"Does that all make sense?" Alex asked, as Kevin stared open-mouthed at her.
"You're saying they'll let me keep our son? I thought the kids always went to the mother."
"Awarding custody to the father is more unusual, I grant you. But the evidence in the case is pretty clear cut."
"I can't lose my son. I'd rather stay with her than lose him," he became defensive.
"It won't come to that. I'm sure of it," Alex smiled at him. "Try not to worry. But your wife will likely get bail, so I really do recommend you get out of town. Is there anyone you can stay with? Anyone your wife doesn't know about?"
He nodded. "I have a pal in Boston. He works in our other branch. He'll let us stay there. But what about Freddie's school?"
"He's going to have to move. At least temporarily," Alex tried to be as gentle as possible.
"My boss may let me transfer to the Boston branch. I know they're looking for drivers there."
Alex smiled. "That's great. Oh," she heard her cell ringing. "Would you excuse me a moment?" she delved in her purse. She saw Sarah's name on the screen. "Sarah?" she said. "Is everything okay?"
"We're all fine," Sarah reassured her immediately. She knew how scary it was to receive unexpected phone calls. Whenever Jay called her from work, the first thing she said was always "I'm fine, don't worry."
"We're on our way back from the park," Sarah went on. "Lily's feeling a little sick, I thought you'd like to know."
"Sick? Like how?" Alex's heart raced.
"It's nothing to worry about, I'm sure," Sarah hastened to reassure her. "She's just a little miserable. And," she reached out to touch the child currently snuggled in Jay's arms, "I think she may be running a bit of a fever."
Alex nodded, forgetting that Sarah couldn't see her. "She may have caught Daniel's bug. Tell her I'm on my way. I'll be home in 20 minutes."
"We can take care of her, you don't have to rush," Sarah said.
"I know. I just want to be with her. Thank you for calling," Alex said. She hung up the phone, and turned to Kevin.
He had a small smile on his face. "Sick kid?" he asked.
"I'm so sorry. I just ..."
Kevin held up a hand to stop her. "Go. We're all done anyway. I'm gonna pick up Freddie from school, and we're gonna head right to Rick's house in Boston. I'll email you all my details."
"You should change phone numbers too," Alex reminded him, as she stuffed papers into her briefcase.
"I will. Now go," he said.
As Alex hurried to her car, she thought about what a kind man he was. She couldn't imagine what would motivate his wife to behave the way she did. But that had nothing to do with love, she knew, it was all about control.
She set her phone on the car dashboard, and pressed #1 on the speed dial. Olivia's voice sounded a little tinny as Alex listened to it through the speaker as she drove. "Hey baby, I'm heading home early. Sarah called to say the munchkin's not feeling too good. No, don't worry, I can handle it. I just wanted you to know. We'll be fine. Love you, baby."
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Alex had to force herself not to sprint from the car to the apartment. She knew that would put her nearly seven-and-a-half-month pregnancy at unnecessary risk. She also knew damned well that if John the doorman saw her, he would rat on her to Olivia, and she wasn't ready for the hell that would unleash. So she strode swiftly but carefully to the door.
Sarah met her in the corridor, taking her briefcase and her coat from her.
"Where is she?" Alex wanted to know.
"Jay has her in the bathroom. She's just cleaning her up, she got real sick just after we got back," Sarah explained.
It was then Alex noticed the smell of disinfectant, and saw the mop just by the kitchen door.
"I'm just washing the cushion cover now; you may need to get a new cushion though," Sarah smiled wryly.
Alex kicked off her shoes, and started toward the bathroom, just as Jay emerged, holding a sobbing Lily in her arms. Jay's face registered relief at the sight of Alex. She smiled at her. "Hey, Lily," she whispered, "guess who came back to see you?"
Lily was too miserable to turn her head, but she felt a warm hand on her back. "Hi, sweetie," Alex spoke quietly.
At the sound of her mother's voice, Lily turned to look at her, and dissolved once more into tears. "Mommy," she hiccuped. "Feel bad."
"I know, baby," Alex eased her gently from Jay's hold, realizing that the child still had damp hair. "I know," she held her close. "We're going to help you, sweetie. You're going to be okay."
"I'm gonna call the doctor," Sarah said, relieved when Alex nodded approvingly.
