For Every Dark Night, There Is a Brighter Day

When Jimmy squeezed her hand, for some reason this made Robyn start to cry, and she felt so stupid. She didn't even laugh when Jace protested at their kissing like she normally would. "I love you too, Jimmy," she whispered. Robyn really didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything at the moment, but she knew Jace was excited about the ice cream and the video game, and they had promised him. And she hoped that a little ice cream, something sweet and comforting, might help her feel a little better, even if it was just for a little while.

"I think I'm just going to sit in the car while you guys run in and pick out a video game," Robyn said softly, scooping up a little of her ice cream. "Pick out a good one, okay, baby?" she said to Jace. While the two of them were inside the video game store, Robyn pulled out her phone, thumbing through her contacts until she got to her uncle's phone number. She almost hit 'call', but then she realized that she couldn't do that. Her uncle deserved better than a phone call to break the news that his baby sister was dead. She would just have Jimmy stop by her aunt and uncle's house before they went home; it was a little late, but she knew they would still be awake. Her uncle worked odd shifts, so sometimes he had trouble sleeping.

---

Amy nodded when Cassie asked if she could have her ring back, placing the ring into the other girl's palm before she and her parents left. And then it was just Matt and Cassie. Even unconscious, Matt could feel the anesthesia starting to wear off, and Cassie's voice was starting to drift through his mind. He tried to talk back to her, but the ventilator in his throat stopped him. But there was nothing stopping him from opening his eyes, and the first thing he saw when he did was that Cassie had the diamond ring on her finger again. Since he couldn't talk, the best thing that Matt could do was squeeze her hand. He felt like an idiot now, telling Cassie that his death would have been her fault. What if the accident had actually killed him? She would've had to live with that guilt he'd put on her for the rest of her life and Matt hated to think he might have done that to her. Even if she wanted to leave him and blame all of their problems on him, he still loved her. With his free hand, Matt reached over to hit the call button for the nurse, hoping that they might be able to take the ventilator out of his throat. He just wanted to talk to Cassie, to apologize to her.

Jimmy frowned slightly, but nodded his head understandingly. "Yeah, okay," he mumbled. He got out and led Jace inside, chuckling softly as he watched him run around and look at everything. He was glad that he was feeling a lot better now, because he hated seeing his little boy so hurt and upset. It broke his heart. He looked around, wondering what game Jace didn't already have. He felt like they owned every game known to man, but he guessed there was always something new. He chuckled when Jace picked up a Crash Bandicoot game and turned to him, holding it up for him to see.

"I get this, Daddy?" Jace asked.

Jimmy smiled and nodded his head. "If that's what you want," he said.

"I do!" Jace chirped.

Jimmy nodded and took the game from him, walking up to the counter and setting it down. He pulled his wallet out and paid for the game, handing the bag to Jace and leading him back out to the car. "Alright, you can play with it when we get home, but you need to finish your ice cream first before it melts," he told him.

Jace nodded and began eating his ice cream once Jimmy got him buckled into his car seat.

---

Cassie looked up when she felt Matt squeeze her hand, thinking maybe she'd just imagined it. But when she looked up at his face, she saw his eyes were open, and she quickly jumped up. She watched as he reached for the button to call a nurse, and within seconds, one rushed in. Cassie moved out of the way. "I think he wants the tube out of his throat," she said, biting her lip hard. The nurse nodded and took Matt's vitals, making sure his breathing was okay before she went to get someone to help her. Cassie stood back and watched as the nurse brought back a man with her, who she was presuming was a doctor, and they both took the tube from Matt's throat. They checked his pulse and oxygen again before leaving and Cassie rushed over when they were gone. She leaned over the side of Matt's bed and pressed her lips to his without a word. She pulled back after a moment and reached up, gently running her fingers through his hair. "I thought I was going to lose you. I'm so sorry I left. I shouldn't have." She sniffled, never wanting to let him go again.

"Look what I got, Mommy!" Jace shouted through a mouthful of ice cream. He waved something in the air. "Crash Bandicoot!"

