Part 1

Abby moves the needle back to the beginning of the record. "Want to dance?"

"Sure do." They start dancing.

Mary suddenly comes home from her Dancing date. Her Date carries her to the door and she finds the door is lock. ~Oh great, I am spoiling their evening.~  She rings the door bell.

Abby groans. "Whoever it is, Tom, get rid of him."

Tom opens the door. "Mary what happened?"

"Dad I am sorry, I sprained my ankle on the dance floor. Oh by the way this is Charlie. Charlie this is my dad."

"Hello Mr. Bradford, I am a big fan of your column."

"Hi Charlie, and it's ok honey. Charlie can you carry her inside. I'll call Max."

"Dad, don't It is just a sprain. I'll just go upstairs and leave you and Abby alone."

"What if it's more than a sprain." He goes to call Max.

"Mary, being accepted into medical school doesn't make you a doctor," Abby says. "Let us call Max."

Mary resigns to the fact that they are going to call Max "Ok, but it isn't really necessary." Meanwhile Charlie says "Where do you want her?"

"The couch in the living room." Tom says.

Charlie puts her on the couch.

Mary says "Thanks Charlie, sorry about tonight."

"That's ok besides I wouldn't have wanted to dance the funky chicken with anyone else but you."

Mary laughs. Charlie then says "I'll call you tomorrow OK?

Mary nods and then he leaves.

Meanwhile at the NA party. Nancy's sponsor is checking his watch and checking outside every few minutes wondering why she hasn't shown up yet. He considers calling her house to see if she's left yet but decides to give her a few minutes.

After Tom calls Dr. Max the telephone rings again.

Joannie sobs and tells her father. "The car broke down. Why'd you make me take the sedan?"

~Oh no.~ "Honey where are you I'll come get you and take you to your party."

"The corner of Oak and J," Joannie tells him. "But what car are you going to use? Didn't Susan take the station wagon?"

"Hold on honey." He turns to Abby. "Can I borrow your car?"

"Sure, why not?" Abby sighs. "Just try to bring it back in one piece."

"Will do, I'm sorry honey." He kisses her and then leaves to go and get Joannie. Soon after he leaves the telephone rings again.

Nicholas suddenly comes thru the door with his bag. "Hi."

Abby sighs, waves at Nicholas, and picks up the phone.

"Hey Abby, my ride's car broke down, can you call my sponsor he's at the meeting and ask him to pick us up." Nancy asks.

"Oh, um, sure. Just give me the number. You two OK?"

"Yeah we're ok. Sorry about this." She gives her the number and also her location.

"Really, it's no problem," Abby says. "I'll call him now."

"Thank you." She and Abby hang up. "Help is on the way." She tells her ride.

"That's a relief." He glares at his car.

Nicholas sees Mary on the couch.

"Hey what happened to you?"

"I just sprained my ankle, what are you doing home?" Mary asks

"Kenny's parents forgot that they had a party at some in-laws in San Francisco so they dropped me off home."

~Well at least they didn't make him walk home~ "Could you do me a favor? Could you ask Abby to get me some aspirin?"

"Sure."

Nicholas sees Abby on the phone and waits for her to get off.

Abby sees Nicholas waiting for her. "Just a minute, OK?" she says and starts dialing Nancy's sponsor.

"OK." Nicholas says

Nancy's sponsor quickly answers the phone. "Hello?"

Abby passes on Nancy's message. "So can you go get them?"

"Yeah I'll do it. Thanks for calling." He hangs up and goes to pick them up.

Abby hangs up the phone. "OK, next crisis." She turns to Nicholas to find out what he wants and why he's home.

He explains to her about the Landers Party...."and Mary needs some aspirin. Can I go watch TV?"

"Why not. It's not like anything interesting is going to go on in this house tonight." Abby sighs. "Tell Mary I'll go get her some aspirin and something to wash them down."

"OK and Thanks." Nicholas says and goes tells Mary and retreats to the den to watch TV.

A few minutes later Abby brings Mary her aspirin and water. "Dr. Max should be here any minute."

