Phil to the rescue!

Dani looks down as she feels the tears welling in her eyes again. Trying to laugh it off, her cheeks grow warm. "I'm sorry... I just can't seem to stop. I'm just blubbering all over the place." Pulling a tissue out of her pocket, she dabs her eyes.

"I don't know what Dalton told Carson or what he told you or if he even figured it out. Knowing him, he probably did and... and I do need to talk to him about it sometime."

She pauses and takes a deep breath. She knew Misty wouldn't pressure her, but maybe it would be good to talk about it and get some of this off her chest. She knew Misty wouldn't mind, and it was different talking to a woman rather than a man.

"Yesterday... I went to see Dalton and... and he'd gotten mad and threw a stapler at the wall or something. And... when I saw the pieces, it was like, all these memories wanted to surface but I didn't want them to." She talks with her hands, trying to keep her nerves calm. "Bothered me all day and Dalton knew something was wrong, but I didn't even realize it until later. I fell asleep on his couch and I had this horrible dream but... but when I woke up, I..."

The tears threatened to start again and she has to pause and compose herself, her voice wavering. "When I woke up, I realized that it wasn't just a dream. That parts of it were true... that I wasn't just imagining things, but I was remembering things."

Swallowing hard, Dani fiddles with her tissue. "I... I remembered things about my father. Carson had told me that he was a drinker by the time I was born and that he slapped Mum around... but... but I didn't remember any of it. And Carson... he got me out of the house most of the time when Dad would come home. That much I remember. I never really knew why though... I was just spending time with my hero... my big brother."

Pausing again, Dani watches the passing scenery. "Then... then last night... all these memories started to surface. I... I realized that... the stapler... the one in Dalton's office... seeing those pieces there reminded me of a lamp that had shattered and that's what triggered those memories." She swallows again and blows her nose. "I remember I tried to kick him away but... but it didn't work. I ended up knocking my lamp off the stand beside my bed. And then... I was on my stomach staring down at the floor. And I just concentrated on those pieces of broken glass..." Her voice cracks again as she tries to make it through.

And she does eventually. After several more breakdowns, the truth comes out of the abuse she had endured as a child, locked away for so many years.

"And now..." Dani shakes her head, trying to force through a sorry sort of laugh. "Now I feel stupid. 'Cause it's nothing new... it was years ago and... and it doesn't change anything. I've been living like this all this time and I just didn't know it, so really... nothing has changed, and it feels silly, ya know?"

By now, her tissues is in shreds from all her fidgeting. "I'm just... I don't... I... I don't quite know what to do with what I feel or what I remember. It's all just... I don't know... messed me up inside."


Phil had grumbled about the detour on the back road. Of all the places the city needed to work - they should be downtown where the worst of it was, not the quiet road he usually traveled on. As it was, he was tired from being at a friend's house after work, he was hungry and just wanted to get home.

The radio blaring, he keeps his eyes on the road, stifling a yawn. As his eyes scan the dim road though, something up ahead catches his attention. Were those lights off on the shoulder? Nearing the scene, he soon realizes that it's a car and it had hit a tree... hard... and not all that long ago.

Applying the brakes, Phil slows and looks out the window, squinting to see if this was indeed a fresh accident or if he should just move on. Catching sight of the smoke, he knows that this couldn't have happened more than a few minutes prior.

Quickly pulling off onto the shoulder, he throws his truck in park and gets out, jogging to the wrecked car. Putting an arm to his mouth, he coughs as the smoke billows from the car's engine. "Hey," he calls. "Anybody in there?"

Daring to get closer, he now sees a figure slumped over the steering wheel. "Hey!" he calls louder, tapping on the passenger window. With no response, his pulse starts to race. His eye catches sight of flames, licking out from under the hood. There wasn't much time.

Opening up the right hand door, he crawls halfway in, now realizing that it was a young woman driver. Reaching over to her neck, he quickly checks for a pulse and finds a weak one, but it was there - she was still alive. "Come on, we gotta get you out of here," he encourages.

Seeing her move a little, he's glad that she's not completely unconscious. He knew it was dangerous to move her if she had any spine or internal injuries, but if he left her here, she'd die from smoke inhalation or worse before the paramedics could arrive.

Coughing again from the smoke, he's quick to unbuckle her seatbelt and untangle it from her arms. His hand feels the wet, warm blood from her head, and he grits his teeth, not knowing how badly she was hurt. "It's gonna be okay," he soothes, his voice not in any way reflecting the panic he felt inside. "I'm gonna move you around just a little, okay? That's it, nice and slow."

Turning the young woman just enough that he can get a gentle grip on her, he slips his arms under her own, holding her securely and slowly, slowly pulling her out from behind the wheel. Trying not to jolt her too much, he backs out of the car, still with his arms around her. Getting her into fresher air, he shifts so he can lift her up into his arms, and quickly carries her a safe distance from the car.

Kneeling by his truck, he lays the woman out on her back and cradles her head in his lap to stabilize her, should she have any spine or neck injuries. "It's okay," he continues to soothe. "You're okay. Help is on the way."

Reaching into his pocket, Phil fishes for his phone, fumbling with it a moment before he can dial 911. "Yes, I'm out on route-"

His words are suddenly cut off by the thunderous explosion behind them. He instinctively bends over the young woman to shield her from any debris, cringing as he feels the shockwave and heat from what was now left of the car. "We need an ambulance," he manages to finish.

Once he's confident the paramedics are on their way, he brushes away some of the woman's blonde hair from her face, and applies pressure to the wound on her forehead that was still bleeding. The fire of her car blazed behind them and he looks down at her with worry.