TITLE: Picking Up the Pieces-Chapter Twelve
 

AUTHOR: CTL (AugieSwan2@AOL.com)
 

SETTING: Apr. - Jun. 2002
 

SUMMARY: We have a little bit of everything in this chapter. We have psychiatrists' visits, sisterly bonding and everything else in-between, including a volatile confrontation between Jill and Shelby's other grandparent's, The Gallagher's.
 

AUTHORS' NOTES: Since I'm the one writing, this is probably going to be another long chapter.  Also, there's going to be a reference made to a great book that Cindy and I read recently. It's called 'When the Wind Blows' by James Patterson. This book and the sequel, 'The Lake House' are wonderful.
 
 
 

APRIL
 

"So, how have you been feeling?" Dr. Evans asked.
 

"Okay, I guess. At least I'm not having to walk out in the middle of surgery any more to throw up," Michelle answered as she stared at her hands.
 

"How are things going between you and Thomas?" The psychiatrist asked.
 

"Good." She started to pace the room. "Since he's stationed at Camp Pendleton, I've been able to see him almost every weekend. We've been talking and making plans for the baby. It's been going really well," she repeated.
 

"The last time you were here, we talked about your birth parents. You said you worry about continuing the cycle of abuse. What's your first memory of the abuse you suffered at the hands of your birth parents?"
 

Michelle sighed as she searched her memory bank. She'd been seeing Dr. Evans since the end of the custody battle at the suggestion of her attorney. She'd continued after realizing that talking to someone about her past seemed to help get rid of some of the demons that had haunted her since her childhood.
 

Thomas had come home in early February after completing his basic training. He was assigned to the First Marine Battalion, stationed for the time being at Camp Pendleton outside of San Diego. As she'd told the psychiatrist, she'd been seeing him almost every weekend. They'd been talking lately about trying to once again make a home for themselves and the baby. The way she looked at it, anything was better than staying in the spare bedroom at Lt. Ryker's. She felt like she was under her parents' constant scrutiny. It was worse now than it had been when she'd been a teenager, except now she had the added bonus of a pesky younger brother and Shelby. Michelle still had mixed feelings about her five-year-old niece. She loved her, but seeing her every day was a constant reminder of Savannah.
 

"Michelle?" Dr. Evans broke through Michelle's reverie.
 

"The first time I really remember being beaten by my father was when I was five or six. I got in trouble at school and they had to call him to come get me. He talked to the principal and then took me home. He didn't do anything until after supper. He then announced that there was going to be a family meeting. He stood me and Ben in front of him. . . ." She paused as Dr. Evans stopped her.
 

"Excuse me, Michelle. Who's Ben?"
 

"Ben was my brother. He was two years older than I was. May I continue?" Michelle asked as the doctor nodded.
 

"Anyway, he told my mother that he was tired of all of the crap. He was tired of being embarrassed by us and it was time he did something about it. He took out his heavy belt and he beat both of us with it. Then he sent us to our rooms. Later that night, I woke up to find a flashlight in my face. After we were asleep, he started fighting with our mom and he woke Savannah up. He complained because she was always crying, so he made my mom give her something to shut her up," she paused to take a breath.
 

"What did your mother give your sister, Michelle?" The doctor asked.
 

"Bleach. She put it in a cup with some water," she paused once again as the doctor stopped her, confused.
 

"How do you know all of this?" The doctor asked.
 

"It was in the police report. The Danko's showed it to me when I was grown. An ambulance was called because Savannah started having trouble breathing. When they got to the hospital, they discovered her throat and esophagus were burned. Even after that, they didn't go to jail," Michelle sighed.
 

"That must've made you angry," Dr. Evans commented drily.
 

"It didn't then. I didn't understand what was going on. Ben and I were taken to the hospital and stripped naked. Then they took pictures of us. That was the last night I ever saw my brother. They took me to some building with a huge room full of beds. I stayed there for a few days, then I was taken to a strange home. Savannah was taken there when she was released from the hospital."
 

"How long were you there?" The doctor asked.
 

"I don't know. I remember that I finished the school year in that house. After school let out for the year, my parents started visiting us. By the end of the summer, we were back with them. By Christmas, my father was beating us. But he was careful this time. He made sure the marks never showed and he warned me of the consequences of ever telling. According to him, I had a big mouth. Savannah was terrified of him, but she was always braver than I was. I wanted friends and a normal life. She told me time and again that could never happen," she finished as she remembered her sister's warning when they'd first moved in across from the Gillis'.
 

"Well, our time's up for today," the doctor said as the alarm sounded on her desk. "I'll see you on Thursday."
 

"You'd better make it Friday. I'm on duty all day Thursday," Michelle told the doctor as she picked up her purse.
 

"Okay, Friday then," the doctor agreed as he walked Michelle to the waiting room.
 

As soon as Michelle got behind the wheel of the Jeep she slid a Neil Diamond CD into the CD player and turned up the volume. Listening to Neil cleared out her jumbled thoughts. She hated talking about her birth parents. She never saw the point in it. All of her friends at the hospital knew that talking about her past was off-limits. She'd started her ER rotation shortly after learning that she was pregnant. She tried arguing with the chief of staff by telling him that she already knew she wanted to be a cardiovascular surgeon, but she was told it didn't matter. All residents had to do a rotation in all areas. The ER rotation was tough. She saw more pain and more suffering than she ever hoped to see in her lifetime. Fortunately it was almost over and she could return to surgery. But the last several weeks she'd found herself wondering if that's what she really wanted to do.
 

When she pulled into what she'd taken to referring to as 'The Ryker Compound' she was relieved to find that she was the only one home. She walked into the house and went into the kitchen to get a glass of juice before walking to her bedroom and logging onto her computer. Among the junk email messages were a couple from Thomas telling her that he'd be back in town Saturday morning and wanting to know if they could get together. She thought before she emailed him back.
 

