Chloe woke up the next morning to the sound of her phone.  Immediately, she sat up.  In the bed next to her, Justin was starting to stir.

“Make it stop! Too early!” Justin groaned; his voice muffled by the pillow.

Looking at the caller ID Chloe saw that it was Adam.  He wouldn’t call her this early unless it was important.

“Is everything ok?  Is Gabby ok? Is she sick?” Chloe whispered into the phone.

Adam couldn’t help but smile and shake his head on the other end.  He could almost picture Chloe, somewhere in Tribeca, Justin probably nearby, listening to her go into panic.

“Gabby is fine! She’s getting her shoes on as we speak.  I just wanted to make sure you remembered Career Day…”

“Career Day…that’s not…”

Adam laughed more.  Of course, she’d forgotten.  She’d had a lot on her mind lately but it didn’t change the fact that it was happening.

“Today!”

“No! It’s the 14th…”

“Yeah, that’s today.”

“SHIT!” Chloe exclaimed.

Chloe looked at the clock on the bedside table next to Justin.  7:00 a.m.  She’d completely forgotten about Career Day at Gabby’s school.  Today was her first day as Head of Trauma…she couldn’t miss rounds.  Not today.

“Adam…I can’t…”

“Neither can I…we have Voir Dire today…jury selection…”

“SHIT! SHIT!” Chloe exclaimed massaging her temples.

Justin rolled over to look at her.  He could tell by her tone that she was upset and the look in her eyes was heartbreaking.

Immediately, he sat up next to her, placing a hand on her leg.

“What’s wrong? What can I do? How can I help?”

Chloe looked to him, her eyes now brimming with tears.  She couldn’t ask him for such a big favor, could she?

“Tell me…let me help if I can.” Justin pleaded softly.

Chloe nodded and forced back her tears as she started to explain. 

“Today is Career Day at Gabby’s school.  I completely forgot! I promised her I would be there, but now I can’t…and neither can Adam…”

Justin grinned, then leaned in and popped a kiss on her lips.

“What time?” he asked throwing the covers from the bed.

Chloe’s eyes went wide.  She definitely hadn’t expected this.

“9:00.” Adam answered, loud enough for Justin to hear.

“Justin…I couldn’t ask you…”

Justin leaned over and popped another kiss on her lips, cutting her off midsentence.

“You’re not…I’m offering…I’m not going to let Gabby be left hanging…”

Chloe watched, her jaw dropping as he sprang from the bed, still naked and headed for the shower.  She was still gawking when she heard the water start, but Adam snapped her back into reality.

“Is he really?” Adam asked, sounding a bit dumbfounded as well.

“Umm…I think so…” Chloe giggled.

“What do I tell Gabby when she asks, because you know she will.”

Chloe bit her lip, still giggling and shook her head.  “Umm…”

“Tell her not to worry...someone will be there at 9:00…pinkie promise.  Also, what kind of coffee does her teacher drink?’ Justin called from the bathroom doorway.

Chloe made a face.  “Vanilla latte! Why?”

“Hot or iced?”

He was grinning mischievously.  His head the only part of him visible as he stood just to the right of the bathroom doorway. 

“Justin, what are you planning?”

“Answer the question, Chloe.” He smirked.

“Hot.  Now, you better answer mine.  What are you planning?”

“I told you…her teacher…”

“Mrs. Hawkins.” Chloe corrected.

“Right! Mrs. Hawkins didn’t believe Gabby when she told her that she knew me.  I can’t let that slide!”

Chloe snorted loudly.  “So, you’re going to give her teacher a heart attack.”

“Nah…nothing like that…just set the records straight.”

Chloe just giggled and shook her head.  She would have to remember to email Gabby’s teacher later just to make sure she was ok and didn’t need medical attention.

“You sure about this?” Chloe asked nervously.

“Absolutely!”

***

At precisely 9:00 a.m. Justin walked into the office of Gabby’s school.  He was dressed in a pair of Limited-Edition Nike sneakers, jeans, a white button down, a light blue sweater vest and a dark, navy-blue suit jacket.   His guitar was over his shoulder and in his hands a drink carrier with two cups of coffee, one for him and one for Gabby’s teacher.

The front desk at a school was always teeming with activity.  Today was no different.  In fact, it seemed busier than normal.  Then again, if it was Career Day it made sense.

From behind the front desk a woman’s voice called out, signaling that he wasn’t being ignored.

“I’ll be with you in one moment.”

Justin smiled.  She was busy writing something down, she hadn’t really looked at him directly yet.  It made him wonder what her reaction would be. 

