"I told you to become a doctor like your brother!" Ella's mom almost wailed through the phone. "I knew that job wasn't going to bring you good things."

"Mamá, por favor (please)." Ella begged, laughing under her breath as she leaned forward on her desk. "I am a doctor."

"Not that type of doctor, Ellie! A real one, one that actually works in a hospital with patie-" her mom paused, realizing that her argument was weak. "You know what I mean, right? You're a psychologist."

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Ella breathed, straightening herself up. "Either way, you don't really need to worry too much. I actually reached out to Kim, and he said he would take care of it all."

"Why are you even being sued?!" Ella's mom returned to her previous, panicked state. She had never been the calm one from the family. "You know what? We're coming back." Ella could hear her mom shuffling things around, probably going to get her suitcase.

"No, Mamá, relax, please." Ella laughed at her mom's outrageous solutions. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm being sued, not followed or stalked."

"You never know, Ellie." Her mom paused, something common for her, and Ella waited for her to continue. Ella's Mom, Elizabeth, could never really keep things to herself. It was a part of her nature to be loud, a wreck, and overprotective. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Si, Mamá. (Yes, mom)"

"What if you stayed with your brother? Fransisco could take care of you for a couple of weeks."

"Mamá, please. You know we're adults now, right?" Ella reminded her in amusement. She had grown up learning how to calm her mom whenever she became overwhelmed.

"That doesn't take away the fact that you guys are still my children."

Elizabeth especially worried about Ella. She knew that Fransisco could hold his ground. He was a tough cookie and knew how to go on about life in general. Stefanie, the youngest in the family, was also a little ball of fire. That girl knew how to defend herself and was quite wary of people, which in result, helped keep her safe from all of the wrong people. Ella, however, was the total opposite.

Ella was kind. Whether you were an elderly person trying to cross the street or a gunman that had just robbed the bank, if they dropped even a dollar, Ella would make sure to return it. She was friends with ex-con men and liberated prisoners. She would volunteer at libraries and organize her brother's schedule for him. She was so intelligent and open to everyone, that it really worried everyone yet made them feel proud to have her in their lives.

"I still think we should return. Just to stay there and make sure you're really okay while the court case carries on." Ella's mom still was wary. When she and her husband had left for Spain, their motherland, they were most worried about Ella, but they also knew that she really going to be okay. Fransisco especially made sure to check up on her at least three times a week.

"The court dates will probably stretch over the span of months. Just relax, I promise you that if anything gets out of hand, I'll let you know." Ella promised, and her mom rolled her eyes.

"I know that, mija (my daughter), you can't lie to save your life." Elizabeth chuckled. "Are you having dinner at Fransisco's tonight?"

"Oh, shoot." Ella jumped up at the reminder. She checked the time on her watch and quickly grabbed her things. "I totally forgot!"

"Do you still not have a secretary?!" Elizabeth scolded, already anxious for her child. "Ellie! That's too much for you to handle at once! We talked about this!"

"I know, Mamá, I know, but if you spent time here, you would know that it really isn't necessary." Ella locked up the office in a hurry and rushed down the stairs to the parking lot. "For now, trust me, I can handle it."

"Doesn't sound like it." Elizabeth breathed in, trying to calm herself down. "Drive safely, honey. Think about us coming back and about that secretary you need, okay?"

"Alright. Tell Papá I love you guys. Take care." Ella hung up and began her drive to her brother's.

She wasn't planning on making her parents fly back from Spain nor was she planning on staying at her brother's. She was an adult now, and the situation wasn't dire for her to ask for help. It was a simple court case.

That was exactly what she told Fransisco once he opened his front door and asked if she was staying over.

"I already told her that it's not necessary." Ella entered his home, removing her coat and placing her purse on a small stand off to the side.

"She's worried." Her brother explained, also worried over the situation. "I still find all of this ridiculous." He ran a hand through his dark hair as he lead her through the house to the kitchen where his wife and sister were.

"He's just concerned over his marriage. It's falling apart right from his hands, and he thinks I'm the reason for it." Ella shrugged, leaving her brother appalled.

That was how the family knew that she belonged in this psychological field. She was so understanding and patient and kind. Fransisco knew that if it had been him in her shoes, he would've already hired top-notch lawyers to bring down the person suing him.

"Well, my home doors are open for you. You know Erica loves you."

"How is she, by the way?" Ella looked at her brother closely. Ella's classes in understanding the human behavior, mind, and emotions had helped her read her family better, though she was always good at it. She was a listener and a follower instead of a talker and leader. If she was put up to it, she could do it, but she would much rather not.

