Susan felt her husband fall asleep in her arms. It was Thursday evening, almost the end of the work week, with only one more day of meetings and work ahead for her before her extended trip to the Bay Area for work ended and her vacation began. Normally, she would have done the last meeting of the week from home via telephone. She would have flown home on Wednesday or Thursday evening to be with her family, but instead they were all here. Greg and the girls were sleeping in the motel room with her. The boys would be arriving late tomorrow, but in the meantime Susan reflected on the change she'd seen come over her husband that very evening.

Finally, after nearly three years since their arrival home, Greg was starting to put their journey behind him ... and in the process he was beginning to deal with some of the things he'd ignored since the crash. They both bore scars as a result of their journey. Hers were on the outside, evident by the slight flattening at the back of her head. His were on the inside, dealing with loss so profound he'd buried it deep inside. Susan knew her husband was hurting, and so she prayed as she held him in bed.

Susan fell asleep with a prayer for healing on her lips.

c

Greg was awake early the next morning. He found he couldn't sleep. And so he was up, dressed and watching Susan sleep from the one padded arm chair in their motel room. He heard the slight buzz that came from her travel alarm just before it went off and saw her hand fly automatically from beneath the covers to turn it off. He waited until she saw him sitting there, then he smiled.

"Oh ... you're up. Good morning," Susan said as she rolled in his direction before pulling herself from the bed.

"Good morning," Greg said.

Susan yawned, sliding her feet into slippers and pulling on her robe before coming around the foot of the bed to sit closer to where he sat in the chair.

"How long have you been awake?" Susan asked.

"A while," Greg admitted.

"You couldn't sleep," Susan realized.

"No. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't. I only wish I could help," Susan told him, her hand outstretched.

"The loss of a parent is never easy. Even though Mama died more than six years ago, you are right. I never allowed myself to grieve. I should have ... long ago," Greg said sincerely.

Susan smiled a sad smile. "Is it possible, even now after all these years, that we are still operating in survival mode," she commented.

"That is no excuse," Greg said.

"But it is. The limbic system shuts down in response to injury or under conditions of extreme stress. You and I were living like that for literally years. We had no more room for emotions aside from those keeping us alive," Susan reminded him.

"Except that I was never injured, Susan. You were, however apart from the occasional cuts and bruises I endured during our journey, I came through our ordeal healthy, whole, and generally speaking in better physical shape than I was before Madeline and I left for Australia," Greg said.

But Susan shook her head. "You may not have been injured, but because I was, you bore the brunt of the physical labor during those years. And before you say it, I know I helped, but for the first six months or so, I wasn't really able to do all that much. You did most of the work that enabled us to leave our island and ultimately survive. Then it was you who took up fishing to feed us, who did manual labor to help us pay our bills. All of that was very stressful. I know it was ... and in some ways still is."

"How do you mean?" Greg asked warily.

"You started writing the script for our movie while we were in Australia. You've put all your professional and personal energies into doing what you needed to do in order to write it and get it sold; then to make the movie so our story could be told. You have been trying to wring the last bit of value possible from all we went through. As of last Friday ... one week ago today, that task is done," Susan told him.

Greg said nothing. He simply looked at her.

"It is, isn't it?" she asked, wondering if there was something she didn't know.

"There is still work to be done to promote it, however you are correct. The movie is finished," Greg said.

Susan arched her brow. "It is possible you are still feeling stressed because you are worried about how it will do?"

"Yes and no. Selling the script, being hired to produce the movie, delivering the end product as we did last week ... those things fulfilled my portion of the contract. As of today, the last business day of the month, the balance for what they owe me for my work as the film's producer will be paid into our personal account. I will have been paid in full for services rendered, with any further proceeds coming from profits made at the box office being paid into my estate account," Greg explained.

"So what does that mean?" Susan asked.

"My contract with the studio was for a multimillion dollar deal. The proceeds from that alone have restored my accounts to more than 50% of what they were before the crash. Because our home is considerably less expensive and our lifestyle modest by comparison to the way I lived before, a month from now our debt will be half of what it has been. We will also have enough to ensure we can continue to live comfortably in the home we built for the rest of our lives. Survival is no longer a problem," Greg said.

"And you believe that," Susan said.

"Yes," Greg said.

"And you're not overly worried about the box office part of that equation?" Susan asked.

