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Chapter 8 Miscues and Miscommunications

Posted on 2009-10-01

Beth awakened to birds chirping and the sun streaming through the window. She blinked a few times wondering where she was. How did I fall asleep on the couch? I never do that. She was going to raise but up she felt something weighing her down. She struggled to get free but whatever it was strengthened its grip.

"It's too early. There's no way it's time to get up. Stay here with me."

Oh, yeah. I'm lying here in Will's arms. This is where I'm supposed to be. She smiled as she snuggled back in while listening to his breathing return to its deep rhythm.

They had spent the remainder of their evening talking about anything and everything. Beth shared more of her college misadventures with Marie and Ed. Will laughed hardily about bike wrecks, lost keys and arguments with professors. He confessed that he was pretty much a loner in school, but his best friend, Kenneth, had provided some levity and means by which he had a little social life.

Will revealed a little more about his life on the farm: his love of horses, Juanita and her family, and maintaining the huge house and its lands. He admitted that he changed very little in the house and that it needed someone to update it. He had looked at Beth expectantly waiting for response from her. She just smiled and said that she would assist him in any way she could, but that she was no Martha Stewart.

Somehow the conversation even went back to high school. Will accused Beth of being a nerd and she retaliated by calling him the weirdo in the back of class. This resulted in a pillow fight which lead to a prolonged make up/out session. When they settled down at Beth's insistence once again, Will admitted to being a bit more social than that and actually was voted prom king and his date, Gloria, was the queen. He laughed about it and then talked about adventures on the farm with Richard.

Beth felt a little stab of jealousy remembering what Will had said about her: she was the stereotypical blonde cheerleader who everybody loved and hated at the same time. He said that they dated off an on several years, but that he never really took their relationship seriously. That was a perfect lead in for Beth to question him about what she heard Candace say at church, but she just couldn't bring herself to ask him.

She thought back to his account of the accident and how he knew he had heard Seth screaming. A father would be intuitive like that maybe. She pushed the thought of her mind. There's a time and a place for everything. He had admitted to a relationship with Candace, so she knew that much was true, but she had a hard time believing he could be cruel to someone like her mother had insisted.

Listening to him breath and sleep so peacefully she was saddened by realizing they had one more night to share before they had to separate. She had to be at Jeannie's camp by 4:30 the next day. There was no way to prolong the trip. She smiled thinking about how Jeannie would be so excited and would talk non stop on the way home. I wonder how many butterflies she will tell me about. Within moments she too was sound asleep.

"Alright, you two this is a raid!" yelled Richard. "I'm coming in and I had better see hands up in the air and nothing, and I mean nothing, that would embarrass my sensitive eyes!" He bounded through the front door as Beth and Will were scrambling to get off the couch. They were tangled up in an afghan and as Will was stepping out of it, he tripped over Beth's shoes and landed in a heap on the floor taking Beth with him. "Oh my Lord, you should see you two. Where's a camera when you need one!" He was laughing uproariously and holding onto his sides. "This is the best bed check I've ever performed."

"I believe it may be your last." Will grabbed onto Richard's leg and pulled him down. He just missed Beth as he crashed onto the floor. At that moment Seth, Georgiana and Callie ran in to see what all the yelling was about, "Dog pile!" yelled Seth as the two teens piled on top. Callie stood there looking at all of them whooping and hollering.

"Momma, are you alright?" her eyes were wide as saucers.

"Yes, honey," Beth was laughing wildly. "Sometimes boys play a little rough, but I'm fine."

"'Boys play rough'? I'll have you know your little angel had me up again at the crack of dawn and commanded me to be her horse all around the cabin." Richard reached over and grabbed hold of Callie who squealed as she was lifted onto Will's back. "Here, cowboy Will, you give Her Highness a ride now."

Will was still tangled up in Beth and the afghan to be very horse like and Callie ended up in the middle of the pile laughing and tickling just like everybody else. "Ok, Ok, I give…Uncle, Uncle" cried Beth laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. Everyone started scrambling to get up.

"Why were you two on the couch to begin with?" Richard asked in feigned innocence.

"Yeah, momma?" echoed Callie.

"Yeah, Will?" cooed Georgiana and Seth.

"Don't answer them. It just eggs them on. Ignore them and they'll go away. Except for you, princess." Will held out his arms to Callie. "You I could never ignore." He kissed her on the cheek.

"Ha!" cried Georgiana, "Callie, he used to call me princess, too. Now I get ignored."

"Yes, and when I do pay attention, you tell me that I need to mind my own business."

"As if you do…"

"Right back at you, Miss Project Pride and Prejudice." Will teased.

"You know about the name?" Georgiana looked at Seth accusingly.

"I gave you all up." Richard claimed. "I told you that I didn't like being the last to know, so I spilled it all to Will."

"And you're not mad?" Georgiana looked once again like Will's little princess.

"Would it matter if I were? Besides, I think Elizabeth and I have worn it well, right?" He looked over at Beth who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh, yes. I've put up with him for two days just so all of you could be so proud of your little project." She poked Will in the side as he grabbed her and actually kissed her. Right there. In front of everyone. Beth turned beet red while Georgiana and Seth stood there with their mouths gaping open. Callie was too busy watching their expressions to know what the fuss was about as she danced around the room.

"Ahem…well, Ok then. I think we all need to discuss our agenda for the day." Richard decided somebody had to do something

Georgiana found her voice next and declared that she wanted to go to the tea room that Callie talked about all last night. The men groaned and grunted and said that they would do manly things like fishing and sweating and stuff. They ate what was left in the picnic basket as a group and then Beth shooed everyone out so that she could get cleaned up.

"Is every morning like this at your house?" she asked Will as he was leaving.

"Hardly. I rarely play horsy and I almost never kiss a beautiful woman in front of my family. But, I could be persuaded to do that again" he smiled as he kissed Beth soundly before taking his leave. "Oh, yeah, I could seriously be persuaded to do that."

The men were ready to go way before the ladies, so they bid them goodbye with the promise of meeting up around 5:00. They figured this would give everyone time to clean up or to do whatever they wished before they ate dinner in town. Since there was an old fashioned drive-in there, Richard once more offered to take the "kids" and bring Callie back with them. Once again, Callie was thrilled. Beth felt a stab of guilt that she really hadn't spent that much time with her daughter, but even she could see how much fun Callie was having with all the attention.

Seth was given the honor of picking what he wanted to do and he opted to hike up past the stone house they had encountered on their first day. As it wasn't that hot out, they men set off and were mostly silent, only pointing to different rock formations or the occasional animal. After a while Richard piped up, "Hike? You wanted to hike? Are you nuts? You volunteered to hike? Why did I let you talk me into a hike?" Richard was incredulous.

"Well, when nobody is yelling at me and I'm not in a desert or wearing fifty pounds worth of gear, it's rather fun." Seth replied.

"Unlike Georgiana, you would never make a good soldier." His brother chucked him on the shoulder.

"I don't know," Will suddenly chimed in, "He seems to take orders fairly well from Rachel." He was teasing, somewhat, but Will was concerned about this relationship.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Seth spun around so quickly he almost lost his footing on the path.

"Seth, you have to admit that she and Georgiana have kind of called the shots this summer. You and Justin seemed to do whatever they want." Will was fumbling trying to say what he felt, but he did not want to get into a huge argument over it.

"I don't think so. Justin and I have worked for you all summer, almost everyday for that matter. The girls have lounged around the pool or had the occasional babysitting job. We decide together what we're going to do. Nobody's in charge. It doesn't work that way."

"Hmm"

"Oh, now, Fitzman, come on. What's really bugging you? Three days ago I would have said that you were jealous because I actually had a girlfriend, and you were high and dry but now that certainly isn't the case. So what is it about Rachel that all of a sudden is bothering you?" Seth was heating up a bit and didn't realize how close he came to blasting Will.

Will, on the other hand, saw it quite clearly and was not happy about it. "This is what I mean. Why get serious now? You're getting ready to head for college. You have no idea what freshman year is like. There is so much pressure. Do you really want to come home for Homecoming and football games and then worry about what Rachel's doing all the time when you're in class? Long distance relationships are difficult."

"I'm not going to be worried about her. I trust her. We've been friends for a long time. Same with Justin and Geo." Seth looked over at Will who wouldn't return his gaze. "Oh no, you're going to have a talk with her too, aren't you? You're going to try to split us all up."

"I didn't say that." Will gave him "the look".

"Hey, don't throw that look at me. I'm not five. You can't tell me who to date or when to break up. Where do you get off…"

"Ok, Ok, everybody needs to calm down" Richard was listening to both sides and even though he thought Will had a point, he saw what Seth was trying to say.

"No, Rich, I'm not going to calm down. Once again, Will thinks he can tell me which way to turn, and I'm not going to let him. You see what he's doing. Why don't you ever stand up to him?"

"Seth," Richard was trying to remain calm. "You could at least hear him out. We've both been to college, and we know the pressure it can be that first year. I think that's all he's saying."

"Oh, here we go. Once again, you bow to Will. Man, Richard, how do you manage to lead your platoon without Will there to tell you if you're doing it right?"

"Hey," Will grabbed Seth by the arm as he was marching angrily past the two men. "That was uncalled for. You're mad at me, not Richard."

"I'm mad at you both. You just want to be in control and Richard doesn't know if he wants to be my big brother or just the clown that blows in once in awhile." He shrugged both men off and headed back down the trail. Will started after him.

"Let him go." Richard said softly.

"I will not have him talking to either of us that way." Will moved to go again.

"I said," Richard spoke loudly this time, "let him go."

The girls drove into town chatting and laughing. They went window shopping through the quaint old downtown area and Georgiana bought a couple of things for Justin and Rachel. Beth could tell that Georgiana really cared for Justin but was beginning to be a bit troubled that the summer was coming to an end quickly.