“Take your time, I’m not in a huge hurry.” He replied.

 A few moments later the woman approached the front desk and FINALLY looked at him. 

“Good morning, how can I…”

Her voice trailed off and her jaw dropped in shock.  Justin had to smile and bite his lip to keep from laughing.  This was the reaction he’d anticipated.  There weren’t many women between the ages of about 20 and 50 that didn’t know who he was, and MANY of the women younger than that at least knew his voice.

“Umm…WAIT?! You’re…”

Justin chuckled and nodded.  This was not the craziest encounter he’d ever had but it was definitely amusing.

“I am…I’m looking for Gabby Hunter, she’s in Kindergarten, Mrs. Hawkins class. I am her guest for Career Day.”

The woman, still in shock nodded and pushed the sign-in sheet towards him.  “Right.  Career Day.  Could you please sign in?”

Justin set the drink carrier down on the counter then quickly scribbled his name on the “Guest Sign-in” sheet in front of him.  Once finished he looked up at the woman again, she was obviously trying to pull herself together.

“Gabby Hunter? Mrs. Hawkins class?”

The woman shook herself from her daydream and smiled as she handed him a Visitor badge.  “Oh, yes! Umm…Room 103.  Down that hallway, third door on your right.”

“Thank you.”

The door to the classroom was open.  The teacher was standing at the front of the room, addressing the students and the other parents and guests that had gathered for Career Day. 

Justin surveyed the scene and couldn’t help but smile.  4 colored tables with little chairs around them.  In each chair a different kid, all with bigger chairs set next to them, occupied by an adult, except for the chair next to Gabby.  That one was still empty. 

His heart lurched a little.  He was late.  He could only imagine what Gabby was thinking.  However, he didn’t get to dwell on it for long.  As soon as he stepped into view 16 tiny hands shot up in the air at once. 

You could see the excitement in their eyes as they all tried to get their teacher’s attention.  Some of the adults looked a bit excited as well, especially some of the women in the room.

“Boys and girls, please put your hands down.  I will answer questions in just a moment.”

“But…Mrs. Hawkins….” One little boy started.

“What’s the rule about interrupting?”

Gabby saw Justin and her frown immediately turned upside down as her hand shot up in the air again.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Hawkins, I’m not trying to be rude, none of us are…you always say the rule is we can’t interrupt you unless we are sick, hurt, in danger, we brought you coffee or…”

“Justin Timberlake walks into the room” the rest of the class chorused while pointing to the poster behind her and then to the doorway.

Sure enough, on the wall behind her there was a handmade poster that said everything Gabby had just explained, complete with pictures, including one of him. 

The teacher smiled politely and nodded.  “Yes, that is the rule.”

Her growing irritation was evident but Gabby was now determined to make her point.

“Mrs. Hawkins…Justin Timberlake just walked into the room.” Gabby said with a grin.

The teacher offered Gabby a polite, slightly placating smile then opened her mouth to speak but Justin realized that was his cue and quickly cut her off.

“Sorry, I’m late…I stopped to get you coffee, Vanilla latte, right?”

The teacher froze as the class all began to giggle.  Slowly, she turned towards the familiar voice.  Her eyes went wide and her jaw literally dropped to the floor as he offered her the cup.

“Mister…” the teacher stuttered, taking the cup, her hands shaking a bit.

“It’s Justin.  I’m here for Gabby Hunter.”

Mrs. Hawkins eyes widened even more.  Realization had just set in.  She realized in that moment was this was all about.  She hadn’t believed Gabby and now here was the proof.

Mrs. Hawkins nodded to the empty chair next to Gabby and offered Justin an awkward smile.  “Please, have a seat, you’re not late…we were just getting started.”

Justin nodded then carefully squeezed his way through the already crowded room before taking his seat next to Gabby.  As soon as he was seated, he leaned in and very quietly whispered in Gabby’s ear.

“See, I told you I wouldn’t let that slide, and I would NEVER let you feel left out and forgotten on a day like today.”

Gabby smiled and nodded. 

“Thank you, Justin! Thank you SO SO much!”

“I got you girl!”

Justin and Gabby then turned their attention back to the front of the room.  Mrs. Hawkins was still standing at the front.  She still looked a bit starstruck but she was handling it well. 

“Before we continue, Gabby, I owe you an apology.  I should have believed you.”

Gabby beamed.  “It’s ok Mrs. Hawkins, I get it, apology accepted.”

Mrs. Hawkins smiled and nodded then turned her attention back to the whole group.  She explained that in the interest of fairness she would be drawing names from a hat to decide the order in which the children would go to present their “special guest”. 

