-1Scene XVIII: Sunday afternoon, the living room.
The three kids and Jen sit on the couch staring at a blank television. It was going to be a relief to see Walter and Audrey home again, but they were very apprehensive about letting them know about the events of the week. What started out as just a little innocent rite of passage for Megan turned into a week that got progressively worse with each day that passed. The day before was spent in the house. There was so much tension but no one knew what to say. They tried going through the motions of a typical Saturday, but thoughts of the night before imprisoned Drake, Josh and Jen. They were numb with fear. But there was also an unspoken agreement that Megan did not need to know anything about the handgun. She had been through enough stress with her interaction with Neal.
Walter and Audrey enter through the front door with big relaxed smiles on their faces. Although they're Hawaiian getaway was over, it was nice to be back home and reunite with their kids. While they were apprehensive about the condition of the house while they were away, they had complete faith that Jen took care of the house and the kids. What they were walking into was nothing they'd ever expect.
Walter: Gang? We're home!
Audrey: Kids? Where are you?
The four of them are still sitting on the couch in complete silence. Jen looks over her shoulder to see the parents looking confused. They were never this quiet, even when they were sleeping. They immediately think the worst. The boys got in trouble, and Jen couldn't handle the situation.
Audrey: What's going on? What did you boys do?
Josh looks at his parents, then at the people on the couch. His stomach begins to churn. He doesn't know if he will throw up or not.
Drake: Mom, we had some problems this week. There's some stuff we need to tell you about.
Walter: I told you that if you did anything wrong that you were going to be in big trouble. Why didn't you call us, Jen?
Jen: It's nothing that the boys did. It wasn't anything we could control. It was just the worst possible week for us.
Walter and Audrey look upset. They sit on the adjacent chairs and prepare themselves for whatever will be said.
Josh: Well, it started out innocently enough. You left for vacation and…..
Josh tells his parents the events of the week, but he leaves out Jen's breakdown on Friday night. Audrey begins crying and reaches out for Megan. How could she have missed this? Megan is through crying about it and just puts her head on her mom's shoulder. Walter looks over at his wife with sad eyes. But the attention is then directed to the boys. Audrey leads Megan upstairs to have a mother/daughter talk. It has to happen now. Why did she wait so long, Audrey thinks to herself.
Walter: Drake, are you telling me that what Neal did to Megan is your fault?
Drake: I didn't think he'd take me seriously! I was just talking about stuff that boys talk about. I certainly didn't expect him to take it to heart. It's the last thing I wanted. I thought I was just kinda bonding with him.
Walter: Well, look at what's happened now! You and I are going to have a very serious talk. But for now, I want you upstairs in your room…
Josh: Dad, there's something else we need to talk about. Drake needs to be here for this.
The three men sit in silence for a moment and look at Jen, who's still sitting on the couch, staring off into space. She is very, very scared of what's about to happen next. With the boys support, Jen tells Walter about what happened to her on Friday.
Walter: Where is it? Is it still in the house?
Jen can't speak. She looks at the boys. Josh interjects.
Josh: We put it away. We couldn't let Megan find it. It was bad enough that it was in the house. But we didn't know what to do!
Walter: Where did you put it?
Drake: I unloaded it and put it in my trunk at the end of my bed and I locked it.
Walter looks as if he's about to have a heart attack. His face goes pale. He doesn't know whether to yell, or to take care of Jen. She sits there equally as pale and shaking uncontrollably.
Jen: I…. I….. I don't….
She trails off and begins to sob again. It's at this time that Audrey hears her crying and comes downstairs. She walks into the living room and wants to give Drake a piece of her mind, but Walter stops her.
Audrey: What's going on?
Walter: We have a situation. I think we need to get Jeff over here right away.
Audrey looks at Walter, then at Jen sobbing on the couch. She understands immediately what is going on, and runs into the kitchen to call Dr. Glaser. Drake and Josh are flanking Jen on the couch and both have put an arm around her. Jen's probably moving out of the house, but not into an apartment just yet.