Taking tea was a glorious affair as they all pretended to be ladies of fashion in days gone by. Of course, Callie just wanted to be a grown up; she didn't care what year it was. Beth questioned Georgiana a little about her parents and the legacy that Will tried to maintain for her. "He tries so hard, Beth. Sometimes too hard, I think. He's having a rough time with us growing up. I try to remember that, but he gets too pushy sometimes. Maybe now that he has you, he won't be so focused on us." She smiled.

"Good luck with that. Let me know how that goes." Beth laughed. "He's still Fitzwilliam, no matter what else might be going on."

"Beth, I was right, wasn't I? You two are meant for each other. Just like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. Do you think you could love him?" she looked at Beth anxiously.

"Wow, that's a loaded question don't you think?" Beth blushed a little. "He is an amazing man, Georgiana. I know that I truly care about him. But we live far away. We each have so many responsibilities. This week has been so unreal. This is not what my everyday life is like, you know."

"Yes, I know, but it could work if you guys wanted it to."

Beth didn't know now whether Georgiana was talking about her and Justin or Beth and Will. "Honestly, we are really just getting to know each other and to find out what makes each of us the way we are. We're both pretty strong willed."

"You can say that again," Georgiana laughed.

"Georgiana," Beth turned serious, "I need you to promise me something."

"What?" she didn't like the sound of that.

"I appreciate what the four of you went through to get Will here and to get us talking…"

"But…"

"But, please let us find our own way now. No more Project Pride and Prejudice, OK?"

Georgiana hesitated. She could see it so clearly; she knew her brother needed Beth so badly. "OK, I promise. But I don't like it."

"Fair enough. Now I'm ready to dig into one more scone. What about you little miss Callie?"

Richard and Will walked down the trail in frustrated silence. Will felt that Seth was way out of line and he couldn't understand why Richard allowed that kind of disrespect. He was uneasy about how Richard was acting this week. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there were little things he said or didn't say and even this morning he told Will that they needed some time to talk before they headed back to Pemberville.

Believing now was as good of time as any, he turned back to Richard, "Alright. What is it?"

"What's what?"

"What is going on with you? We have a ways to go before we get to the jeep, so you might as well spill." Will steeled himself.

"Ok, here it is," Richard took a deep breath. "After taking Seth to Purdue, I'm headed back to Ft Bragg –" He took a breath.

"Yeah, I know."

"-then I'm headed to Afghanistan." There said it. It's out.

"You're what?!" Will could not believe it. Not again.

"You heard me. Don't blow this out of proportion, Will."

"Don't blow this – are you crazy? Tell me this, were you called up or did you volunteer to go?"

"Does it make a difference?"

"There's my answer. Do you have a death wish or something?" Will was angry and fearful at the same time.

"I don't expect you to understand." Richard was trying to be calm once again.

"Well, that's good 'cause I sure do not. You've gone twice. Came back twice unscathed. Why are you tempting fate? And Afghanistan for heaven's sake. It gets worse over there all the time!"

"Will, it's a done deal. I'm going." For some reason, Richard began to feel more like Seth when talking with Will than he liked.

"Oh, so that's it. 'Let me come home for a few weeks and remind everybody of how much fun I am; how much more in tune I am than Will, then off I go again so that you all can worry yourself silly over me AGAIN.' That about covers it, right?" Will's anger was reaching a boiling point.

"Come on, Will. Things are different now. The kids are raised. And now it looks like Beth will be there for you, too. I think she will be so good for you…"

"No. Don't change the subject and bring Elizabeth into it. This is about our family. This is about you, once again, baling and leaving me with those two as they worry everyday about you. When we go days without hearing from you, Georgiana literally gets ill. Do you know that? She can't eat; she can't sleep. Seth stomps around the house picking fights with me…"

"You don't need to blame me for how you two butt heads. You're too much alike, you know. You really could be his father." Richard realized what he said after the words were out of his mouth. He couldn't take them back. He looked past Will and got a terrified look on face.

Will had already pivoted around to stand towering over Richard. His face was red with fury and his dark eyes were blazing. "I am not his father." His enunciated each word slowly, trying to regain himself. Richard had just crossed a line.

"I didn't mean literally. It just came out." Richard actually backed up a little. He didn't know how to signal to Will to shut up.

"Oh, but this isn't the first time that accusation has been leveled at me, is it? For the last time: yes, I messed around with her, you messed around with her. Half of the county messed with her. But, she had that baby less than six months after I had been with her. I don't know who his father is, but it sure isn't me!" He spun around to stomp off and literally ran into Seth's fist as it slammed into his jaw.

The girls came back to the cabins way before they had expected the guys. Beth had been yearning to get into the hot tub for two days, so this was her chance to relax. Georgiana and Callie were inside watching a movie when Beth heard the jeep pull up into the driveway. She scurried out of the tub and went on into her room to shower and put one yet another sundress that Georgiana had talked her into buying.

"Beth, I'm heading back over. I'll see you in a few minutes, OK?" Georgiana yelled into Beth's door.

"Sounds great. Thanks for giving me a little mommy time." Beth had truly grown so fond of Georgiana's heart and her spitfire personality. Her relationship with Will, if it indeed grew into that, would be bonused by his amazing family. Beth reflected on each one and again marveled that they managed as well as they did.

She combed out her hair and decided that in honor of Will, she would wear it down. After applying the make up, she slipped her dress on and was looking for her sandals that Will had tripped over that morning when Georgiana came bursting into the cabin.

"Beth, it's horrible. I've never seen him like this!" She was sobbing as she ran into Beth's open arms.

"Who? What's happening?" Beth couldn't hear what she was saying from the sobbing.

"Seth. I've never seen him so mad. Beth, he punched Will! Punched him!" She broke into sobs again.

"Let's sit down over here, OK?" Beth guided her to the couch. Callie came up to Georgiana and offered her the dolly she was carrying. Georgina smiled weakly at Callie's tender heart, but shook her head no. Callie then went back to her movie.

"Oh, Beth, it was terrible. I walked in and Seth was storming around the cabin. He grabbed me and led me out to the patio. He was ranting and raving about Will. I won't repeat what he called him."

"But what caused it?" Beth was concerned and a little panicked.

"I don't know how it all started. All I know is Seth said that Will wants him to break up with Rachel before he goes to Purdue. He said Richard sided with Will which angered Seth even more. He went on and on about Will being so pushy and controlling. Then he started saying all kinds of stuff about Will sleeping around with his birth mother. And that people thought Will was really his father! I couldn't believe it, Beth."

Georgiana went on the explain to Beth how Seth idolized his birth mother and had no ill feelings towards her for giving him up to his adoptive parents. He secretly hoped that some day she would try to find him. Georgiana knew of this, but had never told Will or Richard. In the course of the argument that day, Seth accused Will of sending her away and keeping her from him so that he could save his reputation. That lead to further arguing until Will said he was finished talking about it and refused to answer any more of Seth's questions about his birth mother. That is when Georgiana walked in.

She melted into tears again and Beth found tissues and let her cry on her shoulder. As her sobs subsided once more, Beth asked her where Will and Richard were when Seth was talking to her. She said she had no idea because she ran over to Beth's as Seth set off into the woods. "But he told me something else, Beth." The tears started flowing again, "He said that Will was going to talk to me about breaking it off with Justin before he left for college, too."

Beth was starting to get quite angry that Will seemed bent on controlling the two teens while the old nagging belief in what she had heard that day in church rose to the surface as well. "Is that what you want to do Georgiana?" she tried to sound calm.

"NO! Justin and I have already talked about this. We're going to stay together as long as it seems right for us. West Lafayette is not that far, and I really haven't decided where I want to go or even what my major might be. Will is going to ruin everything!" she punched the pillow that was next to her.

"I don't think so. I think everyone will need to calm down and talk it through. I'm sure you all have had arguments before." Beth handed her another tissue. "I hate to ask you this, but will you stay with Callie? I'm going over to talk with Will. Why don't you two go out and see if you can find Seth after a little while. I'm sure he'll be cooled off by then and will need to talk some more." She stopped at the door. "Georgiana, had you ever heard the rumor that Will was Seth's father?"

"No. Never. But people don't tend to talk to me that much about my family. They feel sorry for me. It's kind of weird. Do you think it's true, Beth?" she looked up at Beth with a mixture of fear and pain.

"I don't know, but when I was in Bryan for the graduation, I heard it at your church." She turned for the door before Georgiana could ask her any further questions. Beth wasn't sure what she would say to Will or how she could help. As much as she loved what these past two days had been, she knew both of their lives held very real and very difficult challenges.

Will did not seem to want to share that much of where he was in his life right now. She had asked questions about his life outside of the farm and the horses, but he changed the subject or laughed it off. He had made a few comments about his wealth, but she had no idea as he didn't dress extravagantly or drive an expensive car. He didn't throw money around that she could tell. What do I really know about him? I know that he's attracted to me, but what can he give in terms of commitment? And, really, what can I give in return?

Stars. Literally, Will had seen stars. He had been punched before, but never with that much force. He sat in his room wondering how in the world a hike in the woods ended up so violently. He knew Richard felt the same way he did about the kids breaking up so that they could all have fresh starts in the fall. Damn him. Why can't he stand up and be what Seth needs? Why does it always have to be me! He was rubbing his jaw as his mind raced to what Richard had revealed. Another tour in the Middle East. Amazing! He will go to the ends of the earth to get away from home. He was sorry that Seth had heard him rail at Richard about Antonia, Seth's birth mom. He had planned to someday tell Seth about the rumors circulating and to assure him that they weren't true, but there never seemed to be a right time. Now he was paying for it, or more precisely, his jaw was paying for it.

He heard the door open and Seth yelling at Georgiana. He thought to go out there, but then he reasoned that maybe she could calm him down. He sat with his head in his hands for awhile hoping the aspirin would take effect. He realized that he really didn't know what anyone in his family was thinking or feeling. He just knew he was tired playing clean up and being the punching bag for the stuff that was obviously there but no one was willing to talk about.

