I'm trying to type up as many chapters as I can because when I get back, I plan to post the already-written chapters while I type up the new ones. Anyway, I'm running into a little bit of a writers' block, so my vacay will give me some time to think. Plz enjoy ch. 10, and don't kill me if I don't put another ch. out before August.

Luv,

Summer K.

"Honey, what if Casey never walks again?" Nora asked George. They were supposed to be starting dinner in the kitchen, but nothing was started yet.

"You think Derek will give her a hard time?" George asked more to himself.

Nora chuckled quietly. "I think he's learned his lesson, if anything. Did you see how they greeted each other in the hospital?"

George nodded in agreement. "But we'll have to do a lot of renovating if she is confined to a wheelchair. Not only that, but we will have to make special reservations wherever she goes. She might even have to change schools."

Nora looked around the kitchen sadly, and sighed. "We don't have that kind of money to make those kinds of heavy-duty renovations." Tears started falling from her eyes. George saw, and hugged her tightly.

"We'll do what we have to for Casey, ok?" He said soothingly. She looked up at him. Tears were still spilling from her eyes. He wiped them away with his thumb, and then he kissed her on her forehead, then her lips.

Derek tried to read his comic books, but his mind kept drifting. He threw the book across the room in frustration andstuffed his feet into his shoes, and went out the door. No one seemed to notice. He didn't walk his usual route, he took a different one. The same way he went to Woodlawn Park. He walked slowly, as if trying to go the other way, but he kept going towards the park. He reached the park. Little kids were at the playground, but no one was in the eating/picnic area. He went there.

Then he saw it.

It was the table Casey was sitting at. He could tell because the blood was still there. A lump formed in his throat. Tears stung the back of his eyes. His arms tensed. It was his fault, Casey ran away because of him, she was in the park because of him, and she was shot because of him, and because of him, she may not ever walk again. He slammed his fist down on the table in rage. Pain shot up his arm, but he ignored it. He picked up a rock and threw it as far as it would go, it didn't go far when it ricocheted off a tree and came back for him. He didn't notice it until it was too late. He was hit squarely in his forehead. He was so shocked that he only remembered stars as his world went black.

I'm dead.

George ended up ordering pizza.

"Pizza's here." George called. "Where's Derek?" he asked bringing the pizza to the table.

"Oh yeah, he left a couple hours ago." Edwin informed.

George dropped the pizza, and Nora dropped the plates. Not only was there a loud crash, there was an icky splat, as the pizza and the plates hit the kitchen floor. Marti thought they were having fun, so she dropped the fork she had in her hand. As Edwin recognized his own words, his face went white.

"Could that mean..." Edwin trailed off.

Lizzie couldn't hide her smirk. "Serves him right."

George looked at her in disbelief. Nora barely heard her words, but Edwin was the first to pounce.

"What? That's my BROTHER!" Edwin yelled.

"Well? He made my sister run away! And thanks to him, she won't ever walk again."

"Don't you think he knows that? He's under a lot of pressure you know. Did you know-?"

"I FREAKING DON'T CARE, EDWIN! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT! I HOPE HE GOES TO HELL." she screamed. George could only stare. This was so unlike Lizzie and Edwin. Nora was close to tears.

No one saw Derek walk in the front door, dazed. The breaking dishes and the yelling from both Edwin and Lizzie brought him back.

Crash, he heard dishes break on the kitchen floor.

"Could that mean..." he heard Edwin trail off.

"Serves him right." he heard Lizzie say.

"What? That's my BROTHER!" Edwin yelled. There you go Edwin, defend my honor.

"Well? He made my sister run away! And thanks to him, she won't ever walk again." Ouch, Lizzie, when you put it that way, I sound like the bad guy.

"Don't you think he knows that? He's under a lot of pressure you know. Did you know-?"

"I FREAKING DON'T CARE, EDWIN! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT! I HOPE HE GOES TO HELL!"

Lizzie ran out the kitchen, smack into Derek. "Oh my God. Derek." she whispered.

"Its ok." he hugged her as she sobbed bitterly into Derek's stomach. This is not like me at all.

Nora, George and Edwin came running out behind Lizzie. They stopped in their tracks when they saw Lizzie and Derek together.

"Derek, God, you gave me a scare." George said, sighing.

Nora walked up to Derek. "How much did you hear?" She asked, patting Lizzie's head lovingly.

"Everything." Derek answered, suddenly fatigued.

