“Where is J.R.?” Debbie was losing her mind with worry.

For the last few months Lindsay had told everyone that J.R. was with Mel. Now they all knew that wasn’t true. They had no idea where she was. Lindsay was now in a coma from her suicide attempt. She had been lying to Debbie for ages, but she had believed the lies. They had no reason to disbelieve her. Now Jenny Rebecca was missing and everyone was going crazy.

“Calm down, love. We have everyone looking for her. I’ve called Melanie’s mother to make sure none of her family has her. They don’t. I don’t believe Lindsay would have hurt her own daughter.”

“The Lindsay I knew wouldn’t have killed Melanie either. Oh, god. Carl where is my baby?”

“I wish I knew. Brian is flying to California in the morning. Hopefully by the time she wakes up, he’ll be there. The police there said they would allow him to talk to her. And she’s got that lawyer you hired.”

“I only hired the lawyer when I thought it wasn’t Mel. I thought she was off with Jenny Rebecca, away from all this craziness. What if she hurt my baby?”

“Don’t think like that.”

Justin couldn’t make himself get out of bed. He tried to talk himself out of it but it was useless. Brian was gone to see Lindsay. Debbie and Carl were looking for J.R. Emmett was trying to be there for Erik and Ted. That left Justin alone with three children and the will to do nothing. Before Brian left he had placed Marissa on the bed with him. He could hear the boys playing in the living room. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her there again, wrapped in that rug. How could Lindsay do that to her? He didn’t want to believe it when Brian told him that she confessed to Carl before taking the pills.

“Pa, I’m hungry,” Tommy whined as he climbed on the end of Brian’s bed.

“Didn’t Daddy just feed you before he left?”

“That was hours ago,” Gus said from the doorway.

Looking at his clock, he saw they were right. Brian had fed all three kids before he left at noon. It was past seven now. Marissa had been sleeping since he left. Guilt ate at him at that moment. Brian was the pregnant one, he was Lindsay’s friend. All this stuff was piling on Brian, and Justin was the one falling apart. Sure, the scene was horrible. Finding her body was terrifying but it was no excuse to neglect the kids. More guilt ate at him when he wondered where Jenny Rebecca was. He had only met her a few times but she was a lovely baby. What was going on with the world?

“What do you two what for dinner?” he asked as he stood up out of bed. It was a mistake because it reminded him how much he needed to use the restroom. “You two watch the baby while I run to the restroom.”

He ran to the restroom quickly to relieve his bladder. Just as he was washing his hands he heard a thump and loud wail.

Back in the bedroom both boys were standing over the baby, who was now on the hard wood floor. He grabbed her off the ground and started looking for injuries, he couldn’t find any. She was still wailing loudly. He was worried her head had hit the floor or a bone broke in the fall. “I asked you to watch her.”

“We did. We watched her rollover and fall on the floor,” Tommy said innocently. He knew it wasn’t their fault, it was his. He should have put her in her crib before going to the restroom.

“Let’s go, we have to go to the hospital,” he said, slipping on his shoes. He was still in his night clothes but he couldn’t wait.

Justin made the boys grab their shoes on their way out. He had the boys put their shoes on in the car. The baby cried the whole trip, for that he was glad because he knew she was breathing.

As he pulled into the emergency room parking lot, he was freaking out. The boys followed him as he practically ran for the entrance. He ran up to the intake nurse, looking back making sure both boys were still with him.

“Excuse me, my daughter fell off the bed. She hasn’t stopped screaming since. I just left her for a minute. I don’t know if she hit her head. Please.”

“Alright, sir, please take a seat. Someone will be out in a minute.”

It felt like forever for the nurse to come out. She took Marissa, when he went to follow he was stopped. “I’m sorry, sir. But if they’re not patients they can’t go in.” Pointing to the boys.

“But my daughter is in there. I have to be with her.”

“Maybe you can call a family member or friend to watch them.”

“I don’t have anyone,” he said sadly.

They had moved Ted and the kids to a hospital that specialized in neonatal. That meant there was no one in this hospital or near it. He only had one option. He was still on a shaky Sunday phone calls and a lunch once or twice.

“Can I use the phone? I didn’t bring mine.” He hadn’t even thought of it.

“Sure, hon.”

Justin prayed he got the number right. He always made it common practice to remember people’s numbers.

The call was answered on the third ring. “Hello.”

“Mom.”

“Justin, what a lovely surprise. I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“Can you come to Alleghany General? Marissa fell off the bed, I have the boys with me. Please?”

“Of course, dear. I’m on my way right now.”

“Thanks.”

As he waited, he filled out paperwork for the intake nurse. The boys eating candy one of the receptionist gave them. Just before he finished, he saw something that scared him. Two cops and a man in khakis and a pinstriped shirted walked in. After talking to the nurse, she pointed to him.

“Excuse me. Mr. Taylor? We need to ask you a few questions.”

Brian sat in the uncomfortable chair beside Lindsay’s bed. She was still in her coma. They didn’t know if she would wake up. It was a damned epidemic. First Ted’s coma, then Justin now Lindsay. What the fuck? Why couldn’t they just wake up when they were yelled at?

“Linds, what the hell did you do? I know Mel was a pill but really what the fuck? And where is Jenny Rebecca?” Her silent form answered no questions.

It was going to be a long night. Just as he flipped through the tv stations, ignoring the cops guarding her door, his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number.

“What?” he snapped at whoever was calling.

“Mr. Kinney?” a harsh male voice asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m Officer Trevor Logan. We’ve arrested the father of one Marissa Taylor for child neglect. He was in presence of two other minor children. Gus Marcus-Peterson and Thomas Kinney. I was told by Mr. Taylor that you are the father of the two minor boys.”