Closing his eyes, he could feel the warmth of Beth's embrace and the softness of her lips. He could truly find comfort with her. Yet he knew that becoming involved with her would be anything but easy. The distance, the commitment to his farm, her teaching, Georgiana, and the biggest challenge of all: Callie and Jeannie. He was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of responsibility for kids. Georgiana was growing and maturing before his eyes. And although he was troubled by the display of Seth's anger today, he had every reason to believe that Seth was well on his way to becoming a responsible adult.

Loving Elizabeth, and he believed he was well on his way to that, meant taking on two small children again. He would be back to parent conferences, school shopping, and Lord only knew what else they might be involved in. He knew that Beth had deep religious convictions, and he respected those. He just didn't know whether he could be that committed and if he had truly ever made his peace with God.

And then there was Jeannie. This had been a week without the temper tantrums and the constant drain on Beth. He felt that he could love her, but if she ever hurt Beth, he wasn't sure how he would handle that. He cursed himself again for not continuing his education in Art therapy and made a vow to look into finishing was he had started all those years ago.

Even with all of these obstacles, he knew he was kidding himself that he could walk away from this trip without a firm commitment to Beth. He knew his heart was too far gone, but he was very conflicted on how much to share with her for fear of either scaring her away or revealing too much of himself. But I can't let her leave tomorrow without and understanding between us. I don't think I can make it through tonight without knowing we are going to make this work.

He walked out into the great room looking for Richard but stopped short when it was Beth who was sitting on his couch waiting for him. He looked at her face, trying to read the expression there, but he honestly could not. Deciding not to talk about Seth at all, he plunged into what his mind had been debating for some time.

"Elizabeth, I need to talk to you and I need you to listen to me. Please don't interrupt me. If I don't say this now, I'm not sure I'll ever get it all out. Ok?" His eyes pleaded with her and he felt better when she gave a slight smile and nodded her head. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"When we met in June, it was like a door opened in my heart that I never knew was there, let alone that it was closed. You infuriated me and challenged me and captivated me all in twenty four hours time. And then you were gone.

"I told myself, there was no way that I was going to get involved with a single mom with such young girls. I had just about finished the kid thing, and I really had no desire to do it again unless they were my own. And even that was a long shot. Then as I saw all the issues that Jeannie has and the demands she placed on you. I was positive that I couldn't live with that day in and day out.

"I threw myself into the farm and into other business. I rode my horse more in the past two months than I think I've done in several years. I was running from you, I think. I was jealous that Georgiana knew all sorts of things about you and your life, but I knew nothing. I was furious that you were dating. I was astounded that another man would consider taking you and your kids on and all of the implications of that.

"But this week, this time together, I have begun to feel for you what I have never felt for another woman. It's physical, that's for sure, but I know there's more than that. I told you more about my life than anyone knows. I believe you feel it too. You know what I can do for you. How I can help you, too. And I can show you how a man should be with a woman.

"Elizabeth, I'm willing to travel to Cincinnati as much as possible, and I want you to come to Pemberville whenever you can so we can build this in spite of everything. I'm willing to get to know Jeannie and to help you with her. I'm already quite fond of Callie and I know I can earn her trust. I will use whatever resources I have to aide you in raising the girls and getting Jeannie whatever she needs.

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you? In spite of myself, I have fallen for you. In spite of the differences in almost every aspect of our lives, I'm willing to try to overcome what my nature tells me can't work. I can't read what you are thinking. I know I asked you to not interrupt, but you have an expression that I don't understand. Elizabeth…?"

"You mean I'm allowed to speak now?" she aid with a deadly calm.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't mean…"

"Oh, I think you meant everything you just said or implied quite well." Beth's face was a curious mixture of anger, hurt and indignation. None of the emotions Will thought he'd see after his declaration.

"When I first met you in June, I saw you as arrogant and judgmental. Marie told me about what had happened to your family and I agreed to keep an open mind. You were charming one minute then highhanded the next. I saw the love that Georgiana, Seth and Richard had for you, but in a flash they were talking about your need for control and order.

"Oh, yes, I felt a physical attraction to you as well, but after the display in the gym I had a sinking feeling you would never understand my way of parenting or my children, especially Jeannie. We would not be able to fit into your little ordered world.

"This week has been more than a Jane Austin novel; it has been a fairy tale. We didn't have jobs to go to, demands on our time, and most importantly, Jeannie wasn't here to spoil your plans for me."

"Elizabeth, wait, you misunderstand" Will cut in with frustration and a little alarm.

"Oh, no, Will, I don't think so. You said it yourself. Against your better judgment, against your nature, in spite of what you knew and felt. All of those things are what's really going on here. My life is too messy. And I will not bow to your wishes. I don't need your help, nor have I asked for it. It's not perfect, but my life is pretty full and I have support all around me for raising my child who needs a parent, not someone who makes sure she gets what she needs. And furthermore, why in the world are we talking about this now?" she demanded.

"Why wouldn't we? You're leaving tomorrow. I didn't want to lose my nerve." Will was genuinely confused and hurt by what Beth was misunderstanding.

"Oh, I don't know, Will. Maybe I thought you'd want to talk about why Seth decked you this afternoon. Or how you are trying to butt into the kids' relationship when they need to figure it out themselves. Or maybe you would want to explain to me about the rumors of Seth really being your son. Or maybe we could talk about how people seem to think that you use women and make promises to them only to abandon them later." Beth didn't really mean to say all those things, they just came out in an explosion of hurt and confusion.

Will stood there with his mouth open, not even sure where to begin to reply. He felt his anger rising and he was trying to control himself. He called on every ounce of his reserve in order to answer her. "I didn't want to talk about Seth because it's really a family matter and I know it will all blow over. He will eventually see that what I'm saying is right."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's a family matter. No need for me to get involved. But you want to swoop down and rescue me, help me with my family matters. It's so obvious that I need help, and you can just handle all of us because Fitzwilliam Darcy Stephens the Martyr can take on anything!"

"Elizabeth," Will took a step towards her, "I didn't mean it that way. I just thought what I needed to say to you about us couldn't wait. I didn't want us to part tomorrow not knowing fully what we were committing to."

"It's obvious what we were committing to, Will. I was committing to you to rescue me with all of your vast resources that you would so begrudging give because you are physically attracted to me and I'm a good listener, and I evidently need a man to give me what I've been missing all these years!"

"I never said that!"

" 'I can show me how a man should be with a woman'" she quoted him, challenging him.

"You're deliberately misunderstanding what I mean because I'm challenging you to let me in. To let a man into your life. And what in the world are you talking about that I use women and then abandon them. Who said these things to you!"

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" she sighed.

"It bloody well does. This is your opinion of me: I'm an arrogant, controlling, condescending, womanizer with a god complex!"

"I'd say that sums it up quite well, with the addition of also abandoning the children you father." She glared at him almost daring him to deny this even though she was doubting this accusation herself.

"Oh my God, Elizabeth, 'children' you think I've fathered not just Seth but others as well? You don't know me at all, do you? You have no idea how important family and responsibility are to me." He was so shocked he didn't know what else to say or how to react at this moment.

"You're right again, sir. I don't know you at all. I can't figure you out because you're all over the map. You'll open up about your past and the horrors you've faced, but you won't tell me anything about you now except that you're a farmer. For Pete's sake, Will, you wouldn't even tell me what your major was for your Masters. You pick and chose what you will disclose as if I have to earn it. But you were more than willing for me to give you all of me, no matter knowing my struggles with that."

"I never forced you. I never pushed you." Will said quietly, the fight was going out of him. This day had been too much. "Look, this isn't getting us anywhere, we both need to cool down. Can we just go get something to eat and then try to talk about this all rationally?"

"No, I'm not like you, Will. I can't stuff everything in and pretend it's all Ok. And I can't help but notice that you have not answered any of the allegations I've laid at your feet."

"You can't possibly believe that I am going to dignify whatever BS you've been handed with an answer."

"No, I guess not. Better do it when you think it's necessary or it fits your agenda."

"You think this week was on my agenda? You think I wanted all this to happen?!" his temper was flaring again.

"No, that's right. I forgot. This was all against your better judgment and your testosterone was in overdrive!"

"I believe you've said enough. I'm fully aware how you feel." Will was turning around to go into his room when there was a knock on the door.

They both turned around to see the owner of the cabins standing there. "Beth," she said, "I just got an urgent call for you from the camp where Jeannie is." Beth let out a gasp.
"It seems that Jeannie tried to stab another camper with scissors. She got very upset after this kid teased her about butterflies and told her that she was stupid for running after them all the time. They tried to calm her down, but she was inconsolable. They finally had to call an ambulance to take her down to the hospital. She's there now."

"Oh my God." Beth fell to the couch. "I have to get to her. I have to get back to Cincinnati." She was in a daze.

Chapter 9 WWDD

Posted on 2009-10-04

The Stephen's family stood in the driveway frozen in place watching Beth's car until it turned out of sight. For an instant, Will thought he was going to be sick. No one saw his faltering step except for Richard who moved quickly behind him. "Will?" he asked tentatively.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." He was trying to sound convincing.

"I'm not so sure about that." Richard came around and looked in him in the eye.

"Ok. I guess I owe all you an explanation on where I was as she was packing and what actually happened."

"Yes you do" came the trio's reply.

"Let's go sit on the porch or something at least." He led the way, but he couldn't sit on the swing. He dragged over a chair from the corner. "This entire day has been crazy." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Without going into every detail, I guess I have to say that once again I blew it the minute I opened my mouth. I over thought what I wanted to say to her and everything blew up in my face. At least this time I didn't get socked in the jaw." He looked pointedly at Seth, "but somehow it hurts much worse."

"Will, I need to talk to you about that." Seth began.

"Yes, you do. But not right now. I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to leave here ASAP." Everything there just reminded Will of Beth.

"Ok, Will" Georgiana tip-toed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "But first, please finish the story."

