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\\I'm 15 for a moment, Caught in between 10 and 20. And I'm just dreaming, Counting the ways to where you are.\\

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. All he wanted to do was impress her. The smoking hood in front of him was going in and out of blurry vision. A low groan from the side had him reaching for her hand.

“[Name]?”

“Jake? What happened?”

“I’m not sure. But hang in there okay? I’ll get us...out of this. I swear...it.”

“Jakey? Stay with me. Jake?”

Her voice grew farther away as Jake slipped back into unconsciousness. It was supposed to be a fun and easy little drive. What went wrong?

[>Find the passenger]

Opening her eyes slowly, [Name] looked around the room. Careful not to pull the IV that was sticking out of her hand, her eyes were drawn toward the visitor who was sitting at her bedside.

“Nana English?”

The elderly woman closed the book she was reading and smiled slightly at [Name]. "How are you feeling my dear? You've been out for quite a bit of time."

"What...happened?"

The woman took off her glasses and sighed. It looked like she had aged 100 years and then some. "I gave Jake permission to drive on our property. Evidently, he had other plans with the car. The car careened in a ditch and rolled a couple of times before hitting a tree. Did Jake get distracted?"

"I...no. There were...headlights. A car was in our lane. Jake tried to swerve to the side a bit, but I think he misjudged the size of the ditch. And it looked like the car was...trying to run us off the road. It could have been a drunk driver."

"Did you get a good look at it, my dear?"

"Not really. One of the headlights was flickering, and it was dark. I think it was...red. And it was definitely a car. It wasn't a truck or van."

"Thank you dear. I understand that my grandson was trying to do what he thought was right. Unfortunately, drunk drivers don't think so clearly."

"Evidently." [Name] murmured with a tight smile. "How is Jake? I spoke with him a bit in the car, but then I think we both passed out."

A shadow fell over Nana's face. "I'm afraid he hasn't woken up yet. They tell me that, for now, it'll be a miracle if he even wakes up at all."

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, and she shook her head. "Nana English, I-"

"No, my darling. Whatever you're going to say, don't let it be an apology. Neither of you is at fault for this, and you're all I have of him for the moment. So buck up and when you're feeling better we can see him okay?"

[Name] nodded. "Okay Nana English. Okay."

[-]

Weeks later, [Name] was finally okay to get out of the bed. She took Nana English's arm as the woman led her down the hall to Jake's room. She smiled as she saw him laying there, and she tried to get over to him faster. She heard Nana chuckling at her side, but who was she to stand in the way of young love?

Holding onto her IV stand, [Name] sat down in the chair next to Jake's bed and grasped his hand with her free one. "Hey there, Jakey. It's taken me a bit, but I'm finally here to see you. Now it's your turn to get better okay? Nana English and I are so worried, so you do your best. I'll be here when I see those green eyes of yours, don't you forget it."

[Name] and Jake's nana visited the boy every day. [Name] was constantly getting stronger, and sometimes when the nurses weren't looking, she would get into bed with the boy and curl up next to him. She missed his voice, his laughter, and the bright look he got in his eyes when he talked about going on an adventure.

She would rest her hand on his chest, just making sure he was still breathing.

A month or so after [Name] was finally okay to walk around, she was laying next to Jake in his hospital bed. She hummed to herself, running a hand over his chest as she had been doing whenever she joined him in his bed. "I miss you so much. You just need to wake up before I try and wake you up myself!"

A dry laugh caught her attention before Jake began coughing. "I'm awake, I'm awake."

[Name]'s shout of happiness alerted Nana English and the nurses out in the hallway that the boy was finally awake. The girl moved out of his bed so the nurses and doctor could look him over. She stood next to the elderly woman with a huge grin on her face. It was as if some part of her finally came back to life now that she was able to look at Jake and have him look back at her.

\\I'm 22 for a moment, And she feels better than ever. And we're on fire, Making our way back from Mars.\\

With splotches of paint on her face, [Name] stood back and observed the wall she was painting. "Do ya think that's the right color Jakey?"

"Hm? It's an interesting shade of orange isn't it..."

"I didn't ask if it was interesting, Mr. English. I asked if it was the right color."

"I thought we had agreed on a soft blue for this room and then this orange for the other one?"

"Oh fuck, we did didn't we? You should know better than most that my memory hasn't been that great since the accident."

Jake's eyes tightened a bit before he nodded. "Yes, I know. Sorry dear."

