The day after Christmas was set to be a busy one. The three of us all had follow up appointments with doctors at Fort Bragg to get to. So after having a big breakfast and making sure I had all of Kuzma's paperwork with me, the three of us headed out to the base. I drove on the way there. Even though it probably wasn't the best of idea's, I knew that I would most likely be to tired to drive back and I didn't want to make Morgan drive both ways. The twenty minute drive was pretty quiet. Most of the people were at home still in bed and not on the road, which cut the usual 25 minute trip down to 15.

It was a good thing we got there early though because I got a call from Rob that he sent our phones on a flight here last night and they would be waiting for us in the special operations office. With it being the day after Christmas, I was able to find a parking spot right up in front of the doors so I was grateful I didn't have to walk far to get to the building. This happened to be the same building Dad's office was in and I had to push it out of my mind when I pulled the door open. Luckily, the phones were waiting for me at reception and all I had to do to get them was show my IDs. Once in hand, I made my way back to the car and hoped in.

Morgan plugged both of our phones into the waiting charger as I drove us across the base towards the medical offices. It looked like there were more people here then at the other building as it took me a little longer to find a parking spot. We all walked inside and checked in. Morgan was called back in for her appointment first while Kuzma and I waited. It didn't take long before I heard Kuzma's name being called. Kuzma took my hand as we walked back in for his appointment together.

I did make sure to tell the doctor that if they are looking for me for my appointment I'm in with him but they have notes all over Kuzma's chart that I'm his legal guardian, so I wouldn't be called for my appointment until after we are done with his. The doctor got to work in cutting off the cast on Kuzma's arm. I was happy I had the right idea in bringing a few of Kuzma's toy's with me, so I pulled the Rubik's cube from the backpack I have and handed it over to him. Together we tried to spin the colored squares around in order to solve the puzzle but with each of us only using one hand, we ended up laughing more then getting anywhere in solving the puzzle. In between laughing, Kuzma did teach me how to say all of the colors on the cube in Ukrainian.

The doctor was amused at our antics but didn't say anything as he focused on getting the old cast off. Once the final cut was made, he pealed back the layers of tissue and finally, we all saw Kuzma's arm. It looked a bit gross not going to lie, but his arm healed straight, which is what we all wanted. After the doctor washed away the last of the tissue that was stuck to his arm, he took Kuzma down the hall for an x-ray to make sure everything is in it's rightful place and the bone is healing.

It didn't take long for the doctor to come back in and pull up his x-ray. He actually showed us both the before and after shots of Kuzma's arm. I was just happy to hear that Kuzma didn't need another hard cast, only a hard brace for another two weeks before he would start PT to help regain motion in his wrist and arm. The doctor left the room and came back a few minutes later with a brace for Kuzma's arm. He took out the few stitches that were there from the surgery before cleaning his arm again before putting the brace on. Kuzma took everything like a champ and for that, the doctor gave him a lollipop.

After his appointment was over we left and went back out front to the waiting room to wait for my appointment. We were waiting for about ten minutes before Morgan came out of the back without her sling. I gave her a smile as she sat down next to Kuzma as the two started to talk about there appointments. It took another five minutes before I got called in for my appointment.

Once I got back into the exam room, the doctor introduced herself. Her name is Alison Johnstone and she told me about the very long phone call with Doctor Mayfield about my condition before seeing me today. It made me happy to know she was fully up to speed so I wouldn't have to go over everything with her.

First she started with taking a look at where all of the shrapnel was pulled from my legs. All of those marks are healing well. Next we moved onto my head. She went through a few standard tests to see how my short term memory has improved. It is definitely better now then it was before. I still feel like I have my moments when I have to be told things a few times for it to sink in, but it was nothing like it was when I first woke up.

From there, we moved onto my chest. I was actually able to get my sweatshirt off by myself today without causing a crazy amount of pain. It was a big accomplishment that I had to tell the doctor about it. She made sure to note it on my chart as she started to unwrap the bandages around my ribs.