"I see that, baby!" Robyn exclaimed, actually smiling. No matter how she was feeling, Jace could always put a smile on her face. "Mommy might have to play that with you, it was one of my favorite games when I was little." She scooped up a little more ice cream onto her spoon, looking over at Jimmy as he started the car and drove away from the game store. "Do you think we could stop by my aunt and uncle's really quick?" she asked. "I need to tell Uncle David about...about my mom." She knew this wasn't going to be an easy conversation to have, because she was sure her uncle's feelings about her mom were just as conflicted as Robyn's were. And her Uncle David had grown up with her mom, had known her before Robyn's dad and the drugs came in and made everything a mess. It was one of the reasons Robyn had really started to dislike her dad as she got older; if it weren't for him, her mom never would've gotten into the drugs that ruined all of their lives.

---

Having the ventilator removed from his throat was a little uncomfortable, but once it was out, Matt felt a lot better. His throat hurt like hell, but then again, so did the rest of him. His pain medication must be wearing off. He was a little surprised when Cassie kissed him, but he wasn't about to complain. He was just happy that she was here, and that she actually wanted anything to do with him after the stunt he'd just pulled. "You...dont have to apologize," Matt said, finding it a little painful to talk. Not only did his throat hurt, his broken cheek did, too. "I was stupid. But then again, when am I not stupid? I was just...I was hurt that you were leaving again and I took it out on you, just like last time. And I'm sorry. But you'll never lose me, Cass. Never. I think...I think after this we just need a fresh start. We just need to forget about everything that's happened. With Brian, with the cheating, with the baby. We can have our own baby and we can get married and it'll be...as close to perfect as anything can be because I love you Cassie, and we're meant for each other."

Jimmy nodded his head. "Yeah, sure," he said, smiling softly at her. For some reason, it was a lot more difficult this time around to comfort her than it was when she'd lost her father. Maybe it was because her mom had actually tried to be better for her, and Jimmy had actually had faith in her too. With her father, it had kind of been the opposite. He hadn't wanted her to go around him, and he didn't like him one bit. He drove to David and Connie's house, parking the car and turning to look at Jace. "Want to go inside, bud? Maybe your grandma and grandpa will sign your cast while you're in there. And I bet you could ask Tyler and Gwen too."

Jace nodded. "Yeah!"

Jimmy nodded and cut the engine, climbing out and walking around to help Jace out.

---

Cassie nodded her head in agreement. "That's what I want," she murmured, gently brushing her fingers through his hair. She could tell he was hurting and it broke her heart. "I love you too, Matt." She kissed his lips again, squeezing his hand tightly. She pulled back and sighed as she looked down at him. "Promise me you'll never do anything this stupid again. I don't care if I move to Switzerland and you never see me again, you can't do shit like this, Matt. You can't scare me like that. I thought you were going to die, and I never would have forgiven myself for it." She couldn't imagine living in a world without him. Just the thought of it made her chest hurt. It had been hard enough trying to move on for four years knowing he was with Val and all the way across the country, but she didn't think she'd be able to move on and get through it if he'd actually died. He was right, they were meant for each other. Even with all the bad times, they still found their way back to each other.

"We're not staying very long so don't get any of uncle Tyler's toys out, okay?" Robyn said as she climbed out of the car. She waited for Jimmy to help Jace out of his carseat, watching as he immediately took off running towards the front door. She knocked on the door, only having to wait a few seconds before her aunt Connie was opening the door.

"Robyn, what are you guys doing here so late?" she asked. She glanced down at Jace, obviously noticing the cast on his left arm. "What happened to Jace's arm?"

"That's part of what I wanted to talk to you and Uncle David about," Robyn said. "Is it alright if we come inside?" Connie nodded, and Robyn ushered Jace inside, watching him go over to Gwen on the loveseat and show her his cast. Robyn followed her aunt and uncle into the kitchen, leaning against the counter as she thought about how to start saying what she wanted to say. "Well, I guess you guys know that me and Jimmy went out on a date tonight, and we left Jace with mom," she started. "We decided to come home early because we didn't like the movie, and as soon as I got to the front door of the house, I could hear Jace screaming for me. I went inside and mom was passed out on the couch. Jace was in another room, buried under a pile of boxes we haven't unpacked yet. I guess he tried to climb them, but he fell and broke his arm. That's why his arm is in a cast. Anyway, we took him and mom to the emergency room and after they were through with Jace, I went to the desk to ask about mom and..." Robyn paused, taking a deep breath. She looked up at her uncle. "Mom's dead."