"Abby, I am really sorry about this. I went over to David's first but he and Tommy must have gone somewhere."

"Sorry about what?" Abby scoffs. "It's not like I'm going to be doing much celebrating tonight, what with your father away and Nicholas home."

"I know, but I still feel guilty." Mary says "As for Nicholas, I think it was rotten the way the Landers just renege like that." Mary says angrily.

"It could have been worse. At least they didn't leave Kenny P. and Nicholas to their own devices and take off."

"No what could have been worse if they left Kenny here with us." Mary shutters at the thought

"Ew. Don't even think that," Abby shudders, too.

Mary laughs "I am sorry I don’t mean to laugh."

"Some situations are so absurd you've got no choice."

Mary laughs. "You are really something, you know that?"

"That's what I've been told, but I hope that at least you mean it as a compliment."

Mary smiles "In the highest form."

"Then thank you. You sure you want to stay here? I could help you into the den if you'd rather watch TV."

"I guess I could go keep Nicholas company until Dr. Max arrives."

Meanwhile Tom arrives to get Joannie. "Where to, miss?"

Joannie gives her father the address, hoping that Tom won't object to the location.

Tom arrives at the location. "Joannie I don't know about this."

"That's OK, Dad. You weren't invited."

"No I wasn't but you were and I don't like the idea of you partying at this place."

"Dad..."

He sighs. "Well all right but you call me if you need a ride home. I'll have the Sedan towed to the garage."

"No one's going to come tow it tonight, Dad."

"They might."

"OK, but don't say I didn't warn you," Joannie says and gets out of the car.

Tom soon leaves for home.

When he gets there he tries to get a tow truck to go and get the Sedan.

Later at the party.

"You look like you are here but I have a feeling your mind is somewhere else." Nancy's sponsor says.

"My mind is always somewhere else these days."

"You're stepmom still giving you strange looks?"

Nancy nods. "Sometimes it's better to just follow your head instead of saying what comes from your heart. She reacted completely opposite than the way I expected her to act. I thought it would be ok that we were close and everything, but nope."

"Well you did say it just a couple of days after you were missing your real mom."

"I know and no one will ever replace my real mom and I'm still missing her, but I love Dad and my stepmom also. Why are we talking about this?
We're supposed to be having fun."

"You don't look like you were having fun before the conversation. Are you going to talk to her about this?"

"Why should I? It'll blow over. I'll just have to remember not to call her that again. Because no matter what my feelings are it's not always appropriate to act on them." She walks away.

He goes after her and continues trying to talk her into talking to Abby.

Soon Dr. Max arrives. Tom is able to find a tow truck and it is taken to a local garage for repairs.

Greg examines Mary's ankle. "Yep it's sprained all right. I want you to stay off of that thing for a few days."

"Looks like I don't have a choice." Mary says frustrated

"Don't worry it'll be all right." Greg says. "Enjoy the rest."

"This is one way to study up on Premed stuff."

"Sure is."

A few hours later Nancy leaves the party and having no where else to go comes home intent on sneaking upstairs to her bedroom so she doesn't interrupt Tom and Abby.

Currently in Tom and Abby's bedroom.

"Did the front door open?" Tom asks. "Don't tell me another child has come home."

"Does it make any difference?" Abby asks. "At this point I'm just waiting for everyone to come home so I can stop worrying about them. It's not like what we planned worked out."

"Hmm, want to go on a second honeymoon?"

"Don't people usually do that after they've been married a while?"

"Abby it might be our only chance to be alone ever."

Can't you just tell the kids we'd like to be alone like any normal man and woman? I'm sure they'd understand."

"Good idea, but I don't know if it would work."

"We can try," Abby says. "Of course, it would mean letting the kids in on your most closely-guarded secret..."

"That's a sacrifice that I'll just have to make."

"Are you sure you can handle the kids knowing there's a person under that father-figure image?"

"If they don't lord it over me too much."

"Yeah, right."

"Well they're quiet right now and not knocking on our door every five minutes."

"Don't jinx it."

Tom knocks on wood and then kisses Abby.

