It had only been just over 24 hours since Lia had been in her own home, but stepping back inside the door Saturday morning felt like it had been weeks.

Lia paused in the doorway. The apartment was exactly as it had been, perhaps a bit cleaner since Abuelo and Abuela had a habit of cleaning up when they stayed over. A wave of guilt washed over her again. Her grandparents and her parents had put their lives on hold and rearranged their schedules because of what she'd done. Abuelo was supposed to be flying to Puerto Rico this weekend but he'd probably had to cancel.

She felt her parents move around her, putting down her discharge papers on the counter, along with her overnight bag. They were treating her like a delicate, broken porcelain doll, which she supposed she was. All of this was her fault and she had no one to blame but herself.

The anger was still there. Right now, she should be sitting at an uncomfortable desk, retaking the most important test of her life. She had worked so hard and was perfectly capable of taking that exam. How dare her parents decide she couldn't take it! She was practically an adult and they were stepping in to take away a major opportunity. All her life, her mother had encouraged her to be independent and work hard. Now she was being punished for it.

Deep in her heart she knew they were right, but it didn't make the bitter pill any easier to swallow. She was so close to MIT she could taste it.

Lia felt her dad's hand on her shoulder, taking her out of her dark thoughts. "Mija? Do you wanna lay down?"

"Where are the twins?" She asked in almost a whisper, ignoring his question.

"Abuela and Abuelo took them to the park so we could have some peace and quiet," he explained gently.

Lia gave a small nod. She wondered what they'd been told. Lia wasn't feeling well so she went to the hospital? Lia's sick and needs medicine from the doctor? Not the harsh truth that their beloved big sister had messed up so badly that she'd nearly overdosed on Ritalin.

Wordlessly, the family began to move about the kitchen and living room, unpacking and getting settled.  Lin and Vanessa stole glances of their daughter every now and then to gauge her mood.  The doctor had ended up prescribing her some more anti-anxiety meds to help tame some of her worries.  Lia would try it for 30 days to see if it made a marked difference.  If so, she could refill her prescription with her regular doctor.

Lia wandered to the big bay window in the living room area and looked out at the GWB, her mind mostly blank.  Since passing out, she'd felt mostly in a daze.  She didn't seem to be able to fully process what had happened yet.  Lia knew she'd overdosed, but her mind hadn't quite wrapped itself around the consequences and what they might mean for her future.  She still had senior year to get through, then college, then who knew?  Her body felt drained and her mind numb; there was no way she could take the SAT and get through AP classes without Ritalin.  The workload was just too great.  Somehow, she'd have to make her parents understand.  She'd taken it too far, yes.  But she knew her limit now and could handle it.  Her parents were cool; if she could just explain in a reasonable way why she needed a prescription to Ritalin, they could take her to her doctor and actually get one.

Lin handing her a cup of tea coaxed her away from her thoughts.  She accepted it silently and turned around, finding both her parents with mugs in hand.  Her mother was beginning to sit down on the couch, finding a blanket and getting comfortable.  Looking between the two of them, she sensed it - it was time for the talk.

"Why don't you come sit down?" Her father suggested gently, beckoning with a head tilt.  Lin gave her an encouraging smile as he walked slowly, hoping she would follow and not run.  To their relief, Lia padded over, taking a seat alone on the recliner.  She tucked her feet under her pretzel style and blew on her tea, avoiding her parents' eyes.

"Mija, we need to have a talk," Lin began softly, now seated next to his wife.  He gently squeezed her knee in support, knowing this was going to be hard for everybody.  "Your mom and I knew you were struggling to keep up at school, but we didn't know you'd gone to the extreme of taking Ritalin.  Can you tell us more about what you've been feeling?"

Lia stared into her tea.  Did they think it was so easy to just put it in words?  Her mind was a jumbled mess and she had no clue how to unscramble it.  Words hadn't really been an option lately.  Not able to find her voice yet, she just shrugged.

