A/N: Hey again! Yeah, I have no life right now, because I'm not teaching. But enjoying the break, nonetheless. I have tons more time to write, but please let me know if you get sick of me. I'll actually be leaving for Michigan on Sunday and staying for a week in a remote log cabin with no Internet access, so you'll get a break from my psychotic self! cheering ensues

I just thought I'd mention b/c I forgot to in the last chapter. I'm no expert, but after two years of teaching, I'm pretty sure teachers aren't supposed to actually suggest to parents that their children may have ADHD. I've never had to do it, but I guess it's frowned upon. But, for dramatic purposes, Miss Lorden did it. She's partially based on me in all my naïve beginning teacherness. Enjoy, and please review!

One was better than two…sometimes. The next day, it was Nick's turn to stay at home with Mari. For some reason, Sara had volunteered the family to make the program schedules for the upcoming basketball tournament that Bailey and Aidan would be playing in. Nick was trying to write the document on the family computer, but couldn't figure out how to lay it out as a book. Mally was gone for the day, visiting a few of her high school friends while she was in town.

Luckily, Mari was a pretty easygoing kid, so she was happy for the most part just running around the house. It was pretty much child-proof, with all the cabinets locked, but Nick knew from experience to keep a close eye on a two year old. She was screeching a little more than usual, so Nick called his daughter in to the living room, where the computer was stationed.

"Mari, come see daddy for a minute!" He yelled over his shoulder. Seconds later, he heard the pitter patter of her little fit on the hardwood floor. He reached to pick her up when he sensed the little girl beside him, but then stopped when he felt bare skin.

"Mari!" Nick reprimanded, sighing. The little girl was stark naked as the day she was born. Mari, for some reason or other, was obsessed at this point in her life with being naked. She just loved the free feeling of it, he guessed, and didn't understand that some other people may be uncomfortable with her being naked. Not that it was a big deal at home with no guests, but more than once she'd stripped in front of company. Nick had raised three children, though, so he was used to it. But it was still unsettling when he wasn't expecting it.

"Why don't you have your clothes on?" He set her down on her feet and waited for an answer.

"Coz I don't wike 'em." She said sincerely.

"I know you don't always like them, but it's not good just to run around with no clothes. I don't want the boys chasing you just yet." He ruffled her hair and planted a kiss on her brunette head.

"You never wet me be a nay-kid."

Mari hadn't quite learned how to use the word yet. She thought it meant a kid who was 'nay'. And 'nay' was another word for no clothes. Nick sometimes forgot that Mari could sometimes already talk in complete sentences at the age of two. It was something she did occasionally, and none of his other kids had done it that early. Nick knew she was a smart cookie, but right now she was also a naked cookie.

"At least go put on some underwear, sweetheart." Nick requested. That covered most of it. The doorbell rang and Nick stood, picking Mari up and tucking her under his arm. As he reached the hallway, Nick set the squealing toddler down and pushed her towards the pile of her clothes on the floor.

It was Mrs. Bradley from next door, coming over to borrow a cup of sugar, of all things. But, like most women, she also wanted to chat a little bit. Nick politely went along with it as Mrs. Bradley told him all about her new lawn ornaments and her grandson's doctor checkup. Minutes later, he heard a little voice from behind him, and Mrs. Bradley started grinning. He felt a tug on his pant leg.

"Daddy, is this panty otay?" She asked him, holding up her butterfly drawers for him, and Mrs. Bradley, to see.

"Yes, sweetheart, those are fine. Go put 'em on." Nick told her, turning her around and pushing her gently.

"Daddy, I have to go baf'woom." She announced on her way to the hall.

"Then go use this restroom. I'll be there in a minute, baby." Nick tried to shoo her away, slightly embarrassed by her nakedness. But Mrs. Bradley was a grandmother, so she understood, as she went on to explain. She was just going in to where she got her petunias when they heard it.

"Daaaaaaadyyyyyyyyyy! I poooooooopiiiiiiiieeeeeeeed!"

Nick's face turned bright red, and he cleared his throat.

"You'll have to excuse me, Mrs. Bradley. Someone's calling."

He should have been proud, since they'd been struggling with potty-training Mari for months now, but it was a little embarrassing. Nick made his way into the bathroom to find Mari still sitting proudly on the pot.

"I poopied, daddy!" She exclaimed again, expecting to be praised.

"I heard." Nick muttered.

"Daddy, proud?" She asked.

"Yes, sweetheart, daddy's proud, but next time, don't yell when there's a guest, okay?"

"Why?" She asked naively, looking at her daddy with confused eyes.

