Two days later, I was back in Dr. Nguyen's office with the therapist and his twin brother waiting for me alongside Gianna and Jose. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Demario," Mitchell commented after I greeted the twins and took my seat. "You gave everyone quite a nasty scare at the gala."

"Well, let's just hope that it's going to be the last time that happens," I replied, sitting back in the leather chair. "And let's just say that the past couple days of saying farewells and all have been...well, nutty."

"What makes you say that?" asked my therapist.

I recapped everyone with the visit from Amelia, Candace, and Yvonne- how two of them were still hating on me while Yvonne was tired of the games. I even told them on how my late mother had her (Yvonne) turn on me with the offer to help her with the fated abortion that would void her chances of future pregnancy. "All in all, Yvonne was simply tired of going along with the games like Denise and Trey were tired," I finished. "Trey was dealing with parole and Yvonne was dealing with the unwanted pregnancy. And Mother Dearest offered them a way out with a catch- joining her hate parade."

"Damn," Gianna hissed, shaking her head. "That woman...wow, she really likes to make offers to make lives better at your expense, Demario."

"Uh-huh," I hummed. "And the worst part? Douglass and Evangeline Bader, the parents of the man whom I thought was my father, is set to visit me soon. From what I know now, they still hate me for not being a legitimate Bader- one born from my father's silver bullet's for my mother's...well, you get the gist. When I think about it, they made me feel like Henry Fitzroy and I was living during Henry VII's reign- well, that is if Mary was considered the next ruler of the throne and her family didn't hate her but the bastard son."

"That's one way of putting it," Jose commented.

"How does that make you feel, Demario?" Dr. Nguyen wanted to know, taking out his notepad.

I sighed. "Right now, something tells me that there's more than what meets the eye in regards to the Bader-Simmons-Ingram family name," I replied. "Yvonne even hinted that there's some dark secrets regarding the lot and they were covering it all up with the 'Let's-All-Hate-Demario' regiment just to keep me in the dark. In a way, this sounds like something straight out of a sadistic soap-opera storyline. I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the family only hated me for the same reason Mom does- all because I was a bastard child."

"And what about Denise and Trey, your maternal aunt and uncle? Do they know about this?" Mitchell asked me.

"They just found out from Joel and Taylor," I explained, "and let's just say that it only encourage Aunt Denise to completely cut them out of her life. Same for Trey, but he's still having more to do to get back in good graces with his family. I'm supposed to meet his clan this weekend, so I won't be able to make it to group therapy on Saturday."

"We're having it rescheduled for Sunday, so you'll still make it on time," Mitchell assured me. "But I want to ask you how you felt when it came down to the night of the shooting. What was going through your mind when you were hit?"

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. "Honestly? It was as if everything was moving so fast that I couldn't even register what was going on," I answered. "One moment, I was getting myself ready for the interview with the headmistress for boarding school and having a good time with y'all. The next thing I knew, the lights had gone out and then...well, I got hit. The last thing that came to my mind was that Ryan and Theo were enacting their revenge and they wanted to see me, Jillian, and even Artem pay for what 'we did to them.' They were hungry for vengeance and they wouldn't stop until they took me out."

"And now that you're thinking about it, what emotions are running through you?" Gianna asked me gently. "Be honest yet don't let yourself get too stressed out."

I nodded. "Right now, I just feel...unbalanced, wondering if or when the other shoe would drop and my life did end. I feel slightly angry because Peavey wasn't the true all-American jock as everyone perceived him to be- and he had everyone fooled because he was the star uarterback despite his sexuality. I feel sad because Jillian and Artem didn't deserve to die like that even though Jillian and I didn't see eye to eye at first. But right now, I'm just wondering...what was going to happen next? Will my life become one big ball of chaos? Will life ever be smooth sailing after the storms? Will anyone else I love get attacked again? What now?"

I felt a few tears fall from my eyes as I slumped in my chair, Gianna coming over with a box of tissues.

"Demario, you're not at fault for what's going on," Jose commented gently. "You've been dealt a lot of bad hands in the past and right now, you're at crossroads with yourself and the future. All you can do right now is ask yourself how your circumstances can help you go forward. None of us can answer your questions. Only you can. Just remember that you can always count on the people who truly love you and find solace within your heart. As for Ryan and Theo, those two cabron desgraciados will face their judgment. And you know that everyone is keeping a close eye out for them so they can finally be brought to justice. But you have to stay in your lane and learn to love yourself and never forget your purpose. You're not going to fight this alone, Demario. You're with us and we're with you. Count on us, man."

I closed my eyes and let the tears fall just as Whitney Houston's "Count on Me" began to play on the stereo. And boy, I could use that song as a reminder because I was really unsure of what was to come.

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

Grief can be a funny thing, especially when it comes to something more complex- like coming out of a near-fatal experience.

The five stages of grief vary for many people. Some are trapped in denial or anger. Some breeze right through the four stages and go into acceptance mode. And there's some who are lost in depression and bargaining.

Me? Well, I wish there was a sixth stage known as unbalanced because I feel so lost with me surviving being shot while dealing with the craziness from being rejected from the Bader-Simmons-Ingram clan for most of my life. And while I know that I wasn't suffering for my mother's sadistic charms, it's like she never wants to let go of the hatred. But there's some people in life (my social circle, in particular) who won't let me slip back into my depressive state. They're not letting that happen. And surprisingly enough, neither will I.

Anyway, I still have a lot of questions to what's going on, but something tells me that everything will be revealed in due time. And whether I liked it or not, I was going to have to find out the whole truth about everything. Because what's been done in the dark...will soon be brought into the light. This isn't Las Vegas where everything that happens there stays there. This...is real life.

I know that's the tea and shade. Anyway, what do you guys think of Demario's emotions that are going through his mind right now about the shooting and his dysfunctional ex-family? Talk about a soap-opera complex, am I right?

Hopefully, the next chapter should be when Oliver will provide some passionate passions as the boys share some tearful promises to one another. Fair warning, folks, you'll need more tissues because the next chapter will bring on some waterworks.

Dedication: FranklinBarnes. Song "Count on Me" by Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans.

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