Lin and Vanessa shared a look, wondering how to proceed.  This wasn't anything they'd ever anticipated dealing with as parents and they felt just as clueless as their daughter.  No one knew exactly what to do, but they had to try.

"Your classes," Lin continued cautiously.  "Are they getting to be too much?  Because we can meet with the school counselor and change out-"

"No," he was immediately cut off by his daughter, who set her mug down harshly on the coffee table.  Both parents were shocked at how quickly her mood had changed.  "I need them all to get into MIT.  I can't drop any of them," one hand flew to her hair, fluffing and messing it around with nervous energy. 

Vanessa felt Lin's grasp on her hand tighten. "MIT isn't everything, Lia," Vanessa stated, her eyes sympathetic, "It's not worth the stress you've been under, and it's definitely not worth your health."

Lia fell back into the seat with her arms folded across her chest, "So you want me to just give up everything I've worked for?"

"If it's at the expense of you, yes," Lin said without missing a beat. He tried to keep his frustration at a minimum, knowing it wouldn't help the conversation. He just wished his daughter wasn't so damn stubborn. "Can you please try to explain to us why going to MIT is so important to you?"

Lia shifted uncomfortably in the recliner, hating all of the attention being centered on her - even if it was just her parents. "Look, I get it. I screwed up, and I didn't realize how sick I could get from the pills," She changed the subject, not knowing how to answer the question posed to her, "But now it's out in the open, and I know that there need to be limits."

"Limits?" Vanessa stated.

"Yes, limits," Lia replied, "I shouldn't have just started taking Ritalin. The two of you know about it now, though, which means I can start taking it under a prescription."

Neither parent knew what to say. The pushback they had expected, but their seventeen year old trying to justify, not less than forty-eight hours after landing in the hospital, the need for a prescriptive drug for the sole purpose of having more time to study? That was its own category.

"Emilia, aside from the fact that no doctor is going to prescribe you medication so that you can unnecessarily stay awake, do you not realize how wreckless you sound?" Vanessa asked after moments of silence.

"No I don't," Lia replied instantly, "I can't suddenly just change my entire life, and we all want me to be safe. This way I can do what I need to do and not end up back in the hospital."

Lin pressed his index finger against his temple, "Lia." He looked directly at his daughter, trying to find an ounce of sarcasm on her face. But there wasn't any, "We aren't taking you to the doctor to get a prescription that you don't need,"

The teenager shook her head fiercely, "Do you know how many people at Hunter take shit that's ten times worse than Ritalin?!" Her tone raised. She slammed her hand against the seat in frustration, "You're acting like I'm saying I want to snort coke!"

"Coke wasn't what had you passed out in your room and in the hospital, goddamnit!" Lin yelled out, his eyes brimmed with tears and his feeling of helplessness grew. The image of Lia on her bedroom floor instantly returned to his mind, as he felt his heart pound against his chest. Vanessa placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was uncharacteristic for her husband to get so heated, although understandable given the circumstances.

Lia slummed back into the recliner and pushed her hair back with both hands. This entire conversation was getting blown completely out of proportion. Her parents were acting as if she needed to go to NA!

An uncomfortable silence overtook the living room, no one in the room knew what to say next. Lia was irritated, feeling as though she was being treated like a pariah, and her parents didn't know what to do to get her to see their deep worry for their eldest.

Before anyone could be the first to speak, they all looked up when they heard footsteps from the outside hallway come closer towards their front door. The door knob turned and two elder Mirandas, along with the two youngest, walked through. As soon as Stella spotted her family in her eyesight she took off running, Seb trailing close behind her. Soon enough they were both in their parents' arms, hugging them tightly as if they had been separated for weeks rather than less than two days.

"Daddy, Daddy! Guess what we saw?!" Stella squealed as she bounced up and down in her father's lap. Her high pitched squeal, along with Sebastian's attack with kisses, was enough to bring a welcomed distraction to the tense room.

"What?" Lin tried pulling out his acting skills to muster up enough of a smile to placate his two younger, but everyone else in the room could see through the facade.

