TITLE: PICKING UP THE PIECES-Chapter Five

AUTHOR: Cindy Wylie (RkieFan1960@AOL.com).
 

AUTHORS' NOTES: This might be the longest chapter of the story. Chuck didn't leave me much of an opening except for the ending. I'm going to do more exploration in this chapter.
 

The way I think of my life these days is life before September 11, 2001 and life after September 11, 2001. I'm going to try to write this from that angle.
 

I'm going to dedicate this chapter to CTL's niece, Kathryn Gabrielle, who went through the nightmare that Shelby and Jill are facing in this chapter. I also want to thank her mother, CTL's sister-in-law, Gina Gabrielle, who helped me with the diagnosis and treatment of the heart defects, Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) and Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). Without the second defect, Kathryn would've died within hours, maybe days, of her birth.
 

CHAPTER FIVE-San Antonio, Texas-Summer 2001
 

It was a hot summer day. Jill was standing in the terminal at San Antonio International Airport waiting for the flight from Los Angeles to arrive. She kept glancing at her watch as if that would make the plane arrive any sooner. She was anxious to see the man she hadn't seen in well over a year. She smiled when they finally announced the flight's arrival. It seemed to take forever before she saw the familiar face emerge from the tunnel. She walked toward him and smiled as they embraced.
 

"Eddie, I'm so glad to see you," Jill clung to him tightly until he finally pulled away to look at her.
 

"You're too thin," he remarked critically as he looked at her.
 

"Well, you look wonderful," she told him as he frowned.
 

"For an old man, you mean," he grumbled as she linked her arm through his as they walked toward baggage claim.
 

"You're never going to be old to me," she chided, trying to cheer him up.
 

"Where's Shelby?" He asked as he suddenly realized Jill was alone.
 

"I left her with Rosie. It's too hot to be lugging her around the airport. She's anxious to see you," she informed him.
 

"I'm anxious to see her. How's she doing?" He asked with a huge smile.
 

A shadow passed over Jill's face. "About as well as can be expected. The summer's always been rough on her because she can't do things the other kids can do. I bought an aboveground pool so that I can at least take her out to get some exercise. She seems to enjoy that."
 

"Mike said they're going to perform the surgery on her. Do you know when?" He asked as they rode down the escalator to baggage claim.
 

"At first, Dr. Dominguez was saying the end of the summer, but at her last checkup, he said she seemed stable enough to wait until late fall. I know it has to be done, but I'm not looking forward to it," she answered in a quiet voice.
 

"Speaking of children, Michael dragged me, Trap, Willie and his father to Disneyland. We had a great time," he grinned.
 

"I know," she chuckled. "He keeps wanting me to take him to Sea World, but it's too rough on Shelby and it's too hard to find a sitter for her," she sighed as they approached the baggage claim carousel.
 

When they walked into the house a short time later Shelby raced up to Jill.
 

Jill scooped her up and hugged her tightly. "Look who's here," Jill signed to Shelby as she pointed at Eddie.
 

"Hello, Shelby," Eddie told her as he held his arms out to her. After hesitating briefly, Shelby went into his arms. "She looks more like Savannah every time I see her," he told Jill as she nodded.
 

After several minutes Shelby began squirming to get free, so Eddie put her back on the floor where she returned to her toys. Jill led Eddie up the stairs to the guest room where he deposited his bags beside the bed. "Are you hungry?" She asked as he nodded. "Come on, Rosie said she'd fix lunch when we got home."
 

Over lunch, Eddie got Jill up to date on all of the gossip. "I saw Webster at a Lakers game about a month ago. He said you exchange email and phone calls all the time," he said as Jill nodded. "He said he sold the house in Burbank after Serena moved out. Now he has an apartment in Century City."
 

"Yeah, he told me. I tried to get him to fly down, but he said he can't get time off from work," she informed him.
 

"He still refuses to speak to Mike," he said sadly.
 

"What happened ripped everybody apart, Eddie. There's nothing that can be done about that," Jill said as she took a sip of her tea.
 

"Anyway, I'm supposed to fly to New York in late July to see my goddaughter," he grinned as Jill grinned back.
 

"She's going to be thrilled to see you. Can you do me a favor and try to convince her to call her father? Mike really misses hearing from her," Jill pleaded.
 

"I'll do my best, but maybe Mike should try that, himself. He's the one who screwed up, he should be the one to fix it," he reminded her.
 

"Yeah, I know. I think we've finally gotten to the point where we don't scream at each other on the phone any more. I guess that's progress," she said.
 

"He's coming along. I still have a tendency to get irritated as all hell at him, but at least he's taking steps to improve things," Eddie told her.
 

<><><><><><>
 

Los Angeles-Summer 2001
 

Mike awoke to the sound of voices coming from the living room. He sat up and looked at the alarm clock. It was just after nine o'clock. He got up and pulled a pair of jeans and a shirt on before padding toward the living room to see who was here. When he entered the room, he stood, transfixed, at the images on the TV.
 

"I'm standing here talking to Miss Savannah Danko. Tell us, Miss Danko, how old are you?" Michael's five-year-old voice came across on the video.
 

"I'm 16, but a gentleman never asks a lady how old she is," Savannah quickly corrected her little brother.
 

"You're not a lady. You're just my sister!" Michael was quick to contradict.
 

"Where did you find that?" Mike asked as Michael jumped a foot in the air.
 

"In the cellar. There was a bunch of them in a box," Michael told his father.
 