"Nothing for you to be sorry for! Blame my silly brain!" [Name] said, laughing like she didn't have a care in the world.

She didn't see the sad look that crossed Jake's face. He still blamed himself for their accident seven years ago, when they were just fifteen. He was lucky to wake up, and if he had done so without [Name] by his side, he didn't know how he would have recovered. Just the very thought of her leaving him filled him with an intense feeling of dread.

"Alright, let's just redo it tomorrow. Or we can just leave it like this. It's half your house too, love."

"Mmm. Do what you like, [Name]. I'm not particularly picky."

"Sometimes you can be," the girl pointed out, leaning up to kiss her boyfriend's cheek. "But that's one of the things that I love about you."

"I love you too, dear."

"Should we go visit Nana? I know she hasn't been able to get out of the house much lately since she took that spill."

"Oh please. A fall isn't going to stop a trooper like Nana English. I bet you that we'll get over to the mansion, and she'll be whirling around the kitchen cooking as she is wont to do."

[Name] giggled, which is exactly what Jake was aiming for. "That's true, Jakey. Still. Let's go. I'll drive!"

"And I will get shotgun!"

"Well I would hope so. I don't want to feel like Barnaby, although being a chauffeur would be pretty cool I think."

[-]

[Name] cheered as she pulled up to the estate front, parking the car and jetting out as quickly as she could. "Hold up a mo, [Name]! I know you're excited, but you didn't even turn the car off!"

"You can do it!" The girl called back, running up the front steps and bursting through the front door. "Nana English!"

"In the kitchen dear. Goodness me, why are you so excited?"

[Name] hurried over to the kitchen and entered it, slowing down as she saw Nana sitting at the table eating a biscotti. "I always love coming here to see you, Nana English."

"Well, sit down, sit down. Where's Jake?"

"I was turning the car off that someone decided to still leave running," the boy murmured, opening the kitchen door to smile at his two favorite ladies. "Excellent, Nana. You appear to be in good health."

"Of course I am. It would take more than a slight fall to stop this old bag from creaking her bones."

[Name] smiled as Jake came over to her and pressed a kiss into her hair before sitting next to her. The young couple stayed and chatted with Nana English for hours. They even got up and helped her make dinner before saying goodbye and making their way back to the car. Once inside, Jake turned the car on and started the trek back home.

"Hey [Name]?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Let me ask you something. Why are you always so happy to visit Nana? Not that I mind, but-"

"Because she is who she is."

"Meaning?"

"Jakey, none of your other family members like me. Not your parents, not your aunts and uncles, or even your cousins. They took one look at me when and wrote me off as some girl who was just trying to get the English name and fortune. They didn't want someone like me dirtying the English name. Your Nana stared at me long and hard, and she bothered to get to know the real me. The girl that fell in love with you, and the one you fell in love with. She's getting older now, as we are, and I'm afraid to see her go."

"[Name]-"

"In a way, I feel like she's my Nana too, ya know? We sat and talked, and she visited me every day in the hospital when we were recovering. She brought me to you the first time that my doctors said it was okay for me to walk around. I will always be grateful to her for it."

Jake took a moment of silence to let everything that [Name] told him sink in. "I see. Thank you."

"What for?"

"Confiding in me I suppose?"

"Jakey, you're my boyfriend and I love you. And I love your Nana too. I don't think I'll ever stop confiding in you."

"Fair enough. Golly, what did I do to deserve you?"

"Not sure," [Name] teased. "I'll let you know when I figure it out myself."

\\I'm 33 for a moment, Still the man, but you see I'm a "they". A kid on the way, babe. A family on my mind.\\

Sitting at the table she felt like she grew up around, [Name] sipped at the tea that Nana gave her. "Nana, you can stop fretting over me."

"Oh hush, dear. You married my Jake, so that makes you my [Name]. I'm getting a great-grandbaby from my favorite grandson."

[Name] laughed and nodded. "Yes, Nana."

Jake came in out of the rain, shaking the droplets from his hair with a wide smile on his face. "How are my favorite ladies?"

"Wonderful, Jake. Now come in and say hello to your wife and unborn child."

"Yes Nana that was the plan," the man said, kneeling down in front of [Name] with a smile. "Hello my love."

"Hello Jakey."

His lips quirked up in a smile. More than fifteen years together and she still used the old childhood nickname for him. He didn't think he could fall in love with this woman anymore than he already had, but she always surprised him. "How's the little one?"

