Chapter 2

Martin walked up to Sandy's apartment. He didn't let her move in with him even though she carried his child. His daughter had her own room in the apartment though. He took out his key and turned the lock. When he looked inside he started panicking. Everything was gone except his daughter that was now sitting on the ground by herself. Martin picked up.

"Sandy", yelled out Martin walking around the empty apartment.

"Daddy where's Sandy?", asked the little girl tilting her head looking her father.

Lillian never called Sandy mother. Sandy didn't seem to care. Not Martin he wanted his little girl to call him dad.

"I don't know baby, where did she go?", asked Martin trying to curb his anger.

Sandy left his daughter by herself. She was only two. What the hell was she thinking? God that woman never thinks. She was careless with Lillian all the time. It was like she didn't care about the little girl. Martin walked to the bedroom to find everything gone except for Lillian's stuff. He noticed on a box a sheet of paper. He reached over and saw that it was a letter from Sandy addressed to him.

Dear Martin,

I know right now you are angry with me for leaving Lillian by herself. I just can't do it anymore. I can't be her mother. I'm sorry. I just can't. I thought I could but I know now that I was just trying to prove to my parents that I could do this without them. Look I'm going to be honest with you and tell you the truth. I don't want her I can't love her. I tried I have, two years I have tried. It might sound selfish but I have to find myself first. I'm not ready to be a mother to anyone right now. So I'm leaving. I just can't. I'm sorry

Sandy

Martin clutched the paper in his hand. He felt so angry he wanted to throw things. Sandy abandoned their daughter. God what was she thinking. She has a daughter to raise. She just left.

"God I need help, I have to find her, where am I going to get help?", asked Martin out loud.

His little girl looked at him. She shrugged her shoulders at him.

"Luv you daddy", said Lillian kissing his nose and giggling.

He smiled at her. He got the rest of Lillian's stuff walking out of the apartment. He knew where to go. It was a place he used to think of as his home. It was a place that held good and bad memories. He was going to Glenoak. Martin looked in the rearview mirror at his daughter that was giggling in her car seat playing her stuffed animal. How could Sandy not love her and want her. He saw the sign and pulled up to the familiar driveway. He shut down the car and sat there. He took a deep breath. He had to prepare himself. He kept in touch with most of the Camden clan but they everyone knew never to bring up Ruthie. He didn't even know where she was now. She should have just started college. She probably was having a great time, dating boys. God that statement alone hurt him more than he knew. He hadn't dated anyone. He couldn't besides having a baby to raise, baseball, school, and a job, he just couldn't bring himself to go out with anyone because he was very much in love with Ruthie still. That love didn't fade it actually grew. Sometimes it felt like it would consume him. He had to take deep breaths sometimes to not let the emotions come to the surface. He walked to the front doorway. It was like weird being here like this. He rang the doorbell.

"Martin?", asked Eric Camden when he opened the door.

"Hey, I need your help", said Martin looking at the man that hadn't changed much.

His daughter looked at the man in front of him and buried her head in Martin's neck. She didn't like people touching her. She still even had a hard time with Martin's father even though he was her grandfather. She didn't like anyone holding her except Martin. Sandy held her but she always fussed until Sandy put her down. Eric made a sign to let Martin pass. Martin walked into the house that used to be his home. He missed it here.

"Eric who's at the door", said Annie walking in.

Annie stopped in her tracks. She smiled at him.

"Martin", said Annie going up to hug him.

Lillian fussed bit.

"Hey, how are you", asked Annie.

"I'm doing okay, but I need your help", said Martin.

They all say down.

"So what's the problem", said Eric looking at the little girl in Martin's arms.

"Oh this is Lillian, Lillian can you say hi?", asked Martin trying to move her head form his neck.

Lillian gave a shy smile and waved before planting her face back into her father's neck.

"She's shy", said Martin smiling.

Annie smiled also. Martin looked up then.

"Here is what I need help with", said Martin handing the letter over to Eric.

Eric's eyes bugged out of his head before passing the letter onto Annie. Annie looked at him confused until she read the letter.

"Oh My", was the only thing that came out of her mouth.

"I know I need help, need to find her, she is Lillian's mother", said Martin.

Lillian right now was playing with Martin's shirt button.

"I don't understand why she would do this, I'm not surprised though", said Martin sighing.