"Turn it off and take it out of the machine," Mike ordered him as he walked to the kitchen to get coffee.
 

"But, dad. . . ." Michael began to whine as Mike turned to glare at him. Reluctantly, Michael turned off the VCR and ejected the tape. "I'd almost forgotten what she looked like."
 

"Michael, you know how I feel about that subject," Mike warned his son as he waited for his coffee to brew.
 

"Mom doesn't mind when I ask about her," Michael told Mike.
 

"Yeah, well, I'm not your mother," Mike answered in a weary voice. "Have you eaten breakfast?"
 

"Yeah, I had some cereal. Are we going to eat with Thomas and Michelle tonight?" Michael asked.
 

"Yeah, Jen's making lasagna. Then we're going to catch the Dodger's game on the tube. You're still a Dodger's fan, aren't you?" Mike asked.
 

"Dad, San Antonio doesn't have a pro baseball team," Michael informed him in a disgusted voice as he rolled his eyes. "I get stuck with either the Rangers or the Astros. Anyway, I'm a Yankee's fan," he grinned.
 

Mike swatted at him out of the room with a dish towel.
 

Later that afternoon in North Hollywood, Michelle Danko pulled her beat-up Jeep Wrangler into the driveway of the little house she shared with her boyfriend, Thomas Gillis. She got out of the Jeep and walked to the house, checking the mail before she unlocked the front door and walked inside. She was instantly mobbed by a throng of four-legged animals.
 

"Hi, guys!" She greeted, hugging and petting each of the dogs and cats in turn. She walked through to the back of the house and opened the back door so that the dogs could go outside for a little while. Walking back to the living room, she sat down in an arm chair and began to read the mail as two of the cats jumped up to join her.
 

Now 25 years old with long, sweeping dark brown hair, Michelle was a second year surgical resident specializing in cardiovascular surgery at UCLA Medical Center. It had originally been Savannah's wish to be a doctor, but after her death Michelle had pursued the dream instead. At the moment the pay wasn't the greatest and the hours were worse, but the work was rewarding. And the long hours didn't leave her much time for idle thoughts to creep into her head.
 

Michelle wasn't sure when everything that had been so great for the last 15 years began to fall apart. She and Mary Kate had gone away to school, leaving only Savannah and Michael still at home. At that time, everything was still okay between her parents. That all changed when Savannah discovered that she was pregnant. The news that her little sister had gotten pregnant surprised Michelle. She didn't even think Savannah was that interested in boys. Up to that time, all she'd seemed to care about had been making the honor roll every semester and seeing how many college prep courses she could cram in. She'd even talked about getting enough credits to graduate at 15 and go away to college, but Mike had discouraged that, saying she was too young.
 

Obviously Troy hadn't thought she was too young. All hell had broken loose when Mike and Jill discovered how old Troy really was. All of a sudden, they were talking about having him charged with statutory rape and contributing to the delinquency of a minor and anything else that could be thrown at the young man. All they really succeeded in doing was upsetting Savannah.
 

They had all thought it a good idea when Savannah decided to give the baby up for adoption, which quickly changed after Troy found out. He promised Savannah that he'd marry her and support the baby. He warned her that if she tried to give their baby up he'd fight her tooth and nail.
 

Michelle still had nightmares about the night she'd received the call telling her about the accident. She'd just gone to sleep when her college roommate woke her up, telling her that her father was on the phone.
 

Everything after that was a blur. When she'd arrived at the hospital, it seemed like everybody and their brother was there. The only people missing were Willie and Jennifer, who were staying at the house with Michael. Mary Kate was flying in later that morning. While they were waiting for what seemed like an eternity for any kind of news, the Gallagher's arrived.
 

"You didn't tell me that Troy was with Savannah," Jill exclaimed in disbelief as she stared at Mike.
 

"Didn't I?" He hedged uncomfortably as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unable to look her in the eyes.
 

"Michael Danko! Are you trying to tell me that you actually knew she was still seeing that - that - " Jill stammered in a hurt voice.
 

"Mom, don't! This isn't the time or the place!" Michelle pleaded desperately as she saw other people watching them.
 

"God, Mike! Why didn't you just put a loaded gun to her head?" Jill cried as she shrugged away from Michelle and walked away.
 

When the doctor came out a short while later and took Mike and Jill to one side, Michelle knew even before Jill's anguished screams reached her ears. After a few minutes they came over and in numb voices gently tried to explain what the doctor had just told them.
 

"The doctor was telling us that she's not responding to any kind of stimulus," Jill choked out through her tears.
 

"What does that mean?" Michelle asked as her gaze kept alternating between both parent's faces.
 

"They have to run some more tests, but they're positive that Savannah suffered severe irreversible brain damage in the accident. They want to take the baby," Jill explained.
 

"Will that help Savannah get better?" Michelle asked bitterly.
 

"No, but it'll give the baby a chance," Jill whispered.
 

"Mom, she wanted to give the baby up for adoption. Maybe it would just be better if we let the baby die. They'll never know. We could lie and say. . ." Michelle continued rambling.
 

"Michelle, it's their grandchild, too," Jill interrupted in a shaky voice, barely able to comprehend everything that was happening. "Let's just wait and see what's going to happen."
 

That was when the rift began. She told Jill in no uncertain terms how she felt about her taking the baby, especially in light of all of her medical problems. After the funeral Michelle had returned to her studies at UCLA, basically cutting herself off from the rest of the family. She'd only mended fences with her father after her mother had moved with Michael to Texas. Tonight would be the first time she'd seen her little brother, except in pictures, since Christmas.
 

