I could tell Lin thought I would just give in after a day or so.  He didn't know my resolve.  I got that Raina was sick, but why did that mean I had to be without Mom?  We were really close and I didn't like the idea of being away from her for weeks at a time.  I didn't see why I couldn't go to Tennessee with her.  I was a good kid and I'd get my work done.

I'd skipped breakfast and lunch that day.  I felt lousy, but I reminded myself my little sister was dealing with worse.  She was so bad she was losing her hair.  I could survive a few days without food.  Hopefully Lin would see I wasn't fooling around and would let me go.

When I got home from school that day, Lin eyed me.

"Did you eat lunch today?" he asked me as he worked at the kitchen table on his laptop.

"Nope," I said.  There was no point in lying.

"Phone," he told me, holding out his hand.  I handed it over without arguing and went to my room.  I felt weak so I took a little nap.  Lin came in when it was dinner time.  The food smelled good and it was almost enough to make me give in.  He'd made my favorite - spaghetti and meatballs - in hopes of enticing me out of my hunger strike.

"Dinner's ready," he told me.  I yawned and stretched a little.

"No thanks," I told him.  He crossed his arms and looked at me.

"Molly, you know this isn't healthy," he told me.

"Then you should probably let me go to Tennessee," I told him.

"Excuse me?" he asked, giving me a look.  I wasn't trying to be rude.  I just knew what I wanted.  "You know, there are ways to get nutrients into you besides eating."

"You're gonna force feed me?  Like in prison?" I asked.

"No," he said.  "But I can take you to a hospital and have an IV hooked up."

He knew I hated needles and he was using it against me.  He looked at my for a few more moments, obviously displeased, then left and closed the door.  I sighed.  I was so hungry but I needed to prove my point.

Later in the evening, he came back in with his phone.  Mom had FaceTimed again.  He passed me the phone and closed the door.

"Lin says you're not eating," Mom said, the look on her face showing her annoyance.  "Molly, this isn't funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny," I told her.  "I'm trying to make a point."

"And what point is that?"

"That I should be able to be with you if I want," I told her.  "You know I'd keep up with my schoolwork, and I'm very trustworthy."

"Is that what you call your little hunger strike?  Being trustworthy?" she asked.

"It has nothing to do with trust.  You should be proud I'm standing up for what I believe in."

"I'm frustrated," she told me, rubbing at her temple.  "I have enough on my mind with Raina.  I don't need you making things more difficult."

"I could help out if I'm there," I told her.  She knew I was great at helping with the little kids.

"Molly, I'm serious," she said firmly.  "You need to eat.  This is not going to work."

I sighed and changed the subject, asking how Raina was doing.  She'd get her wig in a couple days, which she was looking forward to.  Mom put Raina on the phone and we chatted for a few minutes.

Mom said it was time to put Raina to bed, so we hung up.  I took Lin's phone back out to him and got a glass of water. That helped fill the hole in my stomach a little bit, but not much.

"If you don't eat tomorrow, I'm taking you to the hospital," he told me.  I narrowed my eyes at him and didn't respond.

___

The next morning, I didn't eat breakfast again and Lin actually was beginning to look angry.  I could tell Cam was kind of impressed with my will.  Usually she was the one making Lin angry.  I went to school, skipped lunch, and came home at the end of the day.

"Did you eat?" he asked me again.  I shook my head.  "Alright, that's it.  Let's go."

I wasn't going willingly.  I collapsed on the couch, forcing him to pull me up to standing.  He gripped my upper arm and walked me out the door.  He hailed a cab and took me to Mount Sanai Children's Hospital.

He filled out a form and we sat in the waiting room.  I couldn't believe I was actually doing this.  I hadn't eaten for three whole days.  We were called back a few minutes later and I laid on the bed.  I felt like crap.  The nurse took my vitals and asked me about what was going on.  I explained it patiently and the nurse gave Lin a look like, 'you've got your work cut out for you'.

They hooked up an IV, then began pumping nutrients into me.  I felt really cold.  Lin covered me up with a blanket as my body got what it had been craving.  The doctor came in later and had a chat with me about how dangerous it was to go without food.  I knew it was kind of dangerous, but Lin wouldn't let me die.  I was here, after all.

I was discharged and Lin took me home, silent.  I went straight to my room and got ready for bed.  He came in a while later and sat on my desk chair.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"Fine," I said shortly.

"Are we gonna have to do this again, or are you gonna start eating?"

"I'm not eating until you let me go to Tennessee."

I knew it had been a huge inconvenience to take me to the hospital, not to mention the bill.  It would be way cheaper just to buy me a plane ticket.  Lin sighed and left me be.  I wondered how long this would last.

My mother called later and she was pissed.

"Molly Elizabeth Chen, what do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded.  I hated disappointing my mother.

"Mom, would you please just let me come?"

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you love me and miss me," I ventured, wincing a bit.

She sighed loudly and rubbed her forehead.

"You need to stop giving Lin problems," she told me.  "He's got enough on his plate taking care of three kids.  He doesn't need to be wasting time taking you to the hospital because you won't eat."

"Mom, please," I teared up.  I was trying everything I knew how to do and it wasn't working.

"If you don't knock it off, I'm grounding you," she told me.  She'd never grounded me before.  Lin had never grounded me before.  I'd never had to be because I was such a good kid.

"You'd ground me from Tennessee?" I asked, but knew she was serious.  Even from afar, she could be on my case.

"Lin and I will ground you," she said.  "I don't know what to do to get through to you."

I sighed and wiped away a tear.  "Me neither."