Bobby slept all the way back to the city, but his sleep was restless, punctuated by an occasional groan of pain. She made one stop for gas and one at an all night pharmacy in the city to fill the two prescriptions she had, one for Maggie and one for Bobby.

After parking in the closest spot she could find to their building, she turned off the engine and looked at Bobby. He finally seemed to be resting fairly comfortably. She jostled his shoulder. "Hey, Bobby. Come on. We're home."

He roused himself and look out the window. It was still dark. He blinked a few time, trying to clear his vision. "Wh-what time is it?"

"Almost four."

His mind was groggy, his thoughts, blurry. "In the morning?"

"Yes, in the morning. Now let's go inside. It's cold out here."

He nodded, regretting the motion when the world spun. His head was throbbing. He opened the door, bracing himself as he got out of the car. His right leg, stiffened from the ride, collapsed under him, but he caught himself on the door. Holding on, he set his leg on the snowy sidewalk and leaned on it, gradually placing more weight on it until he was certain it would bear his weight. Alex came around from the driver's side of the car and watched him.

She remained where she was as he stepped carefully away from the car and shut the door. His knee shot bolts of fire into his hip, which screamed at him of its own accord. The injection they'd given him in the emergency room had obviously worn off. He limped painfully toward the building, half a block away, surprised that she walked beside him.

She had not missed his unsteadiness, and she stayed beside him to help him if he needed it. But he moved with slow caution and he made it to the apartment building without her help.

When they got to the front steps, he stopped. She was halfway up the steps before she realized he wasn't with her, and she stopped and turned, waiting. Unwilling to irritate her any further, he set his jaw and grabbed onto the handrail. Carefully, he climbed the steps, silently willing the world to quit shifting on him.

Once they were in the elevator, he leaned heavily against the wall, breathing hard and sweating. Alex watched him, but said nothing. They stepped from the elevator and she pulled out her keys as they walked down the hall.

Upon entering the apartment, Alex looked around. Maggie was sleeping on the couch, and she felt a blaze of irritation. But she was in her pajamas and seemed comfortable. Her favorite blanket covered her and she was hugging her bunny. Denise was in the recliner with Tommy curled in her lap. He was hugging his favorite blanket and stuffed tiger. Molly was sleeping soundly in the playpen with Sean. Mike would stop by later to get his son. She heard the door softly close behind her, and she knew by his breathing that he was in a lot of pain.

"You can wake Denise. I'll get your medicine."

"Wh-what medicine?"

"The prescription the doctor gave me when he discharged you. I stopped and got it filled on the way home."

"You did?"

"I had to fill Maggie's prescription, too," she said, giving him another annoyed look. She walked into the kitchen.

Denise, roused by the soft voices, stirred and opened her eyes as he limped to the chair. She looked up at him in the dim light cast by the small lamp on the table in the corner. "Are you all right?"

He shrugged. "I guess. How were the kids?"

"They were fine. I gave Maggie some medicine when she woke up around midnight. She wanted to wait on the couch for you, and so did Tommy. I didn't want him to accidentally kick her leg, so I kept him here with me. Where is Alex?"

"In the kitchen."

Denise set the chair upright and carefully stood up, still cradling Tommy against her. "Let me put him in his bed..."

"That's all right," Alex said as she approached with a glass of water. "I'll take him."

She handed the glass and two tablets to Bobby, then took Tommy from Denise. Denise said, "I gave him a bath before I put him in his pajamas. Molly and Sean had baths, too, but I didn't want to risk getting Maggie's cast wet, so I gave her a sponge bath."

"Thank you for watching them."

"Any time."

Alex looked at Bobby as she turned to carry Tommy to bed. He averted his eyes again. Denise knew him well, and she knew he wasn't anywhere close to being all right, but she wasn't sure exactly what was wrong. She saw his pain, but that wasn't the source of his problem, she was certain. It had to involve his wife. She also saw his unsteadiness, and that concerned her. "Why don't you sit down? I have to get going," she said quietly, not wanting to outlive her welcome with Alex.

Ignoring her suggestion, Bobby walked her to the door, opening it for her. "Do you need a ride?"

"No. I have my car. Bobby..." She met his eyes. "Call me."

He nodded. "Thank you, Denise."

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She reached out a hand to steady him when he faltered. He leaned against the wall beside the door and she wished he hadn't walked her to the door. Reaching toward him, she touched his jaw and turned his head, looking at the bandage over his head injury. "Take care of yourself," she said.

"Don't worry," he insisted. "Drive carefully."

She hesitated again before she turned and walked down the hall. He closed the door.

Turning back into the living room, he saw Alex standing there, watching him. He stopped moving but stumbled back two steps into the door.

