Part 24A ********************** Max looked down at Liz and Leah as he wheeled them out of the hospital in a wheel chair. “Ready?” Liz nodded, eager to get back home. “Let’s get outta here.” As Max pushed them down the hall, one of the nurses looked down from her chart, placing a hand on her hip as she raised an eyebrow at them. “This can’t be what it looks like, can it?” Liz grinned, proudly holding Leah in her arms. “Yep. They discharged me a little while ago. We can finally go home now.” The nurse leaned down so that she was at eye level with Liz. She pulled back the little blanket that covered Leah, sighing as she faced with the beauty of the baby girl. “Well, we’re gonna miss you guys. You certainly know how to keep us on our toes.” She winked. Liz felt her cheeks pinken when she was reminded of how much crying she had done while at the hospital. She just wanted to bury her head in the sand. She smiled, placing her hand on the nurse’s arm. “Well, we’ll miss you guys too, won’t we Leah?” Leah threw up a fist, yawning as she tried to snuggle back into the warmth of the blanket. They all laughed. “Looks like the little one is ready to go home.” The nurse touched Leah’s cheek softly before standing up and moving out of the way. “Bye, bye beauty.” Liz chuckled. “Yeah, well I’m sure you say that to every baby here.” “No. Not every baby. I have to say, in the years that I’ve worked on this ward, I have yet to see a beautiful baby like her. She’s gonna have that dark hair growing in. Cute little nose, pouty little lips, oh, and the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. Almost like they’re specked with gold.” Liz felt the smile creeping across her face as the nurse praised Leah’s beauty. She wasn’t a shallow person, but she had just thought that she was biased when it came to her own daughter. Same went with her friends and family, but somehow hearing it from an outside source made it a little more credible. “Thank you.” The nurse waved goodbye, watching as the Evans family walked away. **************** After arriving home from the hospital, Max, Liz and, Leah were greeted by a wonderful welcome home party from their friends and family. Jade peered over the side of Leah’s crib, listening as Noah introduced them. “.......and Leah, this is my friend Jade. And over there is Dexter and Damian, but they’re a little shy.” Jade’s pretty face scrunched up as she looked down at Leah, then to Noah. She tugged on Noah’s shirt sleeve. “Noah, she doedn’t do nuthin’. All she does is nap.” Her face turned serious. “That’s not fun.” Noah shrugged his shoulders, leaning over to touch Leah’s little fist. “But isn’t she pretty? She looks like my momma.” Jade scowled, crossing her arms over her chest, watching Noah fawn over his baby sister. “I’m purtie too,” she whispered under her breath. ************ As the day wore on, everyone went home, leaving the new family together for the first time. Max stripped down to his boxers, getting ready for bed. “How did you like your welcome home?” Liz stuck her head out of the bathroom, throwing a flying kiss to Max. “I’d loved it, honey. Thank you.” Max laughed. “Yeah, well you can thank Isabel. She was the one that orchestrated the whole thing. Alex said that she focused on the party instead of how painful it was going to be when she actually has the baby.” Liz stepped out of her clothes, laughing along with Max. As she reached for her nightgown, her eyes almost bugged out of her head when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She turned sideways, getting a glimpse of her newly acquired assets. “Holy cow! Where did these come from?” “Did you say something?” Max called out, walking towards the bathroom. Liz hurriedly yanked on her nightgown, feeling a little awkward at having Max seeing her naked. She knew it was ridiculous since he had seen her naked a million times over, and considering he had seen everything while she had given birth, but she just wasn’t ready for him to see her like this. He leaned against the doorframe casually. “Everything okay?” She nodded, slipping past him. “Let’s just go to bed.” ******************* Liz sat up groggily as she heard Leah’s cries coming in through the monitor. She stood up, pulling on her robe as she trekked down to the nursery. She fumbled with the switch, blinking back against the sudden flood of light. Before she stepped into the room, a small gasp made it’s way past her lips at the sight she saw in front of her. Sleeping on the floor in the nursery was Noah, who was curled up in his blanket. Right beside him was Max, who had his arm wrapped tightly around Noah. Noah stood up, not even realizing that Liz was standing at the door. He walked over to the crib, a finger to his lips as he looked down at Leah. “Shhh.....you’ll wake up momma and daddy.” Max sat up, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. “It’s ok, little man,” he yawned. “I’ve got her.” He stood up, picking up Leah from her crib, gently cradling her in his arms. Liz threw a hand over her mouth, not wanting to disturb the scene in front of her. Max looked absolutely gorgeous holding tiny Leah in his arms, her little body cradled