Friends and Lovers
Chapter Seventeen
Before everyone knew it, Mother's Day had arrived. All the children made Fran little gifts, and Fran insisted that they drive into the city to visit Sarah. Before they left for town, Max had his own surprise for Fran. He gathered the children in the living room and handed Fran a box with pink and blue ribbons. Inside the box she found five documents, along with five envelopes.
"Oh, Maxwell, it's the final adoption papers! OH, and the birth certificates!"
"Yes, My Love, Happy Mother's Day. You are now the official, legal mother of all five children."
"This means you're really my dad now, too, right?"
"Right, Michael. If you look at your birth certificate, your name is now legally Michael James Sheffield."
Michael picked up the document from the box, and then looked at Brighton's certificate. "They look alike except for the names. Does this mean that we're a really real family now?"
"It sure does, Honey." Fran had tears streaming down her face. "Max, this is the best Mother's Day gift you could have given me. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, Sweetheart. They arrived Wednesday, so I thought today would be a perfect day."
"So do we still have to go to the cemetery?"
"Yes, Brighton, Honey, we do."
"But YOU'RE our mom now."
"Sweetie, yes, I'm your legal mother, but Sarah still gave birth to you three. We can't forget that."
"But she hurt Daddy, she lied to him. Are you gonna make Mikey and the girls see HIM on Father's Day?"
"Well, I thought we'd see him today, instead."
"Oh, GREAT! Thanks, B.! You HAD to remind her, didn't you?"
"Mike, it's not his fault. We were going to pick up some flowers for him, too."
"I HAVE a father; I don't need to see him."
"Son, I know it's hard, but one day you'll understand why we try to help you kids remember your parents."
"The girls don't remember, they're the lucky ones." Mike saw the look on his father's face. "Yes, Sir. Sorry, Mom, I'll stop kvetching."
"Thank you, Mikey. Why don't you kids go upstairs and get your jackets, and bring Irene's and Grace's down with you."
They watched the kids trod up the stairs. "Max, I can't blame him, if I had my way, I'd NEVER see that bastard again."
"Well, I would like to thank him for my three beautiful children. If not for him, we wouldn't have Mikey or Grace or Irene."
"Irene should have been yours, Max."
"She IS mine, Fran. He only had her for six months. I've had her for almost two and a half years. She'll never remember him. All she'll have of him is what we tell her when she's old enough to understand. We can filter out all the bad stuff, and only tell her that her father died when she was a baby, and that he loved her very much."
"Yeah, he did, didn't he? All I was to him was the baby factory, cook and housekeeper."
"He loved you, Fran."
"No, no he didn't. YOU love me. All he eva did was bark orders and make threats…and sleep with any woman who'd have him. Hell, I think he loved Sarah more than he loved me."
"Fran, you're getting yourself worked up again. You're right, I DO love you, more than anything. Tony is gone; he's never going to hurt you again.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're right." She looked up and saw her children coming down the stairs. "Ready, Angels?"
"Ready, Mom!"
She grinned at her husband. "Yep, I'm the mom, the birth certificates say so!" She giggled as they helped the children into the Range Rover and headed into the city.
The children were all asleep when they stopped at the florist. Max went in and picked up two arrangements while Fran waited with her sleeping angels. "Ready, Darling?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. Which cemetery are we going to first?"
"I thought we'd go to Trinity first, since Tony is in Queens. I thought you might like to stop and see your mother afterwards. It's been a few weeks since she's seen the children. Maybe I'd better go inside and get some roses for her. I'll be right back." He kissed his wife softly and hurried inside, returning with two dozen Sterling Roses.
"Mmm, she'll love those. Have I told you lately what a wonderful husband you are?"
"Well, let's see, not counting the times you told me this morning, no, not since yesterday." He chuckled and glanced sideways at his wife as he pulled the Rover back into traffic and headed for Trinity Cemetery. As they turned the corner, the church became visible. Fran's stomach began to turn flip-flops as they got closer. "Why don't you wake the children up, Darling, we're almost there."
She turned around and woke Maggie and the girls, and Maggie reached back and nudged the boys.
"Are we there already?" Brighton was looking out the window at the headstones. "Wow, look at THAT one!" He pointed to a large Celtic cross.
"That's John James Audubon's grave, Son. This property was last owned by the Audubon family."
