Warning: Domestic violence and emotional abuse is mentioned in this chapter.

Sorry for those who get e-mail updates, I had this up earlier but there were errors I had to fix, so I deleted it. Anyway, A request I got was to drag this arc out a little, where things aren't easily fixed. I'm not sure exactly how long this will last, as this part of our story is slowly drawing to a close and I plan on a sequel, which will have lots of angst. Though we still have a bit of ways to go here first! But I promise, this won't exactly have an easy fix, though the fluff will come back, just maybe not as expected. As they say, you have to have the dark with the light. Another thing, yes, I've been posting these quickly. To be honest, the inspiration just strikes and somehow lately they just flow out quickly when I have the free time and I just can't wait to share. Can't promise it'll always be like this, we'll see.


Chapter Twenty-Eight: Lessons

Mary glanced at her husband's face and felt her heartbreak. She remembered back to her nightmare from months before when Emma had called her "Mary". Despite it just being a dream, it had hurt in her ways that she could never describe. To her, she was just mom, mama more often than not. She could see the look in David's eyes whenever Emma called him "Daddy", as if she had given him the best present in the world. Because for so long, neither were sure if they'd ever hear it.

"She's just upset, David," she whispered, taking his hand.

He simply nodded. "I should go talk to her."

"Don't. Look, what just happened right now…it's not okay."

"She's been through a lot, Mary…"

Mary shook her head, silencing her husband. "We can't keep doing this David. Every time she gets upset, we allow her to get away with it. Yes, she has been through some traumatic things but the way she just spoke to us was not okay. And her deliberately disobeying us, isn't either."

"So what? We just give her the silent treatment?"

"No, I mean we give her time. She's still punished, but we can't go out of our way to push her."

"But she needs us!" David protested. "She thinks she doesn't, but…"

"Emma will need us again, but right now, I don't think this is her past. This is her being a stubborn 14-year-old girl. And we can't baby her through it." It pained her to say it, but it needed to be.

David sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, knowing she was right. It was their impulse to quickly just explain everything away and let it go back to normal. It couldn't this time. She almost really hurt herself and had treated them as if they were just roommates rather than parents. In the past, he would've probably made hot chocolate and gotten her to talk about it, but that wouldn't work this time. And the next part bothered him, but he didn't want it to. She was never going to learn if they kept doing that.

"So, what do we do?" David asked.

"We're obviously her parents and we'll always be here, but we allow the angst, within reason," Mary explained. "She has to be respectful, but we're not going to come to her this time. She has to come to us and apologize."

"And if she doesn't?" The blonde asked, gnawing on his lip.

"She will, eventually. And when she does, we need to talk to her like the 14-year-old that she is. When she needs comforting, of course we'll be there in any way she needs, but when it comes to this stuff, we need to be firmer. This is the second time she's had a major explosion."

David winced at the memory of her cursing them out, just shortly after she arrived. "Alright, alright."

Mary found Emma's gym bag, which she had discarded mid argument and found the brace, shaking her head.

"I can't believe she took this off," she said, disappointment dripping from her voice.

"Like I said, I caught her before she was able to try out but between now and then, she's been doing a lot of stomping around," David explained, feeling guilty for allowing it, though really there wasn't much he could do.

"I'll go have her put it back on."

"I thought you said…"

"There are ways of handling these things."

"Are we telling her what we're doing?"

"No, but as I told her, she's a smart girl. She'll figure it out."

Meanwhile, in Emma's room, she was sitting at her desk, furiously texting Lily. She couldn't believe that her parents had acted that way. They constantly said they trusted her, yet she couldn't understand why they didn't trust her with knowing her own body. Though, deep down, she wondered just how right they were. Her ankle was killing her.

The door to her room opened with no knock and she went to explode at David yet again, until she saw it was Mary. Her mother simply handed over the brace. Emma looked down at it and then back up at her.

"Emma, don't make this harder than it has to be." Mary's voice took her off guard, it wasn't one she was expecting. She knew she hadn't exactly behaved the best down there, but she figured her mom would at least try to talk to her about it, she always did. Even if Emma didn't want to, the offer was there.

Slowly, the teenager put on her brace, knowing she needed it. She stared up at her mother, not sure what to expect next.

"Where's your laptop?" The woman asked. Emma pointed to her bed and watched it be tucked under Mary's arm. Next, her phone was snatched from her fingers.

"Hey!"

"I'm going to rework this so you can only contact myself, your father and the emergency numbers."

"But Mom…"

"We told you, you were grounded."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Sorry. Better now?"