She remained silent as she walked to the couch and gently lifted Maggie in her arms, carrying her to her room. Then she retrieved the crutches and took them in to set beside the little girl's bed.

Bobby limped to the couch and eased himself onto it, letting out a long, slow breath. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. His forehead was coated with sweat and pain continued to shoot through his leg as well as his head; he could feel every throbbing beat of his heart. Struggling, he tried to take deep, slow breaths. He heard Alex come back into the room twice, moving each baby into the crib in the bedroom. He was surprised when she returned a third time. Slowly, he forced his eyes open to look at her.

She was standing near the recliner, watching him. He looked away again. He didn't need to look at her to know she was still angry. "Are you coming to bed?" she asked.

He hesitated before shaking his head. "I don't want to keep you up. If I sleep, I won't sleep well. I'll be more comfortable out here."

"Suit yourself."

He shifted his eyes back to watch her turn. No argument, though he didn't expect one. "Alex?"

When she turned, he almost panicked. He hadn't expected her to acknowledge him, and now he didn't know what to say. She waited. He had to say something. "Will you...ever...forgive me?" he asked tentatively, almost choking on the words before he got them out.

She watched him for a long, silent moment. "Do you think I won't?" she finally asked.

"I...I don't know what...what to think. I know...I know I really messed up...this time. I...don't..." He paused, closing his eyes. "I wouldn't blame you...if...if you didn't."

She watched him struggle, and she knew he needed reassurance. It wasn't often he sought it, so when he did, he really needed it. She had no desire to break him entirely. Slowly, she walked back to the couch. She sat beside him and reached out, deeply disturbed when he flinched again. She wished she knew where that was coming from and how to chase it away. This time, though, she did not withdraw her hand. She continued to reach toward him. When her fingers touched his cheek, she felt a tremor course through him. Her touch became firmer and she sifted her fingers through his hair. "Everyone messes up from time to time," she said gently, making certain to keep any anger from her voice. "We all make mistakes. Maggie will heal, and so will you. Of course I will forgive you. But we have a lot of things to work through right now. Don't you dare shut down on me. I'll call Dr. Wrightweiler this morning and see if he can get you in this afternoon. I'll have him recommend a doctor for Maggie. Maybe she can be back in school before the end of the week." Her hand slid from his hair down to the side of his face and he leaned into it, his eyes closed. She asked again, "Are you sure you don't want to come to bed?"

He nodded. "I won't disturb you. Go on to bed."

She rose to her feet and started to walk off, turning back suddenly. Resting her hand on his shoulder, she leaned down to give him a kiss. When she started to pull away, his hand came up, sliding into her hair to prevent it. She allowed him to prolong the kiss, breaking it when he was ready. But he didn't break it. He sighed softly when she relaxed and slid her hand along the back of his neck. He deepened the kiss a little more, tentatively touching her lips with the tip of his tongue. She relaxed a little more, allowing him to pull her down beside him. He leaned heavily into her and she yielded, laying back on the couch. He settled beside her and let her end the kiss. She made no move to get up and he softly sighed again. The pounding in his head abated a little. The medicine was beginning to work, worsening the spinning in his head. He gently nuzzled the side of her head and closed his eyes. His arm draped over her and he tucked his hand against her side, holding her close in a protective embrace.

She could not hang on to her anger. It slid away like melted butter and she snuggled into him, listening to his breathing as it evened out. The medicine chased away enough of his pain to allow sleep to return. She thought about sliding from his embrace to return to the bedroom, but before the thought became an action, she was asleep as well.

Maggie was not used to waking in pain, and she whimpered softly. Her leg hurt and so did her head. Gradually, as sleep retreated, she remembered getting hurt. Then she remembered that Mommy took her away from Daddy when she didn't want to leave, and she left him far away. But then, she was going to go to get him, which was why Denise stayed with them.

She sat up. She wasn't on the couch any more. How was she going to tell Denise she needed more medicine of she wasn't nearby? She saw the crutches by her bed in the light that came in her window. The sun was starting to come up. Denise showed her how to use the crutches last night, but she didn't like them. They were too slow. But Daddy told her she had to use them so she wouldn't hurt her leg worse. Swinging her legs from under the covers, she picked up the crutches and slowly made her way out of the room. She went into the living room to find Denise, surprised to see her father sleeping on the couch. Daddy...

Trying to move a little faster, she hobbled to the couch and reached out to touch his rough cheek. She liked the sandpaper feel of his cheek when his beard started to grow in. He moved his head. She rubbed his cheek a little more and his eyelids flickered. He looked at her for a few moments, but he wasn't seeing her. "Daddy?"

His mouth formed a brief smile and he slipped his arm around her to give her a hug. But when his arm slid away, his eyes closed, too, and he went back to sleep.

