Note to readers: Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way first. This story is based on the NBC television series The Facts of Life, which as far as I know, is the property of Embassy Television, Columbia Pictures Television, and Sony Pictures Television. No infringement is intended. As I'm sure you've all guessed from the summary, this story is going to be dealing with sensitive subject matter which might be triggering for victims of sexual abuse and trauma, so please take that into consideration before reading. I also want to warn you that you should not go into this story expecting lighthearted sit-com fluff. It is going to be extremely serious and not at all like a typical sit-com episode despite the fact that it is based on a sit-com, so please bear that in mind. This kind of story isn't for everyone, and to everyone who wants to read something lighter, I respectfully suggest that you find something else to read. To those who do decide to continue reading, I sincerely hope you enjoy the story. Thank you all for stopping by. :)

Chapter 1: A Tragic Error in Judgment

Harrison and Diane Ramsey were both strong-willed, proud, accomplished people. They were very successful attorneys in Washington, D.C., which was no small accomplishment given how hard things were for black people years ago when they were first starting out as law students. It was particularly difficult for Diane, who'd had both her race and her gender going against her at the time, but she managed to do quite well for herself in the end, along with her husband. Harrison and Diane had the kind of careers and the kind of lifestyle that their own parents had only been able to dream of, which was something they particularly took a lot of pride in.

And while their own parents often voiced their displeasure about it, the Ramseys were also equally proud of the fact that they'd had the money to send their two sons and their daughter to the finest boarding schools in the country. Neither Harrison's nor Diane's parents were happy with their "hands-off" approach to parenting, but it always meant a great deal to Harrison and Diane to be able to provide their children with the best education that money could buy. But even though they certainly wouldn't admit it even to themselves, much less to their parents or anybody else, way deep down, they were far happier allowing boarding schools to raise their children for them so that they could pour themselves wholeheartedly into the careers they adored.

However, they never expected their decision to send their sons, Harrison Ramsey, Jr. and Marshall Ramsey, off to a boys' school in Boston, and their daughter Dorothy (a.k.a. "Tootie") off to a girls' school in Peekskill, New York, to have such devastating consequences. Harrison Jr., who was now twenty-three, had gotten his degree in business and was now working for a company in Boston, and he had recently gotten married. Unfortunately though, Harrison and Diane almost never saw their older son and daughter-in-law, mostly because of the fact that they hardly ever saw him as he was growing up and Harrison Jr. now felt like he and his parents were nothing but strangers to each other.

It was much the same story with their middle child Marshall, although he longed to be able to live up to his parents' expectations and accomplishments. The pressure he consistently put on himself to try to follow in his parents' footsteps – despite the fact that he never wanted to become an attorney – eventually came to a head and he started looking for a way out. As he finished his last year of high school, he fell in with the wrong crowd and started looking to alcohol for relief from all the stress. He'd already gotten a DUI a month before the summer break started, and even though he had given his parents countless assurances that something like that was never going to happen again, they still worried about him constantly.

And at the beginning of Tootie's second year at the Eastland School for Girls, she got into her share of trouble as well. When two older students there, Jo Polniaczek and Blair Warner, got into an argument over who would be more attractive to men, they decided to settle it by hotwiring the school van and taking it to the nearest bar to meet guys. Tootie and her best friend, Natalie Green, ended up helping the girls steal the van and sneaking away to the bar with them. After Blair and Jo got busted by an undercover cop at the bar for their fake IDs, Tootie and Natalie got into the act and an altercation with the cop ensued – which resulted in Tootie and the rest of the girls getting thrown in jail, put on probation for six months, and expelled from Eastland. Thankfully, the newly-promoted school dietician, Mrs. Edna Garrett, stepped in and saved the day. After pleading with the headmaster, Tootie and the girls were reluctantly allowed to stay at Eastland, although they had to work with Mrs. Garrett in the kitchen and cafeteria until the damage to the school van (which they wrecked) was paid off. They also had to leave the dorms and move into the room across the hall from Mrs. Garrett's room so she could keep her eye on them.

