Hey guys! Okay, can I just say that this story almost has 100 reviews in just seven chapters? Thank you all so much! All right, next chapter I will give some shout outs to you guys, k? And also, be prepared for your reading world in this story to be turned upside down and yes that means MEGA cliffhanger. Well, enjoy this new segment of IYECBTU!


Chapter 9: Hope Is Hope

One Month Later...

Hope. It's a four-letter word. It has one syllable. It has many meanings. It can be a name. It can be something people hold on to. It means much more if you dig deep. Hope also means not giving up. It means keep your head high and show people you never give up. You hold onto it for as long as you need. It's not simple but it's also not hard. Everyone had hope for Avalon Alison Cavanaugh.

It had been one month since her accident, and she hadn't woken up from her coma. People had thought about giving up hope for her but others kept there's up. Toby Cavanaugh was the one who had the most hope for his daughter. If only he had known that truck was coming he would've saved her. He would've warned her. Now it was his fault for it. It was his fault she was in a coma. His fault for everything that had happened.

Toby looked through the glass window at his daughter's still figure. He placed one hand on the glass and let the other one rest in his pocket. He could hear the faint beeping of the monitors. He closed his eyes and let his head rest against the cold glass. He ignored the person who came up next to him and stared at Avalon through the glass too. Toby flinched when he felt the all to familiar hand rest on top of his that was on the glass. Electric sparks shooting up.

"She's Avalon Alison Cavanaugh, she'll make it," the raspy voice said gently.

Toby nodded keeping his eyes closed. "I just feel like this is all my fault."

She squeezed his hand. "No, it's not your fault."

"It sure does feel like it," he said looking at her with his Caribbean blue eyes.

She smiled. "If it's anyone's fault, it's that stupid truck driver."

"I know, but I should have saved her, or at least ran into the street faster to help her."

"Hey, don't blame yourself for this. Everyone here hates it when you put yourself down like this."

"Spencer?"

"Yes Toby?"

"The doctor said that she might have temporary amnesia and that she might not remember anything that happened before she got hit. What if she forgets about you being her mom? Are you going to tell her?" Toby asked.

"If she does, she'll figure it out. She's done it once, she can do it again," Spencer said.

Toby nodded. "How's the wedding plans going?"

"Good, but I don't know if I'm ready for all of this to change," Spencer admitted.

"For what to change?" Toby asked.

"Being a non-married woman. I like my life right now, but I don't want to not get married, I just think right now isn't the right time," she explained.

Toby nodded.

Spencer hadn't lost hope either. She still had hope that Avalon would wake up. She also wondered if she even did have hope for Toby and her to be together again. She missed him and as much as she liked Wren, Toby would always be her first love. She still cared for him. She never gave up her hope for them and Avalon being an actual family again. Hope right now was her only friend and companion.

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek before walking away. Toby looked at her and felt her ghostly presence next to him. He let a small tear trickle down his cheek. He watched as Hanna came out from the doctor's office. She saw him and walked towards him, enveloping him into a hug.

"They said she's doing fine," Hanna said.

"Thank God," Toby mumbled.

"It's going to be okay Tobes, she's strong enough to pull through. She's like Tris Prior," Hanna said pulling away to look at him.

"How?" Toby asked half amused.

"Well, think of her being in a simulation, one that's lasted for two weeks, she'll pull through. Besides, she's the brunette version of Tris and a lot prettier," Hanna said.

"Oh, so my daughter is a Divergent and now the people who hate the Divergent are going to try and execute her? That's nice to know," he teased.

"You know, you resemble Four. Funny yet, his name is Tobias and your name is Tobias too! C'mon, I think there's still a few opening for him. That's if you make it on time," she said.

"Ha-ha, very hilarious, but I'm not going to be hooking up with my only daughter. Besides, I'd much rather stay with Ava until she wakes up," he said.

"Suit yourself, well I have to go check on everyone else, so if you hear anything, tell us," she said and waved goodbye before leaving.

