A/N: Thank you to all you readers for always being supportive and respectful and never hiding behind having no account in order to tell me that I suck and am the worst person on the planet. I am never writing anything for this fandom again, except this story. Nothing else is safe. People are evil and mean and selfish and childish and… well anyway, that's all.

"Mama, I am done with my test!" Colton announced from the dining room. "I even checked all my answers. Can I come in there?"

"Yep, just put your test on the counter so we don't lose it."

He hopped off his chair and took the test over to the counter and set his pencil next to it. They had all decided together that he didn't need to go back to school, but he could finish up his schoolwork at home. He kind of liked it this way, at least for a little while. It was fun to have mama and daddy teach him things and he liked being able to spend time with them after Avery and Ben were asleep. But he would be ready to go back to his regular school after the summer, and see his friends.

"So what's goin' on out here?" he asked joining Lindsay and Ben in the living room.

"We is jus' foldin' all this clothes piles and watchin' this show 'bout aminals in the ocean. That's what me and mama watch together."

"Can I watch too?"

"Yup! You can fold the big towels."

"Okay Ben. Where's Aves?"

"She was just here a second ago," Lindsay sighed, matching a pair of socks. "Averylin, where are you?"

They heard giggling from the laundry room and Lindsay waited to see of there was going to be more of an answer. There wasn't.
"Honey, what are you doing in there? Are you spilling soap again?"

"Ah mama. See Avery!"

The three of them stood up and went into the laundry room to investigate Avery's latest escapade. She was sitting in one of the laundry baskets, wearing just her diaper, and one of Lindsay's nylons on her head.

"Aves, you look like a robber!" Colton laughed, looking at her smushed face.

"Mama, she gots daddy's socks on her fat legs!" Ben giggled. "Lookit how her legs is more fatter at the top!"

Avery giggled and poked at her chubby legs then grabbed the top of the nylon, trying to pull it off. All it did was stretch out and in one moment, her face went from amused and adventurous to scared and sad.

"She's stuck!" Colton squealed, clapping his hands. "Loot at her face! It's okay Aves, don't cry. This is funny!"

He ran into the other room, grabbing Lindsay's phone and bringing it back to take a picture of his little sister's predicament.

"You are so crazy Aves," he said as she tried again to get the nylon off. It didn't budge and she let out a scream of frustration, slamming her fists against the laundry basket.

"Okay, okay, I'll help you," Lindsay said, holding back her own laughter and taking the nylon off of Avery's head. "There, is that better?"

"No funny," she replied, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"We won't laugh at you anymore. Do you want to take daddy's socks off your legs?"

"No! Mine."

"Okay, whatever. Maybe it's time for some lunch."

"I like lunch," Ben noted as they all went into the kitchen. "Like dinner better, but I like lunch more'n breakfast."

"So your day just gets better and better," Colton deduced, climbing up onto the barstool.

"Yep, it do. What are we eatin' mama?"

"I don't know, what do you want?"

"We can have leftover spagatanni granna maked a'fore she goed home?" Ben asked, opening the fridge and pointing to the covered glass bowl. "I like that stuff. Gots real live 'matoes in it."

"Live tomatoes, huh?" Lindsay chuckled, pulling the dish out of the fridge.

"Yup. Like the tomato Bob, from our movies."

"Oh, I see. What else should we have with our lunch?"

"Bread and some fruit," Colton suggested, watching Avery as she spun in a slow circle.

Lindsay put the spaghetti in a pot to heat up, then found some fruit in the fridge and washed it.

"Hey mama? Where am I goin' this afternoon?" Colton asked, seeing his name and a time on the calendar. "To the lawyer again?"

"No, today you're going to go talk to my friend Emily. She's a doctor."

"Am I sick?"

"No, she's a different kind of doctor. Remember how sometimes my brain gets sick? Emily is the doctor that helps me to fix it."

"My brain is not sick, mama."

"I know. She's just going to tell us what we can do to make things easier for you."

"What do I have to do?"

"She just wants to talk to you."

"And she made you better before right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I could talk to her. Does she have candy?"

"Actually, yes she does."

"Well that is what we in the biz like to call a fair trade."

Lindsay snickered and walked across the room to hug him.

"I'm really proud of you, Colton."

"That's what everybody keeps sayin'."

"You're a very brave boy."

"I think so too. Could I have milk to drink?"

She chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair. He was going to be just fine.

"You got a pretty nice place here, Miss Emily," Colton said with a nod as he sat down on the couch. "No wonder my mama likes it here."

"Well thank you, Colton."

"Mama said you want to talk to me. About everything that happened and stuff."

"If you want to. If you don't feel like it, we can talk about some other things."

He sat back in his chair and tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment.

"Could I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can, Colton."

"I would like to know why you grew up to be a doctor like this."

"No one's ever asked me that question before. Why would you like to know?"

"Because I am gonna grow up and be a doctor for kids. And I want to know because you are a doctor for minds. And I never thinked about that before."

"I just wanted to do something that would help people. I was going to be a doctor like you want to be, but then I found out that I liked this kind of being a doctor even better. I like to talk to people and help them with their problems."

