Jessie walked into the room where her mother was in. All of a sudden, all of her anger and rage she was feeling was thrown out the window. It was replaced by guilt and uselessness. After all, her mom is in a coma and she can't do anything about it. She moved to her mother's side and sat in a nearby seat. A pensive expression took over her face as she watched her mother lie in that hospital bed. I haven't seen her look this peaceful in a long time.

"Hey," Eli stated hesitantly, he heard how snippy Jessie had been and he didn't want to catch the tail end of her fury. He smirked at the though of Jessie giving Grace a bloody nose though. Quickly he erased it before Jessie saw it. It wouldn't have mattered, she didn't even hear him. "Jess," he started reaching out toward her. Once his hand touched her shoulder, she jumped out of her seat onto Eli, knocking them both over. She was lying on top of him, giving him a questioning look.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Seeing the questioning look, she got frustrated. "Well?"

"What are you talking about? You jumped on me!" He shouted defensively.

Eli was still pinned under her and she was pissed off again. She had a look of pure venom as she looked at him. His aggressive demeanor vanished instantly and was then replaced with a 'deer-caught-in-the-headlights' expression. In the most painful way imaginable she got up. Jessie put one hand on his chest and one knee in his stomach, making sure to push real hard as she stood up. His grimace and moans were worth it she decided.

"You scared me," she said simply. "Next time give me some kind of warning." She shrugged her shoulders and sat back down next to Karen. Eli mumbled a few mild obscenities, all of which escaping the ears of Jessie, who was lost in her thoughts again. He glanced from Jessie to Karen before walking off down the hall holding his stomach and coughing.

"Look, it's 12:30 already," Rick reasoned. They were still at the hospital and Jessie really didn't want to leave. "Jess, come on! She'll still be here tomorrow, you can visit her then!" Without realizing it, he had ripped out his daughter's heart. One look at her fallen face made him realize what he just did. Good job Ricky! Open mouth, insert foot. He gave himself a swift mental kick in the pants.

"What does it matter for then? Why would it matter if I came at all?" She cried out. "Obviously you don't give a damn whether she lives or dies anyway!" Rick was crushed and winced at her harsh words. "You also don't give a shit about me either. She is my mother and I need to be here for her. Don't you understand that?"

He looked into her pleading eyes brimming with tears, threatening to overflow. "You have school tomorrow," he defended feebly. The doctor, who was listening nearby, chose this moment to intervene.

"Your father is right Jessie. There really isn't much that can be done at this moment. It would be better for you, and your family, if you just went home and tried to get a good night's sleep. You can see her tomorrow," Dr. Hartford said. This earned him a slight smile of appreciation and a mouthed 'Thank You' from Rick.

Jessie caught the exchange. "Yeah right," she said, eyeing them both. She sighed, rolled her eyes and walked off mumbling something about a conspiracy. Rick shook his head and turned toward the doctor.

"Thank you for that," he said while nodding down the hall at his retreating daughter.

"It was nothing. She certainly is...um...spirited isn't she?" He asked referring to her behavior.

"I've honestly never seen her like this," Rick sighed. He then looked at the doctor. "Looking forward to seeing her tomorrow?" He joked.

"I'm petrified," Dr. Hartford smiled.

The drive back was tense and silent. Since Eli already took Zoe home, Grace and Jessie had to share the backseat. About halfway home, Grace cast Jessie a dirty scowl as she held her throbbing nose. Sensing the look, Jessie turned to Grace and gave her a mocking smirk.

Grace was furious. She couldn't, however, do anything seeing as how their parents were right there. Her brows arched into a more menacing glower. "Bitch," she mumbled under her breath.

A bemused Jessie let out a small chuckle. Now she's thinking of different ways to off me. "What was that Grace? I didn't hear you." She decided to pursue the challenge in Grace's eyes. It certainly grabbed the attention of the parentals. Grace's eyes all but popped out of her head. Rick and Lily looked at the two feuding step-sisters. To avoid interrogation, Grace just shook her head. Code for 'nothing'. Jessie was very proud of herself, seemingly. I hate my life. She sighed and turned her attention to the window.

A puzzled Grace looked at Jessie. She's not gloating nearly as much as she normally would be. Huh. She watched Jessie's look turn from satisfied to melancholy in five seconds, record time.

When they neared the house, Grace was practically to the door before the car could even stop. Rick and Lily went in after turning off the car. However, Jessie didn't even move.

"Hey, Grace, where's Jessie?" Lily asked Grace, who was in her room reading.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" She responded bitterly without looking up. "She's not my kid," she added wryly.

