"I'll bring her by soon, Dad. You'll like her. I promise."

Nicholas sat with Steve on the porch swing, father and son spending a Saturday morning together. "I'm sure I will, Son. From the way you're talking, I'm really looking forward to meeting her."

Steve felt the sun's heat touch his skin, its rays only adding to the warmth created by thoughts of Katie. "Just don't embarrass me too much, all right? I'd like to keep Katie around."

"Are you suggesting I might run your new girlfriend off?"

"No. I'm just thinking you'll have a good time teasing me. It's sort of your turn after how much I teased you."

"I have to admit that's true."

"It sure is nice to have somebody, Dad. I like her a lot."

"I can see that, Son. How serious is it right now?"

"It hasn't gotten serious yet. I'm not even sure what that would look like for me." Steve breathed in the morning air, his newfound affection not crowding out the memories. "But I'll definitely let you know when it does."

"No, it was nothing like that. I think he just needed somebody to be there and listen."

Maryanne replied to Darry, as she was sorting a basket of clean laundry. "Okay. Let me know if he needs more than that. I'm sure I could pull a few strings and get him set up with a doctor."

Darry reached for one of his shirts and slipped it on, as he kissed Maryanne's cheek. "I will. But I think Soda would be more than a little hesitant about the idea of seeing anyone who's not Dr. Morgan."

"Well, I work with some people connected to her private practice, so I'm sure there'd be a way to get him in with her. I know which strings to pull."

"I appreciate it. But, hopefully, that won't be necessary. Nothing about last night made me think it will be. Honestly, it'd seem more abnormal if he didn't have spells of feeling sad. He did say he's wanting some of your chocolate chip cookies, by the way."

"I'll have to make a batch this afternoon. So are you really not worried, or are you just trying not to be?"

Darry dropped onto the couch, his eyes landing on the folded socks that were in the basket next to one of Maryanne's uniforms. "I'm trying not to jump to any conclusions that are only based on the past. It isn't fair to Soda, and he needs better than that from me. I did say something to Steve before I left last night because I know if there is anything there that needs to come out, he's the best at getting Soda to talk."

"He's going to make a great counselor, isn't he?"

"Yeah. He couldn't be a better fit for it. And after seeing how much counseling did for both him and Soda, I get how important it is."

Maryanne moved the laundry basket aside, then sat down next to Darry, brushing her fingertips along his back and shoulders. "It is very important. That's why I want the option to be available to Sodapop just in case. But maybe all he needs right now is what you said, somebody to be there and listen. Somebody who loves him to hear what he has to say."

"Yeah. That always means a lot for Soda."

"For you too. When it comes to him and to yourself."

"I don't want to worry, Maryanne. But it's damn hard for my mind not to get stuck in that loop after all he's gone through. I know it's normal for him to have certain feelings about the adoption and about Emily, but I'm too aware of how intense my brother's emotions can get. It scares me to death when I think of him falling so low that he feels like he can't get back up again. I know this doesn't mean he will, but those memories are still in my head."

"Of course they are. I've been able to see how much you love Sodapop since the day I met you."

Darry tucked a stray strand of hair behind Maryanne's ear, a grin forming on his lips. "So do you still find it attractive?"

"Absolutely. Love looks incredible on you, my hero. It's one reason I can't wait to start our family."

"Soda, what the hell are you doing, buddy?"

Soda lie on the couch, the TV blaring The Brady Bunch theme song, as Steve came into the living room. "Nothin'. Just tryin' to relax."

Steve lowered the volume on the TV, as he looked at Soda, who had a blanket tucked around his shoulders, his head resting on the arm of the couch. "It's afternoon, man. Why are you lying here?"

"Cause I want to."

Steve switched the TV off, then knelt down beside the couch so that he was face-to-face with Soda. "Tell me anything you want to do or anywhere you want to go, and it's done. I'm worried about you sitting here like this with nothing but your thoughts."

"Well, I had the TV too til you turned it off."

"Still, buddy."

Soda sat up, the blanket slipping into his lap to reveal the same clothes he'd slept in the night before. "But there's nothin' I feel like doin'."

Steve moved to sit on the couch beside Soda and touched his shoulder. "Want to go for a milkshake? We don't have to do anything that takes a lot of energy. Just so long as it's something."

"I don't know, Stevie."

Steve watched Soda's expression, seeing the wheels of thought turning in his head. "Take small steps, man. Go get dressed, then take it from there. You don't need a big plan. You just need to get up off the couch and get some fresh air."

"I know. I know you're right. But when I think about doin' anything, I just kind of freeze, and it feels like too much."

"Is this still about the same stuff as last night?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Okay. Here's what we do then. You go get dressed. After that, I'll drive us over to the DQ for milkshakes. I'll order and everything. All you've gotta do is be. Does that sound all right?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"What if I told you I really want to spend some time with you, buddy?"

"I'd say we live together, so it ain't like we don't do that."

"Yeah. But I'm trying to reframe this for you. I know it can be overwhelming to get up and go out when you're feeling down."

"So you want me to look at it as spendin' time with you, not just doin' somethin' to get off the couch?"

"Yeah. Pretty much. It's not tough to hang out with your best friend, right?"

Soda saw the grin Steve was giving him and grinned back, despite the tears forming in his eyes. "No. Of course not."

"Aw, please don't cry, man. I think you're going to be okay. You've just gotta take a little bit of time to care for yourself."

"I hope you're right, Stevie."

Steve saw Soda pressing the heels of both hands to his eyes and touched his wrist. "Hey, I didn't mean you have to push it back. I'd never tell you to do that. If you need to cry, go right on ahead. I'll still be here next to you."

Soda let his hands drop, as he released a shaky sigh. "No. I'm okay now. Let's go get a milkshake." He then got to his feet, leaving the blanket on the couch, as he went down the hall toward his bedroom.

Steve stayed in his spot, tossing the blanket over the back of the couch, as he heard Soda's door click shut. I'll wait a few minutes, he thought. I'll give him some time before I decide to intervene.

"Daddy, look how I'm coloring my unicorn!"

Samuel looked at Emily's picture that she'd colored with magic markers, the unicorn's body and tail decorated with pink and yellow stripes. "It's beautiful, sweetie."

Emily went back to coloring, choosing a purple marker for the creature's mane. "I think it's so pretty. Unicorns should have lots of colors."

"I think you're right. They should."

Emily chose a red marker for the unicorn's horn, also using it to color in its smile. "Daddy, are they real?"

"No. Unicorns are pretend, Emily. They only exist in your imagination."

"So I can't have one as a pet?"

"I'm afraid not."

"How about a horse? Could I have one of those? They're a lot like unicorns."

"People do have horses as pets, but we don't live in a good place for one."

"Oh. How about a cat then?"

"That I can do. Do you want a cat?"

"Yeah, Daddy! I want a kitten."

"I'll talk to Mommy about it, but I bet she'd like that too."

Emily turned her paper over and began to draw the outline of a cat. "Can it be purple?"

"You mean a real cat?"

"Yeah."

"No, sweetie. Cats can be different colors, but none like that. They can be black, white, or gray. Sometimes even orange or yellow."

"Oh! I want my kitty to be orange. I hope Mommy says yes. Maybe we can name it Macaroni. Is that a good name?"

"Yes. I like it a lot."

Emily drew eyes and whiskers, then started to color the cat orange. "Me too. I can't wait. It'll be so much fun, and I'll be the best kitty mommy there is."