Once Maggie was seven months old, Della got worse. "Della, where are those reports you typed up yesterday?" Perry asked.

"In a file in your top right desk drawer," she said.

"Darling, I've looked in every drawer of my desk."

"Did you move things around to look?" she said with irritation.

"Yes, I did." Burger and Tragg had shown up to talk to Perry about his client, but they chickened out when they heard Della.

"Great, you've probably made a mess of your desk."

Nicky was in the law library working on a paper. On the other side of the office door, Paul walked up to Tragg and Burger, "umm, what's going on?"

"Della's really mad," Burger said. "We have to talk to Perry, but we can't go in right now."

Gertie noticed everyone standing there and joined them. Penny and Patrick were there too. In the office, Perry was baffled by his wife's behavior. She had opened his drawers and was furiously throwing everything out of them to find the file. "Where the hell is it?" she yelled. "I put it in here just before you got here."

"Della, it's fine," Perry tried to calm her down.

Della smacked Perry on the arm, "it's not fine. Those reports are important for your client."

"They aren't worth getting upset over."

"Upset? You think I'm upset?"

Perry stared nervously at his wife, "umm, well, not yet, but you could be, eventually."

"I'm not upset. I'm miserable! All-day long I have to deal with everyone wanting something from me. I don't have much more left to give. I don't know how much longer I can do this."

Perry felt his heart sink, "is it work? The children? Me?"

Della suddenly broke down and fell to her knees, "I'm so horrible."

Perry sat on the floor next to her and held her, "you're the most wonderful person I know."

"No, I'm not. I've been thinking about leaving you and the children. I just want to die."

Perry became alarmed. Especially at that last part. Everyone on the other side of the door felt their hearts break for the woman, "how long have you felt like this?"

"Since we brought Maggie home. I feel like I'm dying inside."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Perry reluctantly went to answer it. It was Jenny with Maureen and Vivian. "Oh, Jenny, I forgot you were bringing the girls here today."

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's just this case. Don't worry, we'll be fine. I hope your mom's gallbladder surgery goes well."

"Thank you, Perry. Just call me if you need me." The woman reluctantly left and Perry noticed the other's trying to pretend they didn't know what was going on. When he turned around. Della was getting the girls settled and pretending that nothing had happened. "Della, Tragg and Burger have to discuss something with me about the client."

"I can take the girls to another room."

"No," he said in a bit of a panic. He was worried about her being out of his sight. "They're fine here." Perry waved the men in. Paul joined them. Della took notes while glancing at the girls once in a while. After everyone left, Perry looked at his wife. "You doing alright?"

She looked up and gave her best smile, "I'm fine."

"Will you be alright if I step out for a moment?"

"Sure, go ahead." Perry walked out the door to Della's office. He decided to look in her desk for the file in case she had put it there and forgot. He didn't want to say anything to Della and get her worked up again. Della was still at Perry's desk when the phone rang, "yes, Gertie," Della said.

"Your doctor is on the phone," she said softly.

"Put him through."

Perry found the folder in Della's top right desk drawer. He had decided to sneak it into his and find it there. When he walked into his office, the girls were alone. "Della?"

"Mommy bye-bye," Maureen said.

"What?"

Maureen walked over to the phone, "mommy talk den go bye-bye."

"Gertie!" Perry yelled. The woman rushed in, "did a call come in recently?"

"Yes, it was for Della."

"Who was the caller?"

"Her doctor, why?"

"She left," he said.

"What?" Nicky asked in shock as he emerged from the law library. He had waited because he didn't want to overwhelm his mother.

"She wouldn't leave the girls alone," Gertie said, "would she?"

"I don't know anymore. I do know that we need to find her quickly. Can you stay here with the kids?"

"Of course," she answered.

"I'll lock the door and put a note on it that the office is closed. Then I'll track down Paul. Can you call Tragg and ask if he has anyone who could help?"

"Sure," she answered.

