It had been a long week.

One thing he knew was he didn't like coming home to an empty house. Last weekend he had taken Quinn and Addy up to her parent's house. It was school holidays and he'd had a busy week at work, with holiday school programs. He was dead on his feet at the end of each day and now he had a two-hour car trip ahead of him.

The only good thing about that was at the end of the drive were his girls. He missed them like crazy. Talking to them every day wasn't enough for Alfie, he liked the physical connection. He loved Addy's excitement and hugs when he came home and he loved seeing Quinn, her beautiful bump and talking to his 'bubba'.

It hadn't been an easy few months, Quinn's pregnancy had been tough. They'd had the bleed at sixteen weeks and a threatened pre-term labour at 28 weeks. Once they had stopped the labour she was on strict bed-rest for two weeks and now she wasn't allowed to work, lift anything or do anything physical. His sister's had been amazing, they pitched in and helped out with Addy and with the school holidays approaching they decided to head up to her parents so her Mom could take care of both of them. He knew Quinn wouldn't be allowed to do anything and she had whinged to him during the week that her Mom and Dad were worse than he was.

"Daddy." Addy had been watching out the window waiting for him to arrive. "Alfred's here." Addy had suddenly started calling him Alfred and they had no idea why. It was cute, even though he generally didn't like his full name.

Addy missed her Dad and was out the door before he had even turned off the engine. Standing on the front porch she was bouncing up and down like she needed to pee and waving madly at him because she wasn't allowed to approach the car until he was out of it. As soon as he was out she was running across the lawn and into his arms. "I missed you."

Alfie knelt down as Addy slammed into him for a fierce hug and he smothered her with kisses. "It's so good to see you. I think you are bigger."

"Nanna Meg made me eat all my vegie-tables."

"That's good. Have you had fun?" He stood up and swung Addy up into his arms.

"Yes. We did lots of swimming, I helped with the cats and we did so much cooking." Addy had told him all this, she talked to him every day. "I made a cake for you."

"Yum, I'm so hungry." Alfie stole another kiss. "Is it chocolate? I love chocolate."

"It's your favourite. I put sprinkles on it too." Addy promised him. "I tooked care of Mum, I rubbed her belly every day."

"Wow, you were busy. I hope you weren't annoying?"

"No, I'm not annoying Alfred." Addy scoffed. "I was very good. I'm a Djinda." When Addy was worried about her Dad leaving last weekend he had told her that he needed Addy to stay and take care of her Mum and their bubba.

"I knew you would."

"Did you get lonely?"

"I did, but I had Kitty to keep me company. I am so happy now I am here with you." How they were going to convince her to stay here for the week was yet to be seen. Addy was a mother hen right now and it would be hard to pry her off her Mum, she was fussing over Quinn constantly and she took it with good grace. It was amusing, she would put up with Addy's over protectiveness but the moment Alfie tried it she shut him down.

"And Mum?"

"Yes indeed, Mum too, I missed her like crazy." Alfie always remembered how much his parents talked about each other and Pops and MiMi were just as affectionate. He wanted Addy to see all that.

Waiting inside, a little impatiently was Quinn. She'd had a tough day waiting for Alfie to arrive, the baby was sitting high and pushing against her diaphragm making it hard to breathe. She was tired and emotional and in tears the moment Addy had shot outside when Alfie pulled into the driveway.

"Hey." He peeled Addy of him and happily hugged his wife. Kissing her softly he leant back so he could see her properly and ran his hands over her face. "I missed you."

"I'm glad you are here. I've been freaking out."

"Why?"

"Just waiting for you."

"Awww, so sweet. You do love me." Alfie rubbed her belly and bent down and kissed it. "How's Bubba?"

"Still in there, still making life hard."

"Well that's good." They'd be happy with another two weeks, every day inside bought them closer to term and further away from the potential problems associated with a pre-term baby. They had a Doctor's appointment this coming week so they would know where they stood a little more.

