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Chapter Five: A Way Out


Kevin sighed heavily as he made his way towards what was once the den where Tierja lay, battered and broken from the vicious winds. Howie was still back by the small escape route, listening to Ana shuffle through and yell at inanimate objects to keep herself calm. All anyone could do was pray that she got to the outside and radio for help. He only wished that she was on the trek after making amends with Howie, but knew life was never that simple.

"Tierja? Are you awake?" Kevin called softly, kneeling down next to her on the cement floor. The bruising had moved to circle her ears in the front and back, creating heavy bags under her weary and pained eyes.

"For now," Tierja answered meekly, slowly allowing her eyes to open from a resting state. She instantly winced when she was greeted with the bright lighting, moving to tenderly cover her face for protection.

"Hold on a minute," Kevin stood up and grabbed a blanket. He walked over to the opening where the sunlight was coming from and covered it. "Is that better, Sweetheart?"

"Much. Thank you," Tierja sighed, pulling her hands away from her face.

"How are you doing?" Kevin questioned, kneeling back down to Tierja's side. He didn't know what to say to make sure she was okay, but at least she was talking. For a moment, he wished that Ana had let him or Howie travel through the tunnel, but it was pointless to long for a change in the immediately past. So, without much thought, he reached to fold her small hands within his two large ones. Within the short amount of time, Kevin had grown overwhemlingly affectionate toward this woman. The terror of the evening had forced him to analyze his entire life in such a short period.

"I think I've been better..." Tierja licked her dry lips, feeling Kevin's warmth flowing from his hands into hers. She couldn't deny her feelings for him, and knowing that he had inadvertantly broken up her best friends caused a huge conflict in her mind. It wasn't helping her headache. "How's the escape route going?"

"We got a path... But Ana decided she was the one going through instead of Howie or me."

"What? You let her go in there?!" Tierja exclaimed, immediately regretting it.

"What do you mean I let her go in there?" Kevin cringed, feeling Tierja's lengthy nails imbed into his hands. "I'm not the one semi-dating her!"

"She always has to be the tough one," Tierja closed her eyes with a groan of frustration, pulling her nails out of Kevin's hands. "Did you talk to Howie?"

"Talk to him about what?"

"What I asked you to talk to him about... the past?"

"Oh!" Kevin groaned, finding his thoughts more centered on Tierja's well being. "Yeah, I talked to him. We're okay or at least I think we're okay..."

"At least you both talked," Tierja bit on her bottom lip. "Kevin?"

"What?"

"I-I'm not going to die, am I? Ana said people who don't get medical attention right away could--"

"You're not going to die," Kevin instantly chided, reaching to cup her chin gently within his thumb and forefinger. He leaned over to make sure their contrasting eyes connected, giving her a handsome smile. "Why do you think Ana's ripping through that hole as we speak? She's going to pull some serious strings when she finds her radio and gets help. You're going to be just fine. Absolutely just fine. Then you're going to fix the serious mess I made with Ana and Howie... Y'know, after you get painkillers."

"But I'm just so scared..."

"It's okay to be scared. Hell, I'm scared, but I know we're all going to be okay. God planned for us to meet and I won't let you be taken away from me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I just... I feel this connection with you. Something I haven't felt for a very long time."

"I feel it, too."

"Really?" Kevin whispered faintly, allowing his fingers to gently trace along the edge of her cheekbone. He couldn't allow his fingertips to part from her flesh, fearing that she might turn cold without him. Since stepping into her house that evening, Kevin finally understood what his mother said when she spoke of love at first sight.

"Mm-hmm. It happened right when you showed up on my doorstep," Tierja kissed his fingertips as they grazed over her pale lips. "We barely know each other, but there's one thing I do know and it's that I need you in my life."

"I won't leave, okay?"

"You promise?"

"I promise," Kevin complied, taking her index finger to draw an 'x' across his heart.

"Please kiss me," Tierja demanded softly, her chin trembling.

"Okay," Kevin whispered, knowing in his heart that he could deny her nothing. Allowing her to rest her hands back against her chest, he eagerly leaned over her resting body. Licking his lips in anticipation as he neared, softly, almost as if they were exchanging a whisper, he pressed his lips against her own.

