I call ahead, but we make it just in time. When I enter the funeral home, they hand me the urn that contains my father's ashes. It's odd to think that such an imposing figure could fit in such a small space. Cat questions silently, the bemused expression I must be wearing.

"They are all set at the cemetery for you. Fr. Douglas will meet you there for a brief prayer service. Will there be anyone else attending?" the undertaker asks.

"No, just Cat and I."

"Okay then, you're all set."

I carry the marble urn back to the car and place it on the floor to buckle my seat belt. It feels disrespectful to ride with it tucked between my feet, so I pick it up again. I grip it firmly on my lap just in case Cat makes any sudden stops that would require her to slam on her breaks.

The thought gives me pause. I give the lid a tug and am happy to discover they seal it. Good, the last thing I want to do is vacuum my father up from between the seats. The bizarre thought made me want to laugh, but I hold back, knowing I wouldn't want to explain the outburst.

We reach Ever Spring Cemetery and I get all turned around, even though the undertaker has given me a map of where the interment is to happen. I call the cemetery office and they give me the plot number and directions so we are back on course.

A blue tent is over the spot where the priest is waiting patiently for us. Cat parks on the side of the road so other cars can pass and I walk with her holding onto my arm. Cat's wearing heels and it's been raining, so she sinks in the dirt with every step. Luckily though, she hasn't overturned her ankle.

The priest motions for where I should set the urn. He starts with a reading from the bible. Cat stands close to my side and holds my hand. I smile when I look down and see her engagement ring. It reminds me I'm still wearing my father's wedding band. Somehow this induces a daydream about Cat and I standing side by side to take our marriage vows, which was so much more palatable than paying attention to the burial ceremony.

I hear Cat say, "Amen." And I repeat it. A man, I had not noticed before, stands alongside the tent with a shovel in his hand. He must be responsible for the small deep hole they will place the urn into.

The headstone is already in position. I read my father's name etched in granite, birth and death dates listed. Then note he's already had added my mother's name. Her date of birth is written. Her date of death, to be determined. I almost wished I still had Aiden's ashes, so they could all be together, but thinking of how he felt about them, I guess my decision to have him placed in a columbarium, in his own little niche was best.

Cat invites Fr. Douglas to join us for lunch, but he declines as he has another funeral at noon. I hand him an envelope with a donation for his parish, which he gratefully accepts.

So it's all settled then. There is nothing left to do other than to leave this place and let the shovel man do his work, to bury my father once and for all time. I get into the car and I can feel Cat's eyes on me.

"Are you doing, okay?"

I shrug. "I guess. I'm relieved it's over," I tell her, though I know there are many more things I will need to figure out. For example: Will my mother ever return home? If she doesn't, what should I do with the house and everything inside of it? What am I to do with my father's company? I know it's his wish I take it over, but I hardly feel prepared for the responsibility. Yet, I'm about to become a father myself. The business would allow me to continue to provide for Cat and the baby, perhaps even our own children. Our children... the last thought brings a smile to my lips.

"What are you thinking about?" Cat asks, wearing a grin of her own.

"Us. Babies," I say, still smiling.

"The making part or the rearing part?" she questions.

"The family part," I tell her. "I'm so looking forward to the day Peanut is here and we start our lives as a true family."

"Well, we have time to figure all that out," Cat announces, noncommittal like, and I find her words odd.

"Of course." My brows draw together, and I look out the window.

"Don't give me that look, Alex. I'm just saying we have time before the baby is here. Before we need to wed, to figure stuff out. You already have several things you need to focus on, there's no rush is all."

"Yeah," I tell her and try to smile. Dillion warned me not to press, William said as much too. So, whatever the future holds in store, I have to let Cat set the pace.

"You want to stop somewhere for lunch?" she asks.

"You know I'd like to check in on my Mom and Tina at the hospital. Why don't you drop me off? Weren't you talking about meeting up with Olivia to go register for baby stuff?"

"Alex, you just buried your father. That can wait," Cat says, surprised by my suggestion.

"I know it can wait, but why should it? You've gotten me through all the rough stuff, Cat. There isn't a lot more I can do right now. Sure, there will be some big decisions to make later on down the line, but why not go and have some fun?"

"Because I'd rather stay with you," Cat tells me.

