Chapter Four

"Hey," Ally's voice is just the thing an exhausted Lizzie needs to hear that night after putting the kids to bed, her best friend's logic and reassurances always managed to make Lizzie more sane

"Ally, oh my God, it feels like it's been forever since I've seen you." Lizzie sighs dropping onto the living room couch.

"The first day that rough huh?" Ally asks.

"The worst," Lizzie responds. "Michael misses Max. Hannah wants LeeAnn's bedtime story, which you think I'd be able to recreate, I've only heard it nearly everyday for the last year and a half but I can't do it the right way. And Lily is being Lily."

"She's not warming up?" Ally asks.

"No, well sort of. She coping with my mother, but I think that's because she gave her ice cream and my Dad too. But Matt terrifies her, I think he's just too loud and busy all the time."

"Just being a typical teenage boy." Ally supplies. "So did you see your friends then?"

"Yeah."

"That sounds enthusiastic." Ally comments.

"It was good to see them again. " Lizzie states, "but none of us are the same people. I have kids and I have to think about, they get to just worry about themselves, and that's the way it should be. I don't want them to worry about me."

"Lizzie," Lizzie can see Ally shaking her head in her mind. "You have to let..."

"Other people help," Lizzie fills in, Ally had given her this lecture enough to repeat it back to her. "This coming from the girl is doing everything on her own."

"My situation is different," Ally responds. "If your friends want to help then let them help."

"They haven't offered, I'm not saying that won't but..." Lizzie sighs, "it's just not my world anymore. My friends, their world is parties and dates mine consists of sippy cups and diapers."

"I get that." Ally assures.

"Als I miss you," Lizzie sighs. "How's Max?"

"Bored, no one here to play with." Ally returns, "but there's a new girl moving in next week, LeeAnn says she's expecting twins."

Lizzie smiles to herself, "I'll have to come back and meet her, any idea if she's keeping the babies or not?"

"Not a clue," Ally responds.

Lizzie glances at her watch, "I should get going, Max'll be up in a couple hours wanting to sleep with you and so will Lily. I'll call you sometime later this week."

"Okay, and Lizzie?"

"Yeah?"

"Try to have a good vacation."

"Bye Ally."

"Bye Liz."

As soon as Lizzie replaces the cordless phone in the charger the phone rings, on instinct Lizzie picks up the phone, "McGuire residence."

"Lizzie?"

"Miranda?" Lizzie is surprised to hear her voice. "I thought you guys were going out?"

"We did, well we are out..." Miranda is quiet for a second, "I know you said you couldn't come out earlier, but we thought maybe once the kids are in bed you could come out. We could pick you up, we've got the limo and everything."

"Is that Miranda?" Jo asks coming into the kitchen. Lizzie nods and Jo offers, "why don't you go out with them? We can keep an ear open for the kids..."

With Ally's words ringing through her ear Lizzie considers it and then finally settles, "okay Miranda, I'll be ready in about..." Suddenly through the baby monitor Lizzie has clipped to her jean pocket the sound of screaming can be heard.

"I'll get whoever it is," Jo suggests, "you go, have fun."

Lizzie shakes her head quickly, "Miranda, I can't I'm sorry, Lily is up. I'll call you tomorrow." Without another word Lizzie hangs up the phone, "thanks for offering Mom, but I've got it. Lily has night terrors, it's best if I go get her." Without another word Lizzie leaves the kitchen and strides quickly to the guest room.

Opening the nursery door the light flooding in front the hall quiets Lily's screams, "Mama," Lily holds her hands out to Lizzie. Gently lifting her daughter out of her crib Lizzie checks on Hannah and Michael, their sister's screams were so frequent that they were rarely disturbed by them.

"Hi baby," Lizzie gently rubs Lily's back, "did you have a nightmare?" Settling into the nursery rocking chair Lizzie cuddles Lily to her, rocking gently back and forth until both mother and daughter are asleep.

"Lizzie, Lizzie, wake up." Matt is standing in front of Lizzie the next morning, staring down at her.

Lizzie groans, the chair had been a far from comfortable place to sleep, "what's going on Matt?"

"Miranda called, she invited you and the kids to go to lunch with everyone," Matt responds.

"Where are the kids?" Lizzie asks quickly.

"Mom came and got them an hour ago, she's feeding them now, she figured you could use some extra sleep," Matt responds.

Extra sleep was a foreign idea to Lizzie, but she did appreciate it, "Miranda really wants to go to lunch with all of us?"

Matt nods, "she said do Lizzie, Lily, Hannah and Michael want to go to lunch with all of us? All names were included."

"Thanks Matt, I'm going to get a shower and then I'll be in, alright?"

Matt nods, "sure."

The warm shower gave Lizzie time to think, and giving Ally's words some thought Lizzie made the decision that for the summer at least she would let people help her out. If her friends invited her to go out and her parents or Matt offered to baby-sit then she was going to take them up on that, she deserved a little bit of fun. In the fall she would be enrolling in an university and would be living on alone with the kids so she may as well take advantage of having help while she had it.