Author's Note: Okay, so I know the prologue is vague, but this should help answer some questions. I hope you enjoy it. Read and review please.

Chapter One

As Harley pulled into his parking space, he looked over at the girl sitting next to him. Her face remained as stony as it had been the entire drive.

"Well, this is it. My practice." She was silent, "I mean, I share it with Dr. Breeland. Brick. He's a nice man. A little stubborn, and sometimes a bit egotistical, but a good man all the same, and if I am honest, he's earned some of that ego he has." Harley chuckled. The girl did not move. "Well, here we go then. I just have to get a few things sorted out here, and then we'll head home."

The girl nodded. The vacant look in her eyes implied she was not listening, but she unbuckled her seatbelt, got out on her side of the car, and followed Harley into the building.

Brick was already there.

"Brick, hi. This is Zoe."

Brick turned and smiled at the young girl.

"Ah. The famous Zoe. Well, aren't you just lovely. I'm Dr. Breeland. Don't believe a word this old geezer has told you about me. None of it is true." He chuckled to himself and held out a hand to Zoe. She didn't take it.

Harley looked at his partner apologetically, "Sorry, it's just-"

Brick held up his hand, "I understand." He smiled at Zoe. It was a smile that combined compassion and a little bit of pity, "So, Zoe. Your father here tells me you want to be a heart surgeon. That's ambitious." Zoe nodded. "Well, if you're interested, I have some medical journals here you can peruse." Zoe nodded again, and Brick lead her behind the desk. He pointed out the magazines. She stared at them, but she did not pick one up.

"Zoe," Harley said. She turned slightly, to acknowledge she had heard him, but her expression did not change, "This is Mrs. Hattenbarger. She's my secretary, and practically family. If you get hungry or thirsty, or need anything, just let her know, all right. I won't be more than a half-hour tops, I promise."

Zoe nodded again to show she understood. Harley and Brick both left the room, leaving Zoe and Mrs. Hattenbarger to stare at one another.

"Would you like something? Tea, or a soda maybe?"

Mrs. Hattenbarger's heart was in the right place, but her voice oozed with pity. Zoe only shook her head, and went back to staring at the magazines.

About twenty minutes later, a few minutes after Mrs. Hattenbarger had excused herself to use the restroom, a boy walked in. He looked around Zoe's age.

The first thing he did was look around. When he saw her standing behind the desk, he figured she was some high school girl working as a part time secretary for some extra cash. He could see Harley helping out a kid who needed it.

"Hey," he said, flashing her an annoyingly arrogant smile, "Dr. Wilkes or Dr. Breeland around?"

The girl didn't so much as look at him. That was not the response he usually got from girls, so naturally, it bugged him. He decided to try again and walked around behind the counter.

"Believe I asked you a question darlin'?"

She still did not look up. He took a good look at her. She had a good body; that was for sure. She was decently developed for a fourteen-year-old, had silky chocolate brown hair, big, deep chocolate brown pools for eyes, and full, sweet-looking, light-red lips. He was not sure whether the fact that she was attractive made him more agitated by her indifference to him, but he knew it did not help. However, she seemed to have stiffened as he had been checking her out, as though she had been aware somebody was watching her. That was a good sign.

He got closer to her, invading her personal space. She sidestepped him, "Well, that's progress I 'spose. Gotta tell you, I was startin' to think you were a mirage. A hot one, but I have been known to have an active imagination. Course, if you were a mirage, tits'd probably be a bit more Pamela Anderson-like."

There is no one word for the look she gave him. It was offended, disgusted, patronizing, annoyed, and completely mystified that a person so callous and crude could actually exist.

He was not offended by the look however. In fact, he was just glad to be getting a reaction. A negative reaction was better than nothing. He had learned that a long time ago.

He got close to her again and stuck out his hand, "I'm-"

Before he could introduce himself, she had slapped him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she shrieked.

Looking down, he realized that his outstretched hand had been extremely close to her chest. He supposed his actions might have been misinterpreted.

"Hey listen, I didn't mean-"

"I don't care what you meant, or who you are. But if you ever come near me again-"

"Hey, I'm sorry okay. It was an accident. Geez!"

"Accident! What kind of psychopathic hick are you? How dumb do you have to be to accidentally grab for a girl's boob? What, have you just never been close enough to a girl to know what one looks like in real life, or are you too stupid to measure distance for some reason?"

"Hey! First of all, I know my way around a lady. In fact, I know my way around more ladies than most guys four years older than me. Second, when somebody tries to apologize, it's polite to hear 'em out, not cut 'em off and call 'em psycho. Third, I don't know what stuck up city you're from, but wherever the hell it is, it don't make you better than anyone you're royal highness would wrongfully call a hick."

