"Colton, leave Isa alone. She doesn't want you trying to hold her."

"Mama!" he replied, exasperated at Isa for walking away when he was trying to share his toys with her.

"Dude, you know as well as I do that you can't make her do anything."

He sighed and put the plastic horse down while Isa giggled and ran across the room, crashing into Lindsay's legs with a smile.

"Hey little miss."

"Up?"

Lindsay scooped her off the floor and planted a kiss on her cheek, sighing when Colton reached up for her too. He could share his toys but he didn't like to share his mama. She adjusted them both on her hip and made her way into the bathroom. Colton squealed in delight and wiggled down from her arms, running over to his basket of bath toys and throwing them in the tub. He clapped when the rubber alien hit the porcelain so hard it squeaked.

"Bath mama!"

"Yes, it's time for a bath and then bed."

"My mommy?" Isa chirped, looking out the door expectantly.

"Your mommy's at the hospital right now. She's having a baby."

Isa nodded seriously and stuck her thumb in her mouth, watching Colton skeptically as he continued to throw toys in the tub. Lindsay leaned down and turned the water on, adding a dollop of bubble bath more for propriety than anything. Colton ripped his socks off then looked up at her with a grin. She had helped him out of everything but his diaper when the phone rang. Sighing, she ran into the kitchen to grab it while the kids knelt by the side of the tub, splashing their hands in the water.

"Hello."

"Hey, it's Danny."

"Hey. Are you a daddy again?"

"Yeah."

She smiled and settled Colton in the tub, then pulled the barrettes out of Isa's hair.

"Everybody doing okay?"

"Yeah. It was kind of a whirlwind. Austin's exhausted enough that she's just laying there, I'm exhausted enough that I drank my coffee black, and Sarah's been sleeping pretty much since they got her all rolled up."

"Bundled up?"

"Yeah, that."

"You are tired."

"Very."

"Do you want me to bring Isa down there?"

"I dunno, just a sec."

She could hear a moment of conferring in the background before he came back on the line.

"Austin says just bring her in the morning. We're going to crash here pretty soon. Is she doing okay over there?"

"She is currently chewing on a shampoo bottle, so she's holding her own."

"Sounds like my girl. I'm sorry it was tonight, I know Adam's at work so you're stuck with both kids and-"

"Austin's done it for us enough times. It's not a problem. Would I deny childcare to a woman in labor?"

"Not if you knew what was good for you."

"Is she completely zonked out or can I talk to her?"

"You can talk her."

He handed the phone to Austin and she took it, blinking slowly to try to produce some wakefulness.

"Hey Linds."

"Hey, to the newest member of the two kids under two club. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, overwhelmed, exhausted."

"But she's perfect so it's worth it?"

"Yes. I can't wait for you to see her. She's so pretty Linds. She's got blonde hair and Danny's eyes and I can't stop looking at her."

"You're going to make me cry," Lindsay said, feeling her heart clench in remembrance of those first moments with a newborn.

"I already made me cry. I might be a little emotional."

"That's alright. You just enjoy that baby and get some sleep and we'll see you in the morning."

"I will. Give Isa a kiss for me."

"Consider it done. Night."

"Night."

She hung up the phone and looked down at the kids who were happily playing with toys, Colton driving his boats upside down while Isa tried to keep the floating toys underwater.

She watched them quietly for a long time, loving the fact that they would always have each other.

"Mama? Who is?"

"You mean on the phone? It was uncle Danny and aunt Austin."

"Au'tin!"

"Yep. Remember we talked about baby Sarah?"

"Baby Sa'ah."

"Mine!" Isa shouted at the mention of her new sister's name.

"Yep, yours. Who's ready to get their hair washed and go to bed?" she asked enthusiastically. Both kids clapped their hands and she laughed, managing to get them both shampooed, rinsed, and out of the water in a few minutes. The were giggling and warm and sweet smelling wrapped up in towels and she bent down to pick them both up and take them into the bedroom.

"Let's see, we need diapers and jammies and some blankies and a story. That sound good?"

