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Lizzie pushed herself off the cool blue tile of the bathroom floor, and brushed her fingers through her hair, pushing the golden locks away from her face. She stretched a smile across her lips as she looked down at Tori' concerned face. "Mommy's fine," she stated holding her arms out. Tori smiled and stepped into the awaiting arms and Lizzie lifted her and rested her on her hip. "Want to go see what Miranda's making?"
Tori smiled and nodded. Lizzie stepped out of the bathroom and the aroma of the cooking dinner bombarded her, and her stomach only cringed, but she felt she was going to be fine. She gently made her way down the stairs and peered into the living room.
"Gordo still sick," Tori asserted, looking at the sleeping figure. "When will he be better?"
"Soon," Lizzie nodded. She hugged Tori to her as she stepped into the kitchen and Miranda looked up from the boiling concoction in a boiling pot of water.
"Hey you two," she greeted. "You okay, Liz?"
Lizzie nodded, looking around the quaint little kitchen. "Where's Matt?"
"Outside," Tori answered.
"You want to go get him?" Lizzie asked, placing her on the floor.
Tori wrapped her small fingers around her mother's, glancing at the wooden back door. She bit her pink lips in consideration.
Lizzie knelt down beside her and brushed away the sandy hair. "Mommy's okay now, honey."
Tori's wide blue eyes locked on her mother, studying her carefully. "Promise?"
Leaning forward, Lizzie kissed her forehead. "Promise."
Relieved with the promise, Tori bounded for the door. Lizzie stood up and looked over at Miranda. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Can you cut up some red onions for me?"
Lizzie nodded, grabbed a knife from the drawer, the opened the fridge.
"She's a great little girl, Lizzie. You're doing an amazing job raising her. Especially on your own," Miranda stated.
Pulling the heavy cutting board from its spot on the counter, Lizzie grabbed a rag and quickly wiped the surfaced and smiled at her friend. "Thanks, but I couldn't have done anything without all the help I get from you. And the support from Mom and Dad and Matt is amazing."
Miranda stirred the contents of the pot with a wooden spoon and glanced over her shoulder. "Quit being modest. You're an amazing, Mom. Tori's a great little girl. It makes me think..."
Lizzie jerked her head up from the purplish onion she was cutting and she stared at her friend. "Makes you think what?"
"Nothing," Miranda stated quickly, looking down, but not quick enough to hide the blush that was creeping to her cheeks.
"What?" Lizzie prodded gently.
She stopped stirring and turned to face Lizzie. "That I want to have kids. I mean I know I've always wanted one, but I mean, I really want one. If I can even be half the mom you are..."
Lizzie smiled broadly at the compliment as she stared at her friend. She knew Miranda would make an excellent mother, Tori absolutely adored her. But Miranda had never seemed ready for the full time responsibility of having a child. Lizzie softly let out a sigh as she turned towards Miranda. "Are you sure you want a baby?"
Miranda chuckled and shook her head. "Not yet. I just mean some day. But I think that it's a good outlook." She took the pieces of the onion and added it to the pot. "I've got a lot of things to do first, like get married. And before I even get married I need to find the right guy. I've got a lot of work to do."
Lizzie moaned softly. "And speaking of work. I've got so much to catch up on. Danny's been really lenient, but I haven't written an article in weeks. I feel so awful leaving Tori—"
"She's going to be fine, Lizzie. I'll keep her inside, and we'll play some games, watch TV and she'll wait for you to come home. It's just how it's always been."
Lizzie twisted her fingers as she stood up and began to pull the dinner dishes out of the cabinet and she idly began to set the table.
Miranda switched off the heat under the pan and glanced at Lizzie. "I'm going to go check on Gordo."
Lizzie nodded. "I'm going to check on Tori and Matt."
She walked over to the door and leaned outside.
Matt leaned back as Tori swung around locked in his arms. He pulled the small girl closer to him as she locked her arms around his neck. Matt grinned as he buried his head in the crook of her shoulder.
"Again!" Tori cried gleefully.
"How bout you come inside for dinner?" Lizzie suggested as Matt lifted Tori into the air.
Tori let out a whimper of protest but a quick whisper in her ear from Matt soothed her, and she bounded quickly towards her mother.
"Lizzie," Miranda suddenly called.
She jerked around, noticing the urgency in her voice.
"Phone," Miranda stated.
Lizzie smiled at Tori, chasing her inside, then grabbed the phone. "Hello."
"That's a sweet voice I haven't heard in a while," Danny's voice called over the phone.
Lizzie glanced over her shoulder, watching her family file into the kitchen. She turned towards the wall and pulled the phone closer to her mouth. "Danny, hello. I've been meaning to thank you."
"Thank me," he echoed. "For what?"
"Letting me off work for this time. Most bosses wouldn't have done that."
"I'm not most bosses," he replied. "Is everything settled? Have you had enough time off?"
"Yes, I'll be in tomorrow."
"Are you sure, Lizzie? It would be great to have you back, but if you're not ready..."
"I'm ready," she stated softly. "It's time to put some order back into my life."