Oh, this is gonna be a gas!

Stomping Grounds

A/N: Songs to have ready to listen to for this chapter:

1. Hell Yeah by Montgomery Gentry

2. Ring of Fire by Jonny Cash

3. When Will I Be Loved by Linda Ronstadt

4. Aint Met Us Yes by Matt Cooper

5. Two Doors Down by Dolly Parton

6. Elvira by The Oak Ridge Boys

7. I Love This Bar by Toby Keith

Previously...

"In other news, it seems a Gulfstream Jet has gone down somewhere over Arizona."

Lizzie dropped the vase she was holding letting it shatter to the ground. She looked at the TV her hand placed over her mouth as she looked at the Jet on fire. Her phone rang but she was too shocked to hear.

After a few minutes, the ringing finally reached her ears. She looked over to see the contact flashing on her phone. She quickly reached for it. "Hello?!"

"It wasn't me!" Lizzie let out a sob on the other end of the phone as Jos sweet voice registered "It wasn't me. It wasn't me." Jo kept repeating "I'm safe. We passed Arizona. I'm safe. I'm safe."

Lizzie let out a long, shaky breath "I was so scared."

"Shh. I know I know."

"Can you stay on the phone?"

"For as long as they let me."

Two days later

Jo sat on the floor of her grandparent's house pages scattered all around her. Her grandmother Lily came over handing her granddaughter a mason jar filled with sweet tea. Jo smiled gently up at her "Thank you."

"Joey you have been in those papers for two days if you could tell me what your looking for I might be able to help."

"No its okay Mamaw."

"Come on Joey! This is ridiculous. Tell me."

"Did my mother kill herself?"

"Wha-what did you just say?"

"Did my mother kill herself?"

"What would make you ask such a thing?" She stammered

"Can you just answer the question?"

"Do you really want the answer?"

"I wouldn't have flown all the way out here if I didn't."

"I think you were maybe five when things started getting bad. Your Mama could deal with the yelling but when it got physical... then she got sick and when she got sick the beating caused more damage."

"So she what?"

Mamaw had tears in her eyes "She uhm she took a lot of pain pills one night and didn't wake up."

"Did. She. Kill. Herself?"

"Yes." Mamaw started crying. Tears spilled over Jo's eyes

"She left me," Jo said broken

"I guess she just didn't know any other way."

"Any other way?!" Jo stood up "Her bright idea was to abandon me. To leave me helpless so my Daddy could move the beatings onto me?"