"Can I go home now?" Emily whined.

"No. I'm sorry. You'll have to stay here for a bit longer." A doctor answered.

Emily was sitting in the emergency room at the hospital in Chilliwack. She had an iv in her hand.

"But you can see that I'm fine now. I know my name. I know my birthdate. I know what day it is and I know what happened. No amnesia. No concussion. I'm good." Emily argued.

The doctor chuckled.

"Emily, you need to stay here as long as the doctor says." Darcy explained.

"What do we do now?" Victor asked.

"Well, we're just getting her fluids up. She's a little dehydrated. But it won't take long and it's nothing serious. She seems to be coming down with the flu bug." The doctor smiled at Emily. "Some rest won't hurt."

"But why did she collapse?" Darcy asked.

"With the flu comes dehydration. It's not uncommon for the flu virus to sneak up. Your body becomes weak when your sick. So the little bit of running probably over-exerted her body. Mix that with a little dehydration and people can faint from it. Give it another half hour or so. She can go home today." The doctor smiled and walked out of the curtain.

"See? I'm fine." Emily insisted.

"You are not fine! You fainted. You going home to bed and there's no school for you tomorrow." Darcy demanded.

"Aw, mom! That's not fair!" Emily whined. "I have to go to school. Missing one day is like missing a week. You know how much I'm going to miss. How long it will take to catch up?"

"We will call the school in the morning and let them know you have the flu." Victor said, simply. "And we'll ask to have your notes and work sent home with one of your friends."

"Fine. But make sure Piper brings my work. I can copy her notes. She actually takes notes." Emily pouted.

Darcy looked at Victor.

"I'll call Piper's parents right now and ask her to do that for you tomorrow." Victor smiled. He picked up his cell and started dialling.

Darcy turned back to Emily. "Okay, so how's your stomach feel?"

"Fine." Emily grumbled.

"Are you sure? I can make you some chicken noodle soup when we get home. You need to eat something. Maybe we should buy you more school snacks? Are you not eating enough at school? We'll get you two extra water bottles for school. Keep you properly hydrated. You are very active...."

"Mom! Shut up!" Emily interrupted.

"Okay, I will excuse that attitude for you being sick and not thinking straight. Because I KNOW I taught you NOT to speak to me like that!" Darcy pointed her index finger.

Emily sighed. "I'm sorry, mom. I just don't feel well and you clamouring all over me doesn't help my head." Emily didn't like that she had to admit that. But she did to keep herself from getting grounded.

"Alright. I'm sorry. I'll tone it down." Darcy rubbed Emily's arm.

"That's great! Tell her thank you." Victor said. He hung up his phone. He put his phone in his pocket and looked at Emily. "Christin said that Piper would be happy to get you you notes and homework."

"Good." Emily was still grumbling. "If anyone else did it, I'd never have notes. Just the homework."

"I guess we can do up some chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight. I don't know if anything else will bother her stomach." Darcy told Victor.

Victor nodded.

"It's the flu, mom. Not the stomach flu."

"But it can turn into a stomach flu. I'd rather be safe about it. Soft foods until you're better."

Emily sighed.

"The doctor lied!" Emily growled as they walked out of the hospital.

Darcy and Victor followed close behind her, watch her closely.

"How so?" Darcy asked.

"He said a half hour. It was an hour and a half. Which means, he could be lying about me being sick, too."

"Nice try, Em." Victor said. "You are sick. And you're going home to bed."

"No, wait a minute. Maybe she should have an Epson salt bath. It will help pull all the toxins out of her." Darcy suggested.

"Good idea." Victor said. "Em, you're going straight home to have a bath. Then bed. We'll bring dinner up to you."

Emily sighed.

When the ambulance, finally, showed up at the soccer field, Darcy rode with Emily to the hospital and Victor followed in Darcy's car.

Victor ran up ahead and opened the back door for Emily.

Emily scowled as she approached the car. Her parents making a fuss over nothing....Again. she climbed into the back seat.

"You sitting with her or am I driving?" Victor asked Darcy.

"I guess I'll drive. You can sit with her." Darcy answered.

Victor snapped his fingers and swiped his arm down as if to say, aw shucks. He flashed Darcy a grin and closed Emily's door.

Darcy climbed behind the wheel as Victor ran around and jumped in the back seat.

Emily gaped at her dad.

"What?" Victor asked, innocently.

"Get out!" Emily squealed.

"Come on, Em. I'm riding back here in case anything happens."

"God, you guys!" Emily shook her head and looked out her window.

"And good thing too, cuz you're not buckled. You wanna do it? Or shall I do it for you? I don't mind."

Emily growled and snatched the buckle. Darcy shook her head as Victor laughed.

It was, now, dark and they still had to drive a half hour back to Feather Stone. Darcy expected it to be a quiet drive home. But Emily had other plans. She whined and complained all the back. Trying to convince her parents that she was fine and didn't need to go to bed. That she could make it through a day of school.

It was a little after nine pm. Nobody had dinner. The stress of fear and anxiety took its toll and everyone was feeling it. Neither Victor nor Darcy reacted to Emily's complaints. They didn't even respond for the most part. When they neared Agassiz, Darcy finally said something.

"Emily, I know you don't like what you have to do. But that's just it, you HAVE to do it. So rather than you complaining about it and making things worse for yourself, make something out of it. Bring your iPod to the bathroom and have a good soak like you finished a game of soccer. You can have dinner when you get out. Then go to bed and watch a show. Okay? I'm tired. Your dad's tired. And your complaining is make all of us more tired. So, please, stop whining and take this as an experience."

