"No." He frowned.

"I just remember telling you what happened and then you yelling at me about Ashley. I don't even remember hearing my phone ring." He shook his head.

“Mom, I think I'm having some kind of spells or something. I feel like I lost a few minutes and it's not the first time."

"Its not." Emma told him.

"I can't tell you what's going on because its more trouble than its worth, but I think we need to leave."

“Leave? We just got all our stuff squared away and you just took a job!"

"We'll move to the city, it's less than an hour from here. I'll be closer to work and farther from here."

"Thought you hated big cities."

"I do, but I'm not liking this house. I'm tired of trying to sound rational. There's something wrong here and you know it too, so let's throw some stuff together and go."

"Where?"

"We'll stay in a motel for a few days until we find a place then come back up here with movers. I'll pay them to pack everything; we won't have to do much."

The phone rang again and when Emma looked down, it was Ashley.

“Eric, you can't talk to her anymore."

“Mom, I know you're upset. You have a right to be, but she's sorry, she really is and..."

“Wait. Emma put her finger up to silence him.

“That was her before.

She wants to come up here?"

“Her father offered to fly her up here for a few days to talk.”

“And were you going to tell me?"

“Eventually. He sighed.

“I knew you'd be mad."

"Damn straight I'm mad. I forbid you to see this girl. In fact I'm going to call her father and tell him to keep his whore at home before she gives half the boys in Chicago VD."

"Hom!"

"Don't mom me. She played you for a fool and now she realizes the other guys are going to just treat her like the pig she is and you were good to her. Once a dog always a dog, Eric. She won't change and I won't let you find that out and be hurt again."

"You don't have the right to tell me that. It's my life."

"One that for now you share with me and while you do? She's off limits." Emma turned her back to him.

"End of discussion."

"I miss her, mom! I really do. I think about her all the time and I know what she did was wrong, but I need her."

Emma stopped and made sure to breath and do a quick count to ten.

Eric's voice was cracking and she needed to try and understand and be reasonable with him, not go off and upset him more.