Not all children with autism will be able to make leaps like Evan. Some parents have worked longer and harder than I have with no success, trying the same things. I have no idea why some treatments work on some kids and not on others. But I beg moms and dads to at least try. I will work my ass off, raising awareness for autism and banging on doors to get answers. In the meantime, don't give up hope, and remember that acceptance of your child's condition does not mean giving up, it's simply loving your child for being the perfect little spirit he or she is. That was the shift I had experienced before Evan's healing even began. Faith is what kept me moving forward.

-Louder Than Words, A mother's Journey in Healing Autism

by Jenny McCarthy.

I watched that little face smile up at the fan and was happy to know that it simply made him feel good. When I asked him why he flapped his arms, he replied:

"Because I get so excited, and then I fly just like the angels do."

-Louder Than Words, A mother's Journey in Healing Autism, Page 188-

xxxxx

Olivia heard the dogs barking and then she didn't. It was eerie. Goosebumps formed on her arms. She ran her hands up and down and hugged herself.

Sparky? She started toward the front door—which was wide open- expecting to see the beagle wagging his tail.

"Be still," he whispered harshly in her ear and she felt a shiver run down her spine. "Will you listen and be still?" He pleaded as she continued to squirm and tried to sink her teeth into the soft fleshy part of his hand. She stilled. This was no stranger. This was her ex- boyfriend Edison.

"All I want is to for you to help me get out of here, and then I will leave you alone." He said turning her slowly so she could see the profile of his face. "If I remove my hand, promise me you won't scream."

When she didn't respond but just stared at him in shock as he turned her around to face him, he instructed, "nod once for yes and twice for no."

After a moment, she nodded once, all the while eyeing the front door. Her best hope was that one of the neighbors would see something suspicious….or that Sparky would bark his head off. Darn! Where the hell was he? Why wasn't he barking? In the next second, she looked around for something to defend herself with. There was a flower base on the opposite wall she could use, it was heavy. She could hit him in the head just like in the movies and knock him out.

He followed her gaze and knew what she was thinking and so, without letting go; he dragged her toward the front door and closed it with his foot. He then pushed her against the closest wall and then very slowly, removed his hand, his eyes boring into hers.

She started to scream as he placed his hand over her mouth again to silence her. This time he pushed his body flush against hers, cutting off her air as he shushed her.

Olivia closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of his pearly whites coming at her like animal fangs. He was her worst nightmare come and she should have known he would come after her the minute she'd seen his likeness on TV.

She fainted against him and Edison caught her and his arms caught her in his arms even as he heard the sound of nimble footsteps coming toward him.

"Mommy?" Teddy called, his steps halting when he turned the corner. He stared at Edison, wide-eyed and confused, unable to understand what this strange man was doing in their home. His eyes couldn't help but follow the stranger's movements as he placed his mother's body on the nearest couch.

"Olivia, can you hear me?" He said sitting on the edge of the couch. He hadn't meant to cut off her air only quiet her. He stared down at her for a long moment. Yes. This woman was his soul mate. Perhaps if there was indeed a god up in heaven, this surely meant that he had graciously given her to him.

Teddy sauntered into the family room, his bare feet stopped at one end of the couch and peered down at his mother, more confused than ever. "Mommy, mommy."

Most reluctantly, Edison peeled his gaze away from unconscious Olivia to acknowledge Teddy, "What's your name, boy?" He asked in a brusque manner.

Teddy just stared at Edison, his gaze shifting back to his mother. After another moment, he took a couple of steps forward and tapped her shoulder.

Edison's gaze darkened. He figured the kid belonged to Olivia's new boyfriend. Still, why was he referring to her as his mother? He quickly dismissed the thought as irrelevant and he gave the boy a look of contempt before venturing into the kitchen to look for some ammonia to wake Olivia up.

The phone rang loudly as Edison started going through the lower cupboards, sifting through the cleaning products.

Teddy ran to answer the home phone mounted on the wall down the foyer but Edison was quick to stand in his way, preventing him from reaching it. Teddy made a grunting sound as he attempted to reach for the phone a second time.

"No!" Edison spat, pushing Teddy away.

