I wasn't one to eavesdrop so when I saw that Elliott had asked Joey if she wanted to talk I darted away to give them some privacy. Before our movie date, Elliott and I had a nice long chat about the state of his life. He was happy at college. Happier now that he also wasn't in a long-term committed relationship. I couldn't blame him for wanting that. College was a time not to be held down and to try different things. Though it was heartbreaking to see Joey struggle I think he'd made the right decision and I told him that.

He asked me to tell him honestly how Joey was doing. I gave him the details of how she wouldn't eat and had dropped out of debate and soccer; how her grades had gone down. I could tell he felt guilty, but that was a sign I had raised him right. I wanted him to treat any girl he dated with respect and be considerate of her feelings. He also asked me if I thought she'd be open to talking with him. Even though she had her shield up, I think it would do them both a lot of good. I was proud when I saw he stopped Joey in the hallway and they went out on the balcony.

On Sunday morning Joey mostly stayed in her bedroom while Lin cooked pancakes for everyone. She came out to get some and took them back to her room while the rest of us hung out, enjoying Elliott's company. I was touched that he decided to stay the night. Not that many college guys would give up a night of partying to watch a romcom with their mothers.

Around noon we all hugged and said goodbye. Surprisingly I wasn't really tearful when he left. Having him around had definitely lifted me up. This gave me food; energy. Once he was gone Lin and I multitasked with taking care of the little kids and doing some cleaning. Lin ran out for some groceries. Around 2:00 Joey decided to come out of her hole and go for a run around Inwood Park. It was good she was deciding to get out.

I began to pile up the family's laundry and was making my way down the hallway with a load when I saw Alex in Joey's room. We'd always told the younger two they needed to ask permission before going into anyone's bedroom. We always knocked on our kids' doors as a courtesy. I stopped at the door and saw Alex's face squirm up in disgust. She spat out something colorful onto the floor.

"Yuck!" she complained. "Those gummy bears taste gross!"

I put down the laundry basket and stepped inside. "Alex, what are you doing in here? You're not supposed to be in Joey's room without her permission."

"I saw her gummy bears and I wanted some," she explained nonchalant. "But they're nasty!"

I looked down and saw a half-chewed green bear on the bedroom floor. Nearby was Joey's purse with a small plastic bag of colorful gummy bears inside. I picked up the bag and smelled them. These weren't regular gummy bears. They were weed gummy bears and my five year old had just almost eaten one. My heart dropped down to my stomach.

"Alex, go rinse out your mouth in the bathroom," I told her, reaching for a tissue. Alex scurried off and I picked up the gummy bear from the floor with the tissue. I let out a disgusted sigh as I took it, along with the baggie, back to the kitchen. I opened the trash and threw in the green bear just as Lin came through the door, weighed down with several bags of groceries. He set them down on the counter and let out a breath of relief, then saw my expression.

"What's wrong?"

I held up the bag. "Alex found these in Joey's room," I told him, struggling to stay calm. "She tried one and spat it out, luckily."

Lin stepped forward and narrowed his eyes, examining them a little closer. He opened the bag and sniffed, then recoiled. "Are these weed gummy bears?"

I just nodded, crossing my arms. Lin let out an exasperated sigh, tossing the bag on the middle of the counter. "Where is she?"

"Out for a run," I reported as he started to unpack the first grocery bag. He began to snatch out the items and stuff them away, obviously annoyed. We were both just silent as we began unpacking the food, letting this new information sink in. Joey definitely hadn't been back to normal yet, but she'd seemed to be doing better.

When we were done Lin found his cell phone and his thumbs flew. I assumed he was texting Joey to come home. When she went for a run she always took her phone to listen to music, like most people did. After he finished he set the phone down on the counter roughly and went to the fridge for a drink.

"What are you going to say?" I asked him as he took a long gulp of a Vitamin Water.

"I have no idea," he admitted, looking deep in thought. I knew his mind was racing, as was mine. We knew kids tried stuff. Hell, we knew our kids had been having sex. But weed? That seemed like a whole different level and it certainly wasn't something we were okay with.

Ten minutes later, Joey walked in the door, sweaty from her run. She looked slightly concerned, having been told to come straight home. Joey pressed pause on her music and took out her earbuds, setting them on the counter. She began stretching her quads when she saw the bag of gummy bears. I could practically see her face turn to panic, though she tried to hide it. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes right now.

Lin started in on her, arms crossed. "Your five year old sister tried one," he told her simply. "Luckily she thought it tasted disgusting and she spit it out."

The statement hung in the air for a few long moments as Joey struggled for an answer. There was no good response and she knew it. "Dad-"

"How long?" he asked her, his tone no-nonsense.

She swallowed. "Just this weekend," she whispered.

