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The little girl leaned as far as she could out of her father's arms and pressed her nose against the glass. "Which one, Daddy?" she asked with childish impatience, looking into the brightly lit room. "Which one is Brian?"
Remington Steele struggled to keep hold of his daughter and pointed to one of the small, clear plastic bassinets. "He's right there, Katie Laura, in the bed with the blue blanket."
"But I still can't see him," Katie complained.
Steele sighed and motioned for the nurse to move the bassinet closer. Katie was so anxious to see her new baby brother that Steele couldn't help but be caught up in her enthusiasm. The nurse wheeled the bed over to the glass, turning it so they could see the baby's face.
"Katie Laura," Steele said softly, "this is your brother, Brian."
Katie tried to press closer and Steele had to shift her in his arms to get a firmer grip on the excited little girl.
"Hi, Brian," Katie said to the soundly sleeping baby.
Steele smiled and studied the slumbering face of Brian Daniel Steele for the thousandth time since his son's birth the day before. He'd already memorized every one of the child's facial features, from his soft white-blond hair to his tiny nose and mouth. The baby's eyebrows and eyelashes were equally white-blond and looked almost nonexistent. Steele could imagine he saw images of Laura in their son's features, even though he knew it was much too early for the child to look like anyone in particular.
To Steele, the baby was absolutely beautiful and the thought he might never have seen him, dropped over his peaceful mood like a shroud. The episode with Carson Moore had frightened him far more than he had been willing to admit to anyone, including himself. And the fear that Moore could still retaliate at some future date was always lurking in the back of his mind. He shuddered imperceptibly and shrugged off the disturbing thoughts, returning his attention to the baby, then felt Katie's small hand on his chin.
"Daddy," she was saying, trying to turn Steele's head so he was facing her. "Daddy, I'm talkin' to you."
Steele focused on his daughter's face and smiled at her annoyed look. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking. Now, what was it you were saying?"
"I wanna know when Brian can come home."
"Tomorrow, I believe."
"Can I play with him when he comes home? Where's his room gonna be? Is Maggie gonna take care of Brian too? Can I help? Is his room gonna be close to mine?"
Steele laughed. "One at a time, Sweetling. Come on, let's go see Mommy and I'll answer all your questions on the way."
He set her down and she ran up to the window, standing on her tiptoes so that she could barely see over the sill. "Bye, Brian," she said loudly, so she knew he would be able to hear her. "Daddy says you can come home tomorrow, so we can play then." Steele reached down, took her hand, and started to lead her away. "Bye, Brian," Katie called back, louder than before. Remington couldn't keep from smiling at Katie and at the reactions of the other people to her. His daughter could certainly be a character sometimes. Katie waved goodbye to her little brother as they rounded the corner and headed slowly down the hallway toward Laura's room.
"Now, Katie Laura, to answer your questions. Maggie is going to be taking care of Brian, just like she took care of you when you were little. And no, I don't think she'll mind if you help, but you ask her first and be sure to do exactly what she tells you, okay?" Katie nodded solemnly. "Brian's room is going to be right next to yours in the nursery, but he's going to be in Mommy's and my room for awhile, just until he gets a little older. That way, we'll be right there to take care of him when he cries at night and he won't wake you up."
Katie frowned. "Will Brian cry a lot when he comes home? I don't want him to cry."
"All babies cry when they're hungry or they're wet or they want to be held," her father told her. "That's just natural. It's how they tell us something's wrong." They reached the door to Laura's room, but Steele stopped just outside. He bent down until he was on Katie's level and made sure her dress and hair were neat. "Okay," he told her softly, straightening, "let's go see Mommy." Remington wanted to be sure Katie was presentable in her mother's eyes so Laura would think he was doing a good job taking care of their daughter in her absence. Now that he was satisfied with her appearance, he pushed open the door and Katie ran in.
Laura was sitting up in bed, talking with her sister, Frances, when her daughter burst into the room. Katie scrambled up onto the bed with Laura and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck almost before Laura knew what was happening.
"Mommy, Mommy!" Katie exclaimed, hugging Laura fiercely. "I got to see Brian through the window and I talked to him but he was asleep."