"Mmm... thank you," Tierja smiled softly as their lips parted from the sweet and passion-filled kiss. "You're definitely living with me when... well... whenever I get a place to stay."

"Aren't you jumping the gun a little?" Kevin laughed, slightly amused by her ambitious plans.

"I've always been a speedy one in the relationship. Besides, where were you going to stay once I get discharged from the hospital?"

"I... I wasn't really sure..."

"That's why you're going to stay with me," Tierja reached up and cupped his stubbly cheek. "That is, as long as you want to."

"I have nothing left in Florida."

"Well now you have something here in Minnesota."

"Yeah," Kevin smiled with appreciation. "You."

"Oh, Kev..."

"Just rest, okay?" Kevin soothed, reaching down to kiss her once more.

"Don't let me sleep too long," Tierja sighed, closing her eyes. The throbbing headache was getting worse.

"Never in a million years."

"We may have just met tonight, but... I love you," Tierja whispered before falling asleep.

"I think I'll wait until you're awake to say it back," Kevin chuckled softly, brushing his fingertips against her forehead to ease her into a more comfortable slumber

*~*~*~*

"Just had to be the adrenaline junkie, didn't you, Lord?" Ana chided herself, breathing heavily as she fell forward when a sharp clutter of debris collapsed from inside the narrow tunnel. She had yanked her legs forward just in time to avoid being pinned, but her heart still galloped as if she might have been trapped. She glanced backward to see the entire tunnel filled with debris that could have crushed her legs flat. Fresh tears of relief started to fall down her grubby cheeks, finally realizing for the first time in years that maybe she didn't actually want to die. She had always placed herself in the scariest of situations while on duty as a Paramedic. Everything others were terrified to do, Ana did without a single thought about her well being. Now, her wreckless behavior had landed her in a collapsing tunnel in search of help for her friends trapped in the demolished home. She was bleeding severely from the large gash in her right thigh and her lacerated cheek and arms from the exploding window were burning with the dirt and grim invading the soft tissues. But, it didn't seem to matter as she pushed forward, burying her face slightly into Howie's jean jacket to inhale his cologne that always seemed to soothe her fears. Like she told Tierja, she had a damn long day ahead of her once they were out of this mess.

As she shuffled through the various debris, snippets of her last conversations with Howie and Tierja echoed in her tired mind. Her heart knew what Tierja had said was true, but her mind just wouldn't allow her to admit it.

It's not alright, Missy. Not at all. You can hide behind your fancy medical terminology, but I know the truth. You're terrified of needing him as much as he needs you. You're looking for any excuse to dump him and when you finally found one, as stupid as it is, you're shocked because it's tearing your heart apart. You break away after a hard day at work, sobbing because you found people dead in a car that you couldn't help. But, you're still carrying that weight around. All those people in your heart, Ana. It's not healthy. You need someone to hold you and comfort you.


"Too bad I'm letting go the one person who could do that," Ana muttered to herself, looking up to try and find some kind of opening.


Don't let go, Howie! Hold on!

I've got you!

Remembering the horrifying night, tears continued to rain down Ana's tender cheeks, blotting against Howie's dusty jean jacket that was meant to protect her through the tunnel. Howie had done everything in his power to assure her safety when the tornado touched down upon them. She distinctly remembered something slamming down hard against their backs causing Howie to muffle a yelp against her ear. Yet, he said nothing about the pain when he was clearing away the debris, as if it were a simple price to pay for her safety. Only, remembering the night caused her to become foolish as she reached for a piece of rubble to pull her up to the expanding light. Instantly the piece of rubble pulled from its spot in the damage, causing several more to fall in Ana's face as she slipped backward in the tunnel. There was a sharp rumbling as debris continued to cave behind her, sharply cracking as she curled into a ball for protection. She felt a few distinct pieces slam against her already battered body, but continued to cover her head for protection. "DAMNIT!"

"ANA?!" Howie instantly hollered into the blocked tunnel, his voice becoming muffled through the heavy debris.

"I'M FINE!" she shouted back, unable to even face his voice as she waited for the tunnel to calm.

"BE CAREFUL!"

"It would be better if the tunnel would stop falling around me," Ana muttered, continuing her trek through. The opening had to be coming soon, she had been moving for what seemed like forever. Glancing back up, she saw what looked to be sunlight, her heart leaping up into her throat.

