Disclaimer: Zip, zilch, nada, zero, nothing. No, I don't own LWD. (But I own Tyler…which is a good thing. :-) )

A/N: This chapter's going to be a little sad…but hey, it had to come sooner or later…I chose sooner. Anyway, I'm going to try and make this as touching as I possibly can. I read a lot of good Daseys and some of them get me teary eyed. So here goes…

Chapter 7: A Tear for Your Thousands

Casey trudged back toward her room with hatred radiating off her. Her mother was tearing her apart; this woman who was supposed to love was making her life a travel from hell and back custom.

What kind of mother made her daughter despise her? What kind of mother had such a manipulative manner on her daughter's life? What kind of mother tears her daughter from one life to another? What kind of mother was Nora McDonald?

Different words randomly popped into Casey's mind.

Atrocious.

Barbarous.

Bestial.

Degenerate.

Demoniac.

Excruciating.

Hateful, heartless, hellish, merciless, spiteful, sadistic, son of a bitch.

Casey grudgingly slammed her bedroom door for affect and to relieve her anger. She slammed herself against her bed extra hard; she beat her pillow until her arms could barely move.

She kicked the side of her bed until her feet were completely covered in bruises and the rare cut.

She stabbed her fingernails into whatever they could grab hold of until they were as torn as the poor plush animal Casey held a death grip on.

She muffled such a loud scream into her pillow it could barely be called a muffled yell.

She threw a tantrum like no other; and it ended as she slumped down in the middle of her room letting the dreadful tears fall; letting her only energy left pour out into loud sobs and oceans of tears.

She sat there, cross legged and hair cascading over her face completely. She shook tremendously as the unwanted tears fell free with an occasional random outburst of one of the said words. She screamed tired but loud; being completely ignored.

And at the moment, that's what she wanted. She wanted to be able to wallow while her ruthless mother had no second thoughts or any thoughts regarding her daughters.

She waited for the morning to come when she would walk down those stairs, shoot daggers at her mother with her blot shot eyes; when she would say goodbye to her only happiness and wonder…just wonder how long it would take for Derek's promise to take its first action.

She willed herself to drown back into the day they had; into the last happy memory of her music; she willed herself to not be muted. But no amount of willpower was great enough; No amount of willpower could bring that happy, exciting music Marti always seemed to carry.

No amount of willpower could bring every single song Derek brought with him. Nothing but staying could; and no amount of willpower could make her stay.

Her door opened slowly, exposing Derek on the other side. She hadn't noticed. Her sobs were loud and never-ending. Derek looked on in shock; her room was upside down; yes. But Casey was breaking down in the middle of a torn up room.

As he looked on she seemed to resemble a young girl with every second that passed. He couldn't move; he looked on as she shook from her crying; he watched the girl he loved crumble and break before his eyes…yet he could do nothing. Her sobs gradually got louder, a cough or a hiccup here and there…

But Derek heard nothing. He was watching a silent scene play before him and he stayed standing where he was. Her next movement was one Derek took note to. She doubled over in pain and clutched her abdomen. In a split second he was by her side and picking her up.

His hand accidentally touched her source of pain and she whimpered. He looked at his hand; now covered in blood. He picked her up, completely avoiding anything that might have caused her pain and dove out of the house.

Ignoring the questions from his father and Nora and Edwin and Lizzie he got Casey to the hospital as fast as he could.

He stepped to the front desk, Casey still in his arms, crying. The nurse looked at Derek's frightened face then looked at Casey's face covered with pure horror and pain. She picked up a phone and a few men came out with a gurney.

Derek gently placed her down and followed them to the Emergency wing. As they wheeled her in, a doctor asked him to stay out for a few questions; after determining her condition they would decide if Derek could see her.

After about ten minutes that seemed like an eternity to Derek, the doctor walked out of the room.

"Okay, Mr.…"

"Venturi, Derek Venturi."

