Kelly thought long and hard about whether she should keep her one and only child, especially after her boyfriend, Derek announced he had no intention of being a father once she told him she was pregnant. She really couldn't blame him. As soon as the line on that pregnancy test turned blue, she was looking for a way out. She had never been the sort of person you could count on. Restless to a fault, she could never seem to stick to anything for long. Locations, boyfriends, even television shows couldn't seem to hold her attention, but for nine months she, with some help from her parents, convinced herself that this time might be different. What if motherhood was something she could be good at? And what if she never got the chance again?

She barely lasted a month of 3 am feedings and dirty diapers. She stayed just long enough to name her daughter Dorothea after her childhood best friend, then left her under the watchful eye of her parents. Dorothea's grandmother wasn't surprised. She'd expected most of the childcare to fall on her shoulders anyway, but her grandfather took a while to come around to the idea of starting all over again when he was at a point in his life when he was supposed to be thinking about slowing down.

Despite a rough start, Dee as she would prefer to be called was as happy a kid as you could find, though a little lonely perhaps. She was one of those rare only children who was unhappy to be that way. She soon realized that another sibling wasn't in the cards, but her grandparents sensing that she was the sort of person who needed companionship made sure to involve her with other kids whenever they could. She was never without a play date, story hour or dance class to go to. School was her idea of heaven, not because she was particularly interested in learning, but because it meant she got to be around other children for more than half the day.

Dee's grandparents tried to get her more interested in her academics, worried she would only get socialization out of her school experience, but soon realized their granddaughter had a knack for sports. They started as just another opportunity to make friends, but Dee became a fierce competitor who took pride in her performance. She'd always been a strong swimmer thanks to summers spent with her great aunt in Florida, but when the opportunity to join the swim team presented itself in high school, Dee had found something her life would revolve around. She was their star and while she originally only took a summer job as a lifeguard to stay near the water, she grew to love it.

By the time graduation rolled around, Dee wasn't as panicked as most of her peers. She contemplated going to college because it seemed like the next step even though she had no idea what to step toward, but ultimately decided there was no point. She was fine with her life continuing the way it always had though she was disappointed when a few attempts to qualify for the Olympics didn't come to fruition. She still helps out in her grandparents' ice cream shop (something she's done since she was old enough to count stock and change), she's still a lifeguard when the weather is warmer, but mostly? She's a swim instructor, teaching adults and children year round so she never has to get out of the water.