Chapter 29: Love Lost

******Monday on Campus*******

Since she had been at the hospital hearing Jazmin's horrible tale, Veronica had missed her morning classes and met up with Logan as soon as she had pulled herself together enough to be seen in public. He was waiting for her outside of the cafeteria. She didn't say a word but went straight into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

"No. Just hold me," she said against his chest. Only in his arms did she feel safe. Would Jazmin ever feel safe again? After a few minutes, she lifted her head. "It was horrible, Logan. Just hearing it tore me up. I understand now why she swallowed those pills."

Mac came up to them. "Hey. Is everything okay?" she asked in concern.

"Not really. I heard Jazmin's statement to my dad. Let's go inside and get a table. I'll fill you in. Jazmin wanted me to tell you. She thought it'd be too upsetting for you and Parker to hear it firsthand," Veronica shared.

They went into the cafeteria. Mac and Logan grabbed some lunch while Veronica found them a table. Logan grabbed a coffee and salad for Veronica even if she said she wasn't hungry.

"You better eat first. Believe me, once you hear the story, you'll lose your appetite," Veronica said sadly.

"I guess we can talk about something else first," Mac said. "Maybe we can talk about what you have planned to ruin Madison's life this week that way I'm not blindsided again." She gave Veronica a pointed look.

Veronica looked at Logan. "Well, there's a standing order for Weevil's uncle to make her car disappear," Veronica admitted.

"Great! Just great!" Mac said sourly.

"Well, Dad told me that he's not pursuing charges for the cocaine possession," Veronica said.

"That's the least he can do considering Logan was the one who had the drugs planted," Mac said in annoyance. When she saw their look of surprise, she said, "Dick told me."

"Dick's got a big mouth," Logan said.

"He's not going to keep something like that from me. That wasn't your secret. It concerned my family," Mac said.

"Did you also know that Dad said Madison did test positive for marijuana?" Veronica asked.

"Really?" Mac said brightening.

"Okay, I'm done," Logan said finishing his burger. "Tell us what Jazmin said."

"Mac's still eating," Veronica pointed out.

Mac held up her finger. "Give me a minute," she said as she finished her salad.

"Eat yours," Logan ordered. He stuck the fork in it and tried to get Veronica to eat. She shook her head.

"My stomach is still in knots. Maybe later," she said. Then she began to share Jazmin's tale.

Logan was angry. He hated to hear any story of a woman being abused or mistreated. He found himself wishing CW was alive and knew Duncan would feel the same way. This David fellow had to go. "I can't believe your dad isn't going to go after him for rape!" Logan said angrily.

"Dad's going to do everything he can. Rape is hard to prove without physical evidence. Jazmin waited too long to report it," Veronica said. "But the recent attack can be punished. Dad has a warrant out for his arrest. When he returns, he'll be arrested."

"That's good," Logan said grimly.

Mac was horrified. "This is so awful! I don't know what to say. I just can't believe this. David is a monster, and none of us knew," Mac said softly. She brushed away a tear. "Poor Jazmin."

"It's not the first time we've been fooled," Veronica said grimly. "I know Wallace isn't going to get past this very easily."

"I've got to go," Mac said as she checked the time. "I'll talk to you guys later."

After she left Logan said, "See, Mac is still talking to you. She loves us even if we've made her life difficult."

"I don't want to lose anyone else, Logan. Almost losing Jazmin was bad enough. Mac is my center; I depend on her. I don't want to hurt her to hurt Madison," Veronica said.

"Then don't," Logan said, reaching for her hand. "I'll deal with Madison."

"You know there was one thing I left out about what Jazmin told us," Veronica said. "She said she screamed for Eli, for Jason, for Wallace. Anyone to help her and no one did. It was the worst thing to hear."

Logan moved his chair closer to her and put his arms around her. "She'll get through this," Logan said.

Veronica looked up at him. "Every time I screamed for help you were there," she said softly, her eyes full of love and gratitude.

"I'll always be there," Logan vowed.

"I wish someone had been there for Jazmin. That someone had heard her cry out," Veronica said.