The phone rings. Nancy goes downstairs and quickly answers it so it doesn't interrupt Tom and Abby. "Hello."

"What are you doing home?" Joannie says. "I thought we were going to give them the night off from being parents."

"Well...I was just calling to let Dad know that I won't be home for a while. A long while."

"Want me to leave a note for him?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. And let me give you a number he can find me at. 911."

"At where?" Nancy asks stunned.

"Well, right now I'm in the emergency room, but they say that once they finish treating everyone they'll ship us off to the station house," Joannie explains.

"You're where?! What happened?! Are you ok?!"

"Nothing that'll match what Dad will do to me."

"I'll be right there." She hangs up and goes outside. The only car there is the MG. ~Hmm, well they really shouldn't be interrupted and I would bring it right back. Should I or shouldn't I?~ She decides that Joannie is more important that the consequences she takes the MG and heads for the hospital.
 

Nancy rushes to the nurses desk and demands to see her sister.

"I'm sorry," the nurse says, "you'll have to clear that with the police officer."

Meanwhile, one girl is shouting, "You're going to be sorry! You don't know who I am!"

Nancy goes over to the police officer. "I'm Joannie Bradford's sister where is she?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you see her until she's booked."

"I have to see her. Is she all right?" Nancy starts panicking

He pulls a pad out of his pocket. "Bradford....Bradford. Yeah, she's find. A few bruises, I guess, but that's all. You bring bail money?"

Nancy pulls out some bail money. "Now can I see her?"

"What part of after she's booked are you having trouble with?"

Nancy sighs in frustration and tries to find Joannie herself.

The cop follows her. "Why don't you just wait in the waiting room for her?"

"What part of worried about my sister do you not understand?" She counters.

"Look, you really want to see her there's an easy solution."

His partner comes over. "Hey Mark, you know that MG that was reported stolen it's in the parking lot. And I saw this one pull up in it." He motions to Nancy.

~Oh no. I'm dead I am so dead.~ "Um uh." Nancy stammers.

"Bingo, she found the solution. Come on, young lady, let's take you downtown and your sister will join you there soon."

"But I didn't steal it. I borrowed it, I just forgot to ask first. I couldn't interrupt them." Nancy protests.

"Yeah, yeah, you're innocent. That's what we've been hearing from Screaming Girl over there for the past two hours, too."

"But I am innocent."

His partner looks at the girl. "Hey that's the commissioners daughter."

"Blondie over here?" the cop says, pointing at Nancy. "Can't be. She said her name is Bradford."

"No, her." He points to the commissioners daughter.

"You're kidding."

"Nope I not. I think we better let her go."

"You'd better let me and my friends go," the girl says.

The cop stammers and releases them all.

Nancy tries to slip away to go and get Joannie.

The cop grabs her. "You weren't at the party. You've facing a whole different set of charges, Miss Thief."

"But, hey if you call my house they'll vouch for me."

"You are entitled to one call," the cop hesitates.

Nancy calls home and waits for someone to answer.

Abby sighs and nudges Tom to answer the phone. "Next time, let's plan to be somewhere quiet on New Year's--like the middle of an airport runway."

Tom answers the phone. "Hello? You did what?! Nancy you should have interrupted us!! What if I hadn't of been home to answer the phone right now!! Let me talk to the police officer.." She puts him on the phone and Tom talks to him and gets Nancy free then he talks to Nancy
again. "Is Joannie all right? Ok bring her home. No you're going to apologize to Abby. I love you too." They both hang up and Tom shakes his head and sighs.

"Nancy?" Abby asks. "What did she do? Is she all right?"

"Oh she's all right. Now that she isn't going to jail. Joannie had called her from the hospital. There was trouble at the party and the police were going to take everyone to jail after the hospital. Nancy freaked out and instead of coming up here because she didn't want to
interrupt us she took the only car available to go to the hospital to check on Joannie."

"But the only car that's here is..." Abby slows her speech as light dawns. "My car!"

Tom nods. "I would say she's very sorry, but that's her job to apologize for this."

"You bet she will," Abby says. "She should have come up here; it wouldn't have been like she was interrupting anything."

