The demon wearing Catelyn's skin almost benefitted from the shock her appearance caused.

The operative word being almost.

After pushing Summer out of the way, she made a break for the exit. But Mr. Au moved just in time to block her path, causing her to ricochet off him and slam onto the ground. Demon or not, she still had the body of a teenage girl—which was of course no match for Mr. Au's muscular frame.

He turned to check on the kids, Connor kneeling near Summer's motionless body.

"She... she's still breathing," Connor said.

Mr. Au took a quick sigh of relief as he shot Victor a glance, who was left frozen, consumed by grief. He wanted to comfort his son, but there was no time for consolation. Action came first, starting with the demon still recovering from her head bouncing off the ground.

Rage was an emotion Mr. Au rarely allowed himself to indulge in. Years of psychological training had conditioned him to act rationally, no matter the circumstance. But he was years removed from donning his uniform, so why not live a little.

The demon's mouth moved, but he heard no words. He snarled at the creature before him—his grip tightening around his axe.

One swing was all it took, so forceful it chipped the marble floor.

Good riddance.

He sprinted to the woman lying in a pool of blood and grabbed her wrist to check for a pulse. Nothing.

Save who you can, was a lesson Mr. Au had to learn the hard way. A second of indecision when thrust into a dire situation could be the difference between having a few survivors, and complete destruction. Summer was in desperate need of immediate medical attention. A decision had to be made, one that he knew would later haunt him.

Add it to the pile.

There just wasn't enough time to properly deal with the consequences of this woman's death. So he chose not to. It pained him to admit this, but the police would likely chalk it up to another senseless murder.

Mr. Au doubled back toward Summer. "Hold this," he said, handing Connor his axe. He carefully lifted Summer off the ground and started toward the exit. "We're going to the hospital. Connor, my keys are in my front right pocket. Grab them and—"

Connor reached for the keys and bolted toward the car.

Mr. Au stopped near the exit to check on Victor.

Victor rarely spoke about his love life. Outside of their awkward 'sex talk' when he was twelve, any conversations regarding his dating life were mitigated to a few brief moments before and after a date.

Despite trying to play it cool, Mr. Au knew when his son had genuine feelings for a girl. He had an obvious tell. On the way home from a date with someone he wasn't particularly interested in, he would give a synopsis of the date in its entirety. He'd seem detached, though—as if summarizing a scene in a movie. But when he really liked a girl, he barely spoke. He would throw out a casual, "It went well," or, "she was cool."

On the drive home from his first date with Catelyn, he didn't say a word.

"Victor," Mr. Au said firmly.

His son diverted his attention from the pile of ash to Summer resting in his father's arms. With a scowl on his face, he snapped out of his stupor and ran to the car.

Mr. Au eyed Summer through his rearview mirror as he pulled out of the parking lot. She was lying in the backseat, her head on Connor's lap.

Victor was in the passenger seat, glaring out the window. Mr. Au was surprised to see that it wasn't fear, sadness, or even shock overcoming his son at that moment. It was anger—his ire directed at the one person he didn't want to shoulder the blame, Victor himself.

"Thank god," Connor said. They turned in unison. The anger that so prominently consumed his son melted away. "Summer, how are you feeling?" Connor asked. A low grunt through gritted teeth was her response.

"Where does it hurt?" Mr. Au asked.

"My... my back."

"We're almost at the hospital, please—" Summer let out a screech. Connor flinched, his arms shaking as they hovered above her body. Victor furrowed his brow—rage gripping him again.

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Since the death of his wife, Mr. Au never wanted to step foot in a hospital ever again. So much so that in a rare moment of weakness, when tasked with having to go to the hospital to check on his injured son, he hesitated.

That too, was added to the pile.

They carried Summer to the emergency room where they were greeted by the usual suspects. The jaded and overworked receptionists, the even more overworked nurses, and the understandably detached doctors.

Once the nurse carted Summer away, the worst part of the process began: the waiting. There was nowhere for Mr. Au to release his nervous energy, so it sat in his gut, festering.

He refrained from looking in Victor and Connor's direction until he could come up with something encouraging to say. Unfortunately, his mind was a jumbled mess of cliches and useless idioms.

"I..." he had no idea why he decided to open his mouth without a plan, but fuck it. "I am so proud of you guys for handling this situation with grace and maturity." A little stiff, but not a bad start, he thought. "Everyone's focus should be on making sure that Summer knows that we are here for her." Connor nodded in agreement. Victor was having a staring contest with the ground and he appeared to be winning.

A thought came to him. Summer's grandmother. Damn it.

