It was well past midnight, and Lin and Vanessa were trying to make themselves as comfortable as they could in the hospital chairs. Alexis's surgery was set to end in the near future, and Emma's would probably go on a couple more hours. Periodically, a nurse would come out to update them. The situation all seemed so surreal. Just a few hours ago, they were relatively carefree, looking forward to an evening with friends. Now a huge weight had been put on their shoulders; one they never could have prepared for.

Throughout the evening, Lin and Vanessa would both vocalize some random thought or realization about the coming hours and days. First, minor things like they would need to set up the guest bedroom to accommodate the girls. They would need to make a trip up to the Parkers' house to get the girls some of their clothes. Then larger things like how they'd probably have to move if they were going to have 4 children. How would they handle the girls' education? Where would they go? Did Phil and Melissa have life insurance?

Vanessa's head currently rested on her husband's shoulder, but she couldn't drift off to sleep. "Emma's gonna be devastated about her leg," she commented, her voice croaky with exhaustion.

Lin nodded, knowing how much she loved her ballet. With a broken leg and a dislocated knee, it would be weeks or maybe months she'd have to go without dancing. She'd probably have to go through physical therapy to get her strength back.

"Knowing her, it will be good to have a goal to focus on," he said. "If they tell her two months, she'll want to do it in one."

"How are they going to handle all this change, Lin?" she wondered, "They can't keep going to their current schools. It would be over an hour's drive both ways. They're gonna have to transfer somewhere in the city."

"We'll figure it out," Lin kissed his wife on the head. "We just need to take things one step at a time. First, they're gonna just need help processing what has happened. Their parents are dead. That's a pretty massive realization to deal with."

Just then, a nurse walked over the couple. "Mr. and Mrs. Miranda?" They both sat up, anxious to hear any updates. "Alexis is out of surgery now. They're going to transfer her back to her room."

"How'd everything go?" Vanessa asked.

"She did great," the nurse smiled. "The doctor will be in afterwards to talk with you more."

They both took the opportunity to get up and stretch and use the restroom. As they waited, they paced the floor. There had been so much waiting and wondering this evening.

Soon, a hospital bed appeared with a sleeping Alexis. Her arm now had a purple cast. Lin randomly thought that she'd hate it. She never wore girly colors. The staff must have assumed that as an 11 year old girl, she'd love purple.

"She did wonderfully," another nurses commented as she turned the bed to take Alexis back to her room. "The doctor was very happy with the procedure and she should heal up just fine."

"Great," Lin commented as they followed her in. The nurse adjusted the side of her bed so she wasn't boxed in. The metal made a bit of a loud clang, causing Alexis to stir.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she immediately looked confused. Her last memory was probably of crashing, and now she was in a strange room with a strange person standing over her bed.

Seeing her stirring, Lin walked up to the bed. "Hi, Alexis," he began gently. "It's Uncle Lin. Aunt V is here too."

She knitted her eyebrows, trying to process the situation. "I know you're probably woozy and confused right now. You've been through a lot tonight."

"When can I go home?" She asked, making their hearts drop. It was hard to know what to cover and what to hold back. As she was recovering from surgery, she didn't need the extra stress.

"We're not sure yet, sweetie," Vanessa jumped in. "Right now we need to focus on getting you better and making sure you're not in any pain. How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," she grumbled, shifting in her bed a little bit.

"That's understandable," Vanessa told her, tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear. "You're gonna feel a bit under the weather for a few days."

Alexis noticed a weight on her arm and lifted it up to see the cause. She frowned at what she saw. "Purple?"

Lin and Vanessa chuckled a little.

"Wait'll mom sees this," she commented.

Lin and Vanessa looked at each other, concerned. How would they tell an 11 and 16 year old their parents were dead?

_____

At 2 a.m., both Lin and Vanessa had managed to nod off a bit as they waited on Emma to finish in surgery. They'd both e-mailed their bosses or appointments to let them know they wouldn't be in. The next few days ahead would be hard, and they would need to devote a lot of time to Emma and Alexis.

Finally, Emma was done and was wheeled back with a cast on her leg. Her bed was fitted with a contraption that elevated her leg slightly as it healed. They knew this would not make her happy.

Emma was pretty well out of it, doped up on pain meds and slowly making her way out of the cloud of anesthesia. The doctors urged Lin and Vanessa to head home for the night; the girls wouldn't be awake anytime soon.

Both agreed it wouldn't do anyone any good to hang out at the hospital all night trying to sleep in uncomfortable chairs. It was best if they got a few hours sleep in their own bed.

Lin's parents were asleep in bed when they returned and both boys were out. Exhausted, Lin and Vanessa kicked off their shoes and dragged themselves into bed for a fitful sleep.

______

The morning came quickly. Both Lin and Vanessa were awoken by Francisco's cries. Lin was exhausted, but decided it was best to let Vanessa sleep a little bit more. He wearily got out of bed and went to the nursery, where Francisco was making his unhappiness known.

"Good morning, little man," he said, his voice croaky. Despite the devastating circumstances, the sight of his son lit up his day. Even if he was bawling his eyes out. Lin scooped the tiny baby out of his crib and immediately took him to the changing table. "You've gotta go easy on us today, bud."