Toby sighed and looked one last time at Avalon before heading down the hall where the others were. He saw them sitting down and they looked at him. He smiled sadly and took a seat between Spencer and Aria since there was nowhere else to sit.

"Hey, how's she doing?" Aria asked.

"She's doing fine," Toby said.

"I knew she would," Aria said.

Toby smiled and felt his eyes water. "Me too."

Aria looked at him and linked arms with him. Toby rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Spencer looked at them and felt a pang of jealousy. She envied Aria and the other girls' ability to be that close to Toby when she couldn't. Aria saw the look on Spencer's face and gave her a sad look.

"Someone needs to comfort him like this right now," Aria mouthed.

"I know," Spencer mouthed back.


Toby looked up at his ceiling and sighed. He had driven back to the loft a few hours before to take a breath. Seeing Avalon like this hurt him inside and he just needed to take a breath. Once he gotten back to the loft, he immediately went to his room and lay down on his bed.

Toby looked at his nightstand and grabbed a picture of him and Avalon-one that they had taken when she was five-when they had gone to a photo booth on their way back home and she literally went down onto her knees and begged him to let them take a picture. He closed his eyes and thought of the blue-eyed girl and that day.

"Daddy! Higher! Higher! I want to touch the sky!" a five-year-old Avalon yelled happily.

"Sweetie, I don't think anyone can touch the sky, but you can try to touch that tree branch with your foot," Toby said.

"Okay, push me, Daddy! Push me!" she cried happily.

"All right, one…two…three!" he said and did an Underdog causing Avalon to burst into shrill laughs of happiness.

It was a bright summer morning and Toby and Avalon were at the park for a day out. Toby had been hard at work and today his boss gave him a day off. Toby was still handling the whole single dad process and so far, he was doing well. Avalon was going to start Kindergarten pretty soon and he still needed to figure out a way to get her to and from school. But he decided that today would be a good day to get his mind off of things and have fun tine with his daughter.

"Daddy! I touched it!" she exclaimed.

"Good job, Ava!" he said clapping.

"Daddy, I want to get off, please," she said.

"Okay," he said and caught the swing and took her off of it.

He put her on his hip and chuckled when she started to touch his hair.

"Why is your hair so soft?" she asked looking at him with her big, blue eyes that resembled his.

"That's because I wash it good and maybe because it's just naturally like that," he said.

"Is mine soft?" she asked and grabbed a bit of her hair and felt it.

"Yup and that's the magic of my fingers whenever I give up baths."

She smiled and gasped as she saw an ice cream truck and kids lining up to get a taste of the creamy treat.

"Daddy! Can we please get ice cream?"

"I don't know Ava…have you been good lately? Let me think," he teased.

"I've been good! I listen to what you say and tell me to do! Please Daddy? Pretty please with a yummy cherry on top?" she asked giving him her puppy eyes and sticking out her bottom lip that she of course inherited from Spencer.

"Okay, okay, we'll go get some," he said and walked them over to the truck.

They got in line and when Toby set Avalon down, she clung onto his leg. Toby sighed and picked her back up, knowing that she was shy around other people. She saw the look on her dad's face and felt guilty that he had to carry her all the time. She wriggled around in his arms until he set her down. She stood up straight and held her head up and beamed at her dad.

"Ava? What's wrong?" Toby asked narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing wrong Daddy. I'm just trying to be a big girl and being helpful because you're always carrying me and it looks like a lot of work," she explained.

"Thank you Ava, but I'm fine with carrying you," he said and tried picking her up but she shook her head.

"Daddy, no!"

"Okay, okay," he chuckled and took out his wallet when they were next in line.

A lady with curly, red hair and green eyes smiled and looked down at Avalon and then at Toby.

"Hello, what would you two like today?" she asked.

"Ava, what would you like?" Toby asked.

"Um," Avalon said tapping her chin dimple. "Can I get a snow cone?"

