Her father was sleeping upright in a leather chair in the corner of the room. Diana had been watching his chest rise and fall with each breath.

She'd noticed he had a bit of sleep apnea.

His eyes split open as the door creaked. "Diana?" The voice called out with hesitance; a gently tone as if the petals of the flowers dotted around the melancholic room uttered whispers. 

Her father rose slowly and with cracking joints at the sight of the person standing in the doorway. Her mother following suit shortly after. Both of them wiped off the invisible dirt on their clothes as they stood. Her mother fixed her bun and her father fixed his glasses.

Phoebe took a hefty exhale as her attention caught on her sister. Like the air was forced from her lungs before they turned to glass. Phoebe didn't move, didn't breath, didn't blink.

Just stared. Gazing across the room to the person she'd mourned for. She looked so different, almost unrecognisable. Long scraggly hair, ashen eyes and a long dark scar that ran across the lower half of her face.

Her heart squeezed and pulled at its seams as her mind ran wild with questions.

Forcing herself into motion Phoebe's eyes fell to the floor, her sorrowful expression souring into vexation as she noticed Diana's missing toe. She was missing her right pinkie toe.

Before Phoebe could sputter or say anything Diana moved. The hospital bed covering her wound. Stepping to the side Diana slipped her feet into the hospital owned thin white slippers they'd given her.

Phoebe's medium length black hair was pinned back in a half up hairstyle. Her high cheekbones were like everyone else in the family, always a sign that she was a Winters. She was wearing a salmon long sleeve shirt that made her seem as youthful as the day she'd last seen her. She looked exactly like she'd remembered and at the same time nothing like she'd remembered.

Smile lines creased beside her monolid eyes. Diana hoped she'd been happy while she'd been gone.

She spotted the golden band on her finger. Simple and still bright as ever, the fluorescent light catching the halcyon.

She got married.

There was a sort of dread that hardened her heart at that moment. Making her grip the edge of the plastic hospital bed. Like salt crushed in her wounds.

She had missed her sister's wedding. Someone else had been the maid of honour. Someone else had taken over her job.

Letting out a blubbering sob, Phoebe wrapped her arms around her sister. She smelt of heavily of cigarettes and lightly of peonies. The hug between them was like a gasp for air after being held beneath the cold water. Diana allowed herself to limply return the hug to the best of her abilities. She wished she could hold tighter, so tight they would never slip through her fingers again, but her muscles had atrophied in a way that didn't allow her to hold on. 

God, she'd missed her family.

Following her, Henry entered. Only heightening the ache in her heart.

Upon seeing Henry, Diana was happy that one thing hadn't changed - her brother. Henry still had his full baby cheeks that Phoebe would tease him about all the time when they were kids. The two of them used to pinch his cheeks until they were bright red.

He greeted her with a wide smile beside his downturned and water filled eyes. "妹妹" He said, crushing her into a bear-like hug that made her feel like jelly. Henry always gave the best hugs. He whispered to her, his voice light and airy, "I'm so happy you're home. These people are crazy."

She laughed, joyous and light. She wasn't sure she'd laughed like that in forever. "I'm happy I'm home too."

She'd wanted that to be closer to the truth than she felt. She was happy to be with her family, to take those gasping breaths for air. But, it wasn't so simple. Happiness wasn't something she'd earned yet.

They broke apart, Henry turned away to wipe his tears with the edge of his shirt.

He stepped back, his hands resting on a little boy's shoulders.

"This is Zack, "reservation centered in Henry's square jaw as he turned to his son. They looked so much alike with dark brutish hair and caramel eyes, "Zack? Buddy? Can you say hi to your 姑姑?"

Zack didn't move, hesitance controlling his stunted movement. "Hi 姑姑." He said with a squeaky voice, looking up at his father the entire time with concern in his eyes.

Henry mouthed "Sorry" with bloodshot eyes at her. She waved him off.

It wasn't his fault that she now looked like the type of monster that Zack was scared hid in his dark closet at night. She'd make the people that did this to her pay. She'd make them wish that they had killed her in the damp shadows of Chechnya.

Henry had left the door to her room open. She could see the soldier posted at the door. Their shadow was deformed on the tile and stretched over the doorway. Diana could see the dark, coiled edges of their slicked hair. She could see the gun holstered at their side. One click of a button and.....

Diana asked, as politely and loudly as she could muster, "Can you close the door, please?"

Obviously taken off guard, Henry's eyebrow's furrowed for a moment. In response, he mumbled "Sure. " before pushing the door closed. It clicked and Diana exhaled.

"You're married?" Diana said, gesturing to Phoebe's ring.

She blushed, "Yep, four years. Daniel, my husband, wanted to meet you but he got caught up at work. But nevermind Daniel, how are you? Are you hungry? Do you need anything?" 

Henry let a hand fall on Phoebe's shoulder, "I think she just ate, Pheebs." He gestured to the plastic containers still sitting on the table at the end of her bed.

"Oh. Right." She laughed awkwardly and tried to find a proper place to rest her hands. Phoebe took up stock beside Henry and Zack.

Joining the already overwhelming amount of people in Diana's hospital room, the doctor entered.

"Well hello, the Winter's family." Today he was wearing a black turban. Intricate folds decorating the charcoal fabric. Over the past few times she had seen him, she had taken notice of how he'd interchange the black, brown and pink turban every other day. A simple but effective pattern Diana looked forward to. Perhaps, she wondered, if she would get him another colour as a thank you present once she was finally released. 

He set his sights squarely on her, "I have news, Diana, are you fine if they're here to hear it?"

"Um..." Diana could feel her families peeling gazes reset themselves onto her. Stabbing pains dragged up her skin beneath the safety of the blanket draped across herself, "Yes."

He nodded and the Doctor pulled up her new x-rays, "Congrats-" Just as he was beginning to speak a voice interjected.

Henry continued, not caring if he was being rude, "Sorry, Doctor…"

"Nayyar."

Henry restarted, "Sorry, Doctor Nayyar. Are these all breaks and fractures?" Henry exchanged looks with the rest of the family. Furrowed eyebrows bursted vertical wrinkles along his forehead. The fluorescent light had disappeared from his eyes when he set his sights studyingly on her. As if he was suddenly seeing her differently. 

Nostrils flaring, Diana focused on tapping her index fingers against the mattress and beneath the fabric of her blanket in patterned and concise intervals. Bile was beginning to rise and boil in her chest. 

Displayed brightly on the x-rays, there were a few fissures on her bones alongside parts where bone had grown over where she'd broke it. Broken fingers, wrists, legs, arms.

The doctor gulped, obviously he'd been hoping she had recounted a bit of her tales to her family. They seemed tight knit. Maybe he'd been wrong. "So far, all your past breaks are healing well. We're going to continue you on the pain medication. Mainly I'm focused on healing your toe." He pointed to the x-ray of Diana's foot, four toes.

Henry turned towards her quickly, his eyebrows furrowed in shock, "What happened to you out there?"