AN: The second of several side-stories I'm porting over from Spacebattles. This was again, originally written by anothvortex. Shared here with his permission.

Side-Story: A Cry for Comfort

Zoe looked at the small, run down building and for the third time in a row tried to leave the car. She had been sitting outside her destination for nearly twenty minutes, and knew that putting it off any longer was just self destructive. She had promised her daughter that she would check in on Taylor, and by God that was what she was going to do! Unfortunately, just like the last two times, her hands would not release the steering wheel. So all she could do was deflate in defeat.

This day was the culmination of nearly a week of guilt. Emma's plea had been the first time she had begged on behalf of someone else. Her psychiatrist had seen it as a positive step, but only one of many left to take. However, he had cautioned Zoe to be careful. The relationship between the former childhood friends was a complicated one these days, and could easily backslide into something destructive if mishandled. For both Emma's AND Taylor's sake, she would have to take things slow.

Which brought her here.

PHO had several posts of official patrol times for the Protectorate Wards, so she knew that Braid and Vista were on the Boardwalk right about now. That meant that the concerned mother should be able to ask the right questions without any interference. But Taylor Hebert was not the only reason that she was having trouble getting out of that car, and she knew it.

Closing her eyes, Zoe Barnes finally forced her hands to release the wheel before sighing. With a heavy step, she walked up the path to the entrance and pressed the buzzer. Thankfully, she did not have to wait too long before a frazzled, stocky woman answered the door. It has been a few years since the last Hebert family barbecue, but not so long that they would not recognize each other.

As noted when Lacey, Dockworker born and bred winced at the put-together look of the more affluent woman.

Sighing, she stepped to the side, before practically grunting. "You might as well come inside, Barnes. I'm not in the mood to let you get mugged on my doorstep."

The coffee was cheap instant powder and the cup slightly cracked, but Zoe held the drink like a lifeline. Lacey had puttered around the tiny kitchen, fixing her own beverage in silence. There was no sign of her husband, Kurt if she remembered correctly. More importantly, there was no sign of...

Turning to face the red head, Lacey frowned. "If you're worried about dealing with Danny, don't bother. I finished cleaning him up for a rest earlier, and he's in no state to speak with anyone anyways. Poor bastard isn't even able to feed himself right now. But that aside, what brings you down to our neck of the woods? Your husband helped set up the legal protections and stuff, but we haven't seen hide nor hair of your family since." The bitterness in the tone was a little sharper than expected, but Zoe could not really blame the other woman.

Lacey and her husband were far better friends than the Barnes family had been.

Steeling herself, she started the conversation that was long overdue. "Emma, Emma has been taking up a lot of our time. She's doing better, but things were left untreated for far too long. Alan has been on the couch for months, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Given the circumstances, it has made reaching out... difficult."

Zoe still did not like remembering the details that had come to light. Months of abuse and betrayal, culminating in a single moment of redemption that was, in some ways, more painful than anything that had come before. It had taken a lot of time and effort to look at her daughter and see the hurt and pain rather than a monster. Thankfully, her own therapist had been a godsend.

A gusty sigh interupted her train of thought as Lacey answered, her tone much softer. "Ah yeah, Taylor mentioned something like that. Sorry, things have been difficult around here. But taking it out on you was a dick move." Looking up, Zoe was treated to a look of understanding from the other woman.

Unfortunately, that look did not last long before Lacey frowned. "Still, that doesn't answer the question. We know that you are busy, and that Emma is unavailable, but neither you or your husband have come down before. So what changed?"

Swallowing, Zoe broke eye contact. There was no reason to lie, but the facts did leave her feeling even more guilty. "Emma asked me to check in on Taylor. She was worried that Taylor wasn't getting enough support, and wanted me to make sure she was being taken care of. I told her that things were fine, that Taylor had the Wards and you, but she was just so insistent I couldn't help but agree. So, I came over here while she was at work to minimize the chance of any confrontation. So please, can you tell me she's alright?"

The suddenly uncomfortable look on Lacey's face caused Zoe's stomach to drop like a stone.

Taking a swig of her now cold coffee, the red head just looked at her hostess. "You cannot be serious. Taylor doesn't even live here full-time? She's spending HOW much time working with the Wards?"

Lacey nodded miserably. "I hate this, Barnes. Danny trusted us to look after his kid, and she turns around and works nearly full time while going to school. All as a teenager! But we don't have a lot of options. Danny's insurance dropped him, and most of his legal preparations date back to before poor Annette died. We might have a home ready for Taylor, but the Wards control more of her schedule than I really like. Plus, even with Kurt taking over, the Association relied on Danny more than anyone really realized. We started losing members about two weeks after the incident, and it's taking everything we can do to keep our benefits going."

Grasping for straws, Zoe blurted out the only thing she could think of as a possible positive point. "Well, she at least gets along with the Wards, right? They're helping with her therapy and giving her the support she needs, right?"

The Dockworker's snort told her everything she needed to know. "She likes a few of them sure, but there's something rotten going on there. The PRT won't even talk to us about any issues, despite being her foster parents. Since they retained guardianship, we're basically a bed and occasional source of food. They won't even provide a housing allowance because she "already has an established living situation." As if an empty house with practically no proper supervision is good enough! I've dealt with management types my whole life, and the PRT take it to extremes. Between that, and the threats of removing her from our care entirely, we've had to do a lot of grin and bare it moments."

Swallowing at the sheer bitterness of the other woman's tone, Zoe bit her lip. "I could ask Alan to try and do something there. Maybe bring up the issues with her hours or lack of support? I thought that there were more protections written into her contact already?"

Lacey just shook her head. "Zoe, the protections in the contract are fine. We just can't enforce any of the damn things! The PRT are acting as both employer and guardian at the same time. So, the PRT would have to complain to the PRT about any fuck ups the PRT made with her case! Taylor is too much like her father at times, and keeps trying to claim it's no big deal. But they are working the poor girl into the ground. Even if your husband got involved, I don't know what he could really do here."

Looking at her hands, Zoe Barnes felt helpless. "Can't she catch a break at all?"

Looking at the ceiling, Lacey chuckled. "Well, maybe. Wards shit aside, I think Taylor made a friend recently. I don't have all the details, but I've spoken with her a couple of times. A little too smug for my taste, but she seems nice enough. Bringing her up makes Taylor blush a bit at least."

Blinking at the tone shift, Zoe felt herself perk up a bit. There were times when they were growing up that she had expected to be able to tease Emma and Taylor about something like this. It brought a relieved smile to her face. "At least she has one normal thing in her life. What's the mystery girl's name?"

Lacey drained her own drink before replying, not even noticing the bitter taste. "Lisa. She has dragged Taylor out for some fun a couple of times, and the kid could use more of that in her life."

Committing the name to memory, Zoe was distracted by the rest of her discussion with Lacey. Sadly, that revelation turned out to be the high point of the afternoon.