The Lyman Family

by bauerfreak

AU Josh and Donna have been married 20 years and are now both members of Congress raising two 16year old girls, Kaitlyn and Audrey.

8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"My Immortal" – Evanescence

I'm so tired of being here

Suppressed by all my childish fears

And if you have to leave

I wish that you would just leave

Because your presence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just so much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you screamed, I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have all of me

You used to captivate me by your resonating light

Now I'm bound by the life you left behind

Your face, it haunts my once pleasant dreams

Your voice, it chased away all the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you screamed, I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have all of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone

And though you're still with me

I've been alone all the while

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you screamed, I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have all of me

Eleanor Anne Parker nervously sat on her best friend Audrey's bed as she waited for Mrs. Lyman to join her. Donna was currently at the door, which was half closed, as she poked her head out the crack, telling Josh something. She didn't like the mood that had suddenly overcome the house ever since Donna had answered a phone call. Josh and Donna had all of a sudden become very uptight and worried. Fear was plastered on their faces. They half-heartedly tried to hide it from the girls, but obviously planned on immediately telling them what was going on.

"Take them into Katie's room." Ella heard Donna tell her husband. She whispered something else to her daughters, and she heard both of the twins nervously question their mother. "Just go."

Donna finally closed the door, not looking at Ella. She slowly crossed the room, stepping over a few objects, and sat near Ella on the bed. Donna took a deep breath as she searched for answers on the floor. Donna thought the conversation she'd had with her own daughter about drugs just a few weeks ago was going to be the hardest conversation she'd ever have, but that theory had just been thrown out the window. She was going to have to tell Ella that her own mother had just been killed in a car wreck. It should be against the law to have to do this.

Donna put a hand on Ella's knee. "Ella, baby?" Her voice was weak.

"What?" Worry was evident in her face. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Ella, this is going to be very hard to hear, so you need to bear with me."

Ella's heart dropped. Something horrible's happened, but now she just needed to know.

"Okay, what?"

"Ella," Donna swallowed in dread. Ella could tell she was having a really hard time with whatever it was. "Ella, I just got a call from the police."

"What did I do?" She immediately dreaded being in trouble.

"No, no. You didn't do anything wrong, baby." Donna wished it was as simple and seemingly unimportant as that was. "It was about your mother."

"What about her?" Ella immediately felt her heartbeat start to go much faster. Her mother had left this afternoon. Oh, God. Where is she?

"She…" Donna had to put her hand to her mouth to stop from crying. "Ella, she swerved to hit a deer, and, um…" Donna watched Ella's face change from worry to horror in a matter of a few words, "And she got in a car accident, sweetheart."

Ella stood up. "Oh my God! Where is she? I need to go see her! She's probably so upset!" She began to cry and started moving around uneasily.

Donna shook her head. "No, sweetheart. You can't" She said quietly.

Deep down, Ella could tell then what had happened, but she went into denial mode.

"What do you mean?" She questioned innocently. "You can take me to her right? Is she in the hospital or something? I'll go with you." She kept talking to avoid hearing what she knew was coming next.

"You can't, sweetheart." A few tears escaped from Donna's eyes. "She didn't make it, honey. She was pronounced dead on the scene."

Ella just stood there for a minute. The moment just seemed surreal to her at that moment. She'd just spoken to her mother this morning. She couldn't be dead. Donna just stared up at Ella, wishing she would say something. To let it out. She needed to know what she was thinking.

Donna delicately reached her hand up to her daughters' friend, trying to offer an ounce of comfort, though she can't imagine how it could help at this moment.

As if just awoken from a trance, Ella quickly snatched her hand from Donna, and held it close to her chest possessively. Ella looked back at her as if she'd just run over her kitten. A look of utter betrayal, and amidst it all, hurt, confusion, and loneliness.

"Ella, please." Donna begged. "Come sit down."

"No!" She yelled.

The sharp and painful yell coming from the next room caused Josh, Katie, and Audrey to immediately look up in concern. Josh had just got done explaining what had happened to Ella's mother, at least the scrappy information he knew.

"Oh, God." Audrey started, who was already tearful from the news. "I need to go in there. She needs me." She started to get up, but felt her father's hand quickly pull her back down to the bed where the three had been sitting.

"Audrey, no." Josh urged gently, "Just leave them for a few minutes."

Audrey began crying again. "But, dad, she needs me! I'm her best friend."

Josh pulled her into another hug as he sat in the middle of his twin girls. Katie was silent and hadn't shed a tear yet, still in shock from the news. His baby girls had never experienced the death of anyone close to them before in their lives. Josh had experienced several and was doing his best to guide them through the difficult initial stage.

"I know you do, sweetheart, and she'll need you lots in the near future. But let's just let mom talk to her for now, okay? We don't want to overwhelm her."

Audrey nodded, her head snuggled close to her father. She was trusting him to tell her how to do the right thing. This was a totally new feeling to her, and she didn't like it one bit. Audrey was surprised by the ease of once again trusting her dad again in mere seconds. They'd been at each other's throats a lot lately. She'd been angry at him for a long time, but all that seemed to be so unimportant now. Ella was now practically an orphan. She hadn't seen her father in two years. He'd called her three times within that timeframe. And now her mother was dead. Audrey immediately realized just how lucky she was. Both of her parents were right here with her. And they both told her they loved her every day – in words; in a loving touch, in joking around. She snuggled in a little closer to her father.

