"Evan, what the hell are you doing here?" He says giving him a hug.

Evan lets himself in and Danny closes the door behind him. Right off the bat Evan knew Danny was in a terrible place, which was to be expected. He didn't shave in months. He looked raggedy. Danny was not taking care of himself.

There were beer bottles all over the counters, coffee tables and in the trash. Take out bags, pizza boxes, soda cans, crumbs everywhere. Danny didn't leave the apartment in weeks.

Evan walks around and examines his surroundings. He then turns to Danny and sighs.

"I heard what happened, man." Evan says with disappointment

Danny nods his head and walks to the fridge to grab a beer. Evan follows him and sees that the only thing in the fridge is alcohol. No fresh produce, lunch meats, nothing.

"Beer?" He asks

Evan sighs "I'll probably need it." He says

The men walk over to the kitchen table and sit down.

"Does anyone know you're here?" Danny asks

"Just Sarah... she didn't want me to come, though."

"Because she's on Jessica's side?" Danny huffs

Evan ignores Danny and changes the subject. He wasn't going to put up with the whole 'sides' drama. "What have you been doing here?"

"Nothing really. ESPN, eat, drink, sleep, repeat." He says with no shame

"What about work, why aren't you working?"

"I quit the firm. I hated it." He says as if it's no big deal.

"Danny, how do you expect to pay your bills and live here? You need to get back to work." Evan says sternly

"Now that I don't have a family to support, I don't have to worry about that, do I? Jessica's on her own, she left me. She can pay for herself and those kids. She made it clear she doesn't need or want me." He snaps

Evan sighs... he knew it would take a while to get through to Danny but he was determined.

"Danny, I'm scared for you. You're a drunk! Why did you go back to nasty habits? You were in rehab, doing well, you were so close." Evan says sincerely

"I was never close, Evan. Close would be having my family here with me and you not sitting here telling me I'm a drunk!" Danny shouts

"Face it, Danny! You do this to yourself! Now you have to get the broom out of your ass and start cleaning it up." Evan shouts even louder

Danny goes quiet. His anger and rage then turns into sadness and guilt.

"For the last month, I've been sitting in this apartment waiting... waiting for someone to arrest me, serve me, kill me.... what I did to Jessica was unforgivable. I deserve to rot in a cell for a while, get what I deserve in court, everything, I deserve it all. Jessica, she could never harm a fly."

"You're lucky she didn't throw you in jail." Evan says sternly

Danny needed Evan here, little did he know. Evan was the kind of friend who would get his ducks in a row and give everything to Danny straight. That's what Danny needed most.

"Evan, I miss all four of them. Jack, I barely know Jack. I'm missing so much, I screwed it all up. Words can't describe the pain I felt when she gave me back that ring. Just hours after catching Sam in the room! I wanted to marry her. I still do." Danny cries

"But you can't marry her. It's over. I'm sorry, Danny but there is no going back. That was it. Maybe it's for the best. Forget about her... focus on yourself and children right now. They need their father! They need you Danny, so much. Little Jack too. Prove to everyone that you can come out of this stronger and a better man. I believe in you."

"I don't think I can."

"You can and you fucking will, god damnit!" Evan hisses

"First, you need to clean up. Alcohol, gone. Cigarettes, gone. Any form of drugs, gone. I'm getting the old Danny back. I'm getting my first ever college roommate back. We need you. We are waiting for you."

//-//

Last week really opened up Jessica's eyes... it was the hardest, most draining, and exhausting week that she had in a long time. Jessica knew it was time to face her problems and get the help she needed. Postpartum depression was no stranger to her... or depression alone. So, Jessica was meeting with the same doctor that helped her when Scarlett and Wyatt were born. Her family doctor put her back on her anti-depressants. She was ready to kick this in the butt.

"Jessica, I think it's really great that you decided to come back. It's a big step to face and you took action. I'm proud of you." Her therapist says

Jessica nods anxiously. "My life has been a roller coaster. It feels like it is and always will be. With baby Jack here, it's a lot more tough than I thought. Doing this without him is hard. I don't want to crawl back to him because it's hard. I feel like that's what I always did so I wouldn't have to be alone."