"Where's that blood from?" Nora asked, concerned. She noticed that there was blood trickling down his forehead.

"I took a walk, I was in Woodlawn Park. I threw a rock, and-" he swayed. Lizzie didn't notice. She was still buried in his stomach.

George took action. "Here, sit down." He guided Derek to the couch. Lizzie didn't let go, once on the couch, Lizzie snuggled next to him. He soothed her hair.

"I threw a rock and it hit a tree and it came back and hit me on my forehead." He said as he put his arm around Lizzie. She had stopped crying.

Nora came back with a big band aid, and some alcohol to clean the cut.

"Ouch, Nora. That stings." Derek winced and pulled his head away as Nora started applying the alcohol.

"Stop being a baby." Nora said holding his head still.

Edwin still burned at what Lizzie said. She had no right to say that. But there she was, snuggling against the same person she'd just told to go to hell. She wasn't even allowed to use that kind of language,but George and Nora ignored the whole thing.

Once Derek's head was taken care of, Lizzie looked up at Derek. "I'm sorry. For what I said. I was mad...I don't know. I'm sorry."

Derek smiled down at her. "First you aren't supposed to use that language, but now I'm taking dad's job, and second its ok. Could you just not say that again?"

"I'm going to order more pizza." George walked into the kitchen. "No! No Marti, don't eat the pizza, it fell on the floor. No Marti, it's not good for you. It fell on the floor for crying out loud!"

Nora walked into the kitchen. "I need to clean that glass up."

Lizzie pulled away. Edwin had motioned her upstairs. "Hold on." She went upstairs and followed Edwin to his room.

"I'm sorry-" she started.

"Stop." He held up his hand to silence her.

Lizzie stiffened. Whatever he had to say to her, she would have to take it.

"If Derek says it's ok, then it's fine with me." Edwin said.

"Thanks, Edwin!" Lizzie said, relieved. For some reason she felt a whole lot better when she was on good terms with Edwin. She hugged him and felt shivers run down her spine. Could she possibly...like Edwin? No way, he was her stepbrother, and it would remain that way. She let go and ran down the steps to find her mother.

Edwin felt the shivers run down his spine too. He was surprised that she was so relieved when he told her it was ok. He really couldn't stay mad at her for long. He flopped on his bed until he was interrupted by his grumbling stomach and the ringing doorbell. Pizza! He ran downstairs for dinner.

It was the liveliest family dinner the McDonald/Venturi household had had in a while without any arguments. Even Lizzie's outburst was a thing of the past. No one talked about Casey's chances of walking, or Derek's misinterpreted walk in the park. They all laughed and shared jokes. It was the first time any of them had had a hearty laugh in a long while. When they finished, they all settled down to watch TV, like a big happy family. (A/N: Sorry Casey!)

Tyrique's Notebook

Tuesday:

Today I had my first therapy session since I got my prots. They are not all that comfortable, but the doctor said once I get used to them they'll feel like my real legs. I haven't had anymore phantom pain. The doctor also hopes that having the prots will stop them. I met a new girl in the session today. Her name's Casey. She really seems to be taking this whole thing well. Maybe because she didn't lose her legs, but she obviously was close to. Troy was overjoyed when she took her first two steps in class. A lot of other people seem to be depressed about their situation. It makes me mad, though. Why should you be mad because you lost your legs? You lost them already, and you can't go back in time, so why sulk? Work with what you have. Anyway, she seemed to be the only optimistic one in the class. The only other girl, Carrie is really bummed about the whole thing.

Anyway, I took Casey to the lounge, and she was so surprised! I showed her around a little, but Dominique caught me with her. He was polite with her, but when she wasn't around, he asked me "Why can't you find a black sister to take around?" I said "Because all the black sisters are too busy shutting themselves up in their rooms snorting crack when they think no one is looking." He couldn't say anything because he knew it was true. I don't have anything against the black girls, but Caucasian girls, especially Casey really seem to be upbeat, and ok with their situations. I like Casey; I think we'll have a nice relationship-if she's not taken.

So this chapter ended bittersweet. Now we know that Tyrique likes Casey who likes Derek who likes Casey. Plus Lizzie and Edwin who like each other and poor Marti eating pizza off the floor. Phantom pain is when an amputee (the person who lost the limb) has excruciating pain from the missing limb. Kinda scary if you ask me. I guess that's why it's called phantom pain. You are in pain from nothing in particular.