"Please, please, please, please," Ana begged God, pulling herself upward toward what she hoped was the outside world. She hated being closed in tight quarters despite that's all her occupation really consisted of. She just wanted out so she could get Tierja help and get away from the entire situation.

The light became stronger as she came closer, hope soaring through her battered body. She reached up and felt a warm breeze graze over her fingertips. "Please, God, please!"

Clearing away the remaining litter cluttering from the hole, she found a bright light pouring against her face that actually caused her to squint. With much needed strength, she gripped the tilted Earth and boosted herself up. Only, what she was greeted with when lying on the muddy ground was nothing short of a catastrophe. Large chunks of debris littered around Tierja's collapsed house, along with huge chunks of lumber crushing her vehicle. Ana sat amongst the rubble in a slight daze, wondering if this really was her hometown. "God help us..."

~*~*~*~

"ANA! ANA, ARE YOU OKAY?!" Howie bellowed into the collapsing tunnel. He hadn't gotten a response from her for what seemed like forever and was beginning to panic.

"I'M..." Ana's voice stalled for just a moment, gently easing herself off the ground when she heard Howie's frantic yell. She stood for a moment to gather her thoughts, but Howie quickly called out again when she didn't respond. Slowly, she moved along the sunken house, which was close to her turned and crushed truck. She wanted to find some kind of opening peering down into the house, but didn't know if she could be so lucky. Instead, she became sidetracked and moved toward her mangled truck. Cursing at the expensive and new piece of equipment, she crouched toward the ground to figure out how to get inside the truck to locate her radio.

"ANA! DAMNIT, ANA, ANSWER ME!" Howie shouted, his voice reverberating through the shambled house, jerking Tierja awake from her short nap. Kevin's head snapped up from the slightly damaged health book he was skimming through.

"Baby, go see what's wrong," Tierja replied, the headache pounding harder than ever before. Kevin nodded and got to his feet, jogging over towards Howie's voice. Dear God, please let us know that Ana made it... though... Tierja's prayer trailed off as the pain became intense and she passed out.

"Howie, what's the matter?" Kevin questioned with worry as he jogged over to the frantic younger man. He eased himself to ripped carpet, attempting to clasp Howie's trembling shoulder.

"Ana hasn't answered me for at least fifteen minutes and I just heard a lot of the tunnel collapse! What if she's trapped in there? I'll have to live knowing she thought I didn't love--"

"Howie, have you thought maybe she hasn't answered because she's outside?"

"I heard her scream," Howie was quick to reply, unable to believe that Kevin might be right. The guilt for his foolish words continued to remind him that Ana might actually be dead within the tunnel from the heavy pieces of stone, wood, and other metals. Gasping sharply, he started to dig heavily into the pile of rubble. He was determined to reach his trapped love one without a single iota of help from God. He furiously crammed his already beaten hands into the sharp pieces of debris, causing blood to flow from the torn flesh of his tender hands, never even recognizing the pain signals screaming from various locations of his battered body. He could only think of Ana, the thought of wanting to propose, and having to lay an engagement ring on her sleek, black coffin.

"Howie! D, stop, you're killing your hands!" Kevin wrapped his arms around Howie and pulled him away from the tunnel just before a large pile of lumber fell right where they had been. "She's not in there, I know she isn't!"

"You've been in here! You don't know! You don't know where she is! I've got to get her! Now! I... I don't care! Get her back!"

"Howie, stop!" Kevin grunted in shock, actually falling against the ground as Howie fought. They hit hard against their backs, only seeming to drive Howie's pain and fear into further escalation. "D! Get a hold of yourself!"

"Let me go! I NEED TO GET HER BACK--"

"Howie, she's too smart and strong to get stuck in some tunnel! Just stop, freaking out is not going to help anyone in this situation!" Kevin struggled to keep Howie pinned to the ground.

"You don't understand!" Howie started to sob, actually fighting harder to get free from Kevin's strong grip. He beat hard against Kevin's chest with his bloody, torn, and beefy red hands. "She doesn't know! She thinks I don't love her! I can't live with that! I can't! I didn't mean what I said! I didn't mean it at all! I want her back! Now! The world doesn't need her like I need her! God doesn't need her like I need her!"

