I Can't

Decisions

It had been a couple of weeks since Sara finally met her real father. In all that time she didn't once called nor accepted calls from Stevie and Lindsey, completely ignoring them. While at first Stevie thought that all Sara needed was time and she would come around eventually, well, now she wasn't so sure anymore. She worried about what was happening, but she was also eight months pregnant, knowing that stress was the very last thing she needed right now, Lindsey telling her the same thing.

"I can't not keep thinking about it, Linds." She shook her head, sighing. "She's our firstborn and she's... I don't know, she hates us! At least, she for sure hates me. I'm not dealing with it very well." Her voice grew quiet, Lindsey taking a seat next to her on the couch in the living room.

"I know, baby. I know it's hard for you and on me too if I'm honest. I've been a father to Sara for nearly twenty years and her actions are making me question whether I did the best job I could."

"Do not question yourself, Lindsey. Like I've already told you, you're a fantastic father to all of our children. It's almost like she's fourteen again and she's being stubborn because we didn't let her go to some party or something!"

"I wish it was just that..." Lindsey said, as they both stayed silent for a moment.

"Maybe we should get in the car and drive to Sara and Todd's? I highly doubt she wouldn't let us in, leaving us standing at the doorstep."

"I can take you." Hesitating... "But I know you'll get emotional and it won't be good for you or the baby. I'm sorry, but I can't help being overly protective of you two."

"That's not something to be sorry about." Stevie half smiled, taking his hand. "But please, let's go and try to get her to talk to us."

Letting out a deep breath, Lindsey nodded. "Okay."

In about thirty or so minutes, they were in front of the house, waiting, after Stevie rang the bell. Lindsey looked around, saying as a matter of fact. "The car is here."

"Someone's definitely home." Stevie added and then the door opened, Todd greeting them. "Well, at last..."

"I'm sorry, I was upstairs." He apologized, stepping back to let his future in laws come inside. He instantly noticed Stevie's eyes wandering. "Sara's not home. I don't know when she will be back either."

"Where is she? We can stay and wait for her."

"She's..." Scratching the back of his head Todd debated whether he should be honest. "She's with the man she calls her father."

Lindsey felt as if someone had stuck a knife right into his heart, as Stevie took him by the hand, looking up at him, with tearful eyes. "She found him..."

"Apparently." Lindsey nodded, with a heavy sigh.

"Can I get you anything?" Todd offered, leading the way to the living room.

"No, thank you." Stevie answered for the both of them. "When did it happen? I presume this isn't the first time she's with Don?"

"No. The first time they met was almost immediately after she knew the truth and confronted you about it. And... I don't know really, but when she came home she acted happy, but she didn't seem happy. Like... I know her and the woman I've been with for the past few weeks, she's not Sara."

"Is she seeing him often?"

"Honestly, nearly every day." Todd hated doing this, seeing how both Stevie and Lindsey weren't taking this in the easy way. Not that there was an easy way. "She even made me go together one time, but I just didn't like the guy. I told her, I told her what I think about him, what kind of person I think he is, of course I can't be certain, but she doesn't listen. She keeps blocking everything out."

"She calls him her father?" Now Lindsey asked, seeing Todd struggling with his answer. "Be truthful about this, Todd."

"Yeah. Dad."

Stevie broke down, as it was all becoming too much. "Don't cry, honey." Lindsey said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Knowing Henley, not one thing he told Sara was true, so because she's mad at us, she's believing everything he's telling her."

"It's not fair and it's not right, Lindsey. He's been in her life for two weeks and you've been there for her for twenty years almost!"

"I know, I know..." He was hurting too, but he never could express his feelings in the kind of way his wife did.

Stevie and Lindsey stayed for about another hour, but when Sara didn't show, they decided it was best to leave, saying goodbye to Todd and getting into the car to go home.

Later, after having spent quite some time with Sara, Don had just returned home, meeting his wife almost immediately and she didn't look too happy.

"Why are you looking at me this way?"

"Because I've had it, Don. You're going to tell me what's going on right now." She demanded. "You've been going out, doing something for weeks now and you come home all weird. You're different. I know that something's not right."

"I'm not seeing anyone behind your back if it's what you think." Don said. "I am spending time with my daughter though."

Frowning, Sharon crossed her arms. "Your daughter? What do you mean by that?"

"That's exactly what I mean. My nineteen year old daughter with... with Stevie Nicks."

"Oh my God..."

"I know I should have told you sooner, but... I can't even tell her the truth." Don shrugged, looking at his wife apologetically.

"What truth?"

"What really happened, when I found out Stevie was expecting her. How I acted, what things I said to her... When Sara asked me the first time I met her, I told her that later on I changed my mind, that I wanted a second chance with Stevie, that I wanted us both to raise our girl..." Shaking his head, he continued. "Which is a lie. I just... I never thought I would ever get a chance to meet my daughter and when it happened... I wanted to get to know her, I wanted a relationship with her, so I lied." After a lengthy moment of silence, Don spoke. "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

"Now?" Sharon shook her head, quite shocked. "Now I don't have anything to say to you."

Left alone, Don stood thinking what an absolute asshole he was, by doing what he did, but then he knew he had to decide what was more important; coming clean to Sara now and hoping she would forgive him or keep on feeding her lies and hope she would never find out how it all really went?