"I was trying to tell her that I wanted us to try. That in spite of the obstacles in our way, I wanted us to keep building on what we started this week. But it just didn't come out that way. She got hurt by what I said and then threw some pretty amazing accusations my way by which I'm still stymied . I mean, where she could she have heard those things?"

"I think I know." Georgiana offered. "Before she went over to speak to you she said that she had heard some rumors about you when she was at our church that Sunday."

"What could she have possibly heard about me there…oh dear Lord, was Candace there that Sunday?" A terrible feeling was starting to gnaw at Will's stomach.

"Are you kidding, Fitzman, she's always there."

"And she never misses an opportunity to tell her tale of woe." Richard chimed in.

"I knew it. Somehow I knew it because I told her about Gloria."

"Wait, you guys weren't in there that long to have gone all over that history." Georgiana knew that story took more than a few minutes to explain.

"No.We talked about her a little bit last night. But then I wouldn't answer Beth's accusations When she left the cabin to start packing, I was desperately trying to think of what to do. I knew that she was not going to waste any time talking to me at that point, and I didn't want to hold her up. So this is why I'm not panicking now. I know I made the right choice and this will all work out."

"But you didn't do anything, man. Nobody saw you until Callie gave you the penguin." Seth was trying not to be impatient, but Will wasn't making much sense.

"Let me finish, then you'll see what I mean. I stood there and then I remembered a conversation that you and Beth had, Georgie. Beth said that things would go much better if men would just think WWDD. Do you recall that?" Will smiled at the memory.

Georgiana's eyes flashed in recognition of what Will remembered. " WWDD…Yes, Will…What Would Darcy Do! So what did Fitzwilliam Darcy do?"

"Don't you get it? What did Darcy do after his disastrous proposal to Elizabeth?" Will teased.

"Wait a minute. Did you actually propose to her you idiot?" Richard was not following as he had never read the book nor did he have intention of ever reading it.

"No, no. Do you know where I'm going with this you two?' He looked expectantly at the two teens.

"I got it Fitz, you wrote her a letter!" Seth was quite proud of himself.

"Yes, that's it, isn't it Will. You wrote out your answers and your heart to her in a letter." Georgiana was overjoyed that her brother finally was following what she truly believed was his destiny with Beth.

"Well, I didn't have all night like Darcy did, but I wrote all I could in the short amount of time I had."

"But I was standing right there. I didn't see you hand her a letter." Richard was still a little confused.

"You're right. I didn't hand it to her outright. I put it in her suitcase pocket before you closed the trunk lid. When she unpacks, she'll read it. I'm convinced she'll call me when things are calmer with Jeannie and we'll be able to move past this and to work it out. I know we will."

"I don't think I can get through that book, but I at least need to watch the movie. You guys are killing me with all this Darcy and Elizabeth stuff." Richard had to admit he was quite intrigued by it all.

"Not me, dude. I had all that in school and then again this summer because we lost a bet. That's enough for me." Seth couldn't admit that he actually liked the movie.

"Nobody said you had to, lunkhead. But the three of us will, won't we big brother and cousin?" Georgiana was ecstatic. Will had screwed up with Beth, but he had chosen the best possible way to make things right again. He was listening to his heart and following it for once. Beth would answer her Mr. Darcy.

As they pulled away down the driveway, Callie was turned around in her seat waving and yelling goodbye to the Stephens's family. Beth looked straight ahead; she couldn't allow herself to even glance in the rearview mirror. Everything in her was screaming to stop the car and run out back into Will's arms. Her heart was yearning for his strength and assurances that all would be well, that this wasn't a fairytale. But her head told her to keep going and to remember she vowed to never run after any man.

On the passenger's seat, Richard left bags of fast food and drinks. Beth smiled in spite of herself over Richard. What a clown. That is appropriate, isn't it? 'The tears of a clown when no one's around.' The words to that Smokey Robinson song came into her mind. What a complicated yet amazing family they are.

Callie was eating away and talking to her baby, so Beth was sure that she wasn't all that upset about leaving so abruptly. The real issue would be when she realized that she wouldn't see Jeannie at home again for at least several days. Callie truly hated it when her sister was in the hospital, but since it was summer, they could visit together when there were no flu restrictions attached to children visiting.

When she was finally turning onto I-71 with just a little over an hour left to get to Jeannie, Beth let her mind mull over what happened after the blow up with Will. She knew she was led back to her cabin by Cynthia, when she refused Will's hand or his help. Georgiana was already there, packing Callie's things and doing a search under furniture to make sure all was there.

Beth had asked Cynthia if she would return to her house incase someone called her again before Beth's cell phone could get a signal. She walked into her room and everywhere she looked, thoughts of her time with Will surrounded her. Lifting one of the sundresses up to her face, she could smell Will's aftershave lingering there. Shaking her head, she grabbed the garbage bag she brought for dirty clothes and shoved the past two days in it. She filled her cosmetic bag with all the toiletries and threw that on top along with her shoes. She realized her suitcase was virtually empty so she only had to deal with the trash bag when they finally got home that evening.

She walked over to the window and saw Seth pushing Callie on a swing. He was laughing and running around with her. I hope you'll be alright, Seth. Beth said a silent prayer that whatever was truly bothering that young man would come to light before he went away to school. She thought that actually could be part of the problem; that Seth was worried about leaving the protection he had known for most of his life. Maybe he too suffered from Post Traumatic symptoms just like Will did.

Richard had come into the cabin just then and she heard him ask Georgiana what in the world had happened between Beth and Will. She could hear Georgiana shush him and then he said he would take Beth's car and get gas for her so that she wouldn't have to stop anywhere. Georgiana told him to get a move on then and Beth heard him peel out of the gravel driveway.

Beth fully expected Will to be barking out orders somewhere, but when she entered the great room, he was nowhere to be found. Shrugging off the pain that not seeing him caused her, she saw that Georgiana had actually done almost everything that was needed. She assured Beth that they would take out her trash for her and send her anything that they might have left behind.

"You're an amazing young lady, Georgiana," Beth had given her a hug, "I am so grateful I had the privilege to know you. Don't worry about you and Justin. He has a good head on his shoulders and you two will figure out what's best for you both." Georgiana had given Beth a worried look then, and Beth realized that Georgiana realized Beth was saying more than just a casual goodbye to her young friend. "Remember, sweetie, you promised you would not interfere between your brother and me."

"Yes, I'll keep it, too. But Beth, I still want to be your friend. I need you for the grown up you are." No wonder Will spoiled her, Beth had thought then, who could resist those pleading beautiful eyes.

"Ok, but give me some time, OK. The next week or so is going to be truly hectic. I have no idea what I'll be walking into when I get home." Georgiana nodded her acceptance, but Beth could tell she was none too happy about it.

All of the items had been placed by the door waiting for Richard to get back with the car. Beth went and stripped the beds and started a load of laundry as she always did when she stayed there. Cynthia didn't expect it, but Beth could only imagine all that she had to do to prepare these cabins for the next guests so she really didn't mind.

Callie and Seth burst into the cabin with Callie announcing that they couldn't leave until all the gifts were given out. Beth let out a gasp as she had completely forgotten about the special purchases she and daughter had chosen. "Alright, honey. Do you remember where you hid them?"

"Oh, yes, momma." She took off into Beth's bedroom and wiggled under the bed. "Here they are," she said proudly as she held up the bag. They heard Richard pulling back into the driveway and he ran into the room.

"What now?" he said as all eyes seemed to be on him.

"Nothing, bro, you just always seem to have the best timing. Callie is going to give us all some gifts." Seth laughed.

"Oh, well, then by all means, don't let me stop you!" Richard rubbed his hands together.

"Can I momma?" Beth nodded and Callie beamed ear to ear as she dug into the bag. "This is for you, Mr. Richard," she said as she handed him the soldier bear. "Momma says that you look tough but you're just a big teddy bear at heart."

Richard laughed as his face turned a little red. He gave Callie a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. He also walked over to Beth and hugged her as well. "You are an amazing lady," he whispered. "Don't forget about us."

Next Callie pulled out the farmer bear. "This one's for you, Seth. Momma says you are going to college so that you can be a smart farmer and help Will. This bear looks smart to me." Seth laughed at the bear and hugged Callie tightly. He hugged Beth as well, but he was too choked up to saying anything so he just smiled sheepishly at her.

"This one is my favorite," Callie proclaimed as she pulled out the girlie bear with the cell phone. "I wanted this one, but momma said it was more like you Georgiana."

"Oh, this is too cute. Thank you so much." She, too hugged Callie to her and wasn't ashamed to let a few tears fall. She looked up at Beth and then hugged her as well. "I'll keep my promise, but don't give up on my brother, please," she quietly said to Beth.

"Where's mine?" No one had noticed that Will was standing in the doorway. He walked into the room, looking at Beth the entire time.

"You don't get a bear, Mr.Will," Callie said innocently as everyone laughed nervously. "Momma said there wasn't one that fit you. She picked out something else for you." She handed him the penguin.

"Well, this is really nice. No one ever given me a penguin before." Beth smiled to herself as she recalled Will's puzzled expression.

"Know why Momma picked this one?" Callie asked enjoying the fact that she did know.

"Um, well, not really." Will was still looking at Beth, his eyes pleading with her to speak to him.

"Mr.Will, everyone knows that the daddy penguin takes care of the baby just like this one is doing." Callie had her hand on her hip explaining as if she was in charge. "The daddies do everything for the babies until the mommas come back."

"Oh, I see," Will's face betrayed his embarrassment as he did begin to realize what Beth meant in picking this stuffed animal with its little baby attached to it.

"Is that what you are, Mr. Will? Are you the daddy penguin taking care of Seth and Georgiana for the mommas?"

Will squatted down and looked at Callie eye to eye, "Well, I'm not their daddy, Callie, but I am taking care of them since their mommas went away." He looked back at Seth who was nodding his head. "It's a very important job because mommas and daddies are very important people. This is a fantastic gift, little princess. I will always treasure it." Will hugged Callie to him and then picked her up, swung her around and kissed her cheek. Callie again squealed with delight. Beth remembered feeling guilty that Callie would have to go back to not being in the spotlight.