Mary stared at her daughter in disbelief. "No Emma, it's not "better now". That apology had zero meaning behind it. Not to mention, I'm not the only one you have to apologize to!"

"Well if Dad had just listened to me…"

"Your father did nothing wrong," Mary bit her lip, shaking her head. "I know we can be pretty protective, but there's a reason for that. You are the most precious thing in the world to us."

Emma's face faltered a bit. "I know that."

"Do you? Because you certainly don't act like that. Your father had every right to talk to the coach."

"But I'm…"

"You're not fine!" Mary's voice was now sharp and her daughter inched back a bit.

Emma didn't like this, she didn't like having her mother talk to her like this. It didn't feel right. It was far different from her motherly tone. It was as if she was being put in her place and she hated it, to her she was a hundred percent right. The newly turned brunette tried to think of something to get her mom back on her side. "Look, this is still new for me."

Mary let out a bitter laugh. "Is it, Emma? You've been here 8 months. That's not what this is. You disobeyed us, you disobeyed Whale and then you screamed because you didn't get your way."

"Well how do you know Dad didn't yell at me first?"

"Did he?"

Emma frowned. "No but…"

"But nothing! You don't need an answer for everything!"

Emma studied Mary's face for a minute. She couldn't place the emotion, or emotions that fell across it. An uneasy feeling filled her and she couldn't find it. "Well what do I have to say so all this over?"

"It's not just what you say, it's what you do. So, let me ask you something, are you sorry for disobeying us?"

"Well, no but…"

Mary cut her off again. "And are you sorry for yelling at your father and I?"

"No, but Mom…" She should've known better than to start talking again, she couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Finally," Mary's green eyes matched her daughter's. "Do you recognize that you were wrong?"

"I wasn't wrong."

Mary sighed. She knew what all of these answers would be, but a part of her had been hoping, praying that her daughter would find the right ones. Yet, she was almost glad in a way that it wasn't. They had to come to her on her own.

"Then nothing you say can make all this over," Mary turned on her heel to walk out but then stopped herself, going back to face Emma. "Just know this, we still love you, more than anything. You are still the most precious thing on this Earth to us. That's why all this is happening, because I hope this is the last time I have to do this."

She wasn't talking about the grounding; she knew Emma would get grounded probably a million more times in her life. Emma knew that too; it was as if she too could feel the shift. Mary knew it wouldn't be forever, but it was necessary.

Emma wanted to say she loved them too, but feared it would sound insincere. So, all she could do, was search for her book so she could start her homework. She heard the door shut behind her and bit down on her lip. She still thought she was right.

"Why can't I just be right and things stay how they are?" She mumbled.

On the other hand, it angered her. This was who she was. Did they not fully understand that? She was driven and would do what she wanted. No one could stand in her way. For 13 years she had been alone and once she was in the system, outside having to move every few months, no one could tell her what to do. Yes, she had been there 8 months, but she didn't feel like she had changed too much. Had she?

Yes, she got clingier more, but that was because they were there to be. She definitely wasn't going to be doing that anymore. The thought killed her. Yet, right now a hug wasn't going to fix anything. A hug wasn't going to change her mind.

"This is who I am," she told herself. "They'll just have to get used to it."

And yet, it wasn't. This wasn't Emma, not who she was anymore. This was the Emma who sabotaged things, who was constantly unhappy and didn't want to fix it because what was the point?

Emma so badly didn't want to become her birth mother and yet in that very moment, that's who she was vowing to become. A bitter person, a person who wouldn't own up to her faults. Helga had constantly taken out her pain on others, Emma included. Emma had memories of trying to help her, after Ed had been in one of his rages. The little girl, all of 4, would wrap her arms around her mother's torso.

Ten Years Ago

"Mommy," Emma had whispered.

Helga was shaking, blood pouring from her cheek where the beer bottle had hit. Her husband and her had been arguing and both had let it get physical. Ed took things to another level when he downed the alcoholic beverage and let it go flying into her taste. Once again, he was gone.

"It's okay, Mommy, it's going to be okay," the blonde assured her. It was comfort she had never experienced herself, but she had seen it before, on the playground. Another child had fallen and his mother held him, hugging him and telling him it would be okay. She longed for her mommy to do the same.

Helga looked down into her daughter's eyes, a part of her wondering just how she was so innocent given her life. She could hear the things that went on her daughter's bedroom, she had inflicted pain on her, herself. "Emma," the woman said, slowly. "Do you think that Daddy loves me?"

Emma thought about it for a minute. Love wasn't exactly a word used to often around their house. "Yes."