Back in Audrey's room, Ella was just beginning her ungraceful fall into grief. Feeling too alone and edgy to be touched, she was pacing the room, chewing on one of her thumbnails. Donna didn't say anything, not knowing the words, as she watched her walk back and forth. She gradually saw Ella's face start to redden in raw emotion, bottling it up. Finally, she saw tears begin to brim in her eyes, then she turned away, walking back to the door. When Ella turned around again, her mouth was opening in a silent cry. That was the worst kind. Her mouth wanted to make the sound, but her voice hadn't allowed her to catch up yet. As she reached the bed, a high-pitched squeak worked its way out. Finally, the release. A full-fledged wail was next. It pierced the new sunset that was forming just outside the window. The same sun that had been there all her life, just like her mother. And now her mother was gone. She stopped in her tracks and put her hand up to her mouth, resting the other hand on her hip. Ella saw Donna get up off the bed immediately. The gesture made her collapse as she started to kneel down to the floor.

Donna flung her arms around Ella as she slowly helped her down to sit on the floor. She didn't seem it right to try to shoosh her, so she just said nothing and stroked her hair as she let Ella sob. With each deep breath in, the piercing sound that followed stabbed Donna in the heart each time. Such pain for such a young girl. She prayed to God to give this poor girl a little strength and comfort and to give herself the strength to support Ella. Donna slowly rocked Ella back and forth on the floor, as if they were the only two people in the world. All she could do was hold her.

"Daddy, can we go in there yet?" Audrey asked Josh. Josh mentally noted was Audrey had called him – she was feeling vulnerable, scared and alone. Audrey had calmed down a bit now. The three Lymans had been sitting in silence for the past fifteen minutes or so. They'd been listening for any hint of how things were going in the next room. Ella had bawled for about twenty minutes straight, but now it was just silent.

Josh kissed Audrey on the head and then patted her back. "Let me go check on them, okay? You just stay here for a minute." Josh looked to his left at his other daughter, who still had not cried. He'd have to keep an eye on her. Josh had learned from experience that keeping it all in was the worst thing to do. He kissed her on the head also before getting up and heading out the door. Josh stopped outside Audrey's room and put his ear close to the door to listen for any sound. Nothing.

He slowly pushed the door open. His eyes fell upon two bodies on the floor of the bedroom. Donna was cradling Ella in her arms and she was breathing quite steadily, but could tell she had just been through an emotional roller coaster. Donna looked up at her husband and communicated to him without words to come help her.

Josh carefully stepped over Ella's legs and sat down on the floor with them. He reached out and tucked a piece of fallen hair behind Ella's ear, allowing him to see her face.

"Ella, baby?" He said gently.

Ella didn't answer, but looked up at him, acknowledging his presence.

"Hi, sweetheart." He almost asked how she was doing, but stopped himself, thinking it was a pretty stupid question. "Do you want me to get you some water?" He didn't know how to help. She shook her head no.

"Okay." He looked up at the door, remembering Audrey's concern. "Audrey and Katie are really worried about you. Would you like to see them? It may help."

Ella seemed to ponder for a moment. Finally, she nodded a yes.

"Okay." He patted her shoulder, then leaned over and kissed her head, something he'd never done before. But somehow he felt responsible for her now.

Donna continued to hold Ella, gently stroking her hair back as Josh went to get the girls. Audrey was first to appear at the door, followed by Josh, who seemed to be coaxing Katie along. Audrey rushed to Ella's side where Josh had just been and layed down next to her, throwing an arm around her body.

"Oh, Ella…" She cried, sending her friend back into tears. They just stared at each other as they both cried. Donna was in mother mode, gently comforting each of them with her hands.

Katie had been standing back halfway between the two doors, not knowing what she should do. She stared into the room at her mother, sister, and friend all on the floor. Her father was standing in the doorway watching. Sensing her hesitance, he looked back at her and then stepped back, putting a supportive hand between her shoulder blades and guiding her to the doorway.

"It's okay." He said softly. He stopped at the entrance and then brought her into a hug. Katie held onto him tight and turned her head away from the sobbing threesome on the floor. She knew what was going on but didn't want to acknowledge it.

The hugging was soon interrupted by the doorbell. This startled Donna, Josh, and Katie, but didn't elicit a budge from Audrey or Ella. Josh gently released Katie from his arms and walked to the front door. He could see out the window that it was the police officer who had called a little over a half hour before.

Josh opened the door to the police officer, who had a solemn look on his face.

"Please come in." Josh said quietly.

"Thank you, sir. I'm Officer Michaels. I was the one who called earlier." The police officer took his hat off as he entered the house.

Josh shook Officer Michaels' hand and led him into the living room, introducing himself as he did so.

"She's in my daughter's bedroom with my wife and my kids." Josh explained.

"How is she so far?"

"Crushed." Josh stated simply.

"I can't imagine." They stopped in the living room as the officer sought to explain the situation more.

"Please sit down." Josh gestured to the couch. The officer did and laced his fingers together.

"Well, Mr. Lyman, I'd like to give you some more of the details of the crash if you don't mind. I don't know if Miss Parker is ready to take it all in yet, so I'll let you use your judgment on that."

"Okay." Josh nodded simply.

"Ms. Parker was driving west on Interstate 70, when a deer crossed her path. She swerved to miss it, but was then hit near the left front wheel of her car by another vehicle traveling in the left lane. The hit sent her car tumbling. It overturned several times and landed in a ditch off to the side of the road. When the paramedics arrived, she was already gone. The other driver is in critical condition."

Josh looked away and ran a hand through his hair. "So fast." He whispered.

"Yeah. This type of death is usually hardest on families. It's so unexpected." He paused and looked down. "We couldn't get a hold of her husband. Are you aware of his whereabouts?"

