"This is it," Juliet said, knocking on one of the oversized hospital doors and letting herself in. Shawn watched with a sneaking smile as Juliet put her hand on her back to support herself. Solidly sitting at six months pregnant, his wife's big belly had become impossible to hide and she had finally found it in her to embrace the bump. Her deep red sweater hugged her belly tightly, making it difficult for Shawn to want to do anything other than rub her belly and feel their little bean swimming around.

Fortunately, the little bean seemed to have taken grace on Juliet, no longer using her stomach as a punching bag. Between that and the meds that the Baby Lady had given her, she was finally gaining weight appropriately and the doctors were no longer concerned about her size. Shawn felt relieved. Watching doctors worry about how nausea was affecting Juliet's appetite was giving him uncomfortable flashbacks to how worried all of her cancer doctors had been for her.

"Auntie Julie!" Lily said, running over and hugging Juliet's legs. "Spencer!" Shawn crouched down and gave the girl a fist bump before walking over to take a seat on the couch next to Gus and Selene.

Juliet gave her a hug to Marlowe who placed her hand on her belly and whispered something in her ear. Juliet smiled at her before leaning over to hug Lassiter who was sitting up a little straighter in his chair. Shawn hadn't seen Lassiter since he left the hospital, but from the daily reports Juliet was getting from Lassiter and Marlowe, he seemed to be doing well, much to Shawn's relief.

Shawn avoided eye contact with his father when Juliet went over to talk to him, smiling politely and nodding. She hugged him before coming to sit next to Shawn on the couch.

"You should talk to him," Juliet urged, gently. Shawn laughed awkwardly, wanting deeply to change the subject. He didn't want to talk to his father. He didn't want to hear what his father had to say about what a terrible dad he was going to make or what a disappointment he had turned out to be. He had heard it more than enough on Thanksgiving.

He knew Juliet wanted him to make amends with his dad. After all, his dad had always been there while hers had spent the better part of her childhood floating around from place to place without a care in the world, especially none about the three children he had abandoned. Shawn took Juliet's hand in his, kissed it, and focused on the conversation that was floating around the room.

"Sorry we're late!" Chief Vick said, walking through the door carrying a dish with Iris following close behind her.

Immediately, Lily was in Iris' arms, being swung around the room before they settled next to each other on Lassiter's bed. Shawn watched the two girls playing together, Lily whispering secrets loudly in Iris' ear. It was hard for Shawn to believe that in just three months there would be another little girl added to the pile- his little girl. His baby. He was having a baby. He was going to be a father. He still couldn't process it, no matter how many times he touched Juliet's belly and felt their baby kicking his palm.

"You're okay!" Marlowe said, taking the dish from Chief Vick's hands and putting it on the counter with all of the other food that everyone had brought. They were all having dinner together at the rehab center in honor of Lassie completing two weeks of therapy. He only had a little over a week to go at the center before he would be moved to a long-term facility.

Shawn felt the communal relief that everyone was feeling as they sat together. The last time this many of them were together was the day of Lassie's stroke, when they had all paced around the white walls of the hospital, waiting for a doctor to give them good news, which continued to not come. Shawn couldn't believe that they had made it past that first night. Or that first week. Or even that first month when Lassie had been intubated and he had watched the people he cared about most in this world constantly worrying, their minds miles away from their bodies, all focused on one of their own stuck in a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors, fighting for his life in a battle against his own brain.

Two therapists and a nurse walked into the room carrying a thick WWE-looking belt and a cane.

"You ready, Carlton?" the nurse said, walking towards Lassie with one of the therapists and snapping the belt around his waist.

"Yes," Lassie said, reaching out his arm to Marlowe. "I wanted to show you the progress I have made here." A small smile poked through his growing beard.

"One, two, three," the other therapist said, pulling Lassie up from the front as the nurse pushed him up from behind. Just like that, he was standing, more upright than Shawn had seen him since he was at the station the day before the stroke.

Everyone held their breath as Lassie took the cane from the nurse in his strong hand and leaned over onto the other therapist who had pulled up a rolling chair next to his leg.