She was still sitting there deep in thought when Thomas walked in. "What're you thinking about?" He asked as he walked over to kiss her. Six feet three inches tall and the exact replica of his father, Michelle never tired of looking at him.
 

"Tonight," she replied.
 

"I'm going to go take a shower," Thomas sighed in resignation. "Call my mom and ask her if she wants us to bring anything so we can pick it up on the way," he told her as he walked toward the back of the house.
 

Stripping his clothes off as he walked from the bedroom to the bathroom, Thomas let his mind wander. He didn't know how the rest of the extended family felt but he was getting tired of this stupid rift. He loved Michelle very much, but living with her was akin to living with a nuclear device . . . . you were never sure what was going to set her off. They'd been talking about marriage for well over a year now, but he wanted a formal wedding whereas she just wanted to elope. Having a formal wedding meant inviting her mother, which was the last thing she wanted to do.
 

Thomas and his mother didn't understand it, but they didn't dare say that out loud to Willie. In Willie's mind, Mike was right and Jill was wrong and there were no two ways about it. Willie, his sister, Natalie and younger brother, Eric, had it drilled into their heads that one didn't talk to Terry because he'd taken Jill's side, which confused Thomas. Thomas never could understand that because Eddie had also taken Jill's side but they were allowed to talk to him. Thomas figured it had something to do with Eddie being Mike and Willie's boss.
 

After graduating from the police academy, Thomas had arranged to work for the North Hollywood division of the LAPD so he wouldn't have any contact with his father's former best friend. Currently his father was trying to talk him into coming on board with them at the agency but Thomas didn't want to sit around all day taking pictures of cheating spouses. At this point he wasn't even sure he really wanted to be a cop, either. However, it had been drilled into his head for so long that he sometimes thought it was what he really wanted. He had talked to Michelle often about returning to school and getting a degree in something else -- anything but law enforcement. The one thing that was stopping him was that he and Michelle were barely making ends meet as it was. Things would only be more difficult if he were to quit work and return to school full-time.
 

His reverie was interrupted by Michelle's voice through the bathroom door. "Your mom said she doesn't need anything, so I told her we'd be over in about an hour."
 

"Okay, great!" He hollered back as he hurriedly rinsed off and turned the water off.
 

Michelle was in the kitchen feeding the menagerie of animals when Thomas walked in a few minutes later. "Maybe we should let the dogs out until we get back home," he suggested as the three dogs greeted him enthusiastically.
 

"Thomas, the last time we did that, the neighbors complained about the barking," she reminded him.
 

"I still think we should take two of these dogs out to Ryker's. This house is too small for the two of us, three dogs and four cats, not to mention a rabbit and a tank full of fish," he told her for what seemed to be the hundredth time.
 

"I'll go to Ryker's before the dogs will," she warned him.
 

He sighed in resignation. It seemed to be a never-ending argument between the two of them. Thomas liked animals as much as the next person, but in small numbers. When they'd first moved in together, Michelle had two cats that she'd adopted while she lived in the dorms. Shortly after that she'd gotten the other two cats, then the rabbit and finally the dogs. Thomas' contribution was the 25-gallon fish tank that covered one wall in their living room. He was surprised that neither the dogs nor the cats had made a meal out of the lop-eared rabbit. But, everybody seemed to coexist in peace and harmony in the Gillis-Danko household. Everybody, that is, except for the two humans living in the house. Some days it was open warfare between the two of them.
 

When they arrived at his parent's house a little over an hour later, Michelle saw that her father had already arrived. She didn't know why she always had butterflies in her stomach every time she was about to see him. She smiled when the front door opened and Michael ran out, shouting her name.
 

"Michelle!" He called happily as Michelle opened the passenger's door of the Jeep and climbed out.
 

"Hey, Michael," she smiled as she hugged him tightly.
 

"How come you drive this old Jeep? I thought doctors could afford cool cars," Michael observed as he wrinkled his nose at the sight of the jeep.
 

"Doctors can, but surgical residents can't. When I get done with my residency, then I'll drive a Lexus," she promised him.
 

While they were eating dinner, the conversation came up about the upcoming wedding. "Mom wants to know when you and Thomas are getting married," Michael announced as Michelle shot Thomas a warning look.
 

"We're probably not going to have a big, fancy church wedding," Michelle hedged as Mike frowned. "We were talking about just going to the justice of the peace and getting it over with."
 

"Is that how you feel about getting married? Just going to some JP and 'getting it over with?'" Mike glared at his oldest daughter.
 

"Do we have to talk about this now?" She challenged back as her face turned beet red.
 

Jennifer, Willie and Eric looked down at their plates, clearly uncomfortable.
 

"We have to talk about it sometime. Now's as good a time as any," Mike pointed out as Michelle kept looking at him with steely brown eyes.
 

"I just don't want you having to go to any hassle just so that I can get married. Thomas and I know that neither you nor Willie has the resources to give us a nice wedding," Michelle tried to explain rationally.
 

"And by going to a JP you can avoid having to invite your mother and sister," Mike pointed out.
 

"I didn't say that," she protested a little too quickly.
 

"Yeah, you did," Mike told her.
 

"She shouldn't have adopted Shelby! You've said so yourself!" Michelle snapped in a furious voice.
 

Thomas visibly cringed.
 

