Della let Laura in and the two sat down. There was another knock at the door. Della excused herself to answer it, "Joy," the woman was surprised to see her fourteen-year-old daughter on the other side of the door. "You're supposed to be at school."

"I wanted to surprise you."

Della decided to not argue with her daughter in front of Laura. Perry was confused when he saw Joy. Della excused herself and Joy went with her. "I want you to tell me what you're really doing here."

"I told you, I came to surprise you."

"You haven't spoken to me in months. Now, I'll ask again, why are you really here?"

Joy sighed, "I hate it there, so I ran away."

"The school hasn't called us."

"I don't know what else to say. That's the truth."

After Laura left, Perry called for Della and Joy. He looked at his daughter, "I called your school," Perry said. "Do you want to confess before I tell your mother?"

"No, sir," Joy said with her head down.

"She already told me she ran away."

"Did she, now?" Perry looked at his daughter, "her school told me she had been expelled for sneaking out, skipping class, and poor grades."

Della looked at her daughter, "what?"

"Oh, and apparently they thought we had picked her up. I guess she forged our signatures on a letter confirming we would."

"Why would you lie to me?" Della asked.

"What does it matter? You're just going to send me somewhere else."

"Go to your room," Della said. Joy left for her bedroom. Della never went to her daughter's room. She was too angry. Just before dinner, Della walked up to the door of her daughter's room and told her they would be sending dinner up for her. That they had a dinner meeting to get to. Only, the hotel told them there was no answer at the door. The couple returned to their room and found their daughter's empty. Perry sent Paul to look for Joy. Around eleven that night, Perry got a phone call that Joy had been picked up by the police. She was trespassing on private property. "Perry, I'll go," Della said.

"She asked for me. I'm going," Perry told her.

"You need to get off of your feet."

"I need to get our daughter." The man left while his wife waited for them to return.

Two hours later, Perry and Joy walked through the door. "Thank God," Della rushed to her daughter and hugged her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Joy mumbled.

"Good," Della's face changed to anger, "sit down." Joy sat on the chair and waited for her mother to expload. "What were you thinking? Do you realize how lucky you are that they let you off with a warning? Do you know what could have happened? And how could you drag your father out this late with his knee in such bad shape?"

"Della," Perry stopped her, "let her answer."

"Fine," Della said, "what were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Joy said as she continued to look down. "I do realize that I'm lucky they didn't charge me."

"Do you know what could have happened?"

"No," she said.

"You don't?! You could have been hurt, or kidnapped, or worse."

"I asked for daddy because I wasn't ready to face you. I needed him."

"You don't need me?"

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you've shown that with how you've been treating me. You lied to me about running away from school. You purposely got yourself expelled. Now this," she said.

"You don't want me anyway. What do you care if I sneak out at night?"

"You think I don't want you?"

"You sent me away, didn't you? Daddy has never sent me away."

"No, but he's left us. I've spent more time with you than he has. I raised you. I have always been there for you."

"Don't talk about daddy like that!" she yelled, jumped out of her seat, and shoved her mother.

Luckily, Della didn't fall. Perry stood, "hey," he yelled, "don't ever lay your hands on another person. Especially your mother."

Joy looked at her mother with anger. "His job is very important. You're just a secretary. Anyone could do your job."

"Don't you dare speak to me like that."

"Why not? It's not as if you're my real mother."

Della felt as if she had been punched in the gut, "go to your room," she whispered.

Joy scoffed, "I'm out of here." She headed towards her room, but Della followed.

"Della!" Perry called for his wife, "don't!"

Della grabbed Joy by the arm and spun her around, "you're not going anywhere."

"I'm not staying here."

"You're fourteen," Della said, "you don't have a choice."

"Let go of me."

"Not until you stop with this nonsense about leaving."

"It's not nonsense," Joy tugged her arm from her mother and locked herself in her room.

Della sulked back over to Perry. "I don't know what to do."

"We all need to get some space," Perry said.

They heard a door open and slam. Della went towards the sound. She saw her daughter with a suitcase. The woman rushed and grabbed her daughter's arm, "I told you that you are not leaving."

"I'm leaving and never coming back. I'm going to find my real mother."

"The woman who willingly gave you away?"

"You don't know why she gave me up, so you can't judge her."

"I'm not trying to, but you are making me out to be some sort of villain. I took you in and for a while, you loved me as much as I love you."

"You don't love me. You adopted me because that's the only way daddy would marry you."

"That's not true."

"Let go of me."

"No, I won't until you calm down."

The girl was desperate to leave. She shoved her mother as hard as she could. Della flew backwards and fell, hitting her head on the table. "Della!" Perry cried and did his best to rush to her. Joy panicked and ran. Perry called the paramedics and the police. The police were not told about what had just happened. He only asked that they located Joy. Perry sat by his wife's bedside in her hospital room. She began to moan in pain, "hey," Perry placed a hand on her shoulder, "it's alright, darling."

Della opened her eyes and winced from the pain, "where am I?"

"The hospital," he said, "you have a concussion."

"What?"

The doctor walked in because Perry had buzzed him. Della was going to stay overnight and as long as nothing changed, she could go home the following day. After the doctor left, Perry looked at his wife. He could tell that she was trying to remember what had happened. He could tell when she did, "are you alright?"

"My daughter hates me. How could I possibly be alright?"

"She doesn't hate you."

"Perry, you were there. She doesn't want me around."

"Something is going on with her. Once we can figure that out, we can fix this."

"I remember when I told you I wanted to adopt. You told me I was crazy and too old."

"I actually said that because of your age, you had a greater chance of becoming too old much sooner."

"Well, you were right. I was too old then and I'm too old now."

"Della, try to get some rest. I have the police looking for Joy."

"How can they find someone who doesn't want to be found?" Della turned her head and drifted off. Perry didn't know what to do.

The next day, Perry helped Della into their hotel room. She was a bit unsteady from her concussion. "I still think you should have taken the cane the doctor offered you," Perry said.

"One of us with a cane is enough. Two is ridiculous. They'll put us in a home."

Perry chuckled, "well, don't get up on your own."

"Yes, chief," Della said.

Perry helped her to the couch and then sat next to her. "How are you holding up?"

"Not well," she confessed. "Have you heard anything about Joy?"

Perry sighed, "no," he said.

"I'm so worried about her."

"I know," he said, "me too."

"We could drive around and look for her."

"Della, you need to rest. The police are doing everything they can."

"That doesn't sound like the Perry Mason that used to drive Tragg and Burger nuts."

"Well, I'm a lot older and have a bad knee. Plus, I'm not taking a chance with your health."

"Burger and Tragg are probably rolling in their graves."

Perry laughed, "I sure hope so."