"She's fine." He gave her a small, sincere smile. Ella nodded, content that at least he wasn't having large concerns as before. Fransisco had never really relied on his family much. Ella assumed it was a man thing, that they believed they were the man and had to take care of themselves as well as rarely share their emotions.

"That's a relief." Ella noted, and her brother nodded, not fully understanding the underlying meaning behind her words.

They entered the kitchen where Stefanie helped Erica make some sort of sweet pastry. The youngest turned to look at the new guest, her smile widening as she greeted her older sister.

"Hey, girl. You're a little late to the party!" Stefanie shone brightly. Her light brown hair that had been lightly touched by highlights was down past her shoulders in a straight cascade, her dark brown eyes twinkling with unsaid happiness.

"What's going on with you?" Ella got closer to steal a strawberry. She warmly greeted Erica and saw that Erica was in the same giddy trance. Ella turned to steal another look at her brother but found nothing but the same, small, sincere smile. "What happened?"

"Well..." Erica left her utensils over the counter and reached to touch her stomach. "I'm pregnant."

"No way." Ella widened her eyes, her lips forming an 'o' in surprise.

"Yes, really! Isn't that exciting?!" Stefanie was almost vibrating in her spot from how happy she was.

"I mean, yeah." Ella accepted the mother-to-be's eager and excited hug. "Congrats!" She forced herself to smile wide, but it didn't come off too genuine.

"What's wrong?" Stefanie watched her closely, a large smile still on her beautiful face. "Aren't you happy?"

"I am." Ella instantly replied. She looked back at Erica while reaching to rub her arm. "I really am happy for you guys."

That instantly convinced the two girls as they began to chatter avidly about future plans and names. Ella participated lightly but focused more on her brother. He, in return, watched her too. Fransisco had always been scared of how well Ella could read him. In fact, one of the first things he requested of her when she finally had her degree in psychology was that she not read him. There were some things about his concerns that he would rather keep in the dark.

Later, as Stefanie and Erica went outside because Erica wanted to show Stef her garden, Fransisco pulled Ella to the side.

"What's with your face?" He bluntly questioned as they leaned on the back porch, watching over both girls that were admiring the garden.

"Do I have food?" Ella innocently wondered, her slim fingers going up to her plump lips as she rubbed around the corners.

"No, dummy." Fransisco rolled his black eyes and reached to pull her hand down. "You don't look too happy about Erica's pregnancy."

"Oh." Ella felt a sudden need to leave. She didn't want to make her brother uncomfortable or sad, so she hoped he would just leave it alone.

"Oh? Oh, what, Ellie?" He looked down at her as she sighed, looking away from his eyes. "Hmm?"

Ella took a deep breath in, preparing herself.

"Don't do that to me, Ellie. You know you're off the clock around me." He grunted as he took a large sip of his wine.

"You know I've always been able to read you even before I took those courses." Ella rebutted gently, quietly to prevent the other two girls from hearing. "How do you explain your face, then? You didn't seem too happy about the pregnancy announcement either."

"I love her, Ella, of course, I'm happy about her pregnancy." Fransisco instantly defended himself, scoffing.

"I didn't say you didn't love her. I'm asking if you're okay with her announcing it to the public." Ella watched as his jaw clenched just a fraction.

"Why are you even asking?"

Ella almost groaned in frustration. Fransisco was really going to make her say it.

"I know about the miscarriage." Ella blurted, watching as her brother's face hardened.

"I told Mamá not to say anythi-"

"She didn't." Ella quickly reassured him, her hands waving in front of him in the negative. "It was just... it's hard to hide something like that."

"Stef doesn't know anything- wait, does she?" Fransisco was now suspicious of everyone.

"No, she doesn't." Ella confirmed, looking at the pair who were plucking strawberries. "You know she's not the most observant girl."

"So it's just you and Mamá?" Fransisco sighed, a heavy weight on his shoulders. He wanted to shield his wife from that memory, and while he knew that he could trust his sister and mother, it was still more people that knew about it.

"We're not going to say anything to anyone, Fransisco," Ella promised, and she knew that while that was one of his concerns, it wasn't the main one. "Especially to Erica, but what about you? Are you as happy as she is?" Ella questioned even though she already knew the answer. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable by letting him know that she could read him like an open book.

"If she's happy, then I'm happy." He said, watching her from the porch, taking another sip of his wine. "It's just..."

"It's just what?" Ella gently prodded as she realized that he did want to talk about it, but he felt guilty doing so. "I'm not going to tell anyone nor am I going to judge you, Fransisco." She reached to touch his arm warmly, worriedly.

