Just a warning: these next few chapters will be a little darker, but I promise you, everything will work out in the end.

Rosemary quietly entered the nursery and stayed silent as she watched her husband talk baby talk to their daughter, "The moment I rode into what was once Coal Valley, now Hope Valley, on my motorcycle, Mommy was instantly smitten. But being the stubborn woman she is, she wouldn't admit it. So I had Mrs. Sullivan pretend to court me to get Mommy's attention and it worked like a charm. Now, Mommy used to be an actress in New York City, so she wanted me to build a theater here in Hope Valley. I promised her I would eventually. I mean, she gave up a career as a Hollywood actress for me, it's the least I could do for her, right?" Lillian cooed in response, "Yeah, I thought so. The day she agreed to be my wife was one of the best days of my life. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Other than you, of course," Rosemary stepped further into the room and Lee finally noticed her presence, "Sweetheart, how long have you been standing there?"

"Since you started talking about riding into Coal Valley," she responded.

"Oh," his eyes widened in embarrassment, "Well, I changed her diaper," he said and held Lillian up proudly before the diaper promptly fell off, "Oh no."

Rosemary unsuccessfully held in a snort and covered her mouth. Lee glared at her jokingly and she said, "I'm sorry honey, but you looked so proud of yourself."

"Well, I'm, sure you're an expert by now," he said amusingly, setting Lillian back down and crossing his arms, "Do you want to show me?"

Rosemary hesitated a little. The thought of going anywhere near Lillian made her anxious and it had been a week already, "Sure," she said, trying to hide her apprehension.

Rosemary showed Lee how to change Lillian's diaper, though Lee noticed she didn't really interact with Lillian, "It's not really that hard once you get the hang of it."

Lee rubbed Rosemary's back and asked, "So how did you learn?"

"I had Abigail show me right after she was born," she answered.

Lee nodded and continued to rub soothing circles over her back, "Honey, are you feeling alright? You've been tossing and turning a lot the last few nights."

"Well, Lee, given the fact that she wakes up 2-3 times a night, I think that's a big reason why I haven't been sleeping," she said irritably.

Lee rubbed Rosemary's shoulders, "Rosie, I asked you before Lilly was born if you wanted to get a breast pump so I could handle some of the late night feedings," he said gently.

"Yes, and that would just create more work than I already have. It's just easier if I get up in the middle of the night," she scolded, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have extra laundry to do now."

She walked out of the room and Lee took a long, nervous breath. He looked back at the infant on the table, happy as could be, "It's okay Lilly. Mommy can sometimes be a little dramatic. It's part of her acting nature." But somehow deep down, Lee had a worried feeling about Rosemary.

Over the next few weeks, Lee noticed more and more that something was off with Rosemary. Sure, he had been warned by Abigail, Molly, and Carson about the baby blues, but Rosemary seemed more upset than just a little weepy here and there. She took care of Lilly's physical needs, but she almost always passed the baby off to him once she got the chance. In fact, he was taking care of Lillian most of the time recently unless Rosemary was nursing her. And even when she was feeding her, Rosie rarely interacted with her. She only spoke a few sentences here and there. Rosemary had rarely left the house other than to go to church on Sundays and to run to the mercantile a few times. Lee could tell she was extremely uncomfortable with all of the attention she was receiving along with the baby. In the entire time Lee had known Rosemary, she was never one to run away from being the center of attention. She didn't even want affectionate attention from him; she always pulled away from his attempts to hug her or kiss her.

What broke Lee's heart the most was when he would find her crying. Honestly, she seemed to be crying more often than Lilly. Whenever he would find her upset, he would wrap his arms around her, rub her back, and say soothing words and phrases to her to make her feel better. It seemed to help most of the time, but all in all, she still seemed pretty detached from him and Lillian. He had no idea how to bring it up to her or even get her to talk to him. He wanted nothing more than to take her out of her obvious misery, but he didn't have the slightest idea how to accomplish this.

One night at dinner, Rosemary had just finished feeding Lillian and set her down in her bassinet, much to Rosemary's noticeable relief. She went back downstairs and set the chicken and rice down on the table before calling Lee for dinner. He sat down next to her and noticed she wasn't eating much again; she hadn't eaten much in the two weeks since Lillian was born. He was surprised she was getting enough nutrition to nurse their daughter. Lee finally took a deep breath and said, "You know you really should eat a little more. Lillian depends on you for nutrients."

"I know," she commented coldly, "Just not really hungry right now, that's all."

Lee took a deep breath, pondering on how to bring up Rosemary's obvious disinterest in life to her, "Honey, I've noticed…well, ever since Lilly…" he finally grabbed her hand, causing her to look up at him, "Rosemary, if you ever need to talk, you know I'm here to listen, right?"

Rosemary gave a sad sigh, got up from the dinner table, and went to the couch. Lee walked over and sat down next to her. She tried to stop them but she just couldn't. The tears started to flow profusely as she wrapped her arms around Lee. He embraced her back, running his hand up and down her back and rubbing her head, "Shush. It's okay Rosie," he soothed.

"Oh Lee, I don't know what's wrong with me," cried Rosemary, "Whenever I look at Lillian, I don't know what to do. I don't feel anything. I'm just doing what Molly and Abigail taught me because I'm supposed to do it," she leaned back from Lee's embrace, "That new mother bliss, I don't feel it. I feel like I'm a terrible mother. There was a reason I never wanted kids."

"Sweetheart…" said Lee, though he was interrupted.

"And she likes you better anyways. She almost always cries whenever she's around me. But she loves you. She absolutely hates me. I'm a failure as a mother. I think you both would be better off without me," she sobbed.

"Rosie, look at me," said Lee. He gazed into Rosemary's green orbs, a few tears forming in his dark blue ones, "You are NOT a failure as a mother. And Lilly does NOT hate you. We would NOT be better off without you. I wouldn't know what to do with myself. The thought of living without you, that scares me more than anything," Rosemary sniffled loudly as Lee wiped a tear from her eyes, "But, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm afraid to handle this myself. So if you think you can make it through the night, I want to take you to Dr. Shepherd in the morning. I can take care of Lilly other than feedings if it'll help you sleep tonight," he said, finally letting the tears spill loose.

Rosemary took a deep breath and swallowed thickly. She leaned into Lee's embrace and cried some more, "Lee, please help me!"

"I will baby. I will," he wept. Rosemary was his best friend, his other half, his better half. He wanted nothing more right now than to take away her pain, "I promise I'll be with you baby."