Danny was the only one who truly knew how bad Linda's parents were. He was the only one who excepted it- Wendy and Jimmy denied it, and the Reagans didn't know. And Linda intended to keep it that way.

But somehow her parents had come up in conversation one night at the Reagan dinner table. She tried so hard to get out of that conversation, and Danny had tried so hard to change subjects. That was the night Linda learned Frank and Henry couldn't let topics drop.

"So where are your parents?" Henry asked, buttering his bread.

"Where are they?" Linda wondered, bringing her hands to her lap. She was prepared to dig her nails into her palms, or jam a charm dangling from her bracelet into her palm.

"You never talk about them. So where are they?"

She swallowed, "they're busy with their jobs."

"What do they do?" Frank wondered.

"Mar—om, Mom," she fumbled and smiled awkwardly. Her voice was breathier suddenly, "Mom has two jobs, a hairdresser and a waitress in the evenings. And Dad's a xerox salesman. He... travels a lot."

"What's he like?"

"Um... Eager," she said slowly, wishing this conversation would end.

Danny noticed her hand rub her arm where a dark ugly bruise hid under her long sleeves. "Hey, Erin, wasn't Tracey Laurent's Dad a computer salesman?"

"Who the hell is Tracey Laurent?" Erin looked up from her vegetables, only to be scolded by Mary for the language.

Danny described the imaginary Tracey, confusing everyone with each detail.

"That kinda sounds like Marianne Romano," Joe suggested, using his fork for gestures.

"Marianne Romano? No," Danny tried to deflect again, but Henry interrupted.

"Did you hurt yourself, Linda?"

She didn't realize she was rubbing her arm so intently. "Huh?"

"You keep touching your arm."

"Oh, um... I.. ran into the.. door," even she realized how lame it sounded.

"Why would you run into a door?" Jamie wanted to know.

She closed her eyes, balling her hands into fists. She suddenly wished she didn't rip off all her nails. "I wasn't paying attention."

Danny noticed her took her flower pendant in her fingers and moved it across her gold chain. A nervous tick, perhaps?

He missed the next few pieces of dialogue, and only tuned back in again to hear his father speak. He wished he didn't hear that.

"Whatever beef you have with your father, you need to fix it," Frank told Linda, and Mary hissed his name.

"Why?" Linda blurted, forgetting she wasn't supposed to have beef with her father.

"Because he's family."

Family doesn't hit you. Family doesn't push you into counters. Family doesn't punch you. Family doesn't punish you for over-cooking the damn steak.

Linda looked directly at Mary, "Mrs. Reagan? Can I be excused? I have a headache that is progressively getting worse."

"Of course. Do you need to lie down?"

"You can use my room," Danny offered, knowing she'd be more comfortable there.

"Thank you," she stood up, taking her plate. "Where should I put my plate?"

"Just on the counter, dear. The kids will take care of it," Mary smiled politely and sympathetically.

"We're not kids, Mom!" Erin protested.

Linda left her plate on the counter and prayed her rubbing feet didn't thump through the house.

"You can't hit me," Linda told Tony in a rare bout of courage and anger.

"Sure I can! Unless you got yourself knocked up, slut!" He hit her across the face again.

"You can't hit me when I've done nothing wrong!"

"I'm your father! I'll do as I damn well please!" He balled his fist and hit her shoulder.

"Real fathers don't hit their daughters!" She backed away, creating more distance between them. "You're not my father. You're a monster! An abusive monster!"

Tony threw the bottle of whiskey at her, and she narrowly missed it. "Did you just dodge that?"

Suddenly, her bravery was gone. She shook her head, "no."

"Don't lie to me! You f***ing dodged that!" He stormed over to her and grabbed her wrist. She struggled to free herself as he dragged her to the kitchen table. He sat in a chair and yanked her over his lap.

Linda squirmed, trying to get away, which only made Tony angrier. She felt herself lunge forward, and pain exploded behind her eyes. What had her head hit—the table edge? But her headache was soon forgotten, as Tony started to spank her.

He lifted her skirt up past her bum, "you are a slut! Look at you- not wearing any underwear. You know I don't allow that sort of thing."

She didn't even realize when she started to cry. It all became a blur, until something hard and cold hit her sore bottom. She couldn't see what it was, but it hurt like the dickens.

"Stop! Stop please!"

"Linda."

"I- I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Linda, wake up."

Someone was shaking her now. She didn't know who it was, "Stop!"

"Linda, wake up. You're dreaming."

She jerked awake violently, narrowly missing kicking Danny's leg. She laid there frozen, her heart pounding widely as her tears came.

"Are you okay?" Danny sat on the bed, and was surprised when she launched herself at him. She held on so tightly to him as she shook with sobs.

Once her tears had stopped, she was aware enough to pull back. Her cheeks flushed, knowing she got tears and snot and probably spit on Danny's shirt. She sniffed, "sorry."

He pushed her hair behind her ear, a habit that was quickly forming. "It's okay. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

He spoke after a few awkward seconds, "sounded like a pretty intense dream."

"Yeah," she scoffed, looking away from him in the dim light.

"What was it? If you don't mind me asking."

"I mind," she said, her tone short. She didn't apologize for snapping, like she usually did. She sniffed, "I guess I ought to head home."

"Can I drive you home?"

She nodded, "yeah... Do you have any sinus pills?"

Danny pulled up to Linda's house, but she made no effort to get out. "Sorry about my Dad. I don't think he knows not everyone's family is good like his."

"It's okay," she said, even though it wasn't.

"Is it though?"

She looked at him, and for a few moments, just got lost in his hazel eyes. Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed him. She wanted to climb into his lap and just attach herself to him like a koala to a branch. She couldn't do that, so she pulled back before she did something stupid.

"Will you be okay?" Danny wondered, a little breathless.

She nodded, "I will be now."

Now she can dream of him and his kisses, and not of her so called father and his whiskey.

"Linda-"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Danny." She kissed him once more before exiting the vehicle.

He watched her run up the pathway and up the stairs. She paused to wave at him before ducking inside. "I wish you would let me help you," he sighed, pulling away from her home.