eventually, she got the news of what happened to max in march of 1986 - lucas calling her in the hospital and a sobbing wreck, she broke down and could hardly hold herself up straight - not again, it hasn't even been a whole year! no ... she failed to protect another loved one of hers, she failed to protect her baby sister. she rushed to the hospital in a desperate attempt to see max, her heart yearning for answers. the poor young woman couldn't handle such a weight on her conscious, another loss.
of course, she's still coping and learning how to handle such grief - while being there to help max walk when time comes. she still misses billy like hell, but she manages. the nicotine from a cigarette got her going, kept her calm when nobody else. she told herself she would never smoke a cigarette but here that day came. breaking a promise to herself, she just took that first drag and ended up hooked.