"But your mother did adopt her and there's not anything that you or anybody else can do about it. You may not be on speaking terms with her, but when you're around me and your brother, you'll have the decency to show her some respect. Michael, I think it's time we headed home," Mike concluded abruptly as he pushed his chair away from the table.
 

The evening crept along after that until finally Thomas announced that it was time they went home as well. The silence was deafening during the drive home, but it shattered the moment they walked through the front door.
 

"You never know when to quit, do you?! I asked you to please not say anything about us going to a JP to get married, but NO! You just have to push the envelope, don't you? What do you want, Michelle? Do you want me to smack you around like your real father did? Would that make you feel better?" Thomas exploded furiously.
 

"All I did was answer a question," she answered in a soft voice. "And I was right. Mom never should've adopted Shelby."
 

"Oh, yeah," he agreed sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "Let's see now . . . . she could've gone ahead and given her up for adoption, which you and I know that no family would've taken her. She would've ended up in a foster home, where chances are they wouldn't have discovered her hearing loss. Or there's the other option, which you gladly would've taken. She could've just let her die," he stared at Michelle as if she had two heads.
 

"Wouldn't it have been better to just let her die? She's never going to have a normal life," Michelle admitted.
 

"What exactly is a normal life, Michelle?" He demanded as he stalked into the kitchen to get himself a beer. He called over his shoulder, "God only knows that we don't have one. When you find out what a normal life is, please do me a favor and clue the rest of us in." He slammed the refrigerator door so hard that a few of the magnets fell to the ground. He took a deep sip of the beer, marched into their bedroom without giving her another glance and slammed the door behind him.
 

Thomas was getting undressed when Michelle walked in a few minutes later and stood in the doorway.
 

"I'm sorry," she admitted in a contrite voice. "You're right. It just hurts to know that Savannah's wishes aren't being followed. She didn't want to keep the baby. She was only giving in to what Troy and his stupid family wanted," she tried to explain as her eyes welled up. She blinked back the tears, as she hated crying more than anything in the world. She hadn't cried when they turned Savannah's machines off and she wasn't about to cry now.
 

"But, 'Shel, don't you think that Savannah would've wanted Shelby to be with somebody who could at least take care of her medical needs? The Gallagher's couldn't do it. They have all they can handle taking care of Troy. At least your mom   .  .   . Jill can take care of Shelby," he finished as he removed the rest of his clothes.
 

Michelle didn't say anything further. She walked over to the dresser, removed an oversized T-shirt before leaving the bedroom and walking to the bathroom. One of the main things that she and Thomas continued arguing about was her mother's adoption of Shelby. He'd thought it had been a great idea while she'd been completely against it. But he was right in one respect. There was no way the Gallagher's could take Shelby. They'd been devastated when they'd found out that Troy was going to live the rest of his life as a vegetable. The cost of his residential care facility was enormous. The strain of a child with special needs was more than they'd be able to handle.
 

When Michelle came to bed after her shower, Thomas turned off the lamp and rolled toward her, kissing her as he slipped his arms around her. "I love you, Michelle," he murmured. As she turned toward him, she tried to push everything else to the back of her mind.
 

<><><><><><>
 

Century City, California-Summer 2001
 

Terry Webster walked into his apartment, threw the keys onto the bar before walking over and turning on his computer. The place was a cluttered mess, but he hadn't had time to put anything away after the move. Work took up most of his time and volunteering at the youth center took up the rest.
 

He would remember that once he'd had two good friends whom in an instant had turned traitor. Terry still couldn't understand why they all couldn't have just stayed friends, but that was before the drinking and the accusations. He still couldn't believe how ugly it had gotten in the end before Jill had finally decided she'd had enough. He didn't blame her for packing up and moving away, but there were times when he missed her. When he'd casually mentioned that to Mike one day shortly after Jill had moved away, Mike had sarcastically asked him if he'd been sleeping with his wife. That had been the last time the two had spoken.
 

What had surprised him was how quickly Willie had taken Mike's side. In all the years Terry and Willie had known each other that had never happened. Suddenly it was if battle lines had been drawn and there were no winners. What Willie didn't know was Terry had been talking to his son both via phone and email. Thomas had told Terry that he felt like a rubber band being stretched from both ends.
 

Terry smiled when he saw an email from Jill. Opening it, there were written just two words: 'Call me.' Terry dialed her number on his cell phone.
 

"Jill, it's Terry. I got your email. Call me on my cell phone when you get this," he told the answering machine when it picked up. He was making himself something to eat half an hour later when his cell phone rang. "Hello?"
 

"Hi," Jill's voice came over the line.
 

"What's wrong?" He asked as he tried to judge the tone of her voice.
 

"Nothing and everything. I just got home from the emergency room with Shelby," she answered in a shaking voice.
 

"Jill, what's going on? Isn't Ryker still there with you?" Terry asked in alarm as he got up to rotate his dinner in the microwave.
 

"No, he left a couple of days ago. How did you know he was here?" She asked in surprise.
 

"Thomas told me. You didn't answer my question. What's going on with Shelby?" He asked once again.
 

"She just had a bad night. She started turning blue and I couldn't get her regulated, so I had to call an ambulance to bring us to the hospital. She's okay now. I've got her in my bed asleep," she tried to assure Terry as much as herself.
 

"Have you told Mike?" He asked.
 

"Why should I? He doesn't care about her. Besides, I don't want to take away from his time with Michael," she stated plaintively.
 