Josh snorted in disgust at the thought of Ella's father. "He's in California. He hasn't talked to them in months. I have his number in case of emergencies, but he doesn't seem to have any interest at all in Ella."

"That's a shame." The officer said, not knowing what to say.

"Yeah."

"Well, Mr. Lyman, I hate to have to bring this up, but we need to get a hold of Mr. Parker because he's legally now her guardian.

Oh, God, Josh thought to himself. That hadn't even crossed his mind. He exhaled sharply and deeply.

"It's a little late to be doing anything tonight, Mr. Lyman. Ella was supposed to be sleeping over tonight?"

"Yes, sir."
"Okay. We'll just have her stay here for tonight. But I'll call you tomorrow." Officer Michaels stood up and put his hat back on.

"Thank you, officer." Josh stood also and put his hands in his jeans pockets. "We'll take good care of her."

"I'm sure you will. Give her my condolences."

"I will. Thanks again." Josh walked him to the door and closed it behind him as he left.

Josh slowly made his way back to Audrey's room where he found Katie still standing alone at the door, nervously chewing on her fingernails, staring blankly down at her sister, friend, and mother. Josh put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple gently and they just stood like that for what seemed like an eternity. Every second was like an eternity.

The three women stayed on the floor for several hours and Josh eventually led Katie to bed. After tucking her in, Josh closed her door reluctantly, knowing that she still needed someone with her. But he needed to take care of Donna, Ella and Audrey first in the next room. Ella and Audrey had slowly drifted to sleep, exhausted from the emotions they'd been experiencing the past few hours. Donna had been sitting there with them the entire time, one girl on each side. She looked up at Josh guiltily. She was exhausted herself but didn't want to leave if they still needed her. Donna didn't want to wake them by moving, but she desperately needed rest herself. Josh helped her out by getting their camper mattress from the closet. He quickly inflated it in the living room with an air pump and brought it into Audrey's room. He set it down on the floor next to the pile of girls, then gently gripped Ella under the armpits, dragging her limp, exhausted body onto the mattress. With one side of her free, Donna did the same with Audrey. Josh took her feet and together, they set her down next to Ella. They got a large blanket from the closet and two pillows for the girls and then stood and looked down at them.

"How long has it been since she's eaten?" Donna inquired, concerned about her blood sugar level.

Josh glanced at his watch. It was 12:30 now. They'd eaten dinner around 6:00.

"Shit, Donna. It's been around six hours." He put a hand on his hip and shifted his weight.

"She needs to be at 120 before going to bed. Let me go get the AccuCheck." Donna left the room to go get the blood sugar testing device and Josh knelt down next to the mattress. He gently removed her right arm from under the blanket, getting her ready to be tested.

Donna soon returned with the AccuCheck. She'd never done this while Ella was asleep. Ella was out like a light, though, so she figured she wouldn't feel it. Donna was pretty sure her blood sugar would be pretty low, so they'd probably have to wake her to give her something anyway.

Donna gently took Ella's hand in hers and rubbed alcohol over her middle finger. She hadn't used the AccuCheck in years, but remembered how to use it in an instant. Donna pressed the button that shot the tiny needle into Ella's finger, drawing a drop of blood. Carefully handling the testing strip, Donna gathered up the needed amount of blood and then slipped the strip into the machine. Moments later, the reading came back. It showed that Ella's blood sugar was at 55, which was way below what she need to be at bedtime.

"Shit." Josh said, knowing this was not a good sign.

"We'll have to give her some fast-acting glucagons."

The Lymans had diligently kept a fresh supply of fast-acting glucagon at their home, since Ella was over so often. The emergency device, a needle, was kept in a separate container, which Donna quickly retrieved.

Donna remembers from her crash-course years ago that the best place to give an emergency insulin shot was in the abdomen where it was absorbed the fastest. Josh was glad that Donna knew what she was doing, because he'd forgotten all of this.

"She'll need this in her abdomen, Josh. I don't know if she'll wake up, so would you please just hold her arms in case she does."

"Yeah." Josh responded. He was just glad he wouldn't have to give the shot. He absolutely hated needles and blood. Josh decided a long time ago that if he ever had diabetes, he'd probably just die because he couldn't stand being poked all the time. Ella was so brave.

Donna prepared the syringe as Josh moved above Ella's head. Donna lifted Ella's tank top up just above her belly button and took a chunk of skin into her left hand, knowing that the glucagon had to go into fat. Josh looked away as he saw the needle about to penetrate the skin, holding Ella's upper arms in case she woke and flinched.

Donna pushed the needle into Ella's abdomen, making a bit of a face as she did. Ella did flinch a little, but seemed too out of it to care. Josh tightened his grip a little bit for a second, but then backed off as he witnessed her lack of reaction. Donna let go of the skin as soon as the needle was in and then started injecting the medicine. When it was all gone, she pulled the needle out and Ella's tank top back down.

Josh and Donna both simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief as the task was done. Donna sat down, exhausted, and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

"We'll still need to call the doctor to get her checked out, Josh."

"Yeah." Josh sighed from where he was exhaustively leaning up against a chair.

"Dr. Meyer might be able to help us. I don't want to have to take her to the hospital tonight. She's exhausted and so are we." Dr. Meyer lived just two doors down from the Lymans. Though it wasn't ideal because she wasn't Ella's doctor, they thought an exception could be made considering the circumstances.