As each name was drawn the student and their guest stepped to the front of the room.  The student introduced the guest giving their name and what they did.  After the guest spoke for a bit, the students were then permitted to raise their hand and ask questions. 

One by one Gabby and Justin listened attentively until it was Gabby’s turn.  As soon as Gabby’s name was called, she leapt from her seat, took Justin by the hand and guided him to the front of the room with his guitar in tow.

Gabby was grinning a mile wide as she stood in front of the class. 

“This is my friend; Mr. Justin Timberlake.  He is a singer, songwriter, producer and an actor.”

“Hi.” Justin said, waving awkwardly.

He could handle the press, the paparazzi, screaming fans, critics and haters with ease, but apparently, standing in a room filled with 5- and 6-year-olds was a bit intimidating.

For the next fifteen minutes Justin stood in front of the class explaining a little bit about what he did in more detail.  Everyone in the room, parents included seemed to be hanging on his every word.  Even some of the dads looked impressed. 

Once he finished it was Mrs. Hawkins that spoke first.

“Mr. Timberlake …I see you brought a guitar with you today…would like to play something for the class?”

Chuckling a bit Justin looked out into the crowd.  All of the kids were nodding emphatically meanwhile several of the moms were blushing. 

“Umm…I mean…I could…but I know there are other guests that haven’t gone yet…I wouldn’t want to take anyone else’s time.”

“Does anyone have a problem with Mr. Timberlake playing a song for us?”

“No.” was the overwhelming response.

Justin chuckled again then positioned his guitar in front of him.  “Ok, well…since I know Gabby is a big fan of the movie “Trolls” I’ll play something from that.”

Giving Gabby a wink and a smile Justin moved his hands into position and then began the first few chords of the song “True Colors.”

You with the sad eyes

Don't be discouraged, oh I realize

It's hard to take courage

In a world full of people

You can lose sight of it all

The darkness inside you

Can make you feel so small

As soon as he finished the song tiny hands started to shoot into the air all around the room.  Most of the moms were still trying to regain their composure, and a few were trying to choke back tears. 

“Ok, Tommy, what’s your question for Mr. Timberlake?” Mrs. Hawkins asked as she tried to not sound choked up as well.

Little Tommy didn’t hesitate.  He got straight to the point.

“Why do you sound exactly like Branch?”

The parents and other adults in the room were all smiles.  Justin could only laugh and then look to Gabby. 

“What do you think Gabby? Can we trust your classmates with the secret?”

Gabby nodded.  “I think so.”

Justin gave her a wink then leaned forward and whispered loud enough that everyone heard.

“I am Branch!”

Again, tiny hands shot up all around the room.

“Melanie.” Mrs. Hawkins replied, nodding to a little red head with curly pig tails.

“How?  How are you Branch?” Melanie blurted out excitedly.

Justin bit his lip and grinned.  “Well…umm…Branch is animated character, a cartoon.  An animator draws the character and then they hire an actor to do the voice.  The actor or actress who does the voice goes into a recording studio and records all the dialogue…the words the character says…then they use computers to match the recording up with the drawings, which is what you see on screen when you watch the movie.  I am the voice for Branch.  When he talks that’s my voice you are hearing.”

All the kids appeared mind-blown, all of them except for Gabby.  Gabby was beaming and Justin couldn’t be happier. 

Gabby was a great kid and the smile on her face was all the affirmation he needed that he’d done good.

***

Later that day, Justin was milling around his apartment, preparing to leave to join the tour again the next day.

The last two days had been nothing short of perfect and although he was excited about continuing on with the tour the idea of leaving again definitely tugged at his heart strings. 

He would definitely be counting the days until he was back in New York. 

His thoughts had drifted off to Chloe and Gabby.  He was thinking about what he should do for their birthdays when the sound of his phone ringing in his pocket snapped him from his thoughts and back into reality.

Shaking himself a bit he pulled the phone out and looked at the screen.  It was Chloe and a smile formed on his lips. He answered immediately.

“Hey boss lady…how’s it going on your first day? Are you kickin’ ass and taking names?”

Chloe giggled on the other end and shook her head.  He really was adorable. 

“Not hardly but thanks for the confidence boost.  I’ve been running around all day.  In addition to it being my first day as head of the department the new Surgical Interns started today.”

“Sounds exhausting.” Justin replied.

“Not too bad…it’s just going to take me a bit of getting used to being in charge.”

Justin nodded and smiled.  On some level he understood.  He’d gone from being in a band with four other guys to being on his own.  It wasn’t that much of a stretch.