Teddy let out a cry as he landed on his bottom, and looked up at Edison helplessly as the phone continued ringing until it went absolutely silent. The answering machine came on and Fitz's voice came through with static. Teddy couldn't make out what he said, all he knew was that it was his father's voice. "Daddy," he sobbed.

Edison sneered at Teddy and started going through the cupboards, already dismissing Teddy in his mind. He found a packet of ammonia, ripped it open and brought it back to Olivia. Sitting on the edge of the couch, he lifted her head and brought the packet under her nose.

…

In the meantime, Teddy ran back into the master bedroom. He went into the master closet and searched through his father's drawers, and retrieved a cell phone with its charger. He had played with the cell phone in times past and had charged it enough to get it working. The cell phone was one of those old school flip phones that came out just before smart phones became trendy. He had never tried to use it to call anybody; he was only interested in getting it charged and in pressing the buttons. In fact, he had no interest in talking into a telephone even though both his parents had tried coaching him in phone etiquette. Most times he liked to pick up the phone when it rang and usually held it out for the adult in charge. The few times Teddy had participated in a phone conversation with either one of his parents, the calls had been brief and he rarely said more than a word or two before dashing off to play.

Presently, Teddy wasted no time in charging the phone and plugging it into the same outlet where daddy charged his phone every day.

He pressed the power button and waited for it to turn on. He put the receiver to his ear and there was no sound. He started pressing other buttons on the slide on keyboard. Then he remembered he first had to dial the numbers to make a call. And so he pressed the numbers 9-1-1, and kept pressing the numbers in the same sequence again and again.

"Emergency operator. How may I help you?" The loud voice of the operator came over the receiver and Teddy jumped back a little.

"Hello? Are you there?" The voice spoke again. Teddy made a sound that sounded a bit like 'hello' barely above a whisper. "May I have your name please?"

Teddy opened his mouth to speak but for the longest time no other side sound came out. "Teddy." He said at last in a soft shy voice.

The dispatcher -a woman in her thirties with ample experience- immediately recognized the voice as that of a young child. "Sweetheart, what's going on? Are you hurt? Is somebody hurt?"

When Teddy spoke again, his voice was once again barely above a whisper. "Mommy's sleeping."

The dispatcher said, "How old are you? Are you home alone? Where's your daddy?" He asked all the questions with pauses in between and waited for an answer but there was no answer. "Okay, listen, sweetheart, stay with me. Keep talking to me. I love your sweet little voice. Listen, I'm going to send a policeman to help. What's your name? Can you try and wake up your mommy so I can talk to her?"

"Scary. Bad man." Teddy said very quietly. He didn't understand most of the dispatcher's questions but he remembered what his teacher had said when calling 9-1-1. He was supposed to stay on the phone until the person speaking to him (the operator) told him it was okay to press the red END button.

…

Back in the family room, Olivia slowly opened her eyes. At first, she was disoriented until her eyes fell on Edison, and then the terror in her heart returned.

"Don't scream. I'm not here to hurt you, Olivia. I just want you to help me. Give me your keys to your car and I will be out of here in two seconds, I promise. That's all I want."

Olivia stared at him wide-eyed as she pieced the man's life story with everything she'd learned about him in the last fifteen minutes, and deciding on the best course of action. She sat up on the couch and retreated back into a corner. He naturally scooted up closer which made her raise her hand and said in a low voice,

"Don't come near me…"

Edison stayed back, seemingly respecting her wishes. "There's a warrant for my arrest, but they got it all wrong, I didn't want to hurt anybody. I just want a way out."

So typical of Edison to shift responsibility and blame everyone but himself. Olivia shook her head in incredulity. If it was true that he just wanted to escape the authorities, it didn't seem very smart of him, did it? His chances of getting caught were greater than if he'd hijacked some random car instead of hers.

"Olivia, please. I'm not here to hurt you," he reiterated in a pleading tone while at the same time, looking at her so intensely that it seemed as if he was getting ready to pounce on her any second now.

The silence that followed was suddenly interrupted by Isabella's piercing cries the second she woke up from her nap.

Olivia looked away to hide her fear. She had to think fast. If she panicked, it was all lost. She needed to get Edison out of her house and away from her kids fast.

Edison's eyes turned dark and stormy. "You have a family now? A baby?"