"Well, people don't like to hear about poop, Mari." He helped his daughter off the pot and helped her clean up.

"Why?"
"Because they don't. It's gross."

"Oh." Mari said, having another a-ha moment that was so common in her third year on earth. She was always discovering things, and Nick sometimes forgot that she didn't know what was proper or rude, having three older children.

Nick helped her put on another pair of her Pull-Up underwear, in case of accidents, and she went on her merry way. Back to the basketball schedule.

Nick was just starting to work things out, when the telephone rang. He checked Mari, who had since become enthralled by Dora the Explorer on the television.

"Stokes residence."

"Mr. Stokes? This is Miss Lorden at school."

"Is everything okay?" He immediately asked, the father's mind already racing.

"I'm afraid not. Bailey had a bit of a meltdown."

"A meltdown?" Nick went to the countertop and grabbed his cell phone and his keys, and then leaned on it, waiting for her to continue.

"Yes. She got in trouble again today for talking, and had to stay in at recess. When I tried to help her with her work, she got really upset and defensive, and just started crying. I don't know what happened…"

"Where is she now?" He walked to the television and turned it off, much to Mari's disappointment, who immediately started protesting. He moved the phone from his mouth to give his daughter directions. "Get your clothes and your shoes on, Mari."

"She's at the nurse. She's fine now, but she's asking for you or her mother."

"I'll be right in. Give me ten minutes."

Nick hung up and helped Mari put the rest of her clothes on, althewhile trying to explain why she had to miss the end of Dora. Mari was not a happy camper as Nick strapped her into her car seat in the second row of the family van. At the thought of one of his children upset and alone, Nick sped down the roads as fast as was safe, stopping minimally at stop signs, until he finally arrived at Las Vegas Elementary.

Quick as a flash, he had Mari unbuckled and secured on his hip and he was almost running to the front door. He slowed and caught his breath as he entered the front door, Mari giggling at the little ride she'd gotten. Nick proceeded into the main office.

"I'm Nick Stokes, and I'm here to see my daughter Bailey. I was told she was in the nurse's office." He told the secretary.

"Yes, she's right back here." The secretary lead the worried father into the nurse's office and back to one of the darkened rooms with cots.

As soon as Bailey saw her father, she sat up and held her arms out.

Nick set down Mari gently on the cot next to her sister, and then his protective, healing arms went around Bailey as she started sobbing again.

"Daddy, IwassoupsetIcouldn'tdotheworkandIstartedcrying."

"Sssshhhhhhh…" Nick calmed his daughter, rocking her gently as he brought her onto his lap. "Don't worry. Daddy's here. You just calm down, okay?" He kissed her twice for good measure and continued to rock her gently. Mari looked concerned and just watched for a while, her eyes wide.

Nick could feel that his daughter's heart rate was racing. All this from an emotional reaction? He hadn't heard the full story yet, but it didn't sound like something physical had happened. There hadn't been an altercation or a fight. This reaction Bailey was displaying was pure emotion and adrenaline. The poor girl probably didn't know what to do with it. So, she just snapped.

Bailey felt so safe now, that she was close to falling asleep as her crying died down. Her head was resting comfortably on her dad's chest, as his strong arms held onto her securely. She stared ahead at Mari, her eyelids drooping, as the two year looked at her curiously. Mari probably thought she was a freak now.

"Baiwey otay?" She asked her father quietly, managing to stand up and put her tiny hand on his arm.

"Yeah. Bailey's just a little upset, but she'll be okay." Nick told his youngest gently. Then Nick was reminded of the beauty and tenderness of a small child, as Mari leaned over gently, using his arm for support, and kissed Bailey softly on the cheek. Bailey smiled slightly and wiped a tear from her face.

"That was very nice of you, Mari." Nick told her proudly, and squeezed Bailey a little tighter.

"Aw better?" She asked her father.

"Maybe not all better, but I think that helped, didn't it Bailey?"

Bailey nodded a little, but stayed cuddled in snugly to her father. He stroked her hair back from her tear-stained face and kissed her forehead once more. Then, a knock at the door. It was the nurse and Miss Lorden.

"Hello, Bailey. Are you feeling a little better now your daddy's here?" The nurse asked the first grader gently. The lady was the epitome of a school nurse. She was in her fifties, a grandmotherly type, who could fix just about anything. She knelt down in front of the girl and touched her arm gently.

"Yeah." Bailey finally spoke.

"Good. Is it okay if I have you lay back down for a minute while Miss Lorden and I talk to your daddy? It'll just be for a minute, I promise."