"Addy has been so good. She kisses her bubba every day and let's just say, I have very supple skin because I get lots of moisturiser rubbed in. Foot massages are her speciality." Since the beginning Addy had been a bit mother hen but she was extra attentive this week because Daddy wasn't here. "She had to give me extra kisses to make up for missing out on Daddy kisses."

"Cute." Alfie leant in and rested his head on Quinn's shoulder. "I missed you so much. The house was too quiet without my women. I can't wait to get you both home."

"I don't know, I kinda like all the attention I am getting here."

"You don't miss my cuddles at night?" Alfie pouted. "I missed your cuddles."

"Nope, I have Addy." She had slept with Quinn every night because she missed her Daddy and knew that Quinn and Bubba did too. He had asked her to look after her Mum and she had taken that very seriously. "You can sleep in her bed; she doesn't take up as much room as you."

"Not happening." He'd slept in a bed by himself enough this week although they did have the suspicion that they wouldn't be alone tonight either. Addy was hard to budge. "I'm going to grab a shower. I came straight from work. I stink."

"I know." She screwed up her nose is disgust.

Alfie was delighted that Quinn appeared in the bathroom while he was in the shower. She perched on the closed toilet and chatted to him, he would have loved her to join him but they knew that it was unlikely that it would just be the two of them for long and within minutes Addy appeared and she ended up getting stripped off and in the shower with her Dad.

Addy loved having a shower with whoever she could possibly get in with, they had restricted her to showering with just Alfie or Quinn, although Iris and Colton often had a visitor when they lived with them, she didn't shower with Colton but would appear randomly appear and just talk while he was showering. The first time it freaked him out, he was bordering on hysterical when Iris finally came to rescue him. She thought it was hilarious how he decided that she was scarred for life and that he had PTSD.

Addy did love showering with Quinn at the moment, she loved washing her bump, lathering up her hands and giving it a good rub.

"Daddy? Have you seen Petal yet? She's having babies, maybe Sam will get one." They had taken Petal to the Vets during the week and an ultrasound showed her with four or five babies brewing. Addy was amazed and thought it would be 'cool' if they were having four babies.

"Is she?"

"Four, she's having four. Can we have four?"

"Not right now, no. One bubba is enough. You don't have enough arms to cuddle four babies."

"One for me, one for Mum, one for you and one for Bug, because she doesn't have a baby." Addy had obviously thought about this a little too much. "Colt can share Bug's baby."

"Maybe one day Bug and Colt will have their own baby, they don't need one of ours."

"Just until Bug gets her own baby."

"We are having one baby Adelaide."

"Next time we can have four?"

Quinn just cringed. The thought of four babies was horrific, the one she had inside her was bad enough. It wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience. She loved feeling the baby move, seeing Alfie and Addy fuss over it and she was excited to meet their little one but it hadn't been an easy pregnancy. "I don't think so Darlin'."

Quinn was feeling really uncomfortable, she couldn't sit still and once Addy was in bed she asked Alfie to take her for a walk. He did panic a little but she assured him it was just the baby kicking and squirming around and she wasn't having contractions, it was pushing on her diaphragm making it hard to breathe. "Lucky there's not four in there." Alfie joked. Addy had gone on and on about it over dinner. She had wanted to know that if Petal had four babies did that mean that there were four different Dads and hadn't been particularly satisfied with her Dad's answer that there was only one Dad.

"You would never touch me again if you impregnated me with four." It was nice to be out of the house and enjoy a few minutes with Alfie. The streets were quiet, the lights were just starting to take over from the sky as the sun was giving up the last of its light to the night sky.

"Oh Darlin' I give you millions of swimmers every time, it's you spitting out four eggs at once that would do it."

"Yes, fine. Well just in case I do spit out four eggs perhaps I should make sure your swimmers have no way of getting anywhere near them." Quinn sounded a little bit serious. "Best way to do that is either abstinence or the snip."

"Snip doesn't always work. Look at Bug."

"Abstinence it is then."