"Grace," Lily scolded as if Grace was poking a furry animal with a pointed stick. "Can you look for her outside?" Grace rolled her eyes, put down her book and bounded downstairs. Lily heard Grace slam the door. She then went up to see if Jessie was in the attic.

Jessie was sitting on a bench on the porch. The light wasn't on, so when Grace came out, she didn't see Jessie sitting there. Jessie certainly didn't want to talk to Grace about...well, anything. I hope she leaves soon. She sat there waiting for Grace to leave, she turned her attention back to her thoughts.

"Jessie!" Grace shouted out to avoid the actual looking process. She heard a thump followed by a grunt.

"Ouch! Damn it Grace, I'm right here," Jessie mumbled from the ground. She was startled by Grace shouting and she fell off the porch. Grace started to chuckle as Jessie was finding her way back to her former perch. "Ha ha," she mocked. Then, she quietly added, "So glad you find my misery amusing. I'll remember that when I'm chloroforming you in you're sleep."

This wiped the grin off Grace's face. She honestly couldn't tell if she was kidding or not. Please let her be joking. She then gave a nervous laugh. "Um, Mom was wondering where you were."

"Whose mom?" She replied somberly. Turning toward Grace and seeing the questioning look, she said, "Never mind." Jessie got up and walked past a confused Grace.

"Er...um...Jessie wait!" She called a little too late, Jessie was already in. "I'm sorry..." she trailed off to no one in particular.

"Jessie, wake up!" Rick yelled from downstairs. He was a safe distance away to avoid the wrath of Jessie. He didn't hear any reaction. So, that left no choice but to go up. Cautiously, he went up as if she was going to pounce on him at any second.

Rick went in. Upon looking around, he spotted her body huddled under the blankets. "Wake up, sweetie," he said. Unexpectedly, her hand shot out from under the comforter. The hand hit him in the face before migrating over to knock the alarm clock off the night stand.

"Oh. Daddy, I'm sorry," she mumbled tiredly.

He looked at her and said, "It's alright sweetie. Don't do it again," he added the last part sternly, but with a smile. "Get ready for school, okay honey?"

As he was about to leave, Jessie's voice stopped him. "You're making me go in?" She looked incredulously at him. Judging by the 'duh' expression plastered on his face, she took it as a yes. "Shouldn't I go to the hospital?" She pleaded.

"No. Jess, you have to go to school," he was not budging this time. "I can take you in after I get home. Or, Lily can take you when you get back."

"Fine! Fine, whatever. Can you leave now so I can get dressed?" She was livid.

Oh dear God. I better warn the household that hurricane Jessie is about to hit. Rick retreated downstairs.

"Hey Jess! Good morning," Lily greeted a little too cheerfully. Grace rolled her eyes and Zoe was counting the marshmallows in her Lucky Charms.

"If you say so," she responded trying to wipe the grin off her face. To her chagrin, it didn't work.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Lily offered.

This caught Jessie off guard. "Uh, no. I'm fine," she answered carefully. Okay Jess. Don't make any sudden movements and maybe she won't attack.

"Are you sure?" She asked, a little disappointed.

"Positive!" She replied too quickly. "Oh! Look at the time. School, wouldn't want to be late, right?"

She was halfway to the door, but Grace stopped her. "Did you want a ride?" She offered nonchalantly.

Jessie blew her lid. "God damn it! Have I entered Stepford or something?!" She cried out, frustrated. Scanning from person to person, she took in their shocked expression. Turning to Grace, "No, I'll take the bus," she answered as if her prior outburst didn't occur. Grace closed her dropped jaw long enough to nod. Jessie flashed a false smile, almost painful to watch. She flipped around and left.

"I told you not to be to nice. I told you to just leave her alone. But no, nobody listens to me because I'm only 11," Zoe scolded. Lily and Grace turned to her. "What? I was right, wasn't I?" She grinned and put her bowl in the sink and left.

"It's not our fault Jessie's been on edge lately," Lily pointed out.

"I know. It's Karen's," Grace ground out.

"That's not fair, Grace. You know that," Lily half-heartedly defended Karen. She felt the same way.

"I'm not defending Jessie for anything," she started, obviously referring to her nose, "but how could Karen put Jessie through this." The look on Lily's face told Grace all she needed to know. "You don't know either. But you what do know is that it isn't right." She answered for her. "I've got to go, too." Grace grabbed her things. As somewhat of an afterthought, she added, "Are you taking Jessie to the hospital later?"

"I don't know. It depends on if she wants to go there," she answered. Grace picked up the fact that she meant 'go there with me'.

She smiled at her. "Have a good day, mom."

"You too sweetie," she smiled back.

"Ms. Sammler, do you know the answer?" A short blonde lady asked .