A little while later Nancy pulls up into the driveway. "Hey Joannie do you need help to your room. I can hang out with you, take care of you."

Joannie starts doing her famous chicken impersonation.

Nancy groans and they go inside. Tom goes over to Joannie.

"Honey are you all right?"

Nancy slowly approaches Abby. "I'm sorry, but I was worried about Joannie and your car was the only one there."

"You could have asked," Abby tells her.

"I didn't want to interrupt you and Dad."

"That didn't seem to bother anyone ever since Christmas."

"Tonight was different. It was supposed to be your evening without kids."

"You mean you planned this?"

"Taking your car, no. But we did want to give you guys a night alone."

"Couldn't you just have said, 'Dad, Abby, know what? We'll go to our parties on New Years' Eve, so you'll have the house to yourselves'?"

"Nancy you kids had no right to manipulate us like that." Tom says.

"What?! I'm not believing this. We try to do something nice for the two of you and you guys are mad?! Ok I'll take the flak for taking the MG!! But I won't take flak for trying to give you guys a break!!"

"As far as the car goes. You're grounded, you're not to drive any of the cars for a week. As far as this goes. Don't ever manipulate us like that again and lower your voice."

"I'm grounded? Dad I know I did something wrong but I did apologize."

Tom sighs. "Nancy the words *I'm sorry* just doesn't cut it this time. Now go to your room."

"Tom, she wasn't the only one playing this game," Abby says. "You can't ground them all."

"That's not why I'm grounding her."

Nancy goes up to her room.

"Then why are you grounding her?" Abby asks. "You're only going to push her harder like this."

Tom notices that Joannie is still there. "Abby can we talk about this later?"

"I guess so. I'm going to go up to see Nancy--unless I'm grounded, too."

Tom looks at her confused. "Abby."

Before he can finish Abby goes upstairs to see Nancy.

Abby knocks on Nancy's door.

Nancy dries her eyes. "Come in."

"Hey, Nancy," Abby says and comes into the room. "Look, in the future I'd prefer you ask first, but I understand why you did what you did."

"I'm sorry and you do?"

"Yeah. That doesn't mean I don't agree with your father, not letting you use any of the cars for a week, though. And I've got to say I'm kind of hurt you think your father and I got our priorities so messed up, that spending an evening alone together is more important than helping one of you when you get hurt or in trouble."

"I don't think that about you and Dad. That was my call tonight and as usual a bad one."

"Nancy, what do you mean, 'as usual'?"

She's about to say something but then goes silent.

"What?"

"It doesn't matter. It would be better if it was just let go like it never happened."

"Look, it's pretty obvious something's been bothering you lately. It might help to talk about it."

"I've tried talking about things and it doesn't help. One minute I feel fine and everything is ok and the next... I feel like there's no sense in anything. Talking isn't changing that."

"Is there something that would?"

"If there is I haven't found it yet."

"We could try to find something, if you're willing to try."

"Like what?"

"I don't know," Abby admits. "But we're two intelligent women. If we think long and hard enough..."

"Yeah that we can. But until we figure it out can you take me to see a psychologist or something?"

"I was hoping you'd ask to," Abby says. "Of course I will. Do you have someone in mind already?"

"No not really. Who's out there?"

"I'm not sure. I can ask around. Maybe Dr. Max knows someone, or your sponsor at NA does."

"I'll ask my sponsor and thank you."

Abby leans over and gives Nancy a hug, then gets up and goes towards the door. "Get some sleep, OK? In the morning you call your sponsor and I'll take care of the details." She leaves the room.

"Ok." Nancy manages a smile and gets some sleep.

Downstairs, Joannie turns on her father. "Hi, Joannie. Nice seeing you Joannie. By the way, Joannie, Nancy said you were in the hospital. Are you OK, Joannie? You know, sometimes someone besides Nancy and Abby needs your attention," she says and runs up the stairs.

~Oh no.~ He goes upstairs and knocks on Joannie's door.

"Don't come in unless you're female," Joannie says.

