Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to

"She's yours to take care of now, don't be scared, Skylar is too gorgeous to be scared of"

He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he could barely think. He read the words over and over again, but they stayed the same. His sister, Lauren, her will was clear to him; he was to take care of her daughter. How was he supposed to be a parent? He wasn't the parenting type whatsoever, which was his sister all the way. She had the real maternal genes in her blood; she was a natural born mother.

Don't get him wrong, he loved Skylar, how could he not? She was a beautiful girl, only 5 years old, chocolate brown hair which she got from her father and celery green eyes from her mother. She had beautifully tanned skin that stayed permanent all year round in their South Carolina home. She was a true sweetheart, loved her Uncle Ryan, Barbie's and the TV show "Little Bear." She also had an infatuation for Winnie the Pooh which made her even more adorable in his eyes. But why would his sister choose him?

He had gotten the news of Lauren and his brother in laws death only a couple days before now, it had been a drunk driver, they were on their way home from dinner. They got rear-ended and their car hit a tree and they died within minutes, the best way Ryan thought, that way they didn't suffer. The news had shaken him; he had been in his New York City home and rushed down to South Carolina as soon as he could.

Skylar was staying at his sister's parents in laws home which was about an hour away from where Skylar lived in Charleston. Lauren's mother in law had tried to explain what was happening but Skylar didn't understand which Ryan could easily understand. He and Lauren lost their father to lung cancer at ages 6 and 3, and they never understood what was going on until a lot later in life. They just couldn't comprehend that he'd never be back, that it all could happen so quickly.

But Lauren was his big sister, she was three years older than him but still so young, she was only 29 years old. She had so much more life to live; she had to watch Skylar on her first day of kindergarten, which was coming up very soon. She had to see Skylar graduate High School, she had to see Skylar's wedding…but she wouldn't…and that's what killed Ryan. It had been hard enough on Lauren's wedding day when she had no father to walk her down the aisle, but had to settle on her uncle, but not having a mother? That was just as bad, no one to help you pick out a dress or pick out flowers…but Skylar had neither a father nor a mother.

He sat in the office in front of Lauren's and his brother in laws lawyer and his own lawyer. They had just given him the Will that Lauren and her husband, Derek, had written only about a year ago for safe keeping. But who knew that it would be used a lot quicker than they thought. Ryan stared at the paper, still stunned beyond words to understand what was happening. "Mr. Atwood" his lawyer asked and Ryan looked up at him, "I don't understand" Ryan murmured as he leaned back into the seat. The lawyers exchanged glances, "why would she choose me? They could have chosen anyone…but they chose me." His lawyer nervously licked his lips, "maybe it's because they trust you Ryan" he said and Ryan looked intensely at him.

"I'm glad they trust me…but I don't know how to raise a kid, Skylar deserves better than me" Ryan said before standing up, he grabbed his cell phone off the table and put it in his pocket. The lawyers both stood up and Lauren's lawyer glanced at the will and fixed his glasses before clearing his voice, "what do you say Mr. Atwood?" he asked. Ryan sighed and looked out the window and saw the beach on the horizon, it was a truly serene view for a time like this. "Yes…I'd rather Skylar be with me…my sister was really smart" he said glancing down while he tried to fight back the lump in his throat. "So she must have picked me for a reason" he said before leaving the office.

There were so many things to settle, where would they live? They would stay in Charleston he decided, because it would be better for Skylar to stay in her home with her friends and her familiar surroundings. But they would sell his sisters house and buy another one for himself and Skylar. What would he do about his penthouse in New York City? He'd have to sell it, it would be a waste of money to keep, he thought. What about his job? He partly owned a string of restaurants all across New England and New York, but he could always work from South Carolina he assumed. There were still so many things he had to worry about for Skylar, where would she go to school? What would she wear every day? What would she eat for lunch? Breakfast? Dinner? He knew he was in for a rough ride.

He walked up the stairs of Derek's mother's house and knocked on the door. He heard someone unlock the door and Derek's mother smiled sadly as he came into view. Ryan smiled weakly back; she outdrew her arms and hugged him. "How are you Ryan?" she asked as they pulled away, Ryan shrugged and looked down, and "not so good…how are you and Mr. Watson?" he asked quietly. He saw the way the simple question affected her and she merely shook her head and looked down, finding it difficult to answer the question. She opened the door for him to step and he slowly walked into the home where someone was waiting for him "Uncle Ryan!" Skylar yelled from the kitchen as she ran down the hallway. Ryan smiled and knelt down and drew her into his arms, "come here you" he said as he held her tight.

Skylar pulled away back and looked at him "Uncle Ryan what are you doing here?" she asked with a smile. Ryan smiled back and lightly tapped her button nose which made her giggle, "I'm here to see you…I thought we could maybe talk" he said. Skylar smiled at him and grabbed his hand, "come on, we can go and watch my new Winnie the Pooh movie Grandma and Grandpa bought me" she said as she pulled his hand into the living room. As soon as they sat on the couch, Ryan turned to Skylar, "baby…we have to talk about something first" he said and she put down the movie. She turned to him with a frown, "am I in trouble?" she asked with a pout, Ryan smiled and kissed her forehead, "of course not…you're not in trouble" which made her immediately smile.

Ryan sighed loudly and looked over at the window, trying to avoid Skylar's eyes; her eyes were a lot more powerful than he had remembered. "Skylar, you know how Grandma talked to you about mommy and daddy?" he asked hesitantly. Skylar nodded with a frown, "yeah…she says there not coming back" she said sadly, "is that true?" she asked. Ryan sighed and looked back at her, "yeah baby…that's true" he said slowly. Skylar just nodded her head and looked down, not knowing how to behave at the moment, "but you're going to live with me" he said.

Skylar slowly brought her eyes up to meet his, "we're going to live in a new house but we're going to stay in Charleston, that way we can still visit Grandma Watson" he said with a small smile. Skylar nodded her head and looked down at her movie, where the cartoon Winnie the Pooh was displayed on the cover. Ryan grabbed the movie and put it in the DVD player for her and they started to watch, halfway through, Skylar turned to him, "Uncle Ryan?" she asked. Ryan turned to her, "yeah Sky?" he asked using her nickname. "Since I'm going to live with you…can I keep my goldfish Henry?" she said with fear behind her eyes. Ryan laughed and smiled sweetly at her, "of course you can… you can keep whatever you want" he said as he kissed the top of her head. Ten minutes later, Skylar turned to him again, "Uncle Ryan?" and he turned to her. "Can you promise me that you won't leave like mommy and daddy?" and he felt his heart break into 2. He stared at this vulnerable and sad little girl and couldn't help but feel his eyes fill with tears, "I promise baby…I'll do whatever I can to stay with you" he said and Skylar just smiled and turned back to the movie. It was such a simple question that any young child would curiously ask but we don't realize what the impact of such a simple question can be.

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again.