Heath whistled as he walked into Olivia's room. "Woowee! You two will be the prettiest girls at the party."

Olivia blushed but shook her head. "No, that will be Mama."

Audra smiled as she tucked one last curl into place. "Honey, remember, you look like Mother," she reminded the girl.

A knock on the door stopped the conversation as Heath turned to open it, admitting Victoria and Jarrod.

"Oh Audra and Olivia, you both look beautiful." Victoria told them as she went to kiss each girl's forehead.

"I see Audra talked you into matching dresses." Jarrod teased as he knelt down by Olivia's chair and kissed her cheek.

Heath chuckled at the look on Audra's face at Jarrod's teasing. Their sister was too easy a target for teasing sometimes. "I came to escort a sister down to the party."

"And I'm here for the other one." Nick half bellowed as he came into the room.

"Nick!" Olivia scowled at her brother.

Victoria laughed at the look on her son's face. He was used to her scolding him but to have his sister, and the youngest one to boot, it was just too much for him to process. "What's the matter, Son?"

"She…" he started then paused and tried again. "She scolded me!"

"You hurt my ears." Olivia told him, a grin on her face.

Audra couldn't help the giggle that escaped and clapped a hand over her mouth.

Jarrod didn't try to cover up his mirth. "She not only looks like Mother…"

"She has Mother's sharp tongue." Nick frowned, his twinkling eyes letting his mother know he was being playful.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "I'll show you who has a sharp tongue. Now, who is going downstairs with Olivia?"

"I am, of course." Nick spoke up, blocking Jarrod before he could say anything.

Jarrod shook his head and stood up. "Well then," he held out his arm. "May I have the honor of escorting you, Lovely Lady?"

Kissing his cheek, Victoria slipped her hand through his arm. "Of course you may."

"I guess you're stuck with me." Audra smiled at Heath.

"I wouldn't call escorting my lovely sister, stuck." Heath winked at her and held out his arm.

Nick scooped Olivia up into his arms. "Ready for your party, Livy?"

Olivia nodded. "Just let me walk after we get downstairs."

"You got it, little sister."

Victoria smiled as she looked at her children, pausing when she realized that she'd included Heath as one of her own. It would seem bringing her youngest child home, had helped Victoria fully accept the child from her husband's affair. Feeling Jarrod squeezing her hand, she looked up at him.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Son."

"Lead the way, Brother Nick. Birthday girl goes first."

TBV

Ruth watched her sister wipe a tear from her cheek as they watched Jarrod dancing with Olivia, the young girl's feet on her brother's. "She's glowing."

"She's dancing." Victoria whispered.

Squeezing her sister's hand, Ruth felt her own eyes well up. "Yes, she is. I seem to remember Jarrod doing that with Audra."

"He did. So did Nick. But it was Tom that danced with her like that first."

Ruth knew where her sister's thoughts had turned. "Don't think of that, Victoria. It's the past and you can't change it. You're doing everything you can to right the wrong. You've made that girl very happy by bringing her home and letting her be part of her family."

"She's helped me accept Heath." Victoria took her eyes off Olivia and looked at Ruth. "I thought of him as mine, Ruth."

Ruth smiled. "Because he didn't do anything and your tender heart sees a young man that misses his mother. Children always were your weakness."

Victoria's gazed moved back to Olivia at the girl's laughter. Shaking her head as she watched Nick and Eugene face off over who would have the next dance with Olivia, she couldn't help but chuckle when Heath swooped in and danced off with the girl, mimicking what his older brother had done and carefully holding Olivia so as not to hurt her.

"That was smooth." Ruth laughed. "From the look on Nick's face, Jarrod is enjoying that more than Nick thinks he should."

"Eugene isn't too pleased, either."

"They'll be fine. Everyone seems to be accepting of Olivia."

"That's because, for tonight, I invited people I knew would accept her without gossip. Dr. Merar is the only one from Stockton that remembers her."

"He hasn't stopped smiling once since he arrived."

"Because he was as angry at Tom as I was and never really forgave him. He did his best to help me talk to Tom, but Tom wouldn't listen."

"So he's as happy as any of us to have her home." Ruth guessed.

