Free Mad Max: Unintended Consequences by Betsy Ashton

America. Get some R and R. I'll take the kids to New York. We'll both get away from the problem.”
    “What about Merry?”
    “What about her? I'll leave plenty of food. She'll survive a few days alone. Think of it as a trial run. See if she can handle responsibility.”
    Whip grinned. “Deal.”
    “Don't get too comfortable. Think about putting Merry into rehab.” I rose and moved toward the door. “Think about treatment. You may have to commit her.”
    And don't even think about staying in Central America forever. I'll find you. You won't like the consequences of getting stomped by Maxine Davies.
    Once I told the kids I was taking them to New York, Alex wanted to leave immediately. Like, the next day. I had to be sure Merry had everything she needed first. I invited her to come with us, knowing full well she wouldn't go. Still, I made a feeble attempt at getting her out of her drunken, drug-befogged existence.
    “Leave me alone.”
    I took her at her word.
    Alex sprang a list of everything he wanted to see and do on us at breakfast the day before we were to leave.
    I bit back a laugh. “Hand it over. Hmm, Central Park. Can do. The Statue of Liberty. Can do. The Intrepid Aircraft Carrier. We'll see. Ground Zero. Let me think about that.”
    “I really want to go to Ground Zero. It'd be so cool to look at the hole in the ground.”
    “I'm not sure I want to go.” Emilie stared off into the distance. “So many people died.”
    “It's been three years since the attack. Please, Mad Max, say we can go.”
    “Maybe.” I didn't like turning what was left of the World Trade Center into a tourist attraction. “Back to your list. The White House and Air and Space. Can't do.”
    “Why not?”
    “They're in Washington, D.C., you idiot.” Emilie rolled her eyes.
    “No name calling. He's not an idiot. You need to study geography, Alex. We'll start in Central Park with the zoo and the merry-go-round. We can take the subway to Battery Park and ride the Staten Island Ferry. Then we'll go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.”
    I checked off a couple of items.
    “What about you, Em? What do you want to do?”
    “MoMA. The Natural History Museum. Maybe a Broadway play. A carriage ride.”
    “Yuck.”
    “Whoa, Alex. Em's going where you want. You can do the same. Besides, think of it as a vacation with a twist.”
    “What twist?”
    “You'll learn something.”
    “Double yuck.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
    After trying to see and do everything on Alex's and Emilie's lists, we packed to return to Richmond. We had knocked all but the Intrepid off the lists. I ran out of energy to hike through an aircraft carrier-turned museum. I did relent, though, and took the kids to Ground Zero. We ate lunch in the Davies Enterprises cafeteria two blocks away.
    “Wow! You can see everything from here.” Alex bolted from window to window. He pointed to places we'd visited. “Even the hole in the ground.”
    “Were you here on September Eleventh?” These were the first words Emilie spoke since we arrived at Ground Zero.
    “I was.”
    Emilie threw her arms around my waist and buried her face in my shirt.
    I decided to drive back to Richmond rather than fly. I wanted my car so I didn't have to rent one all the time. Alex pouted when I told him I didn't have a DVD player in my Jag sedan. I reminded him he had his iPod and several books.
    “You can always look at the scenery, you know.”
    “That's boring.”
    “Could be, but we're going to drive.”
    Emilie was happy. “It'll take more time for us to get home, won't it?”
    “Sure will.”
    Our vacation away from Merry had been a godsend. We called every day, but she never answered. Emilie said her mother was “fine.” At least we tried.
    We hadn't been back two nights when cries came from Merry's room.
    I climbed out of bed, my heart pounding, my mouth dry as a fart in a mitten. Was Merry having another nightmare? They'd become more frequent of late, just like they had after