“Yes, I am. Where are they?”

“Thomas Kinney was allowed to go home with Jennifer Taylor, but because she has no relation to Gus, we couldn’t let her take him.”

“Who are you? Call Detective Carl Horvath, I give my permission for him to take Gus.”

“I’m sorry sir, but we tried to call you before. When you didn’t answer, we contacted the boy’s grandparents. They picked him up a few hours ago.”

For once is his life he hoped that his drunk mother had his child. If she had him, it would be easy to get him back. “Who, my mother?”

“I’m sorry, we tried her first but reached Mr. and Mrs. Peterson.”

“Fuck! Where is Justin?”

“Mr. Taylor is being kept until he goes before the judge. That could be as late as Tuesday.”

This wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be happening. “What a minute, you said this was a child neglect charge because of Marissa. Where is Marissa?”

“I’m sorry I can’t give out that information. Only the information about your children.”

“The fuck you can’t.” He hung up the phone and quickly dialed Carl.

Debbie was cooking, it always took her mind off things. Her nerves were so jittery she almost dropped the alfredo sauce. Carl was due at any moment. He had taken personal time off looking for Jenny Rebecca. That morning he had even gone to see if Lindsay left her with her parents. It was a long shot but they said they hadn’t seen Lindsay in months. When Carl asked them if they were going over to help Lindsay, they just said she made her bed she could lie in it.

The time for Carl to be home came and went. One hour became two. She put the food up a while back. His phone was going straight to voicemail. Terrible things started to run through her head. Things like him finding Jenny Rebecca but she wasn’t alive. She couldn’t bear the thought. How would she tell Michael? He was finally getting healthy again, David was sending positive news every week.

Her wall phone rang, bringing her out of her bad thoughts.

“Carl?” she asked, worriedly.

“No, it’s me.”

“Brian, how is Lindsay? Did she wake up? Did she tell you where Jenny Rebecca is?”

“No. I’m at the airport, Lindsay is the least of my concerns. I was called earlier; Justin’s been arrested for child neglect. Marissa is in the hospital. Justin’s mom has Tommy but it seems Lindsay’s parents have Gus. I need to get Gus from them, I don’t expect any trouble from Justin’s mom. In fact, I already called her. But Lindsay’s parents told me that they were suing for custody. I sent Carl over there because he is in my sole custody. I haven’t heard from him though; his phone keeps going to voicemail. The first flight isn’t until tomorrow morning. I need to find out what’s going on.”

This wasn’t what she was expecting. What was going on with the world? Michael losing his sanity. Lindsay killing Melanie. Justin arrested for child neglect. Teddy’s babies were sick, and they didn’t know if little Carlotta would make it. Everything had just gone to hell.

Keys rattled in the lock before the door opened. Debbie watched as Gus walked through. Her heart leapt in her throat when Carl walked in, holding Jenny Rebecca. Not wasting a moment, she pulled her granddaughter into her arms, smothering her with kisses.

“I’m hungry,” Gus said, opening her refrigerator. Much like his father when he was young, she had an open fridge policy. Most of the time eating at her house was the only time he would eat if it wasn’t a school day.

“I’ll make you something warm,” she told them all.

“You don’t have to, dear,” Carl started to say.

“Of course I do. My baby is home, and so is my Gussy.” She then noticed the phone hanging limply from the wall. “Oh, Brian was on the phone.” Grabbing it she picked it back up. “Brian are you still there?”

“Yes, did I hear Gus?”

“Yes, Carl just came back with Gus and Jenny Rebecca.”

“Jenny Rebecca, how?”

“I don’t know, let me talk to Carl then I will call you back.”

Carl held Jenny Rebecca while she warmed up dinner. She was glad she made so much because Gus ate two heaping helpings.

“Is Rissa okay?” Gus asked.

“Yes, Marissa is just fine. She has bump on her head but the doctor says she’ll be perfectly fine. Tommy’s grandmother is bringing him over tomorrow and then she’ll go to the hospital. Your dad is on his way back from his trip, he’ll be back tomorrow too.”

“Where did he go? Is mommy still sick?”

That surprised both of them. No one had told him about his mothers. “Who told you that your mommy was sick?”

“Mommy’s mommy. She said that she was sick, that’s why she married mama. Then that sickness got worse and she killed mama. I told them it’s okay though. Mama and mommy always fight, but they make up and we get ice cream.”

“I’m sorry baby, your mama isn’t come back home,” Deb said sadly.

“Deb, shouldn’t we wait for Brian?”

“He had his chance, Gus has the right to know.”

“’Cause mama fell down the stairs.”

They froze, they had assumed Gus was asleep or at Brian’s when Lindsay killed Mel.

“What do you mean?” Carl asked gently.

“Mama and Mommy were fighting, Mama turned to go down the stairs, but Mommy pushed her. I got scared because Mama screamed but then got real quiet. Dad came the next day, Mommy said that Mama left. But she wouldn’t, she was taking me and J.R. with her.”

Debbie gasped. “Carl, where did you find Jenny Rebecca?”

“She was at the Petersons. It seems that after Mel’s accident, she took Jenny over to her parents. They had their maid taking care of her. I was able to get it out of them that she had confessed what she had done. They told her to try and work it would with Sam. I don’t know what they were planning to do with Jenny, but it was clear they weren’t keeping her. I wouldn’t have known at all if Gus hadn’t seen her. When I got, him he told me about her.”

Tears started to fall down her face. She had been blind when it came to her son’s faults but this? It was insane.

“What about Sunshine?” she asked suddenly.

“I can’t do anything. It would be tampering with an investigation. Brian is going to get him a lawyer when he gets in.”

It felt like the world was topsy-turvy. What would tomorrow bring?