I'm back for the rest of the summer! Exciting yet sad. I'd like to welcome all the new readers and I'm really glad you like it because it really makes it worth writing, I enjoy it so I want other to enjoy it as well. Many questions have been asked about Kailyn and that will sort of be answered in this part. I don't want to answer anything directly because I still don't have it perfectly planned out in my head. Driving through cornfields and vast expanses of nothing gives one plenty of time to debate on how things are going to go. As a result I have totally confused myself and hope to have it all straightened out soon! Thank you again so much for reading and reviewing, it really makes it much more fun.

Lissa

Chapter 31

Liz wasn't joking when she said Hannah was an early riser. It was six thirty on a Saturday morning and the girl was wide awake and sitting on his chest.

"Morning, Daddy. Cartoon time." She bounced. She weighed nothing and he barely felt it, but he cracked an eye open. Her hair was mussed from sleep but she was grinning from ear to ear. "Come on, we'll miss Dragon Tales." She pulled at his hands.

Wrapping his arms around her he flipped her on her back. "We'll see about missing Dragon Tales." She found her ribs, exactly where Isabel was ticklish and set to tickling. She curled up in a ball from the fit of giggles that sent her into.

"Stop, Daddy." She begged. Her cheeks were delightfully pink and she was out of breath but she caught it soon enough. Ella not wanting to miss the fun jumped on the bed specifically against Max's orders and set to barking.

Finally when Hannah was out of breath, he laid down beside her. She curled up next to him. "I thought you wanted to watch Dragon Tales."

"Maybe not." She smiled up at him.

Now he could go back to sleep. But he knew she wanted to watch Dragon Tales so he reached over her to the night stand and flipped on the TV.

"I didn't know you had one in here!" She said excitedly.

She watched Dragon Tales lying next to him and finally when he had enough of Saturday morning cartoons, he got up to start breakfast.

He remembered Liz had told him something about eggs, pancakes and orange juice. He put it together quickly, hoping she was still engrossed with whatever was on now. Setting it on the breakfast tray he took it back to the bedroom. "I brought breakfast, Hannah."

It took her a moment to pry her eyes from the TV screen but when she finally did her eyes grew to the eyes of saucers. "Thank you!" She said excitedly.

"You're welcome." Max sat it down beside her and watched her set to it. "Here, you have to take these."

She rolled her eyes but chewed on the pills that he handed her. She washed them down with orange juice. "Those don't taste so good." She shook her head.

He studied her as she set to breakfast and wondered how a little girl could be so brave. She had to take pills everyday that tasted bad, she'd been through five open heart surgeries, and still managed to not get behind. She had announced that she was one of the only girls to know her alphabet and count to one hundred. She went on with her life as if nothing was wrong.

Then again, she had Liz for an example. He had seen how much of her life had been devoted to making Hannah comfortable. He knew that she was working overtime the past few weeks to make up for all the time she had missed while Hannah was in the hospital. She didn't ever seem to complain. She had seemed exhausted when she opened the door to them, but when she saw Hannah her entire face lit up, and the exhaustion had been wiped away. Hannah was what kept her going. Liz was what kept Hannah going. If Hannah hadn't been feeling love from Liz then Hannah wouldn't be as secure as she was, or as happy as she was.

"Hannah want to go down to the beach again later?"

"Sure." She didn't move her eyes.

"Alright. Are you going to be ok here while Daddy takes a shower?"

"Yes. I won't move." She promised.

"Good, it will only take me ten minutes."

"Are you sure you're going to be ok with Kailyn, Liz?" Amy asked.

"Yes. Hi, sweetheart." Liz took the baby from her arms. Kailyn looked up and her mouth lifted in a small smile before she grunted and closed her eyes.

"I have her formula, bottles and everything in this bag. She should have enough clothes, but you never know." Amy set the bag down. "Jim's bringing put the pen to set up, she can sleep in there. Where's Hannah?"

"She spent the night with Max." She swayed back in forth when Kailyn began to fuss. "Hush, Baby."

"We'll pick her up around six tomorrow, is that alright?"

"Yeah." Liz smiled. "Put it in the bedroom, please, Jim?" Liz directed him.

"Aright."

"When's Hannah coming home?" Amy sat on the couch. She loved the way Liz's total attention went to the baby as soon as she was in her arms. She knew it was going to her hurt Liz a lot more than herself when the baby left.

"Around four. I don't know what they're going to do today, but if I know Hannah she's awake and watching cartoons." Liz smiled. "She's very adamant about her Saturday cartoons."

"I bet."

"Are you and Jim going to go down to the courthouse to return Kailyn, or are the social workers going to come and pick her up?"

"We'll take her." Amy said sadly. "We're all going to miss her. She was a special baby. She was only around for two months but she meant something to us all."

"I know. Hannah's real adamant about that sister now, especially since Natalie's mother just had one."