How dare you, Olivia?" He hissed and Olivia recoiled in shock as his face contoured in anger and blind rage.

"My Camry is parked in the garage. The keys are in my purse…I can go get them…"

"Not so fast, Olivia." Edison immediately thwarted any effort on her part to get up from the couch. "You don't have the right to be happy, not after what you did to my sister Peggy." He hissed, his voice filled with utter contempt, "she would be alive today if it weren't because of you."

Olivia felt as if his words had suddenly nailed her to a cross. A thousand memories assaulted her at once, each one with clutching fingers pulling her back to the past.

Peggy's brown eyes welcoming her home that first day when they first met as kids, a breath of fresh air and a friendship that would change both of their lives for ever.

I should have been there to protect her. But I wasn't. I cared more about fitting in. I was afraid of becoming an outsider looking in.

Oh, Peggy why? Why did you have to die?

"NO. It was not my fault… Peggy's death was an accident," Olivia thinly replied, with more confidence than she really felt. There was a time when she would have easily taken the blame just like she did whenever her step-father got in a drunken rage. But she was a different person now. She tried to meet Edison's gaze and appear confident and resolute but failed.

Edison sneered. He didn't like the challenge in her gaze. He stood up and surveyed the family room and hallway that led to the bedrooms. Isabella's cries had become more desperate. A quick glance let him into the master bedroom and he saw Teddy hunched over by the bed. "Who's the little kid?"

Olivia's hands flew to her mouth as she realized that Edison was referring to Teddy. "Teddy?" She called loudly but there was no answer. Oh, God. Was he was okay? "Teddy, come here." She called again. She needed to see he was okay, that nothing had happened while she was unconscious. And she needed to get to Isabella without appearing desperate and vulnerable.

She looked away in an attempt to hide her thoughts. In the three years they'd been together, she'd seen enough of Edison's rage brimming just below the surface, she'd been lucky to escape just before the volcano erupted. And now, she was convinced the man was able to hear her heart beating violently and the blood rushing through her body. Surely he could smell her fear dripping from her pores.

"I really pity you, Olivia." The odd look in his eyes intensified, his expression hardening. "Have you ever taken an honest look at your self? A clinical psychologist at the top of her game, going through all the motions as if you deserved it all… living a happy life, starting a family, when my sister never had a chance. You know she trusted you, she thought you were her friend. But then, what did you do? You betrayed her; you let others make fun of her again and again. You NEVER stood up for her. Still, she never stopped believing you were her best friend." He shook his head again and in his next breath, he spit out the words that were like daggers to her soul. "Why on earth should you be happy when she never had a chance? Edison sneered, knowing that his words would certainly strike a chord.

"It was an accident," she reiterated, struggling to keep the tears at bay. Isabella's cries were getting louder and she felt a resonating cry in her own heart. Her eyes darted back to the console table by the front door and fixated on the flower base as she considered her options.

"Peggy was an angel. She never hurt anybody. Why did she have to die instead of you?"

Olivia strangled a gasp. She should have been able to anticipate this and yet she was wholly unprepared. The words stung so much she abandoned the idea of going for the flower base.

She hunched her shoulders, the gravity of his words weighing heavily upon her. Even now nearly two decades later, she was still seeking redemption. She had tried to compensate for Peggy's death at the hands of a drunk driver by devoting her life to help other children with disabilities. Truth was, she had failed miserably. She was still every bit as guilty; no matter what she did she couldn't change the past. All it took was for Edison to charge back into her life full of accusations for her to realize that she was more vulnerable than she'd ever imagined; deep down she had not truly forgiven herself and still held herself accountable for what had happened to her friend.

If only she'd had the courage to stop the bullying when it first started; if only.

In her mind's eye, she pictured Peggy in tears, running. How she wished she had stood up for her, how she wished she had run after her. But she did none of those things. She did nothing. And that was her greatest mistake, her failure to act.

At least now she was able to recognize this instead of keeping it buried inside like she'd done in the past. At least now, there was no part of her that was still hoping for Edison's forgiveness as though it would in some way mean something to her. Looking at him now, seeing the kind of person he'd become, made her realize with absolute certainty that she DID NOT need his forgiveness.