"Let someone know if Della returns." Perry put up the sign and locked the door.

"Perry, what's going on?" Patrick asked.

"Della took off," he said.

"What?"

"I don't have time to explain. Could you and Penny help Gertie?"

"Sure," Patrick said before his brother rushed out of the office.

Perry saw Paul in the hallway, "Paul!"

The man turned around, "Perry, what's wrong?"

"Della's gone," he said.

"What?"

"I went to look for something in her desk. While I was gone, she got a call from her doctor and left. Gertie is staying with the girls and calling Tragg. I need your help."

"Let's go," Paul said. After driving around for an hour, they found Della sitting on a bench in the park. Paul went to call Tragg and Gertie while Perry walked over to his wife.

Perry sat next to his wife and put an arm around her. "Do you not want to have the baby?" he asked gently.

Della looked up at him. Her face was stained from her tears, "how did you know?"

"I asked Gertie who called you right before you left. When she said it was your doctor, I put two and two together."

"Oh, Perry, I don't know what to do. I mean, I'm going to have the baby, but I can't get out of this mindset."

"I think it would be a good idea to talk to someone."

"I don't know."

"Della, you left the girls. What if I hadn't been there?"

Della looked up and a realization came to her, "I left the girls alone," she realized. The woman broke down and her husband held her. When her crying subsided, Perry walked her to Paul's car. The two sat in the backseat as Paul drove them back to the building. Perry called Della's doctor and the man said to bring Della in right away.

"I can prescribe medication to help," he said.

"Will it affect the baby?" she asked.

"That, my dear, is the million-dollar question. You have two options. You can take the medication or you can try and get through the next seven months without it."

Della looked at her husband, "Perry, what should I do?"

"I can't tell you what to do. Just do what you feel is right?"

Della thought for a moment and looked at her doctor, "I'll take the medication."

"You're sure?" he asked as a precaution.

"I confessed today that I wanted to leave my family and kill myself. Then, I left my daughters alone. Luckily, Perry was in the room next door. Next time, he might not be. I can't risk the three I already have."

"Okay, I'll call the prescription in."

"Thank you," Perry said. He took Della back to the office.

Paul had bought dinner for everyone, so Perry got Della settled at the table. Then Paul pulled him aside, "postnatal depression?" he asked in a whisper.

"How did you know?"

Gertie walked over, "because I had to deal with that for a bit after Bella was born. I guess they typically call it 'baby blues.' Della and I have the same doctor and he calls it postnatal depression."

"We'd better go sit before she thinks we're talking about her," Perry said.

"We are," Paul pointed out before they joined Della and the girls.

"Are you three done talking about me?" Della asked.

"We weren't talking about you," Perry said.

"I'm not stupid, Perry."

"It's my fault, Della," Paul said. "I pulled Perry aside because I suspected what was going on."

"How?"

Gertie looked at her friend, "because after Bella came along, I struggled with it too."

Perry looked at his wife, "see, darling, there's hope."

"Perry, I know that I can get better. What I don't know is if I'll change how I feel about the baby. What if I don't?"

"That's seven months away. Let's start trying to get you happy again. Maybe with that, you'll change how you feel about the baby?"

"Don't worry, sis," Patrick said, "you've got a lot of people here to help you. Just say the word."

Della gave her brother-in-law a slight smile, "thank you," she said, "just don't tell your mother."

"Don't worry," Penny said, "we don't tell her anything."

"Never have," Perry added.

"It's kind of a Mason family policy," Patrick added, "even dad doesn't tell her anything."

"Why not?" Gertie asked.

"With our mother, anything you say will definitely be used against you," Perry answered.

Della sighed and started eating. She had a great support system. Her mother even confided in her that she had suffered from postnatal depression after giving birth. Della would call her mother every day to just talk. It helped to talk to someone who understood what she was going through. Della was afraid to go off of the medication. She decided she would when she was eight months pregnant.