"Well, Mr. Venturi it seems to be Ms. McDonald had a severe cut to her abdomen. Should heal up fine. We'll have to keep her here for a while; she seems to have lost a great deal of blood. Traces, while very small, of glass were found in the wound."

Derek swallowed hard. Could've been worse…could've been worse…could've been worse…Derek repeated over to try and assure himself that Casey, would in fact, be fine.

"Is…is she okay?" Derek's palms were sweaty from anxiety and worry and he was beginning to fidget.

"She will be. I assure you this could've been far worse; the cut is pretty bad but nothing to severe has come of it…hopefully nothing will. We'll be moving her out of the emergency rooms and into a private room. She will most likely be released tomorrow afternoon."

Derek nodded and waited for the okay to see her, after about a couple of seconds he could wait no longer. "Can I see her?"

"In a moment or so, yes. They'll be moving her right now; you can follow them into her room; by all means will you be able to see her then." The doctor nodded at Derek politely and turned before walking away.

When the same few men came out with Casey's gurney he followed them to a small room. He sat himself down on a chair. She was asleep now; they probably injected her when they examined the cut. Derek thought.

"What sis you do?" Derek whispered hoarsely as he buried his face in his hands; not wanting to look at her while she lay helpless in a hospital bed. A burn was forming in his eyes but he begged it to go away; he pleaded the stinging to avail; he prayed she would return to him at that moment.

He allowed one tear to fall; one tear for the sake of her thousands. One of his own; to measure up to all of hers. He knew she would be fine; she would be in his arms in no time; she would, he knew she would. No doubt; she would…

…right?

"Derek…" He was hallucinating; he heard a version of her voice. "Derek?" That wasn't her! No…no, Casey was strong; never, she never sounded like that! He refused to believe that was her. It wasn't…she couldn't be in that condition…no.

Another tear escaped his eyes. He looked up reluctantly, that lone tear rolling down his cheek; her eyes fluttered open and closed as she looked at him. Weakly, she waved her hand in a motion for him to go over to her. He obliged.

"Don' cry." Her voice was tired as her words slurred.

"Case…what-what did you do? I swear, Casey if you tried to kill yourself-" He knelt down next to her bed and held her hand in between both of his.

"No; I didn't try to kill myself, Derek." She tried to attempt a chuckle, but wound up coughing.

"Casey; I was so worried…you don't understand, you scared the hell out of me." He blinked as another tear rolled; she frowned slightly and wiped the tear away with the back of her index finger.

"Don't cry." She said again and shook her head weakly. "I'm sorry…I-I was angry and I threw things around my room…an-and a vase hit a…a wall and some pieces hit me…accident…promise you." She said; her eyes slowly closing.

"God, Casey…I love you; I don't want anything to happen. Do you understand? Nothing, ever." He kissed her hand and rested his forehead against it.

"Love you too." She smiled at him and he smiled back; she patted the bed beside her and he sat next to her. Casey put the bed into sitting position as she held Derek's hand tightly. "Marti, Liz, Mom, Ed an' George know?"

"No." He shook his head and made small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Why?" She asked; her free hand running along his hair. He sighed.

"They asked where I was going and I ignored them…they're probably worried."

"Call." She nodded, despite the hatred she felt at the moment; she still couldn't let her family think something other than the truth…she was still Casey, after all. He nodded and left the room for a minute.

"Hello?" His father answered.

"Dad."

"Derek, where the hell are you?"

"Uh…I'm at the hospital…with, uh, I'm with Casey."

"What?! Why is Casey in the hospital!?" In the distance you could Lizzie's faint, concerned voice.

"Case's in the hospital?"

"Yes, she is…there's not much to explain…just get your butts over here." With that, Derek hung up and walked back to Casey.

"They coming?" Derek nodded. He hated his father for what he had said earlier that day to Casey and about Lizzie…but Casey's hope was so innocent, she was sixteen yet…so happy that her family was worried about her, even if they were slowly tearing apart.

She was like an innocent little girl; wanting to make Mommy and Daddy happy together…