"Howie! Stop!" Kevin grunt, afraid he might be inflicting further damage on his friend as he slammed him hard into the ground. "This is ridiculous!"

"Just let me go! Why won't you let me go?! I need to get her back now!" Howie burst, kicking and squirming like a child having a tantrum.

"Because clawing at all that shit in the tunnel is going to hurt you and not help Ana--"

Kevin's scolding was immediately haulted by a sharp splintering above them. It took only moment for heavy debris to fall inward on the den, causing Kevin to release Howie for some kind of cover. Only, what surprised them most was when Ana appeared above them, leaning over the enterance she made with the already splintered wood. She looked absolutely beaten as she held made sure to hide any of the wounds she recieved climbing from the tunnel and actually climbing into her battered truck just to find her somewhat mangled radio. "Guys?"

"Ana! Ana, you're alright! Oh, thank God!" Howie stood up, wiping away the tears with his forearm.

"I got a call into the guys. Shit's really bad all over the place. They say their ETA is ten minutes. I managed to find a bottle of water in my truck... Figured you could use it..." Ana fumbled to explain, throwing down the bottle without really addressing Howie's concern. She didn't want to say she was fine, because Howie would be quick to correct her. The pain coursing through her body was unbearable from the caving and having to slide through the broken glass of her truck just to locate a damn radio. The deep gash in her right thigh was bleeding profusely, making her slightly lightheaded. Now, she just practially slumped against the thick wood looking down upon the other three, just trying to maintain conciousness. "Is Tierj okay?"

"Yeah, she was just taking a short nap. I'll wake her up," Kevin jogged over and kneeled down to Tierja once again, shaking her shoulder gently. "Tier? Sweetheart, wake up. Ana made it through the tunnel!"

"You..." Tierja swallowed hard at the violent shaking, reaching to grasp Kevin's hand. "Stop..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I was shaking you that hard," Kevin apologized quickly. "Ana made it through the tunnel! Help is going to be here in ten minutes. Then you'll be on your way to the hospital with painkillers ready."

"Major painkillers," Tierja sighed with soft relief.

"Tierj, you okay?" Ana called, closing her eyes tightly against the pain raging her weak body.

"I-I'm fine, Missy!"

"Staying awake would be key, Tierj. Just ten minutes, okay?" Ana instructed, slumping further against the wood. As strong as she had been throughout the whole ordeal, she was growing weaker by the passing moment. She tried to remind herself to stay awake, but it seemed somewhat impossible with the dark splotches invading her heavy mind. Then she had to remind herself that she'd be on duty all night, which just seemed to make her weaker.

"I can hang in there... are you alright? You sound different," Tierja asked, concentrating on Kevin's fingers linked through hers to keep awake.

"Well, I'm all the way up here and you're down there. It's going to sound different," Ana shurgged off the question, taking a few deep breaths.

"Ana?" Howie questioned, sitting himself just below the hole she was positioned at.

"Oh, I got your jacket..." Ana reminded herself, figuring that's what he was inquiring about. Holding her breath, she eased it off her heavy body, praying nothing had broken her from the rubble. Though, not paying much attention, she let the ripped jean coat tainted with her blood stains fall against down to the den as she wearily collapsed back down against the wood for support.

"What are you doing? Keep that jacket on," Howie grunted, throwing it back up towards her. He had been wondering how she was really feeling, but she yet again ignored what he meant.

"But you asked for it," Ana bit back a yelp as the material whacked against her injured thigh.

"Ana, put it on," Howie demanded, bracing a hand against his back and the other on his aching knee. Only, when he flattened his palms against each area, he immediately winced with aggravation. Withdrawing his hands from the tender areas, he noted the heavy creases of blood pooling under chunks of ripped flesh. Frowning, he settled his hands into his lap, just wishing he could touch Ana one time.

"Why?" she was quick to question, unable to even muster the strength to pull the jacket from her throbbing leg.

"Because I asked you to, now please do it."

"I--"

"Ana, please."

"Fine..." Ana gritted her teeth and slowly slipped the jacket back on, holding in her cries of pain.

"Ana--"

"You could tell me why, y'know..." she heaved, unable to keep the fresh tears from pooling.