---

"I promise, I'll never do anything stupid like this again," Matt said. "I'm sorry I scared you like this. That wasn't my intention. I was just...hurting last night and once I was drunk, I didn't really care what happened to me. I was selfish and I wasn't thinking of how it would affect anyone else if I died. But I never want to hurt you or anyone else ever again." Matt doubted he would be able to drive for awhile after this, because besides the injuries he had preventing him from doing so, his driver's license would likely be revoked. "Fuck, everything hurts," Matt whined. He reached for the call button again, hoping he might be able to convince the nurse to give him some more pain medication. It was going to be hell until he was healed, but he supposed he'd brought that on himself. Not long after the nurse left, his parents and Amy returned, and the smell of the food they'd brought with them had Matt's mouth watering.

"Oh, you're awake!" his mother exclaimed. She went to Matt and wrapped her arms his neck, only moving away when Matt grunted. "Matthew Charles Sanders, don't you ever scare us like that again," she chastised. "I can't lose my baby boy."

"Mom, I've already gotten this lecture from Cassie," Matt whined. "Now did you bring me any food?"

Jimmy stood halfway between the kitchen and the living room, keeping an eye on Jace, but also listening in on Robyn and her aunt and uncle. He felt awful for Robyn. He honestly felt so helpless, like there was nothing he could do to help, and he hated it. He always had a solution, that was just who he was. And now he felt useless. He sighed softly, deciding not to think about the negative things, but focus on the positive. At least Jace was okay, and as selfish as that probably was to think, he didn't care. He would be devastated if something happened to his little boy. It would just break his heart. A small smile formed on his face as he watched Gwen and Tyler sign his cast. He decided to stop eavesdropping, walking over and sitting beside Jace. "Isn't that neat?" he asked. "We can get all your uncles to sign it too, if you want."

Jace nodded his head and grinned, obviously high off the ice cream and the pain meds. He was just like his father, and it honestly made Jimmy's heart melt.

---

Cassie frowned at his words. "We could have the biggest fight in the world, and it would still break my heart if something happened to you, Matt," she murmured. "You're my soulmate, even if our relationship is fucked up at times." She frowned, noticing how much pain he was in, wishing she could take it all away from him. She was so focused on him, she'd forgotten about her own pain, but she wasn't complaining. She looked over when his family walked back in, standing out of the way so they could see him. She bit her lip gently as she twisted her ring around her finger. She let out a small laugh and rolled her eyes when Matt asked for food, shaking her head. "You're just as bad as Jimmy, you know," she said, smiling slightly when she got a laugh out of Kim. She was glad that Matt's family didn't totally hate her for what she'd done to their son. It made her feel guilty for how awful her parents had treated him in the past.

"Payton is dead?" It was her aunt Connie that spoke first, and Robyn nodded. She knew they both knew how her mother had died, since they'd known all along that that was going to be the way that she died. If her father hadn't been sent to prison, he would've died this way, too. And in a way, he still sort of did. Robyn knew it was the drugs that had probably caused his liver problems. "Well are you okay, sweetheart?"

Robyn shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she whispered. "I mean, she was my mom, but she let Jace get hurt and I just...I don't know. I feel like I shouldn't care about her because she never cared about me."

"Well, thanks for coming over to tell us," her uncle said, finally speaking up. He seemed just as conflicted as Robyn was. "I'll have to talk to your grandparents and start getting something arranged and then I'll let you know."

---

"Uh, do not compare me to that idiot," Matt laughed, immediately regretting it. His broken ribs made it painful to laugh. "I can't help it that I'm starving." He grinned when Amy tossed an Arby's bag onto the bed, pulling his bedside table over his lap and dumping out the contents. "Have I ever told you guys how much I love you?" Matt asked, stuffing a few curly fries into his mouth. His parents laughed, and Amy just rolled her eyes. "You want some fries, baby?" Matt asked Cassie, looking over at her. He held one out to her, wiggling it around. "They're delicious."

"Did they kick up his pain medication while we were gone?" Amy asked, laughing. "Man Cassie, you're going to have so much fun taking care of him when you guys get home. He'll be all hopped up on pain meds, he won't be able to walk...hell, you might even have to help him use the bathroom."