"And where did you get it?"

She bit her lip a little and shifted her weight. "Leah. From soccer."

"Do you have any more?" he asked. "And don't you dare lie to me."

"No!" she sounded annoyed. "I only tried them for the first time on Friday and I bought a little bag yesterday."

"Why the hell are you trying weed?" Lin continued, the atmosphere still tense.

She seemed to tear up a bit, looking away. "Because I'm desperate," she confessed. "I've been depressed for weeks now and nothing's been helping."

"Your meds should be starting to kick in," Lin reminded her. "Your doctor said you needed to be patient and stay active. You have been taking your pill haven't you?"

She looked away and didn't answer.

"Josephine," Lin went on. "Did you stop taking them?"

"They made me feel dizzy and queasy," Joey told her father. "I felt like shit."

Lin let his head drop back and he sighed, trying to keep his cool.

"Joey, I've watched you put that pill in your mouth every morning," I butted in. "Have you been spitting it out?"

"Stay out of this!" she snapped, startling me.

"Hey!" Lin raised his voice. "Watch it. Answer Pippa's question."

I saw Joey's chin tremble a bit and more tears swam in her eyes. "I kept it in my hand," she whispered, knowing we wouldn't like the answer. Lin sighed again and scrubbed a hand over his goatee.

"Where are they?" he asked her, his voice low but still intense.

"In my room," she said.

"Go get them," he said. "And bring me your laptop and your phone."

"Dad!" she protested.

"Now," Lin looked at her pointedly and she knew better than to argue. Tears ran down her face as she quickly stepped around us and went to her room. A minute later, she returned with a little bag of her depression pills, her laptop and her phone. "Put them on the counter."

Joey set them down and wiped under her eyes, obviously very upset.

"Look at me," Lin commanded, and she did. "We all go through hard times, but there's a right way and a wrong way to deal with it. We took you to the doctor and got you meds. You didn't keep up your end of the bargain. From now on you're taking your pill in front of me and I'll be making for damn sure I watch you the whole time."

Joey just cried softly as I stood by, letting Lin handle it. Obviously she didn't want me butting in.

"The only reason I'm not pulling you out of soccer is because you need to stay active while these pills kick in," he went on. "But I'll be calling the coach and some of the other parents to tell them about these gummy bears."

"Dad, please-" she begged. "Everyone will hate me!"

"They can hate you and hate me all they want," Lin told her. "What you girls have been doing is dangerous. There's a reason why it's illegal right now, plus you're a minor on top of that. It's a crime, Joey."

"But-"

"Go to your room," he told her, ending the conversation. Joey gave me one last glare before walking down the hallway and slamming her door loudly. Lin sighed heavily and let his forearms rest on the counter. I stepped towards him and rubbed at his back.

"You okay?" I asked him softly after a few long moments. He shook his head silently a couple times.

"I thought she had more sense than that," he commented, standing upright. "And I can't believe she just stopped taking her pills."

I nodded as he paced a little, trying to work off some of his pent-up energy. Down the hallway we heard Joey's door open, slam, and then the bathroom door did the same thing. She was pissed and everyone was going to know it.

"Mind if I go for a walk?" he finally asked me. I shrugged, shaking my head no. In fact, I thought it was a great idea. I knew that when Lin was stressed or upset he needed to do something physical. He found his tennis shoes and was soon out the door. I picked up the stack of Joey's things – her gummy bears, phone and laptop – and took them back to our bedroom. She'd already powered down her electronics so I tucked them away in our closet, right next to the boxes with the girls' wedding dresses. Feeling sentimental, I took them out, setting them down on the bed. I took off the top of Alex's box and fanned it out on the bed. Just then, she walked in, a naked Barbie doll in hand. She stood next to me and took my hand.

"That's my dress," she said simply. It had recently come back from the seamstress with its alterations made. It fit Alex perfectly. Though we'd told Alex she wouldn't get to put it on again until the wedding, I felt like I needed a bit of happiness in my day. I asked Alex if she wanted to try it on one more time and she readily agreed, nodding excitedly.

Together, we peeled off her regular clothes and I pulled the beautiful dress over her head. Her eyes twinkled as I straightened it, then zipped up the back. We stood in front of my full-length mirror, admiring how beautiful she looked.

"I look like a princess," she commented happily, swishing from side to side.

"Yes you do," I agreed, sweeping her long dark hair back behind her shoulders. I got so caught up in the demands of day to day and knew I needed to take more time just to stop and appreciate what was around me. What joy Alex got out of just putting this dress on! Why was I so opposed to her putting it on if it made her feel this special and happy?

I sat down on the bed and just watched my five year old daughter – twirling, dancing, humming – and enjoyed the moment.