A/N: Sorry for the delay! Again, people seem to be commenting that I'm neglecting Aidan, which is a little true I guess. Hopefully, you think there's more of him in this chapter, and I do plan on doing a one-shot for him in "Full House". I love Aidan, and glad you seem to like him too. This chapter is extra fluffy, so do watch out. Please review!

"Alright, guys." Nick addressed his family later that night after dinner. "I'm going back to the hospital to stay with Mally tonight, so you need to be good for mom."

"Daddy go?" Mari asked from her position on Sara's lap. They were trying to wind down the kids before bedtime, so they'd all just been cuddling and talking on the couch. Bailey had been sent back up to her room after dinner, and Nick had just said goodbye to her.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning." He patiently explained, kneeling down to meet her eye level. She reached her pudgy arms out for a hug, and Nick gladly took her into his arms. "Mommy's gonna read you a bedtime story, and when you wake up, I'll be back."

"I miss daddy." She said sadly. Nick tightened his hold on the toddler and kissed her forehead. He tried to remind himself that she would have Sara when he left, and Mally needed him right now. After another kiss, he handed Mari back to his wife.

Nick hadn't noticed that Aidan was softly crying on the other side of the couch, but his wife's eyes cued him in. Aidan didn't like to cry, because he tried to be tough for his sisters, but he was still only seven years old. Nick kneeled down next to where his son was sitting.

"Hey, bud. What's up?" He asked gently, rubbing his shoulder and arm as he watched Aidan's face. The little boy took a few moments to compose himself, and he sat up, sitting pretzel style on the couch, wiping at his eyes.

"I don't want you to go!" His voice was emotional, and Nick could tell this was really bothering him. He was a sensitive kid, but seemed to keep a lot of it inside, and rarely broke down.

"Aid, I need to go stay with Mally, because she's all alone. Do you understand?" Nick's voice was low and soft, and his heart broke whenever any of his children were upset. It was like he was having to pick between his children right now, and he didn't like it one bit.

"But I don't want you to leave!" He cried again, choking on his tears. Nick glanced at Sara, who looked sympathetic, but didn't know what to do either. Mari watched the scene curiously, her head resting on her mother's chest.

"I know."

As a last resort, Aidan leaned forward and flung his arms around his father, a fresh series of tears escaping his body. Nick held him tight, standing up, and then sitting again on the couch with his son on his lap. The concerned father just held his son close and rubbed his back as he cried. Nick had no idea where this had come from. Aidan seemed fine before, and was dealing with Mally's accident like a trooper. Maybe it got to be too much, and he just snapped.

When his crying was subsiding, Nick decided to make an offer.

"Would you like to come with me for a while to see Mally?" He asked his son, who was calming down. The little boy quickly shook his head yes, but didn't look at his father. He stared down at his clammy, nervous hands. Nick kissed his forehead in acceptance. "Okay. Why don't you go get your shoes on then, bud."

When Aidan disappeared to get his shoes, Nick turned back to Sara.

"I'll let him stay for a couple hours and talk to him a bit." Nick told her. "And I'll bring him back about ten?"

"That's fine." Sara practically whispered, as Mari was starting to drift off to sleep. "I didn't know he was so upset."

"Me neither." Nick admitted, rubbing his face.

"Just take care of my babies."

Nick allowed a small smile, and scooted next to his wife. Mari seemed to be asleep now, so he gently cupped Sara's face and kissed her tenderly. After a few sweet kisses, he pulled back and they looked down at their youngest. Nick stroked the sleeping toddler's chubby face, and her arm was slowly loosening her grip on her mother's shirt. Her breathing shallowed and her body was limp now. There would at least be no fighting with her tonight over bedtime. Bailey may be a different story.

"I'm going to put her down." Sara told him, and gave him one last kiss. She stood up carefully, cradling Mari in her arms, and proceeded up the stairs. Aidan emerged from the next room with his shoes on, ready to go. His face was still a little reddened from his crying, but he looked decidedly happier.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, let's go." Nick slung his arm around Aidan's shoulders as they proceeded into the garage.

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Mally couldn't describe how relieved and comforted she felt when she saw her father and brother walk back into her hospital room. She thought she was over the stage of her life when she felt she literally needed her dad to feel okay, but she did. The accident had been frightening, and Mally felt she'd regressed back to the age of ten, the loneliness she felt without her family. The twenty year old felt tears pooling in her eyes at their smiling faces.