"And do you think I love you?"

The little girl thought of what her teacher had said around Christmas, about how they needed to make wreaths for their parents. She said their mommies and daddies loved them, they did so much for them. Her teacher was so nice, so kind, she had to be right. "Yes."

The woman knelt in front of her, taking her by the shoulders. "It's not going to be okay, Emma."

"But Mommy…"

"Your daddy doesn't love me; I don't love him. And I can assure you one thing," she pushed the girl away a bit. Tears filled Emma's eyes as the woman she called mommy whispered the next words. "I don't love you. I don't love anything. And nothing is ever going to be okay." She got up and walked out of the house, leaving her child alone once again.


Dinner was a rather quiet affair. The three of them ate together, but no words were exchanged. It reminded the teen of one of her old foster families. They were forced to pray over the meal but then after that, all had to be quiet. It was a "speak when spoken to" household. Emma didn't last very long there, but the memory stayed with her.

David watched his daughter, while not letting her know he was. He so badly wanted to hug her and ask why she was acting like this, why she couldn't see why he did what he had. He could in a way understand her not listening to them. It wasn't okay, but she was a teenager and they were her parents. But Whale had even told her not to do it, a doctor. This wasn't just a rule they set out as protective parents. A medical professional had told her that it wasn't safe and she didn't listen. He knew Emma was stubborn and would lie about her pain, he just didn't really think she would go that far. Sure, the date had been inscribed in his mind for a while, but the sheriff had assumed she was smarter than that.

The not talking is probably what bothered him the most, not just about why she had done what she did in this case, but with Ingrid too. Growing up, while his family wasn't the wealthiest, they were happy. Then James died and things seemed to change overnight. His father stopped talking to he and his mother. He would simply go drink and ignore the problems at hand. It lead to many dinners like the ones they were having. Ruth would attempt to talk to her husband and yet, nothing. David was careful to avoid bringing up anything to upset him. And then one day, his dad was just gone.

David knew that Emma wouldn't just leave. It probably said more about her progress that she hadn't tried to run off after Mary's talk. Not that she had anywhere to run to, though. It wasn't as if she could try to find her way back into the system. He hated that it could be a possibility in her mind.

Mary finally spoke up at the end of dinner. "Emma, will you please clear the table?"

"Oh so now you have something to say?" The teen quipped back.

"Emma," David warned. "Do as your mother said."

Emma rolled her eyes and just sat there. If they were going to pick and choose when to talk to her, she certainly wasn't going to do them any favors.

David counted back from 10 in his head. "Emma, clear the table. Now."

"No."

"I'm sorry, that wasn't a request."

"Well as you said, I clearly don't know the difference."

The three of them were in a standoff. On the one hand, Mary so badly wanted to send the girl to her room for the amount of sass flying from her mouth. On the other, that would just teach her that she could disrespect her way out of anything.

"I'm not going to ask you again," she said carefully. "Clear the table or I can start adding to your grounding."

The green-eyed girl scoffed. "How can you add to a punishment that's already indefinite?"

"Really? Because I can think of so many things that I can take away. Your graduation dance, for example."

"That's not for 2 more months! Are you seriously trying to suggest I'm going to be grounded that long?!" Emma was in a state of shock, she never had a punishment last that long.

Mary cocked an eyebrow. "Your punishment is on the contingency of you learning your lesson. I sincerely hope that you don't take 2 months for that to happen, but regardless, I can still take things away from after you do."

Emma jumped up, ignoring the shooting pain and gathered the dishes, rather aggressively. She didn't picture herself wanting to apologize anytime soon. After quickly rinsing them, she walked back up to her room.

Mary tipped her head back as she searched for wine. David looked perplexed. "Are you drinking? You never do during the week."

"I just got a reason right there," Mary mumbled. She didn't like to drink when she was stressed, but it was a special occasion. She poured out two glasses, pushing one towards her husband.

"I don't drink when I'm upset," he said. It was a rule he had after what that had done to his father.

"Then can we toast my new job at least?"

A small smile spread across his face.

"New job?"

Mary nodded. "I got offered it today, right in the interview."

David pulled her close, kissing her for a moment. She let it linger, for the first time in a few hours, feeling completely relaxed, him feeling the same. Finally, he pulled apart from her, resting his forehead against hers. "This amazing."

"Thank you. I would've told you and Emma this afternoon, but well…there were more pressing matters."

"I'm sorry," David frowned.