The subsequent phone call was a disaster from the start. Mrs. Kahale answered the phone panicked. She said Trevor screamed at her when asked about the address to his grandfather's house. Then the fire alarm went off, adding to an already stressful situation. Apparently, Summer forgot to blow a candle out before leaving. They liberally used candles and incense in their home, so one causing such an issue baffled her. Mr. Au tried to get a word in, but this candle debacle had her in a chokehold.

"So, when are you guys getting home?" she eventually asked. He didn't immediately respond. Finally being presented with an opening to speak surprised him. "Hello?" she added.

"There was an accident—"

"Where are you?"

"We're at the hospital. I just want to let you know that—"

"What happened?"

"Amber, please let me finish. Summer got hurt while we were trying to save the girl. We're at the hospital now, waiting for an update."

"Is anyone else hurt?"

Not physically. "No, we're fine."

"I'm on my way."

He hung up to the sight of his son still kicking the floor's ass.

Connor presented a half-hearted smile. "Is everything all right with Mrs. Kahale?"

"I think Trevor is giving her a hard time."

"I hope he doesn't take the news too hard."

Connor started picking his nails, a habit Mr. Au never associated with him. "How are you doing?" he asked. He immediately cringed at his stupidity. All the energy he put into trying to come up with something poignant to say blinded him to the fact that he never simply asked them how they were feeling.

"I honestly can't even describe how I felt before she woke up. But right now, I'm feeling strangely optimistic. At least she's conscious, you know?"

Mr. Au nodded. "I'm sure Summer is going to be back to her old self in no time." His peripheral vision caught Victor raising his head. Mr. Au followed his son's gaze until he noticed a doctor making his way toward them. Victor and Connor sat up like greyhounds with a rabbit in sight.

The doctor's coat was a luminous shade of white, and he was tall, almost awkwardly so. He had the posture of a man who had been forced to bend down every time he needed to speak with someone. His name tag read: Dr. Julian Boyd.

Mr. Au shot up and gave him a firm handshake. "How is she doing?"

"Allow me to start off by saying we expect her to make a full recovery." They exhaled in unison. "She has a mild compression fracture in the middle part of her spine. Right now, all she needs is medication and rest. She may eventually have to wear a back brace for a couple of weeks, but we'll see how she heals first."

"Thank you so much," Mr. Au said. "Her grandmother is on her way."

"Fantastic. And you're welcome. Now, I need to relay some information to my nurses, and then we can arrange for you to see her. How does that sound?"

"We would love that."

Dr. Boyd nodded and then walked away with that brisk gait all doctors seem to have. The walk of someone who always has somewhere to be.

Connor collapsed into his seat, dropping his head and sniffling into his hands.

***

Connor was the first to walk up to her. "How are you feeling?"

"I heard I might have to wear a back brace for a bit. Our meditation sessions might be a little awkward." Connor forced a chuckle. Summer's voice had the timbre of someone who had just awoken from a long, dreamless sleep.

"How are you actually feeling?" Victor asked. At that moment, Mr. Au realized that it had been hours since he last heard his son's voice.

"I'm a little loopy, but I'm fine. How are you guys?" She didn't sound the least bit convincing.

Connor grabbed Summer's hand. "Don't worry about us."

Summer grinned. "I hope you guys don't get into too much trouble without me."

"No promises," Victor said.

The door opened behind them. Mrs. Kahale dashed to Summer's bed side and initiated a hug, but then quickly pulled back.

"Sorry," Mrs. Kahale said, her lips curling into a sad smile.

"How's Trevor?" Summer asked.

"I dropped him off at his house, so he's probably miserable."

"How in the world did you get him to agree to that?" Connor asked.

"I can be very persuasive."

"What does that mean?"

Summer flashed her blindingly white teeth. "Don't ask."

Victor was mute for the entire car ride back. A young Mr. Au promised to never spout cliche lines at his kids like his father used to, but seeing his son in such a state almost made him reconsider. Sometimes life blows hot and cold, came to mind, but he felt too embarrassed to even utter the phrase.

After dropping Connor off, they finally made it home. Victor dragged himself up the stairs.

"Hey, V. Let's talk for a bit."

"Dad, I'm really tired. Plus, I have school tomorrow. Can we talk later?"

"Sure. But before you go to bed, come here for a second. I need to see something." Victor slumped his shoulders. "That's an order," he added.

Victor ambled his way to Mr. Au. "What's wrong?"

He grabbed his son and embraced him. Victor buried his face into his father's chest and wept until there were no more tears to give.