"I don't want you to get cold--"

"Not that... why you said what you said. About losing it all in Florida--"

"Lord! We're here!" a male voice suddenly interupted, stopping Ana from proceeding with a question that had plagued her heart since the tornado. It sounded like thunder as the three ambulances approached with deafening roars, her good companions rushing out with stretch boards and bags of medical equipment. "Damnit, Lord! What the Hell did you do?!"

"What's wrong with her?" Howie immediately shouted upward with panic.

"Hold on, Howie! We're getting to you guys!" the paramedic called back, obviously hiding whatever happened to Ana.

"Ana! Ana, what's wrong?"

"They're coming down in a minute, Howie. Just hold on," Ana called, the black dots increasing in number right before her eyes.

"Ana, listen to me," Anthony, one of Ana's closest companions, called. Although, it seemed distant in her mind as if he were several miles away. There was a bright light that envaded her eyes as he continued to talk. She squinted against the light, focusing on his lips as she continued to struggle to hear him. "We need to get you loaded into a stretcher. What happened? Can you tell me that? Do I need to be holding C-Spine?"

"No..." Ana trailed, floating away from the conversation until someone grasped her severly lacerated leg. She immediately yelped with fresh pain, reaching to grasp the hands that insisted on meddling with her affairs. Focusing heavily on Anthony's pudgy face, she scowled. "I'm fine, okay? I'm going on runs, but you've got to get Howie, Tierj, and Kevin out of that den. Tierj got hit in the head by a piece of debris in the tornado. She's got a severe concussion with a laceration to the back of her skull. I think its fractured. Kevin's okay from what I can tell... And Howie's favoring his back and knee. Get them out. Help me get them out."

"Ana, c'mon, this is stupid. We need to think of you, too. Paramedics first oath about being on scene. We take care of ourselves before the patients, because we're nothing to them if we're dead."

"I'm fine," Ana insisted, reaching to get to her feet. She walked several feet toward an ambulance intent on grabbing a stretcher and disappearing into the den, but immediately collapsed hard onto the ground.

"Ana! Damnit!" Anthony cursed as he rushed towards Ana. "Josh, Billy, start making your way through the hole she made to get to the others!"

"ANA! ANA, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Howie's voice floated from the den, hearing the alarmed voices that included Ana's name. He had known something was wrong. He should have gone through the tunnel instead of her.

"Howie, just hang on! We're going to get you out of there!" Josh replied instead, pushing the stretcher with Billy behind him carrying the medical bags.

"What's wrong... with Missy?" Tierja questioned, hearing Kevin shout about the tunnel being half collapsed. She squinted hard against the light fluttering about the room, trying to concentrate. She heard the distant rumble of ambulance sirens, causing her to smile with slight relief. Until she heard everyone practically screaming Ana's name along with thick streams of heavy curses.

"I don't know, Baby. I'm sure she's alright. Maybe she just passed out a minute because she never let herself rest," Kevin craned his neck, trying to see what was going on above them. He could hear two paramedics stumbling down to help them and he sighed. The nightmare was almost over.

"No wonder she's hemorrhaging like crazy," Billy cursed as he and Josh finally managed to reach the bottom of the den. Ana had collapsed heavily above ground, completely unresponsive to any verbal or physical stimuli. She was bleeding profusely from several wounds and had to be immediately loaded into one of the ambulances. Anthony had been shouting about possibilities of internal hemorrhaging when he heard the tunnel collapsed against her. It just seemed surreal that one of their best could be injured on her day off. Ashen, Billy stumbled against a thick pipe covered with blood, cringing at the very sight for a moment. He was the newest EMT on the crew and did the job on a volunteer basis until he was accepted into the paramedic program.

"Hemorrhaging? What? What's wrong with Missy? She's hurt bad, isn't she? Damn her for always being the brave one. Don't curve around my questions, Billy. You better tell me right now!" Tierja attempted to scramble to her feet despite her furiously throbbing head injury.

"Tierja, don't even start and sit your ass down. Ana's told you better than that," Josh commanded, which instantly caused Tierja to settle. His deep baratone voice was threatening as he motioned for Billy to assist Tierja. Being the eldest paramedic and a fatherlike figure to Ana, he knelt down to Howie's pale form. Gently, he reached a gloved hand out to assess the deep wounds on Howie's hands. "Howie? Hey, I need to know what else is wrong with you so I know if I need another stretcher."

