I don't remember much about my mother.

Actually, that's a lie.

I remember the way her smile would light up a room, and the way her voice soothed me to sleep after had woken up from a nightmare. And I remember her hair that she used to let me braid. Even when her hair would end up in knots, she would never yell at me. I remember at my 5th birthday party when me and my best friend Jackie pushed her into the pool.

I was her baby.

To this day, no one has called me Ci-ci since she left. It's been 11 years.

The twins are still adorably cute. They get away with anything, but that's just because Dad is soft on them. He's my father, even though it's only through adoption.

He's the only father I've ever known.

I think my mom blamed herself for that, but I know it wasn't her fault. My real father came forward a month after my mom left.

I told him I wanted to be with Nick and so that's where I've been to this day.

"Kayci! Are you ready to go!?"

That's my dad, now. Graduation is tonight. I'm the youngest member of my senior class at 16, but it's all good.

I closed my door on my way out of my room. As I came down the steps in my blue gown, with my cap in hand, I noticed our company. "Hey, Zach."

He strided across the family room to my side and kissed my cheek, decked out in the same attire as I. "Ready to become an adult?" he smiled cheekily.

"Don't go getting any ideas," Nick gave my boyfriend of... well, forever, a cold glare.

"Yeah, you just turned 18, so just don't go there," I laughed at him as a pair of arms slinked their ways around my waist and spun me clear off the ground. "Uncle Alex put me down before you give yourself a heart attack!" I squealed and Zach laughed at me.

Some boyfriend, huh?

The 33 year old man laughed at me too. "You have always thought you were older than me."

"Not older, just more mature," I corrected him.

"And now my baby girl is almost all grown up," he hugged me affectionately.

"You have always been an odd one," I shook my head and linked my arm through Zach's. "Everyone ready to go?"

There were a lot of people filling my house at the moment. Kevin, his wife and 3 kids. Howie and Lesley with their son. Brian and Sanya with their daughter, Jessica. Lastly, there was Alex, Megan and their 2 children, Scott and Andrea. Scott is such a little devil child. I can't stand baby-sitting that boy. Andrea is cute, but she's extremely... silly, like her father.

Thank god, it's an outdoor ceremony.

~~Later~~

"You should have seen her, Jess. When she gave her speech I was proud enough for the both of us, I think... I thought about you a lot today. I'm 31. You'd think I'd be able to get over you but I can't..." I laughed at myself. "I think Gabby is hooked on this Travis kid. She said he's in a lot of her classes and he's the cutest one in any of them. Jordan almost beat me in a one-on-one game today. I think I'm getting too old for this," I paused and traced my fingers over the words of her gravestone.

Jessica Marie Robinson

born March 19th 1980

died September 30th 2000

"I'll be the greatest fan of your life."

Rest in Peace Forever.

"Dad... how much longer are you going to be?" Gabrielle asked quietly, knowing this was a touchy thing for me.

"Not too much longer. You can go wait in the car," I passed my 11 year old the key's to my truck. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but oh well.

"All right," she touched her heart with two fingers, kissed them and then rested them on the gravestone. "Later, Mom," Gabby whispered before running to our vehicle.

"They don't even know you but they know who you are... and they love you. You gave up your life to save theirs... I wish I could've taken your place. I'd give anything to have you back, Jessica," I hung my head low and shut my eyes forcing the tears back. "Kayci went to some party with her friends. I won't see her till tomorrow morning," I kneeled in the grass, depressed. "Remember that woman I told you I started seeing 2 months ago?... Things didn't work out between us... I don't think I'm going to date for a while... It just hurts too much."

~~Saturday, September 30th, 2000; around 3:30 p.m.~~

"Someone get this screen on NOW! I need to see what I'm doing!" Kate yelled as the monitor flicked on, allowing Kate to actually see the damage that was inflicted upon Jessica because of the childbirth. "Oh my god..." Kate gasped and began to delicately work to correct Jessica's torn tissue.

"Children?"