Thomas,
 

I'm on duty in the ER all day Saturday. I don't get off until Saturday night at eight. Call me and we'll see about dinner Saturday night or brunch on Sunday before you have to drive back to San Diego. I have a doctor's appt. next Wed. I'll let you know what she says. I saw Dr. Evans today and we talked about those people who called themselves my parents again. I wish he'd move on, already. I love you and I'll see you this weekend.
 

'Chelle
 

"Michelle, are you here?" Michelle inwardly groaned as she heard the lieutenant's voice call down the hallway.
 

"No, I crawled out the window," she mumbled to herself in irritation as she walked to her bedroom door. "I'm back here!" She called out as Lt. Ryker walked out of the kitchen.
 

"Are you hungry?" He asked as she walked down the short hallway into the kitchen.
 

"No, I ate before my doctor's appointment," she answered as he removed sandwich makings from the refrigerator. "I thought you were going to San Francisco with my dad."
 

"Well, we were but he's not feeling well so we cancelled. Hopefully, we'll drive up there tomorrow or the day after," he replied as he spread mustard on two slices of bread.
 

"What's wrong with him?" Michelle asked.
 

"I don't know. He said it felt like the flu, so you need to stay away from him," he advised her.
 

"I had a flu shot before I got pregnant. I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'm going to take a walk."
 

She walked out of the house and took a deep breath as she began walking toward the main house. She knew she needed to talk to the lieutenant about this arrangement. Lt. Ryker had a tendency to treat her as if she were ten instead of 27 years old. There were times when she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Thomas had been begging her to come to San Diego and live with him on base. Her argument had been that she didn't want to continue her residency in a new hospital. She also was hesitant about having the baby in a military hospital. Several of her co-workers had told her horror stories about giving birth in military hospitals.
 

She walked down to the lake and removed some bread from the bin on the dock. The ducks came flocking and fighting each other for the stale bread. She was still standing there when she saw her mother's SUV drive by. Both kids came running up to the dock, fighting over who got to feed the ducks first.
 

"Me, Michael! I was here first!" Shelby signed and spoke in a garbled voice as she pulled the bin open.
 

Jill had been taking Shelby to an audiologist since shortly after Christmas. They had fitted her with hearing aids and were working several times a week with a speech therapist. Shelby's speech was still guttural and extremely garbled, but it improved every week.
 

"How was your appointment with Dr. Evans?" Jill asked as she watched the kids feed the ducks.
 

"All he ever wants to talk about are my birth parents," Michelle complained.
 

"Well, I guess he figures everything started with them. Don't you agree?" Jill queried pointedly.
 

"I guess," Michelle sighed with a nod. "Ryker postponed his and daddy's trip to San Francisco. He said something about daddy not feeling well."
 

"You were looking forward to having the house to yourself, weren't you?" Jill guessed.
 

"Mom, he treats me like I'm Shelby's age," Michelle griped.
 

"I know," Jill agreed with a slight nod. "Maybe your dad and I can talk to him and explain to him that you're not a small child," Jill promised her as Michelle smiled. "Speaking of your dad, let me go see if he's okay."
 

Mike was lying on the sofa in the house with a damp cloth over his eyes when Jill walked in. "Babe, is that you?" He asked as he struggled to sit up.
 

"Yeah. The kids are feeding the ducks. Michelle said you weren't feeling well," she said as she walked over and sat on the couch beside him, feeling his forehead.
 

"I just have this blinding headache and it made me nauseous. I took my migraine medicine and it's going away now. Did Michelle get home okay?" He asked.
 

"Yeah. She's a little disappointed that you guys didn't go to San Francisco. She wanted the house to herself," Jill repeated what Michelle had told her as Mike smiled.
 

"Maybe I should move back in here and let her have the trailer," Mike suggested as Jill made a face. "What? I'm here most of the time, anyway. It's not like the kids don't know we're sleeping together."
 

"Mike, I thought we agreed that we were going to take this slow," Jill reminded him.
 

"Jill, we are taking this slow," he countered as he struggled to get to his feet. "I just figured if Michelle's so miserable staying at Ryker's, maybe she'd be happier staying in the trailer"
 

"Thomas wants her to move to San Diego and be with him.."
 

"Is she going to do it?" He asked in surprise.
 

"I don't know," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "She doesn't want to finish her residency in a different hospital, but I think that's the only thing that's holding her back. Oh and she also doesn't want to have her baby in a military hospital."
 

"She's been listening to too many horror stories," Mike grinned as he pulled Jill down toward him on the sofa and began kissing her.
 

"Mike, stop!" Jill half-heartedly protested. "The kids are going to come in."
 

"Too late," Michelle chimed in from behind them.
 

They quickly pulled apart and looked to the door.
 

Michelle was standing, there holding each child by the back of their collars. "They were trying to shove each other into the lake."
 

"Michael started it," Shelby signed and tried to explain.
 

Michael shoved her. "I did not! She was daring me!"
 

"Do you want to handle this or do you want me to?" Jill sighed.
 

"Be my guest," he answered magnanimously as he bit back a smile.
 

Jill rolled her eyes, not surprised by his answer. She turned to face the kids. "The water's too cold to be going into the lake. Both of you go to your rooms and stay there until I come get you."
 

The two kids grumbled and stomped down the hall toward their appointed destinations unhappily.
 

"If this is what I have to look forward to, I'm going to let Thomas raise this kid," Michelle warned half-seriously as she left to go back to Ryker's house.
 

<><><><><><>
 

Several days later, Michelle was eating breakfast when Jill walked into the house. "Oh, thank God, you're here," Jill told her daughter in relief.
 

Michelle stared at her mother as if she'd suddenly grown two heads.
 

"I need you to do me a huge favor. I have to work the three to 11 shift tonight. If I drop Shelby off at the hospital, can you keep her in the lounge until your dad can pick her up? He's due back from San Francisco around six. I've already left him a note."
 

