Wow! I just wanted to thank you all for making me the third most popular story on this website. I really couldn't ask for better readers. All of you encourage me to continue on with my writing for this story. Love you all very much and appreciate all of you reaching out. Hope everyone is enjoying this storyline. Wanted to give a special shoutout to TrenchcoatsAreSexy, thank you for reading and reviewing every chance you get, it makes me so happy to see your opinions and interests in my story. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next installment. Leave a review if you liked it, they really help me write the chapters quicker which means faster updates for all of you ;) Once again, I thank you all for reading! - MJ123

Before Steven could continue, Norma was already up and out of the diner. He looked surprised when she rose and left. No doubt he was going to follow her outside, but she didn't care. She whipped out her cell phone and dialed Alex's number, waiting through the rings until she heard his voice, already gruff and comforting like she preferred.

"Norma? Where did you go?", he asked, already seeming worried about her whereabouts and what she could have gotten herself into.

She sighed and looked around the parking lot, "I-I went out with Steven to talk with him and things just-"

"Where are you right now?".

Norma looked up at the sign gracing the building and went back to her phone, "I'm at this place called the Over-Easy Diner."

"I'll be right there, okay? Just hang tight for a few minutes."

"Thank you, I really appre-"

"It's no problem, Norma. I'll see you soon."

She put her phone back in the pocket of her skirt and waited for Alex's SUV to pull up on the gravel. Before he arrived, Steven's voice was at her back, this time angry with her behavior.

"Norma, what the hell is the matter with you," he asked forcefully, approaching her face to face, the baby crying gently in his arms.

She turned and shook her head, "You wanna do this right now? With the baby in your arms?".

He ignored her criticism and let the baby while, "I tried to bring something very important up with you and you walk away!?".

"Steven, calm down. You're scaring her!" she yelled, her eyes fierce compared to his own.

"You know what," he sighed, his voice still soaked in frustration, "I can't do this, I can't do it anymore. I came back for-". He handed Norma the baby and walked towards the car, "Never mind."

She looked down at Ella, starting to bounce her for comfort, "Where are you going! You can't just leave me with her."

"I'll be back later to get her," he said, getting in his car, and closing the front door. For a moment, Norma thought he was kidding around, but it was no joke. Before she could do anything at all, he sped off out of the parking lot, leaving his crying baby behind.

The next thing she knew, Alex pulled up right beside her, his eyes weary towards her. She didn't know how to conceal her struggle, she had a crying baby on her hip. Her hand reached up to cradle Ella's head as she whispered on her soft hairs, "Shhhh...calm down."

Alex rolled his passenger window, bewilderment all over his clean shaven face as he looked at the sight. "Norma, what are you doing? Who's baby is that?".

She sighed and continued to rock the baby on her side, "It's Steven's."

"What?" he asked, his face scrunched up, she had seen this look before, it was half anger and half sympathy.

"Steven left me with his daughter," she said, feeling relived as the baby calmed down, her crying turning into small worried coos. "And I have no idea what to do."

"Well, we have to do something with it. I mean...it can't just stay here," he mumbled, driving out onto the road.

"Her name is Ella," she informed, now rubbing her hand around on the baby's back to soothe her further. "I just, I don't know what to do. I don't have any bottles or diapers for her."

He waved a hand at her complain and looked out the window, "Norma, I'm sure he won't leave you with his child for that long. We'll go back to the motel and you can get her to sleep."

She looked at him, a tad frustrated with his distant attitude, ""You're not going to help me with this?" her voice was a mixture of shock and anger.

A scoff left his throat as he shook his head, "What do you expect me to do? Swaddle her and give her milk? I've never even took care of a child."

"I'm not asking you to take care of her. I'm asking for you're help, Alex. Please...please?" she begged, clutching the baby to her chest as a sign that she was there. The last thing she needed was for Ella to burst into tears again, she had nothing to soothe her with.

He huffed and nodded, "Fine, Norma. I'll help you. But if this guy doesn't come back or contact you, I'll make sure to find him myself."

