Thursday morning, both Lin and Vanessa woke me up.

"Sweetheart," he started, "we have some bad news."

"Dad," I whined, "why are you waking me up like this? Can't I have coffee first?" I asked.

"Darling, I need to, we need to. Last week, your birth mother passed away." He said, gently rubbing my arm.

"Oh. Can I have coffee now?" I asked, sitting up in bed.

"Are you okay?" He asked, confused.

"I'm fine." I shrugged.

"What's going on?" Vanessa asked.

"I just, quite honestly, I don't care." I sighed. "I hated her. I hated her so much."

"I know you hated her, but, there must of been a time when she was your mom." Vanessa prompted.

"Until I was eight years old I guess." I sighed.

"What happened when you were eight?" Lin asked, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"I was arguing with her, I don't remember what about, but, she yelled that she never even wanted to have kids, and I asked her then why did you have me, so she yelled at me, just, basically, 'did you think I did this on purpose'."

"Oh." Vanessa sighed, "hun, I'm sorry." She gently rubbed my shoulder.

"It gets worse." I sighed, "they tried to abort me, I mean, I get the merits of abortion but, when your mom explains it to you when you're eight right after she told you she wanted it. She basically told me that when people make a mistake, they have an abortion to kill the baby." I hugged my knees to my chest.
(Abi here, please don't argue about the politics behind abortion. It's a really touchy subject and I don't want to read through a lot of political opinions and arguments. Also, if you argue, chances are I'll get involved and I get in trouble when I talk about politics... Please guys, I was really nervous about putting abortion in the book, just, please don't yell at me.)

"So, she told her eight year old she tried to abort her, then she told her eight year old and abortion was murder?" Lin asked, "I'm so sorry." He looked at me sadly.

"I was born pre-mature because of the abortion attempt, I was a really sickly baby, I was in the hospital for a month after I was born, and in and out of the hospital for about four years." I sighed, I had shoved all of this in the back of my head.

"We had no idea." Vanessa said, looking heartbroken.

"It's okay, I try not to think about it."

"I'm so so sorry, but, we have more bad news, it's about your dad." Lin started, taking a deep breath.

"Is he dead too?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"No, he's coming over." My heart dropped, "he'll be here in an hour."

"No." I said angrily, "please no, why? Why? Dad, you know what he did to me? Do I have to, are you, am I? Are you giving me up? Am I going back with him?" I asked, distraught.

"Oh god no Peanut. No, that's not going to happen, apparently he's been pestering your social worker for rights to see you, which he won. It was either sit in a small room in an official DHS building with crappy fast food, or a day out."

"They do realize he tried to kidnap me right?"

"V and I will be there, he has one of those tracker anklets, and you'll wear a tracker too."

"Okay." I whimpered a little, and leaned forward, crashing into my dads shoulder.

"You'll be alright." He said, and kissed my head. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you out of my sight today."

•••

About an hour later I was sitting on my bedroom floor, playing trains with Sebastian.

"Sweetheart?" I heard Lin open the door, "you have a guest." I turned around, and saw Ryan standing next to Lin, and fear struck into my heart.

"Hi Abigail." He gave me a little smile.

"Ryan." I acknowledged him, then turned back to my brother, "we should build a bridge." I suggested, and Seb climbed off of my lap, and grabbed more tracks, then came back.

"I like your room." Ryan added, trying to make conversation.

"Thanks," I said, without emotion, "it was a gift from my dad."

"What did you call him?" Ryan's voice changed quickly. "This man is not your dad, you little slut." I hung my head a bit.

"Hey," I heard Lin cut in, "don't talk to her like that. We just have to get this day done with, what are we doing?"

"Well my daughter always loved the zoo growing up, and well, you have a son of your own, unless you stole that kid too."

"Shut. Up." I heard a scary edge in Lins voice. "So, you have one day with a sixteen year old girl, and you're taking her to the zoo? Okay, let's go." He walked over to me, and lifted Seb out of my lap, giving me a quick kiss on the top of my head.

"Come on sweetheart." Ryan grasped my hand, and pulled me up, he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly, "it's been so long since I've hugged my baby girl."

"Stop." I said, squirming away from him.

"Come on cutie." He said, taking my hand and walking out of my room.

•••

We took the subway to the zoo. I stood with Lin, who was being more overprotective than usual. He had one hand holding onto a handle, and the other was holding me into him, tightly, I could hear his steady heartbeat.

"So, Lin," Ryan started, "this musical? Acting, is it a, a profitable field?" He asked, and I stifled a laugh.

"I do okay." Lin smiled.

"I was just wondering, because you're pretty famous, but, you still just have an apartment, neither you or my daughter are dressed particularly well." I looked down at my shorts, The Color Purple sweatshirt, and I played with my locket a little. I looked at Lin who was wearing jeans and his sweater. "I mean, your wife's simply gorgeous." He flashed Vanessa a smile, and I looked up to see Lins expression harden.

"I make enough money to provide for my family, that's all that matters."

"So, Sweetheart, how have you been? I mean I know you had a solo in choir, you did a great job."

"How'd you know that?" I asked.

"I follow you Lin, on Twitter, and I follow you as well gorgeous." He gave my mom another smile.

"Please don't." Lin said quickly.