"I'm so happy to see you." She confessed, taking tearful breaths. Nick didn't know how much more emotion he could take. It seemed everyone had been crying for weeks over something or other. He planted a kiss on his daughter and pulled up a chair to her hospital bed, but Aidan remained standing. The concerned brother stood on the other side and immediately took Mally's hand. He had been upset earlier when he had to leave her. Nick guessed that was part of the reason he broke down at home.

Nick watched his son curiously as he squeezed his sister's hand and leaned over to hug her. He was a lot like Mally when she was little personality-wise.

"How's your pain medication doing?" Nick asked, his hand moving to gently lay on her arm in support.

"It's working." She reported and moved her arm a bit to show the clicker on her finger that delivered morphine to her body. "This clicker is my new best friend. Besides Aidan."

Aidan smiled, and though Nick wasn't sure if he should, moved to lay on the bed next to Mally. It wasn't a big bed, but Mally seemed content to have her brother snuggled in tightly next to her, putting her arm around him. Nick rubbed his back as he settled in. For the first time, Nick thought about what a good mother Mally would be someday.

Mally looked over to her father.

"How are the girls doing?" She asked, seeing that her little brother perhaps wasn't taking this well. Mally was only expecting her father, but was thrilled to see her brother tagging along. She knew Nick wouldn't let Aidan come along normally, since it was already 8:30.

The motion Nick's head and eyes made told Mally what she needed to know.

"Bailey was still pouting in her room when I left, and Mari's already asleep." Nick reported.

"Those monkeys." Mally commented, smiling. Having three young siblings was hard, but rewarding for her parents, but also for Mally. Since she was so much older than them, she'd participated a lot in the raising of them. She left the hard stuff to her parents, but Mally was helpful beyond words to Nick and Sara.

"We're going to see a doctor tomorrow for Bails."

"That's good." Mally nodded, knowing her sister was different than she and her siblings were. She was an elementary education major and, to Nick and Sara's dismay, a modern dance minor. In her education classes, Mally had learned a bit about behavioral disorders, and Bailey seemed to be the definition of ADHD.

"So." Nick was curious to know about the next subject, but weary about asking. "Does your boyfriend know what happened?"

Mally looked away and sighed, knowing that her dad wasn't fond of Jason, and this wasn't going to help her case.

"No. My cell phone was ruined in the crash."

She wanted to leave it at that, but Nick probed further.

"Does he have our home number?"

"Yes."

Nick took in a sharp breath and let it out slowly. Mally could tell he wasn't pleased with the situation.

"So, he hasn't called to see if you got home okay?" Mally didn't like the form her dad's face was taking. It wasn't angry with her, per se, but it involved her decisions. Now he really wouldn't like Jason.

"Dad, there's no reason for him to think anything's wrong." She tried to explain it away. But truthfully, he'd been calling her constantly, but on her cell phone. He probably thought she was ignoring her or something, but he hadn't bothered to call her house. Probably because he was afraid of Nick.

"Yeah, that's why it's called an accident. Mal, any person who cares about you would be calling to make sure you got home okay. I really don't think this Jason kid is good news." He hoped he wasn't over stepping his bounds. In the end, it was Mally's decision who she dated, and he could only tell her how he felt. Nick couldn't order her to stop seeing him.

"Dad, let's just…not talk about it." Mally put an end to the discussion, and chose to concentrate on her little brother. "What did you have for dinner, Aid?"

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Sara was surprised to walk into her daughters' room with Mari in her arms, to find Bailey quietly reading on her bed. The girl wasn't known to be a big reader. She didn't have the patience for it, so Sara was curious.

Quietly, Sara laid Mari down on her tiny toddler bed. They always changed her into her pajamas after a bath, so she was all set for bed. The mother tucker her daughter in and kissed her cheek. Sara crept across the room to sit on Bailey's bed, whose eyes were still glued to her book.

"What are you reading?" She whispered, reaching out to pat Bailey's knee. Sara often worried that since Bailey got in trouble so often, she would think they didn't like her. She jumped at any chance to be tender with the first grader.

"A stupid Ladybug book." She reported. Sara knew what she meant – it was the Little Book Series that was a favorite when teaching children to read. Aidan had long since mastered this level of books, but Bailey didn't practice reading as much, so she wasn't as advanced as her brother. She'd rather play outside with her friends that cuddle up with a book. But to Aidan, books were some of his best friends.

"The Ugly Duckling." Sara read when she moved the book a little to see the title. "That's a good book."

Bailey's confidence was dangerously low when it came to schoolwork, Sara knew, but she didn't often show it. She had a tough exterior that rivaled some adults, but inside was a scared little girl. Bailey was a smart kid, and knew she was behind some of her classmates when it came to reading, and grades in general. Her marks mostly included 'satisfactory', simply because she wasn't patient enough to really concentrate and tackle the work. In contrast, Aidan got mostly 'outstanding' marks, which further frustrated Bailey. She often wondered how things came so easily to her brother, and things were so hard for her.

