“Dad!”

Frank raised tired eyes to see his one and only daughter bearing down on him. He groaned inwardly. Why had he told her? With a sigh, he put down the paperwork he’d been trying to read and stood to greet her.

“Where is he? Can I see him?”

“He’s asleep. Sit down. What are you doing here?”

“Are you serious?” She flopped down onto a squeaky plastic seat and stared at him as if he had two heads. “You call to tell me you finally found Alex, and expect me not to drop everything and run?”

“I told you not to.”

“Since when do I do what you tell me to? Where is he?”

“He’s asleep, Lacey.”

“I just want to see him.” She gave Frank her ‘Please, Daddy’ look, with big eyes and jutting lip. “Please, please, please.”

“Lacey, be quiet. Stop behaving like a child. This is a hospital.”

Lacey gaped at his sharp tone. “Oh. I’m sorry.” Suddenly, her eyes widened. “Oh. He's alright isn’t he? He’s not hurt, or…. Dad?”

Frank sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “He’s got a bad chest infection and he’s running a fever. They’ve got him on IV antibiotics for twenty-four hours, but they don’t think it’s going to turn into anything worse.”

Lacey visibly relaxed. “That’s okay, then. So, what’s the problem?”

“There are lots of problems, Lacey.”

“None we can’t fix, though. Not now we’re all together again. Mam would have been so happy, Dad, so proud of you. She always knew you could do it.”

Frank's heart twinged at the mention of his wife. “Yeah, I did it. I really did it.”

“What’s wrong?” Lacey scrutinized him with uncomfortable intensity. “What aren’t you telling me”

“ You haven’t given me a chance to tell you anything.”

“Oh. I know. Sorry. It’s just…. I’m…. Can’t I see him, Dad? Please. Just for a minute. I know he’s asleep and I won’t wake him. Please. Just a peep. Just for a minute.”

Frank sighed. He knew when he was beaten. He never could say no to Lacey.

“Just a peep. A few minutes.”

Lacey grinned wide. “Thanks, Dad. Where is he?” She bounded to her feet and looked around as if expecting to see Alex right there in the waiting room.

“This way.” Frank took her arm and guided her along a short corridor. He paused outside a door. “Lacey, be sensible. He’s been through a lot.”

The bounce disappeared, to be replaced by the fierceness that always appeared when any of her brothers were threatened.

“I know that, Dad. I’m not naïve. Neither am I completely insensitive or an idiot. I know it’s not going to be easy, for any of us, but I’ve been waiting for this for so long. I’ll take care of him. I swear.”

“I know you will, honey, but please be careful, he’s fragile. He’s…. I’ll explain later. For now, just be careful. He’s sedated so he shouldn’t wake, but if he does, don’t…overwhelm him.”

Lacey gave him an odd look but didn’t say anything. She simply nodded and squeezed his hand before pushing open the door and slipping inside. After a moment’s hesitation, Frank followed.

The expression on his daughter’s face very nearly tore Frank’s heart out. He’d rarely seen Lacey at a loss for words, but he had the feeling she couldn’t have spoken now if her life depended on it. She was totally absorbed in her brother, and it was as beautiful as it was heart-breaking.

In the time since they’d first met, Alex – no Sacha. He had to get used to calling him Sacha – had showered and his hair was clean and shining. What had first appeared brown was a rich red, shot through with flashes of copper fire, although darker than the flame-haired beauty that was his sister.

Lacey ran long strands through her fingers. She looked up at Frank. “It’s so long,” she said, drawing her own copper curls over her shoulder. “Longer than mine.”

She sounded shocked. Frank smiled and nodded, not knowing what to say.

Fortunately, Lacey didn’t wait for a reply. She continued her tactile exploration of her brother by gently stroking his cheek.

“He’s so…delicate. I thought he’d look older.”

“Yes, so did I.”

“Are you sure?” Lacey whispered, as if afraid of the answer.

“That it’s Alex?” Lacey nodded. “What do you think?”

Lacey bit her lip and stroked Sacha’s cheek again. Sacha sighed and murmured something in his sleep. For a moment, he opened his eyes and stared around blankly, before drifting off again.

“Oh,” Lacey said, “he has our eyes.”

“Yes.”

Lacey sat down and took Sacha’s hand. After a little while she started to speak softly. Frank had to strain to hear what she was saying.

“Hey, Alex. I’m Lacey, your big sister. You probably don’t remember me, but I remember you. You were a proper little brat.” She paused and laughed. “No, you weren’t; you were an angel. The sweetest kid. You still look like an angel. When did you get to be so beautiful? I’m supposed to be the beautiful one.” Lacey tried to laugh again, but there was precious little humour in the sound that made it past her tight throat.

