Here is some more. Thanks again for sticking with the story!

"Poppy…Livia" Kate's bubbly voice sang out when Elliot and Olivia walked through the door.

Elliot smiled at his granddaughter, standing in Noah's play pen and he leaned over picking her up, while the little girl squealed happily. "How's my little Katiebug today?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek.

"Dad," Maureen walked out of the kitchen. "She's supposed to be taking a nap." She looked at her daughter, "It's time to go to sleep, Kate."

"No," the little girl argued and Elliot hugged her close.

"It's time for you to go night-night for Mommy," he patted her back and kissed her cheek. "Poppy will play with you when you wake up. Be a good girl and go to sleep." He put her back in the play pen and covered her with her pink blanket and the little girl snuggled up with her teddy bear, but kept her eyes open, fighting sleep.

"Where's Noah?" Olivia asked.

Maureen pointed toward the nursery, "I just put him down. He's probably not asleep yet either. Neither of them wanted to take their naps today."

Olivia looked at Elliot, "I'm gonna go get him…lay him down in my room with me for a while. I'm still tired anyway so I could use a nap."

"Okay," he nodded and watched her walk down the hall to her son's room. He knew she needed that time with her little boy…time to remind her that she had a lot to be grateful for.

"Is she okay?" Maureen asked. She knew something was wrong when her father had called the night before, but he hadn't said what. "What's going on?"

Elliot walked over to the couch and sat down and Maureen sat next to him. "Olivia got the results of the genetics test yesterday…"

"Oh God," Maureen's face dropped. "Something's wrong with the baby? Dad…I'm so sorry…" She reached out and hugged him and for the first time Elliot felt himself feel those feelings of grief. He'd spent the past day comforting Olivia and he hadn't had the time to really think about how he felt. He held his daughter close and didn't want to let go.

"The baby…it's a girl," he forced a smile and Maureen's face let him know she was waiting for him to drop a bombshell. "She has Down Syndrome."

"What are you going to do?" Maureen asked sadly. "You said Olivia didn't want to have the baby if something was wrong…"

He shook his head, "No, she wants to have the baby. She's scared…I think she feels like she's lost the child she always dreamed of, and she doesn't really know how to create new dreams for this little baby. She loves her though…she'd do anything for this baby."

"What about you?" Maureen asked. "You said you weren't sure you wanted a baby at all. Do you really think you can do this?"

"Maureen…I did not want a baby…at least I didn't think I did," he sighed. "But when Olivia told me about this little girl, I can't explain it…I felt like I was the luckiest person in the world. I get to be a daddy again, and God chose to give me a little girl who is so special and who really needs me…and I have the time now to dedicate to her, that I didn't really have with the rest of you. And I'm sorry for that, Maureen. I'm sorry I wasn't the best dad to you and your brothers and sisters…but I'm going to do better this time. I have the chance to do better…for this little girl and even for Eli…and Noah."

Maureen smiled, "You were a good dad," she hugged him. "We always knew you'd have been home more if you could have. You were doing what you needed to, to take care of us."

"If I had been a better father," he admitted. "Then your sister would still be here."

Maureen shook her head, "Dad…you can't blame yourself for Kathleen. She was sick. She needed help that she refused to get." She sighed. "I know you think she ran off to California because you told her you were in love with Olivia…"

"How did you know that?" he asked, shocked. He'd felt guilty about it for years, but he'd never told anyone but Olivia.

"Because Kathleen told me," She answered honestly. "She asked me if I thought you were having an affair…and I told her I didn't think Olivia would do that to us…or to Mom."

"But you thought I would?" he asked.

"I knew you loved her," Maureen nodded. "But I also knew Olivia was too strong a person to let herself be your other woman, Dad. Kathleen didn't see it that way…but her leaving had nothing to do with you. Not really. She'd quit her meds, and she wasn't thinking clearly…long before you told her you loved Olivia. She just wasn't ready to get better and she ran off because she knew you and Mom would try to force her back on her meds or commit her somewhere. She was sick…and there was nothing any of us could have done to make her better."

"Parents are supposed to take care of their kids," he said sadly.

"But Kathleen wasn't a kid anymore," Maureen reminded him. "And you did all you could for her."

"She was still my little girl," he said sadly.

"And when she was well…she loved you and Mom and all of us. But when she was sick, she wasn't really Kathleen anymore," Maureen brushed away a few tears that slid down her cheek. "Dad…I know you think Kathleen is in a better place now. If that's true, then her spirit is happy and healthy again and she knows that you loved her. She knows…you don't have to keep feeling guilty because somewhere she's watching you and she knows how much she meant to you…and she loves you too."

"You think so?" he asked sadly. "Because I'd hate to think she died not knowing I love her."

Maureen reached out and hugged him close, the two of them crying, mourning the loss of the daughter and sister who had meant so much to both of them. "Dad, I do think this new baby is a gift," Maureen said softly. "A reminder…that we don't always know how life will turn out, so we have to be grateful for what we have. I know you're grateful for this little girl…"

"Yeah," he nodded. "She's gonna make me a better person. I think she already has."

Maureen smiled, "I think Kathleen's probably happy you have another chance."

"I've been having dreams," he admitted. "That she feels replaced."

Maureen shook her head, "No…she knows this baby isn't here to replace her…this baby is here to show all of us how much we need to love one another. The Stablers haven't always been the most loving bunch," she laughed a little. "But I think this little girl is going to change that." She smiled, "Who knows? Maybe Kathleen had a hand in choosing our new baby sister…she is a gift from heaven after all."

"Maybe you're right," Elliot smiled and quickly wiped away his own tears. Then he kissed his daughter, "I love you, Maureen. You know that, right? I don't ever want any of you to not know how much I love you."

"I know Dad," she nodded. "I love you too."

Elliot walked into the bedroom, and smiled at Olivia and Noah laying peacefully in the middle of the bed. They were curled up close together and he realized he'd never seen Olivia look so peaceful. He climbed in beside her, wrapping both of them in his arms and Olivia stirred a little, "El," she whispered. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," he whispered and kissed her softly on the cheek. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you."

"I love you too," she closed her eyes and fell back asleep and he lay holding his new little family in his arms and for the first time in a long time, he was happy and completely at peace. He'd forgotten what it felt like…and he never wanted to forget it again.