"What like now?" It had been strongly suggested that they don't have sex at the moment, much to Alfie's disappointment. Quinn wasn't too bothered; she was happy just to cuddle up to him but he found it a challenge. The risk of inducing preterm labour though was enough to put the kibosh on it. Whatever they had to do to keep their baby safe they would do. "I mean I slept alone all week."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Well I don't know, you could have had a different girl visit every night, I wouldn't know."

"I did." He wiggled his fingers at her. "Mrs Palmer and her five daughters stopped by a few times." Without Quinn to take care of him he was left to his own devices. "Especially when you kept sending me videos of that beautiful belly and that Bikini you rocked…well girl that got my motor going."

"Thought you'd like it. Dad, not so much." Quinn giggled a little, her Dad had been shocked when she came out in a bikini but Addy told her she looked beautiful.

"Do you think we should head back to Chicago in the morning?" Alfie had run her a bath and helped Quinn into it.

Quinn didn't even open her eyes. "What for?"

"I've just got a feeling, I'd like you closer to home."

Now she looked at him. "Alfie, baby I'm fine. The baby is just moving around, probably getting itself into position. They told us this would happen in the last few weeks."

"I'm just worried."

"I know, and it's really sweet but Addy is looking forward to spending a couple of days with you. She'll be so disappointed if we leave tomorrow, she's been patiently waiting all week." Quinn would never tell him that Addy had cried every night because she missed her Dad so much, it was the longest she'd been away from him. "I think it's important for her." Last night she was particularly bad, she just couldn't wait any longer. She had even reverted to asking for Alfie a few times.

"She'll understand."

"Baby she's five, she's been waiting all week, she's got things planned. Let's spend the next two days with Addy and make it all about her. She'll love it, pretty soon we won't get the chance to just focus on her."

"Okay." He nodded. "Okay."

Alfie didn't mind sharing a bed with his two girls. He loved spending the two days with Addy and she followed him around like a lost puppy. It was tough leaving her behind. She didn't love it, she begged to come home with them. Meg assured them that she had stopped crying not long after they left and she was downstairs mothering Petal and foisting all her anguish and love onto the poor cat.

Quinn's appointment didn't go as well as they hoped. They learned that the increased movement over the weekend had been the baby turning around and unfortunately it was now in a breech position.

"What's that mean?" Quinn just squeezed his hand tightly as Alfie panicked. "Is the baby okay?"

"Your baby is fine, it has just turned and is not in the ideal position for birth." The midwife assured them. "We would like it to be engaged by now. Let me get the Doctor and he will have a look and discuss the options with you."

Being left on their own, even for a few minutes was frightening. It felt like hours. Alfie kissed Quinn's forehead and he could feel her shaking. He tried to comfort her and remind her that they said the baby was fine but it was hard when his own heart was racing. Missing out on Addy's pregnancy and birth felt like a kick in guts but right now it seemed like a better option, at least he didn't have this stress.

The Doctor was calm though. "Firstly, your baby is fine. We have no concerns but they have decided to entertain us by rotating at the last minute. There are a couple of things we need to look at, growth has slowed a little, not much but I think it might be best to deliver your baby sooner rather than later. Now because they have decided to stick their butt down into your cervix we had a couple of options. We can try what's called an ECV, an external cephalic version, its where we manually try and turn your baby if you want to try and have a vaginal birth. You can choose to attempt a vaginal breech birth, it is a riskier birth but many women deliver a healthy breech baby. Or you can choose a C- section."

"What do you recommend?"

"My preferred option would be a C-section." Dr Howard answered quickly. "With how your baby is right now I don't think an ECV is the best choice." He explained that he did not like to perform ECV's on baby's that were perhaps a little undersized for their gestational age as their baby was.

"Can we talk about it?" Alfie knew Quinn was going to want to think about it, it was a lot of information to take in in a very short space of time. She was a thinker, he on the other hand, would jump in feet first.

"What's the safest for the baby?" She asked the Doctor, her hands were protectively cradling her stomach, like she was worried they were going to steal it from her then and there and Alfie covered her hands with his.

"For both of them." Alfie added. He had to worry about both of them but he knew Quinn was only worried about the baby.

