♪♪I lived a million miles of memories on that road

With every step I take, I know that I'm not alone

You take the home from the boy

But not the boy from his home. ♪♪

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ [Who says you can't go home] - [Bon Jov]

══════ ✿❁︾❁✿ ══════

 "Vera!" A frantic, gruff voice pushed through the sounds of hurried footsteps coming in their direction.

Kian pushed forward just as Vera slumped and the other voice reached the doorway, catching her before she could hit the floor.

"Što se ovdje događa?!" The older man at the door holding onto a walking stick asked. His coca brown, jewel-like eyes shifted from Kian holding his wife and stopped short at the sight of Esmé by his side, his mouth falling open. (What is going on here?!)

Esmé looked up at her father, but before any of them could make any statement, Kian spoke.

"She's breathing, but I need to move her in right now."

Vinko turned to Kian and then turned to Vera in his arms. His eyebrows squished together, and he looked around, opening his mouth and then closing it right back, shaking his head. He tousled his left hand in his raven black and grey hair, an action that could almost make Esmé burst into tears whilst laughing herself silly that he still did that, but for the circumstances, they were in.

She had no intention of making him any more confused than he already was. Esmé turned to Kian and then back at her father.

"On je doktor, zna što mu je činiti," she said. (He's a doctor, he knows what to do)

Vinko shared one last confused look before he turned to Kian. "This way, please."

Vinko led the way into the house and a room. Esmé sighed and picked a whining Archie up from the floor, following suit into the house.

The enormous living room welcomed them in. With no mind to pay any attention to the changes or familiarity of the living room, she rushed forward to the room Vinko had directed Kian to. She hovered by the door, watching Kian place Vera on the bed and Vinko standing by the side.

His eyes stared every other minute from his wife to Esmé, checking every minute that he wasn't wrong.

Kian looked up from Vera after checking and making sure all her vitals were sharp. Seeing the distance between the two, knowing that they wanted more than anything to close it up, he nudged his head to Esmé and mouthed, "Get him out of here. I'll take care of the rest."

Esmé sucked in a breath and walked over to Vinko, who now focused his gaze entirely on her. He held his breath, which each step she took until she got to him.

"Tata? Jas am. Ivana," she said at the cautioned gaze he gave her. One she remembered so well that he had any time he either didn't believe something or he was unsure about something. (Dad? It's me.)

He shook his head, looking away from her to Vera on the bed, then back at her. His eyes watered as he opened his mouth and closed it back. "I- Iv- Ivana?"

She nodded her head repeatedly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"A- ali Kako? M- mtrav si..." (But how? You're dead.)

Esmé shook her head continuously. "Ja nisam. živ sam." (I'm not, I'm alive.)

Vinko lifted his hands so slowly to her cheeks. The feeling of warmth against his hands made him release a loud breath, letting the tears that had pooled up in his own eyes fall down. "Ivana," he croaked before pulling her into a hug.

The warmth from the hug tugged Esmé's heart as she sobbed into the hug. The whole-hearted feeling she had missed so much, the one only her father could provide no matter with the longing she felt when the other parents hugged her. That right there was what she was missing.

Vinko pulled out of the hug, grabbing a hold of Esmé's face to inspect it all over again. "Ivana?"

"Ja sam." (It's me.)

He pulled her into a hug again, questions still very clear in his eyes, but he didn't voice, as at that moment all that mattered was that she was in his arms.

A groan stole their attention from each other to the bed where Vera lay.

"Vinko?" she called out as Kian moved towards her instantly.

"Karkor see osjerćater, gospođjo?" Kian asked, picking his words one after the other. He was sure he would have heard a snicker from someone if they were in the right atmosphere. (How do you feel, madam?)

"Eh?" she groaned further as she tried to sit up. Esmé and Vinko hurried to her side. Vinko moved to the side where Kina stood.

"Vinko? Zašto imaš naglasak?" she asked, finally opening her squinted eyes, forming an extra crease on her forehead. (Why do you have an accent?)

Vinko snorted and nodded to Kian, mouthing a thank you before taking his place by Vera's side. He settled on the bed and helped her as she tried to sit up.

"How are you feeling, Vee?" Vinko asked, switching to English for Kian.

If she found his switch strange, she didn't say. Instead, Vera grabbed onto Vinko's arms, her eyes widened in alert. "Posjetila je kuću u mom snu, Vinko. Sad ne znam zašto, ali vidio sam je. Bila je na vratima." (She visited home in my dreams, Vinko. I don't know why now but I saw her. She was at the door.)

Vinko shut his eyes for a second and then looked to Ivana on the other side of Vera. "To nije bio san, ljubavi moja." (It wasn't a dream, my love.)

