"Go to your room, while I decide what your punishment is going to be," Shayna ordered Julian as she marched him into the house. She couldn't believe she was called in to pick him up from the school for a fight. She had hoped she would be spared further humiliation by avoiding a conflict with Andrew too. Unfortunately, he was already home from work and walking into the kitchen as they entered the house.
Andrew stopped Julian in his tracks. "Wait a second. What's going on?"
Shayna wanted to snap at him to mind his own business, but Julian answered first.
"I got into a fight after school."
"What happened?" Andrew asked with concern.
"It doesn't matter. It's being handled," Shayna said firmly.
"I like to know what's going on under my own roof," Andrew snapped at Shayna before turning back to Julian.
"Elden was talking crap and I lost my temper," Julian admitted. "I know I shouldn't have let him get to me, but I lost it." He turned to his mom. "I'll try not to let it happen again."
"I thought Elden was your best friend," Andrew asked confused.
"Was," Julian agreed. "I'm starting to see that he's kind of a jerk."
"That's still no excuse," Shayna said firmly.
"I know and I'm sorry I let my temper get the better of me," Julian agreed. They had talked this out, with his mom doing most of the talking, all the way home from school and he had talked about it enough. "Can I go to my room now?"
Shayna nodded and Andrew stepped aside to let him pass. He gave Julian a sympathetic look, knowing for him to fight with a friend was out of the norm, but he had no such sympathy when he turned to Shayna.
"You can save it, Andrew. I am having a really bad day and I don't want to hear it."
"Oh, you're having a bad day. Not like the bad day Lucy was having when she had to watch all of her neighbors pass judgment on her son?"
"This is not the same."
"Let's see . . . assault is a crime. What is your punishment for Julian going to be for criminal activity? Throwing him out on the streets?"
"Of course not," Shayna scoffed.
"Of course not," Andrew confirmed. When he caught a glimpse of Meghan in the backyard, eavesdropping on their conversation, he lowered his voice, but couldn't resist one last dig. "So much for vigilance and discipline," he muttered.
"It worked fine up until now," she hissed back. "But the coldness in this household lately would be enough to make anyone snap."
Andrew squinted at Shayna then walked past her to check on his daughter.
When he approached, Meghan tried to busy herself, but she couldn't hide the concern in her eyes.
"I'm sorry you had to overhear us arguing," he apologized. "Things are a little strained right now. Are you okay?"
Meghan nodded. "You don't seriously think she would throw Julian out, do you?"
Andrew shook his head. "No, I was just- I probably shouldn't have said that."
"Because it wasn't Julian's fault. This whole thing between Julian and Elden is because of me," she confessed.
"What do you mean?" Andrew asked.
As Shayna overheard them talking from the kitchen, she moved to the window where she could hear their conversation better.
"Julian's friends were always rude to me. Then at the Halloween party, Elden was the one who gave me the spiked punch before he started hitting on me. Julian decided he didn't want to hang out with them after that and things have been awkward between them at school which is probably why they got into a fight today," Meghan blurted out without pausing for a breath. "I think he was just defending me."
"It was Elden's drink? If you knew that, why did you make up that story about the clown?"
"I didn't want Julian to get in trouble." Suddenly, Meghan looked alarmed. "I didn't just get him in more trouble, did I?"
Andrew patted his daughter on the arm, comfortingly. "No, you have nothing to worry about. I just wish you had told the truth sooner instead of letting this lie go on."
He looked back at the window to exchange a look with Shayna, but she had already turned away.
* * * * *
After she left the school, Alma drove around for a long time, cursing herself for being so foolish. She didn't want to go back home, but eventually she found herself pulling into her driveway. When she caught a glimpse of herself in her rearview mirror she saw her angry tears had caused her makeup to run. She found a tissue in her handbag and began furiously wiping away the evidence of her tears and her makeup with it. What did she need makeup for anyway? Even with it, she was just a stupid old fool.
When she left her car, she headed immediately for the bathroom where she pulled back her hair and washed the rest of the makeup away. Then she began rifling through the clothes in her closet, pulling out the newer outfits, and anything she thought was on the younger-looking side. She wouldn't need them anymore anyway.
"What's going on in here?" Edward asked as he watched her frantically pile up clothes on the bed. "It's the wrong time of year for spring cleaning."
When she didn't answer, he stood back and watched her work. It was clear that she was very upset.
"I know you're not happy about your assignment ending, but there will be other jobs," he offered. "I know I haven't been the most supportive about your career, but don't throw everything away for one disappointment."
Alma stopped and took a deep breath. His words had struck a chord with her. She slowly rose to her feet and started to fold the clothes she had carelessly thrown on the bed. "I won't."
* * * * *
"Welcome home," Cassie said as she led Blaine into the house. They had spent a quiet drive home from the hospital as Blaine watched the scenery out the window, searching for anything that looked familiar and Cassie tried her best not to pressure him to remember.
As they walked into the house, he took in the room around them, trying to decide if he recalled the house he had lived in for years, but he wasn't sure.
Zara and the kids met them at the door to welcome him home. Cassie and Zara had warned the children beforehand not to expect their father to remember much right away. While Brooke hung back warily, glad her father was home, but afraid he wasn't going to be himself, Doug ran up without reservations and greeted his father with a hug.
The photo album Cassie had brought to the hospital and the information she had given him, helped Blaine fill in some of the blanks in his memory about the children, so he was able to hold his own well enough as they spent time together before and after dinner, but ultimately it didn't feel right. He could tell everyone was being careful not to pressure him or expect too much of him and that left him feeling tense. Meanwhile, he felt lost and out of place and like he was faking it, trying to jump into a life that didn't feel like was really his.
Luckily, Cassie noticed when he seemed to be getting overwhelmed and was starting to check out and gave him an out. "It's been a long day. Maybe you should rest awhile," she suggested.
"That's a good idea," he agreed, but as he stood up, he realized he didn't know where to go.
Cassie tried to act unfazed, but her heart sank. For a moment she had let herself believe that he had remembered more than he really had.
"It's to the right and up the stairs," she said sadly.
Blaine followed her directions and found his way to the bedroom. He walked around slowly, looking at the wedding pictures on the wall and the dresser that presumably held his clothes. As usual, nothing struck him as familiar. He sat down on the corner of the bed. The bed he had shared with the woman downstairs who was supposed to be his wife. He quickly stood up again. This didn't feel right.
He went back downstairs, past the family who looked at him curiously.
"Is something wrong?" Cassie asked with concern.
"I- just decided I wanted some air instead," he said and headed out to the backyard.
With a heavy sigh he leaned against the patio railing and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind as he breathed in the cool evening air. Everyone was telling him that this was supposed to be his life, but he felt so out of place. He wasn't sure this was really where he belonged.
When he heard a noise, he opened his eyes to see Reese in her own backyard. He knew it couldn't be a coincidence that she had been the first person he recognized when he woke up. He wondered why her presence seemed more natural to him than anyone else's did.
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