“Everything else ok?”

Chloe smiled.  He worried about her.  It was sweet.

“Yeah, how was Career Day?”

Justin grinned.  “I think I was a hit.”

Chloe smirked.  “I’m sure you were.  Which brings me to why I called.  I need another favor.”

“Sure.  Whatever you need.”

“There is no way I am going to be able to leave early to go get Gabby from school and Adam is still stuck at court.  If I call the school and give Parental Consent over the phone, would you be willing to pick up Gabby from school for me today?   You could bring her home and then stay for dinner.”

Justin grinned more.  He would have agreed without the dinner invitation but any excuse to spend more time with Gabby and Chloe was a good one.

“Absolutely!”

“Really?!”

“Of course.  I’d love to.”

“You’re a lifesaver, thank you.”

“No need to thank me, at least not right now, we can discuss a proper “thank you” later.”

Chloe giggled.  “Oh, I bet.”

***

As she’d promised, Chloe made the call to Gabby’s school authorizing Justin to pick her up.  Truthfully, she’d contemplated adding him to her Emergency Contact list for Gabby but then decided it against it.  For a number of reasons.  The first being, she wanted to discuss it with him first, and the second, she didn’t want his home address or contact information falling into the wrong hands.

Not to mention that he would be on tour for most of the rest of the school year so there really was no point.

At 3:05 Justin was standing in the “Walker” pick up line waiting for Gabby. 

Gabby bounded down the steps when she saw him.  Her teacher could only blush, wave and smile.

Together they walked down the sidewalk towards the subway.  It was a short ride from the school to Chloe’s apartment and then an even shorter walk.  Justin thought about driving but then there was the hassle of parking and a booster seat for Gabby.  It was just easier to take the train and walk.

“How was the rest of your day?” Justin asked.

“Great!  We had fish sticks for lunch and everyone cannot stop talking about how Justin Timberlake came to Career Day.”

Justin chuckled and shook his head.  “How do you feel about that?”

Gabby smiled then shrugged.  “I’m ok.  The fuss doesn’t bother me.  I’m just glad you came.”

They were coming up to the apartment when Justin spotted someone sitting on the front step.  It was a male someone.  He was dressed in jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt.  In his hand was a rolled-up copy of the newspaper.  Immediately Justin’s guard was up. 

Unfortunately, Gabby spotted the person too. 

“Daddy!!” Gabby exclaimed.

Justin’s hand went for his phone.  His gut told him to call Chloe.  Truthfully, he should be calling the cops but with Gabby right there he really didn’t want to make a scene.

Gabby let go of Justin’s hand and sprinted towards her father who was beginning to stand.

“Hey Bug!” Eddy said.

Eddy swooped Gabby into his arms, wrapping her in a tight hug.

“What are you doing here Daddy?”

Justin was thinking the same thing.  What was he doing there?

“I came to see you!”

“Really?!”

“Of course, you’re my best girl!”

Eddy’s eyes slid to Justin, the smile disappearing from his face quickly.

“You again?! What are you doing here?”

Justin tried to stay calm, but he had a feeling this was not going to end well.  Even with Gabby there.

“Chloe is stuck at the hospital and Adam is still in court.  I picked up Gabby from school.”

“So, it’s true, you and my wife are shacking up?” Eddy said, crumbling the newspaper in his hand.

Justin could just make out the front page from the crumpled picture.  It was a photo of him, and Chloe from the night before.  Apparently, news traveled fast. 

Justin made a face, then looked to Gabby.  Her smile was already gone. 

“C’mon Man, we both know she is your ex-wife.  You are divorced, and you really shouldn’t talk like that in front of your daughter.”

“That’s right, she’s MY daughter, not yours.”

“Daddy…please…don’t be angry…”

The sound of Gabby’s voice and her words made Justin’s heart clinch.  He needed to get her inside.  Quickly.

Apparently, Eddy was so desperate he was looking for a fight and as much as he wanted to, Justin was not going to engage.  He also wasn’t going to let Gabby stand there and watch any of this happen.

Taking a deep breath Justin kneeled down to Gabby’s height and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“It’s ok, your daddy is just upset he hasn’t been able to see you.  I promise, nothing is going to happen, but right now, I need you to do me a big favor.”

Gabby nodded nervously, but stayed quiet.

“Your mom said you know where the spare key is. Why don’t you go inside and set up a game of Candy Land or Sorry…I’ll be right there.  I’m just going to talk to your Dad for a minute.”

Gabby nodded then stole a look at her dad.  He had that angry look in his eyes, the one that terrified her.