against his bare chest. The drawstring pajama bottoms he was wearing were slung low off of his hips as he swayed back and forth, softly humming to a Stevie Wonder song. He walked to the window seat, making himself comfortable as he continued to hold Leah. He looked over to Noah, waving him over with his hand. Noah ran to Max, jumping to sit next to him. He lay his head softly on Max’s shoulder, as the soft hum of Max’s baritone voice filled the room as he sang softly to his children. “And though you don't believe that they do.....They do come true.....For did my dreams......Come true when I looked at you.” He touched both the tip of Noah’s and Leah’s noses as he sang that last part, smiling as he continued to sing. “And maybe too, if you would believe.....You too might be...... Overjoyed, over loved, over me.” When he finished singing, he kissed both of the children’s foreheads, whispering softly. “Sleep tight, little ones.” Liz stepped into the room then, making her presence known. “Max...” Part 24B ********************** “Max....” Max looked up at the sound of Liz’s voice, startled to see her standing there. “How long have you been there?” he asked softly. She stepped further into the room, her hands clasped behind her back. “Long enough for me to fall in love with you all over again.” Max felt his skin flush, his head hanging low. Liz moved to stand over him, her hands running through his dark locks. She kissed the top of his head, her fingers playing at the ends of his hair where they curled around his neck. “You are the sweetest man alive. Thank you.” She gave his shoulders a squeeze before pulling back to take Leah in her arms. She walked over to the rocking chair where she whispered softly to her. “You’re one lucky little lady, you know that? You’ve got two amazing guys looking out for you.” She kissed Leah’s dark head, inhaling her sweet baby scent. Max pulled Noah against him, trying to keep him comfortable. He couldn’t help but smile at the picture they all made in Leah’s room. It was funny how they all ended up here, tonight, adjusting to each other’s needs. He sighed, picking up Noah’s blanket to wrap him around in it. He moved to lay by Liz’s feet, one arm wrapped around Noah, his other hand, gently running over Liz’s smooth calves. The soft melodic sound of Liz’s humming, lulling them to sleep. ******************* Maria peered over Liz’s shoulder, taking a peek at Leah. “Aww, she’s so gorgeous. I want one.” She sighed, sinking heavily next to Isabel on the couch. Liz chuckled. “It isn’t all peaches and cream. Between Max and me, we’ve hardly gotten any sleep since Leah’s come home.” Courtney laughed. “Well, if you’re ever in a nurturing mood, you can feel free to take the boys for a test drive,” she joked. Without any notice, Isabel looked over her expending belly, bawling like a baby. Maria’s eyes were wide as she reached over to rub Isabel’s back. “What’s wrong, honey?” Isabel wiped away at her tears, her jaw trembling as she attempted to speak. “I can’t see my feet.” Noah looked up from where he was coloring on the floor. He dropped his crayon, crawling to Isabel. He placed a hand on her feet, smiling up at her. “It’s okay, auntie Iz. They’re still there.” He gave her the biggest grin he could muster before crawling back to where he was coloring. Liz handed Leah to Maria as she stood up, wiping her hands on her dress. “I’m going into the kitchen. You guys want anything?” Isabel perked up at the sound of the word kitchen, her momentary bout of tears forgotten. “Oooh, you guys have any ice cream?” Liz placed her hands on her hips, raising a playful eyebrow at Isabel. “Isabel, you’re talking to me here. I live with a six year old, and a husband who has the biggest sweet tooth known to man. Not to mention, I’ve just had a baby. What the heck kind of a question is that?” Receiving a grin from Isabel, Liz smiled, after reaching her desired effect. “I’ll be right back.” She went into the kitchen, turning on the faucet to wash her hands. She slipped off her rings, placing them on top of the windowsill as she lathered her hands. Max walked in the door, his bag slung over his shoulder. “Afternoon, sweetheart. How are you doing?” He kissed the back of Liz’s neck, his nose nuzzling her ear. Liz giggled against him. “Good. But you know, you shouldn’t be here. It’s girl’s night, and the girls aren’t gonna be too happy if they catch you in here.” Max pulled away, holding up his hands in defeat. “Relax, I just came home to say hi to my family, get a change of clothes and head down to Michael’s.” Liz wiped her hands with a towel, smiling. “You guys watching a game or something?” He grinned at her mischievously. “Or something.” Liz lurched forward, tickling Max’s side. “Max Evans, you better not let those boys get you into any trouble, you hear?” Taking a gulp of air, Max nodded. “Promise.” He turned Liz to face the refrigerator where he knew she was originally headed. With her back turned, Max discreetly grabbed Liz’s rings from the windowsill, pocketing them as he walked through the house. “I’ll see you later, babe.” Liz shut the freezer door, waving to Max’s retreating form. “Have fun!”