The phone rang, bringing them both back to the here and now. Edison glided to the kitchen and snatched the thing of the wall and swiftly threw it into the kitchen trashcan.

Even though Olivia briefly considered bolting out the front door but she quickly dismissed the idea. Isabella's cries were getting more desperate and louder and she felt a tightness in her breasts and a warmth inside her bra. She won't calm down until she's fed. And where was Teddy? God, how could she possibly get both children at once? Edison would be on her heels in two seconds flat so she decided to put all the cards on the table. But first, she had to get Bella and Teddy.

Edison was on her heels almost soon as she bolted for the nursery. He grabbed her wrist just as she crossed the threshold, the menace in his eyes sending a shiver down her spine. His grip was deadly, drawing her down with him. In the next instant, she felt his fingers feather her skin as if in this split second they might be able to turn back time and stop Peggy from running; as if their combined energy could stop the wheels from turning.

"Edison, please, she said very quietly after what seemed like an eternity. "I'm just getting her out of the crib," Please, please! Miraculously, he released her wrist very slowly. Olivia let out a sigh of relief as she pulled a bawling Bella into her arms. The baby clung to her like a marsupial, her little fingers digging into her neck, clutching at her hair. Even though she'd been beside herself and red-faced, and sobbing, she was calmer now that she could smell her mommy. Olivia's heart calmed down some and yet she held her baby so hard against her chest that she let out a squeak of protest.

"Leave. Get out of here. Take my car and leave," she said with more bravado than she felt, largely unaware of her fingers digging into Bella's chubby thighs. "I saw the news coverage on TV. They're looking for you, Edison. The sooner you skip town the better," she urged him.

Edison recoiled as though he'd been struck with a branding iron. And Olivia watched in awe the transformation from angry Edison to remorseful Edison.

"God," his voice suddenly roared like a wounded animal, "I didn't mean to hurt her. She was always defying me. I swear it wasn't my intention," He started pacing around the room. "But she just refused to listen. The gun went off. She fought me…" His pacing escalated and he ran his hand through his hair. "If she hadn't…she should have listened."

Olivia gazed past Edison and that's when she saw him. Teddy. Teddy was peering at her from the master bedroom across the hall.

"Mommy," he whispered so quietly that Olivia could barely hear him.

"Teddy, it's okay, it's okay," she whispered back, holding Bella tightly against her chest. She willed her legs to move but for some reason they refused to obey.

Edison turned back and saw Teddy standing very still. His gaze instantly shifted to Olivia. For the first time, he gazed at the baby in Olivia's arms with something akin to hatred.

"Sometimes we do things we wish we hadn't," Olivia suddenly spoke in a somber yet confident tone, needing to get some things off her chest. "But that's life, we all make mistakes," she went on, hoping that Teddy would stay where he was. If only she could get him to call Fitz or 911, she said even as she heard the home phone ringing off the hook. Her gaze drifted back to Edison who was still staring at Bella. She took a deep breath, feeling a lump in her throat. "Yes, I made a mistake, I should have defended Peggy and I didn't and I lost my chance to make it up to her. She's gone and I had to learn to live with that." Back then, she'd been so incredibly self-centered. When she finally rose out of her self-absorbed grief, she'd looked at herself in the mirror and faced the truth. That one juvenile mistake had been horrendous; she'd shunned her surrogate sister and part of her always felt she'd practically sentenced the girl to her death.

"The only thing I know for certain is that given the chance, Peggy would have forgiven me…" The thought always brought her a small measure of comfort. She looked down into Bella's face for a moment and breathed in her sweet scent. Her poor baby was still bawling but her cries were more subdued as if she too recognized how much was at stake. As if she knew how she "Peggy would have loved meeting Bella. She would have been happy for me."

"It was me. I killed her." Edison spoke, his expression forlorn and hunted.

Olivia blinked twice and then she understood he was talking about Peggy and not his current girlfriend. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Teddy go back into the master bedroom.

"It was me. I was the drunk driver."

Olivia let out a gasp of surprise. In the next moment, everything seemed to click in place; Edison's rage at himself and others, his need to shift the blame elsewhere. All these years, he's been running from the memories, shoving them away, drowning them in drink and in a path of self-destruction.

