It had been four months since Maryanne and Richard's triplets were born. Now, the Barones were returning to California to meet Robert and Amy's new baby. Marie and Debra had offered to stay with Maryanne after she gave birth to help her and Richard settle in with the triplets. Maryanne thanked them but told the two women that she and Richard had everything under control. Richard was doing great, but Maryanne was slowly losing control of everything. Robert and Amy began to notice a change in Maryanne a few weeks ago. The woman had hidden everything so well, but she was too tired to hide anything, anymore.

"She's so beautiful," Marie commented. Everyone was in love with the newest Barone. So in love, they didn't notice that Maryanne wasn't there.

"What name did you both decide on?" Debra asked.

"Charlotte Luisa Barone," Amy announced, "after her parents. I chose her first name and Robert picked her middle."

The Barones returned to Robert and Amy's later that day, "Hey, has anyone seen or heard from Maryanne?" Frank asked.

Everyone sat there and thought, "she wasn't at the hospital. Was she?" Debra asked.

"No, and I don't know that I've heard from her since we left after the triplets were born," Marie answered.

"Should one of us go next door?" Ray asked.

"I'll go," Frank said, "no one follow." Everyone stayed at Robert and Amy's while Frank went next door. He used his key to enter the house, but he heard crying before the door had opened. Frank went upstairs and found two of the babies in their cribs screaming. He saw his daughter in the rocking chair and she was holding the other screaming baby. Frank called next door and told everyone to come over. Maryanne was out of it and hadn't even noticed her father enter the room. Frank began trying to soothe the two babies in the cribs. Marie, Debra, and Ray walked in and were stunned. Debra and Marie tried to calm Emma and Eileen. Frank walked over to his daughter and took Mila from her arms. Ray took his niece and gave calming her down a try. "Maryanne," Frank tried to get his daughter's attention, "Hey, can you hear me?" Once the babies were calm and in their cribs, everyone turned towards Frank and Maryanne.

"Thank you," Maryanne said softly, "I couldn't get them to stop." Maryanne looked at her father and saw the worry on his face, "I'm fine. It's been a long day and I'm just tired."

"Why don't you go lie down and we'll watch the girls?" Debra suggested.

"Thank you," Maryanne stood and left the nursery.

Ray followed his sister to her bedroom. "Tell me the truth."

Maryanne turned around. She wasn't aware that her brother had followed her, "what?"

"You're not fine. What's going on?"

"Ray, this isn't something I want to talk about. Especially with someone who would tell mom."

"I won't tell her." Maryanne glared at her brother, "I swear, but maybe you could just tell me why you don't want ma to know."

Maryanne sat on her bed, "I don't need ma telling me how to be a mother or what I'm doing wrong. I don't need her nitpicking and making things worse."

"I can understand that."

"I can't do this."

"Do what?"

"I'm a terrible mother. Ma would be right to criticize me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, first of all, never say that ma's right or would be right. She can sense those things and we don't need her feeling even better about herself. Second, you're a great mom. Look at how well Justin turned out."

"This is different. I don't feel as connected to the girls. I find myself dreading when they wake up. With Justin, I couldn't wait for him to wake up."

"Well, there's more of the girls. Do you want me to talk to Richard for you?"

"No," Maryanne stood and panicked, "please don't tell him. He can't know about any of this."

Ray nodded and left his sister to nap. He found Debra, took her to another room, and locked the door. "Ray, what's going on?"

"My mother can't know."

"Know what?"

"Look, I told Maryanne that I wouldn't let my mother find out or tell Richard. However, you never said you wouldn't tell him."

"Ray, what's going on?"

"I don't know, but something is wrong with Maryanne. She's not right in the head."

"What? Is she stalking again?"

"No," Ray said, "she just told me that she's not a good mother. That she doesn't feel a connection with the babies and dreads them waking up."

"That doesn't sound good."

"I know, but what should I do?"

"We have to tell Richard. Whatever you promised her doesn't matter. That sounds like postpartum depression."

"Wouldn't he have noticed by now? Or made her get help?"

"I don't know. Richard doesn't really make Maryanne do anything she doesn't want to. Maybe it just got really bad and he doesn't really know yet. He lives with her and if this was gradual then he may not realize."

That evening, when Richard got home, Debra pulled him aside.

"Listen, Ray promised Maryanne to not tell you something, but I didn't. We all found Maryanne in the nursery, holding Mila, while all three babies were screaming. She was totally out of it and just staring straight ahead. She didn't snap out of it until we got the girls to calm down."

Richard sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know what to do. She's been having a hard time, but lately, it's been worse. I'm afraid to say the wrong thing." Richard shook his head and walked upstairs. The Barones went back to Robert and Amy's. Later that night, Richard woke up to hear the babies crying. He noticed his wife wasn't in bed, so he got up and went to the nursery. When he walked in, he found the scene that Debra had described earlier. Richard took Mila and went to work calming the three babies down.

"How did you do that?" Maryanne asked.

"Come on," Richard whispered, "let's go back to bed." He held his wife closely while they walked back to their bedroom. Once they were in bed, Richard turned to his wife, "Sweetheart, what's going on?"

"I just don't feel like I'm any good at this or even a connection with the girls."

"Maybe we should take your mother or Debra up on their offer?"

"No, absolutely not."

"We could take Debra up on the offer and not tell your mother."

"She'll know," Maryanne was beginning to panic.

"Okay, let's leave it for now." Richard held his wife to help her calm down and fall back asleep. "Don't get up again for the girls. Wake me up and I'll handle everything."

"Thank you," Maryanne whispered as she fell asleep.