Jimmy took the marker from Tyler when he was done signing Jace's cast, signing it himself before he led Jace into the kitchen. "Robyn?" he murmured. "Do you want to sign Jace's cast?" He held the marker out to her, hoping it would distract her from what she'd just told Connie and David. He looked at the two of them, trying to gauge their reactions. He could tell Connie was upset for David and Robyn, and David was very visibly distraught. He looked a bit lost, and Jimmy wished he could do something to help him. He considered David his father-in-law, even after all the shit they'd been through. He'd come to respect David, and he thought the two of them had a mutual friendship now. But he still knew the other man would beat his ass if he ever hurt Robyn. Which Jimmy would never do, of course.

---

Cassie raised an eyebrow at Matt and giggled slightly at Amy's words. "Joy," she mumbled sarcastically. "I guess I needed the practice anyways if we were planning on having a baby." She walked over to Matt and took the curly fry from him, eating it. "Consider yourself lucky. The most my mom let me have was ibuprofen when I was in the hospital." Not that she had had nearly as much damage as Matt, but still. She looked up at Matt's parents, offering them a soft smile. "I'll stay with him if you want to go home. But I understand if you don't want to leave. You can stay and I'll go home. I'm sure Hannah will have words for me for leaving." She knew the redhead was going to be pissed at her for leaving when she should probably be resting in bed, but she didn't care. She would use her last dying breath to see Matt, if that were the case.

Robyn only really snapped out of her haze when she heard Jimmy calling her name. She shook her head, taking the marker from Jimmy and forcing a smile onto her face. "Yeah, I'll sign his cast," she said. She squatted down next to Jace, smiling a little for real when he held his cast out for her. He was completely oblivious to everything that was going on around him, and Robyn was glad. He'd already been through enough as it was. She wanted to keep her little boy as innocent as possible for as long as she possibly could. This was technically his first experience with death, and Robyn would rather he not experience it all, since Jace had only known her for barely three weeks. "There we go!" Robyn exclaimed, getting to her feet. "All signed."

"Grandma and Grandpa sign, too!" Jace shouted, taking the marker from her. He held it out to David. "Sign, Grandpa, sign!"

---

"I think I'd make a good little patient," Matt huffed, eating another curly fry. "And it would be easy, because I'd have a sexy little nurse to take care of me...I mean, what? Let me stuff my face with more fries." Matt bad realized too late what he'd just said in front of his parents and Amy. Well Amy he didn't care about, but saying that in front of his parents was a little awkward.

"Just remember how broken you are, you little pervert," Amy said.

"I think we'll just stay for a little while longer," Kim said, speaking to Cassie. "You get to take him home and he never comes to visit his poor old mother."

"I can't believe you're trying to make me feel guilty while I'm laying in a hospital bed in pain," Matt said. "I see where I stand." Amy rolled her eyes, telling him to shut up and eat his food, which Matt gladly did. "Here, have some more," Matt said, handing a couple of fries to Cassie. "Help me eat some of this so I don't get fat, little nurse."

About a week had passed since Jace's accident, and now that the toxicology report was back on Robyn's mom, it was time for her funeral. Jimmy had just finished getting dressed and now he had to go make sure Jace was ready to go. He'd been giving Robyn some space, even though it was incredibly hard for him. He knew this was a lot harder on her than her father's death had been, so it was even more difficult for him now to try and help her cope. He walked into Jace's room, snorting when he saw the little boy had his shirt wrapped around his arm with the cast on it. "Nice try, bud," he said, walking over and helping him get the shirt over his head. "You almost had it." He straightened out the shirt, buttoning it up and tucking the bottom into his pants before grabbing his little jacket. He helped slide it on before putting Jace's arm back in the sling he had to use. "Alright, shoes." He watched as Jace grabbed his shoes and sat down in front of Jimmy. "Good boy." He kissed his forehead before helping him put his shoes on.

---

Cassie sighed softly as she slathered a piece of bread with mustard like Matt liked it, still feeling bad that she couldn't be there to support Robyn today. Matt was still in pretty bad shape and she couldn't just leave him by himself and she didn't trust any of the boys to take care of him, especially not Johnny. She placed the bread on top of the sandwich, finishing it off with some chips on the side before she walked to the living room where Matt was sitting on the couch. She went to hand him the plate, but pulled back when he reached for it. "Ah," she scolded. "What do you say?" This last week had tested her relationship with him more than anything ever had before. He was like a giant baby, and while she felt for him, she was also pissed at him for being so demanding. Make me a sandwich. Fluff my pillow. Get me a pain pill. It was driving her insane. Now she knew how it felt for the nurses who worked at old people's homes.