"But it was an accident," Edison stated and at once Olivia saw his urgent need for absolution. "I swear, Liv, you've got to believe me. She came out of nowhere….I didn't see her." He cried, his tone raw and desperate as the memories came back full force. "And then it was too late. I panicked, I fled. I should have stayed but I didn't….and I suppose that makes me a horrible person. I…I killed my own sister and I didn't even stop…" He let out a cry that sounded much like the cry of a wounded animal. Olivia recoiled and took a step back. "Tell me you believe me, tell me!" He demanded.

Olivia sucked in an agonized breath. Part of her wanted to beat him senseless for what he had done and another part of her felt as if a huge cloud lifted from her in that moment.

Bella let out a sudden demanding cry so intense that it brought Olivia back to the here and now. Her family. Right now, Bella and Teddy needed her; they were depending on her to make the proper decisions.

She needed to stop blaming herself for Peggy's death. She need to stop focusing on what she did wrong in the past and instead focus on the things she'd done right. And if she was honest with herself she would see that the second list was much longer than the first.

"Edison, you need to get out of here."

Edison let out a rasping sound. "You don't think I'm a monster who doesn't deserve to forgiveness?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Edison, you're not a monster." Her words echoed inside her own head, sounding foreign, as if someone else was speaking. Her mission was to protect her family and she could no longer let Edison drag her back to the past. "God forgives us as long as we repent. And I can see that you're sorry…" She drew a deep breath. "I think God will forgive you, Edison. All you have to do is ask."

Edison appeared momentarily relieved but then the haunted expression returned. "NO! He doesn't forgive me! How can he after all I've done? My sister…she was…she was special, truly special, you know?" he cried and Olivia nodded in sympathy. She knew what he meant. "When we were kids, I was cruel to her." He sucked in a breath reveled in pain. "But no matter what I did she always forgave me. And then, that night…

"Edison…she was an angel," Olivia stifled a sob. But soon, she let a few tears flow as her mind's eye saw the scene of the accident and her own reaction when she'd learned what happened.

"If I could only go back….but I can't do anything to fix it, do you understand?" He spoke with anger, clenching his jaw, as if he still thought it was Olivia's fault.

Right then, they heard the sound of sirens somewhere out there. It was hard to tell from which direction and they both froze, locking eyes.

"It's probably for the wild fires." She said kissing the back of her baby's head and soothing her, stroking her small back. Today this precious baby was her miracle.

"No." Edison shook his head and clenched his teeth. "Give me the keys." He demanded, his gaze hard and manic, clearly thinking of making a quick escape.

Olivia was back to feeling frightened of him; he kept switching back and forth from anger to repentance. All she knew was that he was highly unpredictable and dangerous.

"They're in my purse," she repeated what she'd said earlier and at once she knew he was thinking what she was thinking: He was cutting it dangerously close, if he didn't get out immediately he was toast. Olivia tried to stay calm and not reveal how frightened she was that this could all of a sudden escalate to a hostage situation.

Lord, she had to think fast and avoid becoming a victim. "There's a spare set of keys in the ignition," she said pointing to the door to the garage. She was not sure if this was indeed the case but it was worth a shot. Once he was out of the house, she would lock the doors.

Fortunately, Edison didn't give himself enough time to think; he fled to the garage in two seconds flat. At last Olivia let out a deep sigh of relief, letting out the air she didn't even know she was holding. Lord, thank you!

"Teddy!" She called after locking the doors and the four year old came running and clung to her leg. After a moment, she went down on her knees and pulled her son into a half-embrace, hoisting Bella a little higher. Olivia realized her nursing pads were completely soaked when Bella squirmed and desperately searched for her breast. "Oh, baby, it's gonna be okay," she said into Bella's ear. "It's gonna be okay," she murmured, rubbing Teddy's back.

She thanked God again when she heard the Camry backing out of the garage and hoping this meant she would never see that man ever again.

….

Two police cars drove up the street that led to the Grant home just as Edison steered the Camry in the opposite direction towards the nearest freeway on ramp.

The tracking had placed Teddy's call in the right neighborhood within a two block range and had allowed first responders to arrive at the scene in record time. From police headquarters, Commander Tom Cruise directed his men to do a door-to- door search while the dispatcher kept talking to Teddy to keep him on the line. But eventually, the boy had put the receiver down.

