Dave held on to Helena for as long as he could, up until she started to root around his chest, obviously hungry. Harriet smiled as she took her baby from his arms, discreetly arranging things so that she could feed her daughter with a little bit of privacy. Slinging his arm around Erin's waist, Dave drew her close to his chest as they watched over Harriet.

"Where did you say her room was again?"

Erin stiffened at the sound of her ex-husband's voice, and she curled her hand around his bicep, the tips of her fingers digging into the muscle as she took a few deep breaths through her nose. "Everything will be fine, Erin. I'm here, after all."

"I know, but that does not make me feel better at the moment." She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "All right, everything will be fine," she parroted back, her eyes never leaving the doorway as they awaited his entrance.

"Harriet! I got here…" Alan's voice trailed off as he looked at Dave and Erin. A deep look of disgust altered his features into an ugly mask, and he felt Erin shiver. "Oh, you two are here. Why does that not surprise me?"

The venom that dripped off those words would have poisoned a lesser man, but Dave took it in stride, cocking an eyebrow as he looked the shorter man up and down, dismissing him in one glance. "Some of us actually drop everything when we hear that a loved one is in the hospital."

Alan snorted rudely as he swept over to Harriet, and Dave felt Erin shudder against him. There was something about the movement that concerned him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. "Don't think, just because you're some big shot now, that you can come in here trying to buy my children's affection and loyalty."

There was something about the way the man emphasized the word my that rankled Dave, and he went to comment on it when Erin tightened her arm around his waist, as if she was imploring him not to make a scene. Still, he couldn't keep from getting one low shot in. "I think that we shouldn't be focusing on things like that, and instead focusing on Helena. This is going to be a hard enough trial as it is, and she's just a baby. My money will afford us to get the best specialists here, who can make certain that she's okay. That is my focus right now."

"And it helps that you're fucking my ex-wife," Alan said bitterly, and Dave was ready to lunge for his throat, to sock him in the jaw to shut him up and keep him from hurting Erin more. Thankfully, Bruce stepped between them, glaring at his father. "What?"

"Mom, Dave, and I are going to take a walk for about fifteen minutes. By the time we get back, you should probably be gone. Dave's right, this tension is not good for Helena or Harriet and Greg."

A long look passed between father and son, and it suddenly hit Dave that the boy did not look like Erin or his father. Though he couldn't quite put his finger on who he looked like, which he knew would be a great way to distract Erin. He could get her to show him old pictures of her family, and they could hunt down which great uncle Bruce looked most like. "Fine. But take your time."

Bruce gave his father a tight nod before guiding Erin and Dave out into the hall. "Sorry, I didn't realize how bitter he was still. He really does love us, and sometimes that love manifests in weird ways."

Erin gave a small shrug, and that movement told Dave that she was still more upset than she was letting on. He knew that they wouldn't be discussing that in front of Bruce, so he filed it away to talk about later, when they were home. "And we did not end our marriage on a harmonious note, Bruce. There is still a lot of acrimony between us, and I'm not really certain where it all came from."

Erin turned her face, looking at him guiltily, and he felt an accompanying flush warm his cheeks, thinking about the affair they had carried on throughout the nineties. They had both tried to be discreet, but still, Erin had felt like Alan had known the entire time. "It's weird how love can twist into hate," he murmured as he bent his head and gave her a tender kiss.

"Isn't it, though?" From the tone of her voice, he knew that she was thinking about their final fight, and how they had torn each other down to the foundations before spitting words of hatred and anger at each other. "Oh, Bruce, I pray that you never have to go through what I did. I should never have treated your father the way that I did."

There was bitter regret in her voice, and he wondered what had put that there. They drifted closer together as Bruce led them down the hall to a waiting room. Erin sat heavily, and Bruce took a seat next to her, reaching out for her hand and clasping it tightly before motioning for Dave to sit down as well. "Mom, you did the best you could. I know that Dad wasn't the easiest person to get along with. I remember some of the fights that you two got into."

She let out a deep sigh as she leaned back against Dave, her head coming to rest right above his heart as she looked down into her lap. "I'm sorry that you had to hear those, Brucie. I never wanted our troubles to become your troubles."

"But family isn't always so neat, Mom. We learn to love each other, warts and all. And I know that you wanted to protect us, but you having to be so strong meant that you never were able to let us know that you were human." Bruce got into her personal space then, giving her a tight hug. Over her shoulder, the young man stared at him, and he squirmed a little under the scrutiny. "I am glad that you have Dave, though, to help you out. You need someone like him near you, to catch you when you fall."

"I don't plan on doing that, Bruce," she murmured as she pushed him away. "I have my children and my love. I don't need anything more."

Bruce nodded, and a contemplative silence fell over the trio. Dave found himself running his hand up and down Erin's arm until her breathing evened out, and she was napping once more. "Sleep will do wonders for her."

"I know. Um, Dave? Would you mind getting tested as a potential bone marrow donor? It's really easy, all they do is swab your cheek for buccal cells, and then they run the tests to see if you're compatible. We've done it already, but Mom and Dad still need to, as well."

"I would love to do that, Bruce. As soon as we get back to the room, we can talk to the doctor about getting us both tested. Hopefully, Erin will be a match."

"From your lips to God's ears, Dave." They shared an understanding look, and Dave relaxed back against the chair, his eyes never leaving Erin's face as she slept.