After I'd hung up with Pippa, I felt tense. I knew I shouldn't' have gone off on her like that, but I was at a point of frustration. I couldn't believe she'd obviously been fishing for sympathy when this was all her idea in the first place. She'd gone against my wishes directly and the whole family was dealing with the aftermath. I got that she was scared, but her decisions had consequences.

I clanged around some pots and pans, getting dinner ready. Raina was so small, but her absence left a huge hole in the household. I just wanted to hold her and smell her sweet hair. The hair that was falling out.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door again. It was Sofia, returning the tool set she borrowed yesterday.

"Did you get everything done okay?" I asked her.

"I did," she said. "I'm having a bit of trouble with the kitchen faucet, though. You don't happen to be a handyman do you?"

"Not really, but I'd be happy to take a look," I offered. "I could come over after dinner?"

"That'd be great, Lin," her face lit up with relief. "I'm in 704."

She thanked me again and I continued with dinner. About fifteen minutes later, it was ready. I called out for the kids to come to the table. Cam and Felix wandered out as I set the plates on the table.

"Where's Molly?"

They both shrugged.

"Molly!" I called a little louder. No response. I wandered down the hall as the other kids started eating. I knocked on her door and pushed it open. She was on her bed coloring in a stress-relief book.

"Did you not hear me? Dinner's ready," I told her.

"I'm not hungry," she said. I sighed a little and closed the door.

"Is it because you're upset?" I ventured.

"No," she said. "I'm starting a hunger strike in protest of me not getting to go to Tennessee."

I was speechless for a few moments. "A hunger strike?"

"Yes," she set the book aside and turned to look at me. "I don't see why I have to stay here when Mom's in Tennessee. She's my mother and I should be with her."

"Molly, don't be ridiculous," I told her. "Come eat."

"No," she said decisively, crossing her arms. We met eyes and just stared for a few more moments. I decided it wasn't worth the fight. She'd get hungry by 9:00.

"Fine," I said, opening the door. "Suit yourself."

I joined the two other kids at the table. Just three of us. It seemed wrong, coming from such a big family.

"Isn't Molly eating?" Cam asked me.

"Nope," I said, setting my napkin on my lap. "Not hungry."

Cam shrugged and we all ate mostly in silence.

___

Cam and Felix did the dishes, and I told them I was gonna help our neighbor with something. I wandered down the hall and found apartment 704. I knocked and Sofia answered a few moments later.

"Lin! Thanks so much for coming," she said, opening the door for me. I stepped in and found the apartment with boxes still everywhere. I personally hated moving, and did not envy her job. I followed her to the kitchen, passing a couple kids on the couch. I waved at them and they waved back.

She told me what the problem had been. I opened the cabinets beneath it and moved the few items there out of the way. I pulled out a couple tools I'd stuck in my hoodie for the job, including a flashlight. I ducked down, taking a look at the pipes. She stood back, watching me.

"I think I just need to tighten up a couple parts here," I told her. I pulled out one of my tools (I can't remember the names of them), and began tightening. After a few adjustments, I turned the water on and the stream seemed to be much stronger.

"Great," she said, relieved. "Thanks so much. Oh, how's your water? Ours tastes terrible."

"We have a PUR water filter," I told her. "It's super easy to install. You can pick them up anywhere."

We were silent for a few moments, and she smiled. "Would you like to stay for a quick drink?"

"Oh," I chuckled nervously. "Thanks, but no. I've gotta get back to my three kiddos."

"Three? I thought you had four," she said.

"One of them's in Tennessee with my wife," I explained. "She's sick unfortunately. She's at St. Jude's."

Her face immediately changed to concern, and she touched my arm sympathetically. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. That's terrible. What's wrong?"

I glanced at her hand, then back up at her face. "Uhh...cancer. Acute lymphoma. They have some new kind of treatment there."

"Well, I've heard wonderful things about that place," she said, nodding and smiling. "She's in good hands."

Maybe she and my wife would get along. But then I saw the way she was looking at me – desire, if I'm not mistaken – and thought otherwise.

"Well, I better go," I told her, walking to the door. I was starting to get uncomfortable. She thanked me again, and I headed back to my own apartment. Sofia was pretty; I couldn't deny it. I was probably overanalyzing the situation. She was a single mom who needed a little help with a plumbing issue. No biggie.

I hung out in the living room with a bottle of beer, watching crappy TV. I was completely expecting Molly to wander out at some point looking for leftovers, but she didn't appear. Around 9:30, I wandered back to check on the girls. Cam was playing on her phone, as usual. Molly was laying on her bed, just staring up at the ceiling. I walked over and sat on her bed.

"You hungry?" I asked her.

"Yes," she answered simply, keeping her eyes on the ceiling.

"Want me to heat up your plate?" I offered.

"No," she said. "I told you. I'm on a hunger strike."

I studied her for a moment and realized she was dead serious. "And what do you hope to accomplish with this?"

"A plane ticket to Tennessee," she said.

"Molly, there's no reason you need to be there," I told her. "The hospital is filled with sick kids. You'd be holed up in the hotel all day with nothing to do."

"I'd be with Mom," she pointed out.

"You can't just switch to online school for a month then jump back in at Hunter," I told her. Hunter was a very challenging school and I had a feeling if she stepped away she'd fall behind.

"Why not?" she asked. "Broadway kids do it all the time."

She had a point. However, I still didn't think it was a good idea.

"Molly, you need to eat," I told her. "It's not healthy to skip meals."

"I'll eat," she told me, then looked right at me. "When you send me to Tennessee."

I poked my tongue around in my cheek, studying her. Molly wasn't a difficult kid, and she'd never taken a stance like this before. She didn't pout and refuse to do arbitrary things like Cam did. I could tell this was important to her.

"Get ready for bed," I told her, standing up. "If you skip one meal, fine, but you need to eat breakfast tomorrow. If not, I'm taking your phone."

She rolled her eyes and I left the room, frustrated. I really hoped she was bluffing.

____

She wasn't. The next morning, I set out three bowls of cereal, putting the milk in the middle. Cam and Felix ate, but Molly walked straight to the door with her backpack.

"Molly," I called her sternly. "Come back here and eat some cereal."

"No," she said, her forehead hard.

"Molly," I said again, giving her my sternest look. "This isn't funny. Eat."

She just glared at me, then opened the door and left. I was speechless as the door slammed.

"Damn," Cam said from the table. "She's seriously on a hunger strike?"

"No," I told her. "She'll eat. She can't go that long without food."

Molly was already tiny, so we needed her to eat. I sighed and tried to push the issue out of my mind for now. Cam had gone through a phase when she was four or five when she refused to eat if there were any vegetables on her plate. It lasted three dinners. Cam had an incredible will, and I didn't think Molly would match it. The days ahead would determine.