"Blankie," Colton said, pulling the small quilt through the bars of the crib and handing it to Isa. "Isa have."

She took it with a giggle and buried her face in it while Lindsay grabbed her and changed her clothes.

"Alright my little exhibitionist, your turn."

Colton plopped down in front of her and she dressed him then kissed the top of his head, loving the way his hair curled more when it was damp.

"Mama?"

"What love?"

"Boot?"

"You pick a book and I'll read it to you."

She sat down in the chair and pulled Isa up with her, peppering her cheeks with kisses. She automatically loved her nephews and her niece, but with Isa and now Sarah, she had chosen to love them. And she couldn't imagine loving them any more than she already did.

"Here mama," Colton said, handing her the book and climbing into her lap. He adjusted himself in the crook of her arm, then reached over and held Isa's hand. She smiled at him and stuck her free thumb in her mouth as Lindsay opened the book and began to read. It had been her favorite story as a little girl, and it was the book that Colton most often picked out too. The words floated out of her mouth almost memorized as the kids drifted off to sleep in her lap. She stayed there for a long time, trying to figure out how to get up and get them both into the crib without waking either one. It was going to be impossible, so she had to gently deposit Colton on the floor and put Isa in the crib first. She snuffled and whimpered for a few seconds then settled down. Colton was already snoring deeply when she put him down, and she covered them both with a blanket and left the room.

She went into the bathroom and cleaned up, then into the kitchen to put the dishes away before finally flopping onto the couch with a sigh. She was tired down to her bones and the summer heat was sapping every ounce of energy she had left. Flipping through all the channels ate up a good amount of time and by the time she had settled on a World War Two documentary, Adam had arrived home.

"I'm so happy to see you," she said before he leaned down to kiss her.

"Are the kids driving you nuts?"

"No, I'm just happy to see you."

"I'm happy to see you too. There room on this couch?"

She nodded and scooted over so he could lay down with her. Things had gotten much better since their talk and they hadn't had an argument in over a month. They were both more aware of what they were doing and saying and how it affected the other. They'd always been in tune, but had taken it for granted and let themselves get out of practice. They were healing a lot stronger than they had ever been, and neither one of them could imagine hitting such a rough patch again.

"How was work?" she asked as his fingers drug through her hair.

"It was fine. Lots of tedium."

"No break?"

"Not much. My eyes are burning."

"Close them."

"I'll fall asleep out here."

"Then let's move. You look like a back rub would do you some good."

"You're so good to me."

"Why don't I drop you and Isa at the door and me and Colton will go find a parking space?" Adam asked, navigating the car through the back streets to the hospital.

"Think you'll find a space?"

"It might be kind of far away but I think I can find something."

She nodded and turned the radio up a little, glancing back and watching as Colton and Isa bounced in their carseats to the beat.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I kinda hate this song."

"Hold the phone. YOU hate a country song? I'm in shock."

"I don't hate it, hate it. Just that one part bugs me, where he says he's not leaving until they're kissin' on the porch swing. I mean really, what guy in his right mind is going to get up and leave once he's finally kissin' her?"

"I think he means that he's not going to leave until they have kissed on the porch swing. Cuz that's when the date's over."

"Apparently I have never kissed you on a porch swing before."

"Yeah, you must be thinking of someone else."

She snickered and shook her head.

"Isa sweet thing," Colton sang while Isa giggled. He continued to babble along with the song, singing just the title phrase every time it came through, and adding his best friend's name to it.

"Your son is a charmer," Lindsay noted.

"Yeah, I teach him stuff in my spare time."

"Then how come he's doin' so good?"

"Nice one."

She grinned and gave him a high five as he turned the car into the hospital parking lot.

"I think I'll go up and see what room they're in and leave Isa with them and then come back down and get you."

"Alright."

She got out of the car, then reached in for Isa, who screamed at being taken away from Colton.

"It's okay little miss, we're going to go see mommy and daddy and baby sister."

"My mommy?"

"Yes, your mommy."