The doctor had a pretty good poker face as she finally got to see all the damage across my chest. Her hands were gentle as she pocked and prodded, checking things over. When she got over to the stitches still in my side she did tell me that it was time for them to come out. Before she went to get her stuff ready, she gave me a gown to slip over the front of my chest for some modesty and I was happy to be able to cover up a bit. It didn't take the doctor long before she was ready to pull the stitches out. It was not the best feeling in the world but she did try to be gentle about it.

After the stitches were removed, it was time for an x-ray to see how the ribs are healing. The x-ray didn't take long and once we were done with it we were back in the room. Before I was able to get back into my sweatshirt she did take a look at my back to see how the bruising is fading. Slowly but surely all of the colors that marked my skin are going to fade, but for now, I've got a rainbow covering me.

Once she was satisfied, the doctor wrapped my ribs back up and helped me into my sweatshirt before looking over the x-rays. Just like Kuzma's doctor, she showed me the before and after shots of my ribs. A wave of nausea rolled threw me when I saw what they looked like right after the explosion. The after didn't look so great either, there's a bunch of pins and wires holding my ribs together now where the bones are slowly healing. Doctor Johnstone went over her findings and told me that my fractured ribs are almost completely healed while my broken ribs have been reduced to fractures now. Once she was done going over everything I asked for a print out of both x-rays, wanting to keep them for my own records.

With the print outs in hand, a new follow up appointment in three weeks and a few new prescriptions to pick up on the way home, I was good to go. The doctor set me up with a physical therapist here to go to to help get some stamina back in me and then I was given a lollipop on my way out the door.

Morgan and Kuzma were both waiting for me when I was done and they both looked like they were ready to get out of here. My appointment was definitely longer then there's and I knew would be annoyed to be waiting this long to. Kuzma took my hand while Morgan grabbed his backpack. Together the three of us left the office and I couldn't help but just stand outside under the warm sun rays for a moment before I felt Kuzma pull on my hand. I snapped out of my head and followed him to the car.

I made sure Kuzma had his seatbelt on before getting into the passenger seat. Morgan pulled out of the parking lot and we were on our way home. The drive was quiet, Kuzma ended up nodding off for the ride as we got stuck in a bit of traffic. When we got home, Dominic was able to pick him up and bring him upstairs for a nap.

I couldn't help but move to stand in front of the window so I could be in the sun. When Dominic came back downstairs with Morgan and tow, I knew I needed some space and wanted to get outside for a bit. I went to the bathroom and carefully brushed my hair out a bit before putting on my camo hat and leaving the bathroom. When I got into the living room, Morgan handed me my phone that I already forgot I had back before I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going to go to the park for a little while, I have my phone with me if something comes up." I said.

"You want company?" She asked looking concerned.

"Not right now, maybe tomorrow?" I said. Morgan just handed me the car keys before giving me another kiss on the cheek.

I missed the run I would usually make here but just had to settle for the drive. It would be a long time before I would be able to run this long of a distance again. I tried to push that thought from my mind as I pulled into the parking lot. There were a bunch of other cars parked in the lot but that wasn't a surprise with how nice the weather is right now.

I killed the engine and got out of the car before walking over to the empty swing set. I sat down and pumped my legs a few times before I had to stop because it put to much pressure on my ribs and abs to hold myself up. I sighed and put my head in my hands and tried not to cry. This pain is only temporary, a reminder that I'm alive. I'm here on this swing in my home town, on this beautiful day, I'm safe, in one piece, and now I have a family. It is small, but it is mine, well it will be officially in about three more weeks once I get the final word on Kuzma's adoption. It's time to make good on my promise to Morgan, I need to find a therapist because I want to be here for them, and not lost to all these thoughts.

A few tears escaped my eyes as I tried to calm down and not look like a crazy person in the park. When I pulled my head from my hands I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and took a few deep breaths. My ribs stung but feeling the pain helped keep me present in the moment.

"Are you okay?" I heard a young voice as I finished wiping my face off. When my eyes locked on the child my heart leapt into my throat. Logan.