Vera turned in the direction he was looking and gasped.

Esmé sank onto the bed by her mother. "Mama."

With wide unbelieving eyes, Vera turned back to Vinko who nodded at her then to Esmé. "Ivana? Kako?" (How?)

"I em..."

But she didn't finish her statement as Vera placed her hand on Esmé's cheeks. She turned to Vinko once more. "Ona je stvarna." (She's real.)

Vinko nodded his head, his eyes locked onto Esmé as if trying to confirm the statement himself. "She is real," he muttered.

Vera pulled out of the hug and shook her head. "Želim ti vjerovati, dušo. Jesam, ali rekli su da jesi... bilo je u vijestima." (I want to believe you, honey. I do, but they said you were... it was on the news.)

Esmé sighed and looked to Kian, which drew her parents' attention away from her to him.

Vinko swore underneath his breath and instantly stood up from the bed. "My goodness, I sincerely apologize for our negligence. I totally forgot about..."

Kian smiled in response. "That's all right, sir. I understand how you must feel, sir."

"Yes, Dr..."

"Dr Kian Lincoln."

"Dr Lincoln," Vera drawled, nudging her head sideways, trying to place the name.

"From Woodthorpe Hospital in Nottingham, United Kingdom, ma."

"Woodthorpe Hospital! Yes, yes. Dr Lincoln. We met when..." she paused and turned back to Esmé. "When they said she was dead and my husband had a stroke and my first daughter..."

"Yes, ma, we did," Kian said right before Vera could continue talking.

Esmé turned to him with a scrunched up brow, seeing through the interruption. But before she could talk, Vinko stepped in.

"I'm assuming this means you know best what is going on here, Dr Lincoln. Why do I have my supposed dead daughter sitting on my bed?"

Kian nodded. "Yes, they brought Ivana into the same hospital you came into not long after they confirmed her dead on the news, but that was because they thought she was a totally different accident victim."

"What?!"

"She crawled out of the car, something the investigation didn't consider." Kian further explained.

Vera broke down into a sob of regret. "Kad bismo samo gurali dalje." (If we had just pushed further.)

Esmé pulled her mother into a hug letting her cry.

"But it's been five years, why now?"

This time Esmé took hold of the story. "I was in a coma for the majority of the 5 years."

"You just woke up?!"

"No, I..."

"What do you mean no?"

"Vee," Vinko groaned shaking his head. "Pusti je da priča, molim te." (Let her talk please.)

"So sorry, honey. Please go on."

"When I woke up from the coma I was in, I didn't remember who I was at all. But I just remembered and so Kian," she paused and looked up at him with a small smile. "Who I've been staying with brought me home."

"Oh, dear." Vera sobbed and stretched her hand forward towards Kian. He grabbed her hand and she shoo it repeatedly. "Thank you, Dr Lincoln. Thank you so much."

Vinko tapped him on his shoulder with appreciation too and Esmé smiled at the scene before her.

"Mama? Tata?" A soft melodic voice echoed through the room cutting through the moment. (Mom? Dad?)

Vinko turned to Vera and Esmé, whose heart leapt at the sound of her sister's voice.

Her sister had been the person her heart tore at thinking about. She wanted to meet her but she knew that things would have hit her so much more in the family. But the light tone of Zora's voice helped calm her racing heart a bit.

"Help me up, Dr Lincoln," Vera said while Esmé stood from the bed taking in deep breaths.

They all headed outside, Vinko leading the gang with Vera by the side with support from Kian.

"Zora," Vinko called out to her once they stepped outside the room into the living room.

Zora stepped to where they were with a sneer on her lips. Her blonde wavy hair bounced about as she walked towards them with her husband right by her side, shaking his oblong head at his wife's tactics. His chocolate latte hair was stuck in place with gel.

"Gdje ste bili dečki. Toliko sam vam puta rekao da držite vrata zatvorena, da nije sigurno ostaviti ih otvorena..." Her words choked up in her throat when her eyes landed on Esmé. She turned away from them instantly into the arms of her husband sobbing. (Where were you guys? I've told you so many times to keep the doors closed, it's not safe to leave them open...)

"Bilo mi je mnogo bolje, Vlad, obećavam. Prestao sam viđati Ivanu, stvarno jesam. Zaista više nema krivnje u meni pa molim te, molim te da mi kažeš da vidiš ono što ja vidim." Her muffled sobs increased with each word. "Ne želim se vratiti tamo." (I've been doing so much better, Vlad, I promise. I've stopped seeing Ivana, I really have. There's really no more guilt in me anymore so please, I beg you tell me you're seeing what I'm seeing; I don't want to go back there.)