"What do you mean?", asked Annie trying to get over the shock of someone actually writing down that she wouldn't love her child.

"Sandy never got attached to Lillian, I basically raised her. She didn't hold her until Lillian was two months old, when Lily had a cold, flu, fever, it was me that took care of it because Sandy didn't want to, but I thought it got better but it didn't because she still looked like she wasn't caring for her child but like she was babysitting instead. She never showed my daughter any love. But she is her mother and I even though I don't like it I don't want Lillian being raised without one. I was and I never loved that", said Martin looking at Eric.

"I know I'll call Kevin he is back on the force and maybe we can get a search going", said Eric.

Martin nodded his head. Eric left the room then to make his phone call.

"SO Martin how have you been?", asked Annie.

"It's been hard, I'm tired all the time but I knew that this was how it was supposed to be, I don't get any help so it's been extra hard", said Martin looking at Annie.

She nodded her head. He knew she wanted to say something else but it was like she was afraid to which he knew meant that it was about Ruthie.

"You want to tell me something I know", said Martin looking down at Lillian that was falling asleep in his arms.

"Oh do you want to put her to sleep?", asked Annie.

Martin nodded his head. Martin followed Annie to the second floor. Everything was pretty much the same way. She led him to the back room where he used to sleep.

"You can lay her down here", said Annie.

Martin nodded his head doing just that. He placed her gently on the bed kissing her forehead and brushing away her dark curls. Everyone said that she looked exactly like him. She didn't get a thing form Sandy. She was his replicate.

"Sweet dreams princess", whispered Martin smiling down at his little girl.

Annie observed this and smiled. She knew even though Martin was not open to the idea of fatherhood before she knew that he would eventually come around and would be a great father. She knew she had to tell him that Ruthie was due any minute now. She wanted to come home this weekend. Her and Ruthie's relationship got closer over the years and she was happy that Ruthie confided in her about Martin. It broke her heart that her little girl was hurting. She wanted to yell at Martin but when she saw him that night. She knew she couldn't because he was hurting just as bad. Martin started walking out of the room. They reached the laden before he started down the steps when he got to the bottom he remembered that Annie had to tell him something.

"What did you have to tell me again?", asked Martin.

Just then the door opened and his world shifted, tilted and spun out of orbit. He heard the voice the forever was engrained in his mind and dreams. He remembered everything thing. Her slight Californian accent, everything, he remembered everything.

"Mom Dad I'm home", yelled out a now 18 year old Ruthie.

She was beautiful to him. She got a little bit taller and her hair was cut to just below her cheeks now. She had red highlights running though it. She looked older, she looked like a woman not the like the girl the he remembered.

She looked up at the staircase and she almost fell over. It was Martin. He was here standing in front of her. He was tangible not like in her dreams when she would reach out to touch him he would disappear. No he was here, standing before her look beautiful to her. He was beautiful. She never said that about a guy before. Words like hot, cute, ugly but beautiful that was only word to describe Martin. He looked almost the same except that he was taller and looked older. He looked at her and she felt her heart beating too fast. She wanted to run but where would she run to. She hadn't seen him in more than two year but he still had the same effect on her as he always did. She fell in love with him again. She had to protect her heart. She knew that he could easily steal it and then break it. "Ahh hi Ruthie", said Annie smiling. She wanted to ease the tension a bit but she knew she couldn't. She knew in her heart that what Martin and her daughter had was special. "Hi mom", squeaked out Ruthie.

She cleared her throat, almost embarrassed for squeaking. Martin smiled though. Ruthie couldn't help but return it.

"Hi Ruthie", said Martin looking at her.

Ruthie felt shivers run up her back. Her name on his lips had got to be some type of heavenly thing.

"Hi", replied Ruthie looking down at her hands.

Annie walked up to her and kissed her forehead.

"Come on and get unpacked, the boys are at your grandparents' house", said Annie before she could ask where the boys were.

Ruthie nodded her head.

"I'm going to unpack", said Ruthie.

She climbed the steps but her body brushed Martin's much bigger one. She felt chills. She heard Martin gasp too. Ruthie nearly ran up the steps. She walked to the end of the hallway. She was about to go upstairs but she noticed the room in the back her old bedroom's door was open ajar. She walked up the room and looked inside. She saw a small figure sleeping on the bed. She wondered who it was. Ruthie walked more fully into the room and gasped. She knew who this child belonged too. She was Martin's. Anyone could see that. She looked so much like her father.

