Encore

"So everything went well?" Orion asked over the phone.

Ellie juggled the cordless phone from one ear to the other, "yea it went great."

"Wonderful milady" Orion said, clasping his hands excitedly together, nearly dropping the phone receiver as it was held tightly between his neck and shoulder.

Ellie giggled, "I think I definitely made the right decision."

"Maybe the right decision would have been not taking that break in the first place."

"No," Ellie answered, "I still think we needed that breather, to remind us why we needed each other."

"An astute observation." He said as he checked his email while on the phone with her.

"Any word from anyone at L-V?" she asked.

"Actually…" he paused. Ellie heard typing, and a click of the mouse; "I just got an email from Max."

"What does it say?"

"Well, go check your own email" Orion said laughing, "you might have one from Jerzy, too"

Ellie smiled, "I will," and looked at the clock, "geez I gotta go, I have to go to group." Ellie hung up the cordless phone and dropped it in it's cradle before grabbing her shoes and stuffing a notebook in a beat up book bag and a few pens and ran down the stairs, throwing her hair up in a wild bun as she bounced on each step. "I'm gunna be so late."

"Eleanor?" her mother croaked from the couch, "where are you going?"

"To my group therapy meeting mom," Ellie answered as her hand touched the doorknob.

"But you need to make dinner, what am I supposed to eat?" her mother whined trying to sit up on the couch.

"Why don't you order in?" Ellie asked as she opened the door, grabbing her keys off the hook, "I gotta go, I'm gunna be late."

"Eleanor, you can't leave me…I need you."

Ellie stopped in her tracks and turned to walk back into the house just in time to catch her mother struggling to make it to the door and slumping to her knees on the hardwood floor, her mother was begging like a lost child not to be left alone. And in a panic, Ellie rushed to the phone and dug around in the book bag until she found a number, in a messy handwriting it read: Dr. Crescent and a mess of numbers written underneath. Ellie quickly dialed the numbers. "Hullo?" Ellie asked.

"Middleburough Medical Center, how may I help you?" a receptionist asked.

" My name is Ellie Nash, I need to speak with Dr. Crescent regarding my appointment today."

"One moment please"

And with that statement Ellie was put on hold. Amidst the tacky elevator-esque music she managed to ease her mother back to the couch and replaced her alcohol with water. Ellie walked to the kitchen and found the easy-mac and quickly put some together, popping it in the microwave.

"Dr. Crescent speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hi, this is Ellie Nash, I'm supposed to be in your group therapy session today and I'm gunna be a bit late."

"Ellie?" the female voice asked the sound of someone flipping through papers made it's way through the phone line, "this is your first group meeting…"

" I know, something's come up at home, and I'll try and be there as soon as I can."

A crash resounded in the living room," Eleanor!"

"damnit," Ellie whispered to herself, "oh sorry, look, I gotta go, I'll be there as soon as I can," and with that she hung up the phone, leaving a bewildered Rhonda Crescent on the other end. Ellie scrambled to help her mother back onto the couch, just as the microwave began beeping. "Look Mom, I have to go to this meeting, I made you something to snack on until I get back, just sit here and watch TV or something I'll be back."

"I love you Eleanor."

Ellie smiled weakly at her mother as she walked to the kitchen and returned with a bowl of easy-mac. "Love you, too, Mom," she answered and walked to the door, finally releasing the breath she'd been holding. Her mother had gone from delusional drunk to now an almost childlike helpless being. It was nerve racking, and once again her father had left her to pick up the pieces and keep on trucking. Ellie walked to the bus stop and made her way to the group meeting at the Middleburough Medical Center.

"Sorry I'm late," Ellie said walking in to the room, a circle of chairs filled with strangers in the room.

"We'll talk about it later, Rhonda said, offering Ellie the empty seat next to her, Ellie took the seat. "Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone tell us why you're here."

"I'm Ellie" she stumbled, and she noticeably fidgeted in her seat. Who wouldn't? This was her first group therapy meeting with a bunch of strangers. "I'm coming here after being released from Lake View." And then a squeak was heard, Ellie looked up to see a fairly thick girl with messy brown hair. Ellie wasn't sure if she was even that big, it was the appearance of her baggy clothes, that gave the impression that she was, with lack of a better word: fat.

"Isn't that the place where that girl killed herself?" the girl asked.

"Mandy, please try and keep the mood positive." Rhonda asked hopefully.

"Actually yea," Ellie answered, "her name was Verity Russo, she was my roommate."