"Cool."
"Aren't there lots of famous people here, Dad?" Maggie was craning her neck to see out the window.
"That's right, Maggie. John Jacob Astor and his son are here, Clement Clark Moore is here…"
"Why do I know that name?" Fran had a puzzled look on her face.
"He wrote "A Visit From St. Nicholas", Mom." Maggie grinned at her mother.
"Ah, that's right. Isn't Aaron Burr's wife here, too?"
Max laughed. "She is, but HE isn't. Actually, they closed the cemetery to burials about 20 years ago. You can only be buried here if you are a direct descendant of someone already interred here. Sarah's grandparents and great grandparents are here. Actually, I think her great great grandparents are here as well. Her parents will be here with her eventually. Ah, here we are."
"Wow!" Fran looked out the right window of the car and saw the large stone that read 'Worthington'. "I don't remember that." Fran and Max climbed out and helped the children out of the car. "Grace, Irene, hold your brother's hands. Boys, don't let them run off."
"Sure, Mom."
Max retrieved the flowers from the car, and the family walked slowly to Sarah's grave.
"Loving wife and mother. That's a laugh."
"Maggie! That's enough!"
"Sorry, Dad." She kneeled at the grave. "I don't know what to say to her."
"Just say what's in your heart, Honey. I'm sure you still love her and miss her, tell her that."
Maggie took a deep breath. "Mom, I hope you're happy, and I hope you and Tony are together now. We're all fine. Dad married Fran, and she's our mom now, so you don't have to worry about us. I still love you, Mom. I'm just upset with you right now, because of what you did to Dad. You know, with Tony. Well, I'm going to let Brighton talk now. You'd be proud of him, he's been so good lately. We don't fight as much anymore. Well, bye, Mom. I love you. Happy Mother's Day."
Maggie got up and patted her brother on the shoulder. "Your turn, Bro."
"Thanks." He walked over to the headstone and stared at it for a few minutes. "Why did you lie to us? We would have loved Gracie even if Tony was her father. You always told me I had to be good and be responsible, so why couldn't YOU be like that? If you didn't love Dad anymore, why couldn't you just let him be happy with Fran? She loves us a lot, Mom. She's been a good mother to us. After you died, Dad was a mess, and Fran kept the family together. Now she's our mom, and we love her a lot. She keeps reminding us to talk to you and that you love us. Well, I guess I should let Gracie talk, but I don't think she knows who you are. She's gotten so big since you left. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you."
He fought back the tears and ran into Fran's waiting arms. "I love you, Mom!"
"I love you too, Sweetie. Are you all right?"
"It just feels weird telling her I love her and calling her 'Mom', YOU are our mom, right? We love YOU now."
"Yes, Sweetie, I'm your legal mother, but Sarah will always be the one that gave birth to you, and you're always going to love her. Max, Honey, do you want to take Grace over?" He didn't answer, just stared at the headstone. "B., let me go talk to Daddy for a minute, are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Dad looks pretty messed up again."
"He sure does." She walked over to her husband. "Maybe it was a bad idea to come out here today."
"No, the children had to get some things off their chests. I just didn't realize how angry they were at her."
"They inherited your British reserve; they don't express their feelings like Mikey. We KNOW how HE feels."
"Yes, we do, and I'm not sure about going to see Tony, after witnessing this."
"We're going. If Mikey is upset, he needs to TELL Tony. Maybe it will help him."
"I'm sure you're right." He kissed her lightly. "You usually are. Why don't you take Grace over, see if she wants to say anything."
"Are you even going to talk to her?"
"When everyone is finished. I don't think I want the children to hear what I have to say."
"Maxwell…"
"Don't worry, Sweetheart, I'll be just fine."
She kissed her husband and took Gracie by the hand. "Come on, Angel, let's go tell Mommy Happy Mother's Day." She led her daughter over to the grave. "Gracie, this is Sarah, your angel mommy. Can you tell her 'hello'?"
Grace looked up at her mother. "You're my mommy."
"Yes, Sweetie, but you also have a mommy in heaven watching over you. This is where she sleeps."
Grace looked down at the grave. "Hi Angel Mommy."
"See how big she's gotten, Sarah? She'll start Pre School this fall, and she's learning how to ride a pony. Help me look after her, please." Fran brushed a tear from her eye as she led her daughter away from the grave. She saw Mikey inching his way to the headstone out of the corner of her eye.
