Ryan couldn't stop. Exhaustion had become his only state of being.

He busied himself with Emma, helping her cope with her grief and loss. He had helped Spike come to terms with his father's death and his mother's absence. He had helped Ian understand what he has lost and comforted him. He has too many lives that depended on him to be able stop.

Today he has been invited to bring Emma over to Tad's, there was a celebration underway. Bianca's surgery was successful; she was on the road to recovery. Her kids apparently had a plan to speed up the process and every family in Pine Valley had been invited to bring it into fruition.

A riot of joyful noise surrounded the Kitchen table and everyone was hard at work with their art projects. Miranda and AJ had decided if three pictures could get Bianca so much better then how much good would dozens of pictures do.

Everyone who heard of their charming plan were there pitching in. Tad, still hobbling around on crutches was sat at the head of the table giving less than constructive advice to his two girls, Jenny and Kathy, who were dutifully ignoring him. Jake and Amanda were there with Trevor who was happier making a mess than a picture. Ryan was delighted to see Kendall busy encouraging her two boys. Spike who had taken the seat beside AJ was spending more time staring at the older boy, who he obviously admired, than at his own picture. Emma had found a space right next to Miranda and they had their heads together in collusion. Madison and Scott were there, so too were Cara, Frankie and Randi all more than happy to give a hand with the children.

Ryan found it a little overwhelming, all the happy laughing silliness, and took himself into the lounge. It was an almost alien sound after the quiet sorrow that had overwhelmed so many lives.

He also found the concerned stares and comments about how he looked tired and how he needed to rest, upsetting. He couldn't sleep. His mind wouldn't let him. He lay awake every night his guilty conscious unable to switch off. Why hadn't he seen the gun, why hadn't he just pulled Greenlee to safety, why had he tried to 'save the day' instead of saving his wife, why hadn't it been him and not her that the bullet hit, why hadn't he insisted David save her, why, why, why...? His mind just would not stop and he could not find a distraction to turn it off even though he tried. All he really wanted was to rest, he had just forgotten how.

Ryan buried his head in his hands and sighed. He looked up to see Bianca's youngest daughter, Gabrielle staring at him, the little girl's deep brown eyes so like her mothers.

"It's nap-nap time." said little Gabby, her hand held out for him to take.

Ryan looked briefly towards the kitchen, but everyone sounded busy. He found a smile for the little girl who was looking at him so earnestly. Maybe he couldn't sleep but he couldn't begrudge this sweet little girl her afternoon nap.

"It's nap-nap time." echoed Ryan and took Gabby by the hand. Gabby led him to the bedroom she shared with her sister and Jenny and told him to take off his shoes and sit while she found a story. Ryan obliged her and settled on the mattress which had been set up under the window. Gabby came back with a picture book.

"I think you will like this." said Gabby as she settled on his lap. "It's got a fwog on it."

Ryan grinned at her cuteness and moved to take the book from her but Gabby kept hold.

"I have to w-ead it." she said determinedly, her lisp turning her Rs to Ws.

Ryan sat back as Gabby 'read' him the book. She told him about each of the pictures in turn, although she sometimes had trouble turning the pages. She fell particularly in love with the bunny rabbit that joined the frog's adventures on page four and kept coming back to him.

"Thank you." said Ryan when she eventually got to the end, "That was a good book."

"Now we have to check the w-oom for monsters." said Gabby, showing no sign of settling down. "I will go and check, you lie down."

Gabby began marching around the room, pulling open cupboards and peering under beds. She then stared back at Ryan.

"You have to lie down or it doesn't work!" said Gabby determinedly. Ryan was a little perplexed by the youngest Montgomery's nap-time ritual but obliged her, besides the mattress was surprisingly comfortable. Gabby continued her very thorough monster hunt.

"No monsters." She triumphantly declared. "I shall turn off the light now." She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach the light switch.

She came back to where Ryan was lying on the mattress.

"Are you all tucked in?" asked Gabby as she struggled to pull the Disney Princess duvet over the top of him. Ryan finally realised what was going on.

"Gabby are you putting me to bed?" he asked amused.

Gabby bit he bottom lip at being caught out.

"Yes." she said, with the undeniable logic of a three year old "You are the tired-est person ever, everyone said so. We all decided to be helpful and I wanted to help you because you looked so sad."

Gabby patted his shoulder clumsily.

"It's not good to be tired." she continued knowingly, "When you get tired you get cranky and when you get cranky you get into trouble. I didn't want you to get into trouble so I thought you should have a nap-nap and feel better."

Gabby gave him an ever so cute and ever so hopeful smile and Ryan couldn't help but give her a smile back. Gabby pulled the duvet up under his chin.

"I shall sing you to sleep now." said Gabby, suddenly serious again. "Here's teddy, take good care of him and don't squish him too tight. Close your eyes." Ryan shook his head in disbelief and struggled to stifle a laugh, but the bed was soft and warm, so he took the toy from Gabby's hands and closed his eyes.

Gabby's voice was out of tune but it was kind of endearing, and Ryan couldn't stop the laugh that came out when she sang the last, obviously added, line at the end. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. It was the silliness that had so upset him in the Kitchen downstairs, but now he knew it was just what he had needed.

"Hush-a-bye, Don't you cry.

Go to sleep my little baby.

When you wake, You shall have,

All the pretty little ponies.

…And fluffy bunnies too!"

Gabby patted his shoulder again and whispered, in a terribly grown up manner,

"Shhh... Settle down."

He heard her close the door ever so carefully, but he didn't open his eyes. He felt a warmth and a peace he hadn't known since Greenlee's death, the bed was soft, the room was quiet. He could so easily just drift off to sleep…

...