Thanks to rocknrollprincess for beta reading.

I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

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"Honestly, I don't remember anything of last night."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"Then how do you call that? Nighttime amnesia?"

"Probably."

Father and daughter were sitting in the car, driving on the highway after they got their SUV back.

"We didn't talk about your drug experiment, did we?" Rhodes asked.

"There's nothing to tell you", Amy answered.

"I drank a lot of alcohol until some creepy guy put some coke into my drink. I just remember dancing around, telling everyone I was Tina Turner, being married to Frank Sinatra."

"Sounds like fun", Rhodes hissed sarcastically, changing the radio channel.

"Trust me, waking up with needles in your arms and tubes up your nose isn't worth it."

"So someone learned a lesson?"

"I will never understand how you're ready to do this job every single day. I mean, seven nights at Chicago Med and I would be ready for the psychiatric unit."

"Good try to distract me, Amy. Really!"

"What?"

"You're not done. I still want to know how my fourteen year old daughter enters a bar that isn't allowed for underaged children."

"You don't want to."

"The hell I do. Listen, Amy. Even if that whole trip feels like a game to you, both of us have a serious problem. If that happens again, and you make one small mistake, the consequences will hit ten times harder than last week. We've got eyes on us and I'm sick of telling you things twice, you know? From now on, this is your last chance to show that you're able to live with me. There are still other opportunities, but since I feel sorry for you and the way things worked out between us, I chose to give it a try."

Same as usual, the teenager reacted on her own way. Being that distracted from his own speech, Connor didn't notice that she felt sick, resulting that she started to puke seconds later.

"Oh no. Hang on."

He pulled over and stopped on the right side, next to the highway. Amy ran out, kneeled down and threw up loudly.

Rhodes stepped closer, handing her a tissue.

"You're okay?"

"Does it look like it?" She said breathlessly, rubbing over her mouth, silently walking back to the car.

Like Connor, she sat down on her old place. Instead of starting the engine, they remained parked.

"Interesting, that you feel sorry for me. That's what people say when they don't understand. Is it really that hard to speak it out? Saying "I love you" instead of telling me what kind of worthless person I am. A stupid girl that you have to feel sorry for. You want to know what the real problem is? I don't really know if I can rely on you. Every time I've needed you the most, you weren't there. Being here right now doesn't fit to you, don't you think? There must be some special reason, and it's defnietly not me. "

"Are you out of your mind?"

"That's what I should ask you? Where have you been since Mom died? You left me alone. You spend another fucking year in Ryjadh instead of staying with us. I was thirteen. Thirteen, Dad! I was a kid. You're all I have and you're always leaving me." Her crying sounded like echoes in his ears when she stepped out of the car.

"Sorry doesn't bring people back." He heard her saying as she walked away from the SUV. Realizing that she could get herself in trouble, Connor decided to get out on his own.

What in hell was she doing right now? Where did she go? From one minute to another, it seemed like she disappeared.

"Shit!" He shouted, helplessly taking some further steps, being relieved when he recognized her sitting on the beach, next to the lake that was located near the highway.

"This kid is goin to kill me." He mumbled to himself and entered the sand, having a hard time when he avoided to take off his shoes.
Amy was sitting near the water. He couldn't help but smirk for a short moment when the memories hit him. She always used to love water and beaches. Whenever she was sad or angry it helped her getting down on her feet again.

Her shoulders sank and rose by the uncontrolled sobbing, but in contrast to last night, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to keep her company. He kept his position for a couple of minutes, then silently sat down, with a distance between her. He just watched the waves, looking at the horizon.

"You're right. Sorry, doesn't bring people back. I'm an asshole sometimes."

Amy looked at her father in confusion.

"And you think, that's it?"

"No, but probably Charles was right. I'm afraid of being your father, because my old man hates me and tries everything to change my life to the worst. Your aunt was always the lucky kid."

"It's not that easy."

"It was my answer to your question."

She placed her head on her bent knees.

"Listen, Amy. I don't have a time machine. But if I could, I would do everything to spend the past year with you, to pull you through that month, concerning your mother's cancer. There is no excuse to make things better and you're right. Spending this year at Ryjadh was a big mistake, but I can't turn back time, you know? And if there's no way you would give us a second chance, than so be it. But…"

He cut his words short.

"But what?"

"I…want to let you know that you're worth fighting, and I won't give up on you and me."

"How often do you change your opinion?"

"I didn't. never had another one."

She kicked some stones into the lake.

"I want time, okay? We can't start by zero. If we move on, it needs trust and reliability." She sniffled. "I need to know that I can count on you, that you're not leaving me again."

"Okay."

Amy got up, looking him in the eyes for the first time that day, well over a minute. "Thank you for being there last night." She already turned around.

"I thought you forget about it." Connor said in surprise.

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "Some memories are coming back." She twinkled, quickly changing the subject because the shame was too much.

"By the way, what kind of pill did you give me?"

"It's my secret."

"Come on."

"Not yet."

"You think I'm a freak, don't you? Someone who's seeing ghosts in the middle of the night, crying like a baby."

He looked at her, a sad expression on his face. "No, I think that you're a really tough girl, that is pretty resilient for someone who has seen her own mother dying."

She concentrated on the sky again, not wanting to burst into tears in front of him. Crying means weakness and she was sick of being weak.

"I didn't. I wasn't with her, the day she passed away. "

"That's not true, Amy. Charles told me. You spent the rest of the night with her, and that's really intense, especially for a 13 year old girl."

She couldn't help but feel the tears coming back. For a minute it felt so real, that she could even smell the perfume of her mother. Like flashbacks she was picturing herself, sitting in a clean room with tubes and machines, holding her moms hand, praying that she won't die, praying for another day to come.

Recognizing a hand on her shoulder, she finally lost it and cried again.

"I miss her. I miss her so much." She let herself sink into the sand, feeling two strong arms that pulled her into a hug, taking all the pain she tried to cry out, when she sobbed into her fathers shoulder.

"I know. I miss her too, baby", Connor whispered in a trembling voice, constantly rubbing her back.

"It's okay to cry. Let it all out." He made clear. When he felt her sobs getting heavier, he tightened his grip.

There were no soothing words to take the pain she felt, so he decided to keep quiet and held her, until her sobs turned into sniffles.