"is that the only reason why you're here ? or are you just an attention seeker who's mommy could afford to send her away for a few months to a good facility and had a freak out," attention turned to another speaker, this time a girl with extremely short hair and her nose pierced. Her black eye makeup and ruby red lips screamed goth much more than Ashley Kerwin could handle. Her striped long sleeves laid draped across her chest and her feet fidgeted in their fishnet stockings and black combat boots. Ellie was almost furious at the girl for being so…Ellie had no nice adjectives to describe her, she was reminded almost of a darker version of Amy, and immediately she became scared.

"Callie, really, drop the attitude." Ellie turned to Dr. Crescent who seemed to be fairly laid back. For the first time she took a look at her group therapy leader who was dressed fairly casual in jeans and a nice lacy camisole and cardigan, and it was then that Ellie also noticed that for someone with the name Rhonda, she didn't resemble at all what she'd imagined. Instead of an older, unattractive woman, Ellie found herself sitting next to a pretty and young woman.

And somehow Ellie gathered the strength, "actually, I'd prefer to let my scars do the talking." Ellie opened her arms to show them her inner forearms and upper arms that were littered with some deep and some light scars. And with that Callie backed off.

"Well," Rhonda said trying to keep the meeting going, "why don't we all give a quick run through of our names and we'll get started with an update on how we're all doing, and then the discussion topic of the week, and then I want you to hand in your journals while you get together in your paired groups."

Ellie paid close attention as everyone spouted off their names, she now knew Mandy and Callie, and was introduced to Devona, Lilah, Cody, Lizzie, Jasper, Chris, and Kylie. She learned that she wasn't the only cutter in the group; her and Callie shared that. Mandy had an eating disorder, not anorexic or bulimic, she was a chronic over eater. Ellie learned that Devona was schizophrenic and was having trouble adjusting to her meds. Lilah was a recovering bulimic, Cody was just a pretty troubled kid whose parents did drugs and he was passed around from foster home to foster home. Chris had a lot of trouble growing up and needed a place to vent without being judged. Lizzie and Jasper are brother and sister and had severe mood swings a lot, they haven't really been diagnosed with anything more than having a borderline personality disorder. And Kylie was the youngest of the group at age twelve, she'd just beaten cancer and had a lung transplant, Kylie was here to help deal with some of the overwhelming issues she'd been dealing with since she walked out of the hospital.

Just the meeting of new people seemed to drain the life out of the redhead and before she knew it Rhonda was collecting journals, " I didn't know if you wanted me to write in it, or …" Ellie said as Rhonda stopped in front of her.

"What ever you got is just fine, Ellie." Rhonda answered and everyone paired off as she read through the journals. Ellie was left alone, it wasn't long before a very shy Kylie walked up to Ellie and smiled.

"Hi," Kylie said.

Ellie smiled back, "hi, you're Kylie right?"

Kylie nodded and adjusted the bandana on her head, "wanna be my partner?" she asked.

Ellie couldn't say no, "sure…what do we do?"

Kyle pulled out a stack of flashcards, and dragged a chair in front of Ellie, "I show you a flashcard and you're supposed to say the first thing that comes into your mind, it's just to relax and get used to talking to people." Kyle held up a yellow flashcard, "now just say the first thing that pops into your head."

"Purple," Ellie said. Kyle looked at her funny, "complimentary colors," Ellie explained.

Kyle smiled and adjusted herself in the seat, "next one," and held up a picture of a dog.

"Loyalty."

she held up a picture of a map.

"Away."

She held up a picture of a camel.

"Desert."

And then a picture of a soldier.

"Daddy," Ellie answered in frustration, " can we switch?"

Kylie shrugged, "why?"

"Because this exercise is upsetting me a little bit."

"That's because it's supposed to," Rhonda's voice said as the doctor stood behind her, "it's going to revoke a raw reaction." Ellie looked at the woman confused, "different pictures will make you think different things," but because you aren't giving yourself the time to think, it's a raw, untouched reaction, you didn't have a chance to mold it into something that someone may understand, but you do, all your responses melt together."

"I don't understand the point in this exercise," Ellie said honestly.

"You're opening up to Kylie using very few words, the cardholder is looking for details out of those words, it's a very crude connection to your psyche…Kylie, tell her what you've noticed."

Kyle looked at the older girl, "you've been thinking about your father a lot," she answered, "it's why you got upset isn't it?"