Robyn leaned against the counter in the bathroom, sighing. Right now, she wished she was anywhere but here, in Nevada, getting ready to bury her mother. It was so weird to think that at twenty two, she was technically an orphan, but it was even weirder to think that she really wasn't as upset as she should be. All her life, her mother - well, both of her parents, really - had always chosen drugs over her. So why should she care at all that they were both dead now because of it? This was the woman who made her doubt her own ability to be a good mother, the one who half the time made her wonder why she'd ever even been born. Robyn shouldn't care at all, but she did. And maybe it was just because she was still trying to hold onto some stupid childhood fantasy that one day she'd have a normal family, but she did.

Robyn jumped when there was a knock on the door, turning to look. "We're ready, Mommy!" Jace shouted from the other side.

"Okay baby, I'll be out in a minute," Robyn shouted back.

---

Matt shifted on the couch, trying to get comfortable. He still hadn't managed to find a position that didn't make his pelvis hurt. He was pretty much in a constant state of pain, so he was unintentionally crabby a lot of the time, and probably pretty demanding towards Cassie. When she brought his sandwich into the living room, Matt reached for it, frowning when she pulled it back. "Please?" he grumbled. When she just continued to glare at him, Matt added, "And thanks too, I guess." He took the plate from Cassie, taking a big bite out of the sandwich. "Hey, could you get me a pain pill?" Matt asked a few minutes later, glancing over at Cassie. "Uh, please? My hips are starting to hurt again." He knew he had to try and start being nicer to Cassoe, because she really didn't have to take care of him. She could've shoved him off on his parents or God forbid one of the guys, but instead she'd decided to take on his nursing duties herself. And that was no easy feat, because even Matt would admit that he was kind of a baby when he was sick or hurt. It was a side effect of being the baby of the family.

Jimmy lifted Jace up, kissing his temple. "Come on, little man," he murmured softly. "Let's give Mommy a few minutes, okay? This is a really hard time for her. You have to promise you'll be gentle and easy with her." He carried Jace out of the hotel room and towards the elevator, looking down at his cast, which had been signed by everyone in the A7X family. There was practically no room left for anymore signatures. "Look how many people love and care about you," Jimmy said as he pointed to Jace's cast. "When your mommy was your age, she didn't have that. She didn't have anyone that loved her like you do. So you have to try and understand how hard this is for her. Do you think you can do that?"

Jimmy could tell how obviously confused Jace was about the situation, but the little boy nodded his head anyways. "Thank you, bud," he murmured, kissing the top of Jace's head. He set him down and turned, a sad smile coming over his face when he saw Robyn approaching them.

---

Cassie rolled her eyes. You guess? She was frustrated even more when he asked for another pain pill, but as soon as he said he was starting to hurt again, her heart just broke. She felt so guilty for being so frustrated with him. She knew he would be taking care of her if they'd switched positions, but she just had a short temper and he was riding it. She nodded and went into the kitchen, grabbing the bottle and taking one out. She'd been giving him the pills individually and hadn't let him have the bottle. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she was just afraid that he would get addicted and end up like Robyn's mom. And she didn't want that. She carried the pill to him, putting it in the palm of his hand. She glanced over when Bella ran to the front door, sitting and waiting to be let out. Cassie leaned down, pressing a kiss to Matt's forehead. "I'll be right back," she murmured. "Please don't try to get up without me." She walked to the door and slid her shoes on, opening the door to let Bella out. She walked out and followed Bella over to the grassy area, waiting patiently as she did her business.

Robyn frowned when she heard Jimmy taking Jace away. She didn't need any more time to herself, because that just gave her more time to overthink things. She took a deep breath, adjusting a few flyaways before she stepped out of the bathroom and went over to Jace and Jimmy. She smiled sadly when Jace ran up to her and wrapped his little arm around her legs. She knew he was too little to understand what was going on, but he could obviously still see that she was hurting and he was trying to make her feel better. "I love you, Mommy," Jace said, his voice muffled by the fabric of Robyn's skirt.

