"Hey sweetie, it's mom." Ms. Harmon said down to Caroline's lifeless body. "There is a little girl, she reminds me of you actually. So full of life and smiling even through her condition..." Ms. Harmon wiped at her eyes. "The doctors said that you are not waking up." There was a long pause while Ms. Harmon accepted this. "But they said that your face could help her, this other girl. Give her a future..." Ms. Harmon's chest heaved as she tried to breath. "I wanted to ask you if you would be alright with giving up your face... Care bear... I love you so much, but the doctors said you are brain dead, that the moment they take you off of life support your heart will stop beating and you will die..." She let out a shaky breathe as she gasped her daughter's hand. "They said in a sad sense you are already dead." She waited for Caroline to make a move and prove everyone wrong so Ms. Harmon wouldn't have to do this, to make this decision. "A parent should never have to make this decision." She informed Caroline. "I love you more than life, and I will continue to love you until the day I die... you have the chance to make someone else whole again and I know you would want to help... Caroline, my sweet, sweet Caroline... I love you."
"For real this time?" Evan questioned.
"The papers are signed and Caroline Harmon's face now belongs to Cameron Brooks." Dr. Cade said as she pulled up the pictures and diagrams. "It is very rare to have such similar facial features and seeing them compared..." she did a side by side. "This could give you a fresh start Cameron. What do you say?"
"Um..." she looked to her parents both smiling while her brother examined the pictures carefully from his spot at the conference table. "Yes please."
"Excellent, now this is going to take some time and patience from everyone. We only get one shot so we are going to be running some simulations and testing on cadavers to make sure that when you do get this new face that you are able to smile and laugh. Wink, eat properly..."
"Wrinkle your nose when you smell Eliot farting." Ethaline added with a grin.
"Hey!" Eliot said with a smirk.
"Let's do this."
Now came the waiting. They tried to stick to their normal schedule of work and soccer practice for Eliot, but for Cameron, she didn't have anything she needed to do. She was done with school for now and didn't have any activities. So, she waited by her phone for the call to say they were ready. That she would get a new face today. Cammie lost a few pounds in the waiting, not wanting to eat in case she needed to go to surgery, she needed an empty stomach.
"You need to eat." Evan said putting a pile of eggs in front of Cammie. "It's noon and you haven't eaten since yesterday morning. It's not healthy." Evan told her sitting across from her, worry on his face.
"But if they call..." Cammie began as she moved the eggs around her plate. She was hungry, starving really, but she didn't want to eat and have them call and have to wait another day.
"Your body needs to be strong, if you don't eat your body will get weak and what if they say they can't do the surgery. What if your-" Cammie forked the eggs in her mouth.
"I'll eat, I get it." She said finishing her eggs. "Can you make me some toast?" She asked as she drank her orange juice. Evan moved from the table to make her some toast.
"I want you to be healthy, and happy and-" Evan began as he got out the jelly.
"I know, I'm sorry I just want to get this off of me."
"I can't find my shoes!" Eliot yelled as he marched through the laundry room. "Mom would know where they are. Is she gonna make it home before the game?" Eliot questioned as he looked for his soccer cleats. He had a game at 2, Scarlett got off of work at 2...