He had looked at Beth once again, then and made a move towards her. I couldn't do it. I couldn't talk to him. Beth finally let a few tears streak down her face. Not now. Now I have to be there for Jeannie.

By the time Beth reached the ER and then waited around for Jeannie to be transferred to the psyche unit, it was almost midnight. Jeannie was calmed down by then and was a little confused as to why she had to go back to the hospital. Beth tried to explain to her that she had attempted to hurt another camper, but as was so often the case after one of these episodes, Jeannie really didn't remember what had happened.

Callie was sound asleep when Beth pulled into their garage. She was able to awaken her enough to get her out of the car and into bed. Beth pulled the stuff out of the trunk, dumping the garbage bag full of her dirty clothes next to the washing machine while pulling out her cosmetic bag she had stowed there earlier. She looked at her suitcase and remembering that she threw everything she could into the garbage bag, she hoisted the case up on her closet shelf. If I'm missing anything, I'll look in there first.

After washing the disastrous day off her face, Beth fell into her bed and began what would become a series of restless, dream filled nights.

The next two weeks was a whirl wind. Beth visited Jeannie almost everyday. Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, caseworkers all expressed concern but none had any real answers. Most of the time Jeannie was a typical child with a low IQ who just needed a lot of attention and strict boundaries. But if she became too agitated or focused on one item, perseveration they called it, she turned into a child capable of just about anything.

Although she loved her mother and her sister, the prevailing concern was for the safety of all as Jeannie got older and stronger. After some slight medication adjustments, Beth was left with a "wait and see" prognosis and no clear plan of what to do. It wasn't long before the three of them fell into their regular patterns again and hoped for the best.

Georgiana and Seth opted to ride home with Richard that evening so that Will could have some time to think during the drive away from Hocking Hills. Frankly, they were all a little nervous to be around him. They decided as a group to not pressure him to talk – for awhile. The agreement was that if he heard from Beth within a week, no one would interfere. If nothing was heard in two weeks, Georgiana would do all she could to make him talk to her. If nothing had been resolved by the time they were taking Seth to school, Richard and he would demand Will talk through everything.

Will didn't think too much about it when Beth did not call the first several days they were back at home. He tried to put himself in her place, sick with worry over Jeannie and trying to calm Callie as well. He desperately wanted to call her, but he had left it up to her in the letter, and he was determined not to push her. He kept himself busy with the new foals and preparing for the harvest. He avoided talking seriously to anyone in the house. As far as he was concerned, it was just a matter of time until the phone rang and he would be onto the next and best chapter of his life with his Elizabeth.

Making good on his promise, he checked into masters programs in art therapy and was pleased to discover that Defiance College offered the program. Gathering his transcripts and some of his art pieces occupied several days of the next week. His meeting went well with the Dean and he was preparing to take one class online and the other would mean driving the hour distance twice a week until a few weeks before Christmas.

Unbeknownst to him, his family members, including Juanita, were watching him closely. They didn't notice any changes at first, but by the second week, Will wasn't eating as much and had stopped shaving. He missed his biweekly haircut and he mostly wore jeans and a T shirt, even to his monthly school board meeting.

Finally at the end of the second week, Georgiana put her plan into action. "Guys," she announced at the dinner table on Friday. "Tonight is movie night and I get to pick the movie." Groans were heard around the table. "That's not going to make me change my mind, you know." She laughed.

"What are we subjected to this time, Georgie girl?" Richard knew the answer but thought he had better play along so that Will wouldn't suspect anything.

"So glad you asked, cousin. You said that you wanted to watch the movie, so now's the night. Tonight, gentlemen, we are all, and I do mean all, going to watch "Pride and Prejudice".

"Oh, no. I made no such promise to you, Georgiana. I'm not watching that movie tonight." Will started to stand up as he was talking. He had every intention of taking a long ride on Magic and turning in.

"Fitzwilliam, you either watch the movie with us, or you and I will take a walk and you will talk to me about what's on your heart." He sister rose to meet him with a challenging look in her eyes. She hoped she wasn't shaking as she said it.

"Georgiana, you cannot dictate to me what I will or will not do." Will emphasized his point by slamming his fist down on the table.

"I'd opt for the movie if I were you, cuz," Richard cut in as if Will had never said a word. "We already now how devious she can be. You don't have to talk while watching a movie." He smiled innocently at Will.

"Am I excused from the exercise?" Seth asked trying to flee the room.

"NO!" the other three stated emphatically.

"If I have to suffer, you have to suffer." Will leveled his "look" at Seth.

"What's all this?" Will demanded as he walked into the family room an hour later. The room was dark except for the wide screen TV, but there were candles lit everywhere.

"Just setting the stage, Will," Georgiana answered matter- of- factly. "Take a seat, gentlemen. The movie will start in five minutes. I have drinks and treats set out on the table over there." She pointed to where beer, wine, cheese, popcorn and sodas were waiting.

"Good Lord," Will grumbled, "You bloody well better stay awake through this movie, Richard."

"Oh, I intend to, Will. I intend to. And you all better answer any questions I have as I'm watching this thing. Chick flicks are not my forte, so I may not understand why things are happening. Cause you know, if it doesn't have a shoot out, car chase or a really buxom blonde, I have not a clue what I'm watching."

An hour into the movie, Richard was sitting on the edge of seat, yelling at the screen, "How you can be so stupid, man! Who in their right mind would propose to a woman in that manner? He deserved everything she threw at him, that's for sure."

Georgiana and Seth laughed at Richard's response to the movie, but they were concerned that Will seemed to show no emotion at all.

"He didn't know any better. She was beneath him in circumstance and her family was a real issue for him." Will walked over to the refreshments and grabbed his third beer.

By the end of the movie, Georgiana was sighing over the final scene, Seth was grumbling that it was too gushy, Richard was intrigued by how it all worked out, and no one had noticed that Will was finishing his fifth beer. "Can I go now? Are you all happy now that you made me watch this?" He virtually spit out his words to them.

"Will," Georgiana began, "None of us is happy to see you this way."

"So you make me watch this ridiculous movie where all ends well for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth? That's somehow going to make me feel better!" His words were slurring just a little.

"Hey, guys," Richard looked at Georgiana and Seth, "maybe I just should stay here and Will and I will talk."

"What does it matter? You'll all talk about it later anyway. I'm not that stupid. And don't take my beer," he glared at Seth as he tried to ply another one out of Will's hand.

"It's alright," Richard said quietly to Seth, "it's not like he's going to drive anywhere tonight."

"Dammit it's not alright! I've heard nothing. NOTHING! It's been two weeks. I poured my heart out to her in that letter. I called on every romantic thing I could think of from this stupid book." He had his mother's well worn copy of Pride and Prejudice in his hand waving it around. "and nothing. I didn't say half the stupid things Darcy did. I'm not nearly as arrogant and prideful as he was. She forgave him. She learned the truth and she forgave him."

"Will," Georgiana went to his side and took the book out of his hand. "Call her. This is where the book and your life can split. Call her and tell her how you are feeling. Listen to her and don't try to fix her life. Just listen to her. I think that's all she wants."

"No. NO!" He started to stomp out of the room. "I told her that I would not pressure her. I said that she should call me when she was ready to talk and to start over yet again. She obviously doesn't want to do that."

"But you don't know that, Fitzman. Maybe things are worse with Jeannie than any of us know." He turned to Georgiana, "Have you asked Justin or Rachel if their mom has talked to Beth?

"Justin said that Beth talked to Marie yesterday. They mostly talked about getting ready for the new school year. She said that all Beth said was that they were taking it one day at a time and she was nervous about Jeannie starting fourth grade. Evidently she's heard that for some reason fourth grade is really a difficult year for special needs kids." She walked over to her brother. "That's all I know, Will, I haven't talked to her either. She asked me to give her a couple of weeks." She took hold of his hand and squeezed it. "We just love you, Will. We hate seeing you this way."

"Get used to it." He walked out of the room, trudged up the stairs and slammed his door shut.

Seth was pacing around the family room. He was leaving in two days, and he still had not spoken to Will after their confrontation in the woods. Knowing that Will was suffering so much about his relationship with Beth, Seth was fearful of what this conversation may produce, but he knew he had to get it out. Will and Richard had taken a long ride that morning and they were upstairs cleaning up. Apparently those two had come to some sort of understanding because there was no more talk of Richard's deployment.

He heard doors opening and the two men were coming down the stairs laughing. At least they're in good moods. That should help a little bit anyway. He was standing in the doorway as the two cousins rounded into the hall. They both looked over at Seth and Richard was about to say something to him, but he stopped as he saw the nervous expression on Seth's face. Both men stood still and waited.

"Guys," Seth began shuffling his feet and not looking up at either one. "I need to talk to both of you." He turned around and set down on the couch. Will and Richard exchanged worried glances and then followed into the room. Richard sat down next to Seth while Will sat opposite in the lounge chair.

Nothing good ever comes from 'I need to talk to you'. Will tried to remain calm, but his mind was racing. What could be the matter now?

"Ok, here it is." Seth took a deep breath. "Several months ago, I started searching for my birth mom."

"Oh, God," Will's head immediately went down his hands. Richard's face turned white and he fidgeted in his seat.

"Don't get weirded out, Ok. Let me talk." Both men nodded their heads, but Will's stayed down. "It took awhile, but I found her. The week before we went to Hocking Hills, I drove over to Chicago and met her."

Will's head shot up. "Chicago? When, how, what were you thinking? Did you go by yourself to meet her?" Will was in a panic and Richard didn't look much better.

"Rachel went with me." He glanced over at Will who was clearly agitated. "Will, let me get through this, please. Rachel told her folks she was staying here with Geo. I told you that I was staying at Justin's. Geo and Justin don't know anything about this, so don't go blowing up at her, Will. We left Friday afternoon and stayed until late on Saturday."