"Hi, Aunt Sarah. Happy Mother's Day. Take care of my father, OK?" He lifted his chin up and walked back over to his brother and put his arm around his shoulder.
"All right, kids, back into the car, we've got another stop to make."
"What about Dad? Isn't he going to talk to her?"
"Just get in the car and give him some privacy, OK?"
She herded the children together and began strapping the youngest into their car seats. She closed the door and turned around as Max was getting up from the grave, wiping his eyes. He walked over to the car and put his arms around his wife. "I love you so much, Fran."
"I love you too, Max. Are you all right, Sweetie?"
"While I was talking to her, I realized why the children are so angry. I'm angry, too, and never got the chance to confront her about all this. I just told her everything I needed to say. I don't think I'll be coming back here, again."
"Maxwell, what about the children?"
"You heard them, they're angry, too. Grace has no clue who she is. If they want to see her, you can bring them or Niles can bring them. Hell, Ernest and Roberta can bring them for all I care. I'm done. So, Darling, ready for round two?"
"I suppose it's too late to say "no"?" She let out a nervous giggle.
"Ya think?" He kissed the top of her head. She loved it when he imitated her.
He helped her into the Rover, and then headed for Mt. Hebron Cemetery in Flushing. When they turned onto Horace Harding Expressway, Fran felt tears began to form. It had been a long time since she'd been out here. She wiped her eyes quickly, hoping Max hadn't seen. Not only had her husband seen the tears, her son saw them, too.
"Mom, we don't have to do this, it's NOT like it's Father's Day or anything."
"No, it's all right, Mikey. I'm fine."
"If you're too upset, we don't have to see him."
"Michael, you're going to pay your respects to your father."
"RESPECT? I have respect for you and Dad."
"Oh, God, I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Mike, that's enough, Son, you're upsetting your mother."
"Sorry, Dad, but I think it's being around HIM that's upsetting her." He pointed out the window at the headstone. "I am SO glad that's not my name any more. Everyone would insist that I get buried here, too, so all the Bergmans could be together."
"Take it easy, Mikey. Just go tell him how you feel, like we did with our mom. I felt really good after I did it."
Mike looked at his brother. "Really?" Brighton nodded and patted his brother's shoulder. "Thanks, B. I'm ready, Mom."
Maxwell opened the back of the Range Rover and helped the boys out. "Wow, LOOK at all the Bergmans here!" Brighton walked around the headstones. "How come this one only says 'Anthony Bergman' and Tony's says 'Anthony Bergman III'?"
"That's because it's Tony's grandfather. He was the first Anthony, Tony's dad is Anthony Jr., and then Tony is Anthony III."
"They expected ME to be the fourth, without even asking me!"
"Well, Honey, they didn't ask me, either!"
"Really?"
"I was all set to name you Jonah, after my great grandfather. I thought we'd agreed on it, until I got the birth certificate. Tony and your grandfather got together and decided to make you Tony IV all on their own."
"Did you get to name Ree?"
"Oh, yes, she was a girl, it didn't matter to them."
"So you named her for your Aunt Irene?"
"Yeah." She giggled. "Tony hated her." She winked at her husband. "OK, Michael James Sheffield, g'nug with the stalling." She turned her son around and gave him a gentle push toward the grave.
Michael walked over to the grave and looked at his mother over his shoulder. "Hi, Tony. I don't want to call you 'Dad' anymore, because Max is my dad now. He doesn't yell or scream. He doesn't make mom cry, well, he does, but they are always happy tears. It really stinks what you did with Aunt Sarah. If you could give one of your children away, you could've given me and Ree away, too. I'm sure you heard what Maggie and B told Sarah. We hope you and Sarah are together and happy with each other, because Mom and Dad are happy now, too. Mom laughs and smiles all the time, she doesn't go to work to get away from you. I used to think you died because I was bad. Now I think you died because you were so busy talking to Sarah that day, you just weren't paying attention. I guess I still love you. If you weren't with Mom, I wouldn't be here, and neither would Irene. She doesn't know you at all. I think everyone wants it that way, so she'll never know how mean you really were. I'm glad you can never hurt Mom again. Bye, Tony, I don't think I'll be coming back here again. It upsets Mom too much."