"Alright then. Drop me off at the hospital and I will meet you back at the apartment before dinner. Deal?"

Cat frowns at me.

"Look, you can't come with me to see my mom and I don't even know if Tina will be in or out if she has Physical Training. I'll make the visits quick and be back to you before you know it."

Cat gets a strange look on her face as if she has thought of something good, something secret, but she won't share. "Yeah, okay. Sounds good. You'll be able to get home alright?"

"I'm sure I can manage," I tell her, wondering what she is up to.

"Okay then to the hospital it is."

I'm relieved she good with it, but Cat's got me curious about what's going on in that beautiful mind of hers. She doesn't say another word though until she kisses me goodbye at the hospital and that's only to tell me she loves me and to give her love to Tina and my mom.

"Yeah, okay," I say, as I get out of the car.

"Text me when you're on your way home so I can make sure I have dinner ready."

I nod and shut the car door, waving as Cat drives away.

My first stop is to see my Mom, but I'm waylaid by the nurse until I can see her doctor. He tells me my mom didn't have a good night, and he didn't think visitors were a good idea right now.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Alex, it's to be expected. Your mother is under a lot of emotional stress, with losing your father, having to face that her son is also dead, knowing she may one day forget who you are. It's a lot for her to deal with, and that stress comes out in different ways. I just don't think right now she should accept visitors. Give it some time," he tells me.

"Time is the one thing none of us have." I sigh. "You don't believe she'll be coming home, do you?"

The doctor presses his lips together in a firm line, and he shakes his head no. 

My heart plummets, my poor mother. "What will happen to her?"

"Your mother will go to a continuing care retirement community. She'll have her own apartment and will live independently as long as she can, but as her care needs to change to a more supervised level of care, the place your father chose is equipped to handle that. Eventually, she'll have round-the-clock care, but we will try to assist her in being independent for as long as we can."

I nod. "Can I visit her there?"

"Of course, it's a retirement community. Not a prison," the doctor jokes, but I fail to see the humor. I feel so ill-prepared for all of this. He immediately sobers.

"I know this is hard for you, Alex. Your father has thought ahead for her care, but frankly, I'm concerned about yours."

"Mine?"

"One of my staff, that went with your mother, told me about what happened at the viewing."

"Oh? A momentary lapse. I've been under a lot of stress and..."

The doctor holds up his hand. "I'm a psychiatrist, Alex. You don't have to explain anything to me. I understand, but if you feel the need to talk..." He hands me his card.

"Yeah. Thanks," I say, placing it in my pocket. "I appreciate the care you're giving my mother. I should probably visit Tina."

"I'll have your mom call when she's in a better place."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks again," I say, holding out my hand and he shakes it.

I get to the wing where Tina is and I'm glad to find she's in her room. "Hey, you!"

Tina looks up from her bed and I can see she's been crying. I cross the room in a few quick strides. "What is it?"

She rubs at her face with the back of her hand. "Sorry," she starts with and then realizing who she's talking to, laughs and then cries all over again.

I sit by her side and pull her into a hug.

"Is he...?"

"I have taken care of everything," I tell her. "I have carried his instructions out to the letter. Once you can go, I promise to take you there."

"P.T. was a disaster today. I couldn't do a damn thing they wanted me to do, because I kept thinking of you, what you must be going through, and how much I wanted to be there."

I release her from the hug, so I can look her in the eye when I say, "Yes, I could have used your help."

"I knew it!" Tina declares. She is a fixer, but like most fixers, Tina is one step away from being broken herself, and then the question becomes who fixes the fixer. I smile at her.

"But I had Mom and Cat to see me through. Tina, I promise you'll get to say goodbye."

Her eyes fill to the brim and are about to spill over. "I can't get his face out of my mind, Alex. When I found him, he was in mid seizure. I did everything I could. I tried so hard, but nothing I did..." Tina broke down. Pulling her close, I hold on to her knowing all too well this feeling of uselessness that she feels.

"You did everything you could. There was nothing you could have done better to save him. It was his time, Tina. When your time is up, it's up. There is no renegotiating the contract."

Tina's face burrows into my shoulder, and I hear her sniff.

"You're not wiping snot on me, are you?"

Tina giggles. "Nooo!"