“I don’t know where you’ve been, Alex, or what you’ve been doing, and I don’t really care. You’re my little brother, just like you always were, and I’m going to take care of you, just like I always did.

“Wait until Adam sees you. He’s gone all medical so he’ll probably want to take your tonsils out or something. And don’t worry if James says he hates you for a while. He probably will, but he’ll get over it. He’s jealous, that’s all. He’s the brat, but a precious one, and he’ll love you in the end, just like the rest of us.”

Again, Sacha stirred and murmured something, then whimpered, rolling his head on the pillow. Lacey stroked his forehead and soothed him until he was peaceful again. Frank smiled, a lump in his throat. When had she turned into her mother?

When he was sure both children were okay, Frank returned to the waiting room, intending to immerse himself in paperwork again, but he’d read through the same paragraph four times when he heard his name called and looked up again.

A young man in police uniform was hurrying down the corridor toward him. Frank sighed and shook his head. “She hasn’t got you to drop everything as well, has she?” he asked irritably. Lacey had her boyfriend as thoroughly wrapped around her little finger as she had her father.

“It’s alright, I was coming off shift. I’m off until Saturday so we’re good for a few days.”

“Great,” Frank grumbled. “I was hoping you’d have to take her home tonight.”

Luke grinned. Once, a comment like that would have thrown him but he was used to the Frank/Lacey dynamic by now. It had taken almost three years, but he’d got there.

“’Fraid not, Frank. You know what Lacey’s like when her mind’s set. She booked rooms on the way down in the car and she’s already decided Alex is travelling home with us.”

“What do you mean ‘home’?” Frank asked, alarmed, the threat of a looming battle with his daughter rearing before his eyes.

“Don’t look so worried,” Luke said, throwing himself into a chair and crossing his long legs at the ankles. “Not even Lacey is daft enough to suggest we take him back to ours.”

Frank relaxed and sighed. Luke and Lacey were doing well enough. Lacey had just finished the second year of a Social Sciences degree and was well on her way to her chosen profession of primary school teacher. Luke was in his last six month probation in the police force, and had applied to the Criminal Investigation Department. As a chief inspector, Frank’s recommendation went a long way and he fully expected Luke to be accepted. Not that it amounted to nepotism, not at all. Luke was wet behind the ears but he had everything it took, and more, to be an excellent CID officer one day.

Adam, too was well settled, married to a sweet woman and co running a thriving general practice in Surrey. He sighed. At least two of his children were okay. James…well, he’d be okay too - when he stopped hating the world and blaming Alex for stealing his mother.

“So, is Lacey…you know…with him?”

“With Alex? Yes, although we’re going to have to get used to calling him Sacha now.”

“Sacha? Why?”

“Because it’s his name; the only one he knows now.”

“Harsh. That’s going to be tricky.”

“Yeah.”

“So is he…okay?”

“Not by a long shot, Luke. Not by a long shot.”

“What…? Is he sick? Hurt? A criminal?” Luke chuckled, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“He’s hurt, Luke. Hurt deep and I don’t know if I can fix him.”

“We’ll all fix him. No one can resist the whole Prosser clan when they get together and work their magic. Look at me.”

Frank smiled. Luke had been something of a lost cause when Lacey first brought him home. A bad boy with a liking for hard rock and hard liquor, he was what Mary had termed a loveable rogue. She’d taken him under her wing and six months later he was enrolled in the police academy.

“You’re different,” Frank said fondly.

“So,” Luke said after a short silence. “What’s the crack with him?”

“I’d prefer to wait for the family meeting.”

“What family meeting?”

“The one we’re going to have when Adam gets here. It was going to be just the two of us, but I guess any chance of that is out of the window now.”

Luke snorted. “You know Lacey.”

“Yes, I do, which is why I didn’t want her involved in the meeting.”

“Why?”

“Go in there and take a look at the expression on her face. While you’re doing it, imagine that in half an hour or so you’re going to be telling her exactly where the baby brother she’s fallen in love with all over again, has been for the past eight years and what those bastards did to him.”

Luke blanched. “As bad as that?”

“Possibly. We’re waiting on the results of some tests, but I’m pretty sure of what they’re going to say. Not even he knows the worst of it yet.”

“Jesus, is he going to be okay?”

“Physically, yeah, well…mostly. Mentally, I seriously doubt it.”

“This is going to destroy Lacey. You should have heard her on the way here. She’s got plans.”

“Lacey makes, breaks and changes plans like the wind. She’s stronger than she looks.”

“I know that, but this is her brother, man. She’s weird when it comes to her brothers.”

Frank chuckled. “She more like her mother than she knows. Let me tell you something, Luke; my boys aren’t her brothers, they’re her kids.”

“I figured that. It’s taken some getting used to.”

