Jessie was released less than a half an hour later.

“So,” she asked Maddie as Walker carried her out into the parking lot, “we’re staying at your house?”

Maddie nodded. “Yep, that’s right.”

“How many rooms do you have?” Jessie asked.

“Four bedrooms,” Maddie replied. “But we also have a living room-dining room, a back room - that’s where we keep the TV, a kitchen - of course, a computer room, a basement and, um, three bathrooms.”

From beside her father, Avery spoke up. “Wow. Three bathrooms? Maybe now we won’t have to wait for Ike to do his hair,” she said, amazed.

“Avery,” Walker cautioned, not quite hiding a smile.

After a few more feet, Diana announced, “Well, here’s our Rent-a-Car.”

Maddie felt her eyes widen. Before her was a red Neon. How on earth was the Hanson clan supposed to fit in that?

“Whoa, it’s a go-cart!” Zac yelled.

Diana nodded. “It seems someone lost the booking for a van so we got stuck with this,” she told her kids. “There’s room for five people in there. Possibly six if someone sits on someone else’s lap.”

“And then there’s Zoë’s car seat,” Walker added.

“There’s room for five in my truck,” Maddie said helpfully.

Diana smiled. “Well, that takes care of that then,” she said. “You can lead us to your house and -”

“Mom,” Isaac interrupted, “do you really think it’s such a good idea letting her drive?”

“Isaac,” Diana said disapprovingly. However, she seemed to see her son’s point. “All right,” she said a moment later. “Walker, why don’t you take the Neon and I’ll drive Maddie’s truck. She can ride with me and I’ll lead you to her house.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Walker agreed, handing Jessie to Isaac and taking Zoë from his wife. As he situated Zoë in the car seat in back, seating arrangements were decided among the kids.

“Okay then,” Diana said at last. “Mackie, Avie, and Isaac are going with Dad, and Maddie, Tay, Zac, and Jessie are going with me.”

Everyone made a sound of agreement and made their way for their automobile.

“Mom,” Isaac said, still carrying Jessie. “You might want to take her.”

“No,” Jessie protested before she was placed in her mother’s arms. “I want Maddie to carry me.”

Isaac didn’t object. He walked over to Maddie and placed his sister in her arms. “Don’t drop her,” he muttered. Maddie didn’t reply.

A few minutes later, Maddie, Jessie, Zac, Taylor, and Diana were at Maddie’s truck. Diana looked at the blond girl carrying her oldest daughter and held her hand out. “Keys?” she asked.

Maddie’s hand went to her pocket but there was nothing in it. However, before she could panic, Taylor held the keys out to his mother.

Diana eyed her second oldest critically. “Why do you have her car keys?” she asked slowly.

Taylor’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. He looked at the gray-green truck beside him as if for inspiration.

“I dropped them,” Maddie said quietly. “On our way into the hospital. Taylor picked them up for me and never had a chance to give them back.”

After a moment of registering the story, Diana nodded. “Okay,” she said, unlocking the door.

Diana pulled into the driveway and cut the ignition. “Nice house,” she commented.

“Thank you,” Maddie said.

Everyone piled out of the truck. Maddie slammed the driver’s side door closed just as the Neon pulled into the drive. Within seconds, the rest of the Hanson clan had piled out of it and Diana was making her way up to the front door of the Patrick residence as if she lived there. After fingering through a few keys on Maddie’s key ring, she slipped one in the door and pushed her way inside.

Soon, everyone was indoors. Carrying Jessie, Maddie walked to the front of the group and cleared her throat. “Okay, I guess it’s time for the tour,” she announced. When she had the attention of all the Hansons, she continued. “We are now in the living room-dining room. I don’t spend much time in here because there’s no radio, no TV, and no computer. Now, if you’ll follow me . . .” She led the way down a hallway in the left corner of the living room half of the room. “To our right is the first bedroom. To the left is the bathroom. A little further down are two more bedrooms. Now, back down this way . . .” After leading the group back where they had come from, Maddie led them through a doorway in the right corner of the dining room half of the room. “Here’s the kitchen, of course. Back there -” she pointed to the left wall of the kitchen “- is the staircase that leads to the second floor. There’s one bedroom, a bathroom, and a computer room up there.”

Maddie continued the tour, leading the family to through the kitchen and into the back room. “Here’s where we keep the good stuff - TV, stereo, video games, et cetera. And behind that door is the stairway to the basement. There’s another bathroom down there.”

“It’s lovely,” Diana said.

The Hansons spent the next hour making themselves at home. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac had claimed the bedroom upstairs - also known as Maddie’s bedroom - for themselves, Walker and Diana took Maddie’s parent’s room downstairs, Mackie and Zoë were placed in the room next to them, and Jessie, Avery, and Maddie had been situated in the room across from Walker and Diana.

As soon as everything was in order, Walker decided on the next order of business: Getting Jessie a set of crutches.

“You can get them at the fire station,” Maddie told him. “That’s where -” She cut herself off. “You can get them at he fire station,” she repeated.

Walker nodded. “I saw a fire station on the way to the hospital. I know where it is,” he said. He collected Jessie and within a minute, the two of them were off.

In the meantime, Diana had been searching the kitchen cupboards. “Maddie?” she asked, noticing the blond girl was in the room. “Don’t you eat?”

Maddie smiled. “Yeah, I do. Just everything I eat is microwave-able,” she explained.

Diana nodded. “Well, I suppose that while we’re here, I should probably do some grocery shopping. My kids can go through entire supermarkets at each meal. And I need some food for Zoë . . .” She began murmuring different items she had to purchase. After a moment, she seemed to notice Maddie again. “There’s a grocery not too far from here, isn’t there?” she asked. Then, answering for Maddie, she said, “Yes, I saw it on the way here. I could wait for Walker go get back with the car and I’ll go shopping . . .”

“If you want, you could take my truck,” Maddie offered. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

Diana smiled brightly. “You’re such a sweet girl, Maddie Patrick. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Tell Isaac and Taylor to look over their brothers and sisters, won’t you?”

“Sure,” Maddie replied as Diana started out the door.

After a moment, Maddie shrugged and made her way up the staircase and into the computer room. It wasn’t exactly a room, having only three walls, but it served it’s purpose.

The computer was positioned in the back of the room. Around it were various things: Notebooks, pencils, empty pop cans, CDs. Maddie gave herself a wry smile as she noticed what CDs. Middle of Nowhere, Snowed In, Three Car Garage and the “I Will Come to You” single. “Oh, irony,” she muttered. “The worst fate to bestow on anyone and you’ve given it to the sister of your favorite band.”

She flipped on the computer and opened a file called “me”. It was the diary she’d kept since she was eight. There were no security precautions or other such things on it considering that ninety-nine percent of the time, she was the only person in the house. Besides, this was her computer. Her parents never went near it.

Maddie zipped down to the bottom of the document. There were over six hundred pages in it already, and with all the emotions flowing through her body, she felt she could type a hundred more.