"We're just going to sit quietly," Alex whispered, taking Lily into her room. She sat in the big, leather chair, rubbing Lily's back soothingly as the child continued to cry.
Jay came into the room a few moments later, a plastic basin in her hand, which she set by Alex's feet. "Just in case," she said.
Alex smiled. "Doctor?" she mouthed.
"Sarah's still on the phone. But she told them we need someone today, and that we really don't want to bring Lily to the office."
"Good girl," Alex approved. Lily whimpered in her arms. She pressed her lips to her forehead, concerned at the heat she found. "Oh baby girl, I know. You have a fever, and it's making you feel lousy."
"I got sick, Mommy," Lily's voice was miserable, so unlike the usual cheerful chatter that Alex was used to hearing from her.
"I know, honey, I know. That's because you're not well. It won't last long. Just try not to worry. We're gonna take real good care of you. See if you can sleep now."
"Cold, Mommy."
"Okay, sweetie," Alex wrapped a warm blanket around her and held her close.
Ten minutes later, the door creaked open. Alex was surprised; she thought it must be the doctor who had arrived very quickly. But she was mistaken, and she was delighted to see Olivia's concerned face. Olivia crouched at her feet, and placed her hand very softly on Lily's back. "She's not feeling good, huh?" Olivia whispered.
Alex shook her head, blinking back tears. She hated it when Lily was hurting. Their daughter was such a cheerful, happy child that when she was unhappy it hurt all the more.
"The doctor's on her way, Sarah says," Olivia told her. "Hey, sweetie," Lily whimpered in Alex's arms. "It'll be okay."
Lily started to weep again, her face buried deep in Alex's front. Alex stroked her back softly, crooning to her.
"Shh, baby girl," Olivia said.
Registering the voice of her other mother, Lily turned to look. "Mama," she whimpered, shutting her eyes against the glare. Olivia swiftly shut off the light and shut the curtains. She knelt back at Alex's feet.
Tears rolled down Lily's pale face. As Olivia reached out to touch her, she moaned and lost what little color she had in her face. "Sick, Mama," Lily said. Alex grabbed the basin just in time as Lily threw up again, losing what little water Jay had coaxed into her earlier.
Olivia supported her head, as Alex held her and rubbed her back.
When she was finally done, Olivia looked up to see Jay holding out a damp washcloth, which she used to clean off Lily's face. Very gently, Olivia lifted her from Alex's arms. "C'mon, peanut, let's get you into some fresh pajamas," already, the pajamas that Jay had put her in were sweat soaked.
Olivia carried her to the bed, where Alex came and between them they changed her swiftly. Olivia held her close, whispering lovingly to her, while Alex threw the damp pajamas in the laundry. A moment later, there was a tap at the door, and Sarah showed the doctor in.
Alex and Olivia were both relieved that it was the kindly Dr Jenner who was doing the house call. She was gentle and understanding, and Lily liked her.
Within five minutes, Lily was diagnosed with a bug that was doing the rounds; yes, the doctor agreed, she had most likely caught it from Daniel. And no, it wouldn't last. Before Lily realized what she was doing, she gave her an injection that she said would both reduce the fever and help Lily fall to sleep. "She'll start to feel better in 12 to 18 hours. If her fever hasn't fallen by morning, call me, I'll come back. But she's going to be fine."
Olivia looked at Lily, who was sucking her thumb, her eyes already half shut. Her cheeks were flushed with fever, and her hairline damp with sweat. "Can we hold her?" she asked. "Or will that make it worse?" she really didn't want to put the child in bed just yet.
The doctor smiled. "I think holding her's a great idea. There's nothing quite like a hug from your mommies when you're sick. Though you," she fixed Alex with a steely gaze, "you need your sleep too. So I don't want to hear stories of you staying up all night."
Alex looked pissed, while Olivia gave a small chuckle. "I'll make sure of it," she said.
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Lily was restless for a few hours, but only threw up once more before she fell into a more settled sleep. Olivia and Alex swapped places every couple of hours, until 11pm when Olivia fixed Alex with a glare when she wanted to take over from her.
Alex gave a small smile. "Okay!" she held her hands up in mock-surrender. "You'll try to sleep too?" she pleaded with a tired Olivia.
