Lindsey was excited to see Catherine and Gil. They chatted awhile and then Lindsey asked if she could have a milk shake. Gil left the room to find a nurse and ask if it was okay medically.

After he walked out of the room, Lindsey looked at her mother. "okay…give. There's something different with the two of you."

"Lindsey," she said in a questioning voice. "Wha…why do you think…oh…you're just imagining things."

"I am not, but …whatever." She rolled her eyes and then looked down, not wanting to look at her mother.

Catherine recognized the tactic but it was working anyway. She was feeling guilty about avoiding the question. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give in a little. "Okay, you win… things are changing between us…."

"Lindsey's head popped up, a big smile on her face. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean…he's still dealing with some stuff from Sara, but he's been very supportive since you've been in the hospital. Took care of both of us for a couple of days until the doc finally let me out. I don't know how much you remember, but he was in ICU with you a lot."

"Yeah, I think I remember seeing him. But where's he been since I got out?"

"He had to go see Sara. It's complicated and I can't really get into it."

"Oh." Lindsey looked solemn for a moment and then smiled again. "But…do you think…I mean, will he and you, you know….get together?"

"Maybe. How do you feel about it…would you be okay with it?"

"Yeah. You two have been …I don't know, like…married but not really for a long time; ever since I can remember. Dad was jealous of Gil; he thought you were having an affair."

"I know, honey." She really didn't want to go there. "But you'd be okay with us…as a couple, I mean?"

"Well, duh…."

Gil chose that moment to return. "Sorry Linds, but the nurse says hospital diet for a few more days….for your kidneys." He looked disappointed.

Catherine smiled. He was trying to take care of his girl, give her what she wanted. Trying to be a good Dad.

"It's okay. Thanks for trying anyway." She smiled at him and then watched him closely to see how he would act around her mother.

They chatted awhile longer, Lindsey telling them about her friends that had come to visit. "Wendy said that Jennifer's mom said that she gets out of the hospital tomorrow. But she has to come back for therapy."

"Well, it's wonderful that she is well enough to go home. Hopefully you'll be coming home soon too."

"Yeah…"

Gil was absorbed in his two "women" and said little. He loved watching their interaction, they were so much alike. Lindsey caught his expression; one of interest and intrigue. She liked the change she was seeing; especially the way he was looking at Catherine. Lindsey had seen him look at her like that before, when he thought no one was looking. But today he was blatant in his admiration, not caring who saw.

The light outside the window began to fade and as night settled in, Lindsey got sleepy. "We're going to go now and let you sleep, honey." Catherine spoke softly. "We'll see you in the morning."

Lindsey smiled. "You both will come back in the morning?" She was looking at Gil.

"Sure," he smiled.

"Then….have a good night." She winked at her mother as Catherine kissed her good night.

Catherine smirked and was shaking her head as she and Gil left. "What was that?" he asked. "Oh, nothing really. She's hoping you'll sleep with me, I think."

"What? Why would she think like that?" His eyebrow had shot up and his expression was sheer panic.

"Because she watched you all afternoon and she read you like a book."

"But…"

"She's sixteen, Gil. She knows about sex."

"Not first hand, I hope." He didn't want to think about some little snotty nose, pimply teenage boy high on hormones even touching his girl, much less…"

"As far as I know, no. But I don't know everything that goes on with her."

"I'll kill him," Gil said with conviction.

Catherine laughed. "You can get in line behind me, if the time comes."

Lindsey slept for several hours and then woke up, her abdomen hurting. Ringing for the nurse, she asked for a painkiller. When she brought it to Lindsey, Nurse Glenda was in a mood to talk. "So that was your father this afternoon? He's very good looking."

"Actually, he's my Uncle Gil…only he's not really my uncle. My dad died a few years ago."

"Your uncle? But I thought …I mean, your chart said… Maybe I read it wrong." Glenda hurried from the room before she said something she shouldn't."

Lindsey wondered what that was all about. Then she supposed it made sense that Glenda would think Gil was her father; it wasn't like her Dad was still around. Thinking about it, she remembered all the times Gil had been there for her and her Mom when her Dad hadn't been. Sometimes he was even the one that caused the trouble in the first place. Some of Lindsey's earliest memories were of nights spent at Gil's after Daddy had come home angry.

She wondered if Gil was at their house tonight. That made her wonder what it would be like. It all sounded so icky. But then everybody made such a fuss about it and talked like it was so great. But she really didn't want to think of her mother doing it. Lindsey drifted back to sleep trying to get those thoughts out of her mind.

Gil was, in fact, at Catherine's house that night. They talked awhile about how to tell Lindsey that Gil was her father. And then Catherine asked him about his trip to see Sara.

"I didn't recognize her, Cath. It was like she was dead inside. I can't tell if it is residual from her kidnapping or grief over what she did to our baby. Both probably. She was so uncaring though. Well, that's not exactly true; there was remorse about the baby. But I think she'd still do it…." His expression had grown more and more heartrending. "She didn't want my baby, Cath. I thought she loved me… I thought…" tears began to fall as he gave into his own grief.

Catherine hugged him, holding him tightly. "She's all mixed up, Gil. She did love you….I know she did. But everything went wrong. It wasn't that she didn't want your baby, just that she didn't want any baby at all."

"I would have loved it, Cath. I would have taken care of it…and her, if she needed it. But she…" sobs racked him and choked out his last words.

"Of course you would have, Gil. You would have done whatever it took."

He broke the embrace to look at her face. "Cath…when you were pregnant with Lindsey, did you ever think about an abortion?"

Shocked by his question, she took a minute to collect her thoughts for an answer. "No…never. But my situation was different."

"You were married to Eddie, who abused you and you thought it was his baby."

"But…Sara has different issues. She's haunted by an unhappy childhood and is afraid that she'd pass that on."

"Would you say your childhood was happy?"

Catherine thought for a moment. "It had its good times. But the whole thing with Sam hung over it. But Gil, it's not fair to compare Sara's actions with mine, or anyone else's for that matter. Sara made her choice based on her own situation."

"You defending her?"

"No…but I'm not judging her either. I don't know what I'd do if I were in her shoes. I can tell you this; as bad as things were with me and Eddie, I never thought about an abortion. And if I was pregnant with your baby, and knew it at the time, there's no way in hell I would think of it."

He looked at her, seemingly satisfied with her answer. Softly he spoke wistfully, "I wish that you had known….that I had guessed." He looked up and down her body appreciatively. "I remember how you looked pregnant; you glowed."

"I did not," she said chuckling. "I was fat and walked like a duck."

He smiled slightly. "A glowing duck." His hand travelled to her stomach, gingerly covering her there. "It's still hard for me to believe…that you carried my baby." Reverence filled his quiet tone.

She watched as he looked at her tummy, feeling the warmth of his touch. Never in her life had anyone looked at her like that. Her heart swelled as his gaze filled her with so many emotions. "Gil…"

His eyes found hers. A mixture of awe and query filled them; his look was so intense. She rubbed his cheek with her hand, following the line of his jaw. "I love you," she whispered.

His eyes widened as his facial muscles began to relax. She watched his lips as they descended to hers, covering her mouth gently. For a man who could be so socially inept at times, he was an amazing lover. Briefly she wondered where he had learned to make a woman fell what she was feeling, and then she ceased to think as he sent her into uninhibited ecstasy.

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