Josh made the call, waking Dr. Meyer from her sleep. Once informed of the situation, she was glad to help. Ella was barely aware of what was going on, either just being exhausted or not caring, or a combination of both. The three adults kept a close eye on her for a while, checking her blood sugar often. Dr. Meyer felt her unresponsiveness was in large part due to the huge emotional blow she'd just been dealt. They got her blood sugar up to 125 before Dr. Meyer left. Finally, Josh and Donna were able to go to bed themselves, though they both were sure it would be an almost sleepless night. There would be so much to think about in the morning. Where would Ella go? They'd need to call her father in California. What if he wanted to fly her to California right away? How would Ella deal with that? Many things filled their heads as they drifted off into a deep but short sleep.

Josh and Donna woke early the next morning around 8:00, not able to sleep much. All three girls were still asleep as they quietly ate breakfast in the bar together.

"What time is it in California?" Josh finally asked.

Donna calculated in her head slowly.

"Well, they're three hours behind us, so, I guess it would be about five in the morning."

Josh shook his head. "We should have thought of that last night. We could've called him then."

"Josh, there was too much going on. We'll call him later." She ran her hand up and down his forearm comfortingly.

"You're right." He bent down and kissed her hand. "I'll call him later."

"Hi guys." Josh and Donna looked up to see Ella standing before them. She was still in the clothes she was wearing last night, but they were a little wrinkled after being slept in.

"Ella!" They both chimed, getting up from their seats. All they knew how to do was be supportive of her and do whatever she needed them to do.

Josh went to go get a cereal bowl from the cupboard and Donna went to her side, taking a hand in hers and gently stroking back her hair.

"Hi, Ella, honey. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her stomach. One side of it ached a little bit. She didn't know why.

"I didn't check my blood sugar last night." Her mind immediately went to her nightly routine that she hadn't performed for the first time in a long time.

"We did after you went to sleep, baby." Donna explained, guiding her to sit on one of the stools.

"You did? I didn't know you knew how."

"I remembered from years ago." Donna said, taking the seat next to her. "It was pretty low, so we had to inject some fast-acting glucagon."

"In my stomach?" Ella guessed from the pain there.

"Yeah. Does it hurt?"

"A little." She nodded. "I don't remember." She said, a little troubled by the revelation.

"You were exhausted, Ella." Donna reached out and stroked her bangs to the side.

"Why didn't I go to the doctor?" Ella knew what was supposed to happen.

"Dr. Meyer from down the street came over. She fixed you up."

"Oh." Ella said quietly, resting her chin in her hand.

"What kind of cereal do you want?" Josh asked.

"One cup of Cheerios, please." She said politely, "With a cup of orange juice."

"You got it." Josh said. Maybe you're being a bit too upbeat, Josh thought to himself. He didn't quite know how to act.

"So, it wasn't just a bad dream?" Ella asked, looking at Josh.

Josh paused pouring the cereal and looked down, sadly. He wished he could take away her pain and bring her mother back. She of all people didn't deserve this. Ella didn't need another tragedy in her life. He'd watched her slowly deteriorate years ago when her father left the family. It was so painful to watch. He didn't want to see it again.

Donna gently rubbed her arm and Ella looked down at it. She blinked her eyes quickly as she felt tears start to burn. Donna saw this and urged her to not bottle up her emotions.

"Don't keep it in, sweetheart. You cry if you need to."

Ella didn't want to cry so early in the morning. The Lymans had been so good to her over the years. They didn't need another burden like this. She put her hand up to her eyes and quietly began to sob. Josh stopped pouring the cereal and leaned back against the counter. Donna got up and drew Ella into a hug.

"Just let it out. Good girl." Donna whispered into her hair. Donna looked over at Josh and silently signaled him to go get Audrey and Katie up. She hated to wake them back into this hell they were all going through, but their main concern right now was Ella, and Ella needed them.

Josh took the hint and first went into Audrey's room. She was already awake, looking up at the ceiling with both arms behind her pillow. Apparently, she'd been woken by the crying.

"Waking up to crying is the worst feeling in the world." She simply stated as she sensed her dad at the door. Josh figured this may take a few minutes, so he closed the door behind him and sat down on the mattress next to Audrey.

"It must be." He acknowledged her feelings. "It's best for her not to keep it bottled up, though."

"I know." She said and he saw a single tear escape her eye.

"Hey." Josh pulled her up to a sitting position gently and hugged her warmly. "I know it's such a shock."

Audrey merely nodded into his shoulder and continued to cry. She was relying on him again as he walked her blindly through this maze of emotion and grief. He didn't know the right way. He only did what he knew how to do. Josh held her for several more minutes until she'd calmed down again. Then he slowly released himself from her embrace.

"Let's go get Katie and eat some breakfast, okay?" He suggested. Audrey nodded in agreement and got up from the mattress, her movements apathetic and forced.

Josh crossed the hall to Katie's room and knocked softly before entering.

"Katie, honey?" He called. Josh saw her sitting up in bed with headphones on, her eyes closed as she let the music spill over her. He didn't hear any hard beats or rhythms, so he figured it must be a sad song. Katie sensed his presence and slowly opened her eyes. She stared back at him blankly. Josh felt as if she was staring right past him. Her expression was just empty. Finally, she removed her headphones as Josh sat on the edge of her bed.

"Whatcha listening to?" He inquired.

"Nothing." She dismissed.

"Okay." He patted her knee over the covers. "We're making breakfast if you want some."

"Is Ella done crying now? I couldn't stand the sound." Josh thought for a brief moment that Katie was trying to be rude, but then dismissed it. She couldn't stand her pain. It was ripping her up inside.

"I know it's hard to listen to." Josh told her.

"I want to help but I don't know what to do." She confessed, looking back at him with her big chocolate eyes, begging for him to guide her through this. He'd felt under qualified for certain positions before. He'd walked into rooms and felt like he didn't know what the hell anyone was talking about, but he'd never been so afraid of answering a question in his life.

