Erin jolted awake, the hospital sheets clinging to her skin as her heart slammed against her breastbone. Visions of Cassie and Matthew, filled her head. Her brother could only protect them for so long before Peter came looking for them. From Bethesda, he could take them anywhere and she couldn't stop him. She needed to get home. With shaky hands she reached for the forms on the table, the nurse had dropped them off while she was sleeping.

The questions were simple enough.

Mother's maiden name?

Erin Marie Adler

Mother's current name?

She replaced her father's surname with Peter's.

Erin Marie Strauss

Father's name? She would come back to that.

Footsteps down the hall alerted her and she shoved the offending paper

inside the bedside drawer. "Out of sight out of mind," she muttered.

Look who I found," Dave called. Leading the nurse into Erin's room.

He lifted the baby from the plastic crib and passed her to Erin.

"How is she?" Erin asked the nurse.

"She's perfect, aside from missing you. You were lucky." She threw a wink in Dave's direction on her way out.

Then what took you two so long?" She held the baby close and turned an accusing glare towards Dave.

"Relax, we were just talking," he deflected.

"Well, she is pretty, but couldn't you have come on you own time to flirt with my charge nurse?" Erin scolded.

"No need to sound so jealous, I wasn't talking to her," He threw a glance toward the closed door, "If you must know, I had a very interesting conversation with your daughter."

"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, and we're both in agreement that, even though Ava is a pretty name,

Ave Strauss leaves something to be desired."

"Is that so?..." Erin chuckled, "And I suppose you have an opinion?

"Does the midwife usually get a vote?" He waggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Not usually, but…" the question buried in the drawer haunted her. "I'd like your input," she croaked against the lie that lodged itself in her throat.

"Well...that depends..." he made himself comfortable in the chair beside her. "You don't want Peter's opinion?"

She swallowed against the emotion that welled in her throat, "David-I-don't know what to do."

He leaned closer, "I don't understand, Erin. He tried to soothe, "a name is a big decision but it's not the end of the world.

Her eyes filled with tears, "I can't bring her home...to him." She shook her head violently her body couldn't contain the secret that she couldn't voice. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks. "Look at her, please..." she choked.

Worry gnawed a hole in his stomach, he cradled her face in his hands forcing her to look at him. "What is it, Sweetheart? Tell me."

She took a staggered breath his touch anchored her in the present. "I had to protect my children. That's why I went to Maryland for Thanksgiving-that's why I haven't seen my kids since July Fourth."

Dave felt his stomach clench and his breath left him like he'd been punched in the solar-plexus. The dots began to align in his head, her avoidance in the cabin when she wouldn't let him hold or even look at Ava for longer than a minute.

"No, Erin tell me you're lying." The words came out sharp like daggers in her heart. "Tell me you're not that kind of woman," he demanded. "Promise me that you didn't put my child in danger every time you went near your husband."

She nodded slowly tears and snot ran down her face and she couldn't bring herself to clean it off. She deserved it, "that's exactly what I did, David and I'm so sorry."

He nodded, suddenly numb to her tears. There were no words to justify what she'd done. "Give me the baby," he demanded.

Unsure of what he would do,Erin shrank further onto the bed and held Ava closer,

"David?"

He paused and when he spoke his tone was gentle yet demanding. "You kept her from me and I deserve to hold my daughter, Erin."

She nodded once, "I need to call Eli."

"Do it. Get the kids home and we'll talk about...everything else."

He lifted the baby into his arms, his eyes drank in her tiny features one hand escaped from the blanket she was wrapped in and he caught it. Five little fingers wrapped around his index. "Hello Ava Rose, I'm..." his voice cracked against the knot in his throat, "I'm your daddy."