"Yes and no, as I've said. I would of course like it if the film is well received when it is released. I don't expect it to be a box office hit, however I do expect it will garner some attention from the media and my fans due to what it is about," Greg said. "But financially speaking, that is icing on the cake, Susan. Our financial survival has been secured. My professional survival is assured, and we are now in better shape in all ways than you and I have ever been before."

Susan arched her brow. "Then maybe that is why this is hitting you as hard as it is now. You've let your guard down, just a little bit. You've started to relax, and now that we've begun talking about visiting New York, the memory of your mother is coming back."

"Yes," Greg told her. "I'm sure that is the reason, prompted in part by Jessie's questions."

Susan smiled a supportive smile. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I will be. But aren't you supposed to be somewhere today?" Greg asked.

"Yes. I'm going," Susan assured him as she began to gather her clothes, taking them with her into the bathroom.

"Are you going to be late?" Greg wondered as he followed her into the tiny room.

"Maybe ... I'm not sure," Susan admitted, and she stripped down with him standing there before stepping into the shower.

Greg left his wife to bathe, returning to his chair, sitting in the dark as he listened to the water run and watched his daughters sleep. A short time later, the shower went off, and the blow dryer went on. Susan called the front office to ask for a taxi while she was still putting on her shoes. She finished her makeup and looked ready to go as she headed for the door.

"Aren't you going to eat first?" Greg asked. He assumed they'd be eating breakfast together as they had every other morning since they began staying there.

"Not today, there's no time. I'll get something in the café at the office," Susan said. "Have a good day, Greg. I'll see you this evening."

She kissed him on the cheek as the cab pulled up outside, and he watched her sprint across the parking lot carrying her computer, in a hurry to leave.

Greg sighed as he watched the yellow taxi pull away. Perhaps Susan was right. Perhaps he had been operating in survival mode all this time. A lot had happened to them since arriving home. There was a lot he'd been putting on hold, diverting things that needed his attention until such time when their fortunes were secure, his project was done, and the task the Lord set for them of telling their story publically was complete. Well ... as of today, their fortunes were secure. He could verify that with the bank, he supposed ... or check with his accountant to ensure things were going according to plan. And as he'd just told Susan, the movie was done. There might be more work to do on it to get it ready for later release to in-home media later in the year, but that would be relatively minor compared to the work they'd already done. As for telling their story ... that was coming. All that was required of him now was to wait. That felt frustrating in a way, after working so hard for so long, trying to do the work given to him by the Lord. But perhaps there was some blessing to be found in the delay, and Greg found himself thinking of that as the girls awoke and they began their day.

c

Susan was at the terminal at the San Francisco Airport waiting for her sons when they arrived in baggage claim on Friday evening.

"Hi Mom," Zack said when he saw her, slightly before Matthew did.

"Hi. Welcome back to California," Susan said and she hugged them both.

"Thanks. I didn't know you were coming to meet us," Matt told her.

"Oh? How did you think you were going to get to us without somebody meeting you?" Susan asked.

"I thought we were going to take the train," Matt said.

"We are. Greg has the car. I came by here after leaving the office today. I've been commuting from Menlo Park by train, so I thought we could ride together this way," Susan explained.

Matt grinned. "Thanks," he said. "Watch my backpack?" he requested as the baggage carousel began to turn.

"Sure," Susan told him.

A few minutes later both her sons retrieved their larger bags and they made their way from baggage claim together, headed for the BART station at the airport.

"So where are we going?" Zack asked when they boarded a BART train headed south. "Aren't we staying in Oakland over the weekend?"

"Not this time," Susan told him. "We've been visiting with Mr. Simms nearly every day, and he's coming with us when we leave, so it's been easier just to stay here."

BART took them to the next train station south, which was the end of the line for that mode of transportation, but also the major transit center in the area. There Susan helped the boys with their baggage when they exited the light-rail train, crossed to the proper platform and waited another type of train, the next Caltrain commuter train, to take them further south on the San Francisco peninsula.

"How was Seattle?" she asked.

"Good," Zack said. "Dad took us deep sea fishing. We caught a couple of salmon, so that was good."

"We also saw orcas again," Matt said. "That was cool."

"Yeah it was, and it wasn't even freezing the way it was when you went with us," Zack said.

Susan smiled. "I'm glad you had a good time. I think our trip home will be really interesting this time."