"I swear," Olivia smiled. "C'mere," she pulled Alex in to a tender kiss. She then took her hand, and placed it gently on Lily's forehead. "I think she's cooler."
Alex smiled. "Definitely," she said. "The medicine's working."
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The next morning, Alex smiled when she looked in on her girls. Olivia had migrated to the bed with Lily, and they were snuggled up together, Olivia's hand protectively on her daughter's back. Lily was still flushed, but not as badly as the previous night, and she was still asleep, her face buried in Olivia's front.
An hour later, Olivia emerged from the bedroom, her hair tousled. Alex turned and smiled at her.
"She's much better," Olivia said, as she gratefully took the mug of coffee that Alex was holding out to her. "She's still sleeping."
"How was the night?"
"It was good. She woke a couple of times, but she didn't throw up. She even drank some water. She's going to be fine."
Alex nodded. "And you?"
Olivia smiled. "I'm great," she said, setting her coffee on the table so that she could take Alex in both her arms. "How about you? And Second Chair?"
"How many nicknames are you going to find for this baby?" Alex smiled, as she put her hand on her belly.
"As many as I can!" Olivia declared. "You didn't answer my question."
"We're doing well," Alex smiled. "Though somebody was real active last night."
"You look tired," Olivia looked closely at her.
"I didn't sleep much," Alex admitted. "And I missed you. I hate it when you're not next to me."
"Let's get a couple of hours now, shall we? I'll turn the baby monitor up high, so we'll hear her if she wakes up."
"Let me do it. I wanna see her this morning anyway," Alex was already moving to Lily's room.
Alex stood by Lily's bed, a lump in her throat as the watched the tiny child sleeping. She had hated it when Lily had been feeling so miserable. She dropped a light kiss on her brow, relieved to feel her skin much cooler than the night before. "We love you, baby," Alex whispered.
It was after 11am when Lily awoke. Alex was at her side at the first noise, so Lily saw her face as soon as she opened her eyes. "Hey, Lily-bean," Alex's voice was soft, as she stroked her face. "Are you feeling better?"
Lily held out her arms, and was happy to be scooped up into her mother's arms. "Wanna tinkle," she said, sleepily.
Alex stood up, to see Olivia at the door. She smiled. "Bathroom," she whispered.
Lily spent the day attached to one – or sometimes both – of her mothers. She didn't want anything to eat, but she was eager for water, and Olivia even had to counsel her to slow down in case she made herself sick again. Almost every hour, Lily would awaken in loving arms, demand a drink, and almost instantly fall asleep again. By the time the evening came, her temperature was almost normal.
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"We'll sue," Alex laughed when she spoke to a mortified Caryn.
"We should have known he was sick before we came over," Caryn said. "Alex, I'm so ..."
"Stop right there," Alex grinned. "It's okay. Truly. And she's much better now. She had a miserable couple of days, but now she's fine. You can't stop kids getting sick, Caryn. It's what they do. And she's fine now, aren't you Lily?" she called over to her daughter who was sitting on the couch watching a Disney movie.
Lily nodded.
"I'm talking to your Evil Auntie Caryn," Alex told her.
"Vilanti!" Lily called.
"You wanna talk to her on the phone?" Alex held it out.
Clumsily, Lily held it to her ear. "Hi Vilanti," suddenly she was all shy.
Alex watched her, smiling as Lily nodded. "She can't hear you nod," she reminded her gently.
"Yes," Lily said quietly. "I got sick. Mama and Mommy took care of me. Mama went to work today." She paused, listening carefully. "Mommy says maybe we can go out tomorrow, if I'm okay. Mommy," she called. "Vilanti says can we come see her? At work?"
"Let me talk to her," Alex held out her hand.
"Bye Vilanti," Lily handed over the phone.
"We'll see how she is," Alex was cautious. "She's still pale. Maybe Friday, huh? Great. See you then. Give Daniel a big kiss from us."
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Later that afternoon, Alex put a cup of tea and a cup of orange juice on the table, and sat down on the couch next to Lily. She smiled as Lily crawled into her lap. Even though she was almost back to normal, Lily still loved to cuddle. Alex hauled her into her ever-decreasing lap, kissing her on the top of her head. "You doing okay, baby girl?" she was concerned that Lily had been quiet for the last hour.
