Losing track of Dominic, Rachel suspected he left, but she decided not to contact him again. Deep down, she knew that the chances of being reunited with him were very slim. Their breakup saddened her, but, in a way, also relieved her. Torn between her duties as a mother to her nephew, her job and her sister, she was struggling to cope with the pressure. She did have Kate’s help; her dear friend was doing everything in her power to assist her. She spent most of her time in Rachel’s apartment, babysitting for her while she was at work and stayed there, long after her friend got returned home.

Rachel might have been exhausted, but her fatigue was overshadowed by her emotional state. With her sister still in a coma and the man of her dreams thousands of miles away from her, she was on the verge of depression. She stayed up late, reminiscing about the time she had spent in France. To her relief, baby Dominic usually woke up, before she was overwhelmed by emotion. Moreover, she was often distracted at work, inviting a few complaints about her performance.

Frustrated and lost in her fear of losing her only family, Rachel decided to do something desperate. She left young Dominic at the hospital daycare and took Kate to visit Marianne. Her sister was a mere shadow of her former self. She had lost weight and looked paler by the day. Rachel sat down on a stool beside her, pulling her cell phone and a hands-free set out of her purse.

“Rach, what are you doing?” Kate wondered, as Rachel fitted an ear bud in her ear. “Cell phones aren’t allowed in here.”

“I’m not calling anybody,” Rachel muttered, reaching toward Marianne’s head. “I just want to listen to a song with her.”

“A song? Really?” Kate’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“Do you have any better suggestions?” Rachel grumbled, raising her eyes to glare at her friend, as she put the ear bud in Marianne’s ear. “I’m getting desperate here. I can’t go on like this. Marianne…” She whispered, dragging her gaze away from Kate to look down at her sister. “Remember ‘Daredevil’, sweetheart? I’m sure you do. We both loved that movie. Remember the song you liked most? ‘My immortal’? Well, here it is…”

Rachel pushed the “play” button on her cell phone, as Kate shook her head in disapproval. She reached both arms down towards Marianne’s hand and pulled it into her hands, as the melancholic, piano introduction sent shivers down her spine. Her heart fluttered, as flashes of the memories she had with her sister filled her mind. Rachel closed her eyes, dropping her head into her hands, as Amy Lee’s powerful voice flooded her heart with emotion…

I'm so tired of being here

Suppressed by all my childish fears

And if you have to leave

I wish that you would just leave

'Cause your presence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have… all of me

You used to captivate me by your resonating light

Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind

Your face it haunts… my once pleasant dreams

Your voice it chased away… all the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have… all of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone

But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

You still have… all of me

Rachel’s ambitious plan failed miserably. The song was over and she had gotten no response from Marianne. A tear spilled from her eye, as she removed her right hand from her sister’s hand.

“Worth a shot…” She whispered, pulling the ear bud out of Marianne’s ear.

“Hopeless…” Kate groaned. “Just hopeless.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Rachel said, holding tight to her temper. All of a sudden, a featherlike touch on her skin forced her to look down at her hand. Marianne’s pinky finger was twitching, softly brushing against her sister’s knuckles.

“Kate!” She exclaimed, with her eyes open wide, as the sensation sent her heart in a flurry of wild beats. “Go get the doctor. Now!”

“What happened?” Kate’s voice was filled with tension, as she moved around the bed. Rachel didn’t speak. Instead, she stayed still, watching as Marianne’s ring finger twitched as well. Her middle finger followed. Rachel’s lips quivered, as she moved her gaze up Marianne’s arm. Fixing it on her face, she leaned over her, her heart thumping in her chest. Her eyelids were flickering. Kate spun around and stormed out of the room, as Rachel lifted her free hand to her sister’s face. She lightly squeezed her hand, her breath short, as two tears raced down her cheeks. Marianne opened her drowsy eyes and moved them slowly to the left, as Rachel caressed her skin.

“I knew it…” Rachel whispered, as their gazes met. “I knew you’d come back.”

Marianne’s lips curled into a small, sweet smile, as happy tears rolled off her sister’s face. Just when she parted them, Rachel let go of her hand and lifted her hand to her face.

“Shhhhhh…,” she said, her voice a soft, tender whisper, as she put her fingers over Marianne’s mouth. “Don’t speak, honey. Welcome back.”