Welcome to the Family

The final two days that Rebecca stayed with Jimmy she stayed away from him. She didn't particularly want to, but she couldn't forgive him just yet. She wanted to forgive him, but she wasn't sure if she could just yet. The day that she was supposed to move to Johnny's house for the next three weeks, she had Leana help her pack her stuff together. Jimmy would carry her down the stairs, but that was as far as she would let him near her. She was still rather upset with him for not telling her sooner, but she did understand where he was coming from. He didn't want to add any more stress on her after just getting out of the hospital, but in her mind, she didn't enjoy the fact that both he and Zacky knew the truth before she did.

Leana was helping her at the moment. It was silent between the two of them and she liked the silence. It was rather calming. Leana looked a little upset, but she wasn't sure why. Rebecca gently folded her clothes while she sat on the bed. Leana placed them inside the suitcases. She also went into the bathroom and gathered all of her toiletries that she used and placed them in a travel bag. In another three weeks she would be doing this again, but with Lacey by her side helping her instead.

"Leana, are you okay?" Rebecca asked, not able to stand the silence anymore.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered curtly.

"Are you mad at me?" Rebecca asked.

"Why would you think that?" Leana wondered.

"Well, you just seem a little frazzled and I just thought with my recent spat with Jimmy, that you might be mad at me," Rebecca stated.

"Not at all, honey. I'm sorry if you think that. Jimmy is worried about you though. You won't talk to him and he's really upset about what he did, but he honestly thought that he was doing the right thing from holding back on telling you about your family," Leana said.

"Did you know about my family?" she wondered.

"No, and I'm being honest. Jimmy keeps things from me too, but because I love him so much it doesn't bother me as much as it used to," she explained.

Rebecca nodded taking in the information. She had some thinking to do and she was glad that she could have some time away from Jimmy so that she could think about her next move towards him. A knock on the bedroom door got both girls' attention. They both turned it towards the door.

"Johnny's here," Jimmy said, looking at Rebecca and Leana.

"Alright, we'll be down in a minute, or I will. Rebecca will need some help," Leana said.

"I'll have Leana come get you when I'm ready," Rebecca added.

"Alright," Jimmy replied, and closed the door again.

The girls returned to packing. Rebecca never had so much stuff before. She was used to just a single backpack with only two sets of clothes inside. Now, she had countless numbers of clothes to choose from and it was rather hard to decide. Once all the clothes were packed and Leana had assured that she gathered everything from the bathroom that Rebecca had used Leana took the first of the three suitcases downstairs. When she returned Jimmy and Johnny were following her.

Rebecca sent Jimmy a small smile. It was something that she hadn't done in the last two days and it was a huge step for how angry she still felt towards him, so she was on the verge of forgiveness. It would take a lot of baby steps, but she knew that she would get there soon. At least she hoped she would. Jimmy walked over to her as Leana grabbed one suitcase and Johnny grabbed the other. They both left the room while Jimmy sat down next to her. She looked at him, but stayed silent.

"I know you're angry with me. I just have to say again how sorry I am for keeping something so important from you," he said over a heavy sigh.

Rebecca stayed silent, unsure of what to say. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but I wanted to make that clear. I'm sure I've lost some trust with you by keeping a secret, but I hope that I can earn it back someday," Jimmy said again.

Still, Rebecca stayed silent. Jimmy sighed one more time before standing up and then facing Rebecca. He asked her if she was ready to go downstairs and she merely nodded her head. She was being a child, and she knew it with the silent treatment, but she honestly couldn't help herself. It was, however, a natural response from a typical teenager. Jimmy picked her up and then carefully walked down the stairs with her. As they reached the bottom step Johnny and Leana were just re-entering the house after putting her stuff in his car.

Jimmy sat on the other side of the room after he set Rebecca down in her chair. He didn't want to overstep his boundaries. He knew that she needed her space. He hoped that with time she would be able to forgive him. Johnny looked over at his best friend. He hated that Rebecca wasn't talking to him because he was always the most energetic when it came to him. Before she knew the truth about her parents they spent about two hours discussing her and how well she was improving. He always so energetic during that whole two hours, but now it seemed so bittersweet.

Jonny sighed. He knew that it was time to go. Rebecca would need to get settled into his home before night fell. He wanted to make sure that she was comfortable and not in any kind of pain to start with. Then he wanted to make sure that she would be able to access everything she needed. It was going to be awhile until she forgave Jimmy, but Johnny knew that she would. He watched as Jimmy sulked in the corner. He turned his attention to Rebecca who had been staring at Jimmy. He could see the regret on her face about the way she was treating someone who showed her kindness. He hoped that they would work past this whole incident.

"Rebecca are you ready?" Johnny asked, shaking himself out of his thoughts.

Rebecca turned her attention away from Jimmy. She couldn't help but think that she was taking this too far. He had only tried to protect her heart from hurting more. He was just trying to keep her from being in more pain than she was. She sighed as she stared at Johnny.

