Nearly a year had past since Laddy had been born.

Adam still couldn't believe that this much time had past. Lot of changes that happened in his life the past two years, most of them bad…all expect for Laddy.

Finally coming clean and picking up the shattered pieces of his life, Adam tried his hardest in living a normal life and not screwing up the one thing he did right…which was make Laddy. A few years ago he was a carefree angry punk living life as if it was one big party. Then last year he was a pill popping junky who nearly lost the child he was given…now he was trying to be a responsible father.

He hadn't thought of Amanda at all in all this time, in fact whenever the topic of Laddy's mother came up he didn't think of the Amanda he slept with, or stood with in the hospital the baby was born, no Adam thought of the stranger he met that faithful day on the stairs. The sad yet beautiful woman he took a photograph of.

Between visits and check ins by the social worker, spending every spare moment taking care of the baby, and working double shifts to support the two of them…Adam thought if this was what Jigsaw meant by not wasting life and living a normal one.

The baby was getting big, in fact her first birthday was coming up. She looked a lot like Adam, in fact all the women who looked after her in daycare said so. Her eyes were light hazel, and her hair was all ready coming in a thick brown. She was chubby and slept through the night now, and whenever Adam dropped her off at Mrs. Sawyer's or daycare…she screamed her head off. Adam felt proud as a father…he was starting to be able to afford things for her, and find time to take care of her and really feel happy. He didn't work weekends, which left time for him to just spend time with her.

One day he decided to take her to the park.

It was a beautiful crisp day, and Adam walked down the small trails pushing the stroller with Laddy inside. The large oak trees slowly rocked back and forth as Adam looked on at couples laying on blankets, and kids playing Frisbee. Looking down at Laddy, who wore a purple sweater with bumble bees on it, Adam smiled and saw further up the hill was a small play park for children.

Pushing Laddy closer to it, he saw seven or so grade school children running around on the equipment and tossing sand around. Remembering when he was a kid, he laughed to himself looking back at all the times he threw plastic balls in his sister's face and hiding behind the monkey bars before his mother found him. Speaking of his sister he had only gotten two other phone calls from her…Adam now mailed her back and forth and sent photos of Laddy. His sister as always seemed distant, yet happy and suspired for him and his daughter.

When she asked about the mother, all Adam said was she was gone…long gone.

But what if she showed up one day and wanted to take the baby back.

Adam felt his blood pressure rise as he slowly answered on the phone.

"Well I'll kill her then."

No…nobody was taking the only happiness away from him.

Spotting a few middle aged mothers all circled around on benches talking, Adam felt like an outsider as the only male, trying to avoid eye contact he tried to find another place to sit…just then a voice called out to him.

"Sir?"
Adam looked in the direction of the women and saw they were all smiling, one woman waved him on.

"Come sit over here…there's room."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Adam smiled and wheeled Laddy over before sitting on the edge of one of the benches, the women all looked at him and smiled.

"Hi…I'm Jane, this is Meg, Judy, and Lisa."

"Hi…Adam."

He shook the woman's hand before she leaned over and smiled looking at the baby who was playing with a rubber dog toy Adam had bought her.

"And who is this?"

All ready Adam knew she baby talk would come.

Adam looked down at the baby and gently rocked the stroller with his foot back and forth, knowing she was getting tried now.

"This is Laddy…"

All the women leaned in to look and cooed over how cute she was.

"How old is she?"

"Ten months."

"Oh my lord isn't she the cutest!"

Adam smiled and thanked them.

"Letting the mother take a day off huh?"

Adam laughed a little.

"Yeah I guess so…"

"What a good baby, look at how peaceful she is."

Adam looked down at the baby feeling proud.

"Thanks."

"Just wait until their that age…not so peaceful anymore."

One woman pointed to the children running around.

Adam smiled before checking his watch, he really felt uneasy around all these women.

"I'm sorry…she needs to get put down for her nap, it was nice meeting you."

Standing up Adam pushed Laddy away, over hearing the women giggle about how cute he was and how good he was with the baby.

Returning home, Adam checked his messages and knew he needed to call Mrs. Sawyer in the morning about watching Laddy as he was asked to work another shift on Sunday. Changing Laddy, he put her into her Pjs and placed her down in the crib.

Pulling a blanket over her, he placed her rubber dog beside her and spun the plastic mobile which now hung over her crib.

"Sweet dreams baby."

Adam said, kissing his hand and reaching through the bars of the crib. Smiling he flicked off his bedroom light and went into the living room to relax.

An hour later she began to cry.

Checking on her, right away he knew something was wrong. She was sweating and was hot to the touch. Adam picked her up and tried soothing her before he noticed her lips were turning blue. In total panic he didn't know what to do and ran to the phone.