Olivia dashed to the front door with Bella hoisted onto her hip as soon as she heard them outside and opened the door, thinking they were passing by on their way to handle a wildfire emergency. She was shocked to see they were coming to her house.

One of the police officers spotted Teddy and said, "M' am, we're here because of a 9-1-1 call traced back to this residence by a child. Is everything alright?"

"Oh, God, yes..." Olivia cried tears of relief. "A man broke into my house, his name is Edison Davis and he took my car." In a few words, she retold the whole ordeal and given them the Camry's license plate number. At once, the police called for back-up and Olivia felt as though she could finally breathe now that that the police was hot on Edison's trail.

After that, she went back inside and tried to calling Fitz from the landline but the call went to voicemail. Next, she fixed a bottle for Bella, leaving the front door open in case the police officers wanted to come back and ask more questions. Bella pushed away the bottle. The little rascal wanted to nurse. Olivia had been trying to wean her for a while now with very little success. Feeling physically exhausted and emotionally drained, Olivia plopped on the nearest armchair and lifted her nursing top and put Bella to her breast. As her baby's eager suckling mellowed, Olivia closed her eyes and tried to relax if only for a moment.

She opened her eyes again when Teddy returned to her side. "Teddy wants police cars." He said brightly, excited by the flashing lights of the vehicles.

"I know you want to go out there and see the police cars." Olivia gave him a small smile, still in awe over the 9-1-1 call. "Teddy, the policeman said you called 9-1-1 when the bad man was was so brave of you. Did you use my cell phone?" She asked, thinking he' d gotten into her purse.

"Teddy wants police car!"

"I know, sweetheart, but I can't right now. Maybe later we can ask the officers if they will let you show you inside one of the cars."

He then reached for Olivia's hand, eager to go outside. "Come, mommy."

"Wait, Teddy," Olivia said gently, "I can't right now, I'm feeding Bella." At once, she saw his face fall. Waiting was the hardest thing for him. It was a struggle and Olivia couldn't help but think this was partly because both she and Fitz had historically rewarded him by granting his requests pronto- no matter how frivolous. The reasoning being if he wanted it bad enough to force the words out, then he deserved it. On the other hands, their approach had paid off in a big way. Their system of rewarding him with their immediate attention had in turn help bolstered his social and communication skills, the cornerstone for the healing of autism by making it worthwhile for him to want to abandon his little world and join theirs.

In response, Teddy balked. "Police cars!" He repeated, this time more demanding. He stamped his feet loudly, his face turning crimson.

God, this was the last thing she needed: a full blown tantrum in the making.

"Teddy, stop. I will take you out there to see the police cars, I promise, but you have to wait." Olivia said as she switched Bella to her other breast. She then looked into her little girl's eyes as her small hand wrapped around her fingers.

"Olivia?"

Both Olivia and Teddy turned to see Abby standing outside the front gate with a policeman right behind her.

…

Abby sighed a heavy sigh of relief to see that Olivia and the kids were okay. She had first suspected there was something wrong when she kept calling the home number and had been unable to get in touch with her since noon. She knew some of the lines were down because of the brush fires but still, she should be able to at least get through but whenever she dialed, it rang forever. The answering machine never came on. She thought may be her friend was out somewhere with the kids; but that didn't explain why the answering machine never came on, so she decided to swing by her house just in case.

Seeing the police cars parked outside the Grant home and fearing the worst, she clutched her purse and immediately got out of her car and dashed toward the house.

"Abby!" Olivia called out from the front door with Bella hoisted onto her hip. The baby was unhappy to have her feeding time interrupted and so Olivia quickly pulled out a pacifier for Bella. "Officer, it's okay. She's my friend."

"My God, Liv. What happened? Are you okay?" Abby called.

Olivia was kick to fill in the blanks. Abby came inside and listened in shock as both women sat together on the couch.

"M'am?" One of the police officers came to the door again a few minutes later carrying something bundled up in a blanket.

Olivia transferred Bella into Abby's arms and approached the officer. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "What is it?" No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she realized what this meant. "Sparky?" At the sound of his name, the dog looked up at her with sad eyes.