"I love you too, baby," Robyn said softly, running her fingers through his soft hair. "Now come on, we've got to go, okay? Everybody is waiting on us."

---

"Thanks," Matt said softly when Cassie placed the pill into the palm of his hand. He reached for his glass of tea sitting on the coffee table and used it to wash down his pill, letting out a soft burp. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," he said when she told him not to get up without him. He'd made that mistake once, when he had to use the bathroom and Cassie was busy doing something else. The pain that had skittered up his spine from his hips was some of the worst he'd ever felt, and it lingered for hours, even with the pain pill. So now he would just stay put until Cassie could help him up. "Why don't you sit down with me and watch some TV?" Matt asked Cassie, looking at her as Bella jumped onto the couch. "No, no, you can't get on my lap," he told the dog. "I'm broken."

Jimmy smiled slightly as he watched Jace, proud of his son for being so mature. He might be just as much of a turd as his father was, but he was also a sweetheart and a good boy when he knew he needed to be. Jimmy stepped onto the elevator with Robyn and Jace, pressing the button and taking Robyn's hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze before bringing it up to his lips to kiss the back of it. Once they got to the lobby, he walked out with them, using his other hand to hold onto Jace's tiny one. He walked out of the hotel with his family, letting go of Robyn's hand to grab the keys for the rental car they were using. He unlocked it and helped Jace into his car seat before he opened Robyn's door for her. He stopped her before she could get in, reaching up and gently touching her cheek. "You look absolutely beautiful today, baby," he murmured softly, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. He slid his arms around her and hugged her tightly, wishing he could take her pain away. It wasn't very obvious from the way she was carrying herself, but he knew deep down she was hurting and confused.

---

Cassie frowned at Matt's words, walking over and slapping his arm, not caring if it hurt him. "Matthew Charles Sanders, I don't ever want to hear you say that again," she scolded. "You are not broken." She grabbed Bella's collar and gently pulled her off the couch. "Bed." She smiled when Bella stalked over to her bed and laid down in it. "Good girl." She sat down beside Matt, sighing contently as she finally got comfortable. She'd been in so much of her own pain lately that paired with taking care of Matt, she'd barely gotten any time to relax. She hadn't told him that she'd bled out a tiny fetus and had cried for an hour over it while she sat in front of the toilet, not wanting to flush it. She had talked to her doctor about a D&C procedure, to make sure all the tissue had been removed during the miscarriage, but so far she hadn't had any issues, so she didn't think she needed it. She stared off into space as she thought about her baby, wondering what could have been. She wished she had never gotten the paternity test done, then this would have never happened. But at the same time, Brian had such strong features that it was guaranteed that baby would have come out looking like him.

When Jimmy grabbed her hand while they were on the elevator, Robyn nearly jerked it back until she remembered that he was only trying to comfort her. She appreciated it, but for some reason she just didn't want to be touched. She didn't want the comfort, because she shouldn't need it. The woman they were burying today might be her mother, but she'd never acted like one. It had taken Robyn years to admit it to herself, but neither one of her parents ever really cared about her. And she shouldn't care about them, or the fact that they were both dead because of the choices they'd made. Robyn paused as she moved to get into the car, barely managing a smile when Jimmy spoke to her. She just wanted this day to be over. "We should get going, I think the funeral starts in twenty minutes," Robyn said softly, pulling away from Jimmy's hug. She climbed into the car, buckling her seatbelt and leaning her head against the window. They were nearly the last ones to arrive at the funeral service, but her aunt and uncle had saved the three of them seats up front with the two of them, Gwen, Tyler, and her grandparents. If there was anyone she knew was in pain over this, it was her uncle and her grandparents. This was their baby sister or their daughter they were burying, and they'd known her before Robyn's dad and the drugs had come in and made things a mess.

