Hello my lovely readers! Because you were all so patient with the last chapter I decided to update quickly. Plus, this is no ordinary chapter. This is where things are going to start picking up. Which, I'm sorry to say, means that this story may be coming to an end soon. I'm considering doing some sort of epilogue or maybe even a sequel (and that is a major MAYBE) but I can't be sure. But we still have a few chapters left! So for you, my beautiful readers, I present this chapter. Enjoy!

It had been three days since May had spoken to Sammi and all she had been thinking about was what she was going to say to Mason. How she planned to tell him that she, though it had taken her some time, realized that she felt the same way about him that he did for her. She was nervous, to say the least, but she knew it had to be done. She would tell him as soon as he got home.

But that was the problem. It had been three days and he still hadn't come home. When Mark had told her that he was staying at a friend's house she had expected him to be gone for a night, maybe two, but hadn't expected it to be this long.

She heard the apartment door open and jumped up, hoping that it was Mason finally home. But when she looked out of her room she saw that it was Collins. She couldn't tell what it was, but something seemed… off.

"May," he said, his voice sounding strange. "Is your dad or Mark home?"

"No," she answered. "They're both out. It's just me and Liam here." She looked at him closely. "Uncle Collins, are you okay?" He opened his mouth to answer but no words came out. He swayed back and forth for a second before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground.

May screamed and she ran over to him. "Liam!" she yelled, her voice shaking harshly. "Liam, help!" Liam came running out of his room towards where he heard May calling for him. He was about to ask what was wrong when he saw his dad laying on the ground. He ran over and knelt down next to him.

"Call 9-1-1," he said, immediately reverting back to everything he had ever read about handling emergency situations. But May didn't move, instead she stood frozen in fear. "May, now!" he yelled, desperate to get her to focus enough to help.

When she heard Liam yell, May forced herself to move towards the phone. But everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her hands shook as she dialed the numbers and brought the phone to her ear.

... … … … … …

He was comfortable. Comfortable and warm, despite the air conditioning in the apartment and the hard floor he was laying on. Collins could only slightly hear voices in the distance. First May's, then Liam's, then unfamiliar ones, all frantic.

He wanted to tell them not to worry. That he wasn't in pain. That everything was going to be okay. But he couldn't find his own voice. The sounds and voices around him slowly started to fade away and left him in a world of darkness. And then there was a warm white light surrounding him. And standing in front of him was the face he had said goodbye to so many years ago.

"Angel," he breathed. The figure smiled.

"Hello sweetheart," she said.

"We all miss you," he said "so much." He had thought about it for years, since the day Angel had left him, about what he would say if he could ever speak to her again. The sentence had changed so many times, but at the moment that was the only thing he could think of that expressed what he, and the rest of the family, had been feeling since she died.

"And I miss you all," she said. "But you've done a wonderful job of taking care of everyone without me. Especially Liam."

"Oh Angel, I wish you could've met him. You'd love him. And he'd love you. May and Mason too. They're all such good kids." Collins sighed. "The family has changed a lot. But I think that we've changed for the better." Angel smiled.

"I know you have. And I'm so proud of all of you."

"I think it's time for me to join you," he said with a mixture of relief and sadness. Sadness to be leaving his family behind but relief to finally be reunited with his Angel.

"Almost," she said "but not quite." Collins looked at her in confusion. "You have to go back for just a little bit longer, to say goodbye to our family."

… … … … … …

The entire family, with the exception of Mason, stood silently around the hospital bed where Collins was still lying unconscious. They had learned that he had a terrible fever and had over exhausted himself. The doctor had told them that Collins only had a little while left and he probably wouldn't make it through the night. He also couldn't be sure that Collins would wake up before he died.

May looked around at her family. Her dad was standing next to Mark, being his only source of comfort until Mason, who had been called at his friend's house and was on his way, showed up. Next to them Maureen and Joanne were holding each other as silent tears streamed down their faces. May had her arms wrapped loosely around Daphne as she stroked the younger girl's hair. Liam was the only one who stood alone. He was holding Collins' hand, not crying, but instead looking down at his father silently.

The door to the small room opened quickly and everyone turned around to see Mason entering. His hair was messed up, he had dark circles under his eyes, and he was out of breath, May guessed, from running to the hospital. He looked at everyone standing around and then down at Collins. He sighed heavily before walking over to his father, who put a hand on his son's shoulder. Roger left them alone and walked over to May as Daphne moved to her moms. Roger put his arm around May and kissed the top of her head.

They all stayed like that, each with their own real family but still close to everyone else, for almost an hour. May knew what the doctor said, that there was no chance that he would live past the night. Still, she couldn't help but hope.

Just before nine o'clock, the monitor that had been beeping slowly for the past hours started to pick up speed. They all glanced from the monitor to Collins, hoping for a miracle. After a couple of seconds, the man's eyes opened slowly.

"Dad?" Liam said hopefully, gripping his hand just a little tighter.

"Roger, Mark, Jo, Maureen" Collins said, his voice weak and shaky. The men stepped forward quickly. "I saw her," he said with a small smile. "I saw Angel." Mark and Roger smiled through there tears. "I'm sorry everybody," he said just a bit louder. "I hate to go, but I have to be with her now." The four adults, one after the other, knelt down next to Collins and said a few words to him in a hushed tone so no one else in the room could hear. After Maureen, the last adult to talk to him, backed away Collins called Daphne over.

"My little girl," he said with a soft smile. "I know that you're going to be a star someday so don't you ever give up."

"I won't" she said, barely able to speak through her tears.

"And never forget how much you were wanted. You're moms, and the rest of us, prayed for you to come to this family every day until we got you. And I know that it was worth the wait." He kissed her cheek and she moved to the side, letting Mason come forward.

"I know that you're going to do everything you can to take care of this family once I'm gone," he started. "And you'll never let anything happen to them. I trust you Mason, more than anything in this world, I trust this family to you. And just remember," he said, looking over to May, whose face was leaning on her father's arm, knowingly "sometimes you have to just take a chance."

After Mason had gone back over to Mark, May moved to Collins' side.

"May Elizabeth Davis," he said. "I never thought that a person could exist that combined both of your parents' best traits into a single human, but I was wrong. You are talented and passionate like your father, but beautiful and strong like your mother. And I know for a fact that she would be proud of you. Just like I am."

"I love you Uncle Collins," she said as she kissed his head.

"I love you too baby." She moved back over to her father and leaned into his side, crying harder than she had all day.

The last person in the room who hadn't yet said goodbye stepped forward slowly.

"Liam," Collins said, his voice weak and shaky. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted to leave you this soon."

"It's okay dad," Liam said, the first tears he had let fall all day finally rolling down his face.

"You are the best thing that happened to me since my Angel left. I truly believe that she is the one that sent you to me. She couldn't come back herself, so she sent another angel. I love you, son. So, so much."

"I love you too dad," Liam said, barely audible through his tears. Before he could say anything else, the beeping from the monitor stopped and morphed into a single noise. The line on the screen had gone flat.

Nobody said or did anything, all crying and waiting for the doctor to come back in. But before he did, May pulled from her father's side and ran out of the room.

"May," Mason called. "May, wait!"