Shane found himself leaning heavily on Simmons as they stepped into the foyer. He was completely winded and did not trust that the cane in his hand would provide enough support if his legs buckled.

"Are you okay, sir?" Simmons asked, not doing a good job of hiding the worry in his voice.

Shane nodded and wheezed, "Just . . . just give me a second."

"Very well. Shall we go upstairs? I have your room prepared."

Shane glanced at the flight of stairs, which, at that moment, seemed little more than an insurmountable Everest. Silently, he cursed himself for being this weak. "I . . . I think maybe I'll take some tea in the library."

He knew he was not fooling Simmons, but the butler was professional enough not to show his skepticism. "Very well, sir."

With Simmons' help, Shane managed to reach the couch in the library. Once he was seated, Simmons walked over to the tea service and then looked at Shane. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll have to fix a cup in the kitchen."

"That's fine," Shane said, as Simmons left the room. Now alone, Shane sat in silence. It was surprising how quiet the house seemed. Simmons had told him that Kim had taken Andrew shopping for a new coat, purportedly to let Shane get settled at the house without distractions, but Shane suspected the real reason was that Kim was trying to keep her distance.

The silence was interrupted a moment later with a rap on the door. Shane turned his head to see Eve in the doorway. She had a wide smile on her face.

"Welcome home, Daddy," she said, walking toward him. Shane instinctively started to rise, but decided better than to risk his shaky legs. He held out his arms and gave her a hug.

"Sweetheart, you have no idea how good it is to be home." Shane meant that sincerely. Despite his disappointment at not having Kim here, he was glad to see his daughter. He motioned for the edge of the couch. "Care to join your old man for a little chat?"

Eve nodded and took a seat. She glanced around. "So Kim's not here?"

Shane detected the snide undertone. "Eve . . . please."

"No," she said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just surprised. I've . . . I've been trying, Dad. Really, I have." She looked down for a moment and then back at him. "So what are you going to do now?"

That was a good question. "I guess the main thing is to get better," Shane said. "Marcus says it's still a long road." To whatever recovery I'll have. "And I still have a trial to prepare for."

"That's no fun," Eve said bitterly, obviously referring to her various forays through the criminal justice system. "Speaking of which. . . ."

"What?"

Eve sighed. "Remember that call we had when I was in Africa? You know how you said I shouldn't come back because of what the reporters would do?"

Shane felt his heart sink, knowing what was coming. "She didn't. . . ."

"I'm not sure who 'she' is," Eve said. "But if you mean that reporter Rachel Knight, Julie Williams said she's been hanging around Wings, asking questions about me."

"I'm sorry." Shane remembered the hatchet job Rachel Knight had done on Kim, Kayla, and Steve. "I wish I could have spared you."

Eve smiled softly. "I've only got myself to blame. . . . I know I did a lot of rotten things. Sometimes I wonder why you didn't just kick me out."

"Oh, Sweetheart, I could never do that." Shane put an arm around Eve. "I love you no matter what, you know that."

"I. . . ." Eve did not finish, but let her voice trail off.

Shane started to respond, but was interrupted by Simmons returning to the library with the tea set. Shane hardly noticed. He was far more focused on the toddler taking short steps beside the butler.

"Jeannie!" Shane broke into a wide grin. The baby was moving steadily forward. "Now, would you look at that?" he said to Eve. "That's remarkable. I mean she was just barely able to take a step a few weeks ago."

In a hesitant voice, Eve replied, "I . . . I guess so." At Shane's look, she said, "Sorry, I don't know much about babies."

Jeannie toddled over to the couch and looked at them closely. Then she raised her arms to Shane. For a moment, he started to lean down to pick her up, but then remembered Marcus' warnings.

"I can't, darling," he said sadly.

Eve looked at him quizzically and then seemed to realize what Shane meant. "Here, Dad, let me. . . ." She leaned over, lifted Jeannie off the floor, and placed her in between the two of them. Once seated, Jeannie craned her had from side to side and studied both Shane and Eve.

At the hospital, when Kim had brought Jeannie, Shane had still been heavily medicated and the very notion that this little girl was truly his daughter had still been a bit like a dream. Now, he was lucid and it felt so much more real. He reached his hand forward, brushed her cheek, and smiled softly at his daughter.

"You're such a beautiful little girl," he said, eliciting a giggle from Jeannie. "You're beautiful and so smart." Still smiling, Shane looked up at Eve. "Just like your older sister." To Eve, he added, "If only Jeannie could be so lucky."

"Dad. . . ." Eve sounded hesitant and confused, and he spotted the hint of a tear forming in her eyes.

Shane kept looking at her. "I mean it. Do you have any idea how lucky I am? To have two such wonderful daughters." He reached out and brushed away the tear when it ran down Eve's cheek. "I love you, Eve. You've had some difficult times, but you've learned from them and you've grown into a smart and beautiful woman. I can only pray that Jeannie grows up to be as smart and as beautiful as her big sister . . . who makes me very proud."

Eve continued to fight back tears, but her voice broke when she tried to speak. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Shane's neck and hugged him tightly. Meanwhile, between them, Jeannie gurgled and reached toward him, causing both Eve and him to chuckle.

"Sibling rivalry, I guess," Eve said, pulling away and wiping away a few tears. "Looks like it's not a one-way street." She pulled Jeannie onto her lap. They looked at one another for a moment, before Jeannie broke into a wide grin, reached out, and tugged on some of Eve's hair. "Hey, not the hair, squirt," Eve protested, but she was laughing.

Watching his daughters, Shane found himself fighting back his own tears. He truly was lucky. He was alive, he was home, and he had his children with him.

Now he just needed one more thing to make his life complete.