"Does Max want more children?" Amy asked gently.

"We never really were planning on Hannah, but I think he does. Once we're..." She stopped and looked horrified up at Amy.

A slow smile spread across Amy's face as Jim exited the bedroom. "You think about that, Liz, we'll pick her up tomorrow."

And she was gone.

They walked along together Hannah's three steps to Max's one. The water was comfortable having all summer to heat up and it not getting cold enough to cool it down yet. She held his hand and collected shells. She found one full Sand Dollar unmarred. She had one long braid down her back. She had sat patiently while he did it and it had taken him longer than it would have taken Liz but she had insisted.

"Look at this one." She held up a pink shell.

"That's a pretty one." He took it and pocketed it for safe keeping. "Are you ready for lunch yet?"

"Yeah." She nodded and took his hand as they walked back to the pier. There weren't as many teens—to Hannah's disappointment— it was only around noon or so. They wouldn't be out of bed on a Saturday until one or two.

Lunch was on the pier end at Ruby's. They ate leisurely enjoying their time together.

"Aren't kindergartners supposed to be five?" Max asked Hannah.

"Yes, but I'm going to turn five, in November." She said proudly. "Natalie's birthday is in October, she's four too."

"Oh." He nodded. Made sense. According to Hannah, everything that was right with school had to do with Natalie.

They finished and they went walking down Main St. at the shops aligning the street.

"Hannah, come look at these." Max pointed.

"I can't see that, Daddy." She put her hands on her hips. She was too short to see a lot of things and it didn't really bother her anymore.

"Here." He lifted her up. "They're hermit crabs."

"They're not doing anything." Hannah shook her head.

The woman walked over and picked one up. It began to squirm in her hand and Hannah squealed. "Can I hold it?"

"Be careful, your mother would be upset if it bit you and I took you home with a big swollen hand." Max warned.

"I will." She liked the way it felt in her hands. "Can I get one, Daddy?"

"Umm..." He didn't know if Liz would allow her to keep the thing, she could always keep it at his house. "Alright."

He bought the crab and it's few accessories. Hannah took a good twenty minutes picking out just the right crab. "This one."

"She's a good-looking one." Max nodded his approval.

"It's a boy, Daddy." She looked at him pointedly reminding him of Liz.

"Sorry," he cringed. He really didn't have a gender—that he could determine—but Hannah was adamant.

She carried the small box he came with carefully in her hands and wouldn't let go until she set it safely on the coffee table.

"No, Ella." Hannah instructed. "Don't bite Monsieur Cuddles."

Leave it up to his daughter to give it a French name. There was nothing cuddly about the thing; in fact it was quite ugly. He looked down at Ella who was determined to get at it and decided she wasn't the cutest thing in the world. Then Hannah. Hannah was going to be a beautiful woman, like her mother. He was going to have to buy a shotgun to keep the little boys away. He and Liz were going to have to work hard to save his baby from the immature young boys that would come sniffing around.

"You want a bigger tank for him?" He asked.

"Can we?" She asked. This one was kind of small and she was feeling sorry for him. But Max hadn't offered to buy one and she hadn't thought to ask.

"Sure." He looked at the clock. They had two hours still. He was dreading the time that was coming. He wanted to keep her with him forever, it made him more determined to get Liz back.

They came back an hour later and she carefully set up the tank. The sand had to be spread just right, each shell washed, and meticulously placed. He tried to help only to have his head bitten off.

"I do it."

"Alright."

A half an hour later... "Daddy!"

"Yeah."

"I can't find M. Cuddles!" She was frantic.

"Why not." If Isabel came and discovered there was a crab running around her house she wouldn't be happy at all. "We have to find it before Aunt Isabel gets home." He said panicked.

They looked everywhere. The door opened. "No, Aunt Isabel stay! We have to find M. Cuddles." Hannah wouldn't let her in.

"Who?"

"Found him!" Hannah held him up triumphantly.

"Good."

"Max, what is that?" She pointed.

"My daughter." He said trying to divert her attention. "You're only niece, mom and dad's granddaughter."

"No, you dolt, the thing in her hand." She said exasperated.

"A crab." He said meekly.

"A crab?" She asked.

"Yeah, wanna hold it?" Hannah took a step closer.

"No. I'd rather not." She went to her room shaking her head but smiling.

"Come on, Hannah, I have to take you home now. Kailyn and your mother are probably missing you."

If she was honest she missed Liz, but she didn't want to leave Max. She wouldn't see him again till next weekend.

"I know." She looked down and watched M. Cuddles make his way across the cage to water. "You won't forget to water him?"

"How about you call me every night to remind me so I don't forget." He'd get to hear her voice every evening.

"Yes!" She liked the idea.