"Maggie?"

She turned at the sound of her mother's voice. "Thank you, Mommy," she said quietly, so she wouldn't wake Daddy again.

"For what?"

"For bringing Daddy home."

Alex moved into the room. She had gone to the bedroom to feed Molly and Sean. Sitting in the recliner, she motioned Maggie to her. Maggie used the crutches to cross the six feet to the chair and Alex drew her up onto her lap. Maggie looked back toward the couch. "Daddy didn' really wake up."

"The doctor gave him some very strong medicine that helps him to sleep."

"Oh. Will he be okay?"

"Yes. I'm going to take him to see Dr. Wrightweiler later today. Uncle Mike will watch you."

Maggie judged her mother's mood, and decided she was a lot better than she'd been the day before. It was all right now to ask her questions about what had happened. "Why did you take me away from Daddy and leave him at the hopsital?"

Alex knew she would be faced with difficult questions from her oldest child. Maggie was bright and intuitive, but more than that, she was intolerant of anything that she felt would negatively impact her beloved father. Sometimes, she was wonderfully five, but other times, she was disturbingly older. "I needed to get you home so I could take care of you."

"Because you didn' think Daddy could?"

"Of course not, honey. Daddy takes very good care of you. I have always trusted him with you, since the day you were born. I wanted you to be home, that's all."

"But you lef' Daddy."

"He wasn't ready to come home. And Uncle Mike was with him, so he wasn't alone."

"You was really mad."

Alex sighed heavily. "Yes, Maggie, I was very mad. But I'm over that now."

"You're happy with Daddy again."

"Yes." It wasn't quite the truth, but it was close enough. "Listen to me, Maggie. I love Daddy very much. Nothing is going to change that. I could never be so angry that I will stop loving him, so don't worry. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mommy. I unnerstan'." She looked back at the couch. Daddy was still sleeping. Looking at her mother, she asked another difficult question. "Why don' you like Denise, Mommy?"

Alex was surprised by the question. "What makes you think I don't like her?"

"You never come to the park with us, and las' night...you gived her a mean look."

Alex wasn't sure just how to answer that. "I do like Denise, Maggie. She has been a very good friend to Daddy and she has always been very kind to you. I was just angry last night, that's all."

"At Daddy?"

"Yes. At Daddy."

"But why don' you come to the park with us or the museem?"

"Those were times I needed to do other things." She paused for a moment. "Why didn't you ever tell me about the time you spent with Denise?"

"Because Tommy al'ays did. I didn' hafta tell you two times," she said reasonably.

Alex laughed quietly. Maggie always made sense. "You're right."

"Can I have some medicine for my leg, Mommy?"

"Of course you can."

Alex kissed her and got up, settling her on the recliner. As soon as she walked away, Maggie slid off the chair and hobbled back to the couch. Carefully, she climbed up onto her father and sat on his stomach, waiting for her mother.

When Alex came back into the living room, she wasn't really surprised to find Maggie perched on top of her father. She handed the little girl a medicine cup and a glass of apple juice. Maggie took the red medicine and drank the juice. Handing the cup back to Mommy, she snuggled down between Daddy's side and the back of the couch, wriggling to get comfortable.

The movement stirred Bobby toward consciousness, but not fully. He shifted in his sleep, turning toward Maggie. He was very used to her snuggling with him and his responses were unconscious. He rested his arm over her and she nestled her head into his shoulder. She sighed softly and closed her eyes.

As Alex watched Maggie get comfortable and Bobby respond to her so naturally, even in his sleep, she felt a rush of warmth for the big, gentle man. She sat slowly as her mind turned back to the past. The night Maggie was born, he had been there with her, all night long. Ricky could not be bothered to be there for the birth of the child they all thought was his. When Maggie would not be comforted, even in the depths of dark winter nights, Bobby left his warm apartment to drive out of the city to be there for her. He was always able to settle Maggie down, and Alex knew, even though he never said a word about it, that many times, he'd left behind a warm body sleeping in his bed. There was no such thing as inconvenience where Maggie was concerned. She thought of the many times he put Maggie ahead of anything—and anyone—in his life. She wondered if his devotion had ever caused a rift in any of his relationships. They had never discussed that. She also remembered the many times she had called on him for her own needs, and he had always been there. Always. How many arguments had that caused, she wondered. Bobby had always loved her, always put her ahead of himself, to his detriment, she was certain. There were many things he had always refused to discuss with her, even to this day. But now, there were things she needed to know, off-limits topics that she had to address. It was not going to be an easy conversation, for either of them. She was going to have to open wounds of the past in order to heal the pain of the present. And she wondered if it was something that Bobby would ever be able to forgive her for.