But even though the Ramseys' youngest child had had her problems at Eastland from time to time, the family unit that she became a part of with Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Mrs. Garrett provided her with the stability, security, and unconditional love that a girl Tootie's age needed, and unlike Marshall, Tootie really thrived. And while Harrison and Diane almost never heard from Marshall unless he was in some kind of trouble, they still received plenty of letters and phone calls from Tootie. Regrettably, though, since Tootie could literally count on one hand how many weeks out of the year she spent with her parents after they shipped her off to Eastland at age twelve, she'd often come to feel as alienated from them as her older brothers did. Now, they seemed more like mere pen pals to her than parents, although she never would have actually admitted that to them. But it was entirely unnecessary for Tootie to have to tell them that painful fact of all their lives to their faces because it was something her parents – or at least her father – now thoroughly understood.

In the last week of August, only two and a half weeks before Tootie was supposed to return to Eastland to begin the fall semester of her freshman year, the Ramsey family was blindsided by a very sudden, tragic turn of events. Earlier that summer, while Tootie and the girls and Mrs. Garrett had been away in Paris, Harrison and Diane had opened their home to an old friend and colleague of theirs named Earl Brown. Earl had grown up in the same neighborhood with the Ramseys, and like them, he too had dreamed of a career in law. The threesome had been inseparable during their high school and college years, and they'd all worked together in the same law firm for a couple of years after they'd graduated from law school. He accepted a job offer from another law firm out in L.A. many years ago and moved there, and Harrison and Diane eventually started up their own law practice in Washington, D.C. After Earl moved to L.A., he got married and adopted two daughters. Then several years later when Tootie was five years-old, he accepted an offer for a better-paying position with another law firm in Washington, D.C. and moved his family there. Since then, he constantly spent time over at the Ramseys' house and vice versa. It was no secret that Earl was just like a brother to Harrison and Diane, and to Tootie and her older brothers, he was the uncle they never had. So when Earl and his wife started having marital problems and she eventually threw him out of the house, naturally, the Ramseys did not hesitate to take their "brother" in. Although Earl's wife had made terrible accusations against him, claiming that he'd been abusive to her and the kids and even accusing him of marital rape, Harrison and Diane didn't believe her for a second, and they had no second thoughts about allowing him to stay in their home. They grew up with this man and had known him for ages, and even though he wasn't related to the Ramseys by blood, they and their children all considered him family; Harrison and Diane honestly believed that Earl's estranged wife was simply making wild accusations to try to hurt him and ruin his reputation in their community. It was the most tragic error in judgment Harrison and Diane Ramsey ever made, and one they would regret for the rest of their lives.

When Tootie came home from her mini-vacation in Paris in late July, everything was basically business as usual. Throughout the last month of her summer vacation, she spent a lot of time hanging out with her old childhood friends and going places with them, or just lounging around the house. She also spent a good deal of time hanging out with her "uncle" and watching rented movies with him and things, and even though he was an adult her parents' age, she had a pretty good time with him. Earl had always been a charming, easygoing, fun-loving kind of guy and Tootie had just as much fun spending time with him that summer as she had when she'd gone over to his house to play with his daughters as a little kid. Tootie had known that Earl's wife had kicked him out, but her parents had never shared the details with her of his wife's accusations, so she'd seen no reason whatsoever to be afraid of him. To Tootie, everything was completely normal. Completely safe.

But on the last Friday of August, that all changed. On that Friday night, Tootie went out with a couple of kids in the neighborhood to see a movie while her parents were working late at the office. When Tootie came back home, to her horror, she found that the man who'd always been an uncle to her had seemingly transformed into an entirely different person. The once calm, cool, and collected Earl Brown the Ramseys always knew was drunk out of his mind when Tootie walked through the door that night, and the instant Tootie walked into her house, he got up in her face and started yelling at her. Tootie knew immediately that something was up; that something was not right, and she tried in vain to get away from him. She could see it in his eyes that he had a raw, disturbing desire to take all of the anger and rage he was feeling out on her, and while she chatted nervously, trying desperately to calm him down, there was no way the monster he was getting ready to unleash could be calmed down.