Bailey looked up at Nick, who nodded at her in reassurance. Now that she was calm, she felt a little stronger.

"You'll be fine now, sweetheart. I just need to talk to the nurse and your teacher. Mari can stay and keep you company. Would that be alright?"

"Okay." All her answers seemed to be one-word, as she hadn't fully recovered from her meltdown yet.

Nick stood up and walked out the door, leaving it slightly ajar.

"What's going on with her?" He started.

"I think what we're seeing is just a typical meltdown that some kids get when they're a little stressed." The nurse began, the better expert on emotional issues. "I already spoke to Miss Lorden, and she tells me she's been forgetting assignments, and getting in trouble in class a lot for talking…"

"Yes, I'm aware of this. We spoke yesterday."

"Okay, so things just seem a little more stressful for her right now, and she just reacted a little more emotionally today."

"Okay." Nick breathed out, though he was still concerned. This had never happened with Mally or Aidan. Why with Bailey? Was it that ADHD stuff again? "Could this have something to do with the possibility of her having ADHD?"

"Yes it could, Mr. Stokes." The nurse continued. Nick glanced at Miss Lorden, who looked scared and worried. He couldn't believe that his Bailey, his little girl could frighten a grown woman so much. What was her problem? Would another teacher have handled this differently? Maybe Bailey would have never had a meltdown if that had been the case. "And we do need to discuss meeting with the psychologist."

"My wife and I still need to think that over."

Nick and Sara had begun to discuss it last night, but it had been too fresh, and they were still too worked up about it to have a decent conversation. So, they called it a night, and decided to discuss it today. They had no idea it was such a pressing issue.

"Alright. Please do consider it. I think it would really help Bailey out. I'm seeing a lot of classic symptoms in her, and I really do think medication would help calm her and help her concentrate."

"Thank you, Mrs. Matthews." Nick shook her hand.

"It's your decision if you would like to take her home today. There's about an hour and a half left of school, but she may not be in the best mood for learning right now."

"Alright, thanks for your advice."

Mrs. Matthews turned and went back to tend to some other ailing students, and Nick turned to Miss Lorden.

"Miss Lorden, what exactly was happening before her little meltdown?" Nick asked calmly, though his mind was racing.

"She didn't pay attention during math class, so I gave her a yellow card." The young teacher started explaining. Nick subconsciously crossed his arms and started nodding his head, the way he did sometimes with a suspect he was interrogating. Poor woman. "She did remember to come in at recess today. So I started working with her on her math assignment, but since she hadn't paid attention, she didn't know what to do. She got really upset and frustrated, and then just broke down."

"Did you say anything to her that may have triggered this? Because this has never happened before."

Miss Lorden felt like she was in the hot seat. She knew that parents were instinctively protective of their children, but Mr. Stokes was very much so. This was the second time she felt like he was accusing her of something.

"No, Mr. Stokes. I most certainly didn't. I was merely explaining how to borrow across zeros when subtracting, and she just shut down and started sobbing hysterically. There was nothing I could do to console her, so I brought her down to the nurse."

"And Bailey will tell me the same thing?" He checked, giving her a suspicious eye, which she didn't appreciate.

"Yes, Mr. Stokes. I am on your side. I'm just trying to help Bailey."

"I know, I know. You're right. I'm sorry. I'm getting defensive again, aren't I?" He tried to smile a little bit, but failed.

Miss Lorden smirked nervously.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"I'm sorry. Again…my daughters. I'm very protective of them."

"I noticed, but I understand."

"Thank you." He looked back at the door, and saw a two year old eye peeking out. Nick knew she was getting bored and needed to get back home. "Well, I think I'll just take Bailey home right now, because I don't think you'd be able to get any work out of her at this point. But I'd be happy to work with her at home. Subtracting, you said?"

"Yes, subtracting across zeros." Miss Lorden turned and handed him Bailey's backpack, with her math book and assignment inside. "You just need to emphasize to keep going left until you find a number that's not zero. And to remember to cross out the zero's and make it a ten."

Nick was impressed with the way she'd explained the concept to him. He knew she was a good teacher just starting out. With some more experience, he knew she would eventually be one of the best. She had a lot of heart, and he appreciated that in his children's teachers.

"Thank you, Miss Lorden. I'll try my best." He smiled this time. Nick watched her walk out of the nurse's office as she headed back to class. The relieved, but still worried about ADHD father turned back to the darkened room. He pushed it open gently to find Bailey holding her sister on her lap.

"Are you ready to go, sweetheart?"

"Yes, daddy."

