A/N: UPDATED UPDATED UPDATED (does happy dance) This chapter is told from Angela's point of view, and you get to see just how wellt he team gets along with each other. Thank you to all my reviewers, I really appreciate it.

Don't own them, never will, original characters are mine, song belongs to Billy Dean, haven't we been through this already?

Reviews always welcome

Please let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give 'em hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

Let Them Be Little- Billy Dean

It was Charlotte's third birthday a few weeks later, and Don and I rented a table at Chuck-E Cheese. Charlotte had begged us for a "big girl party" with her friends from daycare. We gave in, and now we were standing around a table filled with three and four year olds, Charlotte's cousins, birthday cake, pizza, and balloons.

Don had a smile on his face the entire day. After all, Charlotte was his girl… he would walk to the ends of the Earth for her. When she opened her gift from the two of us her smile radiated from one side of the room to the other.

We'd gotten her a giant plush Nemo fish pillow.

I swear, she could watch Finding Nemo a million times and never get tired of it. She repeated lines from the film like I signed to clients when closing a business deal. Now, as she got up from her chair and raced over to us, she jumped into her dad's arms.

"Thank you Daddy, thank you thank you…" she squealed.

Don kissed her on the cheek. "Go say thank you to your Mom too…" I read his lips as he set her down. "Remember what I taught you?"

I saw her smirk, and smile as she walked over to me. She tugged on my sleeve, and I bent down to look at her.

Slowly, and unsteadily, she very carefully signed. Thank you Mommy, I love you.

I scooped her up in my arms and hugged her tightly. When I set her down, and she went back to join her friends at the table, I hugged my husband around the waist.

"You taught her to say that?"

He nodded.

I had just rested my head on his shoulder when I felt a vibration from his pocket. His cell phone was ringing… not good, especially on Charlotte's birthday. I could see his eyes grow wide and roll as he fished for it out of his pocket.

"Flack…" he answered.

His eyes changed shape in concern. "When?"

His eyes narrowed as he listened. I diverted my attention to see our daughter blow a noisemaker in her friend's face. They both laughed.

"Uh huh…" he murmured, covering his left ear with his hand so he could hear what they were saying. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can…" He brought his hand down to grasp mine. "Oh, and Stella," he said, "I'm sorry, I really am." He hung up as I grasped his hand even tighter.

When he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and let go of my hand, he told me what had happened.

"Someone did a hospital job on Mac…" he signed.

My hands flew to my mouth.

"He can speak, slowly and in whisper tones, but he's asking for Charlotte…" he told me.

If Mac was asking for Charlotte in his time of need how could I refuse him? As soon as all of Charlotte's friends went home we packed up the car and drove straight to the hospital. Don held Charlotte's hand while she carried her Nemo pillow in the other. We came upon Stella waiting outside his hospital room, her thumbnail between her teeth.

"Auntie Stella!" Charlotte called as I went ahead of them and hugged her tightly.

"Can we see him?" I read Don's lips.

"He's asking for Charlotte…" Stella repeated, the tears welling in her eyes.

Don nodded, gripped my shoulder, and went with Charlotte into the hospital room to see Mac.

"Uncle Mac?" she asked.

Mac turned his head to face her. He smiled as she approached his bed.

"Hey sweetheart," he reached out and ran a knuckled down her cheek.

"Daddy told me that a very bad man hurt you…" Charlotte buried her cheek into her new plush toy. "Are you going to be okay?"

Mac smiled, the IV still stuck in his hand.

Don watched as Charlotte climbed up on to the bed to sit beside Mac. She rested her head on his shoulder. Suddenly, she pushed herself up and her eyes fixed on Mac's old scar from the war.

"What happened Uncle Mac?" she asked.

"That was a long time ago…" he answered. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Oh…" Charlotte sat up and grabbed a book out of my hand. "I wanna read you this book…" she informed him, making herself a nest under his arm.

I could see Don chuckle. No doubt Charlotte had no idea how to really read Go Dog Go, but the gesture was cute in itself. She cracked open the book and ran her finger along the lines, slowly and carefully sounding out each word.

When Charlotte had finished the book, I could see her looking from Mac to her plush toy and back to her uncle. Suddenly, my eyes locked with Don's in stunned amazement.

Were we really seeing what we thought we were seeing?

Charlotte climbed off the bed, without Nemo clamped under her arm. We left the hospital room and went to stand with Stella, who was still keeping a faithful watch over Mac.

"Charlotte, honey," Don bent down to face her. "Aren't you going to take Nemo?" I was still able to see that he was signing and speaking to her at the same time. We decided it would be a good, clean, and simple way to teach Charlotte sign language. Little by little, she'd pick up on it.

"No," Charlotte shook her head. "Uncle Mac needs Nemo more than I do…"

Tears welled in my eyes. My little girl was willing to sacrifice her favourite toy so that Mac could heal? I had never realized how big a heart my three year old daughter possessed until this very moment. She had no knowledge of medicine or hospitals, but…

I think she'd just done more for Mac than any kind of medication ever could.