"Yes. He's going to help us find the nurses that will be living here once Olivia comes home permanently. Nick and Heath have started working on fixing the cottage for the nurses to live in when they're not on duty."

"Soon your baby will be home for good. This is the first of many birthday parties she'll have here."

Before Victoria could say anything in answer, Jarrod appeared in front of her with his hand out. "May I have this dance, Lovely Lady?"

Smiling at her son, Victoria nodded and took his hand. "You may."

Ruth watched her sister and the rest of the family. Feeling someone watching her, she turned and smiled at Dr. Paul Merar.

"She's happier than I've seen her in a very long time."

"She's getting there. There are still changes for her to adjust to, but I hear you're helping with that."

"I told her in the very beginning I would do everything I could to help keep that sweet girl at home. That hasn't changed."

"She is a sweet girl. Even through all the pain and sadness, she's always had a sunny disposition. Out of all of Victoria's children, Olivia is more like her mother than any of them…and not just in looks."

"It's rather eerie how much she looks like Victoria. It's almost like I've gone back in time." Paul smiled. "Olivia is only three years younger than Victoria was when I first met her." Turning to look at Ruth, Paul held out his hand. "Care to dance?"

"Oh…why not." Ruth laughed and followed him out to join the others.

Jarrod nudged his mother when he caught sight of his aunt and the doctor. "I was beginning to wonder if anyone would manage to talk her into dancing."

Victoria chuckled and patted his shoulder. "I knew she'd give in at some point. Ruth has always enjoyed dancing, though she'll never admit to it."

Gently squeezing his mother's hand, Jarrod smiled down at her. "Olivia is glowing with all the attention."

"Yes, she is." Victoria laughed when Nick beat Eugene to Heath and took off with Olivia. "Your brothers are going to wear the girl out, though."

Jarrod chuckled. "Maybe we should bring out the cake."

"That sounds like a good idea. Olivia needs a break, though she's too stubborn to admit it."

"Like someone else I know." Jarrod gave Victoria a pointed look then laughed and kissed her cheek when she frowned at him. "I'll go tell Silas to bring in the cake."

"No. I'll do that. You get your brothers to stop fighting over Olivia. Have Audra help."

"That will be easy. I'll just have her pout that they're ignoring her."

Victoria laughed and patted his arm as she left the room, making her way to the kitchen. Tonight was wonderful, just as she'd hoped it would be. Walking into the kitchen, she raised her eyebrow as she caught sight of the cake. "Silas, you've outdone yourself."

"I said I was going to make Miss Olivia the biggest cake the valley had ever seen."

"Yes you did."

Silas grinned. "Ready for the cake, Mrs. Barkley?"

"Yes. Olivia needs a break from all the dancing. Her brothers are going to wear her out."

"Miss Audra's going to be put out."

Victoria laughed at Silas' teasing. "She's loving every minute of it. She even got in on it all by pouting and saying they were ignoring her."

"You've got some fine children, Mrs. Barkley. Miss Olivia and Mister Heath are going to get all the family they've been missin'."

"You care about Heath, don't you?"

"He's been mighty lonesome, Mrs. Barkley. He needs us."

Patting Silas' arm, Victoria nodded. "You're right, Silas."

TBV

Olivia sighed as Victoria tucked her in. "Oh Mama. Thank you!"

"For what, Darling?"

"For bringing me home. For the new dresses. For the party…for everything!"

Caressing her daughter's hair away from her face, Victoria smiled at her. "You don't have to thank me, Darling."

"Oh yes, Mama, I do. You brought me home, Mama. Home." Olivia's eyes filled with tears. "You introduced me to your friends instead of keeping me hidden away here at the ranch."

Victoria's own eyes filled with tears as she reached out to wipe away the tears on her daughter's cheeks. "I'm so very sorry for not bringing you home before now."

"Why did you wait, Mama?"

"Because I was protecting your father's memory. He was gone, it didn't matter anymore, but…old habits die hard, I suppose."

"Did he really not…" Olivia's lip trembled. "Did he really not love me because I'm different?"