Frank chuckled again. “Hold on to your hat. It’s about to get a whole lot worse. She’s finally got one who really needs her.”

“She’s already got one, Frank. James.”

“James doesn’t need her. James needs her attention. I know he was pushed aside and he deserved better, but he’s not fragile. He’s not damaged and he’s not broken. He’s angry and he’ll get over it. I honestly don’t know if Sacha will ever get over what happened to him.”

“Has the hospital shrink spoken to him?”

“No. He’s been sedated since he’s been here. They’re coming down to see him in the morning. They won’t let him out of here until they’ve signed him off.”

“That’s sensible.”

“Yeah.”

“Luke.”

Luke shot to his feet at the sound of Lacey’s voice and she threw herself into his arms. She was laughing and crying at the same time. “He’s home, Luke,” she said. “He’s really home. Come and meet my brother. Come meet Alex.”

“His name’s not Alex, Lacey.” Frank said gently. “You have to get used to that right from the start, or it will be a real problem for you.”

Lacey laughed. “He’s Alex. He’ll always be Alex.”

Frank got to his feet and Lacey’s eyes widened at his severe expression.

“His name is not Alex, not anymore. If you insist on calling him Alex you’ll alienate him from the start. If you won’t call him Sacha, the only name he can ever remember being his, you’re taking something very important away from him. It’s going to be a hard enough struggle for him as it is, trying to find who he is, without adding that. It’s a small thing to us, but a huge thing to him. He has to know we accept him for who he is, not who he was.”

“Oh. I didn’t think of that. I’m sorry. I’ll call him…what is it? Sacha? Really? Do I have to? It just doesn’t sound right. Sacha is...well okay for someone from Russia, not someone from Surry. He sounds like a stripper or something. You know James’s going to take the piss right?”

“James will do what he’s told.”

“Only when you’re there. He’s going to make Al - Sacha’s life a misery if we don’t handle it right. James is a brat.”

“He’s angry with me. He won’t take it out on Sacha.”

Lacey gaped at him and shook her head. “Dad, you’ve lost touch. Yeah, he’s angry with you for sending him away, but he’s angry with me, too, for not staying home to care for him. He’s angry with Mum for dying and Adam for not needing us anymore. But most of all, he’s angry with Alex. Because he was all you and Mum thought about in the last days, and he didn’t suffer when she died. He’s going to punish him, if he can.”

“I think you’re overreacting, Lacey. James was always an attention seeker and sulked when he didn’t get what he wanted. He got over it then, and he’ll get over it now.”

Lacey rolled her eyes. “Now I know for sure it was Mum who parented us. Don’t worry, I’ll handle James, and I’ll try to remember to call Alex, Sacha.”

Frank sighed and shook his head at her as she dragged Luke away.

Forcing himself to pay attention to the paperwork didn’t help much. It was grim reading. He was glad when his phone buzzed, distracting him. A glance told him it was his best friend and colleague, Peter Mason.

“What you go for me, Pete?” he asked, ignoring the glare of the nurses at the station.

“Bad news all round, mate. The bastard got away. Not a sign anywhere, and no one’s talking.”

“What a surprise.”

“Don’t worry. They’ll get him.”

“It’s killing me that I have to rely on someone else to get the job done.”

“DCI Herbert is a good man, a good detective with a good team. If anyone can do this, he can, and he’s more than happy to liaise. You’re lucky with that. You know how territorial those DCI’s can get.”

Frank huffed, acknowledging the humour if not sharing it. “I suppose. Any other news?”

“We’ve had some initial reports back from the fire.”

Frank’s heart stopped, and he had to remind himself to breathe. “And?”

“The house was burning before you made the call.”

“Shit. The bastard knew. He knew Sacha wanted out, and he’d talk.” With a deep sigh, Frank ran his hands through his hair. “Any more?”

“Plenty. I’ll email you the file.”

“Thanks Pete.”

“How’s your boy?”

“I don’t know. Yesterday was rough on him. The fire was the last straw. He had to be sedated. He’s been asleep ever since. I don’t know what’ll happen when he wakes. He could be angry, scared, suicidal. He could hate me, want to run. The scary thing is that if he chooses to walk away there’s nothing I can do to stop him.”

“Has the pscyh seen him?”

“Tomorrow morning. They won’t let him go unless the psych’s happy.”

“Well, that’s one thing.”

“I’ll keep you informed.”

“Thanks. Look, don’t worry about the office. I’m holding the fort here. Take what time you need to be with your boy.”

“Thanks, Pete, I appreciate it.”

Frank slipped his phone back into his pocket, after waving off the angry nurse who was on her way to take him to task for using it. Angry nurses were nothing new, and not something he could be bothered with right then. He sighed heavily. He’d thought finding Alex would be the end of his troubles. He should have known it would be the beginning.