Ellie stared, and trying not to be impolite she answered, "yes."

"He's away at war, isn't he?"

Ellie nodded.

"Do you understand now Ellie?" Rhonda asked, "it's just refining your listening and awareness skills." Rhonda turned to the rest of the group, "All right guys, we're gunna wrap it up, everybody in the circle, I want to hear a goal for this week." Everyone returned to his or her seats in the circle, and Rhonda started everyone off, "I'm going to paint sometime this week."

"Smile more," Callie answered scowling.

"Not drink soda," Mandy answered.

"Lilah?" Rhonda asked looking at the tiny, rail thin girl.

"Go out to eat with my family and order dessert," Lilah answered trying to smile.

"Write more," Devona said simply.

"Go the whole week without getting a detention," Cody answered, smirking as he cross his arms.

Chris was next, "visit my mom at the prison."

"Practice my clarinet," Lizzie said as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Go to the gym to let out all the negative stuff," Jasper rattled off quickly.

"Write a letter to my grandma," Kylie answered, "she misses me."

Rhonda smiled, "Ellie what about you? What's your goal for the week?"

Ellie thought for a moment, "I…er…I think I'll pull my drum kit from the attic," she answered.

"That's great Ellie, I'll see you all on Thursday," Rhonda said, "Ellie can you stay for a moment?"

Ellie nodded, and when everyone left the room she helped Rhonda stack the folding chairs, "so, what did you need me for?" she asked.

"I just wanted to know why you were late," Rhonda said as she stacked the last chair, " I heard some things when you called me that concerned me."

Ellie became suddenly defensive, "I told you, something came up."

"I'm not stupid Ellie," Rhonda answered.

"Look Dr. Crescent, I appreciate your concern…"

"It's your mother, isn't it?"

"What's with you shrinks thinking it's about our mothers?"

"Actually, I just heard her while you were on the phone." Rhonda grabbed a chair and slid it to Ellie, "sit, please." Ellie sat reluctantly as Rhonda pulled out another chair and took a seat directly across from the redhead. She leaned forward, and placed all her weight on her arms as they draped across her legs. " I'm not deaf Ellie, would you please just tell me what's going on?"

"Why are you so quick to help me?" Ellie asked.

"Because Dr. Mohavi called me and expressed her interest that I get to know you."

Ellie frowned, "look can we talk about this when I have my session with you tomorrow?" Ellie asked, "because I'm really not comfortable enough with you right now to talk about this."

Rhonda nodded her head and straightened up in her seat, "that's sounds fine, so I'll see you tomorrow, on time please."

Ellie smiled meekly and adjusted her bag as she stacked the chair and left.

-X-

Ashley walked into the hospital and went straight to Mark's room, and instead of finding him in bed, she found him down the hall in the children's wing playing video games with some of the younger patients. Ashley chuckled and quickly covered her mouth to silence her laughter. Mark turned around at the sound of her laughing and smiled, and passed off the controller to one of the younger boys and slowly eased himself and up grabbed his IV and monitor and rolled it with him as he walked over to his girlfriend. He kissed her cheek and Ashley's smile from laughter faded, "you okay?" he asked.

"Hospitals…not fond of hospitals" Ashley answered, nervously looking around.

"Never fear, my dear, I'm your knight in shimmering pajamas,"

Ashley smiled and walked with him as he held her hand and led her back to his room. "So," she said taking a seat, "have you heard anything about the transplant?" Mark's face grimaced as he eased himself onto the hospital bed.

"Nah, can we not talk about that right now," he said uncomfortably.

Ashley nodded, "sure, so how many little kids did you beat in Mario Kart?" she asked.

Mark laughed, "they murdered me!" and his eyes lit up and as they fell upon her oversized purse and something sticking out. "What's that?" he pointed out excitedly, reaching for her purse. Ashley's eyes widened and pulled her purse away from him.

"Hey, that's supposed to be a surprise," she said, tucking a CD case deeper into her purse. Mark pouted and opened his puppy dog eyes wide. Ashley sighed and pulled out the CD and handed it to him.

"Ah, 30 Seconds to Mars, thanks Sweets," he said pecking her on the cheek as he opened up the CD, "damn shrink wrap."

Ashley chuckled as he struggled to release the CD from it's clear, shrink wrapped prison. At that moment a doctor walked in, "Well hello Mr. Jansen," and looked at Ashley, "and friend."

"Hey Dr. E," Mark said focusing on getting at the CD.

