Despite the short distance, Lee insisted on driving Nathan, Elizabeth, and little Lexi to the house next door. Despite the late hour, none were surprised to see a light coming from the sitting room window. As Vincent had been sent over earlier in the evening, Grace would know the situation. She at least was waiting for news.

Thanking Lee for the ride, Nathan and Elizabeth climbed from the car and headed toward the house. Lexi was in Elizabeth's arms while Nathan carried the formula. Stepping inside, the two heard footsteps running toward them. Vincent made an appearance just as Nathan closed the door behind them. Grace and Ally both followed in a calmer manner.

"Is Mom alright?" Vincent asked, a desperation in his voice. Elizabeth got it. The boy had already lost one set of parents. Losing a second mother would be devastating for him.

"Your mother is stable and Dr. Shepherd thinks she should make a full recovery if given plenty of rest," Elizabeth replied, relieved that she could give him mostly good news. "You also have a baby sister," she added, nodding toward the bundle she held in her arms.

Though listening to the conversation, Ally made her way to Nathan as she entered. Placing the formula down on the nearby table, the father opened his arms for his daughter, holding her in a comforting embrace.

Vincent's tense shoulders eased at the news as he stepped forward to see the new baby. "Did they use the name that was picked out?" the teen asked, as he looked down at the sleeping little girl.

"Alexandria Leah," Elizabeth confirmed, watching the look of awe on the boy's face be replaced by a smile.

"Hi, Alexandria. I'm your big brother, Vincent," he said softly.

The infant opened her eyes briefly before closing them again. Clearly sleep was more important than meeting her new brother.

"Would you like to hold her?" Elizabeth asked.

Vincent looked up at her as he took a step back. "I've never held a baby before," he admitted.

Elizabeth smiled. "This is the perfect time then," she told him. The late hour did not matter. It was clear her mother and the two teens had been waiting up for news and though he couldn't see his parents, she could give Vincent a little time with his new sister before sending him to bed. "Let's go into the sitting room," she instructed, deciding that having the boy sitting for his first experience of holding an infant would be best.

"I am going to get Ally tucked into her bed," Nathan said.

"Okay," Elizabeth replied as she led Vincent and her mother into the sitting room.

Sitting down on the settee, Elizabeth waited for Vincent to settle down beside her. Grace took a seat in the nearby wingback chair. Her teacher instincts coming to the foreground once again, Elizabeth instructed Vincent on how to support the infant as she placed Alexandria in his arms. Both women saw the awe and love on the teen's face.

"A year ago, I was resigned to leaving New Hope Orphanage without any family. Now, not only do I have a mother and father but a little sister as well," Vincent said quietly, his eyes focused on the precious bundle he held.

"I think you are going to make a great big brother," Elizabeth told him.

There was silence for a bit before Vincent looked up at Elizabeth. "How long will Alexandria be staying with you, Mrs. Grant? Will I stay as well?"

"We'll keep Alexandria for however long Dr. Shepherd thinks it is beneficial to your mother's recovery. As for where you will be staying, that will be a subject we will all discuss tomorrow after everyone gets some sleep," Elizabeth told him. "Even if you do end up spending a few nights with us, you should be able to go see your mother in the morning. She was asking about you."

"That's a mother's love. Concerned about your child's health when you should be more focused on your own."

Grace smiled. "I couldn't have put that better myself, young man," she praised.

Elizabeth nodded her agreement. The next few days would be busy, but Elizabeth didn't mind at all as long as Faith made a quick recovery.

Whether it was the late night or the extra distance for those sleeping upstairs, the only two awakened by Alexandria's cries through the night were Nathan and Elizabeth. As she was only disturbed once by the infant's cries, the latter had a feeling her husband had woken up quicker and taken care of the infant. As it was, it was almost ten a.m. by the time Elizabeth climbed from bed, the rest of the household already going about their day. Both Grace and Nathan simply informed her that she needed her rest.

Jack was not impressed by the temporary member of the household. More than once, in his simplistic ways, Jack complained that the baby was too noisy, too smelly, and took up too much room. Elizabeth had a feeling the last complaint was directed more toward the infant growing inside of her rather than Alexandria. Even so, it didn't change the fact that they had a difficult five-year-old on their hands along with the infant. Ally's comment that Alexandria had a set of lungs on her like she remembered Jack having the first time she had spent the night with Elizabeth had ignited a tantrum from the little boy. Though it served to prove Ally's point, no one pointed that fact out.