They went inside the building and found the elevator, riding it up to the maternity floor. They checked in at the desk and went down the hallway to the last door. Lindsay knocked gently on it, then poked her head inside. It was the most quiet she had ever seen a group of Messers, and she almost hated to interrupt it. Austin was sitting in the rocking chair with a blanket over her lap while Danny sat next to her, holding Sarah. Isa smiled and squirmed and Lindsay took her over to Austin who looked very happy to have her whole family in one place.

"Mine?" Isa asked, pointing down at Sarah.

"Yep, your sister."

Lindsay smiled and excused herself, letting them have their family moment. She wandered back down the hall and to the first floor, going in to the gift shop to wait for the boys. She wandered the aisles for a few minutes, remembering her five days in this very hospital and being bored out of her mind, only able to visit Colton a few times a day. She'd done a lot of wandering around, wishing she could be upstairs with him all the time, but knowing she needed her own recuperation time. She still felt a little cheated, that she didn't get the same bonding with him that other mothers got, that those first days were still so fuzzy in her head. She felt like she had made up for it though, with all the time she was able to spend at home with him. It had been hard to make their schedules work out for that sometimes, and they had even had to pass him off in the lab a few times. She hated that they sometimes had to leave him with someone else, but Austin had helped out, and one of their older neighbors had been practically a God-send. They were still working the logistics, and she was sure with a second someday things were just going to get harder, but there was still a lot of time to figure that out.

"Even in the hospital she shops."

She turned around and grinned at Adam as he came through the door.

"Find a spot?"

"You shoulda worn your hiking boots."

"That bad?"

"At least its not cold out. Are we going upstairs?"

She checked her watch.

"I figure we give them a few more minutes. Might take us that long to clean up the toys that our son has taken off the shelf."

He looked over at Colton who had pulled about fifteen stuffed animals off the shelf and was trying to climb onto it.

"I don't know what we're going to do with you," Adam sighed, passing him to Lindsay and cleaning up the toys.

"I think he needs a jungle gym. He's already figured out how to make the drawers in the kitchen into stairs."

"He's got my brains."

"Heaven help us all."

"Well, if he has your common sense then he'll be sure to use his powers for good."

"I foresee this conversation rapidly becoming a discussion about if I should make him a cape or a whole costume."

"We've had that conversation before."

"That's the problem."

He chuckled and took Colton's hand, leading them out to the elevators.

"Feels like yesterday, doesn't it."

"In some ways. And in other ways, it feels like a million years ago."

"I look back at us then and just see young and stupid."

"We weren't stupid, we were just naïve."

"We thought we could handle it."

"Remember how we thought we were such great bath givers…" she started with a wincing grin.

"And then that horrible day when we realized we'd missed his armpits and that's where the extra milk had been dribbling."

"So gross."

"So, so gross."

"No diaper was ever that bad."

"Definitely not."

They grinned together and looked down at Colton who was holding their hands and happily walking between them.

"Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"You bought him more new shoes?"

"He's growing!"

"You have an obsession with Chucks, honey. I declare intervention."

"They're plaid, how could I pass that up?"

"So we enable each other. Is that wrong?"

"I don't wanna be right."

"Yeah, that's never concerned you."

"You're feisty today."

"As opposed to?"

"Very true."

She smiled as the elevators doors opened to the fourth floor.

"Hey buddy, you're going to have to be quiet when we go in there, okay?" Adam said, crouching down and looking Colton in the eye. "Can you do that?"

"Shh," he answered, nodding his head.

Adam knocked on the door and opened it, finding Austin on the bed, holding both of her daughters while Danny fiddled with the TV.

"See mine!" Isa said enthusiastically, pointing at Sarah.

"I see!" Colton whispered loudly, lifting his arms up to Lindsay. She picked him up and he leaned over to look down at the baby.

"Sleepin'," he decided with a nod. "Hi Au'tin."

"Hi dude. You're very color un-coordinated today."

"Daddy dressed him," Lindsay explained, smoothing the wrinkle in his polo shirt. "He had a good idea, but I think he needs to take more lessons."

"I heard that," Adam said from the corner of the room where he and Danny were trying to figure out how to work the remote.