Victoria felt her heart break. "Oh Olivia. I don't think it was," she started then sighed. "He didn't give himself the chance. He wasn't much for any of you children when you were babies. That was my work…women's work. By the time he would return home for dinner, I already had the children tucked into their beds for the night."

"And I was gone by the age he would have started really paying attention."

"Yes, Darling."

"Mama?"

"What is it?"

"Stay with me?"

"Of course I will. Let me go and change then I'll be back."

"Will you read to me?"

"Whatever you want, Darling."

Olivia sniffed and swiped at the tears on her cheeks. "I…"

"What?"

"I don't remember falling asleep in your arms. It's my birthday and I know I'm supposed to be…" Olivia shrugged. "I suppose I'm just being a little girl."

Victoria stood up and bent to press a tender kiss to her baby's forehead. "No, Darling. Besides," she winked. "If you can't be a little girl with your mother, well…something's wrong."

Olivia giggled and smiled brightly up at her mother. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you, too, my precious girl." Victoria turned and made her way to the door, pausing when Olivia called her name. "Yes?"

"When I come home to stay, will this be my room?"

"This has always been your room…at least in my heart. It was the nursery you slept in. Now, I'm going to go change. I promise I won't be long."

TBV

Olivia sighed as she wiggled closer to her mother. Mama was warm and soft, her words quiet as she read Olivia's favorite book about three sisters and their adventures. In fact, Mama was so soft and quiet, that it was making the girl drowsy, though she wanted to spend every last minute of her birthday awake. She wanted the very last minute, before the clock chimed the new day, to be spent listening to her mother's voice.

Wrapping her arm tighter around her daughter, Victoria sighed at the feel of the weight of Olivia's head resting against her chest. The girl had snuggled into her side the moment she'd sat down on the bed and settled herself against the pillows. Things like this were never possible at the home because of the small bed, so Victoria supposed the girl was taking advantage of her room at home's larger bed and all the space.

It was odd having a young child of her own here at home again. Jarrod, Nick, Eugene, and Audra had long since outgrown wanting to be held by their mother, and if she was honest with herself, she missed it. She loved being a mother, though she missed the years when she was her children's whole world…when everything revolved around their mama. She missed cuddling them close as they fell asleep while she rocked them. Olivia was too old for rocking, but not too old for cuddling in her mother's arms.

"I'm glad you brought this with us. I love this story." Olivia murmured sleepily.

"I know you do. We'll have to get you a new copy soon." Victoria smiled down at her then pressed a kiss to her head. "Darling, why don't you go ahead and go to sleep. I'll be here."

"Not time, yet."

"Darling, it's almost midnight and it's been a very long day."

"But it's still my birthday."

"Alright, Darling, but I'm going to put the book away. My eyes are too tired to continue reading." Victoria felt Olivia nod against her. "Let me put the book on the night table and turn down the lamp," she whispered as she gently nudged Olivia to move.

Olivia complied only long enough for her mother to do as she'd said and then she was back in her mother's arms, her head resting on her chest, the heart that had soothed her as a babe in the womb once again beating in her ear. "When I'm home for good…I want to fall asleep like this every night."

"I'll do my best, Darling."

"When I fall asleep, don't leave me."

"I won't. I'll stay right here, but Darling…why tonight? You've been here for nearly two weeks and this is the first time you've wanted me to stay."

"It's my first birthday at home since the day I was born."

Caressing her daughter's hair, Victoria rested her head against the girl's. "You were such a surprise to me. I had thought my last baby was Audra, but then there you were, snuggled in my arms, small and warm. I'm so sorry I didn't fight harder for you, Baby. So many things I missed because I didn't defy your father and keep you with us anyway. I loved you the moment I felt the flutters of new life and I loved you more when those sparkling eyes opened and looked up at me for the first time."

Hearing the clock finally chiming midnight, Olivia snuggled just a bit closer and sighed as she let her eyes close. "I's al'ight, Mama," she slurred as sleep slowly claimed her. "…mm not a se'ret 'nymore."

Feeling the soft even breaths of slumber as her daughter finally fell asleep, Victoria let her own eyes close. "No, my darling. You're not a secret anymore. Never again, Darling. Never again."

A/N: The disease Olivia has is now known as Cerebral Palsy.