She nodded her head. Maybe if she could have a little more time to think then she would be able to figure everything else out. All she knew was that her parents were murdered, she had an older brother somewhere out in the world, and she was now staying with five different rock stars until she could heal properly. It was a lot to take in. These guys seemed so caring.

Rebecca still wanted to figure out why Brian started acting weirder than when she first met him. He seemed to care more for safety and well being then he let on when they were still on the bus. He confused her to no end, so she hoped that she could maybe open up to him when she lived with him. She had a plan for the final two houses. She just wasn't sure if she could truly trust Zacky.

He also had kept her from the truth, but then again she never really talked to him all that much before. She couldn't hold anything against him. In the span of a couple of days, maybe even a few weeks since she met these guys her life had turned way upside down. It felt like she was losing control of the independent life that she knew.

Johnny had helped her into the back seat of his car. Lacey had been with him so she sat up front. Rebecca stared out the front window of the car and saw both Jimmy and Leana standing at the top of the driveway. Rebecca put aside her small internal battle against Jimmy and waved to him. He waved back without hesitation. She smiled. It was the first step to her maybe forgiving him. She still needed time to think though.

*****

A week had passed since Rebecca had moved in with Johnny and Lacey. Things weren't turning out for the best though. Rebecca was always quiet and didn't talk much. Lacey was lucky to get a few words out of her when she was helping her with her hair during shower or bath times. Johnny had an inkling of what might be going through Rebecca's head, but before he made any kind of drastic trust breaking moves he had to be sure. He needed to confront Rebecca on her feelings because she needed to talk to someone about them. She had a week and a half left with him before she was to move in with Matt.

When Johnny was at Matt's house for band practice, since they still had tours coming up he would notice Jimmy sulking when he wasn't playing. When they were practicing he'd notice Jimmy not putting as much life into his playing as he normally did. Jimmy was a crazy person when it came to playing the drums, but he wasn't acting all crazy and annoying now. He didn't crack jokes in between songs. He just sat silently behind his drum kit waiting for the next song to practice. Johnny's phone rang in his pocket. He slipped his bass off his shoulder and gently placed it on the stand and then answered his phone.

Everyone waited for Johnny to return from his phone call. He had walked out when he realized that it was Lacey calling. Sometimes the girls would stop by and watch them practice if they didn't have anything else to do. Today, though, with everything going with Rebecca and Jimmy they stayed away. Leana was worried about Jimmy, but she was also worried about Rebecca to. She had grown to love the fifteen year old girl. She wouldn't be sixteen for another three weeks. Jimmy had talked about throwing her a party, but now all talk of the party had ceased.

"Hey, Jimbo, you okay?" Zacky asked, gulping water down.

"Yeah," he said melancholy in his voice.

"What's wrong?" Brian wondered.

"My stomach hurts and I'm worried about Rebecca," he answered.

No one spoke for some time. It had been the first time since he had even spoken her name in the last week or so. It hurt him that she was giving him the cold shoulder. "Matt, do you have any Pepto Bismol or Tums?" Jimmy asked.

"Uh, yeah sure hold on," Matt said, going inside the house.

Again, they waited. Johnny still hadn't returned from his phone call yet. No one really cared. They knew all the songs by heart, but they still liked to practice. It was so that they wouldn't forget. Brian and Zacky were just goofing off with each other when Johnny finally walked back into the garage. His face was white as a sheet. Brian was in mid laugh when he noticed.

"Johnny, you okay?" Zacky asked his friend.

Johnny shook his head no. "What's wrong?" Jimmy piped up, clearly worried. Johnny couldn't answer right away. He took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes. He didn't know how to tell the guys what Lacey just told him, but he knew he had to.

"Hey, Short Shit, just spit it out," Jimmy said, getting a little life back into his voice.

Johnny opened his eyes and stared at his friends. It was now or never. He already knew that they weren't going to like the news, but it had to be said. He couldn't keep his friends in the dark, especially about something so serious.

"Rebecca managed to slice her wrist open," Johnny mumbled.

"What?" Zacky asked.

Johnny looked up at his friends. He turned his gaze to each one. Jimmy held worry in his expression, Zacky held confusion, but Brian had laughter deep in his chocolate eyes. Johnny sighed not knowing where Matt was.

"Rebecca is in the hospital because she sliced her wrist open," Johnny said louder. He looked at Brian first and watched as the laughter he had sparkling in his eyes instantly extinguish. Jimmy was the first to react though. He had clambered over his drum kit and was running for the cars. Johnny turned around to see Matt with a horror stricken look on his face. He must have appeared just when he repeated the news.

*****

Rebecca had woken up in a bright white room. She figured out that she was in a hospital, but she wasn't there long. Now, she was sitting in the back of Lacey's car as she drove back to Johnny's house. She didn't know why she did it exactly, just that she did. She remembered a lot of blood, maybe even more blood then she thought would come out. Lacey wasn't angry with her, just worried. Leana had been there and it was Leana who had found her. Rebecca couldn't figure out why Lacey had to go and tell Johnny about it. She was sure that he would spill his guts to the others. Rebecca didn't want to be the center of attention from everyone again. It was rather embarrassing.