Lily nodded.
"Is something worrying you baby? You're not feeling sick again, are you?"
Lily shook her head. "I'm not sick Mommy. But what happens when the baby gets here?" she put her tiny hand on Alex's belly.
"Lots of things will happen when the baby gets here," Alex smiled at her. "It'll probably be real chaotic for a while. It was when you came."
"But what if I get sick again?" Lily insisted.
"I hope you won't, baby girl. But if you do, we'll take care of you, just like we did before, and soon you'll be feeling all better. Are you sure you aren't sick?" she put a hand to her mercifully cool forehead.
"But you won't have time. When the baby comes," Lily sniffled, and buried her face in Alex's front.
"Oh Lily, is that what's worrying you? Lily, look at me," she put a finger under Lily's chin. "We will always have time for you. Always. There's nothing more important to us than you are. The only thing we'll care about is you and the baby, and making sure you're both okay."
"But if the baby gets sick?" Lily said.
"Then we'll take care of you both. Lily, you have to know, we love you so very much. Both of us. And your Mama and I are going to do whatever we can to make sure you're okay."
"And when I'm a big girl?"
"You'll always be our baby. However big you get. However old you are, you'll always be our baby, and we'll take care of you," she heard the key turning in the lock, her face breaking into a huge smile at the sight of Olivia. "And look who's come home early to see you!" Alex smiled.
Olivia strode over to the couch, leaning down to give Alex a deep kiss. She held out her hands, and was thrilled when Lily flung herself into them. She hugged her daughter tight.
"You early, Mama?" Lily was confused, but still delighted to see her mother.
"I am. I wanted to see you. Are you feeling good, chipmunk?"
Lily nodded. "I did eat a sandwich at lunch."
Olivia looked over to Alex for confirmation. Alex nodded. "Well, two-thirds of a sandwich. But her appetite's returning. And we watched Finding Nemo together, didn't we?"
Lily nodded. "It was scary. But then Nemo did escape!"
"Did he? Well that's good, isn't it sweetie?"
"Nemo is a good fish," Lily said, solemnly. "Mommy says you'll still take care of me when the baby comes."
Olivia looked over anxiously at Alex, but was reassured by her smile. "Of course we'll take care of you. We might be a little tired, but we'll always take care of you. We'll still do all the things we do now, only there'll be somebody else doing them too. And you're going to be such a good sister. This baby," Olivia reached over and placed one hand on Alex's belly, "is the luckiest baby in the world, 'cos it gets to have you as it's big sister."
"Can we go see the fishes?" Lily asked. "I wanna see if Nemo is there."
Olivia sat on the couch next to Alex, Lily still in her arms. "We will, baby. In a few days. We want to make sure you'll all better first. Maybe you and I can go on Saturday, so Mommy can sleep in later then."
"Is Mommy tired?" Lily looked at Alex.
"Mommy's always tired right now," Alex laughed. "Sometimes this baby won't me sleep."
"Naughty baby," Lily said.
"It's not naughty. It's just what babies do. They wriggle around," Olivia teased, tickling Lily and making her squeal with laughter.
"Did I wriggle around Mama?"
"You sure did. All the time. I swear I thought you were going to be a frog!"
Lily thought this was the funniest thing she had ever heard, and she let out a hoot of laughter.
"Hey, here we go again," Alex grimaced and smiled. "The baby's awake. You wanna feel?" she asked Lily.
Lily nodded, smiling widely as Alex took her hand and placed it on her belly, holding it gently in place. A moment later, Lily's face split into a wide grin. "Baby, Mommy?" she asked Alex.
"That's right. The baby just wanted to say hi to you."
Lily couldn't stop smiling. She leant down and put her face to Alex's belly. "Hi baby," she said.
Olivia took in the sight of her heavily-pregnant wife, and their daughter together on the couch, and her heart filled with joy. Surreptitiously, she snapped a photo with her phone, but even as she did so, she knew this was one scene she would never forget.
Alex saw the tears in her eyes, and silently reached out for her hand. Olivia squeezed her fingers. "I love you," Alex mouthed. Olivia nodded. She knew. She couldn't work out what she had done to deserve such happiness. "Love you too," she said quietly.