* I didn't want to make you wait too long, so. . . here it is :)

Thank you to maxride13, girlreadsalot and someone who reviewed anonymously. And especially NightOwlGirl, who wins the biggest fan award :D

"Oh, my. That's unexpected." I heard Ivy say.

Fang stood. "What? What's wrong?"

Ivy wrapped Dilly in a blanket and held her up so we could see her screaming little, red face.

"She's strong for being so early," Ivy commented. "A good, strong cry. I'm just going to weigh her and clean her off a little for you and then you can hold her." She grinned.

I leaned back and closed my eyes. That was, by far, the hardest thing I'd ever done. It wouldn't be so bad for Dilly to be an only child, right? I opened my eyes and looked up at Fang. He was looking anxiously across the room to where Ivy was weighing Dilly.

"Go ahead. I know you're dying to go over there."

He hesitated. "No, really, it's okay," I told him. He jumped up and quickly crossed the distance. Jeb was already there, but moved aside for Fang.

At that moment, my mom burst into the room, panting, much like I had been earlier, I noted.

"Did I miss it?" she asked, breathless. Looking around the room, she frowned. "Max, I'm so sorry."

"Mom!" I yelled. And stupidly started crying. She hugged me the best she could with all the wires attached.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I drove as fast as I could."

"See if she's okay. The nurse said something was unexpected," I begged.

Fang was already bringing the baby over, a look of awe on his face.

"She looks like you, Max. Her hair is a little lighter. I thought it would be black. She hasn't opened her eyes yet."

"What was the nurse talking about?" I asked. "Does she have webbed feet or something?"

"No," he answered. His expression didn't reassure me any.

I tried to think of what else could be strange about her. "Does she have scales? A tail? A third eye?"

"Max, stop," Fang said. "She's perfect. She has all ten fingers and toes-no webs." He chuckled a little at my ridiculousness, but his smile faltered a bit as he exchanged glances with Jeb.

"What aren't you telling me? What is wrong?" I was really becoming aggravated.

Fang sat on the edge of the bed and handed me the bundle. "She really is perfect. But she's also different," he admitted. I stared down at her waiting for him to finish. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been that bad.

"Max?" I looked up as Fang spoke. "Dilly has no wings."

"What do you mean? How can she not have wings?" I looked to Jeb and Mom for answers.

"I never even considered the possibility," Jeb acknowledged. "But I guess, as with any genetic traits, some are recessive, some are dominant." Jeb offered. "It could be that wings are a recessive trait and your human genes masked them."

"Or it could be the other way around, but only your human no-wings genes were passed down," Mom added. "This is new territory and we won't know without extensive testing and research. Roger may have some insight. Hybrids are his area of expertise." I noticed Jeb's eyes narrow slightly at the mention of Roger.

"It doesn't matter. Stop talking about her like she's some lab animal!" Fang said angrily. "It is what it is. I don't care whether or not she has wings, she's still part of the flock."

"Of course Fang. You're right," Mom said. "It's just the scientists in us. She's beautiful they way she is." Mom smiled. "Just gorgeous."

"You're awfully quiet, Max?" Fang pointed out. "Are you okay?" Yeah, it wasn't really like me to not have an opinion.

"I'm just tired," I lied. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie-I was exhausted. But that wasn't why I was quiet. I couldn't wrap my brain around the news. Most people are happy when their kids aren't born with extra toes, a cleft lip, or say-wings. Not me though. I was a freak, and Dilly wasn't. She was going to be able to pass for human. She was going to have all the things I wished for growing up - to be a normal girl, doing normal things (like not eating out of dumpsters), having a real family with real parents. I should have been thrilled. But I was already starting to mourn the things she wouldn't have - the free feeling of soaring above the Earth, the wind in her hair, the sun on her wings. I had been looking forward to teaching her to fly, the way Dani and Iggy were beginning to do with James. Not wanting to upset Fang, I held back my tears.

"I'm starving, too," I finally said. Everyone laughed. What was so funny? I was hungry six hours ago, before my nap. And I thought I had just burned off enough energy to warrant starvation.

"What do you want, Max? I'll get you anything," Jeb offered. There was something in his voice I hadn't heard in a long time. It was somehow softer, more, dad-like. Like the way he used to talk to me when we first 'escaped' the School. "I'll tell the rest of the flock that the baby is here. They'll all want to see her."

"No," I was too quick to say. "I mean, I need a little time alone with her and Fang first."

"Okay," Jeb said, without judgement. Then as if reading my thoughts, "I won't say anything about . . . her not having wings, yet. I'll let you tell them."

"Thank you."

Ivy broke in. "Max. honey, I'm going to get a bassinet so she can stay in here with you. Can I get you anything? Are you in pain?" Surprisingly, I wasn't. I was kind of numb all over.

"Maybe some water?" I asked.

Jeb, the doctor and the nurse left on various errands.I asked Jeb to get me and Fang some Chinese take out. I figured, no matter what we ordered, it would only take fifteen minutes. It was always fifteen minutes.

"Fang, why don't you take a break?" Mom suggested. "Get that hand looked at. I can see from here, it's broken."

"Oh my God! I broke your hand?"

"I'm fine," Fang said. Big surprise.

"I'll sit with Max and Dilly." Mom gave him one of those 'this is not a request' looks when he protested.

She waited until Fang left before asking, "You're really disappointed, aren't you?"

"It never occurred to any of us that she wouldn't get the bird genes. James did."

"Well, just because she doesn't have wings, doesn't mean she doesn't have other abilities. She only weighs three and a half pounds, but she's almost as big as a normal baby. My guess is that her bones are like yours. Dilly may have your excellent hearing and vision. And possibly gills," she smiled.

"Angel will be thrilled," I commented dryly. "But she won't be able to fly with us." My heart hurt at that thought-the flock flying away, leaving her to travel like Mom, Jeb and Ella. They didn't seem to mind but they didn't know what they were missing.

Mom smiled sadly. "That's ironic." I looked at her questioningly. "It's ironic that you should have a daughter that's different from you, and you wish she could be more like you, to spare her a difficult life." She paused. "The same way I did. It's ironic that you're seeing her as having a disability. The way I saw you when I first met you."

Disability? Was she right? She was. That was exactly the way I was thinking about it. Dilly would be challenged, living with the flock. Fang and I would have to learn how to drive for real. No more fight or flight response. Dilly would only have fight. Or run. Well, I'd have to teach her how to fight then.

Maybe Mom was right about the other thing. Maybe she would be able to do some other stuff. Possibly even cooler stuff than we can. I was starting to feel a little better about it when Fang came back with his hand temporarily bandaged. The nurse came back, too.

"Time for your hourly poking and prodding," nurse Ivy joked. "And that little one of yours might be hungry, if she's anything like her mama."

Like her mama. I winced at the words. If Ivy saw, she ignored it. To her, Dilly was just another cute, healthy baby. Before Jeb came back, Ivy showed me how to nurse. Let me just say- ouch.

Dilly fell asleep, so Mom placed her gently in the clear plastic bassinet. Jeb walked in with our order of three mains and a large wonton soup. Nothing spicy for me. The doctor told me basically, what I eat, the baby eats. I stayed away from the broccoli too. We didn't need another Gasman on our hands.

Oh, God, I hope she doesn't get something like that as a super power, I thought.

* I have the next chapter written but not typed. I'll try to get it up as soon as possible