"This is wrong on so many levels, Seth. You've got to realize that, don't you?" Will was up and pacing. Richard was deathly quiet.

"Will! Come on! Let me talk!" Seth could see the censure in Will's eyes and hear it in his tone, but he was determined to speak his mind. "I had to go. I had to meet her. I wanted her to know that I was alright. I wanted her to be proud of all I had done and that I was going away to school. I thought if I met her then maybe some of the anxiety I feel would go away. Maybe then some of the dreams I had would stop." If Seth had looked up, he would have seen Will fall back into the chair, shaking his head and once again feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Richard had still not moved, but remained pale and shaking.

"What happened, Seth? What did she tell you?" Will's voice was almost a whisper.

"We met in a mall, so there were plenty of people around. I knew it was her when she walked up to us. I have her eyes and her complexion. Rachel said she could tell right away that she was my mom. Anyway, I had brought all kinds of pictures with me, thinking she would want to see how I had grown up. She never picked one up.

"Let me go on, Will" Seth saw out of the corner of his eye that Will was standing up again and was going to say something. "She sat there and let me go on and on about my life and how I always felt that she would come for me. I told her about mom and dad and how you had raised me, Will. When I mentioned your name, her whole expression changed. She said that she hated you and you, too, Richard" he turned to his brother and was a little shocked by how Richard was taking all of this.

"What else did she say?" Will was barely controlling his rage at this point.

"She said that you two had taken advantage of her one day out in the fields. Don't freak out! Let me finish!" Will cursed and began pacing across the room. "I just sat there letting her say all kinds of terrible things about the two of you. I couldn't move. Finally, Rachel told her to stop. She told her that Juanita had told her things about that summer and that there was no way that had happened. She started cursing Rachel in Spanish and I stopped her from going any further. I asked her if she had really wanted to meet me or if she just wanted to spew out all that hatred of you guys. She said it was a little of both.

"She said that when she found out she was pregnant, you neither one would acknowledge what you did to her. She was going to be kicked out of her family with nowhere to go. She said that mom and dad forced her into giving me up because they were convinced that one of you was my father. She asked me for money to keep her mouth shut and to not come back here and cause trouble." He paused and looked at both men. Richard still had not moved and Will was standing in the middle of the room with a murderous look in his eyes.

"And did you? Did you give her money?" Will was seething.

"Yes." Seth answered quietly with his head down. He heard Richard's sharp intake of breath as if he hadn't taken one since the entire conversation began.

"How much?" No answer. "How much, Seth. Come out with it now"

"I gave her all my graduation money." His head was still downcast.

"Oh, good Lord." Will knelt down until he was eye to eye with Seth if only he would look up. "Look at me, Seth. Tell me what happened then." His tone was not angry but full of sympathy. Seth almost preferred the angry tone.

"She stood up and laughed at me. She laughed at me, Will. She called me a stupid kid. She said that I should never try to find her again. She wanted nothing to do with me or the life she left behind in Ohio. She said that neither of you were my dad. She said that it was some loser trucker from the turnpike. Then she just walked away laughing." Seth looked down again and this time his shoulders were shaking. Will knew he was crying.

"Seth, I'm so sorry little man." Will was trying to hold on to him. Richard finally stood up and began pacing where Will had been.

"Do you believe what she said?" Richard asked quietly.

"Yeah. That part I believe. Some loser truck driver is my dad." Seth let out another sob.

"No. Your dad and mom are buried down the road. They loved you so much, Seth. You lit up their lives. They were lonely with Richard gone. They marveled at everything you did. Don't ever sell yourself short because of the woman who housed you until your real parents brought you home." Will looked at Richard a as he spoke and couldn't understand what was going through his mind. "Rich, what is the matter with you?"

"I don't know how to say this, but all this time, I feared that maybe I was your father, Seth." It was Richard's turn to be downcast now.

"What?" both Seth and Will looked at Richard with shock.

"Well, I don't know. You could have been a couple of weeks early for all I knew. Mom wouldn't talk to me about just how everything came down when they got you, Seth. I thought they were trying to protect me. I know that they paid her. I don't know how much. I've never had the guts to question Juanita about it." Richard shrugged his shoulders.

"Just one more thing you preferred not to deal with, Richard." Will was harsh, but he felt it was deserved.

"Yes. That's right, Will. Just one more thing." He replied sarcastically. "Seth, it's not that I would be ashamed to be your father. You would have been the best thing I ever did." He looked pleadingly at his brother.

"I wish it was one of you, but it's not. I truly believe her about that part. You should have seen her face. I want nothing to do with that woman. Ever again."

"Seth, what about you and Rachel staying overnight in Chicago?" Will wasn't angry anymore, just very concerned about the young man before him.

"That's another reason why I got so mad at you, Will. I can't imagine breaking up with Rachel, not after Chicago. Nothing happened that way, I swear, but I know that I love her so much for going there and helping me through all of this. I realize now that I put both of us in danger, but she was there for me. We did sleep together, but that was all we did – sleep. I swear, Will, I'd never create another me." Tears were streaming down his cheek as he looked imploringly at Will.

"Seth, you will create another amazing little man someday." Will emphasized the word, "but you are right; now is not the time. I'm glad you respect Rachel enough as well, but I think you two need to be honest with Ed and Marie."

"I kind of thought you would say that." Seth smiled sheepishly. "I'm going over later today. I'm sure there will be some sort of punishment…"

"What, can I ground a freshman at Purdue? No, I think you've punished yourself enough. Part of this is my fault. If I had just told you about her when you were old enough to understand. The money you won't see again, that's for sure, but did you buy some peace with it?" Will was hoping.

"Not at first. I was still hurting when I came up on you two in the woods that day. That's why I over reacted. When I heard you say those things about her, I guess I kind of snapped. Will, do you forgive me for all of this? I don't want to leave home with all this hanging over me."

"Yes, little man," Will realized he really shouldn't call him that anymore. "Yes, I forgive you. Just talk to me, please. Whatever it is. I know this is going to be tough on us. We haven't been separated very much these last fourteen years. But this is your home, Seth. You are stuck with us as your family, warts and all."

"And that would be me. The biggest wart in this family," Richard mumbled.

"Richard, what is it you are trying to say?" Will was a little impatient.

Richard looked at both of the two closest people to him in the world, yet he knew that he constantly pulled himself away from them. "All of these years I have been running, Will, it's true. I couldn't face up to this responsibility. I knew myself too well. I can be responsible for all those men back there and do it quite well. But this place, this family, I don't think I can live up to my father, your father or you. I'm not feeling sorry for myself, I just know I wasn't fit to do the job you've done, and I hated myself for it. But now, now I think I am ready. I know I missed the hardest part, Will, I do. But after I get back this time, and I will get back, you know, I'm done with the army. I'll have my twenty years in counting all the ROTC and I'm retiring. By next May, I'll be home for good."

Will and Seth stared at Richard, then looked at each other as this news sunk in. "Richard! Oh my God! You'll be home with us!" Seth stood up and hugged his brother. "I can't believe it! We can really become a team here, right? We can do even more at Pemberville Farms, right Will?"

Will was looking intently at Richard who was flinching under his scrutiny. Finally he said, "I can think of nothing more pleasing to our parents and to their memory than all of us making this farm and all the other things, the best they can be. But more importantly, Richard, you will be taking your rightful place here. I never wanted to be in control of all of it, you know." He clapped Richard on the back and the two men finally hugged each other.

"Yes, we know Mr. Sensitive Artiste. We know." Richard laughed feeling the weight of so many years being lifted from him. "Now where in the world is Georgie girl? I'm starving."

Lying in bed one evening after about three weeks of "one day at a time" when the girls were finally asleep, Beth allowed herself to think of Will. She couldn't understand how he could have been so cold after Cynthia came in and announced what was happening. He said he was willing to try, but evidently, not hard enough. Why did I let my hopes get up? Why did I ever think that he was going to be different? As she closed her eyes she could still feel Will's arms around her and feel his kisses awaken feelings she never knew existed. But now all she had was an empty feeling that she was sure would never ever be filled.

She replayed her conversation that evening with Jim and felt no remorse, nothing really. This was her first evening going back to the Y. As she was getting ready it dawned on her that she had not heard from Jim. Just as well. That sure wasn't going to go anywhere. She was a little surprised, then, to see him in the pool. Not wanting to give mixed signals, she smiled and waved as she started her routine.

When she was finished, she saw Jim sitting by the locker rooms. She grabbed her towel and walked over. "Hey, Jim" she tried to sound casual. "How have you been?"

"Great, just great, Beth. I'm glad I ran into you. Sorry I haven't called in awhile. I have great news. I'm engaged. Can you believe it?" Jim was smiling ear to ear.

No, I can't actually. "Wow, this is a surprise. Congratulations." She smiled and took his hand to shake it.

"Well, it happened rather quickly. Not that I wasn't having a great time with you and all, but there really wasn't anything there, was there." He looked at Beth awkwardly as she nodded. "Yeah, I knew it. Anyway, I had been seeing another woman casually, and when you went out of town, things just kind of took off. I hope that we can still be friends, mermaid of the Y." He smiled charmingly.

"Sure, Jim. I wish you nothing but the best." And she meant it.

Chapter 10 Life Goes On

Posted on 2009-10-07

And so began another year of school for Beth. But at least this year she was teaching a class that she had longed to teach for years. Mrs. Jackson had finally retired thus leaving the coveted AP English courses she controlled for years. Although Beth loved teaching American Literature, her passion for English Lit was stronger than ever. Beth did not inherit Mrs. Jackson's schedule, but she did manager to get one class: The English Novel. She was finally going to get to teach Austen.

Because this was new territory for Beth, she was spending much more time prepping for her classes. After the girls went to bed, she poured over the novels she was teaching and loved every minute of it. She threw herself into what the girls needed and what she wanted to show her students. She was cautiously optimistic for the first time in a long time.