“Ok.” Gabby whispered back.

Justin breathed a quiet sigh of relief.   

As soon as Gabby disappeared into the house Justin turned on Eddy.

“Look, you want to see your daughter.  I get that, but not like this.  You shouldn’t be here. You know that. I know that.”

“You don’t get it! I’m going to jail! For a LONG time…”

“Yeah, I know…for nearly killing me! You left me there…on the side of the road…to die! Chloe too!  You left the mother of YOUR child to die!  She called for help, she saved my life, not you!  You didn’t stop, you didn’t slow down…you just ran!  That’s not being a father, that’s being a coward!”

“I’m NOT a coward!” Eddy snapped.

Justin gave Eddy a look.

“Really?!  Really?!  I know why she divorced you! I know all about how you treated them! I know how you would scream and yell and throw things.  That’s not being a man!”

“So…you’re a MAN, are you?”

“A bigger one than you! You want to be a man? You want to redeem yourself a little?  Stop running! Stop placing blame everywhere else! Take responsibility for your actions!  Let Chloe and Gabby move on!”

“Move on? Or move on with you?”

Justin took in a deep breath then let it out slowly. 

“This isn’t about me.”

“Isn’t it?!”

“Only because you’re making it.  You are the one that just showed up.  You’re the one that is trying to start a fight.  You’re the one that is violating a Restraining order, and I am pretty sure you’ve probably been advised to not have any contact with Chloe until after the trial.”

Eddy sighed and stared at the ground but didn’t say anything for a long while.  When he finally looked up at Justin his eyes looked broken and sad.

“I want to see my daughter.”

Justin sighed again and ran a hand over his face.  “And I totally get that, but not like this!  How does that look to Gabby?  How is that going to look to a jury?”

“She still doesn’t know, does she?”

“About the accident?”

Eddy nodded solemnly.

“She knows that there was an accident, that her mom got hurt, and that her mom helped me, but no, she doesn’t know you were the one that caused it.  However, you can thank Chloe for that.”

Eddy just nodded again.  For a moment, he stayed silent but the moment was brief.

“Are you in love with her?”

Justin’s eyes widened.  Was he really asking this?

“Excuse me?!”

“Are you in love with Chloe?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

Eddy smirked a bit.  If he was being honest, he completely understood why Justin was on the defensive.

“Yeah, not going to lie, I deserved that.”

Slowly, Eddy uncrumpled the newspaper he was holding and offered it to Justin.  Justin hesitated at first but took it from Eddy’s outstretched hand.  The picture was, as he suspected, from the night before.  He had his arm around Chloe, holding her close.  

Eddy nodded to the photo then allowed his eyes to meet Justin’s gaze. 

“She looks happy…really happy…happier than I think I’ve ever seen her.”

Justin opened his mouth to speak, to respond but Eddy cut him off.

“I know.  I know that I screwed up BIG TIME.  I know that there is NO excuse for what I did.  I know there is NOTHING that can make up for all the damage I’ve caused.  I failed Chloe…and Gabby.  I tore my family apart and there is NO coming back for that…I realize that now…I realized that the moment they put those handcuffs on me.”

Eddy paused briefly, but Justin could see in his eyes that he wasn’t finished.

“Like I said…I know I FUCKED UP…but if there is a silver lining, if there is anything good to come from all of this…it’s YOU!  Going to jail…for as long as I will be…because let’s face it…you and I both know I’m going to get the MAXIMUM punishment.  I almost killed Justin Timberlake.  How could I not?”

“You never know.” Justin replied.

Eddy snorted at this.  “Yeah, ok.  Whatever. You said it yourself, I nearly killed you and the mother of my child.  I’ll get 15 years at least.  BUT…knowing Chloe and Gabby are taken care of, the way they deserve to be, well…that makes the reality of prison a little bit of an easier pill to swallow.”

Justin took another deep breath, then let it out slowly and quietly.  This was definitely not how he’d seen the conversation going minutes earlier.  He’d expected a fight, at least a verbal one but it was obvious as he looked back at Eddy that reality had FINALLY started to sink in.  He was owning up to his previous transgressions.  A bit late, for sure, but better late than never.

“Look, regardless of what anyone or any piece of paper might say, you are Gabby’s father, and I get that you want to see her, to give her a proper “goodbye” but do it the right way, the legal way.  Contact your lawyer…or Chloe’s, please.”

Eddy nodded.

“I will.”

“Thank you.”

“Give her a hug for me?”

Justin cracked a smile and nodded. 

“I think I can do that.”

“Thank you.”