"Honey we need to talk." Tom says.

"No, we don't."

"Oh yes we do. Either open the door or I'm coming in."

"You can't. I'm changing," Joannie lies.

"Joannie I do care about you. Are you going to leave me worrying all night or are you going to give me the details on why you had to go to the hospital?"

"Why don't you go ask Nancy?"

"If I talk to Nancy right now I'll kill her. And I'm asking you. Honey are you all right?"

"I'm fine, *Daddy.* Now can I go to sleep?"

He sighs. "Yes, but can we talk first?"

Joannie pulls a nightgown over her clothes. "OK. Come in

He comes in and shuts the door. "I know you can't choose your parents, and I'm sorry if I was an idiot. But I do love you and care about you."

"Uh huh. Is that all you wanted to say, Dad?"

"No that's not all. I'm sorry if it felt like I was ignoring you when you came home tonight. That was not my intention."

"You know what they say about good intentions."

Tom sighs in frustration.

"Good night, Dad."

"Good night." He says distractedly and leaves the room.

Abby meets up with him in the hallway. "Have a good talk with Joannie?"

"Not really, I bombed out like I always seem to do with her. How bout you and Nancy?"

Mary opens her door "Hey what’s going on?"

"Mary get off of that ankle go back to bed." Tom says.

"I will, as soon as I go to the bathroom and you tell me what's going on?"

Tom tells her what happened with Nancy and Joannie.

Mary is shocked "Are they OK?"

"With Joannie I'm not sure." Tom says. "With Nancy she'll be fine as long as I don't have to talk to her again tonight."

"So much for trying to give you two a night alone. Maybe I should go talk to Joannie." Mary says limping towards Joannie's room.

"Can you give me a report on her well being when you return?" Tom asks.

"I'll tell you how she is but I won't divulge details unless she consents." Mary says.

"Ok."

"Ok." Tom turns to face Abby and can't tell by the look on her face whether she's upset or not. "So how did it go with Nancy?"

Mary goes knock on Joannie's Room. "Joannie its me Mary."

"Are you sure you want to discuss it with kids in the house?"

"We can always go back to the bedroom."

"Fine."

They go to the bedroom.

"Look I didn't mean for it to sound like an order downstairs I just don't want all the kids knowing everything."

"Funny, I didn't realize we added this room onto the house between then and now."

Tom looks at her in confusion.

"If you didn't want the kids knowing everything, we could have come up here and talked earlier. Or gone into your study."

"Yes we could have and if I had been thinking clearly I would have suggested that. But I wasn't thinking clearly I have one daughter who got hurt at a party, another one who got hurt dancing, and another one who took your car without asking and didn't tell me right away that her sister was hurt."

"So you make yourself feel better by talking to me like I was the daughter who behaved tonight."

"Abby I'm sorry I didn't mean to."

"No, you never do, do you?"

"And no one in this family hesitates to point it out when I make a slip up do they? Well newsflash Tom Bradford is not the perfect husband and father. With eight kids it's hard not to accidentally not pay enough attention to one of them, but I do the best I can. And I can't be the perfect husband that will keep you happy twenty four hours a day. I'm going to mess up we're all going to mess up but it would be nice if I didn't get a hard time from everyone each time I
did. It would be nice if apologies meant something in this family. I'm going on strike." He leaves the room.

Abby opens the doors and yells after him, "Then I hope you paid your union dues, mister, because your apologies won't mean anything until you mean something by them, so don't expect the new management here to negotiate!"

"But I do mean something by them!! But no one around here believes me!! Just because I mess up and repeat my mistakes doesn't mean I don't mean anything by them!!"

Mary goes knock on Joannie's Room. "Joannie its me Mary."

"Come in." She sees Mary's limp. "What happened to you?"

"I tried doing the funky chicken." Mary says sighing.

Joannie starts to laugh and can't stop.

"Gee Thanks, what happened to you?"

"A good party and a bad father."

"A good party I can relate to, But Dad a bad father? What gives?"

"You don't get tired of being a second class citizen around here?"

