(Sorry to inform you all but this just might end up being a shitty chapter. I really wanted to get something up and posted as soon as I possibly could. I've been on break from college and trying to find the urge to write. When I started writing this particular chapter I was in the mood and then, I don't know. But I didn't want to keep you all waiting too much longer. So please read, leave comments and corners as you will and I'll try to update this story as well as my other and get some new ones posted soon).

In writing this story I have decided that it won't necessarily be in chronological order. And for he time being isn't being written in any one person's point of view or bouncing back and forth in between two. For now that is the writing style I chose to work with but it may change as I continue to write. As I stated previously, although I have started to write in order, from Noah finding out about Leilani and then forcing Mercedes to tell her about it, the story has been written following a timeline, but as we go deeper into the lives of Mercedes, Noah and Leilani, things will bounce back and forth. There will however be a message or title above the start of each chapter that briefly describes or hints at what the chapter will be about.

Nutty Problem

"Are you serious right now? You've got to be fucking kidding me?" Noah groaned loudly as he quickly glanced upstairs to their daughter's room to make sure the door was closed and they couldn't be heard before he took a seat at the island in the kitchen. His head was killing him and he felt shitty. After all, it was his fault. She had been in his care and he had already beaten himself up senseless about but she wanted to argue, judge his parenting, despite the fact that he hadn't been able to discover all things about her.

"You almost killed my daughter. Does it look like I'm kidding?" Mercedes growled, poking him in the chest. She was fuming and was more than sure that if it was a cartoon, smoke would be coming from her ears.

"Our daughter, and for the millionth time, it was a fucking accident." he retorted glaring at her. "You act like I meant for this to happen. You act like I did it on purpose. Granted, I got her the ice cream because she wanted it, I didn't know what it would do to her."

"Accident my ass. Look, Noah, if you can't handle it, then you can leave. You don't have to be here."

"Seriously Mercedes, shut up! Just shut the hell up with all of that bullshit you're spitting right now."

"I'm just saying-"

"I'm just saying shut up with all that." he jumped to his feet, cutting her off abruptly.

"I'm not twisting your arm or forcing you to do anything. You' don't have to be here." She lied through her teeth. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my child on my own. I've been doing it for years now, without any assistance from you and hardly from anyone else. And if you're not quite sure how this parenting thing goes, I'll be doing it for as long as I'm alive." Mercedes snarled, crossing her arms under her chest.

"So you're gonna continue to throw that shit in my face every time something goes wrong, when we both know I had no say in it? I didn't fucking know I had a kid in the first place. I didn't know. Know why?" he spewed sarcastically not waiting for a reply; "because YOU took off and kept her from me."

"Noah, I don't like how you're talking to me. I think you should leave. Or maybe we should seeing as house this is your house." Mercedes spoke softly chewing on her bottom lip.

"No! You're not going anywhere. You live here too now. You and my daughter and you're not taking her anywhere. And I'm not going anywhere. Okay, you act like I knew that she was allergic to it or that the shit had peanuts in it. If I did, do you think I would have given it to her or let her eat it? NO! No matter what you think or how you feel, I'm really trying to be a good father because I love that little girl and I'm not gonna hurt her. Now I've gotta go check on our daughter. "

Tears burned his eyes as he all but stomped past her and made his way up stairs to his daughter's bedroom where she lied half awake in her bed, waiting for him to tuck her in and read her a story. He moved slowly, cursing himself and hoping that she didn't hear them fighting because he didn't want her to hate him or think he was mean or a bad person.

"Hey ladybug, how are you feeling?" he asked as he reached her door and looked at the sick child. She didn't look as bad as she did at the hospital. He was grateful that the swelling had gone down tremendously. She still looked a little puffy in the face and he couldn't help but feel bad. She was with him when she swallowed the peanuts.

"I'm okay daddy." she whispered. Her throat was sore and any tone above the level she is now would hurt.

"I'm sorry Lei." he frowned and she sat up in her queen sized bed, opening her arms wide.

He laughed a bit and got into the bed with her, allowing her to grab all the covers she needed before he settled on top of them.

"It's not your fault daddy. I really wanted that cake and ice cream." she said with a wide grin. "It was good too."