"It is your decision but I think you'd be better with the C-section, but it is your baby, I can only suggest what I think is best. I will give you some time to decide. Have a chat, go for a walk. You may want to call your sister." Dr Howard was very aware that Alfie's sister was a Paediatrican. He knew Charlotte Hollister quite well. "I am sure she can answer all your questions about the baby."

"If we have the C-section when would that be?"

"Tomorrow. I think it's time to deliver your baby."

They hadn't expected any of this and they were a little blindsided and overwhelmed. The Doctor gave them an hour to have a chat. Alfie held her hand tightly as they left the building for some fresh air. He messaged Lola and asked her if she could meet them. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know."

"I do. I don't want to risk anything. Have the C-section Quinn."

"I really wanted to try to have the baby naturally."

He understood that, he wanted Quinn to have the best experience possible but having them both healthy was all he needed. And that's what he told her. She just nodded. It was overwhelming enough being pregnant and being responsible for this life and she already felt like she had let Alfie down with all the issues they'd had and now the baby wasn't growing very well and it was in the wrong position and it was her fault. He never made her feel like that but that didn't stop her worrying constantly.

Lola met them, she had taken a quick look at their notes before she came down and talked to her Doctor. "What's the risk to the baby?" Alfie asked her.

"The lowest risk option is the C-section. Seriously, I know you that's not what you wanted but delivering a breech baby has risks, it can be hard for you, there is an increased risk to the baby and you may end up having an emergency C Section anyway and a C-section is major surgery. A planned C-section when you are not in labour is preferable, it is less stressful for the baby and for you."

"They said the baby is not growing?"

"Not as much as it should at this stage but it is growing. If you want my opinion, your baby is better out than in right now. Before it becomes an issue, it is 37 weeks, almost term."

"Okay." Quinn sat silently listening to Lola, she trusted her sister-in-law but Alfie had a million questions and some of them made her feel more anxious than she already was. He needed all the facts, good, bad and ugly.

"Dr Howard is amazing, if he's not worried then you shouldn't be. He does this every day. I talked to him and he thinks this is for the best and you will have a healthy little baby to love tomorrow."

Alfie called Meg, Quinn wasn't up to talking to anyone. When they got home she had a lie down and a good cry. Alfie had sat with her until she fell asleep. She was worried despite Lola's reassurance that 37 weeks was perfectly fine and not considered premature. "Hey Meg, how's Addy?"

"She's good. She's just gone to the shops with Joel."

"Can you bring her home?"

"Why? What's wrong? Is Quinn okay? Is the baby okay?"

"Quinn's fine. The baby moved over the weekend and its breech. We've decided to have a C-section in the morning." He didn't tell her about the slowed growth, Quinn didn't want to worry her Mom. As much as they told her it wasn't her fault Quinn couldn't stop herself feeling guilty that the baby's size was an issue.

"Oh my."

"Meg, it's okay. We have every confidence in the Doctors, they know what they are doing. Lola thinks it's best too. We are nervous but really excited and we'd love to have Addy here tonight and so that she can come and see her bubba tomorrow. Can you bring her up?"

"Sure, as soon as Joel gets back."

"Can you keep it to yourself? We don't want to worry her."

Addy was ecstatic to be going home. She had missed her Mum and Dad and hugged Quinn and kissed her bubba. "Did you miss me too much Blinky?" She asked Quinn's belly. "That's okay, I missed you too."

They were up early the next morning and before they left Alfie woke her up. "Hey Addy, guess what? Daddy's just going to take Mum to the hospital to have our baby. I need you to stay here with Nanna Meg and Pappy Joel and as soon as we have our baby I will call you okay."

"Can I come?"

"Not right now. We love you Addy, so much. We will see you soon, remember, be my Djinda."

"I will. I'm very excited."

"So are we. I can't wait to see you as a big sister." Alfie kissed and hugged his little girl. They'd come a long way and Addy had bought so much joy to his life. He loved that she was so excited about their new little baby and couldn't wait for her to meet her brother or sister.

He couldn't wait to see Quinn with her baby either.