"Dani!" Logan said ran right for me. I barely had enough time to get up off the swing before he wrapped his arms around my waist. My arm's went around his shoulders and I couldn't help but let out a groan the impact had on my chest. I could tell Logan was crying and I wish I could get down to be on his level to try and calm him down. But I knew if I sat down, it would be really hard to get back up again.

"Shh, buddy, it's okay. Take a few deep breaths, we need to calm you down." I said and rubbed circles on his back. It worked slowly but I knew I needed to sit down soon so I'm going to need to move this reunion to a bench.

"Logan, who are you at the park with?" I asked as my heart started to race.

"Mom, dad and Shane are all here." Logan said and finally let go of my waist.

"We should probably go find them because there isn't a doubt in my mind that your mom is looking for you right now." I said and helped wipe his face clean.

Logan took my hand in his and together we walked slowly towards the playground. I pressed on as I started to get winded and should probably sit down. When we got to the actual playground I looked around and was able to find the group of Logan's parents sitting on a blanket not far from the playground area. They were all looking in the direction of the playground so they were surprised to hear Logan yell from the other direction. They all switched direction to look at us and it took all of two seconds for Mallory to jump up off of the ground and sprint over to us.

I let go of Logan's hand and put both of mine up to stop Mallory from running full speed at me. I couldn't take a hit that hard right now, if she did, I would be on the floor with ribs more broken then they were long an hour ago on the x-ray. Mallory got the hint and slowed her run to stop right in front of me. I couldn't help but give her a smile before saying a quiet hi before I pulled her into a hug.

I don't know what mom has told her about what happened to me but when she gently wrapped her arms around my back in the hug, I knew she gave her a bit of the truth. The hug couldn't last for long even though I knew Mallory wish it would. I broke apart from her but held tightly onto her arm as I looked for a bench. We were too far from the playground so I knew I would need to sit on the floor.

Mallory held onto my arm tightly and pulled me over to where they had their picnic set up. Troy and Shane moved some stuff around and I saw a camping chair set up. We made our way over to it and I carefully sat down, happy to finally be off my feet. It took a few seconds for me to be able to focus on being present. When I opened my eyes again, Mallory is still kneeling next to me, her hand on my arm.

"Looks like Logan still likes to wonder off." I said trying to break the tension. Mallory couldn't help but smile and laugh before she started to tear up.

"Yea, he marches to the beat of his own drum, no matter how many times we tell him not to stray to far from our set up." Mallory said and wiped away her tears.

"I guess mom told you a bit about what happened over there?" I asked not wanting to go into specifics.

"Just that you were hurt, bad enough to be in the hospital for a bit before coming home. She wouldn't tell me what happen, just that things were touch and go for a while before you started to stabilize." Mallory said.

"The specifics don't matter, I'm home safe, recovering, thanks to a lot of good people looking out for me." I said and gave her a smile.

"How long are you here for?" Mallory asked.

"We're staying for a month. I can't really raise my arms higher then my chest still and Morgan is just started to get back some more range of motion in her shoulder. Once things get a bit easier, we'll go home to Georgia." I said.

"What happened to Morgan?" Mallory asked concerned.

"She got shot in the shoulder. Some PT and she'll be back to full strength." I said still trying to push that moment from my mind.

"I'll glad you are both home safely. You know, your picture kind of blew up here. Logan ripped it from the paper and pined it up in his room." Mallory said clearly time to ease some of the tension.

"It was a good moment, I'm glad it got on film somehow." I said, still uneasy about everything that happened after that photo was taken.

The tension was still present and I think everyone could sense it but that's when Logan came back from wherever he went. He flew into Mallory's side and tackled her to the ground when she wasn't expecting it. Everyone got a laugh out of it even though my ribs still ached. Just as I pulled myself together my phone started to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. Dominic sent a text. I opened it ignoring all of my other messages and found a video. Curiosity got the best of me so I opened the video and found Morgan and Kuzma playing soccer in the backyard.