"Are we really staying all night in Santa Cruz?" Zack asked.

"Yes. We're leaving here Monday morning and we're spending our first night on the road there," Susan said.

"What are we doing this weekend then?" Matt asked.

"Hanging out with Alan and Cindy," Susan said. "We're going to Oakland relatively early tomorrow morning so Greg and Mr. Simms can go to services with his family. Also, Ruth and Reuben said something about having us all over to their house for dinner on Sunday or possibly a picnic tomorrow, so we may be in Oakland both days."

The southbound train arrived while Susan was discussing their plans. She helped the boys pull their luggage onto the train and find a place to stash it near the door. But the train was moving again before each of them found seats. They weren't together, so there was no more opportunity to talk as long as they were on the train.

The ride to Menlo Park was relatively short and Greg was at the station to meet them with the car when they arrived.

"Hi Zack!" Jessie called from the open window as soon as she spotted them getting off the train.

"Hi Jessie!" Zack called back while Matt and Susan were hurriedly getting all their things off the train before it started to move again.

"Help, Zack!" Susan called and she passed him another bag before stepping from the train herself.

"Did we get everything?" Susan asked her sons as she looked over the small pile of luggage at their feet.

"I think so," Matt said. "Zack has his backpack."

Susan nodded. The train whistle blew and it started to move. "I hope so," she commented as she watched the train speed away. "It's too late now if we didn't."

Zack tipped his head with a slight nod as he looked over again what they had.

"This is everything of ours," he assured his mother.

"Good," Susan said. She picked up her computer case and her purse and headed towards their car.

Greg was standing at the curb, waiting to help Susan and the boys load what they were carrying into the back of the car. The boys climbed in the back seat, Susan got in the front, and Greg slid back into the driver's seat, ready to pull away.

"So where are we going?" Zack asked.

"First to the motel," Greg told them. "I checked you into your room this afternoon. I thought we could get you settled before dinner."

"Cool. Where are we going to eat?" Matt asked.

"Your choice, since you just got here," Susan said.

Matt grinned. "How about the Mongolian barbeque place?" he suggested to his brother.

"Is that better than pizza?" Zack wondered.

"Which one?" Matt asked.

"Wood fired. That place used to be good," Zack said.

"It still is," Susan told him.

"Have you been there?"

"Last Tuesday," Susan said.

"It was very good," Greg said.

"Okay. What about the Chinese place? Have you been there?"

"Chef Chou's?" Susan questioned.

"Yeah, I think so. That place right on the corner, across the street from the drug store," Matt suggested.

"We've been meaning to try it," Greg remarked.

"Maybe we could do that tonight?" Susan suggested.

"We could. Perhaps I should call for reservations while the boys are getting settled?"

"Probably a good idea," Susan commented. "They've been packed, every night this week."

With their plan for dinner in place, the family enjoyed a very relaxing evening. Greg made their dinner reservation, and discovered the soonest time he could get at the restaurant was for two hours after the time they arrived at the motel. That gave Susan time to relax, change and unwind some before they had to leave again. The boys had time to get settled, and everyone visited first before it was time to go.

Dinner at the Chinese restaurant was good, even better than they remembered. Afterwards, they still had time for an evening swim at the motel before going to bed.

"When are we leaving for Oakland in the morning?" Matt asked later that evening while they were getting ready to turn in.

"At seven. We're picking up Mr. Simms on the way, we'll have breakfast at the bakery in Burlingame, and drop Greg off at the synagogue with his family, hopefully in time for the nine-thirty services," Susan said.

"What are we doing while they're at Temple?" Zackary wondered.

"Going to the deli for sandwiches and potato salad," Susan told him.

"Why?" Matt asked.

"We're going for a picnic in Tilden Park afterwards," Susan said.

"Is that the place with the little train?" Matt wondered.

"As a matter of fact, it is," Susan told him. "Would you like to ride it with Melody and Jessie?"

"Maybe. It was fun that time we rode it when Zack and I were little," Matt said.

"Yes, it was," Susan recalled.

"Goodnight, Mom. Thanks for coming to meet us," Matt said.

"Goodnight, Matt. See you in the morning," Susan answered and she closed the door between their two rooms, turning her attention back to her husband for the rest of the evening.

"Are you up to coming for a short walk with me?" Greg asked in a low tone while the girls slept.

"At this time of night?" Susan replied.