"Don't what? Follow you on Twitter?"

"Yeah, that's weird, also don't talk to my wife."

•••

I was standing right inside the zoo, Sebastian in the baby carrier on my front.

"Your dad is in the bathroom Peanut." Lin said, coming over to me, "lemme take Seb." He unstrapped my little brother from my chest.

"No!" I whined, "why can't I take him?"

"It's not safe." He looked at me sadly.

"I'm wearing the trackers," I said, motioning to the two stud earrings in my ears, "I'm so scared."

"Little one." He wrapped his arms around me, tightly, "you'll be okay. Everything's going to be okay. Just stay close, don't leave my sight." He pressed a kiss to my head.

"So," my bio dad walked over, "we could get lunch, then I know my little girl always loved the aquarium." He wrapped his arm around me, and I stiffened. He walked me into a little restaurant at the zoo. The five of us sat at a little table, I was uncomfortably seated next to Ryan, I was twiddling my fingers on the table, I felt Vanessa hold my hand over the table, I looked over at Lin, who was staring down Ryan. "You're your mother alive again." Ryan said, squeezing my hand.

"I don't care." I said, emotionless.

"You should, you look just like her, same blue eyes, same freckles, her voice, I love you Abigail."

"Shut up." I whispered.

"No, you're my daughter and I love you. Is that so hard to believe?" He asked.

"Do you know what she's been through? What you put her through?" Lin cut in angrily.

"Hey, dude, I just lost my wife."

"You're paying a small price compared with what she's going through."

"How is that my fault? It's not like I abused her. I would never hit her." I looked at Lin, and shook my head the tiniest bit, trying to say that he has hit me.

After lunch, we were walking over to the little aquarium area, the five of us walked downstairs, it was really dark, and I felt Lins hand slip into my own.

"Stay close darling," he whispered, just to be pulled back by Ryan. "Hey, no." Lin said, as Ryan pulled me away.

"Come on. I wearing this," he pulled his pant leg up a bit, to show a bulky black tracker, "my wife died, let me have 10 minutes alone with my daughter."

"Okay." Lin said, looking at me sadly.

Ryan walked me away from Lin and Vanessa, over to a little seal exhibit.

"How have you been holding up cutie?" He asked.

"Fine." I smiled.

"Really? Because, I heard that you attempted suicide a couple months ago?"

"Can we not talk about that? Please? Anything but that, we could talk about how you were going to shoot me, and that you gave a teenage boy the explicit right to rape me."

"But he didn't." Ryan pointed out.

"We're done here. I'm going back to my mom and dad." I announced.

"Don't call them that!" He shouted and slapped me, "how dare you call another woman your mother when Laura is dead, and that deadbeat? He's hardly a dad."

"I hate you." I grumbled, my hand on my cheek. I spun around and walked back to my parents.

"Sweetie what happened?" Vanessa asked, hurrying over to me.

"Nothing, can we go?"

"He hit you." Lin said, bouncing Sebastian on his hip, "oh my gosh, he hit you. Okay, we're going home." Vanessa took my hand, and Lin went over to Ryan and started yanking him back to us.

"Hey! I'm legally entitled to this day." Ryan yelled.

"Not if you physically assaulted her, you signed a contract, you forfeit the day if you bring her any physical harm." Lin said.

"Oh call a lawyer!" He said rolling his eyes.

"Vanessa?" I giggled a little, as Lin turned to my mom.

"It's a breach of contract," she started, and pulled a folder out of Sebs baby bag, "it says so right here." She handed him the contract that he signed.

"You're not a lawyer." He scoffed handing the folder back.

"I'm an associate at Jones Day Law Firm, I have been for five years."

"Oh." He breathed, "so, let's go back." He sighed, "can we stop at the parking garage, my car's there, I have something for Abigail."

"Alright," Lin said, "you just don't get to touch her again." Ryan looked dejected, but nodded. I took my moms hand, and the five of us left the zoo.

•••

We were at a parking garage just outside the city on the top, I was standing, holding Sebastian and watching Ryan rummage in his car.

"Okay Abigail," he started, "this is for you." He handed me an envelope. I opened it and pulled out a check. In the memo line it said inheritance and it was made out to Abigail Miranda. It was for $307,541 and 12 cents.

"Holy crap." I breathed, "this... This is my, inheritance? I thought you disowned me."

"Never mind that. You want a ride?" He asked referring to his car, it was nice I'll give him that, it was a sports car.

"I'm okay, thank you though." I felt Lin pull me back to him, protectively.

"I'm gonna hold onto this." He pulled the check out of my hand, and handed it to Vanessa.

"Come on. It'll be fun, you can bring your brother."

"I really am fine, thanks for the money." I walked over to him, and gave him a quick hug.

"Okay, it's up to you." He shrugged and got in the car, "goodbye Abigail." He gave me a tight wave and then started driving. I exhaled as he left, then he drove around again, he kept driving in circles around and around the top of the parking garage, until the car lost control, and he and the car fell off of the garage onto the street below.

•••

Hi, so, I don't know what was happening with #weloveAbi yesterday? But I really want to thank whoever started it. Seriously, whoever you are, you can totally message me, or just keep quiet, I just want to say that was incredibly sweet and thank you so so much.

Thanks for reading!

- Abi