"Daddy!" Grace shouted in utter joy as James came in the front door. Someone unfamiliar with her might assume the excitement was due to missing him for a week, but in truth this was her usual level of rapture at seeing her father. A sparkly unicorn arriving with balloons and a big bag of sweets would not have been more thrilling.

She ran to him and threw her arms around his leg, nearly causing him to overbalance and drop the large paper bag containing their dinner from Tiger Palace. Grace sat on the top of his foot and locked her legs around his ankle. James took exaggerated steps through the lounge and into the dining room, his child passenger shrieking each time he raised her up.

James placed the bag on the table and lifted Grace into his arms. He pulled Lia into the embrace and held them tight for a long time, his face buried in Lia's hair.

"Daddy, I want to get down, please," Grace said, a bit muffled by his jacket. Though only a few months past her second birthday, she spoke in complete sentences.

"Of course," James said as he set her down. "Let's wash our hands."

Lia listened to the sounds of splashing and Grace's laughter from the bathroom as she removed the lids from the entrees. One of the containers was labeled "easy on the spices", the other "don't spare the spices". From the less spicy entree she filled Grace's dish with rice and bits of chicken and vegetables. For a young child, Grace was an adventurous eater, but they tried not to overwhelm her taste buds.

James helped Grace onto her booster seat and set her plate before her. He and Lia watched as she very neatly and efficiently conveyed the food to her mouth. With a small child present, they needed to keep dinner conversation away from talk of the case. Lia was just happy to see James enjoy his meal. He looked shockingly thin and tired after a week during which she was sure he had been barely eating.

"When I paid for the food, Mrs. Kotri asked if Grace was a big sister yet," James said.

A couple of months before on the night they'd told Grace about the upcoming baby they had dinner at Tiger Palace. The child had insisted on informing anyone who crossed her path, both patrons and waitstaff, that she was going to be a big sister.

"Next time we have dinner at Tiger Palace, we'll be a party of four," Lia said.

"May I be ascoosed?" Grace asked, when her plate was empty. James helped her down and she ran into the lounge where her toys were scattered on the floor. Her play activities were complex and imaginative, with her dolls and toy animals playing the parts in an elaborate script. Tonight's activity seemed to have a restaurant theme.

"I went to see Peter Mayfield today, to tell him that we charged Halford for the murders," James said softly so Grace wouldn't overhear. "I tried to apologize for putting him through the wringer. He wouldn't hear of it."

"You were doing your job."

"That's what he said. That poor sod is arranging a double funeral. I can't wrap my mind around how one man loses everything and another has more than he ever could have dreamt of."

"We live in a random world. You know that more than anyone," she said. Then more gently: "James, love, do you feel unworthy of the life you have?"

He sighed and glanced down at his hands. "I think maybe I do. I'm sure Mayfield courted his wife. They probably planned to have a child. I did none of that. I stumbled into a life I love very much, but never imagined possible."

"Did I ever tell you when I first realized I loved you?" She reached for his hand.

"No, I don't think so."

"I should have told you a long time ago, but I was afraid of frightening you off in the beginning," she said, smiling. "Anyway, it was that first ultrasound with Grace. We hardly knew each other at that point, but you bravely offered to come to the appointment. You were so uncomfortable and out of your element."

"I was terrified. It all felt far too real."

"But even with that, you stood by me and held my hand as the technician got started. And then there Grace was on the monitor and we saw her for the first time. I looked up at you and there were tears in your eyes and this look of total wonder on your face. And in that moment, I thought, this is a man who deserved to be loved. You, James Hathaway, are worthy of love."

"That's so much deeper and more meaningful than when I first knew I loved you," he said. "It was when you brought me my cigarettes after sex."

"Oh, good. It worked then," she said, grinning at his surprised look. "What, you didn't know I was trying to entice you?"

Grace had begun to fuss and argue with her pretend restaurant patrons. She may have had the verbal abilities of a much older child, but physiologically she was still a two year old who fell apart when tired. Sobbing, she dropped onto the floor among her playthings.

"I'll get her," James said, rising.

"She's been bathed," Lia told him. "Mum brought her home from nursery school. They'd spent the morning digging in the school garden and Grace was rather muddy."

