Unexpected 5: The Perfect Daughter

Chapter 12: Never easy

"Thomas?" called a lady dressed in office uniform, holding on to a small black purse. She was accompanied by a man dressed in a suit himself, red tie and expensive looking dress shoes. They were Mr. and Mrs. Carlson, the man being the cousin of the head of their church. Deacon recognized him immediately, as the man was a very well respected member of the church but also a very successful mentor for many realtors in the area. The woman, Mrs. Coraline Carlson, was a well known estate planning attorney who work closely with her husband. Both came rushing in towards Timmy, as the teenager was finishing therapy to calm his asthma. An IV with fluids was also set up because the nurses determined he was dehydrated, and suggested he'd eat something.

Deacon and Annie had helped the nurses take him in and were now waiting in the ER waiting room. They figured they would give some time for Chris and Lila to talk, while they calmed down themselves. When the couple saw the two adults reunited with the boy they felt sad about their own particular situation. What could be so terrible their daughter would keep from them? Have they been bad parents?

"David, what if I push her too much? You know, to talk to me?" Annie wondering as she crossed her arms

He put his arm on her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "No, honey. It's just that teenagers sometimes need space. We gotta let her work through it."

"But, honey, I just...I feel useless and also... kind of guilty. What if we are the problem? What if I am?"

"Hey! Stop blaming yourself. Just stop." ha paused, placing his hand on hers and squeezing gently, "We'll talk to her. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this."

"Excuse me, sir?"  one of the nurses called from the ICU door. She was one of the nurses that helped with Timmy. Deacon wondered why she was looking for him when just a couple of minutes ago she was with another nurse attending to the Carlson's.

Deacon let go of Annie, both sporting a frown on their faces, as they went towards the nurse. He went to the door, and the nurse gestured for them to join her to the corner of the wall, away from anyone being able to heat them. Annie went through the door first, as Deacon held it. Then, he joined both, still wondering what this was about.

"Sir, who was the young girl that you were talking with outside?" the nurse asked softly, as Deacon noticed a paper on her hand.

"She was our daughter, Lila" he answered, as Annie grabbed his hand. He could tell she was trembling.

"Is Lila a friend of Emily's?" the nurse asked staring into their eyes

"Yes...what is this about?" Annie asked desperate, noticing the paper folded in the nurse's hand

"Yes, ma'am." he said nodding, looking more and more worried

"Sir, ma'am, you need to find your daughter and have a conversation with her." she paused as both parents frowned, "I do need to report CFS [Children and Family Services] and the hospital's psychologist."

"What?" Deacon took a step back, he couldn't believe what he was listening.

"Why? What's going on?" Annie asked letting go of Deacon's hand to place both on her face

"We found this suicide note in our patient's pocket and it mentions your daughter. She  also does make direct reference to you sir, so I'm obliged to tell you. We will be placing both teens under suicide watch, as the law orders, for next 24 hours."

Deacon gasped, completely out of words. Suicide watch?

----

Holding hands and determined to get to the bottom of things, Mr. and Mrs Kay went to the food court just outside of the infant's ward. They had talked about it, Annie did lose some tears in the process, but nothing was more important than helping their daughter. 

Every step felt heavier, as their hearts were beating faster and their blood pumped a thousand liters per second. Deacon felt his mouth drying by the second, as Annie's knot on her throat felt like it was expanding all the way to her trachea. Both nervous and trembling, they went through the sliding doors.

They found Chris and Lila, at the far end of the court. They noticed both were crying and sobbing softly, while holding on to each other. Chris lifted her gaze, as she noticed they were approaching. She slowly stepped away from the teen, while still holding her hands.

Annie's heart was hurting, as Deacon felt tears gathering in his eyes. No parent is ever prepared for this talk!

"Honey." Deacon called softly

Lila hadn't noticed them, until she heard her father. Chris nodded and let go of her hands. To everyone's surprise, Lila immediately turned and placed herself between her parents. All three hugged, as Chris let out a huge sigh of relief. 

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Thank you for reading! Votes and comments are always welcomed :D

Remember to look for the other stories of the Unexpected series: Trojan Horse, JR Swat, Alonso Gone and Digital Purge. Also available: SWAT Bits filled with shorter compositions for your enjoyment.

Next up...Street's #1 Fan and Franken Doc  (previews available in SWAT Bits!)