He walked over to Max and put his arms around him. "I love you, Dad."
Max leaned down and hugged his son tightly. "I love you too, Son."
"I didn't call him Dad, did you hear? I told him that YOU are my dad. Is that OK?"
Max kissed the top of his head. "That's just fine, Mike." He watched Fran scoop up Irene and walk slowly to the grave. She said something quietly, and then brought Irene over to Max.
"Here, can you put her in the car, please, and load up the other kids. I won't be a minute."
"You heard Mom, into the car everyone." He turned around to see Fran walking back over to the grave. He quickly loaded up the children and got into the driver's seat.
Fran looked down at the grave for a minute. "You bastard. You put me through hell while you were alive. It makes me wonder, how many OTHER children do you have floating around New York? Why Sarah Sheffield? Was it just that she was there and easy prey? You hurt the man I love terribly! YES, I loved him when I came back to you. You cost me FOUR years with the man I love! Irene should have been HIS child, NOT yours. Well, now she IS, and so is Michael. He doesn't even want your NAME, and I can't blame him. You can rest easy knowing your children will be raised the right way, by a good and decent man who will be a good role model for them. You heard my son. We won't be back. Goodbye, Tony. Rot in Hell!" She brushed an angry tear off her cheek and headed back to the car. She climbed in and slammed the door behind her.
"Fran?"
"I'm fine. I just had to get something off my chest."
"Do you still feel like stopping at your mother's?"
She smiled at her husband. "Yeah, it'll be good to see her. I love you so much."
"I love you too, My Darling."
After visiting with Fran's parents for an hour or so, the Sheffields piled back into the Range Rover and headed back to Monroe. The next month the family was back into their regular schedules. Max and C.C. were busy preparing for the summer theater season, Maggie, Brighton and Mike were preparing for school finals, Fran was busy chasing the two youngest girls, who had found new ways to get into trouble in the new house. Fran drove into town in late May for her ultrasound. Her doctor assured her that all was going as planned, and was helping her to find a suitable doctor in the Monroe area to take over the case. As she lay on the examining table, she peered at her abdomen, which was just starting to swell. Only three more weeks! I don't think I'll be able to hide this much longer! She tucked the ultrasound pictures in her purse and headed back to the house. When she got home, she phoned her mother in law to make sure she'd be able to make it for the party.
"Oh, yes, Dear, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Nigel is coming, too. It seems he misses your nanny terribly."
"Nigel and Denise?" She laughed. "Max thought the phone bill was so high because I was on the phone with YOU all the time! No wonder she's been moping around here since you left."
"She's not exactly what I'd hoped for my son, but he's stopped running around with cocktail waitresses and strippers since he met her, and YOU seem to think the world of her."
"I really do, she's a wonderful girl. Oy, does this mean I may be losing my nanny? I know she was only supposed to be temporary, until after we moved into the house, but I can't bear to part with her…especially with you know who coming."
"I suppose we'll find out in a couple of weeks. I'll see you soon, Fran."
"Bye, Mom. I love you."
Elizabeth was speechless at first. Her own children never said that to her. "I love you too, My Dear. Take care of my grandchildren!"
The next two weeks flew by for the family, but they seemed to crawl for Fran. Her clothes were getting tighter by the day, and her hormones were sending her moods all over the place. She was trying to get everything perfect for Maxwell's Father's Day party, and everything anyone did to help seemed to irritate her. What seemed to irritate her most was that every time she needed her butler, Niles was nowhere to be found. She looked at the clock. It was almost lunchtime, and normally he'd be in the kitchen preparing lunch. Not today. She picked up the phone and dialed Max's office number. Her husband was alone; C.C. had gone home for lunch. She hung up and dialed C.C.'s number. Her friend answered the phone breathlessly.
"I KNEW it!"
"Fran? Knew what?"
"He's there, isn't he?"
"Who's here?"
"Can it, Ceece. You tell your boyfriend that if he wants a job he'd better get his touchas out of your bed and back in my kitchen right away. I've got my hands full with the girls and this party and had I KNOWN he was taking care of YOU instead of my children, their lunch wouldn't be late."
"Frannie, take it easy, Honey, he's on his way." She pulled off the covers and pushed Niles out of bed. "He left just a minute ago, since he knew he was late. I'm sorry, it was my fault." C.C. knew it was her friend's hormones talking, along with the stress of hiding this pregnancy from her husband for so long.