"Well, baby," He started, "I think it's just important for Ella to know that you're here if she needs you. Don't worry about saying or doing the right thing. Just give her a hug if she looks like she needs one. Let her just talk to you and spill it all out if she needs to."

Katie looked down at her crossed legs and examined her fingernails. Josh could tell he was getting at something, but didn't know what.

"Dad?" She still stared down.

"Yes, sweetheart." He said gently.

"But what if she makes me cry? I don't want to cry."

Josh scooted a little closer in anticipation of an emotional spillover.

"Why don't you want to cry, sweetheart?" Josh could see parts of her face twitching the way it did when she was trying to hold back tears. She was normally unsuccessfull.

Katie took a deep breath before answering.

"Because I'm afraid I won't be able to stop. And Ella doesn't need that." Katie spit out.

Josh felt his heart break for the third time that day and it was only 8:30.

"Sweetheart, you're not going to burden her by crying. It's okay to cry. Everyone needs to let their emotions out."

"But I'm so scared." She finally let out a sharp sob and looked up at Josh, his eyes filled with concern and worry.

"Don't be scared. I'm right here." He pulled her into a hug and Katie finally let her tears go.

"It'll be alright."

Later in the day, Donna took the girls all out to get some ice-cream, a small diversion in this horrible nightmare they were going through. Donna and Josh had discussed this and decided this would be the time Josh would call John Parker, Ella's father. They decided it best for Ella to be out of the house in case there were eruptions and yelling on Josh's part.

Josh exhaled sharply as he picked up the cordless phone in his left hand, his address book balanced in his right opened to the 'P' section. He reluctantly started dialing the California number, dreading the conversation that was ahead. It would take all his strength not to explode on this guy.

Josh cleared his throat as he finished dialing the number and took a seat on the living room couch. He waited and heard John's voice pick up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" The voice sounded groggy, even though it was 9 a.m. on the west coast.

"John Parker?"

"Yes. Who is this?" You're a fucking asshole piece of shit, Josh wanted to scream, but swallowed it back.

"This is Joshua Lyman from D.C." He stated instead and waited for John to remember him. They'd once been good friends when the girls were young, until he found out that he abused Ella and Carol. Piece of shit.

"Oh, yes!" John pretended to be happy to hear from him. The man who had punched him in the face after he cheated on his wife. "It's a surprise to hear from you. How's it going?"

Josh rolled his eyes. "Not too good."

"Oh?"

"Mr. Parker, your ex-wife was killed in a car accident yesterday afternoon. Swerved to miss a deer and ended up overturning."

Josh waited and heard a long pause on the other end of the line.

"Oh, God."

"Ella's staying here with us for the time being, but we need to talk about what's going to happen with her. The police are checking out her Will, but I just wanted to let you know what was going on."

"Oh, man." He chuckled humorlessly, not knowing what to say. "Not exactly the call I was needing to hear." He said thoughtlessly.

Josh punched the sofa arm, pretending it was him. Selfish son of a bitch.

"Well, we're not concerned with how you're feeling, John. We're worried sick about your daughter. She's crushed, in case you're too out of the realm of human emotion to care or understand. We need to talk to her about what's going to happen with her. She's practically an orphan, seeing that you're on the other side of the fucking country!" Josh's voice had been slowly escalating, punctuated by his use of profanity.

"You're right. I'm sorry Josh." He quickly apologized, but Josh could tell it was a half-hearted one. He didn't care about anyone else but himself.

"Donna and I have been making the funeral arrangements. Would you like to fly out for the funeral?" He offered, though if he saw his ugly mug there, mourning the wife he beat and trying to comfort the daughter he abandoned, Josh would sock him in the face.

"Um, well. I'm not really sure if I'd be welcome. I'd better not." John said.

"Okay, good." Josh answered, letting him know his true feelings.

"I better fly out there though. To see Ella." He added.

Josh felt nauseous at the thought of that man being anywhere near Ella. She was like his third daughter now, and he felt he needed to protect her, even if it was from her biological father.

"Fine. Why don't you book a flight for Monday evening. The funeral will be that morning."

"Okay. Thanks Josh, I appreciate it."

Josh bit his lip to keep from screaming. "You are the worst piece of shit." He spat out and hung up the phone. Josh immediately started breathing in and out heavily and ran a hand through his hair, feeling dirty having just talked to John. He'd let his angry get the best of him, but he wasn't sorry for it.

The weekend was very difficult for the whole family and for Ella. With nothing to do but think of Carol, those couple of days had been mournful and sad, filled with happy memories and the grief over the absence of her presence. The Lymans did their best to support Ella and be there for her, but there was no way this was going to be easy. The funeral was as beautiful as any funeral could be. Beautiful flowers adorned the church and droves of people came to pay their respects. Josh, for some reason, always kept his eye on the door, afraid that John and all his stupidity would walk in. Luckily, he didn't, and Ella was able to grieve the way she should be able to, without that bastard anywhere in sight. John didn't deserve Ella's love.

Ella knew her father would be arriving that night and had a nervous pit in her stomach the entire day. She didn't want to see him. She'd be a happy woman if she never saw him again in her life. Carol had been a young, naïve mother. At the time of her death, she was only 34 years old. The police searched for her Will, but didn't find it because there wasn't one. Josh and Donna couldn't understand why she wouldn't have made one, seeing the history she had with her husband. Ella would have to be turned over to her father, the only living relative anyone knew of. When Donna told her the news, Ella ran to the bathroom and immediately vomited at the thought. Carol hadn't made a Will because she hadn't thought about dying in all her youth. But people die unexpectedly. The thought of Ella being anywhere near John, let alone living with him again and having to move across the country was heart-wrenching and utterly nauseating. They'd fight this to the end.