Stella's eyes widened like saucers as her father helped her out of her denim jacket, "A rocket ship!"

"A rocket ship?" Lin repeated.

"They saw a little girl on a bike that was shaped like an airplane and went wild over it," Luz explained as she set her purse down on the counter, "They haven't stopped talking about it since we left."

"It was soooo cool!" Sebastian emphasized, "Can we buy one?"

Vanessa gently laughed, ruffling Sebastian's hair, "We'll see, buddy," What she would give to have her biggest problem as a parent as to whether or not she'd buy a fancy bike.

Small talk began between the four adults about everything except for the elephant in the room. Lia remained silent in the chair exceedingly aware of the topic that was being avoided.

"Is your boo-boo better, Sissy?" Seb asked as he scooted himself out of his mama's arms and made his way over to his sister. Lia felt a lump in her throat at the innocent question, as all the eyes in the room went on her. She wished it was as simple as that.

"It will be," The older sister answered with a shaky voice as she pulled her brother in, forcing a tight smile on her face. "Why don't you, me, and Stel go in your room and we find some books to read on rocket ships?" She knew as soon as the twins began to cheer she had her way out. Reading to the twins always brought comfort to Lia and she needed a break from reality.

Vanessa started to rise from her spot on the couch, "Want me to bring you anything to eat?"

"No," Lia answered shortly as she walked into the hallway with Sebastian in her arms and Stella at her hand, leaving the four family members alone.

Vanessa fell back onto the couch, feeling defeated. She took a sip of her, now, lukewarm cup of tea. Her husband was equally mentally and physically exhausted.

"Did the doctor say anything when Lia was discharged?" Luis asked as he and Luz sat across from his son and daughter-in-law.

Lin shook his head, "Just the same reminder of therapy and to follow-up with Lia's primary,"

"Were you able to talk to Lia's therapist?" Luz asked.

"Yeah," Vanessa nodded, fiddling with her wedding band, "I scheduled an appointment for tomorrow at eleven. She normally doesn't work on the weekends, but said she'd make an exception under the circumstances,"

"Did she know anything?"

Vanessa shrugged at her father-in-law's questions, "I don't think so. She obviously can't break confidentiality, but seemed shocked when I spoke to her."

Lin folded his arms over his chest, "I really don't think Lia told anyone. I talked to Cita yesterday and she said Hunter told them she had no idea." He referred to the conversation he had with his sister shortly after his daughter had woken up. Word always traveled fast in a family as close as his, "If there is anyone Lia would have told, it would have been her."

Luz held a thoughtful look, "You don't think Hunter would cover for Lia, do you?"

"What's there to hide at this point?" Lin replied, "That kid can be sneaky as hell when she wants to be,"

"She still seems pretty upset," Luis remarked in his thick accent.

"She is," Vanessa mused, "She wants us to get her a prescription for Ritalin," She still couldn't believe her daughter's logic as she repeated it. She ran her face in her hands, "I just don't know how we got here,"

Lin rubbed his wife's back as her voice cracked, the two continuously switching off between being the support for their partner and needing it.

"And you really think all of this has to do with MIT?"

"We don't know," Lin admitted to his parents, "Lia's always been headstrong, but this whole thing feels like it's happening to someone else's kid,"

"What about that hijueputa?" Luis' tone shifted to disgust as he referenced his granddaughter's ex, who he clearly wasn't a fan of, "Maybe he has something to do with this mess,"

Lin chuckled in near disbelief, "If only it was that simple," His voice trailed off, "The break up might have something to do with the bigger picture, but it isn't the sole reason. That's not Lia," He knew if he was being honest with himself, he knew there were a plethora of things he evidently didn't know about his daughter. He did feel somewhat confident though that the driving force behind her recent decisions wasn't failed teenage love.

"What's the next step going to be?"

Vanessa and Lin looked at each other as they ruminated on Luz's words. They didn't have to say anything to know what the other one was thinking. Neither of them had the slightest idea how they were going to get their daughter, and their family, through this.