He watched the doctors mouth open but he paid no attention. Vicky glanced through the window, feeling every muscle tense even more in his body. He saw a nurse slowly lift the blanket over the cold lifeless body. Before the nurse covered the face of the man he had knew for the last few years, Vicky turned away. He couldn't bring himself to see that- the finality of his life which he deserved to live. A life which had been robbed from him- leaving three young children who waited eagerly for his return from work.

The doctor put a hand on his shoulder and Vicky glanced back at him, forgetting that he was there. "I'm sorry for your loss," was all the doctor said before he shuffled away.

He was in a trance now. He turned on his heels, trying to forget the image of his friend who lay helplessly on the bed as the doctors and nurses screamed over his dying body. Vicky shook his head as he peered into the relatives room. His eyes burnt with tears and he looked up, repeatedly blinking to stop them. When that had failed him, he brushed the tears away with the sleeve of his sweater.

With a sigh, his hand reached out and gripped onto the cold metal handle. Slowly, he pushed it down and took the first step into the room. He automatically felt an ache in his heart, a dull pain in his chest. His eyes scanned over the broken kids toys that lay in a pile in the corner of the room. The wallpaper at the top was starting to peel off now, showing the bare grey wall beneath it. The water machine in the other corner had a paper stuck on it.

NOT IN USE, read big bold letters. He could tell if had been there for time because a thick layer of dust had settled over it.

He finally let his eyes settle on the three sleeping children. His mother sat down beside one of them, stroking their hair. She finally noticed his presence and stood with a start, causing the children to jump in fright. Vicky shook his head at his mum, biting back the tears that were threatening to spill. He watched as she brought a hand to her open mouth, already tears flowing down her face.

Vicky stepped forward, walking towards the oldest child. "Katy..." he whispered to the ten year old. She was still rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. He glanced over at Leah who was now wide awake and moving to the seat beside her older sister. Thomas, the little boy, was mumbling to himself in his baby seat, occasionally managing to hit the rattle hanging above him if he stretched enough.

Vicky placed his cold hands on top of the girls and joined them all together. "Girls..."

"Where's Mummy, Daddy?" Vicky closed his eyes. He inhaled sharply and blinked back the tears again.

Calling him daddy was always something that they did and something Liam and Jess loved. Vicky had always been there for the children and for his friends so it was only a matter of time before he was fully included in the family. It was Liam and Jess in fact who joked about the children calling his dad and soon his partner mum.

"Girls, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?" They both nodded their heads. Vicky sighed again. "Mummy and Daddy...they love you all very, very much and they will always love you. Sometimes people that we love have to go away for a very long time, okay?" He felt the lump in his rise up and found it hard to breathe. "Your Mummy and Daddy are together now okay? They are happy and they are not hurt anymore. Remember that they will always be here for you and will always live in our hearts forever."

He eyes scanned over each girl to find their lips trembling. They understood what was going on. That only made it harder for him. "Are they dead?" Katy whispered.

Not trusting his voice, he bit his lip and slowly nodded his head. "Yeah baby, they are," he whispered. Katy broke out into a sob, soon followed by Leah. "It's okay, girls, it's okay," he repeatedly whispered as he held them both to his chest. He softly patted over their hair as his tears ran down his cheeks. "We'll get through this together."

After a few minutes, Vicky pulled away from the girls, wiping each of their faces dry. He forced a smile towards them as he stood on his feet. "Come on girls, let's get your things together. We're going home."

"Are we gonna live with you now?"

He looked down at them and smiled softly. "I'm not going to let anyone take my little girls away from me. Of course you're gonna come and live with me."