To Protect A Child, To Love A Child

Chapter 25

The next morning Abby woke up and came downstairs to find only her father in the living room drinking a cup of coffee and reading his paper. "Well good morning sleepyhead! Did you sleep ok?" Victor asked when he noticed her standing there.

"Good morning...yeah I slept pretty good" Abby looked around the living room and then looked at the clock "Where's Nikki? Shouldn't you guys be at work by now?"

"Well Nikki already left for the office a while ago" Victor answered sitting down his coffee and paper.

"Oh ok...are you not going in today? Why didn't Nikki stay home with us?" Abby asked a little disappointed.

Victor smiled at how obvious it was that Abby had gotten attached to his wife, "Trust me darling it wasn't by choice, but somebody had to run the office while I took you to get some of your things from your mother's today."

"Oh...we're doing that today?" Abby asked nervously.

"Unless you don't want to...do you not want more of your own things here? If not that's perfectly fine we don't have to go" Victor replied thinking Abby had changed her mind about living there permanently.

"No...No I do want my things here...I still want to live here...it's just..." Abby hesitated.

"What is it sweetheart?" Victor asked not sure what was wrong.

"Well...um...I just don't know how I feel about seeing Mom...I haven't seen her since she was here the last time...when she was acting all crazy screaming at me and you guys...I'm just a little nervous, I don't want to upset her or make her mad by coming to get my stuff" Abby explained.

Victor stood and pulled his daughter into a hug "Sweetheart I'm going to be honest with you...your mother is not going to like you coming to pick up your stuff to bring to the ranch but if that is what you want then that is what we are going to do...this is up to you...Nikki and I do not want you to feel like we are trying to pressure you to be away from your mother...the decision to stay here is completely up to you."

"Are you going to go in with me?" Abby asked looking up at her father.

"Of course I would not make you go in alone besides I need to talk to your mother" Victor told her. Abby looked at him with a very skeptical look and Victor chuckled "Don't worry it will just be a little chat and I will be on my best behavior" Abby smiled and shook her head as they grabbed their stuff and headed out the door.

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When they arrived at the Ashley's, they headed straight for the door. Abby paused and looked at Victor "This is all you darling." Abby nodded and rang the doorbell. A few moments passed before Mrs. Ramirez opened the door "Mrs. Abby it's so good to see you, come in."

"Is Mrs. Abbott in?" Victor asked Mrs. Ramirez.

"Si Mr. Newman...would you like me to fetch her for you?" Mrs. Ramirez asked.

"Please if you don't mind" Victor replied. And with that she was gone. "Abby do you want to go on upstairs and pack up the things you want to take with you while I talk to your mother?"

"Sure, I'll be right back...remember best behavior" Abby reminded him and then ran upstairs. Victor laughed and thought *She has definitely been hanging out with Nikki too much...those two make quite a pair...what can I expect I haven't had a child yet that Nikki hasn't trained to keep me on my toes*

"Victor what are you doing here?" Ashley demanded breaking him from his thoughts entering the living room with a glass full of alcohol in her hand.

"Hello to you too Ashley...Abby wanted to come pick up a few of her things and bring them to the ranch" Victor informed her eyeing the drink in her hand.

"Why?" Ashley asked shocked.

"Why what?" Victor replied.

"Why is she taking things to the ranch? This is her home she lives here. Don't tell me you think her living there is permanent? She belongs here with me...not at the ranch with you and your stripper wife" Ashley raged and slurred.

"Don't you dare talk about Nikki that way...especially after the apparent spectacle you made of yourself at the Club!" Victor shot back.

"Uh...uh...that was different...I was upset...it was an accident" Ashley tried to gather herself from being caught off guard by him knowing that "Where did you hear about that anyway?"

"There were reporters at my office yesterday morning that were blocking mine, Nikki's and Abby's way in and they were shouting it at us...in front of Abby...do you know how upset she was to have reporters yelling those things in her face about her mother?" Victor told her.

"Oh good grief, it's not that big a deal...I had a few drinks and had a little fun dancing around on the bar...it's not like I got paid for it...like your wife used to" Ashley turned it back on Nikki again.

"Ashley I warned you...do NOT mention Nikki again...she is not in this...this is not about her, it is about our daughter and what is best for her...and obviously right now that is being with me and Nikki at the ranch" Victor could feel his blood boiling and a slight pain arising in his side.

"The hell it is...she belongs here...she is my daughter...not your whore of a wife's" And what do you know another jab at Nikki.

Victor had had it now, but before he could say anything Abby came down the stairs "MOM!" causing them both to look as Abby dropped her bags by the door and made her way over to stand in front of her father "Don't say that about Nikki! You don't know anything about her...you're just jealous...and drunk!" Abby added noticing the drink her mother was holding.

"Are you kidding me? Abby I am your mother and you will not speak to me like that" Ashley reprimanded her.

"No you're not...you are NOT my mother...mothers don't leave their children alone with total strangers while they pass out from booze and pills...mothers don't get drunk and strip on top of bars...mothers are supposed to love and take care of their children above everything else...Nikki is more of a mother to me than you are" Abby yelled back, tears rolling down her cheeks. Abby turned to Victor, "Dad I'm ready to go...please can we go now," Abby begged.

Even through her drunk stupor, Ashley tried to hide the shock and pain on her face, but failed. She was speechless and could not believe what her own daughter had just said to her. She was silent for a moment and if she had been sober she probably would have let them go without another word but the alcohol just fueled her fire to speak, "Victor I want my daughter back here NOW and away from your trashy wife who is obviously filling my daughter's head with this garbage" Ashley yelled at Victor.

"Ashley I swear" Victor clinched his fist and ignored the pain in his chest "This is Abby's decision...and she wants to be at the ranch so I'm taking MY daughter with me...We're done, don't come near my house unannounced or Abby without permission or I'll have you arrested...Abby sweetheart grab your stuff let's go."

Besides flinching at the slamming of the door, Ashley didn't move, she had no idea what to do. She had just lost her daughter, maybe not legally but emotionally. Ashley tried to get her bearings and walked over to the bar to pour herself another drink. She was about to take a sip when a sob escaped her and then her walls began to crumble. She couldn't hold back her feelings another second, hurling the drink into the wall across the room. Falling to her knees, her body began to shake with drunken sobs. She didn't know what she was doing with her life anymore, she was holding on by a thread and it wouldn't take much for that thread to break leaving her with nothing more to live for.