Too busy to read until today. Glad things are getting better. Thanks for writing!

Great chapter, thanks

Thanks for the update!

This is a really great opening chapter! I really love how you introduced your characters, their relationship, and their personalities so seemlessly. That is far from easy, and you did a great job.

As far as suggestions, I might suggest reworking the first and second paragraph as the way it's written (with the woman acting in both sets and mentioned with both the question and response) makes it difficult to tell which character is doing the speaking in which paragraph.

Other than that, I thought this was pretty near flawless. Fantastic job!

Simples are back :)

There's always someone you forget to contact when these big events happen. It's so easy to get caught up in what's going on and things fall by the wayside. I'm sure Colleen understands that this was what happened. And Jeff obviously needs to call Anderson as well, because he'd certainly want to know what was going on. I guess that's what you're supposed to do as things start getting back to normal.

I cannot imagine how many doctor's hate the "can I ask you a question" either in person or from friends over the phone. They don't have the medical history, they're not working, and I'm sure they don't want to be giving advice that may come back to haunt them because of those things. This is why I usually try and avoid asking the medical practitioners I know any sort of medical questions.

Of course, being a psychiatrist, I'm sure it's much easier for Colleen to figure out Jeff over the phone. ;)

And even better news for Jeff to finish. Things are definitely looking up for the Cunningham family!

Thanks as always for writing.

Very sweet

It's always nice to see your kids after a week of not seeing them - even when they're 14 and grumpy teenagers as it was for my son this past weekend when he got back from a school trip to DC. You miss them when they're not around. Can't think how empty the place is going to end up feeling when my daughter heads off to college in a couple of years!

It's difficult enough trying to understand what a fairly young child says without the added complication of an additional language. And if you happen not to really speak that language, it must be ten times worse. Makes me wonder at what point they start sorting out the two languages and speaking them separately. There's certainly no alternative to speaking a language really well than learning it as a child, so Sydney has a big advantage there - assuming she remembers it and continues to use it.

Nice to see Jeff's mother get time with Sydney, but also that Siobhan gets her chance to get a hug as well. And that last little scene definitely makes things so very, very cute to finish. It's that sort of image that makes me wish we had cameras we carried around in our pockets when my kids were small, but alas that wasn't the case. You have the memories you have though, which can definitely carry you through though.

Thanks so much for writing. Have a great week.

Hi Sashile. That was such a sweet moment - Squid meeting Jack. I'm glad Jack and Kim are on the mend. Jeff's emotional rollercoaster and breakdown comes across feeling very real.

Well this is certainly a pick me up not only for Jeff, but for us as well! Makes this Monday morning even lighter. Nice!

Great to see Jeff finally able to hold his son after so many days of not being able to do so. Although it's been a longish time for me, that's definitely a pretty special thing to be able to do as a parent. And like the middle name - no matter how much Siobhan is likely to think him sappy for it.

Even better news that Kim is on the mend, particularly after how she was doing just 24 hours earlier with having her lungs drained. And now Sydney will be coming back as well, which I'm sure Kim's parents will enjoy almost as much as Jeff will.

Glad that these guys are going to be stuck together. I'm sure Kim is okay with that.

Thanks for writing!

Thank you!

I love this, its really sweet

I know you won't kill Kim or Jack, but, can you come any closer?

Nice to see a slightly less frantic day for Jeff. He certainly needs one, and seeing improvement in Jack is definitely a very positive thing. So it's great Siobhan is able to communicate that. Hopefully it won't be too long before Jeff gets to hold Jack again.

Like that Jeff is able to have time for a bit of adult conversation as well - even if it's just talking about how much older he's getting. It's always hard to believe how quickly time flies. I know you have your MD from OSU, but did you do West Point, or another military college, before that?

Never good walking into a room when your loved one is the flurry of activity, but at least someone who is calming is able to give Jeff the details. And while them having to put in a chest tube certainly isn't great news, the laugh he gets at the end is certainly sets things in perspective. It was Kim's job that brought them to Egypt, but it was as much Jeff's idea to go as hers. Though I do wonder whether Kim can continue working in areas prone to things like dengue given how life threatening another case might be.

Thanks as always for writing.

Thanks for chapter