"Don't," Mary waved him off. "It's nothing we could've avoided and I don't even blame Emma either."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Not until this is over. I'd rather not get a sarcastic response, because this makes me really happy."

"You deserve that," he murmured into her ear before laying a kiss to it.


David wasn't sure whether he should call it luck or just a funny coincidence, but the next day, Emma had an appointment with Dr. Whale. It had been planned long before the little stunt, just to make sure her ankle was adjusting well to life off crutches. Of course, she had yet to apologize or even try to talk about what had happened, but the father was hoping, at least a little, this might show her how bad things would've been. Mary said not to get his hopes up, the girl was clearly too stubborn to even listen to medical advice.

"Emma Nolan," the nurse called out, leading the father-daughter pair into the back. She took Emma's vitals and into the back for X-RAYs, then seemed to disappear after that.

"I have to tell him about your stunt," David said once they were alone. He hoped telling her now would make sure that she wouldn't explode on Whale.

Emma gave him a disgusted look. "Are you serious?"

"Very," he replied. "Maybe he can talk some sense into you."

She rolled her eyes.

"Anyone else you want to tell? Archie maybe, then you two can gang up on me and diagnosis me with something else so I can't ever have a life," she shot back.

David counted back from 10, under his breath, he couldn't even do it in his head that time. "I am not doing this so you don't have a life. Though your attitude is guaranteeing your social calendar is going to remain empty." He received another scowl as Whale entered the room.

"Well Emma, how are we feeling?" he asked.

"Some pain, but overall fine." It was a partial lie, but she was really hoping her father wouldn't tell him the truth.

"Yesterday she attempted to try out for cross country," David said, his voice hard.

Whale raised an eyebrow. "Emma, I thought we discussed this, you clearly aren't ready."

"I feel fine," she tried to say.

"I don't think you understand the severity of your ankle," he cut her off. Up on the boards, he posted the X-RAYs and pointed some things out to her. "Your cartilage is completely broken. That won't just heal on its own. Now in some patients, they can live with it and never need surgery. Yours is not the case. In fact, I can tell that you're not resting as much as you should."

Blush spread across Emma's cheeks, hating being chastised.

"As of right now, I believe you can avoid any procedures until summer, I know that's your best bet with school and all. Your summer will unfortunately have to be uneventful but…"

"Wait, what?" Emma's blush melted away. "What does that mean?"

"After the surgery, you'll spend at least 6 weeks on bed rest," he explained.

"NO!" The teen didn't want to explode at the doctor, but she couldn't help it. "That's practically the entire summer!"

"I understand," the doctor tried to explain patiently. "However, your ankle is seriously injured, Emma. If we don't do something about this, then you could face worse repercussions down the line."

Emma folded her arms. "And if I refuse the surgery?"

Whale looked back at David, prompting him to speak, so the father did. "Emma, you don't have a choice."

"It's my body."

"And your parents have the right to request me to perform medical treatment on you," Whale explained.

"This is bull."

"Emma," David gave her a look and she just rolled her eyes. He let out a frustrated sigh and looked at the doctor. "I'm sorry, Dr. Whale."

He chuckled. "It's alright, in the short time I've known Emma, I've expected this reaction. Just look at the X-RAYs, hon. You need this surgery, I know it'll suck to be laid up but no pain, no gain, right?"

Emma sighed, her glare lowering a bit.

"I guess," she mumbled.

"Great. Now, let's see you try to walk."

Whenever Whale said that, David couldn't help but think about what Emma's fists steps would've been like, about how excited yet panicked he would've been.

The thoughts melted away soon, when Whale began speaking again. "I'm going to suggest you keep the brace on. And seriously, stay away from too much physical activity." He shook hands with both the Nolans before leaving.

Emma grabbed her stuff, putting her hoodie back on. David lead her to the truck, stopping in the parking lot.

"So," he said. "Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

Emma stared up at him, for a moment. "I think it sucks that you're forcing me to ruin my summer and have surgery."

It took all he had in him to not throw his hands up in the air and scream. Instead, he just rolled his eyes.

"Let's go. Your mom wants me to get Granny's for dinner."


Well, Emma's learned…nothing, but what fun would it be if she did right away? As always, thank you guys so much for reviewing, they all really do mean a lot. When I started the story, no way did I think it'd get 55 favorites and 77 followers, let alone over 100 reviews! Y'all rock. I do read every single one of them! I have read the ones requesting Emma slip up in terms of her self-harm and I do have plans for that, but I also have something specific in mind for the trigger and it will come up in the next chapter. As always, please keep reviewing and I do take into consideration what you guys want to see, so always let me know!