Neither of them had slept well. They had talked a lot during the night about the baby, how they hoped the day would work out and talked about names, they had narrowed it down but were yet to make a decision. Alfie kept his hand on his baby all night, comforting both Quinn and himself. And they talked about Adelaide. Alfie reminded Quinn how beautiful a mother she was to Addy, how they had grown together and how much he loved seeing them learn together. He couldn't wait to see her with her new baby and as a mother of two.

This was not how they expected things to go and waiting in hospital for surgery wasn't the most pleasant feeling. Lola came in to see them early, as promised she hadn't told either Mae or Iris that they were having the baby today, they didn't want people to stress and worry. They just wanted to focus on what was in front of them.

"I've checked who's on call this morning. Lewis Morgan is the Paed, he's great and will take good care of our little one."

"I wish you could do it." Alfie really wanted Lola to take care of their baby but it wasn't allowed. They did talk about having her in the theatre with them but Lola explained that it would be too crowded and that they had a good team. She would be waiting outside and come and see them in recovery.

"Me too."

It felt all very clinical and Quinn was quiet. She had an epidural and freaked out a little when they wheeled her into surgery and Alfie wasn't with her. "He's just getting gowned up. We won't start until he's here." The nurse assured her.

Doctor Howard had a quick chat to them both. "Okay, we ready? Let's meet this little upside-down fidget." He had laughed earlier when he came in to talk to them about the surgery and the baby kicked his hand when he felt for it. They did one more ultrasound to make sure it hadn't suddenly rotated overnight even though Quinn didn't think it moved all that much.

The anaesthetist talked the them throughout. "What are we thinking? Boy or Girl?"

"I think it's a boy." Quinn had always thought it was a boy, Alfie was more on the girl side. He just had a feeling that he had another daughter on the way.

"First baby?"

"Sort of." Alfie found it hard to explain especially when he was anxious. "We have a five year old girl at home, but it's Quinn's first baby." Quinn laughed at how nervous Alfie sounded.

"Okay, ready Mom and Dad?" Dr Howard briefly peered over the drape. The midwife lowered Quinn's gown ready for them to lie the baby on her chest. "Well hello little lady. Welcome to the world."

They didn't know what to think when before their eyes was a tiny little girl. "Congratulations Mom and Dad." Quinn's hands were shaking as they placed her on her chest and she let out a good wail as they held their precious baby for the first time.

"Oh Alfie." She sobbed. "I love her."

"So perfect." He kissed her forehead as he stroked his daughter's hand. "Hello Darlin'."

They only had a few moments with her as she was taken off them for examination. She was tiny and they watched her squirming and flinging her arms and legs around as the Paediatrician checked her out. Alfie held Quinn's hand and tried to get as close to the baby as he could. He wanted to listen to what they were saying. Within minutes she was back with them, although it felt like forever for two anxious new parents. "She looks good." Dr Morgan assured them. "However, I'd like to take her up to the nursery for a bit more of a look. Just for an hour or so. You can come sit with her." He nodded at Alfie.

"What's wrong?"

"Her lungs might just need a little help clearing out, usually the labour process and birth does that but because she decided to show us her butt first we want to make sure she doesn't run into problems. I know it's a bit confronting but really I think she will be fine and back with you before you can think of a name." Dr Morgan softly stroked Quinn's forehead. He had been such a calming presence in the theatre and had come in to meet them before the surgery.

"It's Marlee." If Alfie was surprised that Quinn had named her he didn't show it. It was one of their favourite names for a girl but they hadn't really decided definitely. If that's what Quinn wanted then he was happy to go with that.

"Well what Marlee would really like right now is a go at feeding. How would you feel about that?"

"Can I?"

"Go for it." The midwife helped the baby find her way and she gave it a go for a few moments. She fussed and rooted around, letting go and searching for it again and Alfie was in awe of both of them. He videoed it all and captured the moment that his daughter made all Quinn's fears about being a mother disappear, he was watching her fall in love with his new daughter. He'd already watched her fall in love with Addy but this was something else and equally as beautiful. It melted his heart. They left them alone for a few minutes, or as alone as they could be with a room full of Doctors and nurses but they didn't interrupt their bonding with their daughter.