"Good, because although I've been wearing this suit for two days now, it's probably the most expensive piece of clothing I own."

"Two days, huh? I was wondering what that smell was?" She smirks up at me, but the smile looks so out of place with her tear-streaked cheeks.

"Hardy-har-har, look who's found her sense of humor?" I tease.

"You started it."

"Spoken like a true sister," I tell her, and Tina giggles again.

"We're a mess, aren't we?"

"Yep, but what family isn't? We'll get through this because we have to and because we have each other. Okay?"

Tina takes a deep breath in and out. "Okay. What's Cat up to?" she asks.

"Not sure. She dropped me off. I thought she might like an afternoon away from the drama."

"Nice of you, but I'm pretty sure she'd prefer to be by your side," Tina informs me.

"You might be right, but we'll be together soon enough."

"How's your mom?"

"Our mom?"

"Right? How's mom?"

"She was amazing at the viewing, Tina. You should have seen her. It was like I got a glimpse of her the way she was, the way I remember her being. She was so strong. I always thought my father was the one in control, but I'm realizing that's not true."

Tina shakes her head. "Your Dad would bend over backward to do whatever she asked. I don't know if I've ever seen two people more in love. It's great to be in love. That feeling when it's all new and sparkly and you just can't get enough of one another, but I got to see what real love looks like. When the shit hit the fan and everything fell apart, they were there for one another. Through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, they never gave up on each other, ever."

The picture Tina paints of my parents with her words was one I could definitely appreciate. I glance at my hand and pull my father's ring from my finger. I place it in Tina's palm, closing her fingers around it.

"You should have this."

Tina opens her palm to see the simple band of gold. She looks it over and smiles.

"What?"

"It has their wedding date engraved, see?" Tina holds it up to the light so I can make out the worn engraving, along with the words, "Always remember."

"You think Mom had that engraved in there so he wouldn't forget his anniversary?"

Tina laughed. "I wouldn't doubt it. He was terrible at remembering dates."

"He really was. One year he forgot my birthday. You'd think having twin sons would be a memorable event," I say with a chuckle.

"Yeah, and he only had one birthday to remember. How much easier could it get?"

"Right?" I say, grinning.

"Thank you," Tina says, and she places the ring on her middle finger since it was too large to fit her ring finger. "Thank you for everything."

"What do you mean?" I ask, thinking I've done very little where Tina is concerned.

She shrugs and looks shy. "For being so... accepting of me. I can't imagine what must have gone through your mind when you read that letter but you simply accepted me as your sister and that was that," she says almost as if she's surprised, or was expecting a rejection.

"Tina. I just lost my entire family in one fell swoop. I know it's been over the course of a few years, but after losing my brother, I had no contact with my mother or father. So for me, this feels like..."

"Your parents died in a car crash."

Tina says it so nonchalantly. I knew this is how she lost her parents. So sudden, so permanent, but I knew this was her way of saying she understood. "Yeah, something like that."

"I think your Dad knew we needed each other," Tina says, with a sad smile.

"I think you give him way too much credit, but... it helps to know I'm talking to someone who truly understands... those feelings."

"It helps me too. I think you're going to make a pretty decent little brother."

"How little are we talking here?" I ask, realizing I have no idea how old Tina is.

"Not sure," she tells me. "When were you born?"

"22 years ago."

"Huh," Tina says, "What month?"

"October."

"Really? Day?"

Now she really has me wondering where she is going with this.

"The 12th,"

"When on the 12th?"

"4:53 pm, why?"

"Shit!" she says and frowns.

"What?" I demand to know.

"4:56 pm."

It takes a moment to realize what she's saying. Laughter bursts from me. "You're joking, right?"

Tina shakes her head no.

"Damn, we could have been twins," I tell her.

"True," she admits, but then the next realization hits.

"Wait? Did you say 4:56 pm?" I ask, grinning.

Tina looks sullen and nods her head.

"Then that makes you..."

"Your little sister. Go ahead, rub it in," Tina tells me.

"I always wanted a baby sister," I inform her.

"Really?"

"No, but you've completely changed my mind on the subject."

Now it was Tina's turn to laugh, and she hit me with her pillow.

"See. I'm obviously the more mature one," I taunt.

Tina only proves my point even further when she sticks her tongue out at me.