"I don't need a lecture on what's polite from somebody who ogles a complete stranger, invade her personal space, and insults her development. Also, the word is them, not 'em and it's starting, not startin'."

"Oh, well excuse me, your highness, didn't mean to offend you with my hick lingo."

"You have no clue what hell I've been through!"

"We all got problems princess."

"Well, I hope yours involve sexually transmitted diseases." She walked around him, out from behind the counter, and out the door.

A couple minutes later, Harley came out of his office.

"Hey Dr. Wilkes." The boy greeted.

"Wade." Harley said, nodding to acknowledge the boys presence. "What can I do…" he trailed off, "Um, listen did you happen to see a brunette, 'bout your age in here."

"What that sassy stuck up bitch who just stormed out."

Harley crossed his arms, "Excuse me?"

Wade could tell he had said something wrong, "Listen, sir. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. But the stuff she was sayin' to me. The assumptions she was makin'-"

"Wait, wait wait -" Harley interrupted, putting his hand up, "Are you saying she talked to you."

"Yelled at more like."

"But … she spoke?"

"Yeah, so?"

"It's just, she hasn't spoken since I met her. Not on the drive, or the bus ride, or the plane ride. Not in the police station, or the hospital, or the judges office. Not a word. And according to social services, she hasn't spoken to anybody else either."

"Social services?"

"Listen son, I don't know why she talked to you, but, that girl has recently become very important to me, and she's been through a lot. She'll be startin' at your school soon. I know it's a little strange to ask, but … any chance you could keep and eye on her for me?"

Wade was confused, but he felt himself nodding.

"I should go find her."

"No, let me," Wade heard himself say. "I'll bring her back here. Safe and sound. Promise."

Before Harley could protest, or even respond, Wade was out the door.

When he caught up to her, she was just sitting in the middle of the dirt road, "You know this is a road right?"

She looked up at him, then scoffed, and looked back down.

"Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot, okay? So, let's start over. I'm Wade. Wade Kinsella." She didn't respond, "And you are…?" still nothing, "You know, you're makin' it really hard to be nice to ya." She just shrugged, "C'mon, back in there, we had a dialogue goin'. Granted, it was full of unfounded accusations, but it was there."

"Unfounded accusations?" She asked angrily.

"There she is. Ass like an angel, tongue like a snake."

"What like an angel?"

"Don't tell me you can't say ass. C'mon, all city bitches swear."

"This is your idea of starting over?"

"Ah, so you were listening." She looked back down, "C'mon, give me something here. I came all the way out here to apologize and make sure you were okay, and considering I was not the only rude person in there, I think that is pretty big of me. 'Course, big is the only way I do things."

She gave him that look again. Then she looked back down. Just when he was certain she had gone mute again and was about to try and provoke her, she whispered, "Zoe."

"What?"

"My name. It's Zoe."

He smiled, "Oh, nice to meet you Zoe. Now, I'm gonna lift my hand to shake yours. I am not going for your breasts."

He gave her his hand, and she shook it. Her hand was so small and soft. It completely disappeared in his hand. Still there were a few calluses there. He wondered where they came from.

"So what's the deal with the silent routine?" she shrugged, "I mean, at first, I thought it was just me, but then Dr. Wilkes said-"

"You spoke to him about me?"

"Uh, yeah."

"What did he tell you?"

"Just that you had been pullin' a Marcel Marceau since you two met, and somethin' about social services."

Something flickered past her eyes. Wade saw it, but didn't ask about it. He just said, "He wanted me to bring you back."

"Oh. So you didn't come to apologize."

"I came and I didn't have to. Take what you can get. Now c'mon."

"I can find my own way back."

"Fine, but don't come crying to me if you get lost."

Zoe couldn't sleep. She just kept staring up at the ceiling, replaying everything. The car accident. The squealing of the wheels. Her mom screaming. Her dad trying so hard to get out of the way in time. Waking up in the hospital. Hearing the doctors tell her that her parents had not made it. Not allowing herself to cry. Hearing her parents will. Finding out that her mom had had an affair with a man named Harley Wilkes while engaged to her father. Finding out that this Harley was her real father. Finding out that she was supposed to go and live with him. She could hear the walls of her world cracking. The bees were buzzing in her ears again. Her vision was swimming. Her heartbeat was the only reason she was sure she had not died with them, but oh, how she wished she had. She would never say that to anyone. She felt tears welling up, but fought them back. She may no longer have parents. Her mother may have been a liar, and her father may not have been her father, she may not be a Wilkes, or a Hart, but one thing Zoe knew for sure was that she was strong. She would not cry. She would not break down. She couldn't. The wall she had put up was the only one she had left.