Max carried Hannah in one arm and carted her sleepover bag in the other. He knocked and waited a few moments. It took her a while to open the door but when she did there was a sleeping baby in her arms.

"Hi guys!" She stepped back. "Come on in."

"She's sleeping." Max whispered, her arms were tight around his neck even as she slept.

"Oh." She looked at Hannah. "Go lay her down in the bedroom." She pointed. "Please."

She squirmed but settled into the familiar scented blankets.

"You should have a seat, Hannah would be devastated if you were to leave while she was sleeping." She directed him to the chair. "If you'd hold her a second, I'll get you something to drink."

She handed him the baby. "Be careful to support her head."

Their faces were close as Max bent to take the baby from her arms. He just stood there when the baby was in his arms.

"Bring her close to your body. She likes the body heat." She pushed his arms to his body. "It makes her feel secure."

He had frozen when her hands touched him. He was in short sleeves and the feel of her palms on his bare arm had his breath hitching. She looked at him her eyes sparkling. "See, it's easy."

"Yeah." He bent and kissed her. She froze before responding. She kissed him back and scooted closer. Kailyn let out a grunt of disapproval before they pulled apart. "I don't think she likes that." Max grinned.

"I don't think I would either." Liz said. "We woke her up, she'll go back to sleep in a minute."

Pulling the baby closer to him in one hand, he reached out across Kailyn. "Liz, are you still with Kyle?"

"No." She answered. Turning around she went to the kitchen. "What would you like to drink?"

"Just water." He answered and looked down at the baby who was staring right back at him. She grinned. His mouth curved. "Hi." He touched her cheek.

She squealed and studied him more closely as she made bubbles.

"Very attractive, Kailyn." He whispered. "My name is Max by the way."

She grunted before her eyes started to drift shut and she fell back to sleep. "That was quick."

"I told you." Liz told him. "You can sit there if you want, it rocks. I used it for Hannah. Sometimes it was the only thing that would quiet her. She may have had a heart problem, and couldn't breathe correctly but she could cry." She smiled.

"Was it hard?" He asked.

"Sometimes." She said carefully. "There were times at three in the morning when Hannah would just cry and there was nothing I could do. I'd rock, and rock. But she just wanted to cry. She'd settle down eventually, when I was close to loosing sanity, but I'd do it again." She leaned over the arm of the couch to look Kailyn sleeping in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Liz." He could have been there to help. How many days had she gotten up tired, and wanting to sleep, when she had to work two jobs?

"I don't regret it, Max. I think that bond there's, a bond between mother and child, but those times, where the baby doesn't want comfort, but you give it anyway, I think that's when a real bond forms. I wouldn't give up Hannah for anything. As many times as she was up, I don't regret any of it." Liz gave him a sad smile.

It was then he noticed the light circles around her eyes. "Did you sleep last night?" He asked. She looked up at him knowing she couldn't.

"Not too well, actually." There was no point in lying to him. "Usually I have Hannah hogging the bed, I think I had too much room."

"She shared nicely with me." Max said curiously. "Her feet can get really cold at night."

"Yeah, she likes to warm them on my legs." Liz laughed. "It's a pretty nice wake up call at two in the morning..."

"They feel like ice and..."

"She won't wear socks..."

"They make her feet feel claustrophobic." They finished together. They shared a smile.

"Where'd she learn that word?" Max asked. "She would not wear them for anything last night, it kind of worried me."

"Her Uncle Alex." Liz told him through a yawn. "He teaches her a lot of things. I'm not even sure she knows what it means."

"Why don't you lay down for a while, I'm here to watch Kailyn and Hannah's sleeping." Max suggested. She looked tired, and he would watch the kids for a little while.

"Are you sure?" Her eyes widened. Sleep sounded wonderful.

"Absolutely, you'll still be here and I figure I can't screw things up too badly. If I keep holding her like this she'll stay sleeping, right?"

"Yeah, she should." Liz nodded. Sleep. Her head was already down on the couch. "Thank you."

He rocked Kailyn gently wondering what he could do to occupy his time until Hannah woke up. A few moments later she did. She wandered into the front room where Max was rocking Kailyn. She stared for a second but her eyes found Liz on the couch.

She walked to it, and pushed her over so she could lay beside her. Liz cracked an eye open and pulled Hannah closer. They were both asleep in seconds.

Max studied the two of them together and couldn't help but smile. He then remembered Hannah's inquiries about a younger sister. Kailyn moved in his arms and then he remembered Liz's casual mention of Hannah's love for the baby. He stopped rocking for a moment and stared down at her as she grunted in her sleep. A slow smile crept across his face as he resumed rocking and holding the baby close.

Again looking from Liz to Hannah to Kailyn, he realized this was how it could be. Granted it wouldn't always be this peaceful but here was a mom, dad, and children. This could really work.

Knowing the next few days would be busy he began to prepare a mental list of things needed to get done.