DAUGHTER

Life fell into a fairly structured routine in the weeks that followed.

I talked to my director at the dance studio, and we were able to work my hours around my visitation times with Brianna. I worked Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and so those were my days in the city. Gregory would drive me into the city in the morning before I went to work, drop me off at the hospital, and I would spend most of the morning and early afternoon with Brianna. I wanted to be able to see her again after my shifts, but both Nina and Drew insisted that Bri needed her sleep, and I shouldn't be at the hospital past visiting hours anyways.

Drew and Rick were absolute saints. Drew gave me a daily update on Brianna – I was still waiting for the good news – and Rick became much more of a presence after that first night. He also gave me his phone number, in case I needed anything. I didn't call him nearly as much as I called Drew in those first few days, but I appreciated the effort.

On the weekends, if Drew and Rick weren't working, one or both of them would drive out to town and come spring me for a few hours. We'd get ice-cream or just drive around. Liz and Gregory didn't mind, they weren't around much on the weekends anyways.

All of this considered, it didn't surprise me all that much when Drew and Rick showed up unexpectedly on a Thursday morning.

"We are in the middle of breakfast," Liz complained in the doorway.

"Is that Drew?" I asked, standing up from the table. Why didn't he call me? He was working last night, so he should be sleeping by now.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Gregory tried to comfort. "Finish your breakfast."

"I just need to check," I panicked. It had been almost a month since Avery died, but it was still far too soon to lose someone else I loved.

"Drew?" I asked, peaking around the corner. Liz sighed. She wasn't going to win this one.

"I suppose this gets Gregory off the hook this morning," She tried to joke, but I knew there was a seriousness in her voice. She was not a fan of my schedule.

"I'm sorry, Liz," I apologized as she walked away. I cringed and looked back at where Drew and Rick were standing.

"Please tell me Brianna is okay," I begged them as I stepped outside into the heat. It was barely 8:00 in the morning, and already I was sweating.

"She's fine," Drew assured. "We still have a long ways to go, but she's a fighter."

"Of course she is," I smirked. "So why are you here?" I asked, confused.

"Well, Liv," Rick started, uncomfortably playing with his pants pocket. "We uh, we actually thought we could take you out for breakfast this morning before you have to go into work. We didn't realize you'd be eating so early in the morning, so sorry for interrupting that."

"Trust me, it's fine," I chuckled. "They're just weird about the schedule. I don't think they've ever actually fostered a teenager before."

"It's a tough job, give them some credit," Drew chastised.

"Yes, I know," I rolled my eyes. "We've had this talk."

"Then don't make me have it with you again," Drew nudged. "Come on, we'll take you to our favorite spot in the city."

"You sound like a dad," I teased, sticking my tongue out. I caught Drew and Rick sharing a side glance with each other nervously. I wanted to push, but I dropped the subject.

Apparently, Drew and Rick's favorite spot was the Magnolia Pancake house. It was gorgeous inside, and smelled amazing.

"Three," Rick said to the hostess as we walked in. Drew chuckled.

"You like it?" He asked. I nodded.

"We'll have to take Brianna here when she's feeling better. She loves pancakes."

"Best pancakes in the city," Drew mentioned. Rick scoffed. "Other than yours," Drew corrected.

Once we were seated and ordered our drinks, Drew and Rick reverted back to the conversation from earlier.

"So, there is a reason why we brought you out to breakfast, Liv," Drew began. "It's not because of Brianna, so stop worrying about her."

"You know, that from the moment Drew met Brianna, there was a special connection," Rick explained. "I know at least on my end, he wouldn't stop talking about her. He also couldn't stop talking about you."

"I know you two have been through hard times, and we have truly fallen in love with both of you. I uh, I think this will explain what we're trying to say," he stumbled, and pulled a gift bag out from under the table. He handed it to me, and I eyed him nervously while I opened it.

Inside was the most beautiful sterling silver bracelet. There was a small charm with the word daughter engraved on it. I looked back at Drew and Rick, confused as to why they would give this to me.

"You haven't had a father in a very long time," Rick began, tears in his eyes. "We want to fix that."

"Oh my God," I covered my mouth, almost knocking over my glass of orange juice. I thought about what they were saying. I would live in the city. I would live in the same house as my sister. I would have two adults in my life who would take care of me. It really was a no brainer.

"We've only known you for a short time, and we understand that this is fast. We also understand if you've grown attached to your foster family, and you want to stay there-"

"Yes," I interrupted. As much as I had gotten used to living with Liz and Gregory, and as much as I would miss Nathan and Jeffrey, this was better than anything I could have hoped for.

"Yes?" Drew asked.

"Yes!" I nodded, and walked over to hug them. A few tears escaped my eyes, but I didn't mind. I thought of something else, then, and panicked.

"Does Brianna know? Have you asked her yet?" I questioned.

"Drew asked her early this morning," Rick replied. "She already said yes. We wanted to give you a chance to back out, though."

"How could I back out of a deal as sweet as this one?"

"Just like we told Bri," Drew began. "You'll have your own room, a yard, and two wildly overprotective parents."

"As long as you don't tie me down to a house, I think I can live with that," I chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan," Drew smiled. "Now let's eat some pancakes."

"Did you say yes?" Bri asked excitedly when I walked through the door to her room. I smiled, and showed her my bracelet.

"Of course I said yes, bug," I told her. She hugged me.

"We're going to have a family again," she whispered quietly.

"Yeah bug, we are," I whispered back. It looks like my prayers worked.