It was a long, long night. I spent most of it praying that we could all make whatever time Lacy had left happy and peaceful and worrying that Bridget would have a midnight breakdown and wander outside again.

I wake up at eleven o'clock and my first thought is that I have to go see Lacy. I have to spend time with her. I have to see her sweet smile again.

Looking over, I realize that Bridget has already gotten up.

So, I get out of bed and quickly change into a comfy outfit and rush downstairs.

I'm about to call out to whoever can hear that I'm heading to see Lacy but Megan spots me right away, rushes over and grabs my arm.

"Hey!" she says. "Someone keeps calling for you. She's left literally twenty messages saying you have to call her back now."

I furrow my eyebrows. "Who?"

"I think she's your... Cousin. Josie?"

I hiss in a sharp breath.

"I... I can't there's too much going on, please just... Tell her I'm praying for her and-"

"Gen, what are you talking about?" Megan asks with a confused chuckle.

"Josie's going through a lot right now, and sometimes she talks to me about it but I-"

"Well you should listen to the messages for yourself because she sounds excited to me!" she chuckles.

My breath comes out in a long exhale as I think about calling her. Maybe her dad has forgiven her mom and her mom has forgiven her dad and... Wow... This could be great news!

I smile, which is one of the last things I thought I would naturally do today.

"Ok, lead the way," I say gleefully.

Megan gives a sweet smile and wraps one arm around me as we head to the phone.

She puts her hand over the button to start the messages but first she looks over me and chuckles, "Brace yourself."

"Hey! Gen! Please call back soon!!!"

That was the first one. She's definitely excited about something. I smile. Her parents must be getting back together.

"Gen!!!! I have something to tell you, pleasssseee pick up!!!"

*beeeeeep*

"Genevieve I swear call me back NOW!!!"

I let out a snort and the messages go on. All twenty of them telling me I MUST call her NOW.

Still rather reluctant to talk to anyone outside of the Tolia family at this particular moment I lick my lips and make a comment that's only half sarcastic.

"Soooo... Do I have to call her?"

Megan laughs but her giggle is cut short by Michelle who has suddenly appeared behind us. She says, "Ew now. No offense, but there's something off about that girl's mother so I don't trust them."

"Mich!" Megan hisses.

"It's ok..." I mutter. "But please don't judge them. There's a lot that even I don't know about how hard they've had it.

Michelle's face softens. "I'm sorry..." she mumbles, scurrying out of the kitchen in hopes we don't notice her face turning red.

I sigh.

"I suppose I'll call her."

Meg strokes my hair. "You amaze me sweet girl."

Her eyes are brimming with tears and without warning she pulls me into a hug.

"Thank you... For the extra time with Lace. Without you she's already be gone..."

I wasn't ready to let my emotions out again but she's caught me completely off guard. All I can do is hug back.

Eventually she breaks away and wipes her eyes. "Sorry. That was random. I've been needing to say that since we heard the news," she says. "Now call your cousin."

She sniffs, takes a deep breath, and leaves the room.

I bite my lip, fighting the tears threatening to break free.

Have I mentioned I'm sick of crying?

I dial Josie's number and almost instantly she picks up the phone and starts screaming.

"FINALLY!!! Gen, where have you been??? Timbuktu???"

"Sorry," I laugh sadly. "Rough night last night."

She goes quiet. "Oh no... What-?"

"I don't want to take about it right now, Josie. What's your news?"

She's hesitant to get peppy on me again but I can feel her smile through the phone.

"SO much good news, Gen!!!"

I wait for her to elaborate but all that happens is her heavy, excited panting is coming through the phone.

I let out a single chuckle. "You gonna tell me what it is???"

"Uhhhhh, well. First off, my parents are making up which is a freaking miracle. Mom's keeping the baby, which will be great, but also hard in some ways," she spits.

"I'm so glad to hear your parents are hearing each other out! That's-"

"Nothing compared to the other news!!!"

Did she just call the fact that her parents are making up nothing?

Again, I wait for her to elaborate and again I am met with excited panting like Josie is some dog that just learned it's time for a walk.

"And the other neeewsss-?" I prompt.

"-is a surprise and will be revealed in two hours when Mom and I get to your house ok? Ok, bye!!!"

Beeeeeeeep.

I pull the phone away from my ears and stare at it like an angry koala just crawled out of it.

What in the wide, wide world?