"M'am, we need your permission to take your dog to the vet."

"Yes, yes, Officer…" Olivia said in a daze, realizing that she had completely forgotten about the dog when Edison was in the house. No wonder she hadn't heard a peep from him. She looked for a name badge.

"Lee. My last name is Lee."

"Yes, Officer Lee. Thank you so much. Our vet is on Second Avenue just a couple of blocks north." Heartbroken, she stroked the dog's head and told him he was going to be okay.

The police officer nodded and quickly left. Olivia hoped to God the dog was going to be okay for the children's sake, especially Karen's. Sparky was hers. She'd fallen in love with the dog the minute Mellie had introduced him to her two years ago.

LATER

Olivia was so grateful that Abby had showed up at that exact moment, it was nice to have her shoulder to cry on. She had not been prepared for what she had seen and she would have completely fallen apart. But Abby was there and took charge of the situation. She took Teddy under her wing and made it her mission to get hold of Fitz. She tried using both the landline and her cell phone and when at last she finally connected she let out a loud hallelullah.

Fitz and Karen arrived two hours later after battling the worst traffic jam Los Angeles had ever seen. They were met by a highway patrol vehicle strategically parked at the end of their street to stop visitors turning into the neighborhood. At once, Fitz provided them with his ID. The police officer explained to Fitz the situation and that Edison Davis was still on the run.

Fitz used his key to open the door and one of the police officers accompanied him to the door to make sure everything was okay.

By then, Olivia had just taken a shower and was working in the kitchen. Abby held Bella on her lap and was watching Teddy build a tower of legos in the family room.

"Mommy! What happened?" A very confused Karen fell into Olivia's arms. Olivia hugged her back but her eyes remained on Fitz.

Fitz was still in shock over what had happened in his absence. He'd never felt so damn powerless in his entire life.

Olivia reached for him and Karen ran off to Abby. "Fitz, I'm so glad you're here." She hugged him so tightly she nearly squeezed the life out of him. And then she let go. The tears of relief that come after a terrible fright, mixed with the tears of pain from the past falling like rain.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he cupped Olivia's tear-streaked face in his hands. "I should have been here for you." Just the thought of Edison in their house made his blood boil but it was over now. His gaze shifted to the children and they seemed fine. His mind went full speed ahead. In the present moment, there were more pressing issues.

As if on cue, the voice of Los Angeles fire Chief Terrazas surrounded them and they both turned to see the man's face on the television screen.

"The crew channel ten is out there right outside." Abby said motioning to the front door while bouncing Bella on her leg and keep her entertained.

Karen let out a squeal of delight. "Does that mean we're gonna be on TV?"

Fitz and Olivia nodded in response to Abby's comment, their gaze shifting back to the TV screen.

"This continues to be a very dynamic fire," Los Angeles fire chief Terrazas said in a news conference. "The weather conditions are somewhat stable, but that could change at any moment."

"The heat and toxic gases from the flames can be more deadly than the flames".

"So far, by acreage, this blaze is the largest in the city's history."

"Firefighters were able to put out the bulk of a fire by Interstate 210 near Burbank. High winds caused embers to jump across from the highway sparking another fire North of I-210."

While the adults were watching the news, Karen bounced over to say play a game of peekaboo with her baby sister. Isabella's eyes brightened the instant she saw Karen. Isabella loved it when her big sister hauled her around, feeling cherished. And Karen loved bragging she was helping raise her baby sister to anyone who would comment on her big sister status. Indeed, Karen had embraced sisterhood and her 'responsibilities' as she herself liked to call them.

"We got to get out of here, Olivia. All of us, you too, Abby."

Both Olivia and Abby turned to Fitz, astonished at the yet another unexpected turn of events.

"But where would we go?"

"We go up north." Fitz quickly replied. There were a few wildfires down south and he didn't want to take a chance. "Abby, did you get hold of David yet?"

Abby bit her lip. "He's on his way over here. But that was an hour and a half ago," she added while attempting to send a text to David with Bella still on her lap.

"How quickly can we pack?" Fitz asked both women. "We will wait for David of course."

Karen perked up her ears and turned to look at her parents curiously, still giggling over Isabella's squeals of delight at their little game. Even Teddy let out a laugh watching his sisters play.