The doctors were busy…

Holding the baby as she started to scream, he ran down the hall and tried Mrs. Sawyer…she wasn't home.

That's when the baby started to puke.

Taking her back inside, Adam tried everything to calm the baby down as she kept throwing up over his shoulder, having no idea what to do he tried the doctor's at least five time before deciding to take a taxi to the hospital.

That's when he remembered…Larry's wife, he still had her number.

For no reason at all he thought of her and remembered how she had visited him while he was in the hospital. He really didn't know why she was the first person to pop into his mind, but he thought she might know what to do seeing she had a daughter of her own.

Having not even thought of Larry in once, Adam began to shake as he picked up the phone.

Twenty minutes later Alison, dressed in a very expensive looking coat stood at his door. On the verge of tears, Adam for a second didn't think she was going to show and was just about ready to head to the hospital.

"Where is she?"

She asked.

Adam felt shocked, he hadn't seen this woman in nearly two years…she looked very different with a shorter hair style…but still just as beautiful. On the phone she seemed very surprised it was Adam on the other line. He was in such panic everything came out in a nearly stutter as he told her his baby was burning up and how the doctors weren't picking up. He asked if he should take her to the hospital.

It took Alison a second before she spoke, first asking if it was really Adam, then asking…

"Wait…you have a baby?"

It was too long to explain, but he told her she was getting worse and she told him not to move the baby and how she would be right there.

Now here she was…Larry's wife.

Pushing past him she went to the crib where Laddy had been screaming the last few minutes. She was all ready starting to puke again. Alison leaned down, picking the baby up and looking her over as Adam paced back and forth biting his nails.

"I tried the doctors at least five times…she screams whenever I pick her up like she's in pain."

Alison looked over the baby and didn't even seem bothered as the baby puked a fresh batch right over the shoulder of her coat. Holding the baby she rubbed her back and looked at Adam.

"Try the doctor's one last time…we shouldn't move her, if not call 911."

Adam almost fainted, but ran to the phone and tried again…this time someone picked up.

For fifteen minutes Alison and Adam paced back and forth in the kitchen with the doctor on the phone. He explained that the baby's pressure was up and how the fever would break if they gave her a cold bath…if she didn't get any better then to take her to the office right away. At first Adam didn't want to chance it, but Alison explained that the same thing almost happened to her daughter when she was an infant. Going to the bathtub, Alison drew an ice cold bath and rolled up her slacks as Adam and her slowly eased into the tub with the baby in their hands.

Laddy screamed once touching the freezing water, Adam felt tears blur his eyes temped to yank her out of the water and hold her…but Alison forced him to start putting the water over her body to cool her. Both adults sitting in the tub, getting their clothes soaked…they sat as they slowly sprinkled water over the baby and waited.

An hour later the fever broke.

Both stood beside her crib looking down, Alison now in sweats and a T-shirt Adam let her wear as her clothes dried in the bathroom. They called the doctor and he told them it was just a bad fever, most likely a bug and not to worry.

Adam still felt unsure and watched the baby like a hawk…she was past out cold.

Taking Alison to the kitchen, he made them coffee as they waited for her clothes…there they caught up. Adam told her all about Amanda and how she had left them…he told her that he decided if he couldn't fix his own screwed up life, then he was going to try with his daughter's. Alison listened, but didn't give the pity glances that almost everyone else had. She told him how brave that was of him and from the looks of it he was doing a great job.

Alison had stayed with her parents for a while after the whole thing had happened.

Diana was getting big now and was attending a private school. Alison showed Laddy a few photos of her from her purse and smiled looking down…she seemed to be the only thing that really pulled her through it. Adam asked how she was doing…and Alison just slowly shook her head, saying it was much like her, just one day at a time.

She was working at the publishing house that she had run before Diana was born. They were living in a new apartment, and slowly things seemed to be going back to normal. But she was still having nightmares of her husband.

Adam then knew…no one that went through this hell, even the families would be the same.
But Alison was a lot like him…their daughters were slowly getting them through it

Looking at her big blue eyes, Adam sighed remembering how Larry had stayed on the blood sprayed ground and promised him that everything would be all right.

Had it?

Alison was starting to softy cry, as she apologized and tried to wipe the tears away.

"Adam?"

Adam looked up, almost in a half daze.

"Adam…I really can't get over it, seems like every night I hear Larry calling my name."

Adam know felt like crying.

"Me too…"

Alison then leaned over and cupped Adam's face with one of her hands, softly kissing his cheek.

"Adam…will you sleep with me tonight?"

Knowing what she meant, and how she wanted just for a few hours to numb the pain away from it all…Adam nodded.

"Okay."

And with that he kissed her back.