"One snow cone and what would you like dear?" she asked Toby.

"Um, make that two snow cones," Toby said handing her the money.

"All right, two snow cones coming up," she said and went to the back of the truck and grabbed two snow cones and handed them to Toby.

"Thank you, have a nice day," Toby said.

"You're welcome," she said.

Avalon smiled at her and waved goodbye. "Thank you nice lady!"

"Thank you too dear!" she said and waved.

Toby and Avalon walked hand-in-hand around the park eating their snow cones and then sat down at a bench near a large Oak tree. Avalon swung her legs around, licking her ice cream while Toby looked at his phone. Avalon saw a ladybug and smiled. She loved bugs and animals, even spiders. She let it crawl onto her finger and giggled. Toby looked up to see what she was giggling about.

"Avalon? What's so funny?" he asked.

"Look!" she squealed and turned around causing Toby to laugh as he saw the small red ladybug on her nose.

It spread its wings and flew off of her nose. Avalon waved at it, wishing it good luck on its small journey. Toby couldn't help but smile at Avalon as she ate her snow cone. She looked a lot like Spencer whenever she ate her snow cones.

When they were done, they walked back to the loft, which was a short distance from the park. On their way back, Avalon saw a photo booth inside a movie rental store and begged Toby to let them take a picture. Toby said that they didn't have time, but this only caused her to go onto both knees and beg him even more. Toby finally gave in and Avalon dragged them into the store and into the photo booth.

They smiled at first, and then they started to do silly faces and dramatic ones. One of his favorites is one where he and Avalon were laughing and not faking it. She had been laughing so much that she bumped her head against the wall and started to laugh which caused him to laugh as well.

When they finished taking the pictures, they got out and Toby grabbed the pictures and smiled at them. He still couldn't believe Avalon was his daughter. A daughter that he and Spencer made, but never expected. Many people in Rosewood thought Avalon was a mistake, but Toby knew she was a mistake. But a mistake he never wanted to erase.

Toby drifted off into a slumber but was awakened by the sound of his phone ringing. He answered it and put it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Toby?" it was Aria.

"Aria? What's wrong? Is Avalon okay?"

"Yeah she's fine. Toby…she woke up a few minutes ago."

Toby widened his eyes. "S-she did?"

"Yeah, everyone's here and we're waiting for you. C'mon and get your ass over here!"

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye," he said and hung up.

Toby ran downstairs and grabbed his Levi's jacket and keys before heading outside to his truck.


Toby barged through the doors with his face stained with tears. He walked into Avalon's room and saw that she was awake.

"Hey Toby," everyone greeted him.

"Hey guys," he said and looked at his daughter. "Hey Avalon."

He walked towards her and hugged her. Avalon was puzzled and hugged him back. When he pulled back, he smiled and kissed her head. She winced and scooted away from him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Toby looked hurt. He looked at the others and they had confused looks on their faces. Suddenly, Emily spoke up.

"Avalon, do you know who we are?" Emily asked.

"Em, what are you doing?" Aria asked.

"Something's wrong," Emily whispered.

"Um, yeah, why?" Avalon asked.

"All right name each one of us," Emily said.

"Okay," Avalon said.

Emily pointed to each person and Avalon got him or her correctly. Even Toby, Spencer, and Wren.

"Okay, now one question: Whose your mother?" Emily asked.

Avalon pointed at Spencer. Spencer was shocked and so were the others. Then Emily asked the big question.

"Ava, who's your dad?"

Avalon raised her eyebrows. "You're really asking me that question? He's not here."

"What do you mean? Where is he?" Emily asked.

Everyone widened their eyes in shock. Toby felt his heart drop fifty feet when she said the most heart-breaking thing he could think of.

"He's dead. He has been for the past fourteen years."


Dun-dun-dun! Oh no, what will happen now that Avalon thinks that her dad is dead? Will Toby find a way to make her remember who he really is? So much to find out! Until next time!

-E.V.