Simon leaned against the door. He'd just gotten home for swim practice, and in a couple of hours his teammates would be around to pick him up for the Girl's Sectional Meet. He was tired. It had been a late night, first TP'ing the girls' houses, and then going to practice in the morning. And the woman from the shelter still hadn't called him back, so he had no way of knowing whether he was acceptable or not. Perhaps he would break, after all. It had to be easier than the endless not knowing.

"Simon?"

"Dad, I already told you. The girls wanted us to do it! At practice this morning they were all bubbly and happy about it!"

"I know, son. I just got an interesting phone call while you were gone."

"Oh." Simon stated, his voice dead.

"Yes. You've been accepted as a volunteer at the Women's Shelter downtown. You're supposed to go down on Monday. But I think it's time we had a talk."

"Can't I shower first? Or sleep?"

"No. I've been delaying this conversation for too long as it is." His dad gestured, and Simon followed him into the office.

"I take it this phone call is related to what happened to Lucy?"

Simon fidgeted a little and then replied, "Yes."

"I know we've never talked about it. It's very hard to-your mother and I blame ourselves for not seeing, not noticing. It was by chance that you found out. She was our baby girl, and we couldn't even protect her in this house. Someone destroyed my daughter, and I helped him!"

Simon hadn't expected this flow of emotion, but he merely shrugged.

"You know, Matt blames himself for not being here to save Lucy, like he had all those other times. Mary blames herself for bringing Ben here who brought Kevin."

"I didn't know that."

"Ruthie thinks she should have found out. She's supposed to know everything. And Sam and David-well, they are the only ones with nothing to reproach themselves about."

"I should have guessed! Should have realized! Matt went around protecting her all the time, and Lucy had always been with good guys! But we all knew what she was like and we ignored everything that we should have noticed!"

"I know. And I can't even look myself in the eye anymore."

Everything paused.

"Where is she?"

"Lucy?" his father asked. It seemed weird to hear her name after so long. "She's off. In one of the places I know. Healing, I hope. She doesn't want to hear from us, any of us, until she contacts us first. She's very different than she used to be. I haven't talked to her since she got on the plane. I've tried, but she doesn't want to hear from any of us. She always had lower self-esteem then the rest of you, and after that" Simon could hear his father deleting any number of words for Kevin, "was through was her, it was worse than it had ever been. I don't know why it had to happen to Lucy. And I don't know why none of us saw it!"

The pain on his father's face was very real. It was almost frightening. Simon still wasn't to his parents not being able to solve all his problems.

"But even so, Simon, I'm proud of you. You have built a new life for yourself after Lucy left. Your grades are better than any of your siblings have ever been, and your swimming, and now this. I'm just sorry I had to sacrifice a daughter to realize I gained a son."