"Oh! That's just like me! Except I want to fix their hurts too. Mama says that everyone needs both kinds of doctors."

"Yeah, she's right."

"Have you ever talked to a kid that got hurt by someone before?"

"Yes, I have."

"Were they scared?"

"Yes, they were. It's okay to be scared. Getting hurt by a grownup is probably the scariest thing a kid can go through."

"Okay. Sometimes I have scared times. Like right before I go to sleep. And right when I wake up. I think sometimes that the man will come back. My head knows he won't because he is in jail, but sometimes it forgets and it makes me scared."

"That's perfectly normal, Colton. It's good for you to remind yourself that it's all over and you can't get hurt again."

"I feel better when I tell myself that in my head."

She nodded and made a little note on her paper.

"Miss Emily, are you gonna tell my mama and daddy what I am saying?"

"I won't tell them anything you don't want them to know."

"Could you keep a secret for me?"

"Sure."

"I don't like how everybody keeps saying they are all proud of me and that I am brave and stuff."

"Why not? Do you think you're not brave?"

"No, I know I am brave. I just think that other people are even braver. And they don't have to keep sayin' it, even though they are bein' nice. And I like that they are proud, but it makes me feel funny when they say it because I didn't even do nothing much. I just sitted there the whole time. I didn't do a thing."

"Maybe they are proud of you because of how well you're handling it."

"But I am just bein' me. Bein' proud should be for something special. Like if I had arrested that man myself. Or if I had escaped. Or if I didn't let Isa fall and get hurt."

"Does it bother you that Isa fell and got hurt?"

He nodded vigorously as a few tears sprang to his eyes.

"She was wearin' a thing on her arm for a while. Because it was hurt. She was tryin' so hard to save me and she got hurt. They should all be proud of her for doin' her best and tellin' them what the man looked like. Isa is the brave one. Not me."

"You really love Isa, don't you?"

"She is my best friend. If someone taked her, I would be so sad and mad and scared. But she runned and telled my mama and was brave for a lot of days while I was gone."

"Did you tell her all this?"

"No, she doesn't like when people compliment her. Maybe I should tell her anyway?"

"I think it might be a good idea."

"I will do that next time I see her."

"That's a good plan."

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Absolutely."

"When will my life be all regular again?"

"I don't know that it will go back to being the same, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a bad life. What do you want to change?"

"Well, I am the big brother. Ben and Aves, they are the littler kids. It is my job to help them and give them advice and just be a good big brother, you know? But sometimes in the night Ben wakes up and he checks on me. And he asks me if I am okay. But I am the big brother, so I should check on him, right?"

"Not necessarily. You might be the big brother, but being a brother means that you both take care of each other. Don't you think it's good that Ben wants to take care of you? It means that you've been a good brother and you've taught him well."

"Hey yeah! I never thought of that before! That's okay for Ben to check on me then. And now he can be a good big brother for Aves! That is somethin' that they can be proud of me for. I am a good big brother."

Emily gave him a smile and his legs swayed back and forth on the couch for a moment.

"You know what? I really want that man to go to jail. Really a lot. He hurt my daddy and he hurt me. And I think he should go to jail forever. But that is not being very forgiving, is it?"

"That man needs to be punished for what he did, whether you forgive him or not."

"Just like how when I get a time out, mama and daddy forgive me for what I done?"

"Yes, just like that."

"Okay. I didn't understand that before. I forgive him then because I don't want any hate in my heart. It makes my heart heavy and then it can't be used as good for loving."

Emily sat in near shock. She'd had so many patients, adults that still held onto things that happened to them, people who could not grasp this concept and their lives were spiraling out of control because of it. And here was this seven year old boy, so wise and so set on forgiveness. It was the first time in a while that she had felt this kind of tenderness towards someone. She would never forget this moment, ever.

"What time are you getting up in the morning?" Lindsay asked with a yawn, pulling the blankets up higher.

"Six. Do you want to go with me?"

She sighed and shook her head. She did feel like going to the first hearing about the case in the morning, but she didn't want to leave the kids, even for a few hours, and even with Austin. She still needed them very close and was glad that Mac had been so accommodating with their schedules.

"I want to be there to support you, but I just can't leave the kids right now."

"I know. I think it's probably better for you to stay with them anyway."

"You don't feel alone, do you?"

"No. We're working together to make everything okay. Sometimes we have to divide and conquer."

She chuckled and snuggled against him feeling a lot more bonded to him than she had in the last week. It had been hard to cope with everything and they were burning the candle at both ends, having no time for each other. Things hadn't been tense between them, but the laughter that was so foundational to their relationship had been lacking, causing a lot of the other things to peter off as well. In one way it was good, it forced them to bond in different ways, and to work for their relationship. But in other ways it was simply draining and depressing.

"You miss your mom?" he asked softly, playing with the ends of her hair.

"Yeah. This is the first time, I think. Usually when she's gone I miss her for a few hours. This time is different. I called her twice today and she called me once."

"I'm glad you're Lady Chatterly's again. I know how hard it was for you to have that wall up."