When Harrison and Diane came home about half an hour later, they walked right into every parent's worst nightmare. During Earl's drunken rage, he'd thrown and broken numerous objects and turned the Ramsey's living room into a disaster area, but infinitely worse than that, the Ramseys found him lying on top of their unconscious daughter, raping her.

Harrison instantly flew into a rage of his own as he pulled his old "friend" off of his daughter and beat him within a hair of his life. And while her husband was beating the life out of Earl, Diane immediately covered her daughter's lower half with the quilt that had been folded up on their living room couch, and then she called 9-1-1. After she got off the phone with the dispatcher, she cradled her limp child in her arms and rocked her as she fought off tears.

When the police and the ambulance arrived, Earl Brown was half dead from the beating he'd received at the hands of Tootie's father, and Tootie was still unconscious. Diane had found an old family heirloom, a heavy crystal vase passed down to her from her mother, shattered on the floor near Tootie's head when they came in, and she'd found tiny little pieces of crystal in Tootie's hair, so it was obvious to everyone that Earl had knocked her out with it. And fortunately for Tootie, she remained unconscious as a rape kit exam was performed on her in the emergency room, so she was spared from having to endure the discomfort of the procedure.

When Tootie finally came to several hours later at around one o'clock the next morning, Diane was sitting in a recliner by her hospital bed. Diane instantly took Tootie's hand in hers the moment her daughter opened her eyes.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said quietly as she fought off tears once again.

"Mom?" Tootie groaned.

"Yes, baby. It's Mama. I'm here. I'm right here."

"Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital."

"My head. It's killing me," she said with another groan. Then, in that instant, it all came back to her in a flash and she sat up with a start. "Oh God, Mom. Earl...he–"

Diane got up out of her seat then and put her hand on Tootie's shoulder and said, "Baby, you were attacked. Earl…he…he hurt you very badly. He hit your head with a vase, and you were knocked unconscious. The doctor says you have a concussion, and he's keeping you here in the hospital for the next few days for observation."

In that next moment, Tootie realized that something else was wrong with her body besides the pain in her head.

"Mom…something's not right. I'm…I'm sore."

Diane knew what Tootie meant, and after she fought off yet another onslaught of tears, she explained, "Baby, Earl…he did something…absolutely terrible to you. While you were unconscious, he...he raped you."

"Raped me?" Tootie said in disbelief.

"Yes. When your daddy and I got home from work and walked through the door, we found him on top of you…forcing himself on you."

Tootie vehemently shook her head and argued, "No. No, it's not true. It can't be."

Diane took Tootie's hand again, looked into her eyes, and told her in a low, emotional voice, "I'm so sorry."

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Diane said gently, "Tootie, baby, it's okay if you need to cry."

Tootie let go of her mother's hand then and responded, "No, Mom, I don't want to cry. I just want to be alone right now."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. If you're certain you don't want me to stay, I guess I'll go home for the rest of the night. Your father's still at the police station giving the cops his statement. I can call him there and tell him to come by here if you want to see him before the morning," Diane offered.

Tootie shook her head and told her, "No thanks, Mom. I just want to be alone for the rest of the tonight. I'll see you and Dad tomorrow."

"Alright," she sighed, and then she got up from her seat. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will," Tootie said quietly, and then after another painful silence, Diane reluctantly left.

That morning was no less uncomfortable for Tootie and her mother and father. The police came to her hospital room and took a statement from her about what had happened, and for the rest of the morning after the cops left, very little was said between them. While Harrison and Diane longed to be able to comfort Tootie, she made it painfully clear that she wasn't in any mood to be comforted, and when she asked to be left alone again, the Ramseys didn't know what else to do so they obliged her.