"What about Michael?" Michelle asked as she inwardly groaned.
 

"Michael has a baseball game tonight, so he won't be home until after eight. Please, Michelle? I'll put some coloring books and games out for you to put in her backpack," Jill pleaded.
 

"You're sure daddy will be home early? Because the last time I had to bring her with me she wouldn't stay in the lounge. She was all over the place and Dr. Kerrigan wasn't very happy about it," Michelle reminded her mother.
 

"He told me last night that they were leaving this morning which should put them back here early this evening. I'll drop her things off here before I leave. Thanks, Michelle," Jill thanked her once again before breezing out of the front door.
 

Michelle put her head in her hands at the thought of having to take her precocious niece to work with her. As her mother had been, Shelby was fascinated by all things medical. The only way to keep Shelby from wandering around the hospital was to tie her to her chair which was not only dangerous but illegal.
 

When they arrived at the hospital later that afternoon, all of the ER nurses gushed over the pretty little blonde with the huge brown eyes. Jill had dressed her in a matching pair of shorts and a blouse and had looped her long braids and tied them with pink ribbons. "Shelby's going to be visiting us for a few hours until my dad can come to get her. I'm going to take her to the lounge," Michelle explained as she firmly took Shelby by the hand and took her down the corridor to the employees' lounge where several doctors were drinking coffee.
 

"Hey, Michelle," one of the doctors greeted as Michelle pushed Shelby into a chair and placed her backpack in a chair beside her.
 

"You've got coloring books and crayons. You can also watch TV. You can not wander around the hospital. Do you understand me?" Michelle asked.
 

Shelby solemnly nodded. "Can I look at the book at the front desk? The one with the really cool pictures in it?" she asked after a few seconds.
 

"No, you can't look at that!" Michelle exclaimed with a furious glare. "There's some magazines on the table by the window if you want to look at books"
 

"What if I get hungry? Nana wouldn't want me to starve," Shelby complained and spoke.
 
 
 

"Here, this should hold you until Papa comes to get you," Michelle stated as she opened the backpack and pulled out a box of crackers and a box of juice. "Stay here, Shelby. I mean it," Michelle warned her once again before walking out the door.
 

Michelle returned to the admit desk and was in the process of picking up charts when one of the attending came running up to the desk. "We've got a gork coming in," she announced as Michelle and two of the nurses groaned. A "gork" was a derogatory term for a person being brought into the ER in a vegetative state.
 

Michelle and the nurses followed the attending to the ambulance bay as the ambulance pulled up. "Twenty-four-year-old male with possible pneumonia. He's been in a persistent vegetative state since a car accident five years ago," the ambulance attendant rattled off his vital signs as they wheeled him into the ER and toward an examining room.
 

"Does he have a DNR?" Michelle asked as they wheeled him into the room.
 

"Negative. His parents are on their way," the attendant answered as the man was lifted onto the examination table. It was then that Michelle got her first good look at the man and visibly backed up.
 

"Dr. Danko, are you okay?" One of the nurses asked in concern.
 

"I can't take care of this patient," Michelle answered as the attending physician looked at her.
 

"Michelle, what's going on?" Dr. Howard demanded.
 

"He's Shelby's father," she whispered as she fled the room. She was standing in the corridor trying to breathe when she saw two people she hoped to never see again approach her.
 

"Michelle?" Mrs. Gallagher spoke her name as Michelle wanted to run. "You are Michelle, aren't you?"
 

"I'm Dr. Danko," Michelle hedged.
 

"Is Troy all right?" Mr. Gallagher asked.
 

"Dr. Howard's with him now. Please excuse me," Michelle said as she tried to push past Troy Gallagher's parents.
 

She was standing outside of the lounge when Dr. Howard approached her an hour later, clearly furious with her earlier actions. "Doctor, would you like to explain to me what the hell just happened in that trauma room?" Dr. Howard demanded.
 

"The patient is the father of my five-year-old niece. He's the reason that my sister is dead," Michelle explained in a subdued voice as briefly as possible.
 

"Doctor, you have to learn to put your personal life separate from your work. I don't care how you feel towards him! He's a patient and he deserves the best medical care available. Another incident like that one and I'll report you to Dr. Kerrigan. Do I make myself clear?"
 

"Yes, sir," she meekly replied.
 

"This isn't surgery, Dr. Danko. Trauma is a completely different ball game. Now, I want you to work on chart reviews until I say otherwise," he ordered her as he walked back down the hall.
 

"Dr. Howard?" Michelle called behind him as the doctor turned around. "Is he going to live?"
 

"He has pneumonia and we're waiting for a bed upstairs in ICU. He'll live if that's what you want to call it," he said as he continued walking down the hall.
 

Michelle walked into the lounge to check on Shelby who was furiously coloring in her coloring book. "Make sure you don't go wandering around," Michelle stressed to the little girl as she sat across from her.
 

"I know, Michelle. You've only told me two hundred times," Shelby said in irritation, as she went back to her coloring book.
 

"I have to go work on charts so tell Becky or Heidi if you need something. Papa will be here in a little while. Stay here," Michelle said once again as she got up to leave.
 

Shelby slammed her crayon down in irritation as the door closed behind her aunt. She was tired of Michelle always treating her like a baby. Didn't she know that she was the smartest person in her class at school? Everybody said so. Shelby put her crayons and books in her backpack and slipped it under the table before getting up and slipping out of the door. She stood on her tiptoe outside the windows for the first three trauma rooms, but they were empty. She hit pay dirt with the next room. There was a man lying on the table with all kinds of wires and tubes sticking out of him. Shelby quietly opened the door and walked in. A med student who was monitoring the man's vital signs looked over as Shelby walked up to the monitors and watched the numbers and lines beeping on the screens.
 

"I don't think you should be in here," the student pointed out in a stern voice.
 

