The next morning I was up early with Sebastian and Cisco, as usual. I didn't even need to bother setting an alarm clock because they were always up before I needed to be. I wandered out with Cisco in my arms and started to get him a bowl of dry cereal. As I set him in his high chair, I noticed movement from the couch. I realized it was Talie.

"Talie?" I called.

"What?" she responded groggily, her arms stretching over her head.

"Why did you sleep on the couch?"

She sat up, her hair disheveled. She did not look good. "I don't know. I couldn't get to sleep."

I eyed her a little but poured out some Cheerios on Cisco's tray. Sebastian wandered out in his footie pajamas and got into his chair.

"You don't look good," I told her, finding a bowl for Seb. "Are you feeling okay?"

She put a heel of her hand to her eye and rubbed. "No," she told me. "I feel nauseous."

I went to the bathroom and found the thermometer. She was sitting up now, surrounded by blankets.

"Open," I told her. I put the thermometer in, then went to the kitchen and poured milk on Sebastian's cereal. I poured myself some coffee, yawning. The thermometer beeped. She pulled it out and said it was 98.6.

"Hmmm," I said. "Do you feel well enough to go to school?"

She looked at me, her mouth open, like I was crazy. "I want to sleep for ten years," she said. I grinned a little.

"Fair enough," I said. "I'll report you sick. Do you want anything to eat?"

"The mere thought of food makes me nauseous," she said.

"That was a beautiful sentence," I complimented her.

"Thanks," she smiled as she stood up.

"Drink some water, though," I told her, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. "It'll flush your system."

She took the glass I poured and headed to her bedroom. The boys ate quietly and I heard Vanessa in the shower. She was going to drop them off at daycare today because I had an early meeting. Before I left, I filled another glass with water and went to Talie's room. She was already curled up, fast asleep. I grinned a little as I set the new glass on her bedside table and took the old one.

I kissed Vanessa and the boys goodbye, then I was off to Hunter. After my meeting, which could have just been an email, I went to the office and reported Talie sick for the day. I'd go to her teachers after school and pick up her work.

When I got home around 3:30, Talie was on the couch, still in her PJs. There was a half eaten sandwich and a banana peel on the table next to her.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her.

"Better," she said. She definitely looked better.

"Want some tea?" I asked.

"Sure," she said. I fixed us both a cup, cleared away her dishes, and joined her on the couch. I set her make-up work on the coffee table.

"Special delivery," I told her, smiling.

"Gee, thanks," she said. She stared at the television, her face long. This had been going on for over a week now. She wasn't the most upbeat kid ever, but she did smile. I hadn't seen her smile since before her dad called with the news.

"Are you doing okay?" I asked gently. "I'm worried about you."

She leaned back, pulling the blankets up to her chin. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" I asked, looking at her in concern. "You haven't smiled in a week. You haven't had Naomi over."

"She's been busy," she told me.

"I get that you're upset about your dad," I said. "But don't let it bring you down. You've got a good home to stay in while you're here."

She was silent for several long moments. "I miss him so much."

I rested my arm around her, squeezing her shoulder. "I'm sure you do. And I know he misses you too."

She scoffed at that. "No he doesn't. He never calls me. He's probably enjoying himself, not having to worry about me. Not that he worried about me much anyway."

She was on the verge of tears and it broke my heart. I was careful about how I interacted with my students physically, especially the girls, and I wasn't sure what was appropriate between us anymore. She was almost like a daughter to me at this point. I decided to take a chance because she just looked so pitiful. I scooted closer and pulled her towards me in a tighter. She relaxed into my arms and started crying more. I just held her and let her cry. It was good to let emotions out.

"I'm so glad you're here with me," I told her, giving her a squeeze.

"You are?" she asked.

"Of course," I said, my voice light. "You're a great kiddo and I'm glad I can be here to support you. You know you can talk to me any time, right?"

Her head nodded and we just sat there for a good while.

___

Later that night, Vanessa went to the wine rack for a new bottle.

"Moscato...moscato..." she searched, running her finger along the bottles. "Huh. I thought I had one. Must've drunk it."

"You alcoholic," I accused her as I graded papers on the couch in my sweats. "You can't even remember what you drank."

"Shut it, Miranda," she told me, grabbing another bottle instead. "Want some?"

"Yes please," I replied. She brought over two glasses. I accepted mine and took a swig. I shuffled through my next paper. Talie's. She'd put forth barely any effort. I marked the incorrect answers. She'd gotten a 67%.

"Not her best work," I commented, showing Talie's paper to my wife.

"Yikes," she winced, then took a drink. "Doesn't she usually get A's?"

"She does," I said. "A's and B's. She turned in a paper three days late the other day. Got a 62. Her grade's dropped to a B+."

"She's still that upset about her dad?"

"Apparently so," I told her, going to my next paper. Grading was exhausting, and it was never ending. After another half hour or so, I finished a stack and decided to head to bed.