"Do you want me to fly down there?" He asked.
 

"Thank you, but you don't have to do that. I just needed to vent. Look, I'm going to go before she wakes up. Did you say that Thomas told you that Eddie was here?" She suddenly asked as it dawned on her what he'd said earlier.
 

"Yeah, I think he's tired of the war. But he doesn't want me telling his parent's or Michelle that he's been talking to the enemy," Terry chuckled.
 

"You're not the enemy. There weren't any winners or losers in this whole situation. Everybody lost. Sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake by leaving like I did," she confessed in a rueful voice.
 

"Jill, we've talked about this a hundred times. The Mike situation was becoming increasingly unhealthy for your son. You had to think about him and that's what you did," Terry reminded her.
 

"I know, but as bad as it got in the end, I still miss him, Terry," she lamented.
 

Terry closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten. "Jill, every time you start thinking like that, remember that Mike was the one who knew Savannah was still seeing Troy. He's the one who tried to beat you down when you refused to give Shelby up for adoption. Remember how he threatened to take you to court and have Michael taken from you . . ."
 

"Okay, I get the point," Jill interrupted, knowing full well that he was right. "Look, I have to go. I'll talk to you later," she promised as she hung up.
 

Terry knew she hated it when he started pointing out the things that Mike had done that had gotten them where they were now. There were some things that could never be forgotten.
 

Mike had told him and Willie one afternoon while they were shooting hoops in Willie's driveway that he'd found out that Savannah was still seeing Troy.
 

"Have you told Jill?" Terry asked in stunned disbelief as he dropped the basketball.
 

"Nope. I asked Savannah about the situation and she told me that Troy wants to take care of her and the baby," Mike said as he picked up the ball and prepared to throw it at the basket.
 

"Wait! I thought Savannah was giving the baby up for adoption. Isn't that what she told you and Jill?" Willie asked, puzzled.
 

"I guess that's all changed," Mike replied as his two best friends stared at him.
 

"Mike, she's 16 years old! She wants to be a doctor! Who's going to take care of the baby while she goes to medical school?" Terry demanded to know.
 

"I guess either Jill and me or Troy. Look, she has it under control, okay?" By Mike's tone of voice, they knew the conversation was over.
 

Terry didn't understand how Mike could've been so blind. And he didn't realize until the night of the accident that Jill had never known that Savannah was still seeing Troy. Mike had promised him and Willie that he was going to tell Jill. Even the girls thought that their mother knew. Terry figured that the only reason Jill didn't find out was neither of the girls no longer lived at home and Mike always made sure the subject never came up.
 

Terry decided Mike needed to know about his granddaughter's condition. He left the apartment, went downstairs to his Eclipse, got in and drove out to the lake house. Mike wasn't there at the time but Willie was. He opened the front door, surprised to see his old roommate and partner standing there.
 

"Are you going to stand there staring at me all day or are you going to let me in?" Terry asked.
 

Willie hurriedly stepped aside to let Terry in. "What's going on?" Willie asked after several minutes of awkward silence.
 

"Not much. I was hoping to talk to Mike," Terry answered.
 

Willie walked over to the computer. "He took Michael to the movies, but they should be back pretty soon," Willie called over his shoulder.
 

"I read in the paper that Eric made the All-City Soccer team. You and Jen must be very happy about that," Terry observed as he sat down on the sofa and tried to think of things to say.
 

"Yeah, we are," Willie mumbled.
 

A few minutes later the front door opened and Mike walked in, followed a few seconds later by Michael. "What're you doing here?" Mike demanded in a cold voice.
 

Michael took a step away from his father and cringed.
 

"Hey, Michael! Let's go up to Trap's and see if he has any ice cream we can steal," Willie told the young boy as they left the house, leaving Mike alone with his former best friend.
 

"You know, this whole thing about who can talk to who is getting ridiculous," Terry reflected as Mike continued glaring at him.
 

"State your business and leave," Mike growled.
 

"I talked to your ex-wife a little while ago. She was in the emergency room with your granddaughter most of the night. I thought you ought to know," Terry spouted off as Mike sat down on one of the arm chairs.
 

"So?" Mike snapped.
 

"Hey, man, you need to face up to a few things. You might not like the fact that Jill adopted Shelby, but, like it or not, she's going to be the only grandchild you'll ever have until Michael gets married. Mary Kathryn can't have any kids and you know that Michelle won't. You're not being fair to yourself and you're not being fair to that little girl. She deserves to have a grandfather who loves her. And I know you're capable of it because I know how crazy you are about your kids. And I used to know how crazy you were about Jill," Terry reminded him as he got to his feet and walked to the front door.
 

"What was wrong with her?" Mike asked in a subdued voice.
 

"I don't know. Jill didn't say. Why don't you call her and find out?" Terry suggested in a pointed voice as he walked out, got in his car and drove off.
 

After a few seconds Mike walked over to the computer and logged onto the internet. Going into his bookmarks, he found the site he'd marked a long time ago and read for the thousandth time about Transposition of the Great Arteries and Ventricular Septal defects. They'd been told after Shelby's diagnosis at two days old that the only reason she was still alive was because of the VSD, which was a hole between the lower two chambers of her heart.
 

She'd had surgery at nine months to implant a shunt that was supposed to improve the blood flow between the switched arteries. The procedure was supposedly minor for heart surgery, but something had gone wrong and she'd gone into cardiac arrest. The surgery they were talking about performing now was the one where the arteries would be switched to where they were supposed to be. Right now her pulmonary artery and her aorta were backwards.
 