"We're here now for her. She's going to be okay," Logan said.

"Promise me that you'll never leave me," she said.

"I'll never leave you. If you try to leave me, I'll follow you like a lovesick puppy," Logan said making her smile.

"I guess I'm stuck with you," she said.

"Always," he said. He bent down and kissed her. "So when are we going to start planning this wedding of ours?"

Veronica smiled. "Ready to get shackled?" she asked.

"Ready to be my ball and chain?" he asked with a grin.

"Can't wait!" she enthused. "Maybe it'll keep you in line."

"Never!" he vowed and kissed her again.

******After Class*******

Mac went by the Sinclairs after her last class. She wanted to catch Marilyn at home before her sister or Madison made it home for the day. Marilyn seemed surprised to see her but welcomed her warmly.

"I was hoping we could talk in private before everyone came home," Mac said.

"Sure. Would you like a snack or something to drink?" Marilyn asked.

"Some herbal tea would be nice," Mac admitted. They went into the kitchen. Mac was silent while Marilyn prepared the tea for her.

When they were sitting across from one another at the kitchen table, Mac began, "I am really upset over this mess with Madison, and I wanted to talk about it."

"Honey, I know you're not responsible for your friend. Don't worry about it," Marilyn said easily.

Mac was annoyed at her comment. "I'm not here to apologize. Veronica is her own person. I am both pissed and hurt that you automatically took Madison's side. It's like you and Stephen refuse to see her the way she really is or you're indifferent. I'm not sure which it is. Normally, I wouldn't care. She's your problem. But now she's getting Lauren upset and angry with me," Mac said. "I've wanted a sister my entire life, and now I have one. I'm not going to let Madison ruin it."

"She can't do that. Lauren loves you. She and Madison have never been particularly close," Marilyn admitted.

"Lauren's great. That's why I just don't understand why you and Stephen just ignore Madison's bad behavior," Mac said. "It upsets me that you guys do nothing to curb her rude behavior."

"Believe me, I've tried. But Stephen has always spoiled her, and then it was just impossible for anything I said to make much a difference," she said with a sad smile.

"You could at least make her take responsibility for her actions," Mac pointed out. "At the party, you—not just Stephen—immediately saw her as a victim. It didn't seem to matter that she attacked a guest in your home without provocation. Madison got angry because Veronica dared take Lily, who is a very young child, upstairs to the bathroom. She hit Veronica twice—girl she knew was pregnant. The fact that Veronica bloodied her nose does not excuse what she did."

Marilyn sighed. She agreed with Mac. Madison was a spoiled brat and a challenge to love at times. Sometimes, she felt guilty for secretly wishing she had switched back when they were three and the switch was discovered. Madison was difficult and often cruel. Marilyn knew this, but she felt helpless to do anything. She looked at Mac with regret but said nothing.

Mac was disappointed at Marilyn's lack of response. She felt real anger toward her for the first time. She stood up and looked at Marilyn. "You know I have very little in common with my parents. I always felt like I didn't quite fit them. Finding out I was technically adopted was a relief. It explained so much," Mac said. "But I don't regret being raised by them because they taught me manners. They taught me some decency. They gave me compassion. I wasn't raised entitled or to think I was better than everyone else. Madison may or may not have caused Veronica's miscarriage, but she physically assaulted Veronica—a girl who was trained by professionals, including the FBI, to protect herself. But you and Stephen didn't have a word to say about her rudeness. 'Poor Madison has a bloody nose! Poor Madison was tazered!' Recently, she told Veronica, a woman who just lost her baby, that her baby was better off dead because it wouldn't have to have her for a mother. For us, that's a typical Madison remark. Veronica doesn't pull out her Taser for no reason. She's had a hard past few years, and it has made her strong and unforgiving. But if Madison had shown any repentance at all or shown Veronica any compassion, Veronica wouldn't be so determined to make her suffer. Instead, she told Veronica that her baby was better off dead. There is no excuse for her bad behavior. None at all."