"What's wrong with him?" Shelby asked.
 

The student stared at her in confusion.
 

"I'm hard to understand because I'm deaf. I said, what's wrong with him?" She repeated slowly.
 

"He has pneumonia. Look, little girl . . . " he began.
 

Shelby pulled a stool over and climbed on top of it to get a better look at the patient. "Shelby," she corrected with a frown. "He doesn't look too good. His respirations are very shallow," she pointed out.
 

"Dammit, Shelby! I told you not to start wandering around," Michelle fumed as she stalked into the room.
 

Both Shelby and the student jumped and glanced towards the door. Shelby quickly jumped down from the stool and stared at the floor guiltily.
 

"Tell Brian goodbye and let's go back to the lounge," Michelle snapped as she grabbed Shelby firmly by the hand.
 

Michelle was pulling a very reluctant Shelby past the admit desk when Mrs. Gallagher spotted them. "Michelle? My God, is this Shelby?" She asked as she approached them.
 

"Becky, please take Shelby back to the lounge and make sure she stays there this time," Michelle turned Shelby over to one of the nurses who had been passing by. She watched Shelby and Becky going into the lounge and then reluctantly turned to face Mrs. Gallagher. "Mrs. Gallagher, you need to return to chairs. As soon as a bed becomes available upstairs, they'll be moving Troy up there."
 

"Michelle, please, can't we see her? She's gotten so big," Mrs. Gallagher begged.
 

Michelle visibly paled. "You wanted nothing to do with her when her health was in danger, but you're definitely not going to see her now. Excuse me, I have work to do," Michelle excused herself as she rushed down the corridor as quickly as possible.
 

Michelle gathered up her charts and went into the lounge to keep an eye on Shelby herself. She didn't know why she hadn't done that to begin with.
 

"Who was that lady?" Shelby asked.
 

"Shelby, you have to be quiet. I have to get these charts done," Michelle informed her as she turned on the tape recorder.
 

"This is boring," Shelby complained as she stomped around the room. Michelle furiously switched the recorder off as she glared at the little girl. Fortunately for her, Mike picked that moment to enter the room.
 

"Papa!" Shelby squealed happily as she flew into Mike's arms.
 

"Thank God," Michelle muttered under her breath. In a normal voice she said, "I need to talk to you for a minute. Outside."
 

"Okay. Shelby, get your things together. I'll be right back," Mike ordered the little girl as he stepped outside with Michelle. "Problems?"
 

"Yeah, but not the kind that you're thinking of. The Gallagher's brought Troy in earlier. They saw Shelby," Michelle warned Mike.
 

"Are they still here?" Mike asked.
 

"They're in the waiting area," she answered with a nod. "Mom would have a fit."
 

"Yeah, no kidding. I'll call you when we get home," he promised her as he went inside to get Shelby.
 

Mike had Shelby by the hand and was on his way toward the exit when Mrs. Gallagher spotted him.
 

"Mr. Danko!" She called.
 

"What do you want?" He asked after taking a deep breath.
 

Shelby stood there watching her grandfather and the strange couple, wondering what was going on.
 

"I see you like Power Puff Girls, too. That's your cousin Samantha's favorite show," Mrs. Gallagher told Shelby as she took notice of the little girl's pink backpack.
 

"Don't do that!" Mike hissed through clenched teeth. "You signed away any rights you had to her four years ago," he continued in a loud whisper.
 

"Well, if we remember right, Mr. Danko, so did you," Mr. Gallagher reminded him.
 

"Leave us alone," Mike warned as he grabbed Shelby's hand tightly and practically dragged her out of the door.
 

"Papa, stop!" Shelby balked as Mike stopped and picked her up as he walked out to his Montero. He pressed the button on his key chain to unlock the doors before opening the back door and placing Shelby inside. She scrambled to the booster seat in the middle of the seat as Mike buckled her in before closing her door and getting into the front seat. "Who were those people?" She asked as Mike started the car and backed out of his parking place.
 

"I have an idea. Why don't we go watch the rest of Michael's ball game," Mike suggested, rapidly changing the subject.
 

"Can we get pizza after the game?" Shelby asked eagerly.
 

"Sure, we can go with Michael and his team to get pizza," Mike agreed as he got on the freeway and drove back toward Laurel Canyon.
 

Michael played short-stop on a team coached by Willie. When Mike pulled into the parking lot of the ballpark, Michael's team was on the field.
 

"Hi, Aunt Jennifer," Shelby greeted as she sat beside Jennifer.
 

"Hi, sweetie. What're you doing here?" Jen asked as she spotted Mike standing next to Willie.
 

"We're going to go get pizza," Shelby answered.
 

"I see," Jen replied with a frown as she went back to watching the game.
 

Over by the backstop, Willie glanced over at Mike, wondering what was going on. While he usually attended Michael's games, Willie hadn't been expecting him tonight since he'd been out of town. "What's going on?" Willie asked after he'd shouted encouragement to one of the players.
 

"What's the score?" Mike asked, ignoring Willie's question.
 

"We're down five to three. Michael's responsible for two of those points. He batted two runners in," Willie informed Mike.
 

"That's great! I went to pick Shelby up at UCLA a while ago and ran into a situation," Mike spoke in a low voice.
 

"What happened?"
 

"The Gallagher's had Troy brought in earlier tonight. They spotted Shelby as we were leaving. Mrs. Gallagher said something to Shelby about her cousin Samantha. I rushed Shelby out of the door before she could ask too many questions."
 

Over at the bleachers, Shelby got bored watching the game. "Aunt Jennifer, what's a cousin?"
 

"A cousin? Let me see...you know that Michelle and Thomas are going to have a baby, right?" She asked.
 

Shelby nodded solemnly.
 

"Your mommy and Michelle are sisters, which would make you and Michelle's baby cousins. Do you understand?" Jennifer queried.
 