"Ana... where's Ana? I need to see her," Howie mumbled, looking up at Josh like a lost child.

"She's got a few injuries that need to be taken care of. She'll be alright. You've got to tell me what's hurting, Howie."

"My back... my knee... my hands. They all hurt."

"We'll get another stretcher," Josh sighed, hollering back up to the other crew members for the necessary items to be lowered from the hole Ana had created. He then glanced back to Howie, noticing his skin was growing clammy as he continued to pale. Fearing he might faint, Josh leaned toward him to catch his eyes. "You're going to be okay, son. I promise. We're getting you out of here in ten and to the hospital to be looked at. You and Tierja are going to be just fine."

"I don't care about myself, I care about Ana! She could die and it'll be all my fau--"

"Don't you even blame yourself, d'you hear me? She's not going to die, she's heading for the hospital right now to be taken care of by the best doctors," Josh interrupted, gently cleaning out the wounds on Howie's hands.

"She thinks she was a mistake..."

"That's all she ever was," Josh chuckled, not really understanding what Howie meant. "Such a goofball when it came to training. But, when it mattered, she was always focused on saving lives. And, she'd be quite pissed at this old timer if I didn't make sure you and Tierja got the ultimate first aid."

"She wasn't a mistake. She never could be," Howie whispered, tears spilling down his pale cheeks. If Ana died, she would never know how he really felt, or how sorry he was for hurting her. He never did anything but love her with all of his being.

"Haul down that stretcher when you get Tierja up and be damn careful!" Josh barked toward Billy as Tierja was strapped hard onto the stretcher for safe keeping. He watched as the unknown man quietly followed Josh and another paramedic that had climbed down to help assist. Waiting until Tierja disappeared safely, he turned back to Howie. "For once she won't be taking a late shift with this disaster, Howie. You'll have all night to spend with her while you two are soaking up all the attention of the nurses and doctors. Okay?"

"She's going to be okay, Josh? Can you honestly tell me that she's going to be okay?" Howie whispered, looking back up at Josh as the man finished cleaning his cuts and checked out his injured knee and back.

"You know better than to ask me that question, Howie," Josh chided with a click of his tongue, noticing the severe bruising along his spine and the fluid accumulating on his knee. Frowning, Josh hollered for another stretcher pronto. "I can't honestly tell you she's going to be anything. You saw what she looked like--"

"If she dies, there's nothing left here for me. If you guys don't take care--"

"Howie, we're doing our very best and I'll be damned if we lose her. Don't be thinking like that," Josh interrupted as another stretcher and paramedic came down the makeshift escape.

"How can I not be thinking like that when you guys--"

"If things go like I'm hoping they're going to go, you're just going to have one severely pissed off woman because she can't go back to work for a few weeks while she's healing up. But, you'll be able to fix that all right up with some tender loving, right?" Josh attempted to soothe, hating that he was going against his code of ethics by instilling what could be false hope. But, he had to get Howie out of this den in some kind of stable state, otherwise Ana would never forgive him, dead or not.

"Yeah... right..."

"Good, so come on, I'll help you into the stretcher and you can finally get the Hell out of here," Josh looped an arm around Howie's waist and helped him to his feet. He ordered the other paramedic, Erik, to bring the stretcher near them so Howie didn't have far to walk.

"Did you see her up there?" Erik was quick to comment, helping Howie ease down on the stretcher before helping to strap him in appropriately. Like most inconsiderate EMTs, he spoke over Howie as if he didn't exist. "You could actually see her femur when Anthony stripped off her jeans--"

"Erik, not helping," Josh hissed, placing an oxygen mask over Howie's mouth for a moment to clear the dust out of his lungs from the debris. "He can hear, you know."

"Yeah?" Erik questioned, obviously oblivious to even who Howie was as he helped pick up the stretch to load the last patient into the last ambulance. "We're all betting that there's severe internal hemorrhaging, y'know, if her femoral artery didn't spurt everything out before she hit the ground--"

"For the love of God, shut up!" Josh groaned, quickly climbing inside the ambulance. "This man right here is her boyfriend!"

"Oh God, she is going to die and it's all my fault," Howie began to sob, covering his face with his wounded hands.

"Damnit, Howie, he doesn't know--"

"God, it's all my fault..."



Thank you so much for the help, Ana. Couldn't have done it without you!