Esmé felt blades of different sizes and strengths slash through her heart at a fast continuous pace. She moved to step forward but Kian held onto her hand, shaking his head.

From what Zora said, nothing she could say at that moment could ease her sister's worry. Not if she's been seeing her alone before.

Vlad shook his head at her, the tears in his own eyes pouring down. "Vidim je i ja, Zora." He patted her head and pulled her back carefully to look at him. "Vjerujem ti dušo. Ona je upravo ovdje." (I see her too, Zora. I believe you honey. She's right here.)

Her voice croaked as everyone watched her silently. "O- ona je prava?" (S-she's real?)

He nodded. "Vrlo stvarno." (Very real.)

Zora spun instantly back to the family with wide eyes. "Ivana? Mama?"

Vera took a cautioned step forward and took hold of Esmé's hands. "Vidjeti? držim je za ruke. Ona je vrlo stvarna, dušo. ti si dobro." (See? I'm holding her hands. She's very real, sweetie. You're all right.)

Esmé nodded but made no move to step forward still frozen in place as Zora stared at her, hesitantly.

"Mama?" A young male voice called out from behind Zora dragging unto her cloth.

Zora froze her breath in her chest as she awaited his next statement.

"Zašto plačeš, mama?" (Why are you crying, mama?)

Her sobs broke out in relief as tears 'poured' out.

"Mama? Look at Aunty Ivana who went on a long trip!" he said pointing to Esmé.

That was all it took for Zora to fully break down and close up the distance between her and Esmé. She crashed into her who pulled her into a hug as they sobbed into each other.

A tiny son broke into their moment. "Mama plače. Tata, mama place." He tightened his fist and kept hitting against Esmé's legs. "Rasplačeš mamu. Mrzim te!" (Mama is crying. Tata, mama is crying; You is making mama cry. I hate you!)

"Ivan!" Came all the other older voices instantly but Esmé chuckled out of the hug and lowered into his height. Hearing the male version of her name tugged at her heart.

"Žao mi je, Ivan," she says cleaning up his tears. "Neću opet rasplakati tvoju mamu, u redu?" (I'm so sorry, Ivan; I won't make your mummy cry again, okay?)

Ivan looked up at Zora pouring his lips. Zora instantly cleaned her tears. "Vidjeti? Opet ne plačem." (See? I'm not crying again.)

He looked back at Esmé and held out his pinky finger. "Pwomise?"

"Promise." She said smiling and he mirrored the smile opening his mouth to his little milky teeth.

Esmé chuckled at him and ruffled his eyes. He wiped away the remnant tears in her eyes making her smile even more.

"Dobar dečko." (Good boy.)

"Da." He nods still with a grin. "Imam tri godine i jako sam dobar dječak!" (Yes; I'm three and a very good boy.)

Esmé's smile cracked as she tilted her head to the side. "Imate troje?" (You're three?)

"Da." He said nodding his head.

Esmé felt the stilled room right before she looked up. The wary look on everyone's face told her there was something wrong somewhere.

She turned back to Ivan with a tilt of her head. Her voice shook as the words came out of her mouth. "Gdje ti je sestra?" (Where's your sister?)

"Sestra? Bez sestre. Samo ja, mama i Tata." (Sister? No sister. Just me, mama and Tata?)

Esmé faltered backwards onto the floor and Kian rushed to her, keeping her from falling down flat. Her frantic eyes turned from Ivan to Zora. "W- where is Morana?"

A new set of tears made its way to Zora's eyes. Vladimir stepped forward and took hold of his wife as she sobbed repeatedly.

"Ivan, dođi i igrati se s djedom." Vinko called out to Ivan instantly holding out his hand to him. Ivan hesitated before he placed his hands in Vinko's hands already mouthing up games they should play. (Come and play with grandpa now.)

There was silence in the room apart from the little sobs from Zora and Esmé's frantic beating hearts.

She shook her head continuously as Zora looked up at her with her tear-stained eyes. "No."

"W- we lost her, Ivana. We lost her."

══════ ✿❁︾❁✿ ══════

😭😭🤧

Oh crap. There are just so many tears and snot and tears and... Okay, I'm sure you get the picture of that. 😊

We're meeting the family one after the other guys and we get to see just how it all affected them too. It's not pretty at all but all that matters, in the end, is that she's back home, right?

I really hope this chapter in itself wasn't too confusing with the Croatian words. Let me know if you think I should hold back down on those.

What do you think about the chapter?! There's more to that family reunion in the next chapter. Stay tuned guys!

We're down to three more chapters! 😱 I know!

Till next time!💕