"I think so. Do you know my cousin, Samantha?" Shelby curiously asked Jennifer.
 

"Sweetie, you don't have any cousins" Jennifer corrected the little girl.
 

"Yes, I do," Shelby explained. "That lady at the hospital told me that my cousin, Samantha, likes the Power Puff Girls, too. Daddy didn't like her," Shelby concluded.
 

It was late when Mike walked into the house carrying a sleeping Shelby over his shoulder as Michael walked into the house behind him. "Brush your teeth and get into bed," Mike ordered his son as he carried Shelby back to her room.
 

She opened her eyes as he was removing her shoes and socks. "Papa, who was that lady at the hospital?" She asked in between yawns.
 

"We'll talk about that lady later. Right now I want you to close your eyes and go to sleep," he instructed her as he helped her under the covers.
 

"You didn't read 'Charlotte's Web' tonight," she complained as she fought to stay awake.
 

"I'll read two chapters tomorrow night, I promise. Go to sleep," he told her once again as he turned off the light and pulled the door ajar.
 
 
 

When Jill walked into the house shortly after midnight everything was quiet. She checked on the kids before walking into her room where Mike was stretched out, reading. "What're you reading?"
 

"'When the Wind Blows.' I found it on your night stand," he answered as he watched her get into one of her nightgown's out of her dresser drawer.
 

"It's a great book. I think you'll enjoy it," she smiled as she went to take a shower.
 

"Enjoy it? Hell, I'm almost done with it already," he replied absent-mindedly before he realized she wasn't in the room, anymore.
 

Mike was still engrossed in the book when Jill walked back into the room almost half an hour later.
 

"Did you have any trouble picking Shelby up?" She asked as she got into bed beside him.
 

"No, but we may have a problem," he began as he marked his place and put the book on his night stand.
 

"What? Did Shelby go up to the psychiatric ward again?" She smiled.
 

"No, it's worse than that. The Gallagher's brought Troy into the ER tonight. Michelle told me that they had to wait for a bed to become available in ICU. While they were waiting they saw Shelby. Michelle warned me and I tried to get her out before they saw her a second time, but I wasn't fast enough. Mrs. Gallagher made some comment to Shelby about a cousin and now she's confused."
 

"They signed papers giving up all rights to her. Remember? They 'didn't feel they could love a sickly grandchild'. They can't change their minds and want to be a part of her life just because her health is better," she reminded him in a bitter voice. "They made it very clear from the very beginning how they felt about her. Hell will freeze over before they're allowed any contact with her."
 

"Well, I have a feeling that you'd better start watching The Weather Channel, " Mike warned.
 
 

A few days later Jill was home cleaning house when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to find a man standing there in a suit and tie, holding an envelope and a clipboard. "Jill Danko?" He asked as Jill nodded. He then thrust the envelope into her hand. "You've been served. Have a nice day."
 

Jill opened the envelope and read the contents in shock and disbelief. It stated that the Gallagher's were taking her to court to get visitation rights for Shelby. She had to appear in family court at the end of the month. She put the papers on the counter and walked toward the back of the house in a daze to Shelby's room.
 

"Can I go swimming when Michael gets home?" Shelby asked absently, thoroughly engrossed in an electronic word game.
 

"Not today. Maybe this weekend," Jill promised.
 

"Can I be in gymnastics? My friend Christina said they have a lot of fun. It's after school on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's. Can I, Nana? Please?" Shelby begged.
 

Jill forced herself to focus on what her granddaughter was saying. "Maybe next year when you're in first grade. Come on, let's work on your words."
 
 
 

With Eddie's help the next day, Jill was able to find an attorney who specialized in family law. His name was John Maxwell and she met him the following Monday. He ushered her into his office and offered her coffee, which she refused. "Please, sit down," he showed Jill to a chair as he sat down behind his desk. "You told my secretary on the phone that your grandchild's other set of grandparents are seeking visitations. You have custody of the child?"
 

"Yes. My daughter was killed in a car accident five years ago. The Gallagher's signed away any rights to Shelby when the adoption was finalized when she was thirteen months old. They saw her a few weeks ago and decided that they now want to be a part of her life," Jill finished as Mr. Maxwell took notes.
 

"Why didn't they want to be a part of her life before?" He asked.
 

"Shelby was born by emergency C-section two months earlywith a congenital heart defect, which has been surgically corrected. She's also profoundly deaf. Their exact words were they weren't sure that they could love a grandchild with so many physical problems. I guess when they saw how healthy she looks now they changed their minds," she sighed.
 

"Is there any reason why they shouldn't see the child?" He asked.
 

Jill cringed. "Shelby's father is in a permanent vegetative state. I'm afraid that if they get visitation rights they'll take her to see him. I don't want her seeing him," Jill persisted.
 

"If they do manage to win this suit, we'll make sure that one of the conditions is she doesn't see her father," he agreed.
 

"Do you think they can win?" Jill asked in a panic-stricken voice.
 

"There's always that possibility, but we have one thing in our favor. The fact that they signed a legal document waiving any rights to her. They can't just suddenly do an about-face because the child's health has improved," he pointed out.
 

"My ex-husband also signed one of those documents. We've been seeing each other for the past several months and he's part of her life now. Will that have a bearing on the proceedings?" Jill asked in an anxious voice.
 

"It might, if their attorney's chose to bring that up, which they probably will. How much does your granddaughter know about the situation?"
 

"Not much. She's barely five years old. The only thing that I've ever told her is her mother died when she was born. I've never told her anything about her father," Jill answered.
 

"Well, I strongly suggest that you tell her more than you've told her in the past," he advised. "Chances are, the judge is going to want to meet her and talk to her at some point. I'd also like to meet her. It always helps when I meet the person that I'm fighting for," he concluded with a grin.
 

