When Clarita and I divorced I made a vow that my daughter would always come first. Relationships with other women would come second. However, that didn't extend to my daughter being outright rude. Pippa was my fiance and was practically Joey's stepmother. I got that Joey was frustrated, but I certainly wasn't going to tolerate her back talking.

After we'd all had a few minutes to cool down, I knocked on Joey's bedroom door.

"What?" she asked sharply. I pushed her door open and closed it behind me, raising my eyebrows at her.

"What was that about?" I asked her, crossing my arms.

"You and Pippa said you supported me and Elliott's relationship. That you would let us see each other as long as I didn't sleep over," she began, sitting up on her bed. "Now all of a sudden Pippa thinks she needs to tell me what I can and cannot do with Elliott?"

"First of all, I asked her to talk to you," I said, my voice firm. "As soon as I found out what happened at the doctor I did some research. We cannot chance you rupturing a cyst if that's what it is."

"You're all overreacting!" she accused, standing up. "I'm not going to die from having sex."

"It needs to stop until we find out what it is," I told her. "If you can't agree to that then I won't allow you to go visit him at all."

"That's bullshit!" she yelled.

"Language!" I admonished her. "Second of all, you will not talk to Pippa that way. She's my fiance and deserves some respect. You've seen how challenging Alex has been lately. She doesn't need attitude from you too."

"Fine," she growled unconvincingly, plopping back down on her bed. I just studied her for a moment. Where was my responsible kid?

"You need to apologize to Pippa," I told her. "And you're staying home tonight."

"What?!" she gaped as I walked to the door. "Elliott's expecting me!"

"And I expect you to treat adults with respect," I quipped, opening the door. "Come out when you can be polite."

I closed her door to the sound of her groaning loudly and throwing something at the door. I rolled my eyes and walked back to my bedroom. Pippa was curled up on her side and had a tissue in her hand. I sat on the edge, then leaned down to kiss her temple.

"Don't let it bother you," I told her softly. "She was rude to me too."

"It just hurts," she said, "Especially after the morning I had with Alex."

"You're a great mom," I reminded her. "This is just a rough time. We both want what's best for them and they're not always going to like it."

She nodded and dabbed at her eyes. I kissed her again. "Why don't you stay in here a while and I'll handle the kids. You just relax. Take a bath maybe."

I left my fiance in our room to relax and wandered back to the living room where the kids were still watching TV happily. We limited their screen time, but sometimes it was nice just to let them zone out so we could just breathe for a while. They were being good so I grabbed a soda and my laptop and started catching up on e-mails.

I had a good half hour of peace and quiet. When the show ended, Jack wandered over to me, laying his head on my lap. "Hey, bud," I said, rubbing his back. He began to climb into my lap and I helped him settle in. "How about we go to the park in a few minutes?"

"Yeah," he said, chewing on his hand. I kissed the top of his head as my fingers flew over the keyboard. After I'd finished I closed the laptop lid and sent Jack to find his shoes. Alex followed suit, happy to go back outside. I poked my head in on Pippa and told her what we were doing. I also told her Joey should be apologizing and that she was grounded for the day.

The kids had a good romp around the playground and on the way home we stopped for some Starbucks. I knew the way to my lady's heart. I picked up her favorite and a drink for myself as well and we headed back. Pippa was on the couch with a blanket, binge-watching Big Little Lies. She pressed pause and smiled when she saw the drink in my hand. I smirked as I passed it over and she thanked me.

It was almost dinner time so I got it started as the kids played and Pippa sipped her drink. Joey hadn't come out of her room yet apparently. I poked my head in to make sure she was still there. I wouldn't put it past her to try to sneak out. She was there moping.

When it was dinner time, Joey joined us, keeping her eyes on her plate. She hadn't planned on being here at this time, but she only had herself to blame for that. She was quiet most of the meal, responding with one or two word answers when she was questions. I asked her to help me clear the plates so I could have a word with her.

"Have you apologized to Pippa yet?" I asked her, already knowing the answer.

"Nope," she said simply, moving to rinse off her plate.

"You need to do it before bedtime," I told her. Pippa was feeling better now but I know an apology would mean a lot to her. Most of the time Joey was perfectly respectful and pleasant but when she felt she'd been wronged she could get nasty.

I didn't get a response from my daughter. "Joey?"

"Okay!" she said with attitude.

"Lose the attitude," I told her. We silently finished the dishes as Pippa started a bath for the little kids. They'd been outside a lot today so they were grubby. As soon as I was done I went in to help wash their hair.

After the kids had been put to bed, Pippa and I snuggled on the couch with a movie while Joey stayed in her room. She'd said a quick but decent apology to Pippa, which she accepted. I was enjoying just being with my fiance when Joey appeared before us, her hands on her stomach.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, sitting up along with Pippa.

"It hurts," she told me, tears in her eyes. "Worse than before."

I stood up, gently grasping her forearms. "Let's go back to the doctor," I told her. "Pip, can you find her shoes?"

I pulled my daughter into a hug as she started to cry more. I hated to see my kid in pain and not be able to help her. Luckily we were in New York City, land of 24 hour everything. Pippa stayed behind this time as I took Joey to the nearest immediate care center. There was no way I wasn't going to be with her this time.

She was walking slowly, trying not to disturb whatever was bothering her more. Thankfully the clinic was only a couple blocks away. There was no wait since it was later in the evening and we were seen immediately.

I updated the nurse as best I could about what had happened earlier. It was a different clinic so they didn't yet have the information. They'd request it be sent over. I stood nearby as the doctor began to feel around her abdomen. Joey whimpered in pain.

"Can't you give her something for the pain?" I asked, hating to see her suffering.

"Not until we know what it is," he told me. I sighed and crossed my arms, standing by. The doctor said he thought the cyst may have ruptured and wanted to do an internal exam. I asked Joey if she wanted me to step out and she did. I made sure a nurse stayed in with her as I waited outside. I paced back in forth in the hallway, worried about my kid.

A few minutes later, the nurse said I could come back in. The doctor told me it looked like the cyst had indeed burst which was likely causing the pain. He ordered an IV so she could get some pain medication. I held Joey's hand as the nurse set it up, knowing my daughter really didn't like needles. She was a trooper, though, because she wanted to pain to go away. I noticed her start to relax more as the medicine did its job.

I checked my watch and it was past 11:00 now. Joey looked exhausted. The doctor prescribed some pain meds for home and we were released. Now that she wasn't in pain Joey could walk normally and we made our way back home. Pippa had waited up for us, pulling Joey into a hug when we walked in.

"I'm so sorry this is happening," she told Joey, then pulled back, cupping her face in her hands. "I bet you're tired. Why don't you get to bed?"

Joey nodded and gave me a quick hug before disappearing to her bedroom. I was grateful Joey hadn't gone to visit Elliott because she would've been farther away and maybe unsure of what to do. Pippa and I were both exhausted so we headed to bed as well. As I reclined, Pippa asked me more questions.

"So they're going to compare the two ultrasounds?" she asked, head propped up in her hand.

"Yeah," I said. "He thinks the cysts might be a regular occurrence for a while. Hormones. He wants us to take her to her regular doctor and maybe set her up on a regular pain killer."

"Poor kid," she commented. I nodded as I scrubbed a hand over my face. At least my daughter was back home with some good pain meds. We'd have to wait until Monday to find out what we might really be dealing with. Exhausted from an emotionally tumultuous day, we both quickly fell asleep.