"How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good,…" he said, "by any chance do you have a scalpel on you?"

"No…but do you mind putting that down so that I can speak to you?" Dr. Ellis asked, and then turned to Ashley, "would you mind stepping outside for a moment?" he asked her, but Mark stopped and insisted she stayed, "very well," he responded. He looked at his chart and then at Mark, "we got a donor for you, " he answered, "we're hoping to get you into surgery tomorrow morning." Mark pressed his lips together tightly and Ashley gently rubbed his arm, "do you understand?"

"Yea," Mark said nodding, "anything I should be worried about?"

"nothing unless your body rejects the heart, but it's a good chance that you'll be fine," Dr. Ellis answered, "well I'll let you and your guest go for now,…but I'll be back later to check on you, remember no food before surgery, and only drink water."

Mark nodded, " see ya Dr. E."

"So you're really going into surgery tomorrow?" Ash asked excitedly.

"I guess," Mark said readjusting himself on the bed, "please can we just not talk about this right now…"

"why?"

"because it's stressing me out, it's got me worried, I don't like going under the knife," he answered.

Ashley frowned, "o'kay" she answered and eased out of the chair.

"it's just…I spent a lot of my time growing up in and out of the hospital, I've seen people come in and not come out, I don't want to be one of those people, and now…it's more of an I have to situation right now or I just won't make it to see my birthday." He was rambling nervously, " I wanna have a birthday party," he said to himself, "I'm thinking ninja turtles theme." He laughed to himself before looking over at Ashley, who was crying. "Geezus Sweets, why are you crying, don't do that." He reached and pulled her onto the hospital bed with him. "Stop that." Ashley sniffled. She didn't say anything and closed her eyes as she turned her face into his chest. "Hey Sweets, it's okay, I'll be fine, remember…"

"knight in shimmering pajamas," she mumbled into his t-shirt.

"that's right" he said rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed.

"why are you sorry?" he asked.

"because I don't want to upset you, I just…I don't know how to handle all this."

Mark laughed, "well neither do I." Ashley tilted herself upwards, and smiled as she watched him laugh, "all better?" he asked. Ashley sniffled, and nodded her head. "Good," he said, "now wipe your mouth, you're drooling on me." Ashley laughed, and shook her head, rolling her eyes as she cuddled up next to him. "Let's see, daytime tv…" he said flipping the switch on the remote control for the television in his room, "are you feeling Passions or One Life to Live…maybe I can get Neighbors on here or something."

Ashley didn't answer for a moment, "are you serious?" she asked.

"Dead…now choose or I'll choose for the both of us…" Ashley remained indecisive, "fine, One Life to Live it is."

-X-

Craig sat outside the bathroom on the hardwood floor. His back pressed against the wall as he wanted for the door to open, and for Manny to let him know one thing: was he going to be a father? Craig banged his head against the door as he thought to himself. "Could I even be a father?" he asked himself aloud. The door slowly opened and Manny crept out, her eyes just about ready to burst into tears. "I'm gunna be a dad?" Craig asked excitedly. Manny let the tears flow, and they fell hard, running rivers down her already red and tear-stained face. Manny felt helpless and out of control as she watched Craig practically leap out of his pants with joy. He was babbling to himself, "I'm gunna be a dad…gotta get a job…hey Manny, what should we name the baby? Do you think it's gunna be a boy or a girl?"

Manny's face just dropped, "Craig…CRAIG!"

Craig stopped babbling to himself, "what?" he asked calmly.

"I … I don't want to have the baby."

"Why?" Craig asked, "I'll take care of you," he promised.

"Craig, I'm fourteen, I'm not ready for this, I don't want this baby," she expressed, " I won't have this baby."

Craig looked devastated, "you can't…you're not actually thinking about it…" Manny remained silent. " No!" he screamed, "you can't…please Manny…please, think about it." Manny closed her eyes, and tears continued to run down her cheeks. "please just sleep on it, I promise, I'll take care of you."

"I'm gunna go home and talk to my mom." Manny zipped up her jacket and walked home.

When she reached her apartment she quietly crept inside, as her mother was cooking dinner, "Manuella, is that you?"

"Yea, it's me…" she said wiping her eyes on the sleeves of her jacket.

"Dinner's almost ready, can you set the table?" her mother asked from the kitchen, "your father will be home soon."