"Can you go with her?" Quinn didn't want Marlee left alone and they assured them that her Dad could stay with her. He didn't really want to leave Quinn either but she insisted that he go and look after his daughter. "Alfie she's just a tiny little girl, I don't want her to be scared or alone."

By the time they got down to the nursery Lola was waiting as they wheeled the humidicrib in with Alfie closely following. "And?"

"It's a girl."

"Oh Alfie, congratulations." Alfie appreciated the hug, he didn't really get the chance to hold onto Quinn once Marlee had arrived, there was a lot going on. "How's Quinn?"

"A little emotional but she didn't want her left alone. They said she's fine though?" It was more a question than a statement and he looked hopefully at his sister.

Lola took a look and had a quick chat to Dr Morgan. Their little girl was doing well and they were hoping that she wouldn't be here more than an hour or two.

The nurse scanned her name tag and asked Alfie again if this was his baby and his wife's name and date of birth to check they had the right baby. "Does she have a name yet?" The nurse who was taking care of her asked as she wiped over her face, cleaning her eyes a little, much to the newborn's disgust.

"Marlee."

"Beautiful. Hello little Marlee, your Daddy seems like he's waiting for a cuddle." She bundled her up to keep her warm and handed her to her father. He'd only had a quick hold in the operating theatre preferring to let Quinn hold her for as long as possible, he could wait.

Marlee felt as light as air in his hands. She weighed in at a touch over 6lbs and was a little smaller than they expected but seemed healthy. It was good that she had fed already and hopefully they would bring Quinn down soon to see her, he couldn't imagine how she was feeling and he felt a little guilty being here with Marlee when her mother was alone but Quinn wanted him here and he'd do whatever she wanted him to do. Lola took some photos and had left him to it and promised to go sit with Quinn for a few minutes. She kissed the top of her brother's head as he was watching his daughter. "She's just perfect Alfie, I am so happy for you and Quinn."

Alfie barely noticed she'd left. He was just staring at his daughter. Her eyes were closed but her face was twitching as she settled into life. He couldn't believe she was here, that this was his baby and having missed all this with Adelaide he didn't want to ever let her go. "My little Marlee." he kissed her forehead and played with her hand, her tiny fingers instinctively holding onto him. "Daddy loves you so much. You are so lucky; you've got the best Mummy waiting for you, she made you perfect and you are going to love Adelaide. She's going to adore you; she's been waiting for you to arrive for so long."

"Hey." Quinn was resting with her eyes closed when Lola knocked on the door before she came in. They had just bought her back to her room. "Can I come in?"

"Sure. Have you seen her?"

"I have." Lola kissed her sister-in-law. "She's beautiful Quinn. Congratulations."

"Is she okay?"

"Perfect. Alfie is just having a cuddle now while they are making sure she is breathing okay. It all looks really good; they are really happy with her and I think she'll be back here with you soon. They are not worried about anything." Lola showed her a video of her examination and then Alfie having a cuddle. "He looks so happy."

"I just want to hold her."

Lola pulled up a chair and held her hand as she cried. It was overwhelming for everyone. She had been lucky and had both her baby's with her after they were born. It had been such a whirlwind, having less than 24hours notice that your baby needed to be born now to avoid problems and she could understand why Quinn was feeling so distraught. Lola knew how much Quinn was hoping for a normal delivery after the difficult pregnancy and as much as you told yourself that as long as the baby was healthy it didn't matter, it did matter. "I know, I can't imagine how devastating this feels for you not being with your baby girl. I'm just going to sit here with you okay?"

"Okay."

"Her name is beautiful. Little Marlee."

"It is, does it suit her?"

"Perfectly. It's gorgeous, like she is."

"Alfie really liked it but we hadn't really decided. When I saw her I thought she looked like a Marlee and I think Alfie was a bit shocked. It is an Aboriginal name, he really wanted that for Adelaide."