When they came home from the hospital at about ten o'clock that morning, they realized that they had to call their daughter's school and inform them of what had happened. While the doctor had said that Tootie would be back on her feet within a few days, the Ramseys weren't certain if their daughter would be emotionally ready to pick up with school again just yet, so Harrison called the headmaster and told him everything. And the moment Harrison Ramsey picked up the phone and dialed the number of the headmaster's office, he was pleasantly surprised when he heard the voice answer on the other end.

Over the past three years, Eastland had had three different headmasters. During Tootie's first year at Eastland, Mr. Stephen Bradley was the headmaster, and although he was certainly childish and a bit of a goofball, underneath it all, he was really a very loveable soul who cared a great deal about all his students. After Mr. Bradley completed his first year at Eastland as headmaster, his grandmother who lived in Rhode Island fell and broke her hip. She was ordinarily a fiercely independent soul, but at her age and with such a severe injury, it simply wasn't feasible for her to live on her own anymore. Thus, Stephen resigned his position at Eastland and accepted a job as a principal in a public school in Providence and moved in with his grandmother to care for her. And after Stephen left, there was an undeniable void at Eastland in the headmaster department. The next two headmasters that came after him, Mr. Harris and Mr. Parker, were little more than self-serving bureaucrats who were hopelessly out of touch with what was really going on in the lives of their students.

However, when Mr. Parker was offered another position as headmaster at a private school in Manhattan a couple of months ago, he accepted it, and fortunately, it didn't take long for Eastland to find a suitable replacement. Sadly, Mr. Bradley's grandmother passed away several months ago at the age of ninety-two, and while he put in a lot of time, effort, and energy at his school in Providence, he just wasn't happy there anymore. Out of all the schools where he'd previously worked, Eastland had by far been his favorite, and even after so much time had passed, he still missed working at Eastland and the incredible sense of family everyone seemed to have there. And when he learned that the position of headmaster at Eastland was open once again, he jumped at the chance to get his old job back.

And when Harrison called Eastland and he heard Mr. Bradley's voice on the other end, it was indeed a pleasant surprise for him. The Ramseys had been unaware of the fact that Mr. Bradley had returned to his previous position at Eastland, but Harrison was quite pleased to find out that he had. Harrison had met Mr. Bradley during Tootie's first year at Eastland when he'd gone there to speak about careers for women in law during Career Day at the school, and it had been obvious to him right from the get-go how much everyone there truly cared about his daughter, including Mr. Bradley. He'd only spoken to Mr. Harris and Mr. Parker one time each over the phone, and during both conversations it was clear that neither of them cared about Tootie the way Mr. Bradley had.

Once Harrison and Mr. Bradley said hello and exchanged the expected pleasantries that morning, Harrison came right to the point and explained everything that Tootie had just been through. Harrison could hear it through the phone how devastated Mr. Bradley was to hear the news, and he couldn't possibly have been kinder or more compassionate. When Harrison explained that he wasn't sure when Tootie would be emotionally ready to return to Eastland, Mr. Bradley was very understanding, and he assured him that he and all of the Eastland staff would do everything they possibly could to help Tootie through this.

After their conversation was over and Mr. Bradley hung up the phone, he leaned back in his desk chair, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh. To say the least, he was pretty heartbroken. He'd been in charge of hundreds of students during all his years as an educator and obviously, he couldn't remember every single one of them, but one student he'd never been able to forget was Tootie Ramsey. Tootie had always had a lively, bubbly personality that just naturally stood out, and in her first year at Eastland, it had taken her all of two seconds to steal everybody's hearts, including Mrs. Garrett's and Mr. Bradley's. He now easily recalled the adorable, fun-loving, mischievous, hilarious little girl he first met three years ago, and as he thought of that little girl getting attacked and brutally raped, he had to fight to keep from crying.