Charlotte returned to the Kinslows' home early the next morning. Though Gabriel had already made breakfast for Faith, Carson and himself, Charlotte insisted on taking care of the clean-up. Faith had remained stable overnight, and ate a decent amount for breakfast. Carson felt comfortable enough leaving her in Charlotte and Gabriel's care, promising to check in that evening. Nathan, who had brought Vincent over to see his parents, offered the doctor a ride home. Feeling weary after the long night, Carson gratefully accepted.

Though currently furnished with a hodgepodge collection of secondhand furniture, Carson and Dahlia had packed up their belongings from the hotel and moved into the row house vacated by the Kinslows. Carson was thankful to be away from the activity of main street and the hotel while attempting to sleep during the day. After giving his wife, who was sitting at the table making lists of things that needed to be done, a kiss and a brief account of Faith and the baby, the doctor headed upstairs. He didn't even bother changing from his clothes, instead just flopping down on the bed.

When he woke up later in the day, Carson found that his wife had removed his shoes at some point. The sight made him smile. It had been a long time since he had someone to look out for him in that way, and Carson found that he really enjoyed it.

Heading downstairs, Carson discovered an empty house. He looked around for a note but couldn't find one. That alone made the doctor think that his wife had not gone far. A quick glance out of the back window showed that she wasn't there. Turning, he headed for the front door, hoping to find his wife, or someone who might know about her whereabouts. Stepping onto the front stoop, Carson looked first left and then right. Two houses down, he spotted his wife and the twins from the youth home, he couldn't remember their names off the top of his head. The boys were scrubbing the row house they stood in front of, and Dahlia appeared to be supervising the task.

Carson headed in their direction. As he approached her Dahlia looked in his direction.

"You look better rested. Did you sleep well?" Dahlia asked, even as she looked back at the boys.

"I did," Carson replied as he stepped up beside her. Wrapping his arm around Dahlia's waist, he gave his wife a quick kiss. "What is going on here?" he asked.

Before Dahlia could reply the boys spoke up.

"She caught us throwing eggs at the houses," one boy stated.

"So she's making us clean it," the other chimed in.

"This is the last place, so go ahead and finish so, Mr. Montclair doesn't have to come back into town to pick you up," Dahlia told them, motioning for them to return to their task.

Carson bit his lip to keep from laughing as the boys heaved a big sigh but returned to their scrubbing.

"Apparently, they snuck out of the mercantile while Edward was picking up groceries for the youth home with eggs they were supposed to be holding for purchase. Albert had accidentally knocked over a display and Edward was helping clean it up. I heard the egg hit our front window and though these two tried to hide when I came out, I was the queen of Hide and Seek as a kid and located them. I put them to work cleaning and asked Opal to head into town to let someone know they were out here. When Edward came out, I told him I would keep them occupied while they finished their tasks in town."

Carson shook his head. "I don't envy Frank and Edward the task of keeping tabs on five boys. I know how much of a handful my brother and I were growing up."

"Being a handful isn't necessarily just a boy thing," Dahlia commented. "My mother said I was as much trouble as all of her brothers put together."

Carson chuckled at the new bit of information he had gained about his wife.

The boys finished their cleaning just as Edward and Frank rolled up in the wagon. Both men offered apologies to Dahlia who waved them off. "This broke up the monotony of my day," she told them.

As the wagon with all seven occupants and supplies for the youth home rolled off, Dahlia and Carson headed back toward their own home.

"When do you think we could make that trip to Brookfield?" Dahlia asked, a wistful tone to her voice.

"You are anxious to be a mother, aren't you?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," Dahlia said.

"You don't need to be sorry," Carson assured her.

"Being a wife and a mother was all I ever dreamed of doing with my life. When I became a wife, I thought the second would follow. When it didn't, I questioned what my purpose was. When it became clear that Pierre didn't want to be a father to any child that wasn't his, I worked hard to be satisfied being a good wife to him."

