Chapter 15: Homecoming

When Carter and Dana came back to Mariner Bay, they were happy to be home. A vacation was good, but being home was better. They came up to Ryan and Kelsey's place and walked up the steps. When they knocked, nobody answered. "Are you sure they're home?" Carter asked.

"I think so," she replied.

She touched the doorknob and it opened. They shrugged as they walked in. "Kelsey, Ryan, is anyone home?" Dana called. As they walked into the living room, Dana gasped when the lights flipped on and everyone came out of the hiding places.

"SURPRISE!" They shouted.

"Welcome home," Kelsey greeted.

Ryan smiled as he embraced his sister and brother-in-law. "Welcome home you guys," he congratulated. Callie and David were playing on the floor and Callie looked up to see her parents standing there. With help from the couch, she stood up. Everyone watched as Callie slowly started to walk to her parents.

"Oh my, goodness. She's walking, Carter!" She gasped.

Carter got down on one knee and held his arms out to her. "She's been trying for two weeks ever since you left," Kelsey informed. Dana got down behind her and made sure she didn't fall.

"Come on sweet heart, come to daddy," Carter coaxed.

Callie shrieked with laughter once she finally reached her father's arms. "Good girl," he whispered. He picked her up and kissed the side of her head. Their friends and family clapped when he spun his daughter around and kissed the side of her head. "That's daddy's girl," he whispered. David whimpered and held his arms out to Dana.

"Don't worry sweet heart," Dana cooed.

She picked their son up and she walked over to Carter. Carter wrapped his free arm around Dana and David. He kissed his wife and two children with a smile on his face.

(May 6, 2002: 1:00 a.m.)

Carter heard one of his children crying and looked over at Dana. He didn't want her to wake up, so he got up to take care of the child.

He came into the nursery and saw that it was David crying. "Hey, buddy, don't cry," he insisted. He picked his son up and started rocking him back and forth while trying to get him to quiet down. He had an idea and walked out in the living room.

He put in a tape and smiled when he saw that it was Dana. She had made video recordings of the twins' life when they were first brought home.

Dana was sitting in a rocking chair with Callie and David in her arms. "Hush little baby don't say a word, mama's gonna buy a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don't sing, mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring don't shine. Mama's gonna buy you something nice," she sang.

Carter was trying to get the boy to settle down and tried the song himself. He sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. "Hush little baby don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don't sing. Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring don't shine. Papa's gonna buy you something nice," he sang quietly. He was surprised when he heard his son stop crying and gently hugged him. "Sweet dreams, son," he whispered. He looked over at the tape.

Dana smiled as she placed kisses on the top of their children's foreheads. "Sweet dreams my sweet angels," she whispered. She then got up and placed the twins into their cribs. She then turned the camera off.

"Carter, what are you doing up so late?" Dana asked. Carter looked at his wife to see her standing there.

"David was up, so I was trying to put him back to sleep," he replied.

"Well, I think he's asleep now," she assured him.

Just then, Callie started crying and Dana went to get her. Carter looked at his son with a smile. "How can something so small be so beautiful?" He pondered. He kissed his son's forehead before looking over at Dana who was trying to put Callie back to sleep. He listened to her sing and smiled at her. Once Callie was back to sleep, they put their children back in their beds and Carter placed a hand on her shoulder. Dana placed a hand on his before they went off to bed.