"Joannie I don't know what you are talking about. Could you please be a little more specific?" Mary says grimacing in pain.

"Make you a deal. You let me take you back to your room and get you some aspirin and I'll tell you all about it."

"OK, on one condition....you bring some champagne up here. I didn't get to ring in the New Year."

"If Dad hasn't stashed it all in his room," Joannie agrees.

"Then you have a deal." Mary replies. "What was that yelling?"

"Dad. Again. I can't wait until he finishes having his little mid-life crisis."

"Great, Poor Abby."

"Poor Abby? Poor us."

"True. I guess we will need to tread lightly."

Nicholas is awaken by the yelling and goes out in the hall. "Hey everything OK?"

"Everything is fine Nicholas go back to sleep."

"How can I with you guys yelling?"

Tom sighs. "I won't yell anymore."

"Can someone tell me a story?"

Tom goes back to his room to tell him a story.

Nancy comes out into the hallway. "Is it over?"

"I'm not even sure why it started," Abby tells her. "Does your father have something against holidays that he neglected to mention?"

Nancy shrugs. "I don't know, did he even check on Joannie?"

"He went to talk her, or so he says."

The next morning Nancy calls her sponsor and he gives her a name of a good counselor. After she hangs up Tom comes downstairs.

"Good morning Dad."

"Don't try buttering me up Nancy. I'm still very angry at you."

"You know Dad you make it very difficult for me to keep things together. Can't you ever go easy on me?"

Tom doesn't say anything.

"I didn't think so. You didn't even seem to care about Joannie getting hurt last night." She spats out and goes to watch TV.

Abby comes downstairs, sees Tom in the kitchen and veers away from that room, following the noise to the den. "Morning. You make that call yet?" she asks Nancy.

"Yeah and he gave me a couple of names." Nancy shows them to Abby.

"We can either ask around to see which is best," Abby says, "or you can hold auditions--go see them once, and then stick with the one you like the best."

"It would probably be better to ask around first."

"OK. Doctor Max would probably know--Daisy said he saw someone recently."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who needs to see someone."

"A lot of people need help," Abby raises her voice a little and projects towards the kitchen. "But not everyone is brave enough to admit it."

"I don't need help." Tom grumbles.

"Did he say something?" Nancy wonders.

"Does it matter?" Abby asks.

"I guess it would if he even pretended to care."

"I think you have that backwards," Abby says. "He cares, but he pretends not to."

"No you both have it backwards. He's a monster who yells at his family and regrets it later. Nancy I'm sorry I've been so hard on you. I should have been part of this getting you help. And Abby I'm sorry I was such a idiot last night." Tom says as he walks in.

Abby rolls her eyes. ~Here we go with the apologies again.~

Nancy is hesitant. "Dad you always apologize and then soon after it happens again."

"I know, and I'm trying to change that. But it's hard for an old man to change."

"Here's where we're supposed to tell him he's not old," Abby whispers to Nancy. "Maybe this time we just tell him he is."

Nancy laughs but then says seriously. "Dad maybe you should see someone
too."

"I don't need to see someone." He protests.

Nancy shakes her head. "That's what I thought for quite awhile until my bouts of depression started getting worse. Thankfully it finally dawned on me that maybe I need help before I hit rock bottom. I don't want to see the same thing happen to you."

Tom sits down stunned by her words.

"I think I'll leave the two of you to talk about this," Abby says, sensing a father-daughter reconciliation in the offing.

Tom smiles at her before she leaves the room. After she's left the room.

"Honey you weren't thinking about well uh um."

"Suicide Dad?"

He nods.

"Sometimes, but I know that's not the solution to anything."

"Oh my." He hugs her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not something that's easy to say to someone who loves you. I thought you'd be mad especially after all I've been through."

"I wouldn't be mad. I'd do everything in my power to stop you but I wouldn't be mad."

The continue to talk and Nancy finally convinces him to seek help also. Tom finds Abby and tells her he'll be seeing a counselor also.

Abby gives him a hug and smiles at him. "The kids told me I'd drag you into this century yet."

"Yeah, too bad I was kicking and screaming." He jokes and returns the hug.