"Adelaide and Marlee, what two perfect girls. You are such a lucky Mom with those two." Lola laughed. "I never imagined Alfie with girls. He's going to be like Dad, everything will freak him out." Never did any of Alfie's family make Quinn feel like she wasn't Addy's mother in every way. Despite not giving birth to her Quinn was Addy's Mom, Addy called her Mom and she couldn't have loved that little girl any more if she tried.

"Do you think he's disappointed?"

"Nope. He's in heaven. Always has been a ladies man." Lola knew that Alfie didn't care about whether it was a boy or girl. They just wanted a healthy baby and that's what they got. "Alfie is such a good dad. He's been the best brother; he's grown up knowing how to take care of us girls. We are the lucky ones. Addy and Marlee are two very lucky little girls."

"I think so too."

"I am so happy for you Quinn. We love you so much, so much. You have been the perfect person for our Alfie. He adores you and I know you adore him. This is perfect. Your little family is beyond perfect. Mom and Dad would be so happy. Pops would be crazy right now with another girl to love and MiMi would love you and Marlee."

Lola left when Alfie came back. "She's sleeping right now." He smothered Quinn with love when she cried. "So perfect Darlin', she's so perfect. Thank you for my little girl. I love you so much, I can't believe she's ours and she's here and I can't imagine life without her, or you and Adelaide. I mean can you believe we made her?"

"Do you want to call Addy?"

"Let's wait a bit. I just want to stay in this little bubble for a bit and spend time with you." He did relent and send her Mom a message saying everything was good and Quinn was just settling into her room, the baby was being checked out but doing well and they would call soon. The midwife came in to check on them and Doctor Howard stuck his head in and assured them it all went well. "She was jammed up nice and tight so I think it was the best option." They talked them through the next few days, she still had the catheter in and an IV and would for a little while yet. She wasn't allowed up just yet because the epidural was still affecting her lower half and they talked through pain relief and that paracetamol was completely safe to take while breast feeding. They got Quinn to express some milk which they promised to give to Marlee, she would be back with them soon and Quinn could feed her as much as she liked but they wanted to stimulate her breast to produce milk at this early stage when she didn't have Marlee with her.

Within an hour the midwife came in and told Alfie that Marlee was awake and ready to come see Mom. The wait for Quinn was excruciating and as soon as he wheeled her through the door she burst into tears. "Hey Little Marlee, someone is desperate to give you lots of love." He picked up his tiny newborn daughter and handed Quinn her baby.

"Oh Marlee, my beautiful little angel. Hi." Quinn sobbed. "I've missed you."

"Wow. Perfect."

"She is."

"No, you both are."

They spent a few minutes with Marlee while she fed, which she wasn't that great at doing just yet and they checked her out completely, unwrapping her to see her in all her perfect glory before they called Addy.

"Oh, it's my bubba." Addy didn't even give them a chance to say hello. "It's so cute." They had her on face time. "Is it a sister?"

That's all Addy wanted. "Hey Addy…" Alfie beamed. "…it's your little sister."

"Oh yay." She jumped up and squealed. "A sister." Meg was barely holding the phone still as she cried.

"Say hi to Marlee."

"Oh, she's so beautiful." Meg gushed. "We can't wait to meet her." They asked her parents to bring Addy in and Addy was halfway out the door already, with her bag of stuff that she had insisted they buy for the baby and a card she had made for her Mum. While Addy had picked up a little bit of an American accent and many of the words, she still had that Australian inflection on the word Mum.

Addy was beside herself. Meg had to warn her at one stage to calm down when she yelled at them to hurry up. She had also tried to take her seatbelt off before the car had stopped which got her a stern rebuke and Addy crumbled and dissolved into a flood of tears. They made her calm down before they took her in.

Meg helped her out of the car and crouched down in front of her crying granddaughter. "I know you are excited Adelaide, but you need to just breathe a little bit. Mum and Dad don't want you to get hurt doing something silly because you are excited, okay?" Addy nodded her head and took a deep breath. Meg was a very calming influence on Addy, who struggled to rein herself in.

"Sorry Nanna Meg."

"It's okay Addy, it's very exciting. Let's go meet this little sister of yours."