After he'd been changed he carried his son towards the kitchen to fix him a bottle. Vanessa pumped milk and they kept a supply in the fridge. Already an expert at juggling a kid and another task, he began to heat it up while holding and talking to his youngest son.

Soon, everyone was up. With four adults to two kids, it made the morning routine a bit easier to deal with. As they tended to Sebastian and Francisco, Lin tried to update his parents on the situation.

"Horrible," Lin's mother Luz shook her head, her Puerto Rican accent still heavy after many years in the United States. "I can't imagine losing your parents at such a young age."

"It's going to be a shock," Vanessa agreed as they all stood around the kitchen counter sipping coffee.

"But they don't know yet?" Luis clarified.

Lin sighed out at the reminder of the horrible task they had. "No. I have no idea how to tell them. What do I say?"

"I think you just need to be truthful and forthcoming. They're gonna have questions and they deserve to have them answered," Luz said.

"How long will they be in the hospital?" Luis asked.

"Probably a couple more days," Vanessa said, looking at her husband to see if he agreed at her estimate. "Then I guess they'll be coming back with us."

Sebastian ran up to his grandfather with a train from his train set. "Abuelo, come play!" he tugged on Luis's hand.

Lin sighed, "I better get going," he said to his parents. "V and I agreed to take shifts at the hospital so one of us can be home with the boys. I know you have plans today."

Luz put her hand on her son's shoulder. "You call us if you need us," she told him.

_____

Soon, Lin was back at the hospital. The girls were in and out of sleep, he was told. Lin decided to take a seat in the room with his laptop to get some work done. They'd have to make funeral arrangements for the Parkers and get in touch with a lawyer.

Emma was the first to come to about an hour later. As soon as he saw her sitting up, Lin set down his laptop and rushed over.

"Hey, Em," he greeted her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a car," she commented. Lin nodded in understanding.

"Do you need more pain meds?" he asked her. "The nurse said you just need to push on this button and you'll get some through your IV."

Emma pushed the button close to 10 times. "You can only get two doses at a time," he told her, and she looked disappointed. "Try again in half an hour."

The nurse walked in with a tray of food. "Hi, Emma. I'm your nurse for this shift. My name is Amy. I brought you a bit of a light food," she said as she swiveled the table over Emma's bed and set the tray down. It was a bowl of soup and some crackers.

"No, thanks," she said, not feeling at all hungry. She pushed the swivel table away and wiped the sleep away from her eyes.

"It's good if you try to eat a little bit," Amy told her as she moved around the room. "Your body needs it to recover."

"Thanks, Amy," Lin told her. "We'll see if she's ready in a few minutes."

Emma let out a big sigh. "Uncle Lin, how long am I gonna be in here?"

Lin cleared his throat. "The doctors want to monitor you for a couple more days." Emma let her head drop against the pillow in frustration. "You've been through an accident and major surgery, Em. It's going to take some time."

"I know," she agreed reluctantly. "Then what? Do I get to go home?"

Lin treaded lightly. "Well, you're actually gonna come stay with V and I," he told her.

"Why? Won't my parents be getting out soon as well?" she asked. "How bad were they hurt?"

Lin's heart dropped, and he couldn't meet Emma's eyes.

Emma studied Lin's face, trying to figure out what he wasn't answering.

"Uncle Lin?" she asked, trying to get him to continue.

"Uhh," he began, running his hand through his hair nervously. "Emma, I don't really know how to say this, but..."

Emma felt sick. "But what?"

Lin looked at Emma in the eyes, remembering what V had said about being honest and forthcoming with them. They were going to find out eventually. They deserved to be told the truth by someone they trusted.

"They didn't make it, sweetheart," it took everything in him to spit out the words. "Their injuries were just too severe. I'm so sorry."

Emma didn't say anything, stunned. Her mind raced, trying to process what her Uncle Lin had just told her. "W-what?"

"They've both passed away," he told her, taking her hand in his.

"B-but how?!" she started to become irate. "Lexi and I just broke some bones. How could they be dead? It was a survivable crash! They were wearing their seatbelts!"

"Baby, try to take some deep breaths," he told her and she started breathing quickly.

"I don't want to take deep breaths!" she snapped at him. "I want my mom and dad!"

Emma started to hyperventilate from the crushing news, and she was starting to scare Lin.

"Nurse!" he called, and Amy almost immediately appeared in the room. As she came close by he lowered his voice. "She's having trouble breathing. I just told her about her parents."

"Okay, Emma," she said reassuringly, "It's okay now." She began to lower the bed down to flat and then found a bottle of medicine in a locked cabinet nearby. "I'm gonna give you a little something to calm down."

Lin stroked Emma's arm, wishing he could take away her pain. A few seconds later, Emma's breathing was starting to slow down and her eyes started to droop.

"I gave her a sedative," she told Lin. "It will probably knock her out for an hour or so."

"Thanks," he said, feeling guilty that it had happened. Did he not find the right words? He was a playwright for crying out loud; he should've known the exact right words to say.

As the nurse exited, Lin took a step back and stood between the two girls' beds. He glanced over at Alexis, still asleep, and then back at Emma. It was so calm and peaceful at the moment. He wished their lives could somehow stay in a dream state; that they could be without having the crushing weight of their parents' deaths on their minds.

Lin didn't know how, but he was going to have to help guide these two kids through the hardest thing any of them had ever gone through.