"Father, Martin's a father", whispered Ruthie.

She felt the tears come up again. She pushed it down. She couldn't cry over a man that wasn't hers. She looked more at the little girl. She was beautiful. She had a little birthmark right next to her nose. She had thick full dark hair that was curly and framed her face. She wore a pair of overalls and underneath was a pink t-shirt with a sun on it. Ruthie sat there for a while looking at the little girl. Ruthie reached out and brushed a girl a curl back from the little girl's head. She saw her whimpering, like she was having a nightmare. The little girl woke up suddenly. She looked at Ruthie that was slightly shocked.

"Hi", said the little girl.

"Whos you?", asked Lillian with a slight lisp.

Ruthie smiled at that.

"I'm Ruthie, and what's your name?", asked Ruthie smiling at her.

"I'm Lillian I's two", said Lillian smiling at Ruthie.

Ruthie gasped. Her smile, it was just like Martin's.

"Oh okay, this used to be my room, so I'll share with you okay", said Ruthie reaching out and brush a curl that fell onto her face.

The little girl seemed to be thinking about it and smiled nodding her head.

"Well Lillian I have to go unpack, I'll see you", said Ruthie.

"Noss Stay wit me", said Lillian pouting.

"Aw I have to unpack, but how about you come help me", said Ruthie smiling at the little girl.

Lillian nodded her head smiling again. She held out her hands. Ruthie understood and picked her up. She smelled her head and smiled. Babies always smelled good. Lillian smelled like baby powder and something equally as seat. She smelled like Martin's cologne that he wore. Ruthie smiled at the little girl when she put her head against her shoulders and took a strand of her hair played with it. She climbed up the stairs with her bag over her shoulders and Lillian in her arms. The little girl started jabbing away. Ruthie giggled at her innocence. If Ruthie didn't watch herself she might just fall in love with Martin's daughter too.

"So what did Kevin say?", asked Martin sitting down in the kitchen with Annie and Eric.

"They are searching for her, but she could be anywhere Martin", said Eric. Martin nodded his head.

"I can't believe she would do this to Lillian, Lily doesn't deserve this", said Martin.

He closed his eyes pinch the bridge of his nose trying to calm his nerves. It wasn't the Sandy thing that was bothering per say, well it did bother him but his encounter with Ruthie left his nerves rattled.

"Well I have to be going, I have a drive ahead of me and I want to Lily to sleep", said Martin.

"Why don't you stay here for the night, I mean it's so late already", suggested Annie.

Eric gave her a look asking her what she was up too but Annie ignored him.

"Um I mean I don't want to intrude", said Martin.

"Non sense you are family Martin, we are happy to have you here", said Annie smiling.

"You could stay in your old room if you like", said Annie.

"Or you could stay in the room where Lily is now", suggest Annie.

"Yeah I don't want to move her, so I'll stay in there. I know it's a little early but I'm so tired, I'm going to get some shut eye, good night and thank you", said Martin.

"Your welcome", said Annie as she watched Martin climb up the stairs.

"What are you up to?", asked Eric.

"My Ruthie is going to be happy if it kills me", said Annie. Eric looked at his wife.

He knew she was planning something. He knew also not to get in her way. There would be no way he would be going to sleep with an angry wife. Martin climbed the stairs and walked towards the backroom but he stopped when he heard giggling from upstairs. He decided to check it out. What he saw made him stop. There was his little girl the same little girl that didn't allow anyone to touch her playing with Ruthie kissing her and hugging her. Ruthie blow raspberries onto her stomach making his little girl giggle out in delight.

"Rutea", giggle Lillian smiling.

Ruthie giggled. Martin watched on in fascination. He was captivated by the beautiful scene in front of him. The two people he loved most in the world were together. They looked too perfect together. Like mother and daughter. Then Martin hit the realization that Ruthie wasn't Lillian's mother even though he may have wanted that he knew it would never be. Martin cleared his throat. Ruthie looked up startled for a bit but she regained her composure for about a second before she realize who exactly was standing before her.

"Martin", sighed out Ruthie.

Martin looked at her, her face flushed because of play, her hair in a slight disarray, she never look more beautiful to him. His daughter in her arms completely the look. He fell in love once more.