“Mom, you do know that this is child number eight, right?” Zac asked slowly.
   Mrs. Hanson smiled down at him. “Yes, Zac. I think I know how many kids I’ve had.”
   Zac nodded. “Okay, just makin’ sure.” He said backing away, his hands up in mock surrender.
   “Does this mean, Mommy’s gonna get big again?” Mackie questioned thoughtfully.
   Isaac grinned at that. “Mommy always seems to get big, Mackie.” He joked.
   “Isaac.” Mr. Hanson said in warning tone.
   “Sorry.” He apologized, though the whole family was smiling about his comment.
   “So when is this one due?” Taylor asked suddenly. Excited actually about having another sibling.
   “Umm, sometime in late August.” Mrs. Hanson answered, as she absentmindedly rubbed her still small stomach.
   Mr. Hanson looked over at her, and closed one hand over hers. When she looked up at him, they smiled at each other.
   Zac, Avery, and Mackie rolled their eyes; Taylor tried to ignore it by looking down at his bowl of cereal, while Isaac and Jessie watched smiling as well. Zoë was in her high chair curious as to what was going on. But oblivious to it all.

   “Hurry, get her in here.” The nurse shouted calmly, as she ran beside the gurney. Wheeling it into a room.
   “What have we got?” A man asked as he stepped into the room right behind her, a candy striper tying a green mask to his face.
   “Family in a head on collision. This here is Diana Hanson, and due in three weeks.” She said reading off a chart before handing it to him.
   He looked it over. “Okay,” He said as he touched her stomach lightly, then gently pushed down.
   After a few seconds he straightened up quickly. “She’s heavily bleeding internally. We’re going to need to perform a C-section, this child has to come out now.” He stated as everyone automatically set to work.

   “Daddy, what’s wrong?” Mackie asked, as his father gathered him up quickly into their car.
   Mr. Hanson shook his head furiously as he jammed the key into the ignition and started the engine. He looked behind him as he backed out of the driveway. “There’s been an accident.” He said quietly.
   Mackie sat fearfully in the passenger’s seat. He saw the look of worry and fright in his father’s eyes. Something was not right at all.

   “Damnit, we’re losing him!” The doctor swore loudly, as he grabbed for the shock pads and applied a gel to them. “Clear!” He shouted, before pressing them onto the young man’s chest.
   The electric current shot into the boy and caused him to jerk up as a reaction.
   Seconds passed like years, the paddles were applied three more times before they went to CPR.
   After ten minutes of straight flat-line they gave up. Heavy hearts making their motions slow.
   “Take Zachary Hanson down to the morgue.” He said sadly, “How did the rest of his family hold up?”
   “Umm let’s see.” His head nurse said as she scanned over another new chart. “All but the baby didn’t make it.” She said as she glanced up at him.
   “So how many did we lose?”
   “Seven, Doctor. Seven.” She said quietly.
   He rubbed his eyes. Unsure of what he was trying to wipe away. “And they were all related?”
   She nodded. “Yes.”
   “Relatives called?”
   “Yes.”
   “Are they in the waiting room?”
   “Yes.”
   Nodding, the doctor started walking for it. This part was never easy.

   “Daddy, where’s mommy?” Mackie asked suddenly. Something in his chest was aching, and he needed his mother right then and there.
   Mr. Hanson shook his head as he settled him on his lap. “I don't know yet, Mack. I don’t know where she is right now. We have to wait patiently, ok?” He asked quietly. His eyes and mind distracted.
   Mackie jumped off his lap and ran for the corner. A few seconds he returned from his place at the vending machine. He held up his hand to his father. “Want some, Daddy?” He asked as a bag of cheese puffs nearly spilled.
   “No, no thanks, Mack.” He said, distraction still keeping him from concentrating on anything. “Not right now, ok?”
   “Okay.” Mackie replied as he dropped himself on the chair beside his father and happily ate his chips.
   “Mister Hanson?”
   He jumped at the sound of his name. He handed Mackie his coat, and told Mackie to watch it carefully and to stay put, before walking over to the young looking doctor.
   “How is my family?” He asked in a rush.
   “My name is Doctor Gordon.” The man said slowly. “I worked on your son Zachary.”
   Mr. Hanson nodded his head as he shook his hand, the words not really clicking in his mind. “Yes, how is he?”
   “He didn’t make it, sir.” Doctor Gordon said regretfully.
   The news dried out his throat instantly, and Mr. Hanson tried to swallow hard. “And the rest of my family?” He asked quietly.
   “Your wife, Diana, was pregnant.” The doctor said gently. “We were able to save the baby. But not her. You have a new son, Mister Hanson.”
   Mr. Hanson’s face started pale fast. He already knew the rest of the news. “How about the rest of my family?” He questioned hoarsely. The tears were already choking him. Making his throat unbearably tight.
   “None of them made it either, sir.”
   He stumbled backwards, and tried to grip onto something. His hand finally gripping tightly onto the hand the doctor had offered him. “I’m so sorry, sir.” He said quietly.
   Mr. Hanson turned and looked at his other child. ‘I’m so sorry.’ The words rung clearly and loudly through his head. But he couldn’t comprehend them.
   This was all a mistake. A huge one. Someone had messed up somewhere. It wasn’t his family that he lost. Not his wife, not his three sons, not his three daughters. It wasn’t his family that was dead!
   He gripped Mackie tight in his arms. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered, as his tears dropped onto his blonde head. “I’m so very sorry.”
   Mackie grasped tightly onto his father’s midsection. He knew exactly what happened. The rest of his family was not coming back this time from their trip. “Daddy, don’t cry.” He begged. “Please don’t cry, Daddy. Please don’t.”

   Mackie smiled sadly at his younger brother. He remembered Zoë so well. His brother was almost the exact image of her. Bright soft blond hair, falling in soft gentle curls on his head.
   Today was Thomas’ birthday, Tommy to those who knew him well. But since it was Tommy’s birthday, it also meant the anniversary of the deaths of the rest of their family.
   This was the day their father would cry the most, and keep mostly to himself. Not that he didn’t cry any other day, or night for that matter. It was just today was the worst.
   Mr. Hanson appeared in the doorway. His figure tall and thin now. His face was showing his age, perhaps even older now.
   Mackie waved up at him and so did Tommy.
   He smiled down at them. A gentle smile that showed he was still remembering what this date meant to him.
   Getting to his feet, Mackie hugged his father tightly. He was already standing above his father’s waist now.
   “Don’t cry, Daddy.” He whispered as he felt the tear land familiarly on the top of his head. "We're gonna find a new mommy someday." He told him. "You've still got me and Tommy."
   Mr. Hanson nodded as he sat down. Smiling gratefully at Mackie, as he placed a coffee cup in front of him.
   Smiling back, Mackie picked up Tommy and took him into the living room. It was smaller than the one in his last house, but he was getting used to it. Though he didn’t want to.
   Quietly Mr. Hanson stared down into his coffee cup. More words echoing in his mind.