---

"Oww hey, why the fuck did you hit me?" Matt grumbled, looking at Cassie. Why did she care if he said she was broken? He sort of was broken, after all he'd broken his pelvis. It was sort of his fault - okay, entirely his fault - but he still felt broken. When Cassie sat down next to him, he tossed his arm over her shoulder, sinking down a little further into the couch. The pain pill he'd taken was starting to take effect, and he could feel his pain ebbing away. Usually he ended up taking a nap not long after he took a pain pill, and he was glad for the rest. He was also sure that Cassie was happy when he slept, because she didn't have to take care of him. Matt knew this wasn't easy for her, especially so shortly after her miscarriage. And he was trying not to be so needy, but when he was in pain he was kind of cranky and he stopped caring so much. ""You can change the channel if you want, I'll probably fall asleep here soon," Matt told Cassie. He leaned his head over on her shoulder, letting out a yawn. "Those pain pills make me drowsy as hell. But I...I feel good, so it's okay." Matt glanced around the room, his eyes widening a little when he spotted his forgotten sandwich on the coffee table. "Hey, I forgot about my sandwich," he mumbled. He thought he leaned forward to try and get it, but in reality, he only moved forward a couple of inches. "Ugh. Cass baby, would you hand me my sandwich? It's really far away."

Jimmy sighed heavily, climbing into the car and driving to the funeral home. He parked the car and climbed out, leading the two of them inside. He saw there were seats up front for them, and he walked up to sit down. He let Robyn sit beside David, and he sat on the end with Jace in between the two of them. He made sure Jace was on his best behavior the whole time, proud of him for being so good today. If there was one day he'd chosen to be really good, Jimmy was glad that today was that day. He sat there awkwardly, watching as the eulogist began speaking about Robyn's mom. He didn't really know anything about the woman, so the only opinion he could form was from the short time he'd known her. She'd seemed pretty normal, up until that last night. And while he wanted to still be angry at her for what she'd let happen to Jace, he couldn't hold a grudge against a dead person.

---

Cassie blinked when Matt asked for his sandwich, having completely zoned out. She looked down at him, sighing heavily. "You're so lucky I love you," she murmured, sitting upright and leaning over to grab his sandwich. She handed him the plate before getting comfortable again, sliding her arm around his shoulders and pulling him close to her. It felt really nice just to have him close by, even if he really couldn't do anything. She'd needed a lot of comfort since her miscarriage, and thankfully, Matt couldn't just get up and leave her. So it was kind of an equal trade for being his personal maid. She was just lucky she didn't have to feed him. Although, helping him to the bathroom sometimes was a bit annoying. But it was worth it because she knew he would do the same for her. And it was strengthening their relationship more than anything ever had, which was exactly what they needed right now.

Robyn was honestly a little surprised that Jace was acting as good as he was, but she was sure he was old enough by that point to pick up on the atmosphere of the situation. As the eulogist started talking about her mom, Robyn couldn't bring herself to look at him. It seemed like everything coming out of his mouth was a lie. She was a good person? Maybe before her dad came along, before the drugs. And she was probably a good friend up until that point, and a good sister and daughter, too. But she had never been a good mother. If she was a good mother, the first time she went to jail, when she watched Robyn be dragged away, kicking and screaming, she never would've gone back. Robyn didn't even realize that she was crying until she felt something wet on her hand, and she reached up to wipe at her eyes with her hand. "Don't cry, Mommy," Jace whispered, and Robyn felt his tiny hands grab onto hers. He scooted a little closer to Robyn and laid his head over against her arm.

---

Matt grinned when Cassie handed him the plate with his sandwich, taking a large bite as she slid her arm around his shoulders. "You're the best, you know that?" he said. He knew putting up with him wasn't easy. He was needy and demanding a lot of the times, and Cassie was an absolute angel for taking care of him like this. Matt slowly finished off his sandwich, his pain pill starting to kick in to the point where every so often, he forgot he even had the sandwich sitting in front of him. He wasn't sure what sort of narcotic the doctor had given him, but whatever it was, it was a damn strong one. "I'm going to take a nap," Matt mumbled. He looked down at his empty plate, trying to put it on the coffee table, but it missed by a long shot and fell onto the floor. Thankfully it was just a paper plate and didn't break or anything. "Oh damn, I missed," he said, sort of laughing. He leaned against Cassie, yawning and closing his eyes.

Jimmy looked over when he felt Jace moving, noticing he was cuddling up with Robyn. He smiled sadly before he looked forward again, just staring blankly into space as the man continued to speak about Robyn's mom. It felt like the eulogy had lasted forever, but it was finally over. Robyn's family went up to put flowers in the casket with her mom's body, getting a chance to say goodbye one last time. Jimmy glanced over at Robyn when David handed her a flower, giving her a look that said she didn't have to do it if she wanted to, but she probably should go see her mother one last time. Jimmy wondered if she would do it or not. If he were in her shoes, he probably wouldn't. But that was probably because he was too selfish, and he would definitely regret it later.