"Oh really?"

"Yup." she nodded excitedly. "Up until my tongue got all fat like a sausage see." she giggled her voice a bit raspy and stuck out her tongue.

"Yeah Lei, I'm sorry about that." he grabbed her face with the tips of his fingers and squeezed lightly. She huffed but let him continue. He and Mercedes had been doing that to her all day. She was becoming annoyed but knew it's only because he's just checking to make sure the medicine was actually working and some other stuff she overheard the doctors mentioning.

"See daddy. It's almost normal sized. I'll be fine in the morning and I can try regular food. Mommy keeps giving me mushy stuff" she said scrunching her nose making a stink face and looking much like Mercedes. "Now can you read me a story?" she huffed and handed him a book.

"Sure princess." He grabbed the book and read the title, The Princess and the Frog. He shook his head and traded it for a different book on the shelf, The Three Little Pigs. It wasn't her favorite book, but she had already agreed to one book that night and it would definitely do the trick of putting her to bed the quickest. He sat down beside her and once she got a look at the book she pouted her infamous pout, her lip as far as it would go and crossed her arms under her chest.

"Daddy!" she whined and Noah chuckled before picking the first book back up.

"Okay Princess, ready?"

"Ready!"

Mercedes slowly made her way up the stairs after the fight trying not to make a sound and stood outside her daughter's bedroom, leaning on the door frame, legs crossed at the ankles, while her head rested upon the back of her hands with a smile plastered on her face. The sight before her is a beautiful one. Leilani laid up her bed, curled into the side of her father while one arm acted as an extra pillow, eyes drifting, while he read to her. Leilani was trying to fight her sleep again, as part of her bedtime ritual so to speak, but it seemed as sleep would succumb her sooner than normal. All the time at the hospital must've worn her out. Since Noah had begun reading her bedtime stories which occurred every night since he found out, even before they moved in together, Noah had always made sure he told Leilani a story before bed. At times when he couldn't be there, it was almost impossible to get the little girl to bed and Mercedes would have to call him to tell her stories over the phone. In some nights those were Lani's favorite because instead of reading a book, he'd make up his own story to tell her. Mercedes thought it was because she really enjoyed having him read to her but she would soon come to realize it's really because she's afraid she'll never see him again. The fear of losing each other becoming more and more visible in the two of them with each passing moment shared.

Mercedes stood by the door for quite some time just watching before leaving them to do their thing; tiptoeing past the little girl's room and heading into the one she shared with Noah. She stripped out of her clothes and into an oversized t-shirt and some shorts, then climbed in the bed by the time he had entered the room. It was silent. He didn't say a word as he searched through the drawers for what, Mercedes couldn't tell from her position on the bed. She flipped through the channels absentmindedly, keeping her focus on his moving form as he pulled a shirt from the drawer, pulled the one he had on off, and slip the fresh one on. He fumbled in the dresser for a while longer and pushed something in his pockets before closing the drawer back.

"Where are you going?" She asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed changing his shoes.

"Out." He answered back coldly.

"No seriously, where are you going?"

"What's it to you? You wanted me gone right." He shot back glancing over his shoulder lacing them up and standing to his feet "Don't wait up for me."

"Wait" she shouted and grabbed his arm before he got out of reach, "look, I'm sorry for blowing up on you. I'm new to this…this whole co-parenting thing. My daughter was sick and I blamed you. I know it's not your fault and I didn't mean anything I said. Just please, please don't go." She pleaded with him, her hands running across his broad shoulders and toned body.

"Mercedes, stop."

"No Noah! You can't go." She wrapped his arms around her and cupped his face, tears forming in her eyes. "You can't just leave-"

"I'm not leaving her okay. I would never just up and leave her. Or you for that matter, you listening."

"Yes I hear you." She sighed looking down.

"I know you hear me, but are you listening." He cupped her face forcing her to look up at him into his hazel eyes "I'm not leaving. Yes, I was leaving the house, to go for a drive. You know, clear my head. But I was coming right back to you. Look I won't even go if it's making you that upset okay."

"You don't have to stay here, you can go just as long as you come back, it fine."

"No it's not. I'm staying right here, now come lay with me."