A taxi cab pulled up about the Lyman residence at about 8:30 that night. Ella was sitting in the living room reluctantly. She hadn't seen her father in two years. He hadn't even called her for her sweet sixteen birthday.

Donna got up to go meet him at the front door. He looked tired, but was well-dressed in dress slacks and a sport coat, carrying one small suitcase. Donna hoped he wasn't thinking he was welcome to stay here. They'd pay for a hotel room for him at the last resort.

Donna opened the door before he had a chance to knock.

"Mr. Parker." She greeted him with a frown on her face.

"Donna!" He exclaimed. He hadn't seen her in years and she still looked just as beautiful as she did in her twenties when he met her. John leaned in to kiss her on the cheek but Donna pulled away, instead holding out her hand and shaking it.

"Won't you come in?" She asked politely. Donna moved to the side as he entered their home and placed his suitcase in the front hall. He turned the corner and Donna followed behind him. Josh and the three girls all sat on the couch, staring back at him judgmentally. Josh wanted to pommel him right then, but his mind was focused on how Ella was feeling.

John stopped in his tracks when he saw Ella. Boy, she'd grown up. She'd turned into a beautiful young woman, no thanks to him. Ella stared back at him with hate equal to the fire of a thousand suns.

"Ella." He simply said. Ella didn't say anything but continued to stare him down, arms crossed protectively across her stomach. "Come here, I haven't seen you in years." He held out his arms naively, forgetting that she wasn't seven years old any more, willing to forgive him so easily with her innocent perspective on life. She was sixteen years old now and she knew better.

"And whose fault is that?" She asked him, straight up.

John let his arms down, deflated by the comment. Take that, Josh thought to himself, his eyes drilling into the small fraction of a man.

"Can I have some privacy?" John asked, looking at each of the Lymans. No one moved for a few seconds, but then Donna urged them all along.

"Come on guys, let's go into our room." She reluctantly suggested. Ella looked terrified suddenly, not wanting to be left in the room alone with him. Donna anticipated her fear and quickly added, "We'll be watching closely. Ella, we're right here." Donna nodded her head reassuringly.

Ella drew up all her strength for the event. What to say? He didn't know her anymore and she didn't want him to. Let him try to make his apologies and condolences and be on his way. Good riddance. She wasn't going anywhere with that ass.

John timidly walked over to the couch and sat down far away from Ella, not wanting to intrude on her.

"You look great, honey." He laughed. "The last time I saw you…"

"Don't, John." She cut him off, surprising him by calling him by his first name.

"John?" He questioned. "Since when do you call me John?"

"Since I haven't seen you in two years. I don't think that qualifies you as my father anymore. You stopped being my father the day you slapped me across the face when I was three."

"Ella, I don't want to…"

"Don't want to what?" She snapped. "Be reminded of the piece of shit that you are? Fine, I'll let you indulge yourself." John shook his head, insulted, and looked at the ground, fingers laced.

"Anyways, we need to talk about what's going to happen to you. Your mom didn't make out a Will, so legally, I'm now your guardian."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." She stared at the floor.

"Honey, I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

"Don't call me that!" She yelled suddenly, sitting up. "You have no right to call me that!"

John flinched a little at her reaction.

"Fine. Sorry." He apologized. "I don't like it anymore than you do." He told her selfishly. Josh had been listening closely from the door, and Donna had to hold him back so he wouldn't tear after John and throttled him right then and there.

Ella breathed out heavily.

"I'm not surprised by that. But I'm not going with you. Over my dead body. I'm staying with the Lymans. They'll adopt me."

Donna and Josh felt their hearts break simultaneously and held onto each other. They'd let Ella stay with them in a heartbeat and had even discussed it with each other, but it tugged at their heartstrings to hear Ella say it.

"Ella, don't be ridiculous. The last thing they need is someone like you to fuck up their lives."

With that, Josh bolted out the door and this time Donna didn't even try to stop him. John was obviously startled as Josh grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the family room, across the hall from the front door. He pinned him up against the wall. Josh's face was centimeters away from John's.

"Listen, you sack of shit!" Josh started. "Don't you ever EVER speak to Ella that way again, you understand me? You are the worst fucking scumbag on the face of this Earth and you're going straight to hell when you finally die, God willing, pretty damn soon!" Josh boomed. Donna had seen him fuming before, but never like this. Josh was as protective of Ella as he was of his own daughters. Audrey and Katie had since inched their way out of Josh and Donna's room, peeking in the general direction of the family room where their father was chewing out Ella's dad.

"Josh…"

"Get the fuck out of my house and stay the hell away from Ella!" He bellowed right in John's face. He let go of his collar with a forceful shove and watched John walk out the front door, adjusting his shirt. Josh immediately started pacing back and forth, both frustrated and proud that he'd done that. After a few seconds, he quickly turned his attention over to Ella, who was now being held in Donna's arms. His wife was lovingly cradling her head as she stroked her hair. Josh soon took the seat next to Ella and put his right arm around her and kissed her head.

"It's okay." He reassured her as she cried softly. "He's gone now."

Later that evening, Audrey opened the door to her sister's room to see how she was doing. Katie was rummaging around in her underwear drawer for something and quickly shut it as soon as she saw her twin sister. She had a look on her face like her mother had just caught her hand in the cookie jar.

Audrey crept up on her tiptoes curiously at her sister's sudden uptightness.

"What are you doing?" She asked Katie.