"Rebecca?" Lacey's soft voice called out.

Rebecca looked at her. They were back at the house. She sighed as she got into the wheelchair that was in front of the open car door. Leana closed the door after Lacey had started wheeling her up towards the house. Rebecca wanted to be alone. Lacey and Leana had only agreed when she promised that she wouldn't do it again. There was no point anymore. She couldn't even remember why she thought about doing it in the first place. Her thoughts were all messed up and it didn't help that she had people fawning all over her. She wasn't used to it yet.

Together Leana and Lacey were able to carry Rebecca up the stairs. They gently placed her on the bed and then walked out. They left the door slightly open. Rebecca rolled over onto her side away from the door. She hadn't shed a single tear. She wasn't an overly emotional person so she didn't see the point of the tears.

*****

Jimmy barreled through the hallways of the hospital. He could hear his friends behind him trying to get his attention. He didn't stop and he didn't listen. His one thought was Rebecca and if she was okay. He didn't know what she was thinking that made her want to slit her wrist open, but he was definitely scared. He stopped at the nurse's station out of breath. His friends finally caught up with him.

"Jimmy, she's not here anymore," Johnny breathed out heavily.

Jimmy turned around and faced his friends with a glare. "What?" he asked.

"She's gone already. Lacey and Leana already took her home," Johnny explained.

Jimmy glared at him wishing he had said so earlier, but then again he hadn't given anyone enough time to explain considering he had bolted at the news he had first given. Jimmy quietly trudged behind his friends as they left the hospital. The ride to Johnny's house was completely silent. Jimmy couldn't speak to anyone. His thoughts were still on Rebecca and her safety. He stared out the window waiting for the car to stop.

Brian was just as silent as Jimmy. He was scared for Rebecca. When he first met her he couldn't fathom another person let into the close knit family they all had together. He didn't care for her fear stricken face or her silent episodes of not talking. He deliberately ignored her. That was until he found her thrashing on the couch that one night on the way home from the tour. When he had comforted her and she had calmed down at his touch his whole outlook towards her had changed. When she had continued to ignore him it hurt, but then again she didn't know that he was the one who had comforted her. He kept that bit of information to himself. He wasn't even sure he was going to tell her.

Brian looked out the window as well. He could tell how torn up Jimmy was over hearing the news of Rebecca. There was a deeper connection between her and Jimmy, and he didn't even think that him keeping a secret from her would completely break that connection. Jimmy had been the relentless one who had shown her the most attention. That was why he had been the first person she wanted to stay with. For her to even consider staying with all of them in rounds of three weeks was amazing. He had thought that she would have just stayed with Jimmy the whole time she was to heal.

When the car stopped at Johnny's house Jimmy was the first one to bolt from the car. Everyone knew that he was worried. Brian followed everyone else into the house only to barely get a glimpse of Jimmy's lanky form rushing up the stairs.

******

Rebecca was still in bed. She hadn't fallen asleep because she couldn't. Her mind wouldn't settle and it was bothering her. She kept thinking about her recurring nightmare and how it wouldn't leave her alone. Now, she would have another nightmare haunting her, but this time it was her own fault. The squeak of the bedroom door didn't make her turn her attention from the wall. Neither did the dip of the bed as someone sat down on it.

"Rebecca?" Jimmy's worried voice floated into the room.

Rebecca turned her head and stared at the worry clouded eyes that she missed seeing every day. That's when the tears finally started to fall. She couldn't fathom being so mean to someone who cared about her too much. Her actions finally came back full force or rather the reasons behind them. She hated the fact that she was acting so rude and disrespectful to the one person who showed an interest in her. She slowly sat up and hugged Jimmy.

He was surprised at first, but then returned the hug. They sat there together just hugging each other. Jimmy knew that she finally had forgiven him. He still couldn't understand why she would hurt herself, but he was just happy that she was no longer mad at him. It killed him to think that she was mad at him. He lay back onto the bed, but didn't let her go. She cried silently into his shirt soaking it with salty tears. He didn't say a single word. He stroked her brown hair that barely reached her shoulders and placed a kiss on her head.

*****

Jimmy hadn't come back down from the room. Matt had gone up to check and see if they were both okay. When he had opened the door he immediately closed it. When he returned downstairs he informed the others that both were asleep and holding onto each other as if they were going to lose one another. No one could really fault them for their actions. As Brian had observed they had a connection that went deeper than any of their friendships.

He looked at Rebecca with adoration and love. Not the kind of love that he showed Leana, but the kind of love an older brother would to a little sister, or the kind of love that a father would show his daughter. Their relationship was unique and no one was about to do anything to break that. It was too precious that they stay happy.