"No one likes to be sick. But if you don't do what's said, you're going to prolong it. It's best you take care of yourself now and get better faster. Otherwise, you could be sick well into next week and miss more school." Victor added.

Emily stopped complaining. She stared out her window. She didn't want to miss school.

"I'll stay home with Emily tomorrow. You can catch up on the work orders." Darcy said as they turned into Feather Stone.

"No, no. It's okay. The paperwork needs to be done. I don't mind a day off." Victor offered.

Darcy considered it.

"I'll be fine by myself." Emily said.

Darcy didn't say anything. She continued driving home. They were almost there.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Em. What if things get worse?" Victor said. He looked at Emily, solemnly.

"Seriously! I'm thirteen! I'm fine. I can stay at home alone. I promise I'll call if something happens." Emily was trying not to sound annoyed.

Neither Victor nor Darcy said anything. Darcy pulled into their driveway and killed the engine. She sat still, staring down at the steering wheel.

Victor stared at Darcy. "Everything okay, babe?"

"Yeah." Darcy unbuckled and climbed out of the car.

"Go straight upstairs and....." Victor started.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bath." Emily interrupted waving her hand in the air. She started up the stairs.

Victor sighed. "Do you think we smother her as bad as she complains?"

"Yep." Darcy answered. She was filling a pot with water to start making the chicken noodle soup she promised Emily. Or rather, demanded Emily eat.

"Why say it so simply? Isn't that like....Bad parenting?"

"Nope."

"How do you know? She seems miserable."

Darcy put the pot of water on the stove. "She's a teenager now. She's supposed to be miserable."

"How is that normal?"

"It's not. But it is. Because her age." Darcy said as she dug in the cupboard for Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup pouches.

Victor sighed. "You think we should back off?"

Darcy put the pouches on the counter next to the stove. She turned around and walked around the island to sit on a stool. "When she was small, did we do these things?"

"Well, yeah." Victor sat down beside Darcy.

"If we change now, she's going to think there's something wrong. Then we're going to have problems. She'd be too busy trying to understand us, she won't have time to figure herself out."

"But, don't you think it's a bit much? She should be taking our advice without complaint."

Darcy laughed. "Boy, aren't you backwards." Darcy shook her head. "You need to read a few books on teenagers. She's fine. She's normal. And trust me.....The best thing we can do for her is to stay the way we are. She's already developed an understanding of us. We're predictable. That's what she needs. More, now, than when she was two."

"That's stupid." Victor's turn to shake his head. He chuckled. "Okay. If you think it's best NOT to give our daughter the space she needs..." Victor stood up and kissed Darcy on her forehead. "Then that's what we'll do. Another her until she suffocates." He started for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I left my truck at the field. I have to go get it before the addict's find something valuable. Like my plates. Or the stereo. My wallet." He opened the door.

Darcy slapped her hand on the counter and turned to gape at Victor.

Victor flashes her a grin. "It's okay. I didn't crash or speed. I'll be back soon." He walked out the door.

Darcy shook her head.

"Mom!"

"What's the matter?"

"Where's the salt?"

"On top of the cabinet."

Darcy heard a door close. She sighed and stared at the counter top. She wondered if Victor was right. If they should give Emily some space. She knew their reaction over her having a flu was a little erratic. But to justify, she did faint on the field. All she knew to do was to remain the same as she always was. Smothering, over-protective, over-analytical and reactive. Emily would have a good life. Her children would have a better one. Darcy smirked to her thoughts. She was glad Emily was okay. But something in her gut told her this was, only, the beginning.

The soccer field was, about, a five minute drive from home. Which meant that Victor was looking at a thirty to forty minute walk. He needed it. After watching his daughter fall, lifeless, to the ground, he needed it.

The night air was cool and crisp. Fall weather. He heard that people were expecting snow this winter. It'd be nice, since Feather Stone hadn't had a decent snow in years. He could feel the mild chill and tensed the muscles in his arms as he put his hands in his pants pockets. The night was quiet, for now.

They lived down Feather Stone Road, a ways away from the noise and drug addicts and drunks. The moon was bright, Victor could see the road clearly. He could see the stars speckled throughout the sky. He admired it. He thought about Emily. How she collapsed. He thought about his childhood. His great grandmother was of Lakota decent. She used to sing to his grandfather a lullaby, who, in turn, sang it to his father and to him. His father had sung it to him for a short time. He had gotten lost in his problems and drank. He remembered he used to sing that lullaby to Emily. It's been a lot of years since he sang it to her. He couldn't remember why he stopped or when.

Darcy went up to her room. She wanted to change. It was a long day. She could hear the water running. Darcy couldn't seem to stop arguing with herself that she didn't have to change her parenting strategies. Emily was right, it's only a flu. But she fainted. Darcy dug in the to drawer of her tall dresser. She pulled out a long nighty and walked over to the bed. She took her earrings out and untied her hair. Darcy changed her clothes and brushed her hair. The water, finally, stopped. Darcy walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.

"You need anything?" Darcy asked.

"No."

"Okay. Well I'm going to start that soup soon. I'll have it ready for when you get out."

"Kay."

Darcy walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She turned the stove on and sat at the island to wait. She looked at the time, ten. Victor was gone only fifteen minutes. Felt like an hour.