Laura smiled and gave Katie a big hug in return before gently removing the small arms. "It's good to see you too, Pumpkin," she said, kissing the little girl on the cheek. "I've really missed you. I'm glad you got to see Brian and talk to him." Laura kissed her on the forehead before settling the child on the bed next to her. After a moment, she leaned down and whispered something in Katie's ear.
Katie looked across the room. "Hi, Aunt Frances," she said in a small voice.
"You're certainly looking very pretty today, Katie," Laura's older sister told her niece. "In fact, I'll bet you're one of the prettiest little girls here." Katie beamed and snuggled closer to her mother. "So what do you think of your new little brother?"
"He's okay," Katie replied, "but he sure is little."
"He is?" Frances said. "Well, I haven't seen him yet. Would you like to take me down to the nursery?"
Katie looked up at her mother who nodded permission, then the little girl crawled off the bed and ran up to her aunt, taking her hand. "Come on, Aunt Frances, I'll show you Brian." Frances stood up and, giving a small wave to Laura and Remington, let Katie lead her from the room.
Laura looked at her husband after the two had left and held out her arms. Steele grinned and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. He took his wife in his arms and kissed her long and deeply. "Now I remember you," Laura said breathlessly as they finally broke apart. "You're the reason I'm in here."
Steele sat back, indignant. "I'll have you know, woman, that the last time I checked it still took two people to make a baby and you weren't exactly an unwilling participant."
Laura smiled and reached out to grab his lapels and pull him closer. She softly kissed him, then leaned back against the pillows. "He's beautiful, isn't he?"
"Most beautiful baby I've ever seen," Remington agreed, "next to Katie Laura." He gently touched her face, stroking her cheek with his finger. "He looks like you, you know."
Laura chuckled and shook her head. "You're very sweet, but you know it's too early to tell." Remington shrugged. "Well, thank you anyway. Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
"Not within the last twenty-four hours," the head of the Remington Steele Agency told the agency's founder and chief operative, "but that's okay. I'll let it go this time. Just see that it doesn't happen again." Steele kissed his wife thoroughly, making sure she knew in that one kiss the depth of his feelings for her.
Laura returned his kiss, crossing her arms behind his neck and pulling him to her. There would be no doubt in his mind that his love was reciprocated wholeheartedly. By the time they came apart, both were breathing heavily and their hearts were pounding in their chests. "I think we better quit while we still can," Laura finally managed.
"You're probably right. We wouldn't want some poor unsuspecting nurse to walk in here and... uh, interrupt us."
"Very thoughtful," Laura replied. "So, tell me. Did you manage to get in touch with everyone about Brian?"
Steele nodded. "Your mother will be here this afternoon. Katie and I are picking her up at 2:00. I called Cait and Andy and they were both very happy for us. Cait said she was glad Danny would have someone to play with now whenever we get together. I tried to call Murphy and Sherry two or three times, but I never could get them, so I finally just left a message on the agency answering machine."
"I'm sorry Daniel couldn't be here to see him," Laura said quietly.
Steele looked at Laura closely before answering. He knew she hadn't exactly been fond of his former mentor, but she knew how much the older con man had meant to her husband, even before he'd found out the man was in fact, his father. That she'd allowed her son to be named after Daniel Chalmers was a sign of that.
"It would have been nice for him to have seen his grandson."
A smile slowly grew across Remington's face. "You're absolutely wonderful," he told her, leaning across and kissing her softly on the lips.
"So are you," Laura replied, kissing him gently in return. "You know," she began, settling back against the pillows, "you still haven't told me how Katie is reacting to her new little brother."
Steele looked at his wife, puzzled. "You saw her. She seems to be taking everything fine."
"I don't mean how she's doing on the surface. I know it looks like everything's okay, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is. Katie's been the only child for almost three and a half years. She might resent Brian moving in on her territory."
"That's ridiculous," Remington protested. "The baby is all she's talked about for weeks and now that she's seen him, she couldn't be more delighted."
Laura sighed. "I know that's how it appears now, but that's because Brian's not real to her yet. Right now, he's just one baby in a room full of babies. Wait until he comes home and it's one on one."