"Mama, I'm pregnant," Manny blurted out. She heard her mother drop the wooden spoon she was using and the silence grew.
"Manuella…"

"Please Mama, don't lecture me, please." Manny couldn't hear what her mother was saying, she sounded like…"Mama, are you praying?"

"Manuella," her mother had her hands pressed tightly against her forehead rubbing her temples as she walked into the dining room, "I need to sit." Manny watched as her mother sat down at the dining room table. Manny pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I can't do this on my own." Manny thought about her words, "I won't do this on my own."

"What are you saying Manuella, you're going to kill the baby?"

"I can't do this…I won't, I'm too young…" Manny said, " I don't think I could handle this mind, body, or soul."

Her mother nodded, "are you sure about this, I mean absolutely sure Manuella?"
Manny nodded, "please Mama, I need you," she said crying again and reaching out for her mother, who took her in her arms and held her tightly.

"You're still my little girl," she said, "we'll take care of this," and she pulled away and dried her eyes, "we can't tell your father."

Manny's eyes widened as she thought about how strict her father is. "No," Manny agreed, "we can't."

Her mother stood, "Manuella, help me set the table please." And Manny set the table before her father came home, just in time for dinner to be placed on the table, but Manny wasn't in the mood to eat.

-X-

Ellie stood outside DCS, taking a deep breath as Sean crept up behind her and grabbed her around the waist, "hey," he said kissing her gently, "you ready?" Ellie looked at him and back at the school's entrance, and then back at Sean. She nodded and taking his hand she walked back into the school. She could only imagine the rumors that would spread. She'd already begun hearing the whispers as she walked the halls to meet with Mr. Raditch.

"Do you really think she was pregnant, I mean look at her…"

"I heard she got Sean back by saying she was pregnant, and you know how noble he is…"

"I heard she's practically living with him and his brother"

"Yea, and having sex with both of them…"

"Ewwwww…."

Rumors followed by giggling, never a good sign. Ellie took a deep breath as she sat outside Raditch's office. He came waltzing up to his office and took a gander at Sean Cameron and Ellie Nash waiting to see him. He'd only expected to be seeing one student, in fact, "Mr. Cameron, I think Ms Nash is perfectly capable of seeing me without your help." Sean frowned and kissed Ellie on the cheek before heading off to homeroom. "Ellie?" Mr. Raditch said, opening the door to his office and encouraging Ellie to enter. She took a seat. "So, first off I'd like to say, it's good to have you back, and next,…I've talked to all your teachers and in the time that you were gone you continued to keep up with your assignments just as we agreed and they're more than welcome to have you back." He thumbed through the stack of papers on his desk, "here's your schedule, you know you're way around, and if you want to see Sauve, you're more than welcome to…have a great time back."

Ellie politely smiled and the moment her back was to the principal she rolled her eyes and headed to homeroom. As she turned the corner to go down the main hall way she felt an arm wrap around her waist, "hulllo vampy, looking good," Jay said flirtatiously.

Ellie laughed, "back off freak show."

"Vampy I'm hurt…utterly pained."

"Well I'm not…where's Sean?" she asked looking around.

"Talking to Elh…something about an expo or whatever…" Jay said walking down the hall, occasionally checking locks to see if anyone didn't spin their lock after locking their locker, looking for an open one. "Ah ha!" he said finding one.

"Jay what are you doing?"

"Just having a look around, you got a problem with that…?" he asked.

"No, but you're going to get yourself in trouble…"

"Well this person shouldn't have left their locker unlocked and for the taking," he said looking inside, "meh nothing good anyways, it's a girls' locker." He slammed the locker shut and spun the lock.

"Where's Alex?" she asked.

"In homeroom, actually being a student…dunno what's wrong with her…."

Ellie laughed, "well I need to get to homeroom," she answered.

"You're gunna leave me?" he whined.

"I'll see you at lunch Jay, we can catch up, and toss each other insults like old times."

"And joke about Amy's STD's?" he begged. Ellie frowned, after the incident at the party for her homecoming, she just wasn't into hating on Amy much anymore. The girl's been through a lot. "Oh don't give me that look Vamp…"

"What looks Jay?" Ellie asked defensively.

"That, I don't wanna make fun of Amy because her life sucks look" he answered.

Ellie rolled her eyes, "homeroom, I'm going."