Cisco was up in the night. I went to his room and checked his diaper. He was fine, so I just carried him out to the living room to snuggle with him a little. I was surprised to find Talie out there once again. As I approached, I saw a wine glass and a bottle on the table. I heard sniffling.

"Talie?" I asked, concerned. She looked over at me, then put her head in her hands. "What are you doing? What's wrong?"

I sat next to him and rested Cisco against my chest. "It was my birthday today," she said. "Yesterday."

I felt terrible. "Oh, Talie. I'm so sorry. I guess I never asked what your birthday was."

"It's fine," she told me. "What's not fine is my dad forgetting. He didn't call me, text me, email me, anything. It was my 16th birthday."

I leaned back against the couch back as Cisco cooed. How could a father forget his own daughter's 16th birthday? I felt terrible for the kid.

"That's awful, Talie. I'm sorry," I said sympathetically. She continued to sniffle and choke on her tears. I gently rubbed my hand up and down her back. "And I'm sorry we didn't realize. We'll celebrate this weekend, okay?"

She nodded and wiped at her eyes with her hoodie sleeve, calming down a bit.

"Now, why is there a wine bottle and glass on the coffee table?" I asked her.

"I heard it helps you forget your problems," she said. I sighed and patted Cisco's back.

"Sweetheart, that's not the way to deal with things," I told her. "You can't be drinking. Did you drink V's moscato?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"No more," I told her firmly. She sighed and looked remorseful. "Now, let's get you to bed. How are you feeling?"

"A little woozy," she admitted. I gripped her upper arm as she stood up to make sure she was steady. She started walking towards her room and I kept my hand close to her back in case she stumbled. I pulled back her covers and tucked her in.

After turning out the light, I returned to bed next to Vanessa, sighing loudly.

"Is Cisco okay?" she asked sleepily.

"Cisco's fine," I scrubbed a hand over my face. "Talie was on the couch with a bottle of wine. She drank your moscato the other day."

Her eyes opened a bit more and she was more alert. "Seriously?"

I looked at her. "Seriously. I'm not sure whether I need to tell her dad about it. I'm not sure he'd respond to me anyway."

"Sleep on it," she said, putting her arm around me. She snuggled closer and it took me a while to fall asleep that night.

I was groggy the next morning, but Talie was worse. I heard her alarm clock blaring for almost ten minutes before I finally went in and turned it off.

"Talie," I called her. "Time to get up."

She groaned and turned over. "Can I stay home from school today?"

"Nope," I told her, going to her window to open the blinds. The sunlight poured in.

"But I feel like crap," she moaned.

"That's probably because you were drinking," I pointed out. "You can't handle that much alcohol. Is that why you were sick the other morning?"

"Maybe," she croaked, turning over. I crossed my arms and studied her for a moment.

"It'll do you good to get some water and food in you," I said, walking to the door. "I'll find some painkiller."

I returned five minutes later to find her still in bed, so I stripped off the covers. She complained, but I didn't feel too sorry for her. She'd done this to herself. I heard the shower going a few minutes later. Hopefully that would help her feel a bit better as well. I made her some toast and a cup of coffee with lots of sugar.

She dressed in jeans and a Hunter hoodie, her hair up in a messy bun. She looked horrible.

"Vanessa, can I please stay home?" I heard her ask my wife, who was helping Cisco at the table.

"I believe Lin already said no," she answered. "How much did you drink last night?"

She rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Half a bottle."

Vanessa sighed. "Have you drunk before?"

She shook her head. "Just the other night."

"You owe me a bottle of moscato," Vanessa told her. "That's one of my favorites."

"Sorry," Talie told her sheepishly.

Ten minutes later, Talie and I were out the door and heading to Hunter. She almost fell asleep on the subway ride there. When fifth period rolled around, Talie wasn't there. I asked the other students if they'd seen her, and one of them said she'd gone to the nurse last period.

As the kids wrote, I picked up the classroom phone and called down there. I told the nurse to send her to class. I knew Talie felt like crap, but I wanted this to be a learning experience for her. If she decided to drink, she'd have to deal with the consequences.

Talie stumbled in, looking horrible. She sat at the desk and immediately put her head down on her desk. I walked up and down the rows and patted her back.

"Sit up, please," I told her. "Write."

She reluctantly sat up and I could tell she felt miserable. Once again, she didn't have her assignment. I was really starting to get concerned. After class had dismissed, I decided to use my prep time to call her dad. She was spiraling downwards.

It was evening in London. I was surprised when he actually answered.

"Mr. Rodriguez?" I asked.

"Yeah. How's everything going, Lin?"

"It's been okay, but I've started to become concerned about Talie," I told him. "She's been upset ever since you told her you had to stay longer. We caught her drinking last night and she's not been turning in her homework."

"Really?" he asked. "That's not like her."

"No, it's not," I agreed.

"She's been drinking? How much?" he asked.