Steele shook his head. "I think you're jumping to conclusions, my dear. Katie Laura is going to adjust beautifully to Brian. You'll see."
"Maybe, but I want you to talk to her anyway."
"Talk to her? What on earth for?"
"I want you to reassure her that Brian is not going to take her place. We'll love her just as much as we always have. Just because we have Brian doesn't mean we're going to love her any less." Steele looked at her skeptically. "Look, just humor me on this one. I know what I'm talking about. I have a younger sister; I've been where Katie is. I know what it's like when a new baby comes into the house."
"You were jealous of Bobbi?" Remington asked, surprised yet intrigued. Laura and her younger sister had always seemed, to him anyway, to be very close.
"I was at first. I thought she was stealing my mother and father away from me and I wanted her out of the house immediately. When that didn't happen, I started doing anything I could to get their attention."
"Anything?" Steele questioned, his eyebrows arched and a smile playing around his lips.
"Just about," Laura answered. "When doing goods things like helping around the house didn't work, I tried bad things. It worked and I got my parents' attention, but not exactly the way I'd wanted it. Still, they were noticing me for a change and not Bobbi."
"You must have done some awful stunts, eh?"
"No, I was just a little kid, remember? I never did anything all that... terrible. I mean, nothing permanent or destructive. I just wanted them to remember I was still around." She paused and sighed. "I guess maybe I went about it the wrong way, but I just wanted someone to tell me I was still loved and wanted."
Remington leaned over and kissed Laura tenderly. "I love you very much and I'll make sure Katie Laura knows we love her very much too. I'll talk with her on the way to the airport. Okay?"
Laura nodded. "I just don't want her to think we've abandoned her for Brian."
"Never," Remington said, then kissed his wife again, this time long and passionately. He took a deep breath as they broke apart. "I think we'd better stop. I really would hate to give the nurses a surprise they'd be talking about for years." Both laughed and Remington took Laura's hand in his. "Besides, I've got to collect our daughter and get out of here or there won't be anyone at the airport to meet your mother."
Laura rolled her eyes. "Please don't let that happen," she begged, "or we'll never hear the end of it."
"I promise, Katie and I will be at the airport on time for Abigail's arrival. You have my word on that."
Laura gave him a sideways glance. "Is that supposed to reassure me?"
"Absolutely," Remington replied, standing up. "Don't you have confidence in Remington Steele?" Laura started to come back with a stinging remark, but Steele darted in for a kiss that cut off her words. "I'd better get going," he said as he headed for the door. "I'll see you later tonight."
Laura stared at the door after her husband's departure and hoped he was right. She wanted Katie to feel good about the baby and not be jealous, but she couldn't help feeling things were not always as they seemed. She kept remembering her own childhood and the way she'd felt when Bobbi was born and she was afraid Katie was going to go through the same thing. If only someone had talked to her all those years ago, maybe she wouldn't have resented her sister for so long when they were children. Thankfully, they'd worked everything out long before permanent damage was done. But if her parents had only taken a few minutes to explain things right at the beginning, none of the resentment would have happened in the first place. Hopefully, that's what Remington would accomplish by talking to Katie. At least, that's what Laura was praying for.
Remington rounded the corner by the nursery and stopped, smiling at the scene before him. Someone had come up with a small stool for Katie to stand on so she could see over the nursery window sill and his daughter was now busily telling her aunt all about her new baby brother.
"... an' Daddy said I could help Maggie take care of Brian when he comes home. He's s'posed to come home tomorrow, ya know."
"Yes, I do," Frances said. "That's what your mommy told me. She gets to go home tomorrow too. Did you know that?"
"Yeah, I know," Katie replied. "Daddy said so."
Remington sighed as he listened to his daughter's words. Katie Laura always believed everything her father told her without question. Such complete confidence was a huge responsibility and Steele prayed he would always be able to justify his daughter's faith in him.
He tried to clear his mind of such heavy thoughts as he walked up behind the pair. He looked over their shoulders at his son for a few minutes then spoke up. "Come on, Katie, let's go get your Grandmother Holt."