After saying that, Mac turned to leave. Marilyn reached out and grabbed her hand. "Please, don't go! Don't leave angry with me! I can't bear it! I know I failed with Madison. We tried to make up for her not being ours. For not being you. We went too far. Now she's who she is. I don't know that we can make much difference in her now," Marilyn said regretfully. "But I don't want to lose you. I love you. You're everything I could've every wanted or asked for in a daughter."

Mac wasn't indifferent to Marilyn's heartfelt appeal. She did feel a connection to this woman who gave birth to her. She mattered to Mac. "I'm not going anywhere. But I'm not going to come over and be harassed over my friends, especially when you guys do nothing to curtail Madison. She isn't my problem. She's yours, and I don't want Lauren hating me over whatever B.S. Madison has told her," Mac said.

"I'll talk to her. To both of them. I promise," Marilyn assured her. She felt relieved when Mac let her hug her goodbye.

******Neptune Memorial Hospital******

Eli made it back to Neptune before three in the afternoon to see Jazmin. He started to go into her room when Jason came out.

"Wait, Eli. We need to talk," Jason said, blocking his way.

"I have nothing to say to you," Eli said grimly.

"Well, I have something to say to you. Jazmin told us what happened to her, and since you weren't here to hear it, I don't want her to have to repeat it," Jason said. "Let's go in the lounge, so I can fill you in."

Eli followed him and sat down in a chair to listen to what Jason had to say. He listened without interrupting. He felt the rage he'd experienced earlier build within him as Jason's tale unfolded.

"She said she was so afraid for us, that we'd try to get vengeance or that he'd kill us, that she kept silent. She was afraid also that Dad would make her leave Neptune permanently," Jason said at the end.

Eli had heard enough. He stood without comment and went directly to Jazmin's room. She looked up in surprise at his sudden appearance. Joy and apprehension both appeared on her face as she looked at him. When he didn't say anything but simply looked at her, she frowned. "Eli?"

He moved closer until he could reach out and touch her. "So it was better for me to think you cheated on me? That was your solution?" he asked, unwilling to let her completely off the hook. The thought of her betraying him had hurt him to his core. Nothing in his entire life had ever wounded as much.

"I'm so sorry," she said with regret. Her eyes filled with tears. "I really am. Please tell me that I haven't ruined things. I know I made a mess of everything. Please forgive me!"

Eli reached out for her hand. His other hand went to the top of her head. He stroked her hair gently. "I will never stop loving you," he told her. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I need for you to focus on getting better, not worry about me or us. You and I will work things out when you're feeling stronger."

She smiled in relief. She had been so afraid that she'd lost him forever. "Dad wants me to go home for the rest of the semester. There's only a few weeks of classes left," she shared.

"That's probably a good idea. You need time away. You'll feel better. It'll be good for you," Eli said.

"I'll miss you. Do you think you could come spend Christmas with me?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll try. It depends on work. Nico will probably want to go home to Chicago, too," Eli said. "You'll come in for V's wedding on New Year's Eve though, right?"

She nodded. "We'll ring in the new year together for sure," Eli told her. He kissed her again.

******Later in the Afternoon******

Duncan finished his last class and was about to head to the parking lot when he spotted Parker sitting alone on a bench. He walked toward her and saw she was obviously upset.

"Hey, Parker," he called out. When she looked up, he could see she'd been crying. He sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"I just got off the phone with Mac. Jazmin was raped and physically assaulted by David, Wallace's roommate, in Wallace's room a few weeks ago," Parker shared.

"What?" Duncan asked in disbelief.

Parker filled him in on the details Mac had given her. "I just can't believe I, of all people, was so oblivious to what she was going through. I was raped and assaulted myself my freshmen year. I should've sensed something," Parker said, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Jazmin's really private. We dated for a few months before she told me about her father's notorious connections. I'm sure her brother didn't know either about what David did to her," Duncan said, trying to make her feel better. "I wish she'd told someone, though. She has a lot of people that care about her."

"You know after my rape, I joined a support group for rape victims. I was amazed to find out how few of the victims even reported their crime. There were even a few girls there who never told a single person in their life, only the other women in the group," Parker shared.