The Tolias can't have visitors; we're all an emotional wreck, and you can tell by looking at the mess in the living room!

But apparently there's no stopping Josie.

Okey dokey, then. See you at one o'clock, Josie...?

******************

I want to go see Lacy... Now. But I also don't want a time restraint on how long I can be there with here. I'll see what the fuss with Josie is about and see Lacy afterward; staying as long as I'd like.

Bridget had gone with Mom to the hospital before I was even awake and they come walking back in around 12:45.

They enter deeper into the house to see me pacing...

"Gen...?" Bridget calls.

"Hmm?" I respond. "Oh, hey guys. Uh... Mom? Josie and Aunt Cassie have a.... Uh.... A surprise for me and they're gonna be here in, like fifteen minutes..."

Mom raises her eyebrows at me. "Oh... Ok sweetie."

She sighs and sits down. My heart shatters. She's too tired and heartbroken to even really care why they're coming.

But Bridget looks at me suspiciously, seeming extremely on edge.

"What does that lady want with you?" she asks.

Yeah, she definitely hates Aunt Cassie after I told her what happened to my brother.

"Look, Bridget, she's a lot different now. I promise this "surprise" is nothing bad."

She takes a deep breath. "O...k," she responds warily.

I pat her shoulder and continue pacing...

I can't for the life of me vine up with a single thing that would make Josie more excited than her parents reunion...

Finally, the doorbell rings. I sprint to the door as fast as I can. So fast, in fact, that Bridget tells me she's convinced I could beat a cheetah in a race if I ran like that.

I throw open the door to see a girl who's smiling so big that honestly... I hardly recognize her as the Josie of a few weeks ago.

She jumps up and down and claps her hands and I try not to think about how much she reminds me of Lacy right now.

I just stare at her with a suspicious smirk on my face. Suddenly she lets out a happy squeal and I jump a little.

Bridget comes stampeding to the door, true concern in her face. When she sees that Josie is just excited, she lets out a huge sigh of relief.

"Geesh," she laughs. "Are you a crazy Justin Bieber fangirl? Is that what the surprise is? Justin Bieber's here?"

Josie glares at Bridget. "Better than Justin Bieber."

Bridget lets out a single chuckle. "Shawn Mendes?" she teases.

"Guess agggaaaiiiinnn!" Josie says in a sing-song voice.

Bridget taps her chin.

"One Direction?"

"Nooopppe."

"Oh my word, Josie just TELL me!!!" I demand, getting exasperated.

"Ok, ok," she laughs.

She takes my hand and tells me to close my eyes. She leads me forward and I feel Bridget's footsteps behind me.

Josie gently spins me towards herself and says, "Ok. The surprise is behind you..." Then she adds with with a giggle, "And he's already crying."

"What?" I ask.

"Ok, open your eyes."

My vision once again takes in Josie's smiling face as well as a confused Bridget who must have already seen the "surprise" behind me.

I take a deep breath and raise my eyebrows at Josie, pursing my lips.

"Ready???" she squeals.

I nod slowly, a smile growing on my face. She gently twirls me to face the other way and squeezes my shoulders.

I swear my heart stopped.

Aunt Cassie is watching from a distant, blowing her nose and smiling.

I look at the man in front of me and drop to my knees, sobbing with my hands over my mouth and my head shaking in disbelief.

It's literally like seeing someone back from the dead.

"D.... Daddy?"

"Gen... Gen, baby girl.."

He rushes up to me and drops to embrace me.

"Daddy, Daddy!!!" I cry, holding onto him tighter than I ever held anyone.

"I'm here, I'm here, you're here, oh thank God..."

He pushes me away, barely as I smile and feel like my heart is going to explode.

I shake my head and cry, "But Daddy, I saw... I saw your grave... Ho-ow?"

"I know, Baby, I know, it was all a horrible, horrible, misunderstanding; a story for another time, because I don't want you to hurt, Baby, you smile for your Daddy, ok? Daddy's here, he's still here."

My breathing is so rapid, I can't believe I'm not hyperventilating.

"Sssshhh, sssshhh," Daddy soothes me, taking his thumbs and wiling away the happiest tears I've ever cried.

"I'm here, Baby. Didn't I promise you I'd be back? Do I break promises, Sweetheart?"

I throw my arms back around him shaking and sobbing like I never have, and happier then I've ever been as he strokes my hair.

"No, Daddy," I sob. "You never do."

SURPRISE!!!!

All will be explained.... ;)