Fran hung up the phone and headed for the kitchen to start lunch for the girls. All they wanted was a bloody peanut butter sandwich. She started opening cupboards…no peanut butter. She did NOT want to tell her daughters they couldn't have their favorite lunch. She started pulling things out in search of that little plastic container with the red top. It had to be in here somewhere. By the time Niles arrived, his kitchen was in shambles, and Fran was sitting on the floor in tears.
"What happened in here?"
"I…I…I couldn't find the peanut butter. Racy and Ree wanted peanut butter sandwiches for their lunch, and I looked and I looked, but we don't have any. Niles, how could we run out of peanut butter?"
He helped her up and into a chair. "Mrs. Sheffield, we've got plenty of peanut butter. Look right here." He held up a large blue canister.
"That's not our normal brand."
"The way the children go through it, I switched to this brand. It comes in a larger size." He surveyed the damage in the kitchen. This was going to take all day to clean up. "Why don't you go and lie down? I'll get Denise to bring the girls down for lunch in just a few minutes."
"I'm sorry about the kitchen, Niles."
"Don't worry about it, you just go and try to take a nap."
Fran walked slowly up the back staircase, and Niles quickly dialed Max's office number and told him of his wife's behavior.
"I'm on my way, Niles, thanks for the heads up."
"I got her to go upstairs and take a nap, Sir. This seems more than her normal moodiness, I'm very concerned."
"I'll be right there, keep the girls out of the front of the house so I can sneak in. Fran needs me right now."
"Yes, Sir." He hung up the phone and called Denise on the intercom to bring the girls down the back stairs, then hurriedly started making their sandwiches and cut up some fresh fruit for them.
Max wasted no time in getting to the main house. He bounded up the stairs two at a time, and found Fran lying in their bed crying.
"What's wrong, Darling."
"Oh, Niles called you, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did, he said you were very upset and that he'd sent you up for a nap."
"I don't know what's wrong, Honey. He wasn't here to make the girls' lunch, I was busy and lost track of the time, so I had the girls yelling at me for lunch, no Niles to make it…then I couldn't find the peanut butter…he changed the brand…and…"
"Fran, maybe this party isn't a good idea. You've not been feeling well at all lately."
"I'm fine, Honey, really. I'm sorry; I'm just having a bad day." She rolled over onto her stomach as Max began running his hands over her body. She closed her eyes as he began to massage her back. "Mmm, that feels so good, Max."
He kissed her softly and continued rubbing her back until she fell asleep.
The following weekend Fran was busy with the children when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch. That's GOT to be Elizabeth and Nigel!
Niles opened the door to reveal Elizabeth Sheffield and her two youngest children.
"Mrs. Sheffield, what a surprise!"
"Well, we thought we'd pop over and see my oldest son for Father's Day. I was missing my adorable grandchildren terribly. Nigel was missing someone a little older, and Jocelyn hasn't met Fran and the children yet."
"Hi, Mom! Hi, Nigel." She moved through the foyer to greet them, closely followed by two small shadows.
"Bubby!" Irene leapt into her grandmother's arms. Gracie didn't want to be left out, so she wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's legs.
"Hello, my darling girls!" She picked Irene up and handed her to Jocelyn. "This is your Aunt Jocelyn, Irene. Can you say Aunt Jocelyn?"
"Aunt Josh!"
"No, Ree, Aunt Joshin!" Gracie giggled.
"Didn't I tell you how adorable they are?" She bent down and picked up Grace and headed for the living room.
"I'll prepare the guest rooms, Mrs. Sheffield."
"I've made the beds already, Niles, you just have to take their things up."
"You knew about this?"
"Sorry, Niles, it's a surprise for Maxwell, and, well, you're always such a yenta."
Niles picked up the bags and headed up the stairs. "I am NOT a yenta. I get paid for keeping Mr. Sheffield informed of what goes on in his house."
Fran giggled. "Don't let him fool you, he's a yenta."
Nigel looked around. "So, uh, where are the other children, with their nanny?"
"Yes, Nigel, Denise and the kids are at the stable. She's watching the kids ride their horses."
"How's that wrangler working out?"