Mr. Bradley took a couple of minutes to catch his breath and regain his composure, and then he called Mrs. Garrett into his office.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Garrett came walking inside, being her usual chipper self, and she smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Bradley. What can I do for you?"

Mr. Bradley locked his eyes with Mrs. Garrett then and told her, "Edna, something's happened. You need to sit down. I have some very bad news."

"What is it, Mr. Bradley?" she asked worriedly. "It's not one of my girls, is it?"

"I'm afraid so," he replied somberly. "I just got off the phone with Mr. Ramsey a little while ago. It's Tootie."

Edna's heart rate jumped to about three hundred in that moment as she asked, "What's happened to Tootie?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey had this old friend of the family named Earl Brown," he started to explain.

"Yes. Tootie's mentioned him before. She said that he was always like the uncle she never had. She told me all about how she used to go over to his house when she was a little girl to play with his two daughters. Has something happened to him?"

"Apparently, he and his wife were having marital difficulties. His wife recently threw him out of the house, and Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey took him in. He's been staying with the Ramseys a little while. Anyway, to come to the point, while Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey were working late at the office last night, Tootie went out to the movies with some friends in her neighborhood, and when she came back home, Earl Brown attacked her."

"Attacked her?"

"Yes. He knocked her unconscious…and then he raped her."

"Raped her?" Edna gasped in shock, unable to believe her ears.

"Yes," Mr. Bradley responded in an emotional whisper.

"Oh, God," Edna whispered, and then she covered her mouth to fight off the sobs threatening to escape from her throat.

"In addition to the obvious," Mr. Bradley continued, "Tootie suffered a concussion and various lacerations and bumps and bruises. She's going to be in the hospital for the next few days for observation."

"I can't believe it," Edna said quietly.

"I know Tootie is one of 'your girls,' as you put it. I know you've been responsible for her here at the school during the past two years. I thought you should be the first to know."

"Yes, Mr. Bradley, thank you for telling me. I should call the rest of the family and let them know."

"The rest of the family?"

"My other girls. Natalie, Blair, Jo."

"Ah. Yes, you're right. I'm sure they'll want to know."

"Well like I said, thank you for telling me about this," Edna said they each stood up from their seats. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make."

"Of course," Stephen said, and then Edna turned around and began walking out of his office. Then in that moment, he called, "Edna?"

Edna turned around again and responded, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you. So am I," Edna told him in a low voice, and then she walked out the door.

Edna Garrett and her girls were such a close-knit family that it was hardly any surprise that by four o'clock that afternoon, she, Blair, and Natalie were gathered together in Tootie's hospital room, having flown in from different places. Jo, who drove in from the Bronx on her motorcycle, arrived at the hospital a little after six. Diane was too distraught to face her daughter in the hospital a second time around that day, but Harrison went back to see her again that evening, and when he got there, Edna and the girls were all there too.

And once again, his (and everyone's) time with Tootie was painful and awkward. Neither he nor any of the girls had any idea of what to say to truly help Tootie, and once more, Tootie was not in the mood to talk. Finally, Blair, Jo, and Natalie decided to say goodnight and let Tootie get some rest, and Harrison said goodnight to his daughter soon after they left as well.

But practically the very minute Harrison walked out of Tootie's hospital room, she began crying and sobbing in Mrs. Garrett's arms. When Harrison heard her crying, he turned around and opened the door a crack, only to see Mrs. Garrett holding and rocking Tootie in her arms while she broke down into sobs. As he watched the scene unfold, a silent tear escaped from his own eye also as he realized that Edna Garrett was closer to his own daughter and more of a parent in her eyes than he was. He'd always been so proud of the fact that he was able to send his child to a first-class boarding school like Eastland to receive such a great education. But he'd honestly never expected their decision to send her there to carry such consequences, nor had he expected those consequences to cut this deep.