Katie nonchalantly backed away from the drawer and started to make her way over to her desk and tried to look busy.

"Oh, nothing. Just, you know…"

"Katie?"

"What? What do you want?" She asked nervously.

Audrey moved to go over to Katie's dresser drawers, and could tell there was something her sister didn't want her to see when she leaped back in front of it, blocking her.

"What are you doing?" Katie asked.

"Katie, you're acting really weird." Audrey told her. She was suspecting the worst at her twin's erratic behavior.

"Are you taking Ritalin again?" She asked her boldly.

"Excuse me?" She said nervously.

"I said are you taking Ritalin again?" Audrey asked a little louder in a chastising tone.

"Why would I be taking Ritalin again?" She put her hands on her hips.

Audrey moved closer to her sister and saw her push back harder on the piece of furniture.

"Then why won't you let me look in your underwear drawer?"

"Because it's private!" She tried to dismiss it.

"What the hell is in there that I haven't seen? Come on!"

"No!" She said firmly. Audrey gave her a look, telling her she was being ridiculous and moved another step forward. She finally decided to push her sister out of the way, sending her tumbling to the floor. Audrey quickly opened the drawer and moved a few undergarments aside to find a little plastic bag with a few of those tiny white pills tucked inside. She held up the evidence in the air as Katie got up off the floor. Katie quickly snatched them out of her sister's hand and shoved them back in the drawer, closing it hard.

"Katie, how could you?" Audrey immediately started in on her sister. She had been doing so well and now, all of a sudden, she was slipping. Audrey didn't doubt it had everything to do with the current situation with Ella and her parents.

"You don't know what it's like!" Katie quickly countered, starting to get teary-eyed.

"Katie!" She started. "Why won't you come to me or mom or dad? You can't shut yourself off like this! Jesus!"

"You're all so damn judgmental!" Katie explained tearfully. "You're doing it right now. I'm Katie, the broken one. She needs help, she's too fragile!"

"We don't think that, Katie." Audrey said calmly, reaching out to touch her sister's arm. Katie took a step back.

"Bullshit! Think about how you acted when you found out. You were so damn cold and bitchy towards me. You do to think I'm weak!"

"I was wrong to do that, Katie, and I'm sorry. But I see what's going on now. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Don't do this crap, Katie, don't."

Katie breathed in and out nervously and started to wipe at her eyes.

"Let's sit down." Audrey suggested. Katie reluctantly let her sister lead her to the bed where she took her hands.

"Katie, I know this is really hard right now. It sucks. But you can't get back into this. Ella needs us."

"That's why I started again." She admitted. "To be there for her whenever she needed me."

"Katie, you know that's not going to help. You started again for you. Because it's easier on your body that way right now."

Katie didn't say anything and looked down at their hands.

"Who'd you get these from?"

"Ally."

"I'm taking them and flushing them down the toilet. I won't tell mom and dad if you promise me you won't try to get more. Do you promise?"

Katie sighed before nodding slightly. "Yeah."

"Say it."

"I promise." Katie looked at her sister in the eyes, praying that she would keep her word. She didn't want to let her sister down.

"Okay. Let's go see what Ella's up to." Audrey suggested as they both rose to their feet.

That Wednesday, the Lymans decided to take all three girls out to a Celtics basketball game, sensing that all three needed some fun. They hadn't heard from John since the incident, though they knew he was still in town. Josh and Donna were lifelong fans of the Celtics, seeing as their Alma Mater, Harvard, was in Boston. Katie and Audrey had already been brainwashed into fandom since birth, but it was new to Ella.

At halftime, the Celtics were up, and the family of five stood on their feet as a dance group performed for the crowd, clapping their hands to the beat. The three girls watched the dancers closely, being fans of dance themselves.

"Oh, we could totally pull that off." Audrey stated boldly.

"Oh, totally." Katie agreed. They both looked over at Ella, who was standing to their left next to Josh, who was next to Donna. Ella simply smiled back automatically. They all so desperately wanted her to be okay, so she tried her best to put on the act she was doing better. That's what everyone wanted her to be, but she wasn't. Not even close.

"Come on." Audrey started moving to the beat and bumped her hip against Ella's trying to get her to loosen up. Ella just kept clapping. Katie took the hint and started to move like her sister. Josh and Donna looked over at their daughters and smiled a little. They were counting on them to lighten Ella's world a little bit, just like this. Josh was a self-declared goofball and would do anything in the world to get Ella to laugh and enjoy herself a little.

Josh started trying to mimick what his daughters were doing, over-exuberantly swaying his hips from side to side and waving his arms around in the most uncoordinated way possible.

"Come on, Donna!" He encouraged his wife. "Get into it!" He took her hands in his and attempted a few swing moves in the tiny area they had to work with. Donna giggled as she played along, smiling at Ella, who still just clapped her hands with a frown on her face.

Then Josh busted out his best skills. He started doing his routine of robot pop-locking, moving stiffly and then into a wavy groove, alternating amateurly between both styles. Donna stood back and laughed at him for a moment.

"I'm gonna pass you the power, okay Donna?" Josh announced. Donna suddenly stood a little taller, getting ready for the spotlight. "You ready?" he asked her.

"I'm ready, baby!" Donna announced, holding up her right hand. Josh moved skillfully and waved his arm and then touched his fingers to hers, freezing himself in place. Donna took the cue and started the wave going in her right arm as she continued her husband's ridiculous routine. She was so uncoordinated, but it was hilarious. Josh stood back and nodded in approval, looking back at Ella. Finally, she had a small smile on her face. Donna continued for a little while longer. Katie and Audrey watched in horror, but it was still funny.

