The first thing Heather saw was a white light. It was bright and nearly blinded her. It wasn't going away? She closed her eyes, but the light's brightness still hurt her eyelids. She felt like she could still see even with closed eyes, and when she tried hard enough, she did. Three figures stood before her.

"Aww look. Veronica's little bitch is all banged up," The first voice spoke. It was a girl her age. She has voluminous, ridiculously teased blonde hair. She had a red bow in her hair to match her kimono robe. She was barefoot.

"I'd love to bang her up." The next voice came in. It was a man, completely naked other than his underwear. Blood was spattered on his face.

"Punch it in!" Called out another man, dressed the same way. There was a hole in his chest.

Heather desperately looked around. She didn't see anyone. The surrounding was all the white light.

A white light...?

"Am I dead?" She asked.

The three all gave a cold, chilling laugh at her. The woman suddenly began coughing, choking on something. A blue, transparent liquid spewed from her mouth.

"CORN...NUTS!"

Heather shot up with a gasp. Pain shot all the way up her spine, making her cry out in agony.

"Hey hey," a new voice came in. A hand rested on her arm to gently push her back down into a laying position. She looked over to see a pair of familiar eyes staring back. Black brown strands fell into them, which the face moved. "I was scared you weren't going to wake up."

"JD...? What am I—" She immediately stopped talking. Her voice sounded like she had been chain smoking her entire life. Her throat felt sore.

She was still alive.

JD gave a small smile and pushed some hair out of her face. "Do you remember anything?"

Heather closed her mouth and shook her head. It was a lie, and she wanted to see his answer.

"You took off. You almost were out of the town lines when a semi truck got you. The EMTS found the driver trying to pull you out. They said you should have died, but you only have a concussion, a bandaged ankle, and a few bruised ribs. You kept going in and out. They're going to keep you here for the next few days."

Nothing about before then.

"You remember dinner last night? Why you left?"

Not wanting him to retell her things she didn't wish to relive, she nodded. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked absolutely exhausted.

"Did you stay up all night?" She asked.

"Had to make sure you woke up." He was absolutely concerned for her. In fact, he was the only one who seemed to be at the moment. Veronica was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?" Heather couldn't even call her her mother at this point.

"Talking with the doctors, signing paperwork."

At just that moment Veronica Sawyer burst through the door. She gave a motherly smile to Heather, before turning to JD with murderous eyes. "I told you to get the fuck out."

JD managed to keep a cool and even tone as he responded. "I have the right to be here just as much."

"Not legally and as not just her mother but also as her lawyer I could file-"

"Oh my god SHUT UP!"

Both adults whipped around to see the injured teenager fuming. Heather reached out and took JD's hand, giving Veronica the most dangerous glower she could muster. "It's my choice, and if you want to try to get back on my good side you will respect my choices."

That shut her up. Speechless, she sank down into a chair. Heather ignored her completely, turning her focus to all the machines she was hooked up to in attempt to distract herself. She watched the heart monitor go up and down. Her mother lied about her father when all along her boss was her father. Beep. Beep. She thought Carol Lynn was her best friend but she was only thinking about herself. Beep beep. She thought Ben loved her but he only cared about sex. Beep beep beep. She caught her bestfriend and boyfriend fucking and her best friend's mother covered for them. Beep beep beep. Jason Dean was her father and Veronica made sure it stayed hidden. Martha had to have known. Veronica had made her godmother swear to secrecy. Like even though there was obviously beef between Veronica and JD, that was a seriously fucked up thing to do. Heather deserved to at least know the story. It was her father.

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP-

"Heather you need you need to calm down," JD ordered.

"See?! She's panicking because you're here! Once I get her home you will never see her again-"

"No."

Her mother looked at her. "I'm sorry honey but I'm doing what's best."

She gagged and rolled her eyes. "Jesus Christ would you stop being such a snatch?!"

JD had to cough to hide laughter.

"I mean I'm not going home with you. I can't live in the same house as a liar. I'm going to figure something out, stay with Carol Lynn or something," that was a lie, given Carol Lynn's behavior, but she would rather be homeless than stay with Veronica. "but I refuse to go home with you."

Veronica was taken aback by her words. It was unexpected, and she not ready for it.

"Hello sweetie," said a nurse as she stepped in. "I'm here to give you some pain medication. Warning, though, it might knock you out."

Heather nodded.

JD turned to Veronica. "While she's doing that can we speak outside?"

Veronica growled and followed him out.

The second they were out of earshot, he spoke. "I'm gonna ask Heather to come stay with me after she gets discharged."

She laughed. "Yeah right."

"She obviously doesn't want to be with you. I don't blame her, her mother did lie for seventeen years." His voice was taunting her. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I think she is way more likely to throw herself off a bridge Martha Dunnstock style than be released to your custody." He continued before she could yell at him, he continued. "Besides, if you take her away again, I will go to court. I could get custody of her until her eighteenth birthday and then you would never see her again."

She could feel her blood start to boil. "You wouldn't."

"You got seventeen years, why shouldn't I?" He smirked. "Not to mention there is a bigger issue on our hands than the child we sired."

She waited.

"I'm a private investigator. Jessica Chandler recently came to my office wanting me to investigate a suicide eighteen years ago."

Veronica's jaw nearly fell to the floor. "Jessica Chandler as in Heather Chandler's kid sister?!"

"The one and only. Said she thinks it was a murder. I thought you needed to know."

It was then she began to panic. JD now had all the power. If she made the wrong move, he could turn the whole investigation on her. "What the hell do you want?"

He gave her a sympathetic glance and shook his head. "I want to be with my kid, Veronica. Think of it this way: Heather will be with someone you know and you will be welcome to visit anytime." He turned to the room window, where they could see Heather asleep from the medication. "I'll make sure Chandler's suicide stays a suicide. So Heather can have both parents."

Veronica's throat welled up. This was all for her. She was just seventeen.

"Fine."