"I'm afraid." He almost croaked out, his grip on his wine glass tightening significantly, making his skin touching the glass turn pale. "It's just that after the miscarriage, she wasn't the same, and now... she's finally back."

"You're afraid something's going to go wrong and that'll change her again." Ella noted, nodding as she sighed. The worse thing was that they announced it already, and that only made it more real.

Ella decided to do the best she could for him in that situation, which was giving him advice, even if that advice had the possibility of making him upset with her.

"From my viewpoint, you can't let your emotions depend on someone else, no matter the person. I'm not saying don't have feelings for people, just don't let their actions and words dictate yours." Ella watched as he clenched his jaw, nodding. He knew she was right, he just didn't know how to get ahold of the rollercoaster of emotions going through him at the moment. Maybe having a psychologist for a sister wasn't such a bad idea anymore.

They wrapped up their night with Erica giving her sister-in-laws some fresh fruit picked out from her large and giving garden. Ella arrived home early, getting ready for bed and worn out, however, as soon as she was ready to render herself to sleep, the events from that day kept replaying in her head like a clip on repeat.

"Are you kidding me?" Ella whispered into the dark, heaving a sigh from her lips as she stared at her ceiling in frustration. She shook her head, closing her eyes again but all that would play was her brother's pained and troubled face. Ella opened her eyes again, looking at the time.

11:18

It wasn't extremely late; she could go for a walk. Walks and pianos always had a calming effect on Ella. She glanced down at Rufus, who laid by her feet. The Golden Retriever had his face towards his owner, his eyes were lazily open as he watched his distressed owner.

"Wanna go for a walk, Rufus?" Ella looked at him as the pup stood up, scooting closer to his owner. "Let's go." She got up, leaving Rufus on the bed. The pup looked at her curiously, sleepily. He didn't seem to want to go, but upon seeing his owner getting ready, he shuffled out of bed and trotted over, allowing Ella to leash him up. "Good boy." Ella offered him a treat, and Rufus's tail wagged lightly, his tongue licking Ella's hand.

Down the street and around a block was a small park that Ella would go to whenever she needed to go for a walk and get some fresh air. Her neighborhood was secure enough. She didn't live in the large and fancy estates as her brother did. Large homes made her uncomfortable. She preferred warmer, cozier places, and that was what she had found in the friendly and middle-class neighborhood.

She had been walking for ten minutes when she began to hear heavy steps fall behind her. She didn't bother turning around, a yawn escaping her mouth as she realized that she was getting tired and that she was being followed by those heavy and swift footsteps. She took a turn around the block, and so did her follower.

"Ah, really, Sam?" Ella stopped, turning to glare at the man behind her.

"That could've been someone else." Sam seemed unbothered by her stare, walking beside her. "Do you have that taser I gave you?" He offered to take Rufus's leash.

"What are you doing out so late?" Ella ignored his question, knowing that answering that question would probably only get her into trouble.

"I ought to be asking you that." Sam took note of her pinkish eyes. He turned around to walk her back home, and Ella didn't argue.

Sam was a former convict. He had been charged with forced entry and theft. Basically, the guy was a tech genius that could hack into banks' security systems and take a couple of thousands just for fun. He, however, wasn't aware that the police were hot on his trail until later, when he got busted for getting greedy and robbing about five hundred thousand. His sentence was reduced once the judge found out that the money he stole was mostly being used to fund orphanages, profit-free hospitals, and other charities mainly for children. He had a soft spot for them.

He and Ella became great friends after he pick-pocketed her, and when he returned her wallet empty, she simply sighed, flicking some of her wispy bangs from her forehead before meeting his eyes dead-on, and said, "A smart person wouldn't have returned it, much less empty and in person." Ella then proceeded to hand it back to him after taking out her license and leaving the shop without making a scene. To be fair, though, Ella didn't carry her credit and debit cards with her. The only things in her wallet were sixty dollars, two quarters, and her license.

"Tell Greg that I still have his money. He needs to come to pick it up." Ella yawned again as Sam handed her Rufus's leash.

"That's for you to keep." Sam smiled at the girl, shaking his head. She had also wormed her way into Greg's heart, who was a previous investigator. Greg was later fired and placed into jail once the police found out that he was more eager to fabricate evidence for money than he was to find true justice.

"Tell him to come pick it up." Ella ignored Sam's comment and walked inside her gated home. "Goodnight Sam, and thank you." She said, her eyes a bit droopy.

"Goodnight, Ellie. Don't come out this late ever again." Sam warned, making sure she agreed and locked herself in her place before he began walking back to his own residence that was a bit further down the street.