party."

"Looks good." I reply.

"Miss Madeleine, would you like to join us?" Jas asks.

"Yeah, sure." I smile and sit next to Shane. We exchange a glance and smile.

Jas pours me out some "tea", and I pretend to sip it.

"Thank you, Jas."

"It's a secret family recipe." Jas says.

I blink. "How can tea be a secret family recipe? It's just... teabags."

Shane nudges me gently. "Madeleine, she's 6." he whispers.

"But that's not very realistic."

"Just go with it."

"Mrs Bear loves tea the most, but Mr Bear likes coffee more." She picks up the two teddies. "Mr and Mrs Bear are dead because their car got smashed up. Now baby bear is alone."

I look at Shane. He looks at me.

"Okay, that's enough tea party game for today. Let's get this all tidied away."

Shane starts helping her tidy up.

"Can we play dolls next?" Jas asks.

"I think we should play a new game, called... um... spaceship!"

Shane grabs her and picks her up. Jas squeals and laughs as he rushes her around.

"Uncle Shane!" she laughs breathlessly. "Enough! Enough!"

He laughs and puts her down. "Okay, little alien. Run inside and help Auntie Marnie with dinner while I talk to Miss Madeleine."

She nods and skips inside. Shane turns to me.

"I'm sorry about that. She sometimes gets weird when she plays. We're trying to figure out why grandpa doll is stuffed under the bed and she never plays with it."

I glance inside at Jas. "She seems happy enough."

"Sure, she does now. But Im scared for her, Madeleine... I would hate for her to grow up anything like me because of her trauma. She sees this kid therapist but... I don't know. I just want to take away her pain. I'd hold it all for her if I could."

I nod. "I think you being present is the best thing you can do for her. If her parents have passed away... she needs a parental figure."

"I know. Being honest, she's my biggest motivation to keep going. I can't put her through anything else."

I nod. I take a breath and slowly take his hand, squeezing it gently. "Y0u're a good man, Shane."

He glances down at our hands and then at me in surprise. "Thank you, Madeleine."