"Where are we going?" Karen asked and her eyes scanned the room for the beagle. "Where is Sparky?"

Olivia immediately moved to put an arm around Karen. "Sweetheart, Sparky is ill. We took him to the vet; he might have to stay there a little while." She made eye contact with Fitz and there was the unspoken understanding between them that this was something they would discuss later in private.

Karen looked stricken but Teddy didn't understand something was wrong. He went to Fitz with a look of great anticipation. "Daddy, Teddy wants police cars!"

"Honey," Olivia said to Fitz, "I promised Teddy I would take him to see the police cars."

"Okay, I'll take him," Fitz said, still thinking of making this excursion as quick as possible since they had to get ready to leave. He was thinking of grabbing important documents and all electronic devices including their home computer and throwing them in the trunk.

Fitz was still making a mental to-do list when he came outside to talk to the police officers with Teddy in tow.

A new policeman arrived on the scene and introduced himself as Officer Lee, smiling warmly at Teddy.

"Hello, young man. How old are you?"

"Police cars!" Teddy said, unable to contain his excitement. "Teddy inside?" He added his eyes glued to the flashing lights.

Fitz and Officer Lee exchanged a look. Fitz hoped he had managed to convey in that single look that Teddy had special needs without having to say the actual words. In spite of all the progress that Teddy had made and everything they'd been through as a family to overcome all the obstacles, he still hated having to use a label when referring to his son. He believed the label limited his potential. He believed that the more times Teddy heard people referring to him as "special" the more it cemented in his mind the unspoken notion of him being different to his peers. Unfortunately, in his experience, 'different' meant 'less than'. Yes, Teddy was different. But that didn't mean he was 'inferior'.

"His name is Teddy," Fitz said after a moment.

Officer Lee nodded and crouched down to make eye contact with Teddy. "Teddy, I believe you're the brave young man who called 9-1-1 and talked to one of our dispatchers." Officer Lee's gaze shifted between Fitz and Teddy. "We were able to find your house in record time because of your call," he concluded smiling broadly.

In response, Fitz said, "Thank you, officer, I had no idea." He then turned to Teddy, smiling, showing him how proud of him he was. "Teddy, you did a great job calling 9-1-1. I'm so proud of you."

Officer Lee turned to Fitz. "Indeed, Teddy handled it well. He stayed on the phone with the dispatcher the entire time. He did great for being so young."

Teddy made eye contact with the police officer. There was a lot of noise around him. The street was busy with neighbors pulling in and out of drive-ways and neighbors talking to neighbors. He'd missed some of what Officer Lee had said but he clearly understood that he had done the right thing in calling 9-1-1.

"Teddy, do you want to hop on the front seat and pretend you're riding with me?"

"Police car, police car!" Teddy exclaimed excitedly, looking past the officer at the highway patrol cars with their flashing lights.

"When it became obvious that Teddy was not going to respond to the invitation, Fitz then took his hand and together they walked to Officer Lee's car. "You can go on, Teddy. It's okay."

Officer Lee climbed in the driver's side and motioned to Teddy. "Hop on, buddy."

Fitz said, "Thank-you, officer. You're good with kids."

"You're welcome," Officer Lee said. "My sister's son is autistic too. He's eight years old now and mostly non-verbal."

Fitz nodded in response. There was little he could say. Saying he was sorry about his nephew seemed the inappropriate response. So he let the moment pass. Just then, his cell phone rang. Seeing it was a long distance call, Fitz excused himself and took a couple of steps away from the police car.

"Figlio mio, are you all okay? The fires, are they as bad as it looks like on TV?" His mother's voice greeted him over the phone.

While Fitz was on the phone, Teddy was having the time of his life. Sitting on the passenger seat, he let out a squeal, his nimble fingers wanting to touch every button and lever on the dashboard, trying to figure out which one worked the flashing lights.

"How about I let you drive for a second and honk he horn?" Officer Lee said to the boy with a wink. "What do you say?" In the next moment, he stepped outside the car and lifted Teddy and positioned him on driver's seat.

Teddy's lips crinkled with happiness as soon as his hands got to work the steering wheel and beep the horn of a real police car.

A/N:

There will be another three or four chapters before the final one (give or take)