Mike sat back and thought about what Terry had said to him. He knew Terry was right. That was why he hadn't gone to his lawyer as he threatened he was going to do after returning from San Antonio in March. He took his cell phone off of his belt and called Jill.
 

"Hello?" Jill's sleepy voice came over the phone.
 

"Did I wake you up?" Mike asked apologetically.
 

"No, I was lying here with the baby and I must've dozed off. Is something wrong with Michael?" Jill asked as she sat up.
 

"No, Michael's fine," he reassured her quickly. "He's with Willie right now. Terry just left. He said you were at the hospital with Shelby all night. Is she all right?" Mike asked in a concerned voice.
 

"Yeah, she's just pretty doped up right now. They did a heart catheterization which you know she thoroughly enjoyed," Jill remarked sarcastically as Mike smiled. "Anyway, she's home now and sleeping."
 

"Did they move the date of her surgery up?" Mike wanted to know.
 

"No, I have to take her back to the doctor on the 9^th of September and they're going to do a whole battery of tests, so I guess I'll get a date after that," she sighed wearily as she reached over and brushed Shelby's hair off her face.
 

"Look, you sound tired, so I'm going to let you go. Kiss her for me when she wakes up," he begged her as he started to hang up.
 

"Mike?" Jill's voice came across the line.
 

"Yeah?"
 

"Thank you for calling about her," she whispered as Mike felt like kicking himself.
 

<><><><><><>
 

September 4, 2001
 

Jill was wondering if she was doing the right thing by sticking with Dr. Dominguez or if she should try to find another doctor. She expressed these concerns to one of her co-workers one afternoon at work. Few of Jill's co-workers knew the whole story behind Jill's sudden move to Texas with the two children. Janie Ramirez was one of the few. Janie walked into the lounge one day where Jill was doing paperwork.
 

"How's the baby?" Janie asked as she poured a cup of coffee and sat down across from Jill.
 

"About the same. I was looking over the records that I brought with me from California and I keep asking myself if I'm doing the right thing. Something keeps telling me that they should go ahead and do the surgery. Every day I look at her and it's like she's slipping away," she sighed unhappily.
 

"Couldn't you take her to Los Angeles and have the original doctors look at her?" Janie suggested.
 

"I could, but it would mean pulling Michael out of school for God knows how long. When she had the first surgery, there were complications and she was in the hospital for 27 days," Jill explained.
 

"But wouldn't you rather have Michael miss some school rather than take the chance of having to bury another child? Besides, couldn't you just enroll him into school there, even if it's just for a short time?" Janie asked.
 

Realizing that Janie had a point, Jill promptly went to Dr. Dominguez office and demanded all of Shelby's files, x-rays, test results, etc. He was too shocked to argue with her. That night she went home and sent an email to Shelby's original cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Sajay at UCLA Children's Hospital explaining to him what was going on and telling him that she was faxing Shelby's files to him. She didn't expect an immediate answer. Therefore, she was shocked when she checked her email the next morning and found a message asking her to bring Shelby to Los Angeles as soon as possible.
 

When Michael returned home that afternoon, Jill was already packing. "What're you doing?" He asked in amazement, watching her from his doorway where she was busily packing his clothes.
 

"We're going to go to Los Angeles for a while," Jill explained. "Make sure you pack your game boy and some games so you can play in the car."
 

"Why are we going to L.A.? Are we going to see dad?" He asked eagerly.
 

"Yeah, you'll see your dad and everybody else," she answered as she headed to Shelby's room, Michael close on her heels. "I'll probably put you in school out there for a little while," Jill told him as she began removing Shelby's things and putting them into a suitcase.
 

"When are we leaving?" He asked.
 

"Tomorrow morning as soon as I can check you out of school," she told him as she finished packing Shelby's clothes. "Do me a favor. Take this bag and put all of her medications into it. Don't forget anything."
 

Finding a place to stay wouldn't be too difficult. She knew from past experience that she could always stay in the Ronald McDonald House if need be. She went to her room to pack, then sat down and called Mike. He wasn't in, so she left a message on his voice mail for him to call her as soon as possible.
 

She'd just put the children to bed that night when he called her back. "I got your message. What's going on?" He asked when she answered the phone.
 

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm driving out tomorrow with the kids," she advised him.
 

"Why? What's going on?" He demanded in a worried voice.
 

"Dr. Sajay's going to look at Shelby. I've already sent him her case history," she replied as she sat down on her bed.
 

"Wait! Isn't he the one who screwed up before?" Mike asked angrily.
 

"Mike, he didn't 'screw' up. The surgery was done perfectly, but she just couldn't handle the anesthesia. I have to do something! She's slipping away from me. I weighed her today and she weighs 25 pounds. Michael weighed that much when he was 18 months old. I'm desperate, Mike," she explained in a shaky voice as she started very hard not to cry.
 

"What're you going to do about Michael?" He asked in a compassionate voice.
 

"I'm going to enroll him in school out there because I don't know how long I'm going to be there. I was wondering if he could stay out there with you and Eddie," she ventured in a hesitant voice.
 

"You don't even have to ask. Where are you and Shelby going to stay? You know he's going to miss you."
 

"I know, but Mike, it's taking every ounce of energy I have just to keep Shelby going right now. Don't worry about us."
 