"I think it was even harder on her. I can't imagine if Avery carried around that kind of resentment towards me. It wasn't very fair. I can't take back how I felt, but I wish I would have talked it all out with her a lot sooner."

"Do you feel like everything is better?"

"Much better. I'm sure there will be things that we discover later, but right now, I don't think either one of us could be happier."

"That's what I like to hear."

"I'm sorry I was so angry with her for such a long time. It wasn't a good example for the kids."

"Maybe the point of it wasn't what you did wrong, but how you fixed it later. I think those are the more important lessons."

"Like when you burned the burgers and made them into Salisbury steak instead?"

"Exactly like that."

She chuckled and sat up a little, looking down at him with a smile.

"Have I told you lately how happy I am that I married you?"

"No, but I've always known. And the feeling is mutual, believe me."

She smiled and ran her hand gently over his chest, letting her eyes find his for just a moment.

"Are the kids asleep?" he whispered, raising an eyebrow. She gave a short nod and a smile.

"Yes they are, sound asleep. What do you think we should do with this freedom?"

"I don't know, so many options."

"Want to draw out of a hat?"

He chuckled and slid his fingers through her hair.

"I love you, Lindsay."

"I love you too."

"You gonna kiss me or what?"

She laughed and leaned down slowly to oblige. It took a few minutes to find the perfect rhythm they were comfortable with, and after so long with nothing there were a few giggling stumbles before they were able to relax in it. It was gentle and intentional but moving slowly, just cherishing each other for a stolen moment.

Then they heard the sound of frantic feet running up to their door and they barely had time to break the kiss before their door flew open and Colton ran into the room, screaming and crying, unable to speak and barely breathing. He seemed disoriented and Lindsay got out of bed, catching him before he crashed into the dresser.

"Colton, honey it's mama. You're okay."

His small body was shaking and while the screams stopped, the sobbing continued ferociously. In one second he clung to her and in another he tried to get away. He was fully awake but didn't seem to know what he wanted and she scooped him up, taking him over to the bed and settling him in the middle. His crying continued until they both wrapped around him tightly, whispering reassurances that everything was okay.

"Calm down sweetie. You need to breathe. In your nose and out your mouth."

He obeyed her instructions and found himself calming down a lot, even though he was still afraid.

"Daddy."

"I'm right here, buddy. You're safe."

"I'm scared. I don't want that man to come back. I don't want any other people to get me either. I feel like someone is watchin' me all the time. I don't want to be by myself because someone will take me. I am not brave! Not at all! I am just scared!"

"It's okay, son," Adam assured firmly. "There is nothing wrong with being scared. Everyone gets scared sometimes. Mama and I get scared, Danny and Austin get scared, soldiers and firemen and other heroes get scared. There's nothing wrong with it and it doesn't mean you're not brave."

"I don't like bein' scared. It's just scary."

"I know, buddy."

"Can you please make me not scared anymore?"

"We can't do that, son. The only thing we can do is be there for you when you are scared. And mama and I will always be there for you. All you have to do is ask us."

"Could I please sleep here tonight? I am too scared to sleep by my ownself."

"Yes, you can sleep in here."

He took a deep breath and nodded, reaching up to wipe his face.

"Honey, do you want a drink of water?"

"Yes please, mama."

She kissed his cheek and stood up from the bed while Colton cuddled up to Adam.

"Daddy?" he asked, once Lindsay had left the room. "Granna told me somethin' 'bout mama. She said that when mama was a teenager somethin' bad happened to her. Do you know about that, daddy?"

"Yes, I do."

"Is it the reason mama gets sad and has bad dreams?"

"Part of it, yes."

"What happened?"

"I can't tell you that. It's mama's story. Just know that she and I both understand, okay?"

"Okay daddy."

They laid there silently for a few minutes until Lindsay returned, handing Colton a cup of water. He sat up and drank most of it, then handed it back to her.

"Thank you, mama. I think if you both cuddle me, I could go back to sleep now."

They all settled in together and in just a few minutes, he was asleep again. His breathing was even and he seemed so calm and content.

"Do you remember when he went through that stage when he was a couple weeks old where he wouldn't sleep in his cradle? And we'd lay here like this for hours with him and he'd just stare at us?"

"Yeah."

"I remember holding his hands and wondering who he really was, what he was going to be. And we always talked about how much we loved him and how it couldn't really be put into words."

"It's weird to think that that little tiny baby grew up into such a funny, loving, smart little boy."

"I'd like to say that we did a good job, but I think he was destined to be this way."

"I can't believe he's ours. We get to be his parents. No one else will ever know him the way we do."

Adam smiled and reached over to hold her hand.

"I know you're scared, about how this is going to turn out, honey. I know there's a lot of unknowns about how he's going to get through this and what's going to happen with my father. But I want you to know that no matter what, we're going to be together. All of us. Even if we're not okay."

"I know."

"I think we've been together pretty much since the day we met."

She chuckled and squeezed his hand.

"I think so too."

"Get some sleep. Life starts again bright and early in the morning."