"Cassie's in trouble," a voice said quietly.
   There was a scoff. "Oh, there's a shock. What's it this time? Too much drugs or alcohol? Perhaps just another abusive boyfriend? Or is she in jail again?"
   "Don't… just don't, please?"
   Isaac rolled his eyes. He loved her soft voice, how gentle and quiet it was. Like a cool blanket that felt great against warm skin. "She's freakin' useless," he stated in irritation.
   Teresa swallowed slowly. "She's my sister. And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about her like that."
   His hand tightened in a fist and Isaac stared blindly at the tabletop. "We were supposed to be having a quiet dinner, catching up. I'll be leaving soon enough on a larger tour. We've barely spent any time together."
   She bit her lip in anxiousness. "I'm sorry, Ike. But Cassie needs me."
   Isaac couldn't help it; his fist pounded once loudly on the table and other patrons of the restaurant looked over at them in curiosity.
   Teresa licked her dry lips and stood. She looked down at him in a silent plead but Isaac waved his hand. "I'm not going this time. You won't say anything bad about her, but I'm sick and tired of you going to her rescue. She's nearly twenty years old, Teece. She should know how to get herself out of trouble now."
   "I'm sorry," she told him gently. "I really am."
   Refusing to look at her, Isaac nodded once. "I am too."
   "C'mon," Chad said earnestly. "I don't know how much time we have."
   Teresa nodded and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. Before she left she bent quickly and pressed a kiss to Isaac's cheek. "I'll see you," she whispered as she walked out cautiously, careful of jarring her hurting heart.
   Chad grasped her hand and pulled a little roughly and hustled her. "C'mon," he said urgently. "We have to go."
   Teresa hurried herself and though she tried not to, cast a backward glance at Isaac and saw him finish his drink and toss some money on the table then stood.
   Shaking him from her thoughts she tried to focus them on her sister and sighed warily as she climbed into a beat up pick up truck. She had to yank hard on the door just to shut the rusty old thing and she wrinkled her nose at the smell and the possible things she was sitting on and crunching under her feet.
   They peeled out of the parking lot, tires leaving their tread marks on the pavement.
   "What's happening this time?" Teresa asked quietly after they slammed to a sudden stop. One hand was on the dashboard, the other holding onto a small handle in the ceiling.
   Chad tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as he waited at a stoplight. "Bailey found her and she's been drinking too much to do anything about it," he told her in a rush as he stared down the red light.
   Teresa sucked in a breath. "Hurry please," she told him in her same quiet tone.
   Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Chad just stepped on the gas and barely beat the light turning green. "He's wrong," he told her off handedly. "He should have come."
   "I don't want to talk about him," she replied calmly.
   After several silent moments she added, "But thank you anyway."
   He smiled slightly to himself and was grateful that it was getting too dark for her to see it. He regretted having to get her, but knew Cassie wouldn't leave any other way. Teresa was the only one who could get Cassie to do something.
   "How'd you hear about him?" she asked him hesitantly.
   He took in a breath and hissed it out. "At the bowling alley. Apparently Bailey got let out because his other girlfriend decided not to press charges and without Cassie doing something, he got off."
   Teresa's jaw clenched tightly. "I know this makes me a bad person for thinking this, but I really hate him, Chad." She sighed so softly and he heard her sniffle a little. "I really hate him."
   Feeling the guilt bubbling in his stomach Chad agreed with her solemnly on one thing only. "Bailey is an SOB, Teresa. You have every right to hate him, and that doesn't make you a bad person."
   She didn't comment and he knew she didn't believe him, but he hoped to convince her about it sometime. He was just too busy breaking speeding and driving laws right then to do much about it now.
   When they pulled to a screeching halt, Teresa stared blankly at the building before Chad opening his door had her flying into action. They ran for the run down apartments and nearly broke down Cassie's down with all of their pounding on it.
   A drunken and high Cassie opened the door then fell back against the wall. She laughed outrageously. "What're ya doin' here?" she asked before she hiccuped.
   "You watch her. I'll get her stuff," Teresa said quickly as she grabbed Cassie's hand and basically threw her at Chad.
   Without waiting to see if Chad agreed to this arrangement, she headed for the back bedroom and struggled to get stuff crammed into a plastic shopping bag as the only light she had was coming from the hallway.
   Hearing someone behind her, Teresa jerked upright to see Chad standing in the doorway. "Where's Cassie?" she asked worriedly as she started moving towards him.
   Chad took a step back. "I got her in my truck. She's passed out on the front seat. I wanted to come in and give you a hand so we could leave more quickly."
   Nodding jerkily, Cassie headed for the door and walked as steadily as she could of empty bottles, trash, and clothes. "We can go now. I have enough."
   Silently agreeing, Chad followed behind. "Want me lock up?" he asked as she stepped outside.
   Teresa thought about it for a moment. "If you got a key, I guess so. Otherwise, don't bother. There's not much in there anyhow."