When Jill got home she checked the mail before walking toward the house. She could hear laughing and splashing from the back of the house. She walked out back to find Mike in the pool with the kids, who were having a blast.
 

"Hey!" Mike called out as Shelby jumped into the pool. "How did your meeting go?"
 

"Isn't it a little cool for swimming?" She asked, changing the subject.
 

"It was hot and the kids wore me down. What can I say?" He grinned as he lifted Shelby into the air and threw her towards the deep end.
 

"Would you please not throw your granddaughter into ten feet of water?" Jill admonished him.
 

"That was fun! Do it again!" Shelby begged when she resurfaced as she swam back toward Mike.
 

"Shelby, you need to get out so we can go work on your speech," Jill ordered as Shelby reluctantly swam to the side and climbed out. "Michael, thirty more minutes."
 

"Hey, Mary Kathryn's coming to visit," Mike remembered to tell her.
 

"Did she say why?" Jill asked as she wrapped Shelby in a beach towel and briskly rubbed the little girl's body with the towel.
 

"No, just that she'll be here next week," he said as Jill gathered Shelby up and walked toward the house. He got out of the pool and followed her into the house.
 

Jill was in the bathroom with Shelby when Mike came and stood in the doorway. Jill removed Shelby's bathing suit and put her in the tub before she looked over at Mike.
 

"It's not that I don't want to see Mary Kathryn, Mike. I just have so many other things on my mind right now."
 

"What did Mr. Maxwell say?" Mike wanted to know.
 

"Not much. He sounds like he thinks the Gallagher's have a good chance of winning this suit," she said as she shampooed Shelby's long, blonde hair.
 

"Jill, they just want visitation rights. That doesn't mean they're planning on leaving the country with her," Mike reminded her as Jill turned the sprayer on and rinsed Shelby's hair before turning the water off and lifting her from the tub.
 

"So, now you're on their side?" Jill accused in a sharp voice as she bundled Shelby up in a bath towel and carried her to her room.
 

"No, I'm not saying that! I'm just saying that they want to get to know her," he told her as he followed her to Shelby's room and watched Jill get her dressed.
 

"Go tell Michael to get out of the pool," Jill told him as she combed Shelby's hair and put her hearing aids back behind her ears.
 

After Mike left, Shelby got her word game out and curled up beside Jill on her bed and turned the game on. After a few minutes, Shelby realized she didn't have her grandmother's attention. "Nana, you're supposed to be helping me with my 'R's, '" Shelby reprimanded.
 

"I need to talk to you," Jill said as she turned the game off.
 

"Is it about Michael's D?" She asked.
 

"What 'D?'" Jill asked curiously.
 

"I saw it when he was taking his book out of his backpack," she replied with an innocent batting of her eyes.
 

"Papa and I will talk to Michael and Michael only about that later. Right now, I need to talk to you about something else. Do you remember that lady you saw at the hospital? The one who told you about your cousin, Samantha?" Jill asked.
 

Shelby nodded slowly.
 

"That lady is your other grandmother."
 

"Am I going to go live with her?" Shelby asked, her eyes wide in fear and confusion.
 

"No, sweetie, she wants to see you," Jill paused as she took a deep breath. "She wants to see you and I don't want her to see you."
 

"Why?"
 

"It's complicated and you're too young to understand. She's not a bad person. It's just that she's had five years to be a part of your life and she didn't want to be a part of it until now. I don't like it," Jill paused once again as the little girl tried to understand.
 

"Then just tell her that you don't want her to see me," Shelby pointed out innocently.
 

"I wish it were as easy as that,"Jill sighed, wishing things could be that easy. "We're going to go to court and talk to a judge and then he'll make a decision on whether you get to see your other grandparents or if things will stay the way they are," Jill explained to Shelby as Mike came into the room. "Why don't you go play while I talk to Papa about Michael?"
 

"Can I play Solitaire on the computer?" She asked.
 

Jill nodded her agreement and Shelby raced out of the room before Jill could change her mind.
 

"Your son apparently has a school paper with a 'D' on it," Jill told Mike after Shelby had gone.
 

Mike grimaced.
 

"He's been spending too much time with his friends and not enough time on his schoolwork."
 

"I guess I'll have a talk with my son," he sighed as he started for the door.
 
 
 

MAY
 

"Mrs. Danko, what happened to your daughter?" Mr. Maxwell asked as Jill sat on the stand the first day of the hearing.
 

"She died as a result of injuries suffered in a car accident on January 7, 1997," Jill intoned in a hollow voice.
 

"Was that the same day Shelby was born?" Mr. Maxwell asked.
 

"She was born early the next morning," Jill replied as she stared at her lap.
 

"What was the reaction of the Gallagher's when Shelby was born?" He asked.
 

"They didn't have any kind of a reaction. They basically washed their hands of her," Jill remembered as the Gallagher's attorney objected.
 

"Over the past five years, have they ever made any attempt to contact Shelby?" Mr. Maxwell continued.
 

"They've never so much as sent her a Christmas card," Jill spat out as she glared at the Gallagher's.
 

"One more question. Why doesn't Shelby have her father's last name?" Mr. Maxwell asked.
 

"Since the Gallagher's made it clear that they didn't want a relationship with her, I thought it would be less confusing to her later on for her to have her mother's last name," Jill explained.
 

"Thank you, Mrs. Danko. Your witness," Mr. Maxwell sat down.
 

"Isn't it true, Mrs. Danko, that you discouraged the Gallagher's from contacting Shelby?" Mr. Williams, the attorney for the Gallagher's asked after he'd approached the stand.
 

"I didn't discourage them. I was concerned about Shelby having contact with her father," Jill said.
 

"Why is that?" He demanded to know.
 

"He's in a vegetative state and I didn't want her to be confused," Jill explained.
 

"Isn't it true that you blame Troy Gallagher for your daughter's death? Isn't that why you don't want Shelby seeing him?" Mr. Williams roared. "No further questions."
 