Ellie walked into homeroom and received a surprised look from Ms. Kwan, "Ellie, so nice to have you back, I just got done correcting some of your work, I'll give it you after lunch." Ellie blushed as the attention of the room fell onto her. She found her usual seat next to Ashley. Looking around the room, she noticed familiar faces and her cold defensive stare towards everyone else in the room softened when her gaze fell on Alex, who seemed to be staring off into space. Smirking Ashley scribbled a note onto a piece of paper, crumpled it up and tossed it across the room, hitting Alex on the head. Alex's head popped up immediately and she looked around furiously for the person she needed to retaliate on. Upon opening the crumpled paper she read the note.

Bitch.

Alex smirked and pulled out her pen. Scribbled a response and tossed it back to Ellie.

whore.

Ellie laughed as she read the note and looked over at Alex, "glad to have you back Vamp," she shouted across the room. Ellie smiled and turned her attention to Ashley who seemed a bit overwhelmed as she waited for the classes to start for the day. Ellie cocked her head to the side and poked Ashley with her index finger.

"Ash…" the redhead asked.

Ashley turned, "hey El ready to learn?" she drawled.

Ellie rolled her eyes, "you know it," she said sarcastically. Ashley smiled, weakly. "You okay?" Ellie asked.

" Yea, I'm fine."

"You sure…how's Mark?"

" Going in for surgery this morning…going after school to visit him again," she said doodling I her notebook.

" Again? You've voluntarily gone into a hospital more than once!" Ellie exclaimed, surprised. Ashley glared. "Sorry," Ellie apologized as she caught a glance of what Ashley was doodling. It was a bunch of hearts, 'go figure' she thought to herself. "Do you want me to go with you?" Ellie asked.

"Nah, I think I can handle it okay."

-X-

Craig waited outside Manny's homeroom, waiting to hopefully talk to her about her decision. He knew it was the wrong time to do be doing it, but he was fairly impatient. Part of him knew he couldn't handle being a teenage father, but he wanted to be a father nonetheless, and he felt as though it were now or never. When he didn't see Manny emerge from the room he got worried and grabbed her closest friend, "Emma…where's Manny?"

Emma looked at him, half feeling sorry, partially worried, and all around just scared of how he was going to take the news she was about to tell him, because "she didn't tell you?" she asked him.

"tell me what?" Craig responded, though he felt like he already knew the answer. And then the sudden realization dawned across his face," please don't tell me…"

Emma's face softened and she gently rubbed his arm, " I'm sorry Craig, her mother is taking her to the clinic today."

" Why didn't you stop her?" he asked angrily, "I mean…I would have thought…"

" I did Craig, but it's her choice, her body, not a good decision, but maybe a good enough one for her," Emma answered, as she backed across the hall into the lockers, a sudden fright from the boy she danced with at Joey and Julia's wedding.

" Damnit!" he shouted as he walked over to a locker and punched it, denting it in and breaking the skin on his hand. "Why!" he asked himself aloud as he kicked a locker door, right next to Emma, causing her to cringe, "Why did she do that to me…it's not fair," he grabbed Emma's shoulders and shook her violently before punching the locker behind her and falling, his back against the lockers as he slid to the floor, crying. "Why?" he kept asking himself, " I Promised I'd take care of her…" he looked up at Emma, " I told her I'd take care of them…both of them," he said reiterating the promise he'd made the night before to his young girlfriend. Emma didn't know what to say instead she sat down next to him and rubbed his arm gently as she tried to contain her own frightened shaking to counter his violent upset shock.

Craig felt as though part of him were being taken and torn from the world at the exact moment that he was having a fit, an episode in the hallway. He sobbed heavily into his hands, "doesn't she know her decision affects me too?" As Craig sat sob ridden in the halls of DCS, Manny sat with her mother at the local women's clinic handing in the last of her forms. Majority of her felt that this decision was the right one. It was the right one for both her and Craig, having this baby was not something a fourteen-year-old girl and a fifteen-year-old boy should be dealing with. It would have been too much stress on the both of them. And it was this decision that concluded that Manny would be okay with the abortion, but perhaps, Craig may not.

A/N: Anyways, I've been working on this chapter none stop, a lot went on, a lot happened. It feels kind of rushed but I suppose there isnt' much I can do about it now. I'm happy with it, so to speak. I look it over, there shouldn't be too many mistakes. I've decided to take a different spin on the Manny abortion situation. I'm getting closer to finishing up this one and I'm already preparing for the third story, making it a triology (I'm thinking of naming the third installment, Reprise). Be prepared for Amy in the next chapter, hopefully.

Let me know what you guys thought with this chapter, I don't know if I'm okay with how it turned out. But we'll see...