"Is she your sister too?"

"No, she's my granddaughter." Meg smiled down at the beautiful little girl holding her hand. "Like you are."

"I'm happy you're my Nanna Meg." Addy skipped along beside her. "I will tell Marlee to be happy too."

Marlee was asleep in her cot beside the bed when she came charging through the door. Joel had let them know that they were on their way up and they put Marlee back in her cot so they could have their hands free for Addy but she didn't even bother with saying hi to her Mum and Dad she went straight for the baby. "Oh, she is so cute, so cute. I love her so much. Can I hold her?"

"Of course. Sit up with Mum and give her a cuddle first, she's missed you too." Alfie helped her up onto the bed beside Quinn, reminding her that Mum had an operation so she had to be a little bit careful.

"Does it hurt?" She asked her Mum.

"A little bit, but I think a cuddle from you will help." Addy happily gave her a quick cuddle as Alfie picked up Marlee ready for her first sister cuddle.

"I love her." Addy gushed. She kissed Marlee's head as Alfie snapped the perfect photo, Addy was in her element, this was all she ever wanted. Her mind worked in mysterious ways sometimes, she'd come a long way and had a rough road for a while but her Bubba made her feel safe and that was just as important to them as Marlee was.

Quinn overcome with emotion when Addy gave her a card with all her very creative writing and curly tails. 'I love you Mum, you are the best Mum in the whole wide world, thank you for my bubba. Lots and lots and lots of hugs and kisses, Adelaide.' She had quickly scribbled 'I love my sister' along the bottom before they left home.

Once Addy and Quinn's parents had a good long cuddle he called Iris. "Hey Bug. You wanna come meet Marlee?"

"Marlee?"

"Yes, our little baby girl Marlee is right here having lots of cuddles with her very proud big sister Adelaide."

Alfie didn't need to have it on speaker, the whole room heard Iris's scream. "Oh, why didn't I know this?"

"She made her grand entrance about four hours ago and we've been a little busy. She's perfect and healthy and tiny. Her name is Marlee. Are you coming or not?" Alfie explained that Quinn had required and C-section and that Marlee had a couple of hours in the nursery, hence the delay in calling her. "The first thing the world saw was her butt."

"I'm coming." Wild horses couldn't have kept her away. "Do you have a photo? Oh, how's Quinn?" Alfie sent her a photo of Addy and Marlee together. If the camera was out at the moment, Addy was in there.

"She's good. Showing off her awesome Mum skills. Already."

Mae was just as excited and by the time they had all arrived the had finally decided on her full name. They were a little surprised at how tiny she was. Poppy had been small too but Marlee just seemed tiny and fragile.

"This is Marlee Polly Ruzek Hollister. Marlee is an aboriginal name and Polly because she would have loved her and I miss her." Alfie told them. "Ruzek because Pops and MiMi meant the world to me." Their parents never hyphenated their name but they were all Ruzek Hollister. The boys all had Ruzek in their names although Poppy and Adelaide didn't. No one really knew why they didn't but Alfie was happy to give his newest daughter the Ruzek name and Quinn had no desire to give her own maiden name. She was a little traditional and had changed her name to Hollister when they got married. Mae and Lola had kept their maiden names, especially at work but Quinn was happy to make the change.

He sent the photo of Addy and Marlee to the rest of the family and also to Walter, Tara, Liz and Sheldon back in Australia. Alfie had called Gus himself.

'Adelaide is delighted to show you her brand new baby sister, Marlee Polly Ruzek Hollister. She has already declared herself the best big sister in the world and that her little Marlee is the 'cutest baby ever' and we tend to agree. Welcome to the circus tent Marlee, you've kept us on our toes already so now that you are here it's time to chill. Quinn did an amazing job growing our little girl and watching her fall in love with her new daughter has been amazing. It's the second time I've watched her fall in love with our girls and I've gotta say it never gets old. Marlee's vital statistics were 6lbs 1oz, a touch under 19inches long and she changed our lives forever at 935am. Lucky I love the Ladies.'