"Pass it back! Pass it back!" Josh finally urged. Donna moved her body and touched her fingertips back to Josh's, sending the pulse back through him. Josh 'danced' around a little bit more, if that's what you could call it. "Okay, Ella, you ready?" He asked for her approval before putting her on the spot.

"What me?"

"Yeah, you." He told her. "You gotta do the robot, baby! We're at a Celtics game!" Ella smiled and finally felt it was okay to be a little silly again.

"Okay." She said with a little bit of unsureness in her voice. Josh touched his fingertips to hers and she took on the movements. She did it shyly at first, and within moments, she passed the power down to Audrey. Audrey danced a little, but then quickly passed it back to Ella, rooting her on.

Ella sighed at the return but then started to get into it more as the others cheered her on.

"Yeah! You got it Ella!" Josh encouraged her, smiling.

"Woo!" Donna hooted. "You go, girl!"

Ella continued and then passed the power back to Audrey, who passed it to Katie. They family of five continued their passing of power for the rest of the song as the people behind them laughed in amusement. They got a round of applause at the end from their audience. Ella had a huge smile on her face. Finally, they all sighed to themselves in relief. They were making progress.

After the game was over, the Lymans and Ella were walking down the sidewalk on their way back to their car, discussing the game, which the Celtics had won, and their dance routine.

"Donna is definitely the master." Josh explained to Ella. "But I taught her all the moves."

"Oh really?" Ella played along.

"Hell, yes." He reaffirmed. "And the girls inherited my innate ability to move." Josh bragged.

Donna punched him in the arm and the girls all laughed.

They continued their playful conversation. The night seemed to be going so well and Ella finally seemed to be calming down a bit and returning to as normal of a life as possible. Soon, the happiness would be over, though, and she'd come crashing back down.

As they turned the corner, a car in the street violently rear-ended the car in front of it, sending the two passengers lurching forward helplessly. Ella immediately stopped in her tracks and got a frightened and desperate look in her eyes. Tears were beginning to form.

The Lymans had continued walking, looking at the accident, not even thinking about what this could do to Ella. A few seconds later, they noticed her absence and quickly ran back to where Ella was standing helplessly, about to break apart.

As they reached her, Ella started to break down, crying hard immediately. Donna and Josh were on either side of her, each grabbing her arms.

"It's okay, sweetheart." Josh told her. "Let's go sit down, okay?" They directed her to a bench nearby and she immediately curled up into a ball and continued to weep.

"It happened so fast!" she managed to get out. It's as if she was having a nightmare. "She must have been so scared! She didn't deserve that!"

"I know, sweetheart." Donna said. "We were all so shocked. We all wish she could still be with us."

Katie and Audrey stood helplessly just in front of them, glad that their parents knew what to do. Truthfully, they had no idea what they were doing and were taking blind stabs in the dark concerning the way they handled Ella's grief.

Josh and Donna just let her cry for a few more minutes, just holding her and stroking her hair gently as she let it all out. A few passerbys stared down at them questioningly.

When she'd finally stopped crying, they gently urged her the keep walking.

"Let's go home okay?" Josh suggested.

Ella looked at him curiously. "Can I stay with you forever?" She questioned him. Josh looked over at Donna, and he could tell her heart was going out to the poor girl sitting with them. Ella deserved to know what was going to happen to her. She didn't de serve to be with her father. Ella deserved a loving, caring family, and they hoped they could provide it. Donna told him it was okay to tell her with her eyes.

"Well, we're working on it, sweetheart." Josh confessed to her. This was also news to Katie and Audrey, who exchanged hopeful glances. Josh and Donna had quietly been working to file the paperwork to become what the state of Virginia called a Non-relative Free Home, a type of foster home where the orphaned child lived with non-relatives and didn't receive any financial assistance from the state. They'd have to get the okay from Ella's father and the government, but with his attitude, they figured it wouldn't be a big deal.

That seemed to comfort Ella and she allowed them to help her up. They silently walked to their car and drove home. Home.

That evening, Ella began her night tucked up in Audrey's bed with Audrey and Katie sleeping on the camping mattress. Soon, she moved out of the bed and onto the floor with her friends. The three girls snuggled close and soon were fast asleep.

Josh and Donna peeked in later to check on them, finding the three bundled up on the floor. They smiled at the sight. If things went right, it would be their three daughters. Ella had always been like a daughter to them, but now it would be official. Not that they wanted it to happen like this, but it seemed the best possible solution to the situation.

After making sure they were all tucked in, they closed Audrey's bedroom door behind them. Standing outside the door, Josh turned to face his wife and laced their fingers together.

"I think she's doing better." Josh whispered.

"I think so too." Donna whispered back, letting their noses nuzzle together.

"Have you heard from John at all?" She dared ask.

Josh sighed, obviously disturbed by the very mention of his name. I've left voice mails about it, but no response yet."

"What if he doesn't respond? We can't legally become her foster parents if he doesn't agree, can we?"

"I don't know Donna." He told her honestly. "I hope we can get around it somehow. There has to be some clause about deadbeat pricks."

"I hope so." Donna said and kissed him gently on the lips.

"She's here with us now, anyway." Josh said, breaking the kiss, running his hands up and down her arms gently.

Donna nodded and offered a small smile.

"Let's go to bed. I'm exhausted." Josh said.

"Exhausted from all that hideous dancing!" Donna teased as they walked to their bedroom, holding hands.

"You know you loved it." Josh bantered back.

"I love you in spite of it." Donna bantered back. Josh and Donna were soon in each others arms in bed, and fell asleep holding one another, getting ready to fight the battle that the next day, weeks, and months would bring.