Ruthie was upset now. What she had been told that while she was a baby, she had an identical twin sister who was kidnapped while her mother was grocery shopping. Since then they have not heard any news of to where Sarah Camden might be or whether or not she was dead or alive.

"But why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because you were too young.", Annie added.

"Too young! Too young to know that my sister may be dead or alive!"

Eric moved closer to Ruthie and put his hands on her shoulders, "Well you're right we should have told you eventually. But we weren't sure this was the right thing to do."

Lucy finally added, "Dad. If this Lisa Chandler is Ruthie's long lost twin sister, shouldn't we be going to Los Angeles and retrieving her?"

"Yes we'll do that first thing in the morning. I have to make some calls first."

"Why in the morning?!", Annie yelled.

"Because I need to call the hospital she works in and find out where exactly in Los Angeles she lives. She may not be on call tonight and she may have gone home."

"Okay. But we also should be thinking about what we should be doing about her doctor's license.", Annie added.

++++++++++

Eric was in his office, thinking. His long lost daughter, alive. Sarah was alive! After all these years! He wanted to go there right now and hug the long lost little child he thought he had lost. But something held him back, something that he couldn't quite fathom. All of a sudden he thought about what would happen if she was returned to her family right now. Would it be wise given the nature of his family and Annie? He loved his family and trusted them explicitly. Or so he thought. But why was he holding back? Why did he say that he needed to make some calls first.

He listened now as he sat at his desk crying. As usual the house was noisier than ever. Lucy and Kevin were arguing over some minor quabble. Annie was in the kitchen working feverishly to make dinner. And Ruthie, who was still understandingly angry with both her parents for keeping the fact that she had a twin sister a secret was upstairs all by herself, seething and cooling off. She used to be such a kind hearted little girl. Now she was either angry, scheming or selfish and self absorbed. What had happened to that sweet little girl?

And he thought about Lucy, who was worse than Ruthie, more self absorbed, self righteous and totally immature. She used to be the smartest, most selfless member of the family. Why had all this happen? Only one real reason, Annie. Annie's influence was too far reaching, too powerful to overcome. She smothered and killed her children emotionally and Eric had let her. The only reason he did not do something about it was because he did love her, and was more concerned with the children and how damaging a divorce would be to them. Some way he hoped that the old Annie would come back, the Annie that he had loved and cherished so many years ago. But with each passing year that was becoming less and less likely.

So now he wondered what he was going to do.

++++++++++

This time Laura went to Lisa's house and slept over with her friends. They were playing video games in Lisa's PS2 which Gertie had bought for Lisa for her 13th birthday in an attempt to get her to at least have some 'childhood things' that were not medically related.

They were playing MADDEN 2004, a football game that the threesome had been somewhat addicted to and perhaps the only thing that could get Lisa away from her medical books for a while other than eating and sleeping or going to work. Hell now Gertie was getting into the action.

Then the phone rang and Lisa went to answer it leaving a 2 against 1 scenario much to Laura's displeasure.

"Hello Chandler residence."

Suddenly there was a hang up and Lisa made a rather odd look at the phone. Then shrugged and hung up herself.

++++++++++

In Glen Oak Eric, holding a telephone directory for Los Angeles which he had acquired from the internet, wrote down the address and looking over to the entrance of his office, secretly stuffed it in his back pocket.

TO BE CONTINUED