"Alright, Carlton, you ready?" she asked, her hands on the brace that supported Lassie's ankle.

"Yes." Shawn could see his eyebrows burrowing with focus as he began to move forward. He moved his cane forward, then grunted slightly as the therapist moved his leg forward. Supported by the other therapist on one side and the nurse on his back, he moved his other leg forward to match. After a moment of regrouping, Lassie moved the cane forward again, the therapist moved his leg, and he took a step.

Shawn felt Juliet squeezing his arm and he patted the back of her hand. Lily jumped up off the bed and began dancing around the room "Daddy's walking! Daddy's walking!"

Marlowe laughed with anxious joy, letting Chief rub her back to calm her. "You're doing it, baby!" She said, happy tears collecting in the corner of her eyes.

He heard a soft squeaking from his other side and looked over to see Gus' contorted face. Shawn rolled his eyes. "Really, dude?"

"I can't help it, Shawn," Gus said, waving his hands in front of his face. "He's walking and everyone is so happy!"

"Did you bring the present?" Shawn whispered to Gus, who was trying to keep his sobs at bay.

"Yeah," He said, tipping his head back, "Selene put it behind the curtains."

"Bet."

"Don't say 'bet' Shawn."

Shawn was about to protest but was interrupted by Juliet standing up to stand next to Marlowe, using Shawn's hand as support as she pushed herself off the couch.

"Well, that is amazing," Juliet said, taking the attention in the room. She shot Shawn and Gus a look, indicating it was time for the present. Shawn rushed across the room, pulling out a long box with Christmas wrapping paper and a bow on it. "We got you something that we thought you could use."

"I can open it, Daddy!" Lily said, jumping up and grabbing the box out of Shawn's hands. He looked up at Juliet who was scrunching her nose at him, a smile forming on her lips.

They all watched Lily as she tore into the shiny red paper covered in snowflakes. Iris helped her open the box as Lily tossed shreds of wrapping paper over her shoulder.

"What is it, Bunny?" Lassie asked, still slumped on his therapist's shoulder. He looked like he was getting tired, the sheer act of standing exhausting him, but Shawn was nonetheless impressed. He had been standing for a good three minutes at this point and while it didn't seem like much, he also knew just how long it had been since he had been out of bed at all.

Lily reached into the box and pulled out a wooden cane with letters engraved on the length of it.

"What does it say?" Lily asked, holding it out for Iris to read to her.

"It says 'Suck It Stroke,'" she said, her face blushing as she looked up at her Mom.

"Suck it stroke?" Lily asked, running her fingers on the letters. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Shawn said, scooping Lily up into both arms, her giggles filling the room, "that the stroke that tried to beat up your Daddy lost because your Daddy is awesome and beat it. So the stroke can suck it!" Gus joined him in a quick song.

"But what is it?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Thank you for this," Marlowe said, glancing at her husband and laughing.

"A big yellow popsicle," Gus said, coming to his friend's rescue. "The kind that gets stuck on your tongue and gives you a brain freeze!"

"Yeah!" Lily said, wiggling out of Shawn's arms. She grabbed the cane off the bed and ran to give it to her dad, replacing the metal hospital cane that had been supporting his weight. "Suck a popsicle, stupid stroke!"

A few heads dropped into hands as a collective laugh rang through the room. Carlton took a few more steps back towards the chair and was eased into a sitting position by the team that was helping him walk.

"Thank you," Lassie said to the women as they helped position him back in the chair and left the group to continue on with their festivities, "And thank you for this. And for coming. All of you."

"Of course, Lassie face!" Shawn said, holding out his hand for a fist bump which his best friend quickly met.

"Nailed it!" Gus sang into Shawn's ear, who quickly got out of the way of his friend blowing into his face.

"What is this, the glaucoma test?" Shawn said, swatting Gus from his personal bubble.

"Boys!" Juliet and Henry said at the same time. Shawn crossed his arms, annoyed at being reprimanded by his father in front of everyone.

"Can we eat?" Gus asked, unphased. "I'm starving!"

"Yes!" Marlowe said, motioning to the food on the counter. "There's plenty of food! Everyone eat up!"