"You're right; you ought to save the kicking and screaming for when you're having fun."

Tom smiles again and then he sobers when he stares at Joannie and Susan's door. "Think she'll talk to me?"

"At this hour of the morning?" Abby scoffs.

"Good point I'll wait till later."

"So the strike's over?" Abby asks.

"Yes the silly strike is over."

"Good. Now can we get on with the silly making up?"

"Making up between us is never silly." He says as he kisses her and they head for the bedroom.

Later Nancy goes upstairs to check on Joannie. No one has told her about Mary's ankle yet. She knocks on Joannie and Susan's door.

"Go away," Joannie groans.

"Joannie it's me are you ok?" Nancy asks.

"Come back after it's light out, OK?"

"But it is light out. Do you need anything?"

"Five more hours sleep."

"Ok, see ya later then." Nancy runs into Elizabeth in the hall and she tells Nancy about Mary's ankle. Nancy goes to knock on Mary's door.

"Come in." Mary groans.

Nancy comes in and closes the door. "Hey how are you feeling?"

"Stupid, I can't believe I did that." Mary says

Nancy smiles. "Yeah but did you have fun before you got hurt?"

Mary contemplates her response before answering "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Good, so do you need anything?"

"Yeah a new ankle, if not that then maybe some food?"

"The ankle I can't give you, but food I can." She brings some food for her.

"So what's new since all that yelling Dad did early this morning?" Mary asks while eating.

"He's going to see a shrink and so am I. Maybe it will help. Has Joannie said anything to you about last night?"

"Not much." Mary says "Dad is really going to a psychologist?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." Mary says. "Are you OK?"

"No I'm not ok. I wish she'd talk to me instead of trying to avoid me."

"Joannie? Maybe we should sit you two together at the dinner table. Then she couldn't avoid you."

Nancy laughs. "Somehow I'm not sure if it would work or not."

"Maybe not." Mary says "But it couldn't hurt."

"True."

"Could you get me another aspirin and some ice for the swelling?"

"Sure." She goes to get them.

When Nancy gets back. Mary has fallen asleep.

Nancy kisses her on the forehead and covers her up, then she leaves the room.

Later that night. Tom goes to see Joannie.

"I know I haven't been much of a father lately but I'm going to work on that. Nancy's going into counseling and she finally convinced me that maybe I need to see a head shrinker also."

"We've been saying you've got a swelled head for a long time," Joannie answers him.

Tom laughs.

"Is there anything else, Dad?"

"Yes there is. I really love you kid, and I'm really sorry about last night."

"Sure. You're always sorry--afterwards."

"That's one of the reasons I'm seeing a counselor so I can get help on not repeating my mistakes."

"Good."

"Now what did the doctor say?"

"I'll live."

"Is that all? Those doctors sure give out short diagnosis these days."

"Yep."

"Am I forgiven?"

"Dad, just drop it, OK?"

Tom considers not dropping it but decides that Joannie needs her space. "Ok." He kisses her on the forehead and leaves the room. Soon Nancy comes in.

"Is it ok to come in now?"

"Another county heard from. Yeah, come in."

Nancy sits down on Susan's bed. "Look I'm sorry that I told them what we planned last night. I just couldn't come up with a better defense, and are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I hear you and Dad made up."

"Yeah he's trying to turn over a new leaf. Did he make up with you?"

"He tried to apologize," Joannie scoffs.

"Joannie he's really trying. Dad's human too."

"Fine. Let him go to his shrink and then talk to me. I'm tired of him acting crazy and apologizing afterwards."

"We all are." Nancy says starting to feel awkward. "Do you need anything?"

"No. I think I'll just stay up here a little bit."

"Need company?" Nancy gives it another try.

"Nope," Joannie pouts.

Nancy sighs. "I love you and I'm going to keep trying." She hugs her and leaves the room.

She meets David in the hallway.

"Your little sister needs you." She tells him. "Get in there and please cheer her up."

"Which one?" He asks.

"Joannie." She goes downstairs and he knocks on Susan and Joannie's door.

Part 3