"The answer to what, Mrs. Allen?" Jessie replied, shaken from her thoughts about her mother.

The teacher sighed. "What is the leading cause of death in the United States?"

Suicide. No that's not it. She shook it from her head. "Life?"

The woman was puzzled. "What are you talking about Ms. Sammler?"

Nice one smart ass. How are you gonna pick yourself up from that? "Well, you can't die if you weren't alive in the first place," she answered, earning a slight chuckle from the class. Not a good recovery, but a recovery nonetheless. Better to sound like a moron, than a morbid freak.

Mrs. Allen didn't know what to make of this. She knew what she really meant by the answer, she would ask her after class. "Okay, anybody else?"

Jessie breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God she didn't harass me about it. She returned to her thoughts, tuning out the class.

When the bell rang, Jessie was still lost in thought. She didn't get up until the teacher came over and tapped her on the shoulder. Jessie jumped and looked over.

Smiling sheepishly, she said, "Sorry. I'm going now." She began to pack up her things.

"That's okay. Jessie, is everything all right?" She ventured out.

Instead of making a scene, like she would've done at home, she was taken aback. "What do you mean?" Please don't let this be about what I think it's about. She mentally crossed her fingers.

"Jessie, what did you mean back there?" She saw the puzzled face looking back at her. "About life being the leading cause of death?"

"I didn't know the answer. I thought that, even though it was wrong, it still made enough sense to be partially right," she was lying through her teeth. Mrs. Allen knew it.

"Jessie, what is going on?" She further pursued, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.

At this point, Jessie broke down crying. "My mom...she...she..." Jessie looked at the teacher, then the clock. "I have to go." She dried her eyes, grabbed her things, then left a very confused and concerned Mrs. Allen behind her.

Once Grace and Jessie pulled up to the house after school, Jessie couldn't get out of the car fast enough. She bounded into the house before Grace had even pulled into the driveway.

When she got in, she sought out Lily to give her a ride to the hospital. Grace wouldn't because Lily wanted them home right after school.

"Can you give me a ride to the hospital?" Jessie panted. She hated begging anyone for anything, especially Lily.

"Uh, yeah. Hold on a sec while I finish dinner," Lily said.

"Fine. Whatever," Jessie responded impatiently. She hovered around Lily for a good half an hour before it was time to go.

Lily turned around and said, "Are you-" Before she could finish her sentence, Jessie was out the door. "I guess that's a 'yes'." Grace snickered. "You be quiet," Lily teased. From outside, Jessie honked the horn with impatience.

"You're being called," Grace chuckled, returning to her homework.

They got there ten minutes later. "Karen Sammler?" Jessie asked the nurse once they got to the hospital. Even though they were there just last night, Jessie couldn't remember the room number for the life of her.

"Yes, um," she looked at her clipboard. "Room 329." The nurse smiled and walked off. Jessie gave a sad smile, then noticed the look Lily was giving her.

"What?" She said, the smile disappearing. Lily quirked an eyebrow. "God. It just so happens that 329 is Mom's birthday. March 29?" Lily continued to stare at her. "Whatever." She walked to the room alone. Lily knew that's what Jessie wanted.

On the way to the room, Jessie ran into Dr. Hartford. She stopped abruptly in her tracks. He looked at her, "Hey there Jessie," he saw the look in her face. It was the 'don't-talk-to-me' look. "Good news. Your mom woke up." He smiled. Her eyes grew wide and she hugged him.

"Thank you! When did she wake up?" She asked. "Can I see her?"

He smiled. What a pleasant change from the edgy brooding girl I saw last night. "She woke up about twenty minutes ago." Her smile faded a little. "Yes, you can see her," he said a little worried.

"Thank you," she hugged him again, smiled and walked off. I'll kill Lily. I should have been here when Mom woke up. I let her down...again. She continued to berate herself, not only for that, but for ignoring her before all this happened.

She reached the room, took a deep breath and entered. "Mom?"

Karen was sitting in there, looking at the TV, but not really watching. She jumped. "Jessie? Oh, hi baby!" She really didn't know how to respond, the doctor told her that Jessie was the one who found her. She noticed the sad, tired look on Jessie's young face. Oh God. I'm a bad mother.

Jessie was looking at the machines and the tubes around her mother. Oh God. This is all my fault. With that thought, she burst into tears. "I'm...I'm...Mom, I...am...so... sorry!" She cried out between sobs. She ran over and held on to Karen like she was her lifeline. A bewildered Karen just held onto her troubled daughter wondering what the hell Jessie could possibly be sorry for. She couldn't ask though. She too was overcome with emotion and as she gripped her daughter, she also started to cry.