"We won't go far, but there is something I've been meaning to ask you," Greg said.

"What's that?" Susan asked.

Greg put his finger to his lips, stretched out his hand, picked up their room key and invited her to join him. Susan grabbed her sweater on the way out and accompanied her husband for a walk around the perimeter of the motel parking lot.

"What's going on, Greg?" Susan wondered.

"I realized today, while I was meditating on all that's happened to us over the past few days, months and years, that you've only prayed with me once since you stopped nursing Melody," Greg said.

"True," Susan said.

"That was at the very beginning of April, Susan. This is now the end of July. I should have asked far sooner ... but are you alright?" her husband asked in concern.

"I think so. Actually, I would have prayed with you one Sabbath in the middle of May too, but we were busy and didn't welcome in the Sabbath that week as we normally do," Susan said.

"The weekend of Matthew's birthday?" Greg guessed.

"Yes. You are right though. My cycles haven't exactly come back the way there were before Melody was born. I've been having some spotting every other month, but no normal periods. I did see Dr. Daniels last month. He did some blood work to check my hormone levels. The results came back suggesting I'm in early menopause. My periods may still come back occasionally for a year or two, maybe even three, but he thinks they will be extremely irregular in every way. He thinks the every two months I've observed might be as close to a predictable pattern as I'm ever likely to get," Susan explained.

"Then what?" Greg asked "Does he expect them to ever become more regular again?"

"After that, I'll be 49, so no, he doesn't think they will. He thinks I'm close enough to that point in my life where they'll probably get farther and farther apart and eventually stop," Susan said.

"So what does that mean, Susan?" Greg asked.

"That means I'm at the end of my reproductive life. Even without the scaring in my tubes and reproductive organs, he thinks I've reached the point where I could no longer conceive. Melody is my last baby in every way," Susan said.

Greg nodded. "Her arrival when it came was the sort of blessing we didn't fully understand. I am very grateful for her presence in our life."

"I am too. Is that all you wanted to talk about tonight?" Susan wondered.

"I wanted to thank you for supporting me last night," Greg said seriously. "You were right this morning when we talked about it. While we were on our journey, I never allowed myself to properly grieve for my mother. It was easier to pretend everything was fine at home. I didn't want to worry about things going on there too."

"Then, when we did come home," Greg went on, "I managed to convince myself her death happened so long ago, it was no longer necessary to grieve. And yet I've made it a point to avoid contact with Norma since our return. I avoided visiting that part of New York where we once lived the one time I was there. I realize now I've been in denial about the whole thing. I've never been willing to deal with my mother's loss."

"Are you now?" Susan asked.

"Yes. Definitely. I consider it an unexpected benefit from meeting Mr. Simms ... Bobby," Greg said.

Susan arched a brow.

"Meeting him has prompted me to become interested in researching my own family's background. As a result I have been thinking of them more ... including Mama," Greg said.

"That is probably a good thing, Greg," Susan said.

"I'm sure it is. Given all that lies ahead of us, I should take this period of relative calm over these next three months, to prepare," Greg said.

Susan nodded. "Perhaps we should begin by going to bed?" she suggested.

"Of course. I think I'm ready," Greg said, and together the returned to their room for the night.

c

Susan got up early on Saturday morning. Due to the heart-to-heart talk Greg decided to have with her the night before, it was a very short night. Still, they had a lot planned for the day, and she hoped attending Temple would help her husband with those things he was struggling with. So she gathered her things, got in the shower, and was in the middle of washing her hair when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Susan?" Greg called.

"Come in. I'm in the shower," Susan answered.

"You don't mind?" Greg asked as the door opened and he stepped into the steamy room.

"I don't if you don't," she told him. "I know we all have to be ready to go early this morning."

"Thank you," Greg said.

Greg was ready to step into the shower by the time Susan got out. They both dressed and prepared for the day as best they could in the tiny bathroom, but the result was they were ready and able to get the children up to shower and dress early enough that they too were ready to go when it was time.

The Abernathy family picked up Mr. Simms from the retirement home on their way to Oakland. They stopped for breakfast at a bakery Susan remembered just south of San Francisco before driving directly to Temple where Greg and his family planned to attend services. Everyone aside from Susan and the boys got out of the car. Greg gathered his family's orders for lunch, handing them to Susan on a page from his ever-present notebook.