After lunch, Mr. Maxwell called Mike to the stand. After asking him a few simple questions, he turned Mike over to Mr. Williams. "Mr. Danko, why did you allow your daughter to drive Troy Gallagher home that night?" Mr. Williams began.
 

"Troy was in no condition to drive, so Savannah offered to drive him home. It was only a few miles away," Mike explained logically.
 

"How long had your 16-year-old daughter had her license?" Mr. Williams queried.
 

"Excuse me, Mr. Williams. Would you please stop referring to Savannah as my '16-year-old daughter?'" Mike complained.
 

"Your honor, would you please advise the witness to answer the question?" Mr. Williams asked the judge.
 

"Mr. Danko, please answer the question and, Mr. Williams, in the future, you will refer to the deceased as 'Savannah,'" the judge went both routes.
 

"Savannah had her learner's permit for about six months before the accident," Mike answered in a subdued voice.
 

"Why didn't you drive Troy Gallagher home?" Mr. Williams probed.
 

"I've asked myself that a few thousand times and I honestly don't know," Mike sighed.
 

"Is it true that the business with Shelby is what broke up your marriage?" Mr. Williams asked as he changed tactics.
 

"There were several things that broke up my marriage, Mr. Williams," Mike answered tersely.
 

"But your refusal to go along with the adoption was one of them, am I right?" The attorney asked as he went for the kill.
 

"Yes, that's one of the reasons," Mike replied in a soft voice.
 

"And, isn't it true that despite the fact that you signed away your rights to your granddaughter that, at the moment, you're in a relationship with your ex-wife?" Mr. Williams asked.
 

"My signing away my rights to Shelby has nothing to do with my relationship with my ex-wife," Mike pointed out.
 

"This might be true, but I believe that you told Mrs. Gallagher that she had no rights to Shelby since her and her husband signed their rights away when Shelby was 13 months old," Mr. Williams reminded Mike as he glanced at his notes.
 

"I told her that, yes" Mike admitted.
 

"So it's perfectly all right for you to have a relationship with Shelby even though you'd also signed your rights away at the same time?" Mr. Williams asked in a triumphant voice. He strode back to his seat at the Gallagher's side. "I have nothing further," he called over his shoulder.
 

The judge called a recess after Mike stepped down.
 

Mike ran his hand over his face as he stepped into the corridor with Jill and her attorney. "Well, that went really well," Mike commented sarcastically.
 

The judge glared at everybody when they returned to the courtroom 15 minutes later. "I think I've heard everything from the principles that I care to hear. Mrs. Danko, tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. I want to see the minor, Shelby Nicole Danko, in my chambers. Court is adjourned!" He intoned as he banged his gavel.
 

The next morning Jill was in Shelby's room getting her dressed. "Now, the judge is going to talk to you and ask you some questions. It's going to be okay. Just be honest. Now, let me look at you," Jill turned her around and smiled. She had dressed the little girl in a pink dress with white ruffles and had tied pink ribbons in her long pony-tails. "You look very pretty. Just mind your manners."
 

When they arrived at the courthouse, Jill tapped on the door of the judge's chamber.
 

He opened the door and invited Shelby inside. "My clerk will come get you when we're finished, Mrs. Danko," the judge said firmly as he closed the door. "Shelby, please come in and have a seat. Do you know why you're here?"
 

"Because my other grandparents want to see me," Shelby answered in a slow voice.
 

"That's right, but I thought we would talk first. That lady sitting over there is my stenographer. She just takes notes of what we talk about," he told her as she looked at his stenographer.
 

The judge had Shelby in his chambers for almost half an hour before the clerk came to get Jill. She didn't have a chance to ask Shelby about her meeting before everyone was called into court. Jill sat Shelby between herself and Mike as court was called to order. After everybody had sat back down the judge looked over all of the participants. "After going over the testimony of all of the witnesses and talking to Shelby, I have come to my ruling. Everybody needs history, a sense of who they are and who they come from. While the background behind this case is tragic, I do feel that Shelby has a right to see the Gallagher's and get to know them and vice versa. Therefore, my ruling is in favor of the plaintiff. However, this ruling does not include taking Shelby to see her father. If I hear of you taking her to the convalescent hospital I will reverse my ruling. Starting the first weekend in June, Mr. And Mrs. Gallagher will have Shelby on the first and third weekend of every month, from six p.m. on Friday until six p.m. on Sunday. Court is adjourned!" He banged his gavel in finality as the Gallagher's embraced each other and their attorney.
 

A few minutes later, Mrs. Gallagher crossed the room as Mike and Jill were getting ready to leave with Shelby. "I didn't want things to wind up this way," she said as Jill gathered Shelby into her arms.
 

"I'm sure you didn't. We'll see you next month. Call if you need directions to the house," Jill snapped shortly as she marched out of the courtroom with Mike right behind her.
 

Mike dropped a very silent Jill and Shelby off at the house before heading back to the airport to pick up Mary Kathryn, who was arriving on an early afternoon flight. When he arrived back at the house two hours later with Mary Kathryn, Shelby was playing at the computer while Jill was nowhere to be seen. "Where's your grandmother?" Mike asked as he walked in, carrying Mary Kathryn's bags.
 

"Mary Kathryn!" Shelby squealed excitedly as she flew into her aunt's arms. "What did you bring me?"
 

"You're talking so well!" Mary Kathryn praised the little girl as she hugged her.
 

"Shelby Nicole, where's your grandmother?" Mike asked once again.
 

"Outside somewhere," she answered in a quiet voice after hearing her full name being used. "She said 'don't follow me,' so I didn't," Shelby concluded in a small voice.
 

"Let me go tell her that I'm here," Mary Kathryn volunteered as she went out the front of the house and toward the dock, where she knew she'd find her mother.
 

Jill was sitting in one of the lawn chairs, staring vacantly at the lake.
 