"She had twins," Brian kept on. "As of right now, they have two healthy babies, but Jessica is in surgery to correct some problems."

For a second, Nick's heart felt as if it stopped.

"Mr. Carter..." she knelt in front of Nick and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"How's the lucky father feeli-" Carson was interrupted by a loud scream of anguish. "Whoa! What's going on over there, Brian? Is everything ok?"

More screams tremored through the room.

"Oh dear God... " Brian muttered and dropped the phone. He ran to his friends side and pulled him into a strong, brotherly hug.

"She's gone..." the force that had been coursing through Nick's body disappeared and he was left as nothing more than a limp figure.

"Viewers, I have no idea what's going on," Carson threw his hands up as the situation was broadcasted across the country.

"It was too much for her Nick... I'm so sorry..." Kate repeated and could feel herself getting choked up, so she excused herself.

"It'll be ok, Nick," Kevin put a hand on his shoulder.

"No, it won't!" he yelled and pushed Brian away weakly. He stumbled to a corner and slid down the wall to the floor. "I'll never get to see her again... and I love her... with all that I have in me... I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!" he yelled and noticed the phone by his side. Picking it up he could hear through the receiver.

"I think we've just let the world in on some disturbing news..." Carson read as the teleprompter in front of him quickly whirled by the fresh words, instead of what was planned earlier.

"You all make me sick," Nick said before clicking the off switch on his telephone. "Well, the whole fucking globe knows." Nick leaned his head back against the wall, letting stream after stream of hot tears flow down his face forming damp spots on his clothing. He pushed his way over to the window and opened it. The cool air blew across his face reminding him of Jessica's presence that would no longer be standing beside him to guide him. He was left alone with children who needed him. Yet he was still alone. "Just let me end it all now..." he said remorsefully and pulled him self up onto the window sill.

"NO!" almost everyone screamed at once and AJ grabbed him forcefully and shoved him to the floor like a child.

"How can you even think of that?!" he cursed at his friend. "That's just so... stupid, man. You've got two kids and they need you more than anything on this earth!... What about Kayci? She's not going to understand any of this, and you're going to need each other. Don't just think about yourself here!" he spat out and turned on his heel. "We all loved her, Nick. I just lost my little sister and one of my best friends... You're not the only one hurting," he stormed out of the room, not caring if anyone saw the distraught look on his face, or the wetness that sprung from his eyes. Megan stared at Nick and he waved her off. Quickly, she ran after AJ.

Sanya who had sat lifeless in her chair the whole time, still hadn't moved an inch. Brian, saw her out of the corner of his eye and slowly walked to her side and sat down next to her. "Sanya-" he tried to wrap her up in a hug but she pushed him away harshly.

"Don't touch me," she said softly and bitterly. "This is bull shit," she said before standing and making her way out of the room. Her boots clicked as she walked on the tile floor towards the operating room that Kate had come from in the first place.

Brian turned on the corner to see Sanya about to push open the double doors. "DON'T!" he yelled before running down the hall to her side. "You don't want to do that."

"She's not dead..." she sniffed. "She can't be..." her hand raised to touch the door and she simply laid it there. "My baby sister..." she trembled from head to foot before letting loose an uncontrollable wail.

"Shhhh..." Brian pulled her into his arms quickly while she was too weak to push him away. "It'll be all right... you gotta be strong," he comforted her and held up her body when she couldn't do it on her own any longer. She felt a hand fall lightly on her shoulder and turned to see Nick. After looking at Brian for a second she let herself cling to Nick tight. Tighter than she knew she could. He hugged her back with the same energy. They released their pain to each other before mumbling small phrases that neither could truly comprehend at the moment.

"I'm so sorry," was the common sentence spoken. Over and over. They were sorry for each other. They were sorry for the life that was lost. They were sorry for the people that would never get to meet her. They were sorry for her children. They were sorry for themselves. More than any of that though, they were sorry for Jessica. They were sorry for her life that was taken so suddenly yet lived so fully. She proved to be someone, something so Bittersweet in the end.

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