"You were," Carson assured her.

"I guess now that the opportunity of being a mother is once again before me, I am afraid that if I wait too long it will pass me by again."

They had reached their home and Carson opened the door for his wife. "As soon as I am satisfied that Faith is on her way to a full recovery we will make a trip to Brookfield," he assured her as she walked past him and through the door.

Dahlia smiled. "That sounds good to me," she replied. "In the meantime, let me get you something to eat. I am sure you are hungry after sleeping a good part of the day."

"I won't say no to a filling meal cooked by my wonderful wife," Carson replied as he followed her into the house.

For the next week, Nathan and Elizabeth took care of Alexandria while Faith continued to recover from the complications during the delivery. Vincent split his time between being at home and being at the Grants, helping with his baby sister. Charlotte spent her days at the Kinslows, ordering Gabriel to either spend time with his daughter or check in on things in the office. When he came home at supper time, he sent Charlotte home and cared for Faith himself.

Carson checked in daily and was pleased with Faith's progress. A week after Alexandria was born, he told Faith and Gabriel that they could bring their daughter home whenever they felt ready though he still wanted Faith on bed rest for a while longer. Insisting that she had missed enough of her daughter's short life, Faith sent her husband to bring Alexandria home immediately.

Charlotte continued to come out to the Kinslow's home during the day. Between her and Vincent, Faith and Alexandria were taken care of during the day. Ally was often sent over with baked goods from Grace and Elizabeth. When Gabriel came home from work, he took over, though he was thankful that Charlotte always had supper prepared for his family.

Nathan and Elizabeth both stopped by frequently to check on the new parents. Faith and Gabriel were always thankful to see their friends. Along with companionship, experiences of raising a young child were shared.

Once given word that she was strong enough for visitors, the women of Hope Valley started stopping in to visit Faith and see the new baby. Faith was happy to have the stream of visitors as it helped the days pass more quickly.

Satisfied that Faith was out of danger, Carson followed through with his promise to take Dahlia to Brookfield. Borrowing Henry's car, the couple made the drive to New Hope Orphanage. Abigail asked to tag along with them, wanting to visit the friends she had made in the town she had been calling home. Carson and Dahlia happily accepted her company on the drive.

When they arrived at the Orphanage, Grace had most of the children out on a nature hike. The one exception was Mary Louise who had said she would rather stay behind with the farm animals. Benson, Smoky, and Virginia had been joined by a second cow, a flock of chickens, and a black cat who had taken up residence in the barn that had been built on the property. Named Midnight by the children, the cat had given birth to a litter of four kittens a few weeks before. Along with taking care of Virginia and Clover, the second cow, Mary Louise had been spending time with the kittens, stating that they needed to be handled so they could become good pets for whoever adopted them.

Carson opted to sit on the porch and relax while Dahlia and Abigail went inside to visit with Lillian and Eleanor until the children got home. Eleanor brought him out some lemonade, a sandwich, and cookies before joining the other ladies for tea. Dahlia found Lillian easy to talk to, and shared about Pierre and her desire for a child.

"I know we are both getting on in years, but Carson and I think we could still offer a child a good home," Dahlia said.

Lillian smiled. "I've seen Carson with children before. I always thought he should be a father. Any child would be lucky to call the two of you their parents."

"Thank you," Dahlia said.

Lillian looked at the clock. "I should go check on Mary Louise," she said getting to her feet. "I shouldn't be long."

The others nodded and Eleanor, Dahlia and Abigail continued conversing as Lillian headed for the front door. Opening it, she took a step outside and immediately paused. Carson was still seated in his chair, but he had been joined by Mary Louise. The girl was sitting on the doctor's lap telling him about how she cared for the animals. As the child had captured Carson's full attention, neither bothered to look in Lillian's direction.

Going back into the house, she motioned for the other three women to come with her. Together, the four women stood just outside the door taking in the scene.

"I think someone has already captured Carson's heart," Dahlia remarked quietly.

"I believe you are right," Abigail said.

Though she still wanted to meet the other children, Dahlia thought her husband and Mary Louise made a charming pair. Excusing herself quietly from the group of women, she made her way over to where her husband sat, wanting to get to know the girl herself.