Chapter 36

Dave wasn't sure how he made it through the flight and the drive to the airport, all he knew was that just over three hours after the phone call he was in the hospital looking for the nurses taking care of his daughters.

It didn't take him long to find out that Angel was currently in the ICU and that Gracie was still in surgery. He went to check on Angel first.

The nurse calmly told him that Angel sustained a severe head injury and she had some internal injuries along with being extremely scraped and bruised. She was still unconscious most likely from the head injury. He wasn't sure how the nurse could have been that calm while telling him that kind of thing. He knew that he had to see her at least for a few moments.

He almost cried when he saw his little girl practically lost on the hospital bed. He wasn't sure what to say. "Sweet pea, it's Daddy. Baby, you gotta wake up soon. Melia, Gracie, Cammie, the babies, and I need you. We love you. I gotta go see Gracie. I'll see you soon," Dave told her eventually. He sat with her for a few more minutes before going to the surgical waiting room.

When he got there he saw Angie's parents. He hadn't even thought about the woman the whole way there. His mind had been on his girls, and the babies that he was leaving behind. "How's Gracie?" he asked.

"I don't know the doctors haven't told us anything yet," Angie's mother, Elizabeth, said.

Dave didn't say anymore. He wasn't ready to talk to anyone right now. He was angry that this happened. He was angry that Angie even pulled a stunt like this. He was a angry that he couldn't keep his girls safe like a parent was supposed to do. He didn't want to take that anger out on people who didn't deserve it.

"Dave this isn't your fault," Ed said. "Angie made some poor choices and there isn't anything you can do to change that."

"I'm supposed to protect them from this kind of thing," Dave said. "I knew that Angie was going to pull something and I let them stay with her anyway."

"Dave, you were trying to make your girls happy. You wanted them to have as normal a relationship with Angie even if she made that difficult," Ed told him. "There isn't anything that you could have helped about the situation."

Dave didn't say anything more before pulling up a chair and sitting down. He knew that Ed was right. He wasn't to blame, but that didn't help any of the guilt he was feeling. He should have known that nothing good could have came of Angie offering, practically demanding, to take the girls.
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Melia was going to go absolutely crazy. She had talked to her mother who had only been able to tell her to keep hope and keep praying. Melia was finding that incredibly difficult to do. She wasn't sure why she should pray to a God that let something like this happen to two innocent girls, along with the babies in the hospital. She needed something to take her mind off of everything.

Her phone rang and before she thought to check the caller ID she picked it up. The first thing she heard was her brother's concerned voice.

"Lia, how are you holding up?" Adam asked.

Melia wanted to be mad at him, but honestly right now she didn't have enough energy to be mad at anyone. "How do you think I'm holding up? My babies are in the hospital here. My girls are in the hospital hundreds of miles away. I can't be with all of them at once. Adam I'm going absolutely crazy," She told him.

"Maybe I should come and be with you for a little while. I'm sure Vince would understand," Adam said. "I mean sometimes I'm sure it would be nice to see the babies."

"Are you sure you could leave your little whore alone that long and she won't loose interest? There's no way that she's coming anywhere near here." Melia said bitterly.

"Amy loves me. She'll understand that I need to be with you right now and wait for me," Adam said. "Besides, the girls will be back before you know it."

"Amy loves you like she loved Matt. She burned Matt for no reason other than she could. She'll do the same thing to you when she's not the center of your universe. I also think that there's another baby that needs your attention," Melia told him. She needed someone to be angry at and at least she had a reason to be angry at Adam.

"Amy isn't like that and you know it. You were her friend for a long time," Adam said.

"Then she went and chose to screw with the people that I care about. She couldn't be honest with Matt, and she convinced you to keep your fling a secret from Alannah. She's only using you and you lost the woman who really loves you," Melia told him.

"That's a little harsh. Amy and I made some bad choices yes, but neither of us deserve to be treated the way your treating her," Adam said.

"If you haven't noticed I've been avoiding you too. She isn't the only one who screwed up in the situation. I don't have the time or energy to deal with you right now. You were part of the cause of all the stress I was under before, and I refuse to let you be a cause of stress now," Melia told him. "I don't want you to come stay with me.

"Lia, someone should stay with you for at least a little while," Adam said. "You're upset and someone needs to take care of Cammie during the day so you can be with the babies."

"You're right someone should stay with me for a little while, but you aren't going to be that person. I know you only want what's best for me, but right now all that is you and Amy is stressing me out," Melia said.

"Who's going to stay with you then? Jeff's busy with Beth, and Jay and Denise are expecting their own little one," Adam said.

"I'll figure it out, but it's not going to be you," Melia told him. "I love you, but right now I want nothing to do with you."

"Love you too. Bye," Adam said. Melia could hear the reluctance in his voice. "Call me when you know who's going to stay with you."

When Melia hung up she called the first number that she could think of.

"Hello," Matt said.

"Hi, Matt, it's me. Angel and Grace were in an accident with their mom, and Dave went to go be with them. Do you think you could stay with me Cammie and Kennedy for a little bit?" Melia asked quickly before she broke down.

"Woah, sweetie, hold up for a second. How are you holding up?" Matt asked. Melia smiled on her end. That was Matt always putting those he cared for before himself.

"How do you think I'm holding up? I can barely keep my head on straight. I don't know what I'm going to do right now. I just know I'm going to need someone to stay here with me and the girls," Melia told him.

"Look Lia, I'm really into the rehab thing right now. I'm so close to being cleared in the ring that to take time off right now isn't really something that I'm looking to do. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'll figure something out," Matt said. "I need to do something for myself right now."

"I understand. If I were you I would need the time to rebuild everything," Melia said. "It was silly of me to think that you could drop everything and come see me."

"No it wasn't. You know that under normal circumstances I would be there with you in a heartbeat. You're the baby sister that I never had," Matt said. "I promise I will come see you soon though."

"Thanks Matt. I'll be looking forward to it," Melia told him before saying her goodbyes and hanging up. When she did she started crying. She'd become accustomed to all her close friends and family dropping everything and coming to her aid whenever she needed it. She knew she was being selfish, but right now she needed someone.

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While he was waiting Dave made a quick call. He needed a favor and he knew someone who would be more than happy to lend a helping hand.

"Hey Randy it's me," he said when the other man answered the phone.

"What's up?" Randy asked hearing the tension in his friend's voice.

"The girls were in an accident. I'm in Tennessee right now. I was wondering if you could go stay at my place with Melia, Kennedy and Cammie until I can take Angel and Grace home?" Dave asked. He knew that as strong as she was Melia was probably falling apart as much or more as he was right now. He needed someone to look after her.

"I don't know man. My shoulders still killing me. I won't be much use if I did go. If I do go I will have to wait a couple days. The painkiller the doctor put me on is pretty strong," Randy said.

"Randy, please. Most of the day it will just be you and Cammie. She's usually up before Melia leaves to take Kennedy to school. Melia can take her out of her crib and she can nap on the couch. Melia changes her on the floor half the time anyway," Dave said.

"Dave, you know if my shoulder wasn't messed up I would be there in a heartbeat. I'll leave the day after tomorrow, but I can't leave before then. Doctors orders," Randy said.

"Thanks man. You don't know how much I appreciate this," Dave said.

"Yeah I do, but I gotta take some more meds so I'm gonna let you go," Randy said.

"Bye man," Dave said. He felt at least a little relieved that he wasn't totally abandoning the rest of his family in Washington D.C.