"Jill, why don't you stay here? That way you don't have to be separated from our son. I'll stay with Willie and Jennifer," Mike offered.
 

"Mike, no! I can't do that," she declined quickly. "It's too long a drive from Eddie's to UCLA. Besides, it's not fair to you. We'll be fine, I promise," she insisted.
 

"What time are you leaving in the morning?" He asked as he got a pen and paper out.
 

"I don't know. I have to check Michael out of school, so it'll be early. I want to get on the road while it's still fairly cool outside," she explained.
 

"Okay, let me make some calls and I'll call you back in a little while," he promised as they hung up.
 

Jill was lying on her bed and was just starting to doze off when her cell phone rang about an hour later.
 

"I talked to Terry," Mike said. "He wants you and the baby to stay with him and he won't take no for an answer. He said to call him when you reach Century City and he'll give you directions to the apartment."
 

"Thank you, Mike," she smiled as she took a deep breath.
 

"Hey, just be careful driving. I'll see you in a couple of days," he told her as they said good night and hung up.
 

They left early on the morning of the 6^th. Jill made pretty good time and arrived in Los Angeles two days later. Michael was anxious to see his father, so Jill made the long drive out to Eddie's first. After making sure that he was settled and handing his school papers over to Mike, she got back into the SUV and headed back into town. She stopped to call Terry on her cell phone and he gave her directions to his apartment. She had just pulled into the parking lot and parked when he came out to meet her.
 

"God, you look great!" Terry exclaimed as they hugged each other tightly.
 

"I don't like the 'Kojak' look, Terry. Do me a favor and grow your hair back," she teased as she ran a hand over his bald scalp.
 

"I hate it. It's all gray. I think Willie's the only one of us who doesn't have to use 'Just For Men.'" He teased back.
 

"Can you grab the little cooler in the back seat? It has some of her medications in it." Jill asked as she started unbuckling Shelby from her car seat.
 

He grabbed the cooler and led her upstairs to his apartment. "You can put her in the spare bedroom while you take my room. I can sack out on the couch," he pointed out as he put the cooler in the kitchen.
 

"Terry, I can't put you out of your room. I can sleep with her. I like keeping her near me, anyway," she explained as she placed the little girl on the floor.
 

"She looks awful," Terry was brutally honest.
 

"That's why I'm here," she said in a sad voice.
 

Terry walked over and embraced her once again while Shelby stared up at him with huge brown eyes.
 

Jill smiled down at her and began to sign to her. "This is Terry, Shelby. He used to carry you around on his shoulders."
 

"Where's Mikey?" She signed as she looked puzzled.
 

"Michael's going to stay with his daddy for a little while. We have to try to make you better," Jill signed.
 

Shelby shook her head. "No shots," she insisted.
 

"No shots," Jill signed back with a smile. She walked to the kitchen and started to put Shelby's medications into the refrigerator.
 

"When are you seeing her doctor?" Terry asked as he'd followed behind her.
 

"Monday morning, if she can last that long. It's gotten bad, Terry. I have to carry her everywhere. Walking a few feet across the room wears her out," Jill explained as she walked back over to Shelby and lifted her shirt.
 

Terry could see a catheter sticking out of the upper left side of the little girl's chest. "What is that thing? It looks like the catheter Mike had when he was undergoing chemo."
 

"It's a Hickman catheter. Every night when she goes to bed, I have to hook her up to an IV solution of antibiotics and vitamins. On top of the TGA and VSD, I found out that she has pancreatitis. They thought that it might be a symptom of pediatric AIDS, so they tested her for that. It came back negative. They put her on oral antibiotics to clear up the inflammation, but it didn't work, so we're stuck with this little ritual every night," she concluded.
 

"Is it working?" He asked.
 

"I think so. At least when she walks she's not hunched over," Jill admitted.
 

Monday-September 10, 2001
 

Jill had an early morning appointment with Dr. Sajay.
 

He smiled when she walked into his office with Shelby, a smile that quickly faded when he got his first good look at the little girl. "She has not grown much," he observed as he examined her.
 

"It's hard to get her to eat. Can you do the surgery?" Jill asked, beating him to the punch.
 

"Yes, but we must get the pancreatitis cleared up first," he told Jill as he took his stethoscope and listened to Shelby's heart and lungs. "I want to get an echo of her heart and I also want to do another catheterization."
 

"When?" Jill asked wearily.
 

"Bring her to Children's Hospital tomorrow morning at eight a.m. I'm going to make her better, Mrs. Danko," he smiled in reassurance.
 

"I hope so," Jill whispered as she gathered Shelby back into her arms.
 

<><><><><><>
 

New York City-Monday night, September 10, 2001
 

Mary Kathryn and Pete had gone out to dinner that Monday night. He was off the next morning, so he offered to drive her to Newark to catch her flight to San Francisco. She'd packed a bag and taken it to his apartment so they could leave from there. This didn't surprise Jasmine and Trevor since Mary Kathryn practically lived with her fireman these days.
 

They were lying across Pete's bed sharing kisses and caresses when Pete propped himself on one elbow to look at her. "Can I ask you a question?" He asked.
 

"What?" She replied curiously..
 

"Why can't I call you MK? You never did tell me and I want to know everything about you," he whispered, leaning down to brush his lips with hers once again.
 

"I had a little sister named Savannah. She was almost three years younger than I. She used to call me that. Anyway, she died in a car accident four years ago and it hurts too much when anybody else calls me that name," she whispered as she blinked back tears.
 