She ignored his threat and kept her eyes sealed on the baby. "Can we stop at the store? I wanna pick up some baby stuff. She's gonna need it soon enough."

"Yeah. Do you want - Should I go in while you stay here with her?" he asked, pulling into the closest 24 hour convenience store.

"Would you even know what to buy?".

He nodded again and looked to her and the baby in her arms, "Pampers, right?".

She laughed slightly and bounced the baby girl on her lap, "You don't know much about babies, do you?".

"No, I guess not."

"She's gonna need diapers, a bottle, formula, and some kind of stuffed animal," she listed off, it was funny how she remembered all the telltale items that soothed a newborn. Those things never seemed to leave a mother once they had a baby.

"Stuffed animal?" he asked, looking at her with doubt in his eyes.

She nodded, "Yeah. When babies cry, stuffed animals or toys are typically the way to go. It comforts them and ensures security."

He smirked and focused on the side of her face, "You're just the baby expert aren't you?".

Norma shrugged and played with Ella's hair, "Not necessarily. I just remember what they need to y'know...survive."

"What uh - What kind of brands do I need to buy?" he inquired dumbfoundedly.

She sighed with a smile, "How about we both go in? I think it would be better if I picked out the stuff."

"Okay," he agreed, shutting the engine of his SUV off, and getting out of the car. She followed behind, making sure every movement she made was careful, it was a shame she didn't have a baby carrier. Then again this whole situation was simply unexpected.

Once the pair made it inside, Ella started to giggle, it was far better than a cry. Norma finally realized she was laughing at a stuffed rabbit near the checkout. She smiled sweetly at her niece and grabbed the rabbit, then looked at Alex.

"I have to get this for her. Look at her, she loves it," she she smiled, shaking the stuffed toy in front of her gleaming green eyes.

"Alright, just...put it in the cart and we'll look at milk and stuff," he said, awkwardly watching her tend to the baby. Alex wasn't good around children, his demeanor far too serious to conform.

She nodded and walked to the closest aisle that read, "Baby Products". Her eyes scanned the various boxes and kits of diapers, she grabbed the brand that promised no rash and long lasting absorbency, tossing them in the cart.

Alex's eyes bulged when he got a peek at the price scanned on the package, "$24.50 for a single case of diapers! That's insane!" he expressed, observing the options.

"Well yeah, babies are expensive. The first year of raising one is a good $10,000 dollars," she said, remembering how Norman left she and Sam practically broke for a good two years.

"Is that a joke?" he asked, looking at her in suspicion.

"I don't know, is it a joke when you have to eat Spaghetti O's with a measuring spoon because your last $50 went to diapers, bottles, and baby powder?" she asked, moving the cart along the rugged aisle to the bottles and picked the cheapest brand to purchase.

Once they got formula, powder, and a pacifier, they were on their way out of the store and back in Alex's SUV.

"Thanks for bringing me in there," she said, feeling better now that she had the proper items to care for Ella.

He put his hand up and shook his head, "It wasn't a problem. I know she needed it."

"Alright, when we get back, we're gonna have to stay in you're room."

Alex could have halted the breaks right when the words left her mouth, "We have to what?".

"Well yeah, you don't expect me to bring her up to the house, do you?" she scoffed.

"Of course I do, why can't you?" he asked, giving her a look of agony.

"What would Norman and Dylan say if I just brought a random baby home with me?" she asked, the worst mental images and ideas coming to mind. Dylan would ask what she got herself into and Norman...Norman would simply hit the roof.

He sighed loudly, figuring an argument wouldn't be good for any passengers at the moment. "Okay, fine. We can stay in my room."

"Thank you."

"But if that Steven guy doesn't show up within the next few hours, I'm going out to look for him, understood?" he asked intensely.

"Fine," she agreed, not wanting to press him any further than she already had.

Wherever Steven went off to, it couldn't have been good. The man had been tied down with a baby for four months, there was no doubt he was living it up while he could. But in Norma's mind, she assumed he would come back for Ella.

He had to come back.

Leave me a review if you enjoyed this chapter! They replenish me! - MJ