"Colton, do you want to hold the baby?" Austin asked while Isa crawled to the foot of the bed and peeked over the side. He smiled and Lindsay put him down on the bed and Austin helped him hold Sarah just right.

"Mama, baby Sa'ah pitty."

"Yeah, she is pretty huh?"

He nodded and smiled then looked over at Isa who was hanging half off the bed.

"What doin'?"

"She's just playing."

"I play."

Austin chuckled and took Sarah back while Lindsay lifted Colton onto the ground.

"Why don't you two play on the floor where you can't get hurt?" she suggested, taking Isa off the bed too. They giggled and immediately got down on their hands and knees to crawl under the bed.

"Hey kids, get off that floor, it's probably… ah, never mind."

Austin smirked and shook her head.

"Do they call moms like you lazy or easy going?"

"I believe it's something more akin to letting your child discover their environment naturally. In my case though I am just kinda lazy."

"Lazy she says, having been up since at least six this morning because she paid the bills and ran to the store and already put dinner in the oven."

"When did you start confusing me with Donna Reed?"

"I think I might still got some pain killers in me."

"Speaking of which, thanks for not dying."

"We're even now. Wanna hold the fruit of my labors?"

"I thought you were gonna call her the fruit of something else."

"Yeah, I guess I could have gone either way with that one."

"You never fail to amuse me. Now gimme that kid."

"Yes ma'am."

"Geez, you guys make cute babies."

"Classy Linds."

"What, you do!"

"And you don't?"

"Nah, we just got lucky with that one."

"How was Isa for you last night?"

"She was good."

"Except?"

"She had a little separation anxiety in the middle of the night."

"Was it bad?" Austin asked, wrinkling her nose at the thought of her daughter in discomfort.

"She cried a good while, but then we laid down on the couch and listened to AC/DC until she conked back out."

"Thanks for taking her all night. I was going to send Danny home, but I really needed him here last night."

"It wasn't a problem. Gave me an excuse to snuggle with her for a while. She doesn't let me do that very much anymore."

"She's never let anyone else do it at all, so you should feel special."

"I guess I do a little. We can take her again tonight if you want."

"Nah, Danny needs to go home and sleep in a real bed."

"You'll be okay here by yourself?"

"Yeah. Both grandmas are coming by later and Stella said she would swing by after her shift late tonight."

"You'll call me if the hospital heebie jeebies render you incapable of sleeping?"

"Yes, thank you."

"You guys need anything else?"

"I don't think so. I actually took a cue from you and planned ahead a little."

"Wow."

"I know. Danny was dumbfounded as well."

They talked for a while longer before Austin started to look like she needed some sleep.

"We'd better go," Lindsay said handing Sarah to Danny. "Colton can you give Isa hugs and say bye?"

"No bye!"

"Yeah buddy, we gotta go."

"Isa?"

"She's going to stay here."

"No!" he whined, cowering behind the door.

"Yes," Lindsay said sternly.

"No."

"Colton, you heard mama. Let's go."

He stared them both down for a moment, then jutted out his lower lip, looking at Isa and holding his hand out to her.

"Please?" he asked in the most pitiful voice he could muster.

"Maybe you guys can play tomorrow," Adam said, his voice light again. Colton grimaced and Isa mirrored his expression.

"Okay you two, very cute, but we gotta go. Say bye."

They took small steps and threw their arms around each other, chubby cheeks pressed together.

"I go bye," Colton said. Isa sighed and stuck her thumb in her mouth, her eyes big and wet with tears as Adam scooped his son off the ground. They said their goodbyes and both kids began to bawl, reaching for each other as they were separated. Colton kept up his antics even after they were in the elevator, and Lindsay reached up and gently put her hand over his mouth.

"I know you're sad and tired honey, but you need to settle down a little."

He hiccupped and sniffled, burying his face in Adam's shoulder while Lindsay's phone chirped.

"Austin says that Isa is standing by the door with her head on the wall crying," she reported, reading the text message.

"Ah family," Adam chuckled. "Nothing like it."