Lost and Found

Jane woke up at six o'clock, two hours earlier than she had the past two years. Her morning routine was not of her own choosing. The Quiet Ivy Rehabilitation Center she had been sent to as her sentence had a set wake-up time. Today, though, it would all be over. At least I have one thing to celebrate this year for my birthday. She still had a year under house arrest to look forward to, but at least it wouldn't be here or worse, prison.

Not saying, this center had actually done the job. When she arrived, she was just another lost junkie looking for a way to escape and get high again. Now, she was stone-cold clean and sober for the first time since she had dropped out of college ten years earlier. Sitting on her tiny bed, she stared down at the floor and thought about where things had started to go wrong. Daria. Daria had begged her to get help and to clean up her act, but Jane threw her out of their apartment and her life. She had not spoken or seen the her amiga since. Broke, homeless, and stoned, Jane returned to Lawndale and not even a month into her return, she got arrested for possession. While sitting in jail, Jane was surprised to see Helen Morgendorffer standing in front of her cell. Helen had found out about the arrest from Quinn. How Quinn found out about the arrest, Jane wouldn't find the answer to that for almost six months. Helen convinced the district attorney to accept a plea bargain that would allow Jane to go into rehab followed by a year of house arrest. The rehab part was going to be no problem, but considering Trent had sold Casa Lane, housing would have to be arranged. Jane shook her head as visions of the past two years played through her head.

The struggles with withdrawal, the pain she felt as her body fought to get rid of the poison she had been feeding it with - just thinking about it made Jane shudder. Then there was the facing of the fact that she had thrown everything she had ever cared about away. Her art, Daria, Trent - she had tossed them in the garbage because she loved the heroin more. Hell, she was surprised she wasn't in some numbered coffin in a Potter's field somewhere. Jane watched as the tears rolling down her cheeks hit the floor between her feet. Standing up, Jane moved to a tiny table in the corner of her room and stared at the photograph resting on top of it. It was of her best friend, her brother, her new nieces, and of the person who had helped her the most the past two years.

Even though the patients at Quiet Ivy were allowed to have visitors, few ever came to see Jane. Helen would, to make sure that her client was making progress. On occasion, Jake came with her. Much to Jane's surprise, her parents even visited her twice. The only person who ever showed up on a regular basis was Quinn. From the start of her rehab, Quinn had came twice a month to come see her. At first, the visits only lasted a few minutes in length. But as Jane came more and more out of her drug-induced haze, the longer their conversations and visits lasted. Six months into Jane's stay, she found out how Quinn had known about the arrest. Quinn's boyfriend was on duty the night Jane was brought in and remembered her being Daria's friend from high school. Quinn had been the one to ask her mother to represent Jane, despite criminal law not being her forte.

For the eight months when she came to visit, Quinn never mentioned Daria. Then Quinn showed up one Saturday carrying three books and a picture in her hand. Jane looked down to see that the novels were written by Daria Lane. Quinn went on to explain that Daria and Trent had ran into each other shortly after Jane kicked them out of her life. They got married four years ago, and had twin girls - Janey and Amy. Trent was now a music instructor and owned a tiny music shop. As she left, Quinn handed Jane the picture and gave her a message. The only way that she would be allowed to meet and see her nieces in person, was to be completely clean and sober when she walked out of Quiet Ivy and if she wanted to be permanent fixture in their lives, she would have to stay that way for the rest of her life.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a knock on her door. The director of Quiet Ivy, Dr. Olmer, entered her room and they talked for almost an hour. He was proud of the progress she had made and that he hoped she would continue down the road to recovery. Quinn had already set her up with a counselor. Then his pager went off. It was his secretary confirming that Jane's ride was there. Clutching the picture and books in one hand, Jane shook the doctor's hand with the other and followed him to his office. After being handed the meager belongings she had arrived with, Jane exited the room to see Helen, Quinn, and a police officer waiting for her. She was fitted for the ankle bracelet that she would have to wear for the next year. As they were leaving, Jane looked back at the building with a sad smile on her face.

Quinn arranged for her to stay in the mother-in-law suite that was on her property. In exchange for a place to stay, Jane would work for Quinn, helping her out with her website and online orders. It was on their drive to Quinn's house, that Quinn handed her a birthday card. Only Quinn could find a birthday card covered in pink Chihuahuas. . As they pulled into the driveway, Helen and Quinn led Jane to her place of residence. It was a one bedroom, one bath mini-house. They decided to give her some time to unpack and get used to her surroundings. Dinner, however, was at six and missing it was not an option. Jane nodded and gave each of the Morgendorffers a hug before they left. Jane sat her stuff down and took stock of the house. Quinn had stocked the pantry and cupboards. She even made sure that Jane had toiletries, towels, and paper goods. Then she walked into the bedroom and let out a small gasp. The walls were covered in her art work and her easel was set-up in the corner. She had thought for sure that she would never see any of that again after the eviction. Then, she realized that only one person could have retrieved that for her, the other person on the apartment's lease - Daria. She spent the next hour curled up on the bed crying. At five thirty, Quinn came over and told Jane dinner would be a little earlier than planned.

As they walked to Quinn's house, she asked Jane if she was able to find everything she needed. Jane nodded, still in shock over the easel and art work. When they entered the house, Jane rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Helen, Jake, and her parents were standing in front of her. The group exchanged hugs before heading towards the kitchen. On the table was a birthday cake. Before the cake could be cut, Quinn's doorbell chimed. Quinn asked Jane to answer it. Jane opened the door and froze. Standing before her was Daria, Trent, and sleeping in their stroller, two little girls. Daria looked as though she was still eighteen, just with smaller glasses and a ponytail. Trent was clean-cut, missing a couple of old tattoos, while having a few new ones, a little bit of grey was beginning to streak through his hair. Jane could feel the tears forming as she wrapped her arms around them. They returned the gesture, and the three of them stayed that way for several minutes. After ten years of being lost, Jane Lane had found where she belonged.

End