"Momma, why can't I read as good as Aidan?" She asked her mother, straight up. Sara decided to move to sit next to her daughter, and Bailey scooted over to make room. She liked when her mother or father would just come talk to her. It was reassuring to have quiet, non-threatening moments with them, and they were good at making her feel better.

"Bailey, you are just as smart as your brother and sisters. A lot of being good at reading is the practice." Bailey was listening closely to every word her mother was saying.

"Well, you like to play outside with your friends a lot, right?"

"Uh huh."

"Aidan is perfectly happy staying indoors reading a book instead. So, he gets more practice because that's what he likes to do. So, Aidan may be a better reader right now just because he practices more."

Bailey's face showed deep contemplation, and Sara wondered what she was thinking.

"But think about basketball." Sara started. "You practice basketball a lot more than Aidan, so you're a little more skilled at that than him. So it kind of evens out."

Aidan loved basketball also, but didn't yet possess the physical skills yet, like many little kids. Bailey truthfully was a bit better at the sport than her brother, but Sara hoped she wouldn't go tell him that now.

"So, Aidan's good at some things, and I'm good at others?"

"Yes. Everyone has different things they're good at. Like your dad and I are good at solving crimes, and Mally is good at dancing and softball."

"What about Mari?"

"Well, she's two. She can't do much yet. But she'll be good at something when she gets old enough."

"She's kinda funny." Bailey smiled, thinking of Mari. She was often jealous of her younger sister, because she needed constant attention and couldn't do much for herself.

"She is a silly girl." Sara giggled a little, tucking a piece of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "Do you want to read the book together?"

"Yeah!" Bailey replied, more excitedly than she ever had before about the prospect of reading.

Sara and Bailey proceeded to read the book page by page. Sara would read one page, and Bailey the next. She marveled in the way her daughter was good at intonation and emotion. When Bailey did concentrate on reading, she was really good at it, and Sara couldn't wait to see what medication did for her schoolwork.

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Aidan had since fallen asleep on his sister's hospital bed, and Nick didn't have the heart to wake him up to leave. He called his wife and told her that he'd just let Aidan stay over tonight with him and Mally. His daughter didn't seem to be bothered at all at sharing her bed at the moment at least, but Nick hunted down an extra mattress, pillow, and blanket from the nurses to move him if needed. For now, Nick settled on to the mattress and tried to sleep.

"Daddy?" Nick recognized the sound as his oldest daughter's voice. He immediately got up and went to her bedside, trying to make out her face in the dark room.

"What is it, sweetheart? Are you in pain?" He took her hand and squeezed it gently, as he heard Mally tear up a little bit.

"No. It's just…I'm sorry, dad. I really am." She sobbed, putting her other hand over her eyes.

"Hey," Nick cooed, "Don't cry, Mally. You're okay."

"I was so stupid."

"I'm sure it was scary. But it's over now, and we're here for you." He tried to reassure her, stroking the back of her hand.

"I know you're disappointed in me." That was what worried Mally the most, after the pain and her recovery. Though she was a young adult, her parents' trust was still something that was very important to her.

Nick swallowed at her words. He was somewhat disappointed in her, that she lied to them about going to California, and tried to drive back so late at night. He could also see how disappointed she was in herself, and right now they needed to concentrate on getting her well again, not giving her a talking-to.

"Well, Mally, I was really surprised when I found out where you'd been, but I'm just glad you're okay. We'll talk about it when you're better. Right now you just need to relax and concentrate on your health."

"Are you mad?"

"No, Mally." He told her immediately. Nick was really just mad at Jason, because he was probably the one that pressured his daughter into doing this. "I'm not mad at you, just concerned. You go back to sleep, okay?"

Nick stroked his daughter's unkempt hair lovingly. In the dark, she looked so confused, and he remember just how confusing young love could be. He himself had fallen for a woman when he was not much older than Mally, and it had turned out disastrously. Well, all except the beautiful girl, quickly becoming a woman, who he gazed down at now. He didn't want Mally to make the same mistakes he did.

"I love you, dad." She whispered.

"I love you too, Mal."

Nick stayed with his daughter, holding her hand, until she fell back asleep, just listening to the reassuring sound of her breathing. The rise and fall of her chest reminded him that she was okay; she was alive after that huge scare. And it steeled his resolve that he was going to lead her out of this mess. He needed to get her away from this Jason punk, even if Mally hated him for it. Nick was going to protect his precious family.