Late in September while munching on popcorn watching a so-so ] production of "Wuthering Heights", which featured the same dazzling actor who played Darcy in the 2005 movie, Beth realized she had never contacted Georgiana. She felt a little ashamed of herself because truly Georgiana was not at fault for what had occurred between Beth and Will. She picked up her phone and dialed Georgiana's number.

"Beth?" Georgiana's voice sounded hesitant.

"Hi, Georgiana. Yes, it's me begging your forgiveness for taking so long to call you." Beth held her breath.

"Are you OK? Is Jeannie OK? Beth, we've been so worried, but I promised…"

"I'm fine, Georgiana. Really. Jeannie has good and bad days, but we are making it. Callie is attacking second grade in all her seriousness. How about you? This is the big senior year, right?"

Within minutes the awkwardness was gone and both felt as if they had been talking this way every night for weeks on end. Georgiana filled Beth in on the pros and cons of long distance dating, but she was proud that they had made it through the difficult first month. When Beth asked about Seth, Georgiana related that the three men had a long talk and things were much better. She told Beth of Richard's deployment and how much she worried for him.

"I will pray for him everyday, Georgiana." Beth promised. "Please tell him that for me."

"I think he'd take a prayer from you, Beth. He really likes you." She quietly added, "We all do."

There was a long pause. Then Beth started talking eagerly about her new class. Both women giggled over the various novels they would both be reading in the coming months. Beth promised to help Georgiana if she needed it, but she had no doubts in the young woman's capabilities.

By the end of the conversation, both were relieved but very well aware that one name had not been mentioned. Georgiana wanted to keep her promise to Beth, and Beth couldn't bring herself to ask.

Without the other knowing, both Will and Beth were realizing dreams coming true professionally. Will loved every minute of his classes and had started meeting with some children that Marie had set up. After a few conversations with her, Will realized that Marie didn't know many details about what had transpired in Hocking Hills. It puzzled him that Beth had not confided in Marie, but then he figured that maybe Beth didn't want to cause any problems since the families were tied through the kids. She would think of things like that. She would worry about others and be concerned. But why has she shown no concern for me? How could she become so cold?

The semester passed quickly and Will was looking forward to the break coming in December. Seth and Justin were doing quite well for freshmen and though they came home often, their grades didn't seem to be suffering. Georgiana stayed busy herself so she wasn't pining for Justin, which made Will more comfortable. Again, he realized that Beth was right about the wisdom of the young couples.

Will knew that Georgiana and Beth were talking again on a regular basis. Georgiana had said a couple of things to him in passing, not the least of which was that the preacher Beth had dated was going to marry someone else. In spite of himself, Will was relieved and then spent the next several days chastising himself for not moving on. He also knew from Marie and Georgiana that Jeannie was still experiencing many problems and that the school was threatening Beth with sending Jeannie to an alternative program.

During one of his classes, the professor spoke of a school in Ft Wayne, Indiana that was having excellent results with troubled children using all types of therapies, including Art. In spite of himself, Will's mind started whirling. After class he approached the professor who was eager to talk to Will more about the school. They walked over to the prof's office so that he could give Will a brochure and other contact information.

The next day, Will found himself calling the school and making an appointment to tour and talk to the administrator. Two days later, he was walking through the buildings and grounds. The school, SKAT – Special Kids Academics and Therapies – was founded by a group of special education teachers and therapists who were frustrated with the public school systems. Using a holistic approach which included the children living on campus, they were having successes with kids who just couldn't make it in the traditional classroom.

By the time he left, Will was convinced Jeannie would thrive there even with what little he knew of her. He had also secured an internship position there for his second term. Apparently his professor had put in more than a few good words about Will and the administrator wanted Will to join their team. Although the commute of a little over an hour seemed daunting in winter, Will believed this was an amazing opportunity to determine if this truly was his calling and if this could be what would help Jeannie and ultimately, Elizabeth.

The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas was always hectic but so much fun. Beth loved the holidays and insisted that she expose the girls to all the joys that come with the season. Marie and Ed wanted them to come north for Thanksgiving, but Beth needed the extra time off for her school preparations and she wanted to spend the time with just the three of them to decorate for Christmas.

Instead of shopping as the rest of the world seemed to do the day after Thanksgiving, Beth and the girls dragged box upon box up from the basement and turned their home into a Winter Wonderland. Beth put on Christmas music and they sang and danced the day away, ending with hot chocolate and candy canes. As she fell into bed that night, Beth could not remember such a magnificent day with the girls. There had been no arguments, threats or tears. She said a prayer of thanks and her daily prayer for Richard and drifted off into a peaceful slumber she hadn't experienced in months.

Beth would end up cherishing that day for a long time and looking back at it to wonder why it was so perfect when the very next day things began unraveling for Jeannie and for their entire family.

Jeannie awoke Beth quite early the next morning proclaiming it was Christmas and Santa had come to the house. Beth laughed to herself and then tried to remind Jeannie that they had decorated the house the day before as they always do every year. Jeannie would not hear of it. She demanded to know what Beth had done with her toys from Santa. By this time Callie was awake and was also trying to convince her sister that it was not Christmas day.

Flying around the house in a rage, Jeannie threw decorations to the floor, tore the wreath off of the door and was headed straight to the tree when Beth moved in front of her. "Jeannie, look at me. Look at momma." She was literally stiff arming Jeannie to keep her away from the tree. "Today is not Christmas. Let's go out and look at the calendar. We will start marking off the days and begin the advent calendar sooner, too. Honey, please look at me." Beth was trying to get through to Jeannie who was still fighting her to get to the tree.

"You are a liar, momma. You took my toys from me. Today is Christmas!" Her arms were flailing about as she tried to get out of Beth's grip. She broke free from Beth and in doing so, smacked her mother across the face. Undeterred, she moved toward the tree and started throwing ornaments onto the floor. Callie was screaming at her sister to stop and then began crying as she witnessed Jeannie strike Beth.

Beth felt the sting on her face but tried not to react to it as she called for Callie to go to her room for a little while. She ushered her youngest out of the living room while Callie protested that she was not the one who was making the mess and hitting her momma. Beth told her that she knew that but she wanted Callie to be safe. As quickly as possible, Beth ran to the kitchen to retrieve Jeannie's "as needed" supply of her medication to help to calm her down.

Running back into the living room, Beth let out a cry as just at that moment, the tree came toppling over onto Jeannie. Ornaments that had been Beth's as a child shattered and tinkled as they rolled on the floor. Jeannie was screaming and crying as she thrashed about trying to get the tree off of herself. Beth lifted the tree off of her child who was scratched and cut in several places on her face, arms and hands. "Jeannie, oh, Jeannie, come to momma now. You've hurt yourself and broken lots of momma's pretties." A combination of anger and fear filled Beth as she hugged her daughter to her breast and surveyed the damage caused in under five minutes time.

Tears streamed down Beth's face as she continued rocking Jeannie who was by now crying softly in her mother's arms. "Why didn't Santa come, Momma? Why did the tree hurt me?" she repeated over and over again.

Will called Marie and asked if she and Ed would like to come over for coffee and some Mexican wedding cookies. Juanita's oldest daughter was married the weekend before, so he and Georgiana were reaping the benefits of leftovers for several days. He assured them that there was nothing wrong with the kids, but he needed their help and advice.

"How much you wanna bet it has to do with Lizzybeth?" Ed smirked as they drove out to the farm on a Friday night.

"I'm sure it does," Marie sighed. "I wish I could get the two of them in a room and shut the door. That would settle it one way or the other."

Ed laughed, "I don't think anybody would come out of that room for a long time."

"You mean you think they'd seriously hurt each other?" Marie was incredulous.

"Honey," Ed said, "for a mother of two, you sure are naïve."

"Ohhhhh," the light dawned on Marie. "Well, if everyone else sees it, what the heck is the matter with those two?"

"You know her better than anybody, Marie. Has Beth ever truly been happy? It's like she always waits for the other shoe to drop AND she believes it will be a guy who drops it every time. I love her, I do, but she beats the heck out of my gender." Ed looked at his wife to see her reaction.

"I know, I know," Marie said quietly. "Her mom hadno idea what bringing Beth up in that store did to her, not to mention being abandoned by her father. I'd like to put Seth's birth mom and Beth's dad in that room and see who came out alive."

"OOO, now there would be a match. My money is on Will and Beth to beat the crap out of both of them. Hey, maybe that would be what would get those two together – mutual hate." The couple laughed but each thought that might just be the only thing that did the trick.

Will answered the door and ushered them into the living room. It was very formal and used seldom, but Will felt his mother's presence in the room and was comforted to sit there. Neither Ed nor Marie had ever been in this part of the house and were struck by its simple elegance and feminity.

"This was your mother's favorite room, I bet" Marie observed.

"Yes. She was very lenient about how destructive we could be as children except in this room. Sitting in here was a privilege. I still look at it that way." Will didn't realize when he said it, but Marie and Ed exchanged glances that spoke their feelings of privilege as well. "My mother had the biggest heart of anyone I had ever met until…" Will couldn't finish the sentence. He believed Beth to be generous to a fault, be he was still very hurt by her rejection of his letter.

"The more I've come to know you, Will," Marie looked at Will with the eyes of a mother trying to encourage her child. "the more I believe it is you with the big heart."

"Ha! Don't spread that around, Marie. I have a reputation as a Gloomy Gus to maintain." Will appreciated Marie's compliment, but couldn't accept it.

"Don't worry, pal," Ed interjected, "as long as you're on the school board, Marie will say nothing good about you." They all laughed at that.

"You know, Ed, you remind me a lot of my cousin Richard. I think you two would really hit it off. We are counting the days until Richard comes home."

"He never really lived in Pemberville, did he? I was raised in Bryan and never remembered him and we are about the same age, right?" Ed had often wondered about this family's history and since his daughter was so attached to Seth, he thought he'd take the opportunity to do some hunting. Marie shot him a look, but Ed ignored it.

