I feel I should spoil you with two chapters seeing as it's been so long :) I absolutely LOVED writing this chapter, easily done as I worry about these things on an (almost) daily basis! Hope you like it :)

This chaper is dedicated to RiTa-MD! Father/daughter time especially pour toi! :D

August 30th, 2001

'Doug, Kate's running a fever. I don't think we should send her to day care today,' Carol called.

Doug looked up from his morning newspaper and coffee. His stool scraped the floor as he pushed it back and stood up, making his way out of the kitchen and up to his daughters' bedroom. Tess was sitting silently on her new starter bed, watching as Carol bent over Kate, taking her temperature.

Doug ruffled Tess's curls before kneeling down next to Carol and looking at his sickly daughter. She was flushed in the cheeks and her eyes still sleepy, even though Kate was always very alert in the mornings.

'You feeling sick, squirt?' Doug asked, placing a hand on her tummy and rubbing it in soothing circles.

Kate's bottom lip pouted out and she nodded. Her expression nearly broke Doug's heart and suddenly, he felt quite panicky.

Sure he was a paediatrician, he saw sick kids all the time, but this was his kid. He had never been on the parent end of this situation. He had always been the confident doctor telling the parents they had nothing to worry about. And he had never understood why the parents worried anyway, regardless of what he said to reassure them. Didn't they trust his judgement?

But now he understood. Now he knew why the parents worried anyway. Because they were parents. It was part of their job description. And even though he was a paediatrician, he couldn't help himself from blurting out, 'Should we bring her to a doctor?'

Carol looked around at him incredulously until he realised what he had just said.

'Right, yeah, I'm the doctor. But you're right, we shouldn't send her to day care. I'll take a personal day and stay at home with her,' Doug volunteered.

'Are you sure, I'll take the day if you have to go to work,' Carol offered.

'No, you have that Maddens case to sort. They need you there. I'll stay here,' Doug assured her.

Just then they heard Erin shouting, 'Doug!', from downstairs and Doug stood up. 'Back in a sec, squirt,' he told Kate before leaving the room.

When he arrived downstairs in the kitchen, he found Erin with a pyjama clad Luke on her hip, angry red spots covering his face.

'Doug, I'm sorry to come over so early but could you take a look at Luke? He was running a fever all night and now he has this rash,' Erin explained, sounding slightly panicky.

'Sure, it's no problem. Come here, bud, let's have a look,' Doug said and Luke stretched his arms out towards him. Doug placed the toddler up on the counter top and took out the spare thermometer from the First Aid cabinet. He popped on a new cap, and placed it in Luke's ear. After waiting for the beep, Doug looked at the small display to see that Luke certainly had a temperature, and a very high one at that. Taking a glass from the sink, Doug rolled it over the odd red marks on the boy's arms, then placed the glass back in the sink.

'You feel sick anywhere else, bud?' Doug asked Luke. Luke nodded and pointed to his throat.

'Can you say "ahh" for me?' Doug asked and the toddler complied. Doug looked down the boy's throat to see it was inflamed and red, also.

'So what do you think is wrong with him?' Erin asked, still panicked. Having just experienced the same panic for the first time, Doug found he was having an easier time dealing with a parent than he normally would have.

He sighed. 'Well, it's nothing to worry about, Erin. Just a simple case of the chicken pox, which explains why Kate isn't well either,' he said, then called loudly, 'Carol bring Tess down here!'

Carol arrived a minute later with Tess in her arms. 'What wrong? Morning Erin,' she added to their neighbour.

'Luke has the chicken pox and I think Kate caught it,' he explained. Comprehension dawned on Carol's face.

'What should we do about Tess? They say it's better to get it out of the way and if one child gets it, you should let the other catch it and be over with it in one go,' Carol said.

Doug nodded. 'I know, but this is going to get worse before it gets better and I think trying to deal with both of them with chicken pox would be too chaotic. Tess will pick it up eventually, with being in day care with so many other kids. Let's just deal with Kate now and deal with Tess whenever she gets it,' Doug suggested. Truthfully, he just didn't want to have to watch both his daughters suffer at the same time, one was already too much.

'Okay then, well I'll drop Tess off at day care then and you'll stay with Kate?' Carol asked.

'Yeah, sure. Erin could you just watch Kate for a while so I can go to the drug store and get something for her and Luke?' Doug asked.

'Yeah, no problem. Thanks Doug' Erin replied, picking Luke up and heading for the girls' room.

......

A soft whimpering woke Doug later that day. He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face before his eyes dropped down to his daughter, lying curled up in her bed. He rose from the rocker and went to the side of the bed, where he dropped down onto the floor and took one of Kate's dimpled hands.

Red spots had begun to pop out on her skin too and had started to itch. Doug had already rubbed some ointment all over her but it didn't stop the toddler's pain and she had been sobbing on and off all day.

Watching his daughter in pain had brought on a lot of thoughts for Doug. Here he was, a paediatrician and he couldn't even help his own sick daughter. It left him feeling guilty and as if he had failed somehow. And his thoughts didn't stop there. What more wouldn't he be able to prevent? Fathers are supposed to protect their children, not sit there and watch them in pain. And he knew this wouldn't be the last time he did it.

Standing up, Doug scooped Kate into his arms and returned to the rocker by the window, cradling her in his arms. Looking out into the gardens and across the waters, Doug's thoughts continued.

She could fall over in the street and scrape her knee. She could be pushed around by another child at school. She could get sick, something worse than chicken pox. She could fight with her friends. And the worst of all...A boy could break her heart.

He knew he couldn't control these things and they would happen as sure as the rain would fall, but it killed him inside regardless. He was powerless to what this world could bring upon his daughters, to the pain, anger and hurt they would certainly suffer throughout their lives.

It was then that he realised that he himself had already inflicted upon his daughters something that no father should. He had forced them to live without him. He had already set them down the path of hurt and suffering, without intending to or even realising it. And it was then that he reminded himself of the promise he had made them when they first arrived here. He would never stop trying to make it up to them.

And all he could do was try his best and hope and pray that regardless of what else they might suffer, his daughters would turn out to be beautiful, talented, amazing people.

And so he focused on the good times ahead of him. Watching his girls sweep down the street on their bikes, training wheels finally left behind. Gazing on as they enter school for the first time and begin to make new friends. Staring through his tears as they graduate high school and make plans for college. Walking each of them down the aisle as they prepare to enter married life. And holding them close and whispering how proud he was when they eventually blessed him with grandchildren.

......

'Doug...'

With a gently shake, Doug woke and raised his eyes to look at Carol.

'How's she doing?' Carol asked, nodding at the toddler still cradled in his arms.

'She'll be okay,' Doug replied, leaning down a press a kiss on the small, spotted head of his daughter. Carol gently rubbed one finger against Kate's flushed cheek and smiled at Doug.

He took her hand in his and squeezed it.

Somehow, even after the bad choices Doug had made in life, he had been blessed to have his girls and even more blessed to have Carol at his side to share in his joy. This, being with her and being a father, was what he was meant to do with his life, this was his calling. Not medicine but his family.

'Let's get married,' he whispered.

Carol's mouth fell open with a pop. They had never discussed getting married before.

'I want us to be a proper family. I want you to be Mrs Ross and for us all to be together...forever,' Doug told her truthfully.

It took several long seconds, but eventually, Carol smiled and nodded.