"Hi, mom!"
 

"How's the world famous pianist?" Jill asked, sounding more cheerful than she felt.
 

"About to become more famous. Patrick booked me on a tour of Rome, Athens and Barcelona. I leave in two weeks," Mary Kathryn told her mother.
 

"Mary Kathryn, that's wonderful!" Jill congratulated her daughter with a hug.
 

"I know, but it means I probably won't be in the country when Michelle has the baby. I really wanted to be here," she complained.
 

"Well, you're here now. She's going to be thrilled to see you," Jill told her.
 

"I hear things didn't go so well in court," Mary Kathryn said.
 

Jill turned back toward the lake.
 

"Mom, what's the big deal? They won, but it doesn't mean they get custody. They get to see her twice a month. You can bet they'll tire of that soon enough."
 

"It just brought everything back," Jill sighed in a soft voice. "I thought I'd gotten over the anger at your father until yesterday when their lawyer asked him why he didn't drive Troy home that night. I asked myself that question a million times. If he was worried about Michael, all he had to do was call Willie and Jen and have one of them come over. He wants to go on like nothing ever happened. I can't do that."
 

"Mom, I was angry at him, too. But Pete and I talked about it and he pointed out that as angry as we were, daddy's probably ten times more so. He has to live for the rest of his life with the fact that he didn't stop Savannah from driving Troy home that night. He also has to live with the fact that he didn't tell you that he knew she was still seeing him. I don't think our pain is even close to his," Mary Kathryn concluded.
 

Jill shot her a furious glare. "I fought for five years to keep those people away from that little girl! In less than five minutes, I was told that all of my fighting was for nothing! They're going to get her and fill her head with lies!" Jill raged.
 

Mary Kathryn was taken aback. She hadn't seen her mother this angry since after Savannah's funeral. "How do you know that?" she finally asked when she found her voice. "What are you going to do? Turn into one of those women who takes the child and hides them? Mom, it's not the end of the world. Like I said, when they see what a whirling dervish Shelby is, they might change their minds about having visitation rights."
 

JUNE
 

Mary Kathryn was still visiting the first weekend in June when the Gallagher's picked up Shelby for her first weekend visit. Mike had taken Jill out to dinner to keep her mind off the weekend and Michael was staying with a friend. Mary Kathryn and Michelle were sitting up watching DVD's and talking about different things. "Have you thought about baby names?" Mary Kathryn wanted to know.
 

"Well, if it's a boy, the only thing we know is the middle name has to be 'Andrew.' It's some kind of tradition with the first born Gillis' sons.  I have no idea what his first name's going to be," Michelle sighed as she rubbed her rounded belly.
 

"What about a girl's name?" Mary Kathryn asked.
 

"Don't even get me started on that one," Michelle complained. "Every name I like Thomas hates and vice versa."
 

"Well, let's pick a movie name. What's your favorite movie?" Mary Kathryn asked.
 

"That's a no-brainer. 'Terms of Endearment,'" both girls said at the same time.
 

"Okay, let's see. How about Aurora Greenway Gillis?" Mary Kathryn suggested as Michelle made a face. "Okay, Flap Gillis? Tommy's out, so how about Teddy? Okay, what was Jack Nicholson's character's name?" Mary Kathryn chuckled.
 

"Garrett Breedlove and, no, I'm not naming my kid Garrett Breedlove Andrew Gillis. If I do that, I may as well send him to school with boxing gloves, 'cause he's going to get beaten up every day," Michelle pointed out.
 

"Then, how about Emma Gillis?" Mary Kathryn suggested.
 

"Well, I wanted to incorporate Savannah's name into it somehow, but Savannah doesn't sound too good with Emma," Michelle answered slowly as she mulled it over. "I'll see if Thomas likes Emma."
 

Sunday afternoon, Jill was driving everybody crazy awaiting Shelby's return from her grandparent's. She checked her a watch a hundred times as the hour approached six p.m.
 

"Jill, they'll be here on time," Mike told her for the fifth time as he watched her pace the room.
 

"They'd better be or I'm calling the sheriff," Jill warned.
 

Mike rolled his eyes as he went back to his computer files. Shortly before six, he heard a car pull into the driveway, followed by the front door opening and slamming shut as Jill went out to meet Shelby. A few minutes later, Shelby slammed through the front door followed by Jill. "Look at my new clothes, Papa!" Shelby showed off her new dress and shoes by twirling around.
 

"You look very pretty," he agreed as he saw his ex-wife fuming. "I've got an idea. I'm pretty sure that your Aunt Mary Kathryn would love to see your new clothes. She's at Uncle Eddie's house. Why don't you go show her your new things?" Mike suggested.
 

Shelby eagerly nodded and ran out the back door.
 

"Jill, you might as well get used to the fact that they're going to have her twice a month," he said after he'd made sure Shelby was well out of ear shot.
 

"Fine!" Jill snapped furiously. "Are they going to be sending her back here wearing Baby Dior dresses each time? I've tried my best not to let her or Michael grow up to be spoiled brats and I'll be damned if they're going to start buying her affections!"
 

"I don't think they're buying her affections. I think they're making up for lost time," Mike tried to reason.
 
 
 

At Lt. Ryker's house, Shelby was showing her dress off to Mary Kathryn. "This is very pretty. Your mommy liked pretty dresses, too," Mary Kathryn remembered as she touched the lace of the dress.
 

"My daddy just lies there and never says a word. It's kind of scary," Shelby remarked as Mary Kathryn looked toward Lt. Ryker in horror.
 

"Shelby, did they take you to see your daddy?" Eddie asked in concern as he returned Mary Kathryn's look.
 

"It's a secret. I can't tell anybody," Shelby whispered.
 

"I can't believe they took her to see him the very first weekend that they had her," Mary Kathryn commented in a horrified voice as she covered her eyes.
 
 

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