"Apparently an entire bottle of wine the other night. And half a bottle last night when I caught her," I reported.

"Oh, jeez," he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry she's been giving you problems."

"She's not a problem. I'm just concerned," he said. "And she was upset that you didn't call her on her birthday."

"Oh, shit," he said. "I'm terrible with dates. I'll call her this afternoon and talk to her. Thanks for calling, Lin."

We hung up and I went about the rest of the day. When Talie and I got home, she got a call from her father. She took it to her room excitedly. When she came out about fifteen minutes later, she looked upset.

"You told him?" she asked, obviously upset with me.

"Talie, he's your father," I reminded her. "He needs to know when you're having trouble."

"And what's he gonna do about it from London?"

"Call you," I said. "Talk to you about it. We need to figure out how to get you through this."

She leaned against the counter, her hands over her eyes. "How could he forget my birthday?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," I admitted. I don't think I could ever forget Sebastian or Francisco's. They were the best days of my life. "But he's sorry. Did he tell you that?"

"Yes," she said. "But then he yelled at me. He never calls when things are okay and I just want to talk. But he calls when I'm in trouble."

"He's worried about you," I said. "And so am I."

"Then maybe he should get his ass back to New York," she spat.

"Talie-" I called as she stormed back to her bedroom and slammed the door. A few minutes later, she emerged with her backpack and another bag.

"Where are you going?"

"To my place," she said, her forehead creased. "So you're not up in my business constantly."

"Talie-" I called her again but she just stormed past me and slammed the door. I sighed and decided to let her go for now. Obviously she needed space. In her mind, I guess she thought I'd betrayed her trust by calling her dad. She seemed to be struggling so much, though, and her dad needed to know.

When Vanessa got home later, I told her about the situation. She agreed I was right to call her dad. I made dinner and we sat down as a family to eat. When it was close to 9:00, I texted Talie.

Are you coming back tonight?

No.

Stay the night but you need to come back here tomorrow.

I didn't get a response. She'd stayed at her own apartment by herself countless times before, but I still worried about her. Talie was truly alone over there. Her dad was across the ocean.

The next day, Talie wasn't at school. I sent her texts throughout the day and she didn't respond. I was worried that she was sick or hurt. After school, I immediately left and went to her building. I knocked on her door loudly.

"Talie?" I called. I could hear a TV playing faintly in the background. I knocked some more and kept calling her name. Finally, she came to the door, but didn't open it. She told me to go away. I told her I couldn't do that.

I left her one more day, but when she didn't show up to school again, I went back and called the police to do a welfare check. They pried the door open, and we walked down the hall to her bedroom. She was curled up in bed and looked like she hadn't showered in days. I thanked the police officer and sat on her bed.

"Talie, you can't go on like this," I told her gently. I noticed she had a stuffed bunny clutched to her chest. She didn't respond.

"I'm really worried about you. Have you left the apartment since Tuesday?"

She shook her head..

"Have you eaten? Showered?"

Again, she shook her head. I sighed and looked at her. "Talie, your father's coming back. It's just a little longer than we thought."

"I know," she whispered. We were silent for several long moments.

"So, why don't you hop in the shower and I'll make you some food," I suggested. "Then we can talk. Will you do that for me?"

She shrugged. I peeled off her covers and she hugged her bunny tighter.

"C'mon," I held out my hand and she slowly took it. I helped her up to standing and followed closely behind as she went to the bathroom. A few moments later, I heard the shower going. I looked through her cabinets and managed to find a can of soup. That would have to do for now. I found a saucepan and poured it in, then tidied up a little bit.

She looked much better after a shower. Warm water did wonders. She sat at the table and I set a big bowl of soup in front of her. I'd managed to find some crackers in the pantry as well. She ate ravenously.

I gave her some space, cleaning up some more as she ate in silence. When she was done, she rinsed out her bowl and leaned back against the counter.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," she whispered. I leaned against the counter opposite her.

"It's okay," I assured her. "You're allowed to be upset."

"I don't know why it upset me so much. My dad telling me he'd be gone longer. It's not like we spend that much time together."

"He's your dad," I said. "Obviously you want to be close to him and spend time with him."

"How long have you ever been away from the boys?" she asked.

I thought. "A week, I suppose."

"And did you miss them?"

I nodded. "Like crazy."

She snorted and shook her head. "I wish you were my dad."

That broke my heart. I walked to her and pulled her into a hug. "You know I'm always here for you."

I just hugged her silently for a couple minutes, rocking her back and forth. I pulled back and looked her in the eye. "How about we go back to my place? You can have a real dinner tonight."

She nodded and smiled a little bit. She gathered her things and we walked out together. When we entered the apartment, Sebastian ran to her and hugged her legs.

"I missed you!" he said, and I saw Talie smiling. It was good to see her smiling again. I whipped up her favorite, my enchiladas, and I was relieved to see her joining in the conversation. Maybe my Talie was back.