"Did Veronica ever give you details about her own experience?" Duncan asked.

"She told me she was drugged and raped, but she didn't remember anything," Parker said.

"Well, at that party, Logan slipped GHB in my drink, too, in a twisted ploy to get me to loosen up. It wasn't just Dick's brother who slept with her that night. I did, too," Duncan revealed.

"What? You assaulted Veronica?" Parker asked in horror.

"No!" Duncan exclaimed equally horrified at her conclusion. "She was in a room alone. I was checking on her, and she kissed me. She told me that she missed me. I wasn't thinking about anything, but how much I loved her and there she was. It seemed so natural and easy. She seemed to want me, too. When she didn't mention anything to me about it the next time I saw her, I just thought she wanted to forget it. I didn't realize she'd been drugged. When I found out she had no memory of the event and believed she'd been raped, I was shocked. It had sickened me that I'd slept with a girl I thought was my sister. But to know she felt violated, devastated me. It wasn't until we got back together that I knew she'd forgiven me, and she didn't feel I had victimized her. As a father of a little girl, rape seems a particularly horrible crime. I hate that Veronica's first time was so awful, but I'm sort of glad she doesn't remember."

Parker felt touched that he'd share something so personal with her. Something that did not put him in the best light. "Not remembering is both a blessing and a curse. Some days not knowing who had raped me made me fearful of every man I came in contact with. I didn't know who to trust. It was not a good way to live. I'm sure Veronica felt the same way," Parker said. She wiped her eyes. She felt better talking to someone about this.

Duncan reached for her hand, wanting to comfort her. However, his touch didn't bring comfort. Instead, an awareness sprung up between them. Their eyes locked as they silently gazed at one another. Finally, Duncan spoke, "Are you really satisfied with Piz?" He knew he shouldn't ask, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

Parker struggled a moment with her reply. His eyes held both love and longing. It wasn't easy to resist, especially when she wasn't indifferent to him. She nodded. "He's going home with me for Thanksgiving to meet my family," she shared.

Duncan let go of her hand. "Okay. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving," he said politely. He got up and walked away.

Piz was heading to Wallace's dorm room to help him move out and spotted Duncan getting up from the bench Parker was sitting on. He wasn't happy to see them together. Duncan had been sitting really close to her before he got up. He walked to her and sat down on the bench. "Hey. What's going on?" he asked.

"Too much," she said warily.

"Why were you looking so chummy with Duncan?" Piz asked, clearly unhappy.

Parker looked up at him in surprise. He wasn't the jealous type, so his question caught her off guard. However, she looked him in the eye and answered honestly. "He saw that I was upset after talking on my phone to Mac. Jazmin was raped by David. Our suspicions were true," she shared. "Duncan was just seeing if I was okay."

"I hope that was all," Piz said. "I don't mean to sound like a jerk or uncaring about what happened to Jazmin. I just don't want to lose you."

She reached out for his hand. "I wouldn't have invited you to spend Thanksgiving with me and my family if I didn't want to be with you," she told him.

Piz was reassured. "Good 'cause I'm really excited to meet your family," he said with a smile.

Parker hugged him and tried to ignore the guilt she felt over her inner turmoil.

******Later that Evening******

Daisy opened her dorm room and smiled to see Jason. "Hey, handsome!" she said, rising up on her toes to kiss him. His lack of response caused her to pull back and look at him in puzzlement. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Daisy, but we need to talk," he said, a haunted look in his eyes.

"Is it your sister? Is she okay? I thought she was doing better?" Daisy asked in concern.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her down on her bed next to him. He turned and faced her. "She's okay. She's talking, so that's good. Eli is with her. Dad's going to take her home tomorrow. I'll be going with them for Thanksgiving," Jason shared.

"I figured," Daisy said with a shrug. She could tell that something else was wrong and waited for him to tell her.

"Daisy, when I get back, I think we should see less of each other," he said carefully.

"What do you mean?" she asked, not wanting to believe where this was leading.

"I need to spend more time on my schoolwork. My grades are slipping. You and I have been spending so much time together that I've neglected other things," Jason said.

