My eyes flutter open as I regain consciousness and slightly flinch at the light. I look around through squinted eyes before slowly opening them normally. I place a hand against my head and slowly try to sit up.

"I wouldn't try to sit up just yet. You have a severe concussion and passing out didn't help it anymore than not telling anyone."

"Uncle Spencer?" I furrow my eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

"The school called me instead of your father, so I brought the jet. Besides I figure since I hadn't seen my favorite niece in almost year I owed her a visit." He replies.

"I'm your only niece." I deadpan.

"Which is all the more reason for you to be my favorite." He pokes my nose lightly then quickly withdraws.

"Have you been around Garcia? Because you're acting a lot like her." I ask slightly sitting up more.

"I work with her, and no I had adderal for breakfast." He jokes.

"Ha ha, very funny." I say flatly.

"Laugh at my joke or I won't give you any skittles." He threatens. I fake a laugh and he smiles. "You can your skittles later."

"Have you talked to Grams recently?" I ask playing with the thin blanket laying over my body.

"Yeah, actually, I talked to her last week. I might go see her once you're cleared for travel." He replies. "But I get first pick out of which book she reads."

"You know that won't happen. I'm her favorite." I retort.

"I'm her favorite." He argues.

"BS, I'm her favorite." I snap back.

"I've always been her favorite." He states.

"Then I was born, and I kicked you right out the favorite spot." I state.

"I'm still her favorite."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"I'm her favorite, Uncle Spence, just get over it."

"Well, I'm going to take the fact that she is conscious and responsive as a good bill of health. We're just going to wait a little while to see if anything changes then if we're successful you'll be home before the day is over." The nurse says from the door.

"Sounds good." Uncle Spencer nods.

"Yeah the sooner we get out of here the sooner I can prove to you that I'm Grams's favorite." I jibe.

†††††

I look out the window and place my hand against the glass. I take a deep breath and force and smile.

"You okay? You seem depressed." Uncle Spence sits across from me. I don't reply. "You haven't been in a plane for a while either." He sets a desk of cards down. "Or played a game of poker with your favorite uncle." I slightly smile and turn to face him.

"What are we betting with?" I ask.

"Your long ass hair." He jokes. I took my hair down when we left the hospital. It reaches to the the end of my tail bone. I usually keep it up so it's out of my way but I was feeling adventurous. "Airplane peanuts and skittles."

"Pretzels and skittles. Airplane peanuts are disgusting." I state.

"Touché." He winks.

"So seven or five card draw?" I raise a brow.

"We'll start with five." He says picking up the deck. He shuffles them and sets them back down before grabbing skittles and pretzels. He grabs seven pretzels and sets them out. I take seven skittles and put them in the middle of the table.

"Who's dealing?" I rub my hands together.

"I am because you cheat when you deal." He replies dealing the cards. I pick up my cards and so does he. He places two down and grabs two off the deck. "How many?" He asks. I shake my head. He lays down. "Three of a kind." I smirk and lay down.

"Royal flush." I state pulling all of the snacks toward me.

"You cheated." He says.

"How when you shuffled and dealt?" I raise an eyebrow before popping a skittle into my mouth.

"You still cheated."

"Whatever."

†††††

"Is that my little Alli cat? I haven't seen you in forever." Grams walks toward me with her arms open.

"Hi Grams. How've you been?" I hug her tightly.

"I've been good, but it's even better now that my favorite kid is here, oh and Spencer." She slowly pulls away and hugs Spence.

"Hey mom." He narrows his eyes at me.

"I told you that I was her favorite." I poke my tongue out at him and he rolls his eyes.

"You shouldn't have to debate, it's always been Alli cat." She states. "Now who wants to listen to a story?" We all sit down by her chair and wait for her to grab a book. "Alli you're skittles are under the couch. I had to hide them from the orderlies." I smile and go under the couch and grab the bag of skittles. I eat a handful and she sits in her chair with a book. She starts reading and I lean against uncle Spencer's shoulder. The book she has read almost a million times, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, had quickly became my favorite from the first time I heard it. "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit them, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird, said Atticus. Why, Jem said." She continues on with the story and I slightly smile. I eat a few more skittles and close my eyes.

It's a sin to kill a mockingbird.