She had left Goren sleeping and drove to her father's house early the next morning. No one was up yet, so she slipped into the baby's room and lay down on the bed. She felt relaxed and content for the first time in a long time. She fell asleep easily.

John Eames looked up when she came into the kitchen. She kissed Maggie, who was sitting in her high chair dissecting a piece of toast. John handed her a cup of coffee as she kissed his cheek. "Good morning, Dad. Was Maggie good for you?"

He laughed. "Maggie is always good for me, honey. How is everything with you?"

"Fine," she lied. She sat down at the table and began spooning sugar into her coffee. She stirred it idly and finally said, "I made a huge mistake, didn't I?"

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Getting married."

"I wouldn't call getting married a mistake, Alex. It's who you marry that makes it right or wrong."

"And I was wrong. Everyone knows that."

"What matters is that you know it. What everyone else thinks is irrelevant. It's your marriage and you are the only one who can decide if it's right or wrong."

"What do you think, Dad?"

He sat in the chair across from her. "I don't have to tell you what I think. You know how I feel."

"That's the problem. I know how everyone else feels."

"You know what's in your heart, Alex. You just have to find the courage to face it and admit you were wrong. I know how hard that can be for you."

He was right. She hated to be wrong, to make mistakes. But she had made a big one, and she was not the only one it affected. She looked at Maggie, who was putting the toast she hadn't pulled apart on her head and laughing. She saw her partner in those sparkling eyes, and she knew it was time to try to make things right.

-------------------------------------------------------

Late that afternoon, she was sitting on the floor, rolling a ball back and forth with Maggie. "Now try throwing it," she encouraged.

Maggie picked the ball up and heaved it at her mother. Eames smiled. Goren had been teaching her to throw, and she was getting better. Her phone rang and she jumped up to grab it off the counter. "Eames."

"Alex, it's Logan. Look, you need to get to St. Vincent's right away."

"Why? What happened?"

"Just hurry up. Bobby's there."

"What?" Her heart began pounding. "What happened?"

He hesitated. "Someone beat the crap out of him."

"Is he ok, Mike?" Please tell me he's ok, she thought frantically.

"I don't know. He wasn't conscious when the ambulance left."

"I'm on my way."

John looked at her from his chair near the fireplace. "What's wrong?"

"That was Mike Logan. Bobby's in the emergency room at St. Vincent's. I have to get over there..."

He got up, not about to let her drive in alone. "I'll take you. We'll drop Maggie at your sister's on the way."