Bailey stood up and Mari happily accepted the ride on her big sister's hip. She struggled a little with the weight of her sister, but managed to haul her out to the van.

"Where Aidan?" Mari asked, when they were all strapped in.

"He'll ride the bus home." Nick told the toddler as he pulled out of his parking spot. "How about we go play at the park?"

Nick thought it was a good idea, as Mari was getting stir-crazy, and Bailey looked like she needed a little fun. His suspicions were affirmed as Mari started screeching in delight, and clapping her hands. Bailey seemed indifferent, but she wasn't in a screeching mood like her sister was. Hopefully, the park and some bonding time would help with that.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Fifteen minutes later, Bailey was giggling finally a little, after Nick told her to squeeze into one of the little toddler swings also. She was too big when she tried, so Bailey ended up just depositing her little butt into the "scoop" and letting her legs hang over the edge.

"That works!" Nick joked, and immediately started pushing the seven year old. Now, he pushed Mari wish his left hand and Bailey with his right. Life seemed wonderful at the moment, but he knew serious conversations were looming sooner rather than later. He needed to sit down with Bailey and asked her some questions, and he needed to have a conversation with Sara. But for now, the sounds of his two youngest daughters giggling was music to his ears, and soothed his soul. It was a beautiful day, and sometimes he forgot to stop and smell the roses, so to say.

"Daddy, higher!" Mari requested.

"Okay!" He tried in vain to get her higher, but Mari seemed to think he was doing a good job, so that was all that mattered. Nick's heart became a little lighter when his eyes fell upon Bailey. Her eyes were closed, and her head titled back, with a serene smile on her face. She looked so calm, and happy, and just…normal in the moment. There were so many times when he questioned if she was normal, and he felt terrible every time he did. She came from him and Sara…of course she should be normal. The other kids were "normal", so why was she always so stressed out? He wished for his daughter that she could always be this happy and carefree. That's all he wanted for her.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

"Daddy, I find a stick!" Mari announced proudly, holding it up for her father to see. She was playing in the sandbox now, entertained between her own discoveries and two other tots. Nick sat on one of the park benches, his arm draped casually over the back, as Bailey sat next to him, her hands tucked under her legs, which were swinging nervously.

"That's good, baby, keep looking!" He turned to Bailey. "So…how are you doing now? Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah? You still seem a little quiet. Is something bothering you?"

"Do you think I'm weird?" She looked him in the eye, and Nick was sure he looked terrified. The truth was, he was worried about her. He didn't think she was weird, but he wondered what was going on in that little head of hers.

"No, baby. Of course I don't think you're weird."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

Nick touched her arm gently to get her to turn to him, which she did a little reluctantly.

"Bailey Catherine, I am your father, and I could never think you are weird. You're my daughter and I love you without question. I know you're feeling a little uncomfortable and stressed, but you are not weird."

"The kids at school think so." She moped, concerned with what others thought of her a lot. Nick had almost forgotten what it was like to be a kid. A lot of the time, they were carefree and didn't care about what others thought, but other times, they were put under a microscope by their peers. Kids could be really mean, and he didn't want any of his children experiencing the wrath of some pesky self-righteous brats.

"Why do you say that?"

"Some of them call me Crazy Bailey and make fun of me when I get in trouble."

"They do? Well, I know it's hard, but you just have to ignore them. It may be hard at first, but if you don't pay attention to them, they'll stop once it's no fun anymore."

Bailey was silent for a moment.

"Well, how come I can't pay attention in school, but I pay attention to the other kids?" She wondered smartly. Nick didn't know how to answer. The seven year old had him stumped, but he had to sound somewhat intelligent in front of his daughter.

"I'm not sure, Bails, but we can get you some help figuring out why." He introduced the idea gently. "You see, a lot of kids have trouble paying attention and remembering things, just like you, and the doctors have made a special medicine that helps you concentrate."

"Really? Can I get it today?" She was eager as could be. Bailey wanted this uncontrolled feeling gone. She hated how her body felt. How it kept betraying her and causing her to get in trouble.

"Well, not today, because we need to talk to mommy first, and then a special doctor before we can get the medicine. But is this what you want to do?"

"Yes." She said, feeling a little hopeful for the first time. Her daddy knew how to get her help, and she was going to get better. She knew it. And she was going to make him and mommy so proud at how well she could concentrate and remember things.

"Okay, then." He kissed her head. "We'll talk to mommy tonight."

Bailey snuggled into her father's side, and draped his arm around her. She smiled widely, feeling the safest she had in a long time. That brain of hers was going to start cooperating. Her daddy was going to make it.