"We'll see you after," Susan called, and she drove away, leaving Greg and his party visiting while making their way inside the Temple for services.

Getting their group's order filled for eleven custom-made sandwiches at the local deli took nearly as long as the Sabbath services Greg and his family were attending at the temple. Susan and the boys picked up Greg and the girls in the same place they dropped them off, then the entire family plus Mr. Simms drove up to Tilden Park in the Oakland Hills for the rest of the afternoon.

"Have you ever been here before?" Greg asked Mr. Simms as they drove up the windy road into the hills, following Alan, Cindy, Ruth and Reuben in the car ahead of them.

"A few times; it's been years though," Mr. Simms said.

Their group found a picnic table they could share not far from the little train and parked nearby. Everyone in Greg and Susan's car climbed out and Greg and the children joined Alan and Reuben in gathering around the table to claim it. Susan retrieved their deli sandwiches from her car, Ruth and Cindy provided a tablecloth, drinks and paper plates. The cloth was spread out, the plates and sandwiches distributed. Once they were ready, Greg said the blessing and they all spent an enjoyable hour having their lunch in the park.

Afterwards, they talked and walked, and enjoyed spending time with one another during the afternoon. At one point, the children all rode the train, including Melody. Matt was delighted to discover that at eighteen, he was considered old enough to be the adult accompanying his little sister. Susan smiled at them both, achieving what seemed like such a minor milestone, but was actually a very memorable event in their lives. She withdrew a small camera from her purse and began taking pictures of their time together, just like any other proud parent standing nearby.

"Did you have fun?" Susan asked Melody and Matt when they returned.

Melody grinned, reaching her hand in the direction of the train.

"Can you say 'train'?" Susan coaxed.

"Rain," Melody said.

"Not quite, Mel," Matt told her. "It starts with the 't' sound. Say train." Matt said is slowly so she could clearly hear the word.

"Drain," Melody tried.

Greg arched his brow. "Maybe that's too hard for her. How about choo-choo?" he suggested.

"Choo-choo," Melody repeated perfectly.

"Yeah!" Jessie cheered. "She can say it!"

"That's not bad for someone her age," Reuben said.

"How old is she?" Ruth asked.

"Almost eighteen months," Susan told her.

"Oh my, that's actually very good for that age," Ruth commented.

"Is it, Mom?" Alan asked.

"Yes Alan, it is," Ruth told him. "Most children that age can say at most a half dozen words."

"Melody says more than that," Cindy told her.

"She can repeat more than that, but how many can she independently use?" Ruth asked.

Susan looked at Greg, mentally trying to count.

"She has names for nearly all of us she sees regularly," Greg said.

"Yes, she does, so that's about ten right there. There are also between eight and ten other words she uses regularly. She hasn't starting putting words together into sentences too often yet, but she does use single words to get her point across, usually," Susan said.

Melody seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they were talking about her however. She pointed at the train, looked at Susan and said, "More."

"Would you like to go on the train again?" Susan asked.

"More. Choo-choo," Melody said, separating the words so they stood alone instead of being in a sentence.

"I can take her, Susan," Greg offered.

"Can I ride again too, Mama?" Jessie asked.

"If you go with Papa, you can," Susan said.

And so the adults watched again as this time Greg and the girls rode the little train.

All in all, it was a very fun day. They all said goodbye as the afternoon came to an end and everyone got in their cars to go their own way.

"When are you leaving to go home, Dad?" Alan asked just before they were ready to drive away.

"We leave on Monday, however we are taking the scenic route with many stops along the way, so it will take us a number of days to get home," Greg said.

"Have fun," Alan told them all after Greg described their plans.

"We will," Susan told them.

"Goodbye," everyone called.

And they all went on their way.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Mr. Simms asked shortly before they were ready to drop him off at the retirement home.

"Resting," Susan said. "I've had enough of running around for a little while ... and Ruth and Reuben didn't say anything more about dinner. So I was thinking I'd like to stay put for one day before we start again."

"Sounds like a good idea, Susan," Greg said. "In fact, I may join you."

"Us too, Mom," Matt said unexpectedly.

Mr. Simms arched a brow. "In that case, I will not expect to see you tomorrow. However I will look for you on Monday morning, sometime after breakfast."

"We'll be there," Greg promised.

And he parked the car in front of the home and escorted Mr. Simms inside before saying goodbye until Monday.

c