It was clear that Kuzma was pretty good at the sport as he weaved his way past Morgan and even Peyton before taking a shot at the net. The ball hit the corner and Kuzma slid on the grass with a smile on his face. I bit my lip as I sent Dominic a text back saying I'll be home soon. When I looked back up Mallory had a questioning look on her face and I sighed.

"It was Dominic, he sent a video of Morgan and Kuzma playing soccer together." I said put my phone back in my pocket.

"And who is Kuzma?" Mallory asked.

"Well, Kuzma, he's uhm, it's not 100% official yet, but he's uhm my son." I said.

It was the first time using the word son. It felt weird coming off my tongue. I know that Kuzma had parents, one's who loved him dearly if the few photo's he had of them were any indication. This was something that will be ever changing as we both move forward.

"I feel like I'm missing something." Mallory said trying to put the pieces together.

"While over there, Morgan and I were clearing an apartment building that was right next to a shelling. Most of that side of the building was blown out. We found him and were able to bring him to safety. His parents didn't survive the night. Over the course of the night, we bonded and with the help of some people, we were able to get him out of the country. I didn't know what happened to him because I had to leave him behind while I moved forward until I came home and found him sitting on my couch." I said still thinking of that moment when his little body crashed into my broken one.

"Sounds like you went through a lot more then anything we could think of." Mallory said.

"Easiest way to sum it up." I said and flashed her a smile before my phone went off again. Another text from Dominic, this time it was a picture of Kuzma laying in the grass with Morgan. Both of them were looking up at the sky and I knew it was time for me to go home to them.

"It looks like someone is looking for you." Mallory said.

"Yea, it's time for me to go home." I said and gave her a sad smile.

Troy and Shane both got up from the ground, it was then that I only remembered they were here with us, and both offered me a hand to get up. I didn't say anything but just gladly accepted there help out of the chair and to make sure my legs were stable before I let go. I wasn't able to go far though when they both pulled me into a hug. I was surprised at there actions but didn't question the motion. Then Logan came over and wrapped his arms around my waist and held on tight. When we let go Troy and Shane call him over to them so Mallory and I could have a few seconds alone while she walked me to my car.

Mallory didn't say anything as she hooked her arm through mine and let me lean a bit on her while we walked back to my car. When we got there, I leaned against the driver's side door and turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry for how I left last time, I shouldn't have done that to you." I said wanting to get that off my chest. Hearing her call out my name as I just continued to walk out of her backyard that day will probably ring through the back of my mind forever.

"You have nothing to apologize for Dani. I'm glad you did it. If you let me walk you home I would have been even more upset. I'm just happy you are home safe." Mallory said and gave me a smile.

"Do you think that I could call you about getting Kuzma and Logan together? I think he needs to spend some time around kids his own age." I said.

"I think Logan would love to have a new friend. Call whenever, even if you just want to talk." Mallory said.

"Thanks Mal." I said really meaning it for once.

Mallory didn't say anything but just pulled me into a hug. When we broke apart, she opened my car door for me and helped me get inside. Once I was settled, she pushed the door closed and watched me drive off back home. When I pulled into the driveway I cut the engine and slowly climbed out of the car. I didn't bother going into the house, just walked around into the backyard to find Morgan and Kuzma still laying in the grass together. Carefully I got down onto the grass with them and felt Kuzma put his braced hand in mine.

"Hi buddy" I said and felt my heart warm when he rolled over on top of me to tell me all about his soccer game with Morgan. My heart wanted to burst out of my chest as I listened to him recall his game and I could help but push away a few blades of grass from his hair. Morgan suddenly pressed a kiss to my head as she wrapped herself around my head while she debated some of the moves in the game with Kuzma.

Tears gathered in my eyes and I had a hard time pushing them away as I listened to my two favorite people talk. My heart is slowly healing and I know with both of them around, it wouldn't be long before it would good as new.

a/n: did you guys really think I was going to bring Dani back to her hometown and not have Mallory reappear at least once? song on the side is I'm a Mess by Ed Sheeran because Dani is a bit of a mess, to many things on her mind, something that she is going to struggle with for a while and I'll touch on it briefly before the end of this work.