---

Cassie looked down at his plate on the floor, rolling her eyes. "Do you want to go lay in the bed?" she asked, knowing he was probably tired of sleeping on the couch. It had to be uncomfortable, and it probably wasn't helping his pain at all. It would be hard to get him up the stairs, but she would do it if he wanted to. She looked down at him, reaching up to gently brush her fingers through his hair. She pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head, smiling to herself. Through all the chaos lately, she'd almost forgotten how much she just enjoyed sitting with Matt and holding him close to her. She was glad they'd decided to just start fresh, because after he was all healed up, that meant they could go on dates and just be with each other all over again.

Robyn didn't say anything to Jace, instead just leaning over to press a kiss to the top of his head. Having him comfort her made her realize that Jace was growing up and it also made her realize that no matter how much she might've worried when she was pregnant, she was a good mother. He was such a good little person already and she and Jimmy had done a good job on him. Robyn also didn't want to take the flower when her uncle handed it to her, but she knew that if she didn't do this, she would never forgive herself. She took the flower from him and walked up to the casket, reaching in to put the flower on her mom's body. They were yellow daisies, which had always been her mom's favorite. Robyn remembered planting some with her the first time her mom had gotten out of prison. Her mom had promised her that they would take care of the flowers together but eventually, they had fallen to the wayside, forgotten in favor of the drugs and other things that her mom cared about more than her. It was just another one of her mom's broken promises.

Robyn turned away from the casket, crying hard now, and went back to her seat. She sat next to Jimmy this time, wrapping her arms around his middle and pressing her face into his shoulder.

---

"Yeah, yeah, let's go lay down in the bed," Matt said, nodding his head. He was sure that would be a lot more comfortable than trying to take a nap on the couch. Obviously, his pain medication made him pretty loopy and it had kicked in enough that he wasn't feeling any pain at all, so forgetting that he was still hurt pretty badly, Matt tried to stand, getting a shock of a reminder when a blinding pain radiated up his spine from his pelvis. "Fuck!" he cursed, plopping back down. He groaned, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth against the pain. "Why the fuck do I keep doing that? Cassie, why am I so stupid?" He let himself fall over, resting his head in her lap. "Are you sure you can get me up the stairs?" he asked her. He didn't know why though, she'd done it before. Matt just knew that he was pretty big and Cassie was little, so he asked every time. "I'm ready to go upstairs now."

Jimmy was surprised when Robyn sat next to him and held onto him. She hadn't really gotten close to him much lately, so he was totally caught off guard. Maybe she had finally let all her emotions come to the surface instead of bottling them up. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing his face into her hair. "It's okay, baby," he murmured. "It's gonna be okay." He couldn't imagine what it was like to not only lose one parent, but both of them. He knew if he lost his parents, he would be completely devastated and lost, himself. He wouldn't know what to do. He rubbed her back, looking over at Jace to make sure he was behaving and seeing him sitting in Connie's lap, hugging her. He smiled sadly, turning his attention back to Robyn. He didn't know what to say to her. Her mom was in a better place now? But at the same time, did Robyn even think her mom deserved to be in a better place? It was all so confusing and he was afraid he'd say something to upset her further and he didn't want to do that. So he just kept his mouth shut and held her.

---

Cassie rolled her eyes at Matt, sighing softly as she stood up. "Come on, you big oaf," she muttered, tugging him up off the couch slowly. She got him up as straight as he would get, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist. "Take your time, alright? I know you think you're big and tough and you don't need to take it slow, but you do. I don't want to have to be your nurse any longer than I need to be." She slowly began walking him towards the stairs, grunting when he leaned against her. "Matt, you have to hold some of your own weight." She gently stood him upright again, looking up at him. "I can't carry you." She rolled her eyes at the expression on his face, tempted to just leave him in the floor. Where were the guys when you needed them? Surely they could take him upstairs. "Come on." She began leading him up the stairs, trying not to get annoyed at the fact that he was whining like a baby every step they got up.