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When I woke up, I wasn't alone; there was a particular scent in the room that I knew before I even opened my eyes.

"Tania?" I murmured, “That’s you?"

A chair scraped and my younger sister appeared in my line of sight. "How'd you know it was me?"

I sniffed. "Chanel Number Five. Mom's favorite. Your favorite."

“Oh." She dragged the chair closer. "Another crash, Tea? Really?"

I sighed. “Hazards of the job. I'm fine."

"Tea."

I regarded my sister. She was two years my junior, but we looked so much alike that most people assumed we were twins. She still had her badge from her work clipped to her belt loop, and bags under her eyes.

"Tania, I swear, I'm okay. I wasn't hurt. Some whiplash, some dehydration, some cuts. That's it."

“You've got nine lives, girl, I swear. And you've gone through eight of them." She took my hand and leaned close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard there's a guy."

"Yes."

She waited. "And?"

"And what?"

She pinched my cheek. "You're blushing, sis. There's tea to be spilled, and you’re gonna spill it."

“I’m not blushing," I grumbled.

"You are, but I'll let the lie slide if you spill the fuckin' beans, dearest sister of mine."

I shook my head. "How'd you hear, anyway?"

"Dad." She sighed, rolled her eyes. "He caught wind of it somehow and put me on the first flight here."

"And he's where?"

"DC, obviously. Retirement was boring the shit out of him, apparently, so he's taken up lobbying."

I gagged. "Oh, Dad. Just stick to fishing."

Tania snickered. "Right. There's nowhere near enough adrenaline in fishing for it to hold his interest."

“That's because fishing is the most boring activity humanity has ever devised," I said. "But lobbying? You can't just order a congressman to vote for your project or whatever, and I don't think Dad has had to convince anyone of anything in at least thirty years. He just does whatever he wants and orders everyone else around." I sighed, shaking my head. "And he can't stop lobbying to come visit me in the fucking hospital himself?"

Tania just stared at me. "He was told you suffered minor dehydration and some cuts and stuff. He didn't deem his presence necessary."

We both burst out laughing together, because that was just so Dad. As a little girl, if I hurt myself, his version of sympathy was a pep talk, a band-aid—if it was bad enough to require it—and a ruffle of my hair. Anything less than a severe injury didn't merit much more than that. I mean, if I had been getting operated on, he'd be here, but anything less? Nope. That was Dad.

I know how it sounds. But he'd call me later, check in on me, crack some crude jokes and demand a debrief of the crash. He cared; he just didn't know how to show it in a very…nurturing way, shall we say.

"Tea," Tania said. "Beans. Spill."

"No beans, Tania."

"Buuuuullllshiiiiit!" she sang. "Bull-fucking-shit." She kicked the chair back and sat on the edge of the bed, nudging my hip. "Scootch." I scootched, and she snuggled in beside me. "I want there to be beans, Tea. I didn't fly all the fucking way out here to Nowhereville, Alaska because you were a little thirsty. There's something going on; I can feel it in the Force, so spill.”

I sighed. "Jax and I…got close. Surviving in the wilderness together like that will do that."