Ainsley looked up when she heard the door open and gave Gracie a smile.
"Hey chicken."
Gracie made a frown at the nickname. It had been something she hadn't been called in a long time. She had once questioned why she had the name and Josh responded with she looked like a chicken so he gave her the nickname. Everyone else had began to use the name but it had died off when she was about ten.
"He's not in here is he?
"No. He's down in the West Wing."
"Good."
Ainsley hid her smile as she watched Gracie.
"Are you going to stand there or are you going to come sit?"
"I guess I'll sit." Gracie moved and sat down on the bed. She sat on the other end of the bed, then glanced over at her mother. Sighing, she moved up to where she sat and dropped her head onto her shoulder. Ainsley chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry I made you guys mad."
"I can't vouch for Daddy, but I wasn't mad."
"You weren't?"
"No. I was disappointed in what you did over the weekend but I was more worried about if you were okay. And today, hey I don't blame you for getting mad. I never liked Karen anyway. Maybe you helped fix her nose."
Gracie tried not to laugh but as she did, she let out a loud snort, which made Ainsley laugh again.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I'm very upset."
"I don't blame you."
"I was scared."
"I know."
Gracie sighed and rubbed her eyes.
"Why does everything always have to happen to me?"
"You're a magnet for trouble, kid."
"Funny."
"He hates me."
"Gracie, your father does not hate you."
"Yes he does."
"If you're going to act stupid then you can leave right now because I will not put up with this garbage. Neither I nor your father hate you. Yes you screwed up. You have to pay the price but that does not mean that we hate you. Gracie, you are the—one of the most important things in our life and—"
Gracie made a little noise and Ainsley sat her up.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just you said one of the most important things."
"You're kidding right?"
"Yes."
"You're going to be sixteen in a matter of days and you're getting jealous over a baby that is not even here yet?"
"Silly isn't it?"
"Quite." Ainsley said dryly as the door opened. Sam stopped short, seeing his daughter sitting on the bed. They stared at each other for a minute, then Gracie hopped off the bed and started for the door.
"I'll be leaving now." she was halfway out the door when Ainsley gave Sam a menacing look and he grabbed the teenager by the arm.
"Come back here."
"I'd rather not."
"Thank God we're on the same page but from the loo—" Sam stopped as Ainsley gave him another look. "We need to talk."
"Not really. I'm a screw up. Nothing to talk about."
"You're not a screw up, just stupid some of the time, which is okay because we all have those kinds of days."
"Well gee Dad, I feel so much better about myself now."
"Glad I could help. Sit down."
"Why? So you could deprecate me even more?"
"Whoa. Big word. Sit your ass down."
"I'm so glad we're all bonding." Ainsley muttered, standing up.
"You sit down too." Sam pointed at her.
"I have to pee."
"No you don't."
"Yeah I do. Apparently your son seems to think my bladder is a trampoline. Take care of your daughter." Ainsley said. Gracie tried not to laugh but emitted a quiet chuckle.
'Really like how when they do something wrong they're MY kids not HERS or OURS.' Sam thought to himself. He turned back to Gracie, who had a bored look on her face.
"So we need to talk." he said.
"Apparently. Though I don't see what the point is."
"Well, the point is that you're going to be sixteen in a matter of days and I should be able to trust you."
"You can trust me."
"What you've been doing the past few days doesn't quite tell me that you're trustworthy anymore."
"That really hurts Dad." Gracie said and she sounded sincere.
"Yeah well it hurts that I can't trust you." Sam retorted. "What do you think we should do about it?"
"I'm sorry and I'll never do it again?"
"Nice try but no. How about a month of being grounded and your party getting taken away?"
"Now that's just ridiculous."
"Your behavior is ridiculous. You almost died because of your little shenanigans Saturday night."
"I've almost died a lot of times." Gracie muttered. She became interested in her fingernails, not looking up at her father.
"Those times weren't because of you."
"No. They were because of you."
Sam ignored the comment and opened his mouth to talk but Gracie stood up.
"Look, you've given me my punishment. I'm not going to fight with you on it because I know that you're not going to change your mind but I'm not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth me. You want to do that, complain to Mom." she turned quickly and walked out, slamming the door behind her. Sam sat there for a minute, then looked at Ainsley, who had been standing in the bathroom doorway the whole time.
"You didn't have to go to the bathroom." he said.
"No." Ainsley admitted. "I just wanted to see how you'd handle that on your own."
"You agree with me though right?"
"No I do not."
"Ainsley—"
"I think she's right."
Sam sighed and stared at Ainsley. He hated when she cut him off like that and she knew it.
"I have a feeling this is going to be going down the road of, 'This is where you and I differ' again." he said.
"No, I'll spare you the speech— on that at least. You're being harsh."
"How am I being harsh? That is what any normal punishment would be and you know it."
"I don't know. Maybe we're not normal parents."
"Maybe that's because we're not."
"She nearly died Sam. I think a brush with death because of her own fault is enough punishment in itself."
"She doesn't care." he said.
"You think she doesn't care?" Ainsley asked. "She was sitting here with me before you came in, telling me that she was scared so I think that counts for something."
"Maybe she was lying to get you on her side."
"When has she ever lied to us?"
Sam opened his mouth and Ainsley gave him a look, saying, "Besides to you about boys,"
"Never."
"Exactly. Cut her some slack."
"What about the suspension?"
"That?" Ainsley thought for a minute. She really didn't like Karen and she and Gracie had problems before, mostly with Karen starting it. "Week and a half and she gets the party back."
"Who's cutting her slack now?"
"Yeah but... Karen... I have a feeling she started it and they had to suspend both of them. Week and a half."
"Two and a half."
"Two."
"Fine." Sam sighed.