James scooped Grace up in his arms, cuddling her as she sucked her fingers and whimpered. He carried her upstairs to get her changed and into her bed. As Lia listened to him singing to their daughter, she stowed the leftovers in the fridge, loaded the dishwasher and tidied the kitchen. Finally, she did her best to toss the toys into a basket, no easy feat at that point in the pregnancy.

When James returned, she was on the sofa with her feet up on an ottoman. He'd made himself comfortable, removing his tie and shoes and untucking his shirt. He set the baby monitor on the end table. Scrubbing his face with his palms, he sank down beside Lia.

"You look exhausted," Lia said.

"I never want to live through another week like this."

"Hand me that pillow, would you?" she said, pointing at the large accent pillow on the end of the sofa. He did as she asked, and she placed it against her thigh and patted it. "Come on."

He looked at her skeptically as he shifted down on the sofa and rested his head on the pillow. "I remember when I used to lay my head on your lap."

"I remember when I had a lap. Seems to me you had something to do with this," she laughed, rubbing her belly.

"It was my pleasure," he said as he stretched out.

Lia threaded her fingers through his hair, an activity they both enjoyed. She thought he looked most handsome when he wore his hair a bit longer on the top. But for sheer tactile pleasure, nothing compared with James' hair when it was close cropped as it was now. He didn't use any styling products when it was this short, so it felt like velvet under her fingers.

James, for his part, made a sound at the back of his throat that sounded remarkably like a cat's purr. She smiled at the thought that she had the power in her fingertips to help him relax. His blood pressure had probably dropped twenty points. His breathing slowed and he was asleep in minutes.

Lia switched on the telly and found an old comedy episode. After a horrible week, she loved the peace and domesticity of sitting here with James. Pregnancy had worn her out and she hadn't been able to stay awake when he came home late in the evenings. She felt like a failure to think he was dealing with a hellish situation while she couldn't manage to keep her eyes open. It was a good thing that James had Robbie, Laura and Lizzie looking after him at work.

A half hour later, Lia smiled as she heard light tapping on the front door. It had to be Robbie or Laura, the only ones who lived close by and wouldn't call or text ahead of a visit. They knew not to ring the doorbell in the evening and risk waking Grace.

She struggled to extricate herself without disturbing James, no small feat considering her advanced state of clumsiness. She opened the door with a finger to her lips. Robbie understood immediately as he stepped inside and whispered, "Hello pet. Thought I'd check on James."

She nodded her head in the direction of the lounge and led him to the sofa. Robbie grinned at the sight of a boneless James out cold in front of the telly.

"I'll make tea," Lia whispered. Robbie followed her into the kitchen. She filled the kettle and put it on to heat as she assembled the tea things on a tray. "I'm going to make a pot. James won't sleep long and he'll probably want a cup."

"There were times, after a bad case like this that if I didn't drag James down to the pub for a pint and a meal, I'd find him holed up in his flat halfway down a bottle of scotch," Robbie said. "To see him asleep in front of the telly is a treat. I'm glad he's finally able to reach out for comfort."

"I hate to tell you, but he doesn't really reach out. He is still James, after all. I think you learn to seek comfort when you're very young. You skin your knee and run to your mum or dad and they put a plaster on it and kiss and make it better. I don't know what happened, but something went wrong when James was little and he never got that message. He learned that no one was going to take care of him. And when the bad things happened later, he didn't even bother asking for help. It breaks my heart."

"Breaks mine too."

The kettle boiled and Lia added the hot water to the prepared teapot. She poured milk into a pitcher and set that on the tray.

Robbie jumped up as she started to lift the tray. "Here, let me get that," he said. He brought the tray to the table and poured each of them a cup.

"Mum brought over some cake," Lia said as she carried the tin and some plates to the table.

"Rosemary's almond cake," Robbie said. "This is my lucky night. Don't tell Laura. I had my pudding after dinner."

"Our secret," she said as she cut slices for both of them.

"You know, pet, James did really well during this case. I knew it was hard for him, but he held it together. I'd hoped he'd finally learned to reach out."

"The closest I think James gets to seeking comfort is sitting in Grace's room at night. He fell asleep there a couple of times this week. I guess he's comforted knowing she is safe."