"So, the niece. . . ." A light went off in Pete's head as Mary Kathryn nodded.
 

"It was her little girl. She was almost eight months pregnant with her when she had the accident. My mom adopted her. She's the sweetest, prettiest little thing and she looks so much like Savannah that it's scary," Mary Kathryn told Pete.
 

"That must've been rough for your mom to bury one child and then raise her grandchild. When do I get to meet this sweet, pretty niece of yours?" He grinned.
 

"I don't know. My mom and dad have a weird visitation schedule where my brother's concerned. My dad gets him for Christmas, but my mom said she might bring them up in January. There's something else you need to know about Shelby. She has a heart defect that's going to require surgery in a couple of weeks. She's also deaf. I can teach you sign language," Mary Kathryn offered.
 

"I already know some," he confessed.
 

"Not the dirty words, silly! Everybody knows those!" She giggled as he began planting kisses down her body.
 

<><><><><>
 

Los Angeles-Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001
 

Jill was sound asleep in Terry's spare room early the next morning when she heard him frantically tapping on the door. "What's going on?" She asked groggily when she opened the door.
 

"Jill, I just got up and turned the TV on. They're showing some awful pictures from New York City," he stammered as Jill stared at him. "The World Trade Center's on fire."
 

"What?" Jill asked in stunned disbelief as she grabbed her robe and followed him to the living room, where they both sat down and stared in mute shock. "It was an accident, right?"
 

"One tower, maybe, but not both of them. That's not all, Jill. They're also saying a plane hit the Pentagon," he continued in disbelief.
 

"Mary Kathryn was flying to San Francisco this morning," Jill whispered in a terrified voice.
 

"What time's her flight?"
 

"I don't know!"
 

Terry took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'm sure she's fine. Why don't you try calling her cell phone?"
 

"It's probably off if she's on a plane. I'll try calling her after I get back from the hospital with Shelby. I'd better go wake her up," she said, leaving the room as the phone rang.
 

"Hello?" Terry answered. "Yeah, we just saw it. Jill was just saying she hopes Mary Kate's all right. She's on her way to San Francisco. I don't know. Jill didn't say. Hold on a minute." He put the phone down and called out, "Jill, what's her flight number? Mike said he'll call and make sure she got off okay."
 

She went to get her day planner, then came into the living room and picked up the phone. "Mike, it's United Airlines Flight 93. She was flying out of Newark Could you call and check? I'd feel better knowing she's all right."
 

"I'll call and then I'll let you know," Mike promised. "Are you going to have your cell phone with you?"
 

"Yeah, but it won't be on. I'm taking Shelby to the hospital for tests. Leave a message and let me know. Is Michael okay?" Jill asked.
 

"He's still asleep. I was about to wake him up when I saw this. I'll have him call you tonight," he promised before saying goodbye.
 

When Jill arrived at the hospital, everything was in an uproar. All anybody could talk about were the tragedies in New York and Washington. Jill sat in the waiting area watching the footage on TV, but since the sound was turned down she didn't hear the rest of the news.
 

When she arrived back at Terry's with a very doped-up Shelby, Terry practically pounced on her. "Mike's been calling here every five minutes frantically looking for you."
 

"Could you take Shelby for me? I told him I'd call him after I got home," she said with irritation as she took out her cell phone and noticed there were several messages in her mail box. Ignoring them for the moment, she dialed Mike's number.
 

He answered before it rang one time. "Jill, Mary Kathryn was on the last plane!" Mike's hysterical voice came over the line.
 

"Mike, what're you talking about? The last plane was going to L.A. It took off from Boston. Mary Kathryn took off from Newark going to San Francisco," she patiently corrected him.
 

"Oh, God, you don't know. There was another plane after the Pentagon. It left Newark going to San Francisco. United Airlines Flight 93. It crashed outside of Pittsburgh," Mike's voice began to rise sharply.
 

"Was it like the others?" She asked, her hand holding the telephone receiver in a white knuckled grip.
 

"A few people on the plane made phone calls. They said there were several hijackers on the plane. One of them said there were some passengers that were going to take back the plane," he answered.
 

Everything began spinning and Jill crumpled to the floor, sobbing hysterically.
 

"Mike, what's going on?" Terry asked, grabbing the receiver before it hit the floor and knelt beside Jill at the same time. He listened in horror as Mike repeated that Mary Kathrynwas on the plane from Newark."Look, I'm going to bring her and Shelby over there," Terry decided after Mike had finished. "She needs to be with you right now."
 

Terry somehow managed to get both Shelby and Jill into his Eclipse and raced over to Eddie's, where Mike and everybody else were gathered. The only people missing were Michelle and Thomas. Terry stood in the living room holding Shelby in his arms while Jill sobbed uncontrollably in Mike's arms.
 

"Mike, are they sure? Have they released the passenger list?" She asked over and over as Mike desperately tried to keep things together.
 

"I've tried calling, but the lines are always busy. I called in some favors and I've got a friend with the airlines trying to find out for me. I tried calling her roommates, but nobody answered. They said on TV that the phone system is out in some areas," he answered in a gentle voice, willing himself not to fall apart himself.
 

"Mike, please tell me that this isn't happening again," she begged as she buried herself into his chest and started to cry again. "I can't handle losing another child. I just can't . . ."
 

Mike tightened his grip on her and closed his eyes. He felt as if he were in some horrible nightmare and couldn't wake up.
 

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