   Feeling uncomfortable about leaving a place unlocked Chad scouted for a key while Teresa headed for the truck. Before she got the door open she felt a hand on the back of her neck and sharp pain as it was snapped back.
   "Stuck your damned nose in again, didn't you, princess?" Bailey grated against her ear. "You're always doing that."
   She tried screaming when she heard someone running up to them. Suddenly the pressure was off her neck and she stumbled into the side of the truck from some force. Turning she saw Chad trying to tackle Bailey and failing.
   Getting frustrated and scared she screamed for someone to call for help while she rushed forward to try and help Chad get free of a crushing grip.
   She didn't see what happened next, all she knew was that pain exploded in her body and she couldn't breathe. Stars erupted in her eyes and she knew she was falling. She could scarcely feel hands holding her, and barely heard the wailing of sirens. All that she was really aware of was black inky sky and something wet trickling onto her face.
   When she did come to, Teresa was aware of pure pain in her throat and tried touching it with her fingers but was stopped by IV's and wires keeping her hands prisoners at her side.
   "Don't," a voice croaked out to her left.
   Turning her head to see whom it was, she winced in agony and tried to moan but nothing came out. Her eyes blinked rapidly in confusion.
   Chad got up from his vigilance in the plastic chair in the corner. He pressed the button calling for the nurse. "I was told to alert them when you woke," he explained as his eyes darted around, making sure that nothing had changed. "Want something to drink before the nurse comes in?"
   Opening her mouth to speak Teresa changed her mind and just nodded carefully as she licked her dry lips.
   Chad nodded and poured her some cool water from a pitcher on the stand he had gotten earlier for just in case. He saw the questions in her eyes and swallowed hard choking back the answers. "The nurse will be in soon," he told her gently as he handed her a plastic cup. "They'll tell you everything and explain things a hell of a lot better than I could."
   She accepted his excuses with her calm nature, and Chad felt like a heel. He rubbed the back of his neck in agitation.
   When a nurse did appear it was behind a doctor holding a metal clipboard and frowning of its contents. "Good morning Miss Tucker," he said smiling briefly as the nurse checked the machines and other gadgets. "I'm Doctor Gordon, and I performed surgery on you last night."
   Teresa glanced down at her arms looking for traces of stitch marks or gauze wrapped around her. She looked up at him in confusion.
   Doctor Gordon cleared his throat. "I performed surgery on your throat, Teresa." His explanation made her frown noticeably.
   "Bailey hit you last night," Chad told her gently as he took her hand tightly in his.
   They way they were talking Teresa started getting nervous about what was next to come. She heard steady beeping machines increase as her anxiety rose.
   "The punch landed on your throat and crushed your larynx and trachea. In fact you were barely breathing before you even got in here. We were concerned about brain damage for a while due to the severe reduction of oxygen to your brain."
   Still her brows were furrowed as she waited for the final blow. "You'll never talk again."
   She almost laughed in the doctor's face. The humor of her situation was almost unbearable. It was so laughable she felt tears well in her eyes, but once one fell she couldn't stop the flow of the others.
   She heard Chad curse softly under his breath and felt the pain grow more in her throat. But it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. To the pain of the knowledge.
   Teresa saw the nurse put something in her IV and was grateful to feel her eyelids growing heavy and closing on her.
   It was long after she had been put to sleep when Chad saw Isaac standing in the doorway, a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
   "Is she going to be ok?" Isaac asked quietly so as not to disturb Teresa.
   Chad felt his hands itch to take his anger out on someone and Isaac was a good enough candidate. "Yeah. Considering she'll be mute for the rest of her life now."
   Isaac's shoulders dropped dramatically as he stepped inside and put the flowers down on the nightstand. "I should have went with you guys," he regretted.
   Chad nodded. "You should have. It might have helped some."
   Grimacing, Isaac nodded as well. "I know, but I was so mad. She always went running after Cassie if she needed help. And Cassie could never do a damn thing to help herself. But she wouldn't say a bad thing about her, and wouldn't let anyone else say anything bad her either. Of course, she never said anything bad about anyone."
   Chad knew better but responded tersely, "Cassie's her family, and she's just that type of girl."
   Isaac nodded again. "I know. I know."
   Sighing, Isaac took a step back and turned to look at Chad. "Will you be keeping an eye on her?"
   Chad gave him a look of insult and he chuckled weakly. "I take that as a 'yes' then."
   "You take that right," Chad replied dryly.
   "Make sure that you take real good care of her then. She deserves it," Isaac said as he turned away.
   "She deserves more," was the return and Isaac stilled for a moment before he walked quietly out of the room. He walked with great care, in fear of bruising an already broken heart.
   Inside the room Chad reseated himself beside Teresa and gripped her hand in his again. She would see him when she woke again, and by then he hoped his tears would be dry enough that she wouldn't feel them, just like she hadn't felt them last night while he cradled her and waited for the police and ambulances to come.