"I remember feeling that way when my children were small. I sure didn't share everything that happened at work with Val back then. I thought one of us being haunted was enough."

"I know James was censoring himself when he talked to me this week. But he has made a lot of progress. He will accept comfort when I offer it. I open my arms and he walks right in. And he is so good at giving comfort. After the miscarriage I was in a bit of a dark place and he kept me from falling apart completely."

"Yes, the lad does know how to take care of others."

"And you know how to take care of him," Lia said. "Without your support, I don't know if he could have embraced all of this." She spread her hands wide.

At the sound of movement in the living room, both of them became quiet.

"Robbie," James said, yawning as he shuffled into the kitchen. "I didn't know you were here."

"Wanted to see how you were doing. I didn't expect to see you napping."

"I'm trying to stock up on sleep," James said as he poured himself a cup of tea. "It's probably going to be a scarce commodity in a couple of weeks."

"Oh, that reminds me," Lia said. "We have a favor to ask of you and Laura."

"You want us to get up with the baby in the middle of the night?"

"Actually, the middle of the night is pertinent to our request," James said. "If Lia goes into labor after Grace is in bed, we were hoping you could sleep here until Enzo and Rosemary can pick her up in the morning.

"Oh, aye. We'd be happy to."

And two weeks later, when Lia went into labor at 1:00 am, James called Robbie and told him "it's time." Minutes later, Robbie and Laura stood on the doorstep in their pajamas covered by their coats.

"There are clean sheets on the bed in the spare room," Lia said, between contractions.

"Off you go," Robbie said. "Call us when you can." Laura kissed both James and Lia as they left for the John Radcliffe Women's Centre.

Luke Robert Hathaway was born at 9:21 am, 8 pounds 14 ounces of healthy, beautiful baby. James repeated Luke's statistics half a dozen times as he made as many phone calls.

Grace was introduced to her baby brother when Enzo and Rosemary brought her to the hospital after lunch. She seemed a little disappointed that Luke slept through her entire visit. She thought he'd be ready to play with her right away. Fortunately, she brightened when Enzo suggested a visit to the cafe for ice cream.

Early that evening, Robbie and Laura came by the hospital to find Lia resting in bed and James sitting next to her, holding the swaddled baby. Lia had been sleeping on and off all afternoon, exhausted from a long night and day, but perked up when the visitors arrived.

"He's just beautiful," Laura said, bending to see Luke's tiny face.

"You didn't tell me you were doing that with his name," Robbie said, obviously choked up.

"If you remember, back when we didn't know if Grace was a girl or a boy, I proposed naming the baby after you. You said, as I recall, 'don't saddle a bairn with a name he has to share'. Hence our decision to go with a middle name."

"I'm honored," Robbie said. "Now hand over that 'baby burrito'." He reached out and James laid a tightly swaddled Luke in the cradle of Robbie's arms.

"Nell was okay with the name? Didn't think you should name him Phillip?" James' sister had a lot of opinions, most of them critical of her brother.

"She's fine with it. She and Allun came by to meet Luke this afternoon. They want to have children and she plans on naming the first after Dad."

Nell and the anthropologist fellow she'd brought to James and Lia's wedding had gotten married a few months ago. With Phillip's dementia very advanced now, James had escorted her down the aisle. Not "gave her away" as she pointed out that she was not a gift-wrapped parcel. Nell and James had a tricky relationship, one that Robbie didn't quite understand. His own family relationships were so much more straightforward.

"Nobody's bandaged up, so I assume everything went well," Laura said.

"Not nearly as dramatic as the day Grace was born," Lia said.

"You know, Luke's going to be disappointed when he doesn't have as exciting an 'on the day you were born' story as his sister," Laura said.

"That's fine. No drama. I hate being the punchline in that story," James said.

"We could tell Luke that Uncle Robbie and Aunt Laura came over in the middle of the night in their pajamas," Lia said. "Kids love adults in jammies."

"Especially Robbie's red hearts pajamas." James said.

"All the others were in the laundry!"

"I can't wait to tell that story next year and ever after," James said with a smile.

Note: One more casefile (a little shorter than this one) follow in chapters 6 and 7