"Being alone isn't the end of the world. One, because you are never truly alone, and two, sometimes people need a breather. This is your breather."

"I want to be the best I can be for them. I want to come out of this mess thriving, moving on with my life, and being happy. I'm just waiting for the day when I won't need help."

"Why wait for that?"

"Because, I feel guilty asking. When that guilt is gone, I'll feel better."

She thinks for a moment then looks at Jessica. "You're carrying a lot of guilt.... it's obvious. You don't give yourself enough credit..."

//-//

February-

A few weeks after Jessica started back up on her medication and continued therapy. She perked up a lot.

Changes were made during the week. Jessica felt so terrible having the twins in the house all day with her and the baby. They were getting bored and rowdy. Jessica decided to enroll them in a preschool/ daycare program three days a week. That ended up being a big help for Jessica. It gave her more time to figure things out and relax so she could do things for herself once and a while.

Everyone was glad she was nipping this in the butt and working on herself and her confidence. They were beyond proud.

On a Sunday, Jane and her boyfriend Rick decided to host Sunday family dinner. It was out of the ordinary since it was usually always at Dorthy's and Jane wasn't that amazing of a cook.

Jessica got all the kids dressed and ready to go. Jack was fed and by time they reached janes he would be fast asleep.

When they arrived it was a full house. Their home was very Pettit and hard to maneuver through, especially Jessica with all her baggage.

While the twins played and Jack was upstairs in his little swing that Jessica brought, along with his monitor, all the adults talked in the kitchen.

Since Jane was probably the worst cook in the family and Rick not having any experience ever, they weren't shocked to see take out food put on a plate to look pretty.

"Jane, you crack me up. I think this is the first family dinner in history where we've had take out." Ann chuckles

"In Jane and i's defense, the oven broke." Rick chuckles

"Oh, well cheap spaghetti from that restaurant down the street won't hurt us, will it? I mean it's no biggie dad got food poisoning from them twice." George says

"Hey, come on George." Dorthy chuckles

"I'll go grab the little ones. I bet they'll be so excited to dig in to the ecoli." Jessica says to Ann with a grin

Everyone sits around the table, including the three toddlers, and they all have a great time. Everyone was giggling, laughing, having great conversation and telling unforgettable stories. This dinner was refreshing for everyone.

As everyone finishes their meal Rick clinks his knife on his glass and stands up holding Janes hand.

"So, everyone.... there is a reason why we asked you all to come here for family dinner and eat pasta that in no way shape or form compares to mr and Mrs Lange's pasta dinner."

Everyone laughs. Their hearts begin to race, because they know what's about to happen. Dorthy and Albert, they were positive.

"I can't wait any longer, screw the script! Rick and I are getting married!" Jane says

She pulls the ring out of her pocket and puts it on. Of course the crowd goes wild. It was no secret to Albert and Dorthy, of course, but janes sisters were going crazy.

"Aww, Janey is getting married! Yay!" Ann cries as she hugs her sister

"This is so wonderful!" Jessica cries

"Oh, we are so excited! We're so in love. It's been so long that it's time."

"Okay! Well once I lose this baby weight I'll be so ready!" Jessica giggles

"Well, we're getting married next week."

As Dorthy is about to swallow her wine, she spits it out every where. Everyone's smiles vanished. They didn't believe what they were hearing.

"What? Next week?"

"Seven days from today." Rick says

"Are you crazy?" Dorthy says

"Jane, are you going to have a court house wedding?" Albert asks

"No, a church. I can't wait to marry him, guys. But I can't do it without your help."

"Janey, seven days is no time! It takes seven days to find a venue, almost a year to order a dress!" Ann says. She was livid

"Come on! We'll make it work! I deserve a wedding like Ann's just as much as Jessica will." Jane snaps

Jane was always very stubborn yet crazy. She made crazy decisions and had no good sense of timing. These next seven days were going to be a roller coaster for the langes.

//-//