"Great, now that he's out of my house." She laughed. "His cowboy accent was SO annoying! Maxwell paid the builders extra to get his apartment done early. Do you know he actually wore his SPURS inside the house? You should see the gouges in my wood floor. I would've fired him, but he's so patient with the kids.
"I hear he's got an eye for Denise, too." Nigel was frowning.
"Then I suggest you DO something about it, Mister." She pointed out the side door. "The stable is THAT way." She hugged her brother in law before he headed off to find Denise and the children. "Well, I suppose I should call the office and let Maxwell know you're here."
"First things first. I want to see the ultrasound pictures."
"Mom! No one is seeing those until Max sees them tomorrow. Jocelyn knows?"
"She's been sworn to secrecy, Fran, Dear."
"I'm so excited for you both. I'm so sorry to hear about all the mess with, well, you know."
"We've decided not to discuss it any more. We went to the cemeteries on Mother's Day, said what we had to say to both of them, and it's OVER!"
"That's good, Dear, focus on the future. So, how are you feeling?"
"The morning sickness is gone, thank goodness. Now I'm just getting those damned mood swings. The other day I tore the kitchen AND Niles apart over a jar of peanut butter."
"Maxwell still has no clue? My brother always was the slow one."
"I just wear loose fitting clothes; make sure he doesn't get a good look at my abdomen. Look at this." She pulled her top close to her body, revealing a slight bulge.
"I can't believe he hasn't noticed THAT."
"I let him catch me noshing when he's home. He just thinks I've put on a few pounds. I can't wait till tomorrow! I hate hiding this from him!"
"Fran! Fran, did you know that Nigel is here?" Max's voice was coming from the hallway.
"I'm in the living room, Honey, and yes, I did. Look who came with him."
Max sauntered into the living room and kissed his wife. "Mother, Joc, when did you arrive?"
"Just a few minutes ago. I missed the babies terribly, and Joc hasn't seen them yet."
"How long can you stay?"
"A few days, if that's all right, Son."
"That will be wonderful, won't it, Darling!"
"It'll be great. You know, the children have a party planned for tomorrow for Father's Day."
"Then our timing is perfect."
"I've got you and Nigel in your same rooms, Mom. Jocelyn will be in the room next to yours. I'll show you up."
"Oh, no, that's not necessary, I'll show Jocelyn around. You stay and play with the girls. We'll get changed and then we can go to the stables and see the other children."
Max watched his mother and sister go up the stairs, and then turned to his wife. "You knew about this visit, didn't you?"
"Well…yes, I did, Honey. It was a surprise for Father's Day."
"I should have known you two were plotting something. All those calls to London."
"Those weren't all me, some were Denise calling Nigel."
"Why on earth would she be calling Nigel?"
"We may be losing our nanny, Max. Mom said that Nigel has completely given up on chasing women in London, and all he talks about is Denise."
"Mother would never allow that to happen."
"Honey, she said she'd rather him end up with someone like Denise than a cocktail waitress or a stripper."
"Nigel and Denise. I never saw that coming."
You don't see a LOT of things coming, Darling. "I sort of did when he was here. I just thought it was harmless flirting. Who knew?" She laughed. "Why don't you go put on some comfortable clothes and we'll go to the stables and watch the kids ride?"
He kissed her softly. "That sounds great. I can't get much more work done today anyway. I seem to have misplaced my business partner."
"Well, I'm sure she's safe in the arms of our butler, who is also missing by the way. He toted the bags upstairs, and now he's gone."
"Should we worry?"
"No, I don't think so. C.C.'s a big girl, and Niles adores her. I think they'll end up with the fairy tale, too."
"The fairy tale?"
Fran sighed. "You know, Honey…"And they lived happily eva afta."
"Oh, THAT fairy tale." He took her into his arms and kissed her again. "I'll be right back down."
The family watched the older children ride, then Maggie gave her younger sisters rides around the arena. Grace wasn't too sure about being on the horse, but Irene couldn't get enough of it, and cried when her father pulled her from her sister's grasp.
After dinner, the family settled down in the large TV room to watch a movie together. Fran nudged Maxwell several times to point out the subtle cuddling of his brother and their nanny. One by one, the children dropped off to sleep. Max carried each one to their room, with the exception of Maggie, who decided that she was too old to fall asleep on the floor any more, and kissed her family goodnight before heading upstairs to her room