"Richard will be thirty eight in a few weeks, actually. Our birthdays are just days apart. But you're right; Richard was and is an army brat. My uncle went into the service right out of high school. He and my aunt were married the week before he left for boot camp. They lived in Germany for several years; that's actually where Richard was born. Then they criss crossed the country for many more years until Richard graduated from high school in Ft Hood. My uncle insisted that he go to college, so Richard chose to come back up here to Ohio and go to BGSU. They had a pretty active ROTC program there. My uncle retired, built the house, and started to work with my dad on the farm at just the right time for me to go away to school." Will understood what Ed was about, and didn't have any problem retelling Richard's history.

"I see," Ed nodded his approval while Marie shot him the look again.

Will smiled to himself observing the couple. He loved watching people together who genuinely cared for each other. He remembered his mother shooting those looks to his dad on occasion, usually when Lizzy was bringing home a boy and his dad gave him the third degree. He excused himself and walked out the kitchen to get the coffee and bring out the tray of delicacies that Juanita and her family had lovingly prepared for the new bride and groom. "I know these are not traditional Christmas cookies, but in our house, we're just happy when someone else provides the goods." He chuckled as he presented the plate to Ed and Marie.

"Hey," Ed said with this mouth already stuffed, "who needs another Christmas star sugar cookie when these are around. Good heavens, they melt in your mouth." He went for a few more to put on his napkin. Again with the look from Marie. "Aw, honey, come on, I love your sugar cookies, but you gotta admit…"

"They are amazing, Will. Please tell Juanita how much we enjoy them and congratulations again to her daughter." Marie took another cookie herself as Ed snorted.

"Juanita will be happy to hear it. Before I forget, I want to invite you all to our annual New Year's Party. Richard won't be home this year to be the life of the party, but I hope that you and the kids will come. I guess I should stop referring to them as kids, huh?" Will laughed nervously. "This will be the last time I have to host it alone, though."

"Oh?" Marie's radar went up, hoping to hear something, anything about Will and Beth.

"Yes. Richard is retiring after this deployment, so he will be home permanently come next May. He will live here in the house for awhile until he decides where he wants to go."

"But isn't that house his family's?" Ed was pointing to the other house on the property.

"It is, but Richard has no desire to live there. He's already told Seth that the house is his when he graduates. I think Richard would be happy in a cabin somewhere as long as he could come down and pester the natives once in awhile – natives meaning me mostly."

Marie was watching Will closely. She had been in his company plenty of times, but had never seen him so relaxed. She still held her ground in her first belief that he and Beth would make a great couple, and by what she was seeing in him tonight and in the times she had watched him with the kids at school, her belief was even stronger. She reminded herself that he was in his element here and it was just the three of them. Rachel and Justin had always said that Will was funny and caring, but strict and a little controlling when he felt he had to be.

Will could sense that he was being scrutinized. He hoped he wasn't found wanting and that Marie would report something positive to Beth. Once again, though, he was angry at himself for still having those thoughts. He squared his shoulders and thought it was time to talk to Beth's best friends.

After explaining about SKAT and how he found out about it, Will looked expectantly at Marie and Ed. "So, do you understand why I wanted you two to know about SKAT?"

The couple looked at each other, then back at Will. "Not really." Ed replied.

"Oh." Will wasn't expecting this reaction. "I think this would be perfect for Jeannie."

"Oh." It was Marie's turn this time.

"What did I tell you?" Ed smiled at this wife who quickly shot him the look. It worked this time.

"Will" Marie began. "The school and its programs sound wonderful, but I can tell you without a doubt that there is no way that Beth will remove Jeannie from her home. I don't think she would ever hear of it."

"Well, not from me she wouldn't. But if you could tell her about it. If she would just come up and see it. They are doing remarkable things. Maybe a year or two would be all that Jeannie would need. Then maybe Elizabeth could get some peace and some sleep." It sounded good at the time, but now Will was beginning to wonder if he was just trying to fix and control Beth's life.

"It won't work this way," Marie said softly to Will. "She won't have you manipulating her to get up here to live."

"I wasn't even thinking of that, honestly. I know that she is happy in Cincinnati. I know from Georgiana that she is teaching her favorite subject this year. But I also know that things have not been going well for Jeannie. I want to help. I truly just want to help. And I would see Jeannie twice a week. I could keep tabs on her and report to you how things are going. I'm telling you that I believe this place could be an answered prayer for Jeannie and for Elizabeth." Both Ed and Marie could see the sincerity on Will's face.

"She couldn't stand to be separated for that far." Marie argued from a mother's point of view.

"I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard at first, but if Elizabeth saw the changes in Jeannie. If SKAT can do what I think it can; if I can help Jeannie, too, it would be worth it all. Besides, four hours isn't all that long. It's doable on weekends."

"Says the man without little ones anymore." Ed pointed out. Then he turned to his wife. "Honey, why not drive out there ourselves and check it out one day after school. Then we can talk to Beth about it. What could that hurt?"

"A lot if she thinks she's being manipulated." Marie was still hesitant.

"I swear to you," Will responded to the charge. "I swear to you that I am not trying to manipulate Elizabeth or use Jeannie to get to her. I could never do that."

"Even so," Marie was trying to see things from all angles. "Isn't it a private school? There's no way Beth could afford putting Jeannie there."

"But I think there is." Will went on to explain how there are scholarships available and that upon hearing Jeannie's issues, the administrator was quite taken by what he heard in addition to the fact that Jeannie was adopted would make more funding available. "Doesn't Elizabeth get some assistance from the state for Jeannie?" Marie nodded. "I thought so. Dr. Evans, the administrator said that if Elizabeth signed over those payments to SKAT along with the scholarship that would about cover it."

"About cover it?" Ed heard the catch.

Will was trying to gloss over this part, but he decided to forge ahead. "Well, there's a little bit of a deficit, but I've taken care of that."

"How?" Ed felt he had to be protective of Beth.

"I'm willing to defer my pay for the internship to cover the rest." Will said quickly and then got up to go get more coffee.

"There's no way, Ed, no way will she stand for this." Marie whispered.

"Man, he's got it all figured out except he hasn't figured out Lizzybeth." Ed shook his head. "I've got to hand it to him, though. I think his heart is in the right place. Marie, what if this place is all that he thinks it is. What if this SKAT can help her, help all of them."

"Ed, I just don't know. If she ever found out…" Marie was shaking her head.

"But she doesn't have to." Will entered the room again. "Without going into all the details, I told Dr. Evans that he could explain to Elizabeth that there was additional funding from a private donor who wished to remain anonymous. He says that they do get endowments and things like that. I just need the two of you to tell her about it. Get her up here to see it. Let her think about it before her school system forces her to make decisions she doesn't want to make."

As Marie and Ed lay in bed that night, they continued to discuss their evening with Will. They both realized that they were with a man who was in love but had no idea what to do about it. "If it wasn't so tragic, it would be funny." Ed said.

"We'll go next week. If we like what we see, I'll call Beth immediately. She and the girls are coming up right after Christmas. We'll get her over there. I do agree with Will on one point. Things are getting worse for Jeannie and Beth is worried. She's had to leave work twice in two weeks to take Jeannie home from school. I didn't say anything to you about this before, but Ed, Jeannie's hit Beth. More than once." Tears were welling in Marie's eyes.

"That settles it." Ed said with determination. "If we like the place, we have to do something. There's going to be a tragedy there. My god, Marie, we can't let that happen." He hugged his wife to him and wiped away her tears. "Will is a good man, Marie. Stupid about women, but he's a good man. We've go to do this."

"Oh, and you're the expert on women all of a sudden" she giggled.

"I'd like to think I am." He turned out the light.

Could this day get any worse? Beth had already sat through a meeting with her principal about her attendance issues. Although he was trying to be sympathetic, he also knew that Beth's students deserved to have their teacher present or at least a prepared sub. He hinted to Beth that maybe taking FMLA time would be the best route right now until things shook out with Jeannie. The last three mornings Beth had been late for school because she could not get Jeannie moving and dressed. Several times a week, Jeannie had what they called dyspraxic episodes when she had no idea what to do even though she was tasked to do things like get dressed and brush her teeth.

Jeannie would stare out into space for long periods of time and become quite startled when Beth would come in to check on her. She would look at her clothes as if she'd never seen them before. Standing in front of a mirror would only result in Jeannie mugging at it while holding her toothbrush. If Beth corrected her and told her to start brushing, Jeannie would immediately become angry and bite herself or pull her hair. Typically, these episodes were few and far between, but they were becoming more frequent and lasting longer.

Now she was waiting for Jeannie's principal and special ed teacher to talk with her. When both walked in with very serious faces, Beth knew this would not be pleasant. Before the door closed, the assistant superintendent responsible for special ed entered the room. Beth sensed the doom, and she steeled herself for what was to come.

"…So you understand, Ms. Thomas," Beth heard the principal say, "Jeannie is disrupting the entire floor at least once per day. We are trying everything we can to help her and to keep her here, but we have two hundred other students to think about in that wing."

Beth nodded her head. Intellectually she understood what they were saying. As a teacher, she knew how important the environment was to learning. But as Jeannie's mom and fiercest protector, she could not fathom Jeannie in the alternative program. Violent children, deeply troubled children and teens attended. She feared for her daughter's safety in addition to what other behaviors Jeannie may pick up there.

"…Since we're almost to the holiday break and the end of the semester. We propose not moving her until the New Year. We just don't see any other alternatives at this point. Ms. Thomas, Ms. Thomas, Beth…do you understand what we are saying here?" The assistant superintendent hated these meetings and the pain that she saw in the parents' eyes. Especially the ones like Beth who were trying to do everything to save their children.

"YYYes, I do. I do understand. I don't like it, but I understand. But please hear me. I will not loose my daughter to this alternative school. I will do everything in my power to protect her. I have heard nothing but nightmare stories about that place. I will abide by your decision, for now." Beth left the office feeling defeated and the most alone she'd ever felt in her life.