"Dominic is fine, sweetheart."

He raised an eyebrow. "Dom huh? What about Odessa?"

"I have a feeling it's a boy this time."

"This time?"

"Jake English, you best be giving me more than one great-grandbaby!"

He held his hands up in surrender, glancing over at his Nana with a grin. "I got it. I got it."

"Good." Satisfied with his answer, Nana left the two in the kitchen alone.

"How's the tea?"

"It's some pretty good stuff. Nana mentioned she got it made from wild berries in the jungle."

"She's not wrong. Nana used to go on a lot of adventures, and that's what I'm doing now. I'm not as lucky as finding things as she was all those years ago, but I'm doing pretty well for us."

"I'm glad. Just be careful okay?"

"Always, my love."

\\I'm 45 for a moment, The sea is high. And I'm heading into a crisis, Chasing the years of my life.\\

"Dominic! Leave Des alone and get over here."

"But mooooom!"

"Dominic Adam English!

"Fine!"

The twelve year old pouted and crossed his arms, allowing his mother to fix his suit and his hair. Jake reached over to pick up the eight year old Odessa Jane, Des for short, making sure the bow stayed in her hair. "Are you ready Jakey?"

"Yeah. As much as I'll ever be."

"She lived a long life, you know."

"Yeah. I thought she was going to outlive us all actually."

"Mom?"

"Yes Dominic?"

"I miss great Nana."

"Me too sweetheart. But we'll make sure you and Dessie look really good when you see her one last time okay?"

"Okay mom."

"Alright, c'mere Des. Let me see you."

She held her arms out and Jake handed her their youngest. Fixing her dress and bow (because let's face it, Jake didn't know how to make the bow look perfect no matter how hard he tried), [Name] smiled at her daughter. "Beautiful."

Setting Odessa down, she turned to her husband and kissed him lightly. He smiled at her and returned the gesture. "I think we did her proud."

"Minus our little scare when we were fifteen, I think so too."

"Are we going now, Mama?" [Name] looked at her youngest and nodded.

"Yes we are Dessie. Let's go."

Taking both of her children's hands, she went out the door with Jake following behind. He locked the house and made a face as he realized that he would be the one driving today. [Name] smiled at him from the passenger side and stuck her tongue out at him. She'd make it up to him later. Neither of them liked to drive ever since the accident, but that was thirty years ago. Now they actually needed a car to get around for the kids and their jobs.

The funeral was huge, with all of their friends visiting with their kids. Every single person came up and gave their condolences to the members of the English family, even [Name] herself. After all, everyone knew that Nana English was just like [Name]'s grandmother too. She managed to remember to bring extra tissues, giving some to Jake when he looked like he was going to burst into tears. He had to keep his composure, however, as he promised Nana he would give a speech.

Walking up to the podium, he cleared his throat and began. "Nana English was probably the closest person to me when I was growing up. Even though I was young and stupid, often disobeying her rules because I wanted to impress a girl, she was still there for me when it came down to it. She stuck by myself and [Name] when we needed her the most, and I can say for everyone here that her house was always open for you. All you had to do was knock. Of course, if you knocked she would call you a knucklehead and to get the hell in the house because the kitchen was shaking and she wanted to do some baking."

He laughed at this and took a long look over at the casket. "She was old and some part of me felt that she was going to live forever. But she lived things to the fullest. Went off on jungle adventures, got married, and had some kids. Got to see grandkids and great-grandkids, some of which are my own. She always listened to the whole side of a story and made sure she never judged until she got down to the bottom of the entire truth. We lost a great woman and today we pay our respects to her. Thank you."

Jake went back over to [Name] and sat down. She rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh, whispering to him that he did really good. "Nana would be proud."

"She still is, [Name]. Just because she's dead does not mean that she's gone. I think she left enough of herself behind that she'll live on for nearly forever."

"That's a good way of looking at it, Jakey."

"It's the only way I can look at it. She taught me to see the best in everything, and now, I'm doing what she wanted."

\\Half time goes by, Suddenly you’re wise. Another blink of an eye, 67 is gone. The sun is getting high, We're moving on...\\

"Who was that on the phone?" [Name] asked, slowly walking over to her husband with a tired smile on her face.

"It was Dominic. He says that he and Anne are doing just fine, along with baby Leon."

"Oh that's wonderful. We'll have to make a trip out to see them at some point right?"