Daisy was stunned and looked at him in disbelief. "You're breaking up with me?" she asked in amazement. She cursed herself for a fool. She hadn't seen this coming. How did she let herself be caught so unaware? "This is about your sister and your father—not your schoolwork. Veronica told me about that ugly scene with your dad. He doesn't want you to be with me until his perfect daughter is married off. I can't believe you're just going to go along with that!" Her anger quickly replaced her disbelief.

"This isn't about my dad. It's about me. I failed my sister. She almost died, and I didn't even notice she was upset! Eli tried to tell me. He really did. I was too wrapped up in you," he admitted. He was never going to forgive himself for failing her yet again.

"Shame on you for being so busy falling in love," she said bitterly. "Unless that was just a line you used to get me in the sack?"

"Of course not! I care about you. I've never felt like this about a woman. Surely, you know that," he said. He reached for her hand.

"Your dad all but ordered you to break up with me. I know it. Veronica told me, but I wasn't even concerned. I had no clue that you were such a spineless coward!" she spit out, pulling her hand away from him in disgust and growing anger.

"My dad isn't making me do anything," Jason denied. "This is what's best for me."

She looked at him with anger and hurt in her eyes. "What about me? You said you loved me. You said you were serious. You said you wouldn't hurt me. You promised me!" she reminded him bitterly.

Jason looked away, feeling even worse than he'd felt after realizing what he needed to do. He wanted to pull her close and beg her forgiveness for putting her through this. An image of his sister lying so still in the hospital bed came into his mind. He steeled his resolve. "I do love you, Daisy. I have never loved a woman the way I love you. You're all I can think about. That's the problem. I need to focus on other things for a while."

"Jazmin?" Daisy asked pointedly.

Jason nodded. "Yes, she needs me right now," he admitted.

Daisy gave a bitter laugh. "I don't know why I'm so surprised," she said. Then she took a deep breath and pushed aside her hurt. She got up and faced him. Before he could get up from her bed, she pulled back and slapped him hard across the face. "I will never forgive you for this! You made me love you. You made me trust you, and now you're just going to walk away from me, from us, because I don't matter," she said angrily.

He got up. "You do!" he exclaimed.

"Stop! Not another word! You don't have the right to say another damn word to me!" she said with cold rage. "If you want to stay away from me and wait on your sister hand and foot like she's some helpless doll, that's your right. Your family has some serious issues, by the way. What happened to her was horrible, and I feel bad for her. But life is hard and bad things happen. If you don't love me enough to make room in your life for me, it's your loss. I damn well am not going to wait around for you, so get the hell out!"

Jason was taken aback by her anger. "Daisy, please, calm down! I don't want it to be like this between us. You do matter to me! I don't mean to hurt you," he said, trying to get her to understand and feeling helpless at his incompetence.

"Didn't mean to hurt me? You've got to be kidding!" she exclaimed in disbelief. Suddenly, the sight of his concern made her enraged. She pushed him hard. "Get out! Get out! Get out! I don't want to see you! I don't want to talk to you! Get out!" Angry tears fell down at each word she uttered. She hated that she couldn't stop the tears. Feeling vulnerable made her even angrier. She turned away and her eyes fell on her dictionary on her desk. She picked it up and threw it at him. He ducked, and it fell to the ground in a loud thud.

"Daisy! Please stop! I'm sorry!" he said helplessly.

"Get. The. Hell. Away. From. Me," she bit out slowly, her eyes glittered with rage and unshed tears.

Jason finally gave up and with one last regretful look turned and walked out of her room.

Daisy locked the door behind him. She turned and leaned against the door a moment, trying desperately to catch her breath. It was like all the oxygen had gone out of the room. Her chest heaved. She just couldn't believe he'd dumped her so easily. The anger that had filled her just moments before left. Sobs wracked her body as she threw herself on her bed and cried.

******Chapter End*******

I know you're probably hating Jason right now, but I hope you're not too surprised by this. I hope you saw it coming. Comfort yourself with the thought that she'll make him pay for it.