Finding his feet, the boy couldn't care less about his red, puffy eyes or the tears that carelessly littered his face. Within seconds he was out the door, and in a few more, he had reached his father's room. The sight was utterly shocking, and, yet, he did not attempt to overcome his frozen-like state from the doorway.

Having managed from the bed, their father was huddled in a corner, his legs looking ready to give out. As he desperately swatted at the air, Forest's mind spun with questions, and it was only after the twins had squeezed past him that the boy realized the man was talking. No. He was yelling.

"What are you doing? Can't you see?" the man demanded of his children, shooting them hard glances.

"Dad," Autumn tried, cautiously stepping forward, and when she was before the alarmed man, the girl put a hand over his shoulder. "Dad-"

"Behind you!" Hale cried out, frustrated, but confusion marked his features. In a panic, he shoved his daughter out of the way and her body clashed with the hard, cemented ground after she lost her balance.

Winter, who had been watching from a distance within the room, immediately hurried forward when her twin hit the ground. Helping her up, she shot her father a glare and was met with a look of question. And he paused, his tense-self hesitantly letting his hands fall at his sides.

"What is this? What's going on?" the man asked, and the silence dragged on, before, finally, Forest took a breath and answered.

"You lied."

"I don't -"

"Let me see your leg."

Locking eyes with his son, he sighed with exasperation before giving a slight nod. His body still visibly shook, sweat staining his clothing, and he was breathing heavily, but no one said anything.

"I'm sorry if I worried you," he apologized as his children circled him, and he shook his head. "I am-"

"Worried us might be an understatement," Winter interrupted with anger, crossing her arms. "You screamed bloody murder not five minutes ago, Dad. You were obviously hallucinating, but that's not why I'm mad. No. I'm mad because you told us there was no infection."

"Let me see it," Forest said again, and, still, the man didn't reveal the wound. "Your upper leg, Dad, I need to see. Do I have to do it myself?"

During the brief pause, Autumn told her sister to fetch a glass of water.

"No, just wait. You need to know something," their father said with urgency, but when his son shook his head, he finally obeyed and showed the injury site. "Y-your Mom would be proud..." he stated faintly, which sent a chill down the boy's spine. The man was not acting like himself; there was something seriously wrong.

Forest froze and looked up to find his father struggling to stay upright. "Are you okay?" he asked, and when he slumped against the bed frame, it was obvious he wasn't. "Hey, where's that water?!" Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Autumn shrug, shaking her head.

Soft thuds could suddenly be heard, and as they progressed toward the room, the footsteps grew more apparent. When Winter appeared at the door, she had a full glass of water. "Here," she said and handed it to her father.

Forest helped the glass to his mouth when he noticed the bad tremors of his hand, the liquid threatening to spill out. "Drink," the boy ordered, and he nodded weakly.

As he drank with evident thirst, Winter took a step back while her twin took some ahead and peeled away the bandages tentatively.

Forest gently pulled the water away when the contents were gone and placed it beside the bed on a nearby end table. When he came back, his father's wound was uncovered. The well-worn dressing had been tossed aside, its fabric crusted with dry blood.

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The near entirety of his lower leg was blemished with brown and purple bruises. With the infection advanced, the discolorations looked ready to spread past his knee.

He felt sick, his lunch ready to come back up and expose itself. The longer he stared in awe, the more his anger rose and the boy made no attempt at hiding it. This was beyond what he had imagined as a worst-case scenario and he was struggling to come to terms with the state of his leg. Forest's hard eyes finally lifting, he was going to lock eyes with him and tell of his disappointment when he instead gasped.

"Are you okay?" he asked, that question a senseless one. Stumped against the bed frame, the man appeared unconscious, his head drooping forward.

"I'll get more water," Winter affirmed, snatching the empty glass from the end table and she scrambled out of sight.

Autumn crouched before him and gently tapped the side of his face, saying her father's name. At first talking in a kind and warm manner, she soon became desperate when it wasn't working.

"Does he have a pulse?" Forest demanded, and after hurrying a finger to his neck, she nodded and the boy let out a breath of relief. "Good, okay, so now we need to disinfect his wound. There will be no improvement until we do, Autumn, so get the first aid kit!"

A minute would pass before Winter had returned with the water, and a minute more before Autumn had come back with the first aid kit. As Forest and Winter treated his leg, Autumn continued tapped the side of his face as to provoke him awake. But her efforts were of no use.

Only after the three had done what they could do did they settle down, the sibling finding a spot on the floor. Seconds became into minutes, which, in turn, managed to an hour; and, still, they sat, an uncomfortable silence lingering over the room.

Sighing heavily, Forest continued listening, that same constant sound mocking his eardrums. When his hard eyes finally drifted upon his sister's, he recognized tiredness in her hazel orbs. But his look wasn't enough to gain her attention, and, so, he noisily cleared his throat.

"What?" Winter asked, briefly paused the action, ball in her hand.

"Can't you stop?" Forest said, irritation marking his words, and when she frowned, the boy shook his head. "That ball. I can't think when you do that."

Giving a slight chuckle, she shrugged and continued. Thump. Thump. Thump. "No, I can't stop."

"Well, you're going to, Winter, because I have been listening to that annoying noise for the last half hour and I can't think!" Saying this, the boy looked over at Autumn and scowled when she only shook her head. "Doesn't it bug you too?"

"No, actually," she replied, letting her head lean against the wall, eyes closed. "But you really should stop, sis. You know how much it irritates him, and not to mention Dad. You know this, so please find it in yourself to stop for their sake."

Winter huffed but tossed the ball aside. "Fine, but, Forest, I have a question."

Furrowing his brows, the boy turned to face her, confused. "What?"

"Why were you crying?"

The question caught him off guard, and his heart began to quicken as he thought up an answer. Was it that noticeable? After hearing his father yell for help, Forest hadn't even considered wiping away his tears before hurrying out of his room. Mind racing, he soon realized that the pause was becoming a long one.

"Yeah, I saw that too," Autumn chimed in, her eyes opening to set upon her brother. "Your eyes were really red and your face was stained with fresh tears. I don't mean to sound cheesy, but we're here for you." When she gave a reassuring smile, Forest forced one in return.

"Yeah, I agree," Winter said. Turning to look at her, the boy was surprised at this statement. "That was cheesy." Despite his attempt, a light smirk had developed over his face before he got it to leave.

"Winter, I have a question of my own," he began, drawing a breath. "What's in your notebook?"

One moment, the atmosphere was a playful and amusing one; the next, it had turned dark. Eyes on his sister, Winter gave a glare back, sending a shiver down his spine. The silence dragged on before, finally, someone interrupted it.

"You are obviously hiding something, but I've no clue what it could be. It seems to be a bad one, considered the look you're giving your brother," Autumn said, her own eyes on her twin, and she stood. "You best tell us, or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Winter questioned, abrupted likewise to her feet.

Forest, hesitant, stood up and took a step back. And then another. He watched as the dispute unfolded, the fight soon becoming physical when Winter pushed her sister; and, although it was light, the other still gasped.

"What was that?? Stop it, okay? Dad wouldn't want this. He'd be so disappointed. A bullet to the knee and everything goes to chaos. Grow up," Autumn voiced boldly, shooting her twin a glare.

Receiving the look, Winter took a breath and headed for the door, not saying a word. But, hand on the knob, she nearly left when a certain noise made her pause: a groan. She turned around, her eyes set upon her father. And she smiled.

"Dad?" Forest asked with unmistakable relief. The man twitching, his eyes soon opened. Now that he was finally awake, Forest somehow knew everything would be okay. All was right with the world once again.