"Yeah, if these old legs can make it."

"Oh come now, Jakey. Where's your spirit of adventure?"

"It got old about the time that I did," he said, cracking a grin at his wife. "We'll go and see them. We'll have to go see Dessie and Max too."

"She's almost graduated college. I knew she would be just as smart as her father."

"And as beautiful as her mother, of course."

"Flatterer."

"Tis the truth, I swear by it. Golly, [Name], it's like you haven't believed me at all over the years."

"Oh I have, it's okay. I think we should go and see Nana English's grave today."

"That would be nice. I haven't visited her for quite some time."

"We just haven't had a need to, Jake. She's all around us, and I know you feel it too."

"Well she did help us choose this home, help us raise the kids, and she helped us out when we were younger."

"She was always there for us," she remarked, sitting down next to her husband and taking his hand within hers. "We gave her the great-grandchildren she wanted too."

"I think she wanted more," Jake mused with a smile. "A house full of little great-grandchildren for her to dote on and cook for."

"I couldn't birth that many in such a short span of time," [Name] said with a laugh. "I think she was expecting the impossible of me."

"Well, she expected the impossible of me. I woke up didn't I?"

"Yes you did. And I am so grateful. What would I have done without you?"

"Knocked some other bloke off his feet with your windswept hair and bright eyes. He would have been pining after you just waiting for the right time, and then he would have asked you for coffee. Maybe asked for a number of tried a cheesy pick up line. You would have been hesitant of course, but-"

[Name] covered Jake's mouth. "But nothing. I'm here, and you're here. And we're together until the end."

"As it should be. As if I'd give my girl away to anyone else."

"Such a charmer."

"That's why you fell for me, isn't it?"

\\I'm 99 for a moment, And dying for just another moment. And I'm just dreaming, Counting the ways to where you are.\\

Grasping her son's hand within her own, [Name] smiled up at him from the hospital bed. "You take care of your father now, you hear me? He won't know what to do without me, I swear."

Dominic nodded down to her, tears pooling in his eyes. "But Mom-"

"No buts Dominic. I'm trusting you and Dessie to take care of him once I'm gone."

Odessa moved to protest, but [Name] held a hand up. "Mom-"

"This is the end of the road for me, but I lived a good life. Remember that. It was full. Full of love, full of miracles, and full of family. Your father doesn't want to believe it, but I feel like tonight is my last one."

Odessa and Dominic shared a look before nodding to their mother. "Alright, Mom. I'll take care of Dad."

"As will I!" The youngest chimed in.

"Good. Thank you."

[Name] let her hand rest on the bed and the beeping of the monitor grew louder to her ears. As did a voice. C'mon now, [Name]. I can't lose you. I haven't given up on you, so please... Eventually the monitor flat lined and the noise was ringing throughout the room, but [Name] could still feel herself breathing.

\\Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this, When you only got a hundred years to live.\\

The flat line noise was replaced by a steady beating that sounded like a heart. [Name]'s eyes cracked open and the bright light assaulted her. Wincing, she closed her eyes before trying to open them again. She blinked the sleepiness away and looked around the room. What was she still doing here?

Where was Dominic and Odessa? Looking down at her hand, her eyes widened and her heart rate picked up. Her skin... she wasn't old? Something made a noise to her right and she looked. Jake was sleeping in a chair, looking as haggard as a fifteen year old could look. What was going on?

"Jake?" She whispered, her voice coming out hoarse and rough. She coughed to clear the uneasy feeling it caused before reaching out and grabbing some water from the table. "Jake?"

The boys eyes snapped open, and he focused them on [Name]. "Oh god, [Name]! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He jumped up and hugged her as carefully as he could, but she could feel his arms trembling. He wanted to squeeze her as tight as possible, but he didn't want to hurt her.

"What happened?"

"The crash. Don't you remember? It put you in a coma. You've been out for a couple months."

"But I thought...wait. I was the one in a coma?"

"What do you mean?"

"I...thought you were in the coma. And then you woke up. And we were getting older together. We had kids, and a family. It was...lovely."

"It sounds like you were having some pleasant dreams," he whispered softly. "I'm glad that you weren't in any pain during it. I missed you so much, and I am so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, Jakey."

He closed his eyes, tears leaking down his face. "Please. Say it again."

[Name] smiled. "I missed you too, Jakey. And I'm not going anywhere. Not for at least 100 years."