Katie turned around so quickly she nearly fell off the stool. Both adults reached for her at the same time but the little girl managed to regain her balance without their help. "Look, Daddy," she exclaimed gleefully, jumping up and down on the stool, "I can see Brian. See how tall I am!"
"I can see that," Remington acknowledged. "You're a big girl now." Katie laughed, clapped her hands and continued jumping. "Now stop before you fall down and break your neck." Katie grinned and jumped one more time. Remington grabbed her arm before she could do it again. "I said stop," he told her firmly. "Now, I want you to stay right here for a minute while I talk to Aunt Frances. You can look at the babies until I get back. And no jumping. Okay?" Katie, her eyes downcast and lower lip slightly protruding, nodded. "Daddy just doesn't want you to get hurt. Now you be a good girl and I'll be right back." Katie looked at him, her big blue eyes wide, and nodded again. She turned back to the window while Remington and Frances walked toward the hallway leading to the patient rooms.
For a few minutes, Katie was all by herself at the window, then a rather large and noisy group poured into the nursery viewing area and congregated close to Katie. The people in the group were laughing and pointing to two cribs near Brian's and Katie soon decided they were more fun to look at than a sleeping baby.
A plump older woman with bright orange hair and a loud raucous laugh attracted Katie's attention and she began watching her. The woman was wearing a bright green dress that seemed to clash with her hair and bright plastic multi-colored beads. She was definitely the funniest looking lady Katie had ever seen. Her voice was shrill and had a carrying quality that enabled it to be heard for miles. At the moment, she was giving the entire viewing area a discourse on babies versus older children.
"Babies are so adorable, especially brand new babies. They're just so soft and cute and cuddly. It's a shame they have to grow up."
"Aw, you don't really mean that, Aunt Myrtle," a younger woman standing beside her said.
"Hell I don't!" Myrtle retorted. "Babies are just fine until they get to be about a year old. Then they become little ankle biters. And it's all downhill after that. First they're rug rats, then curtain climbers and, worst of all, they turn into yard apes."
"Aunt Myrtle, I wish you wouldn't talk like that. One of the kids might hear you."
"Who cares? Little monsters. Why couldn't they just be sweet little babies forever? Why do they have to grow up and turn into little brats? I'm glad your cousin Sandra decided to have another baby. At least for a while I won't dread going over to their house on Sundays."
The younger woman shook her head, mystified and disgusted at her aunt's attitude. Casually, she walked away from the older woman toward another group of relatives a few feet away. Myrtle didn't seem to notice she'd lost her audience as she continued talking and complaining about almost everything to the relative who'd been unlucky enough to be on the other side of the young woman.
Katie kept watching Myrtle with intense curiosity while, one by one, her various relatives kept finding reasons to be anywhere except next to her. The woman's words troubled Katie and she began wondering about her parents and her own new little brother. Before she had a chance to think about it any further, her father came up behind her and touched her on the shoulder.
"Time to go. We'll come back tonight and you can see Brian then."
"Okay." Katie stepped off the stool without any argument. She reached up and took her father's hand and walked with him toward the hallway. "Bye, Aunt Frances," she said as they stopped where Laura's older sister was standing.
Frances bent down and gathered Katie in her arms. "Bye, sweetie." She gave the little girl a big hug. "I'll see you real soon."
Katie pulled out of her aunt's grasp and reached back to take Remington's hand again. She looked down at the floor as Frances stood up, not saying a word. She didn't see the look that passed between the two adults at her sudden reticence.
"I'm going to stop by and say goodbye to Laura before I leave," Frances told Remington after a few moments. "Give me a call in a couple of days when you're more settled and you can let me know when it would be convenient for Donald and the kids to come and see Brian."
"We will," Steele replied. "Thanks for coming, Frances. I know Laura really appreciated it."
"My pleasure." Frances gave her brother-in-law a quick hug then headed back down the hall to her sister's room.
"Ready to go to the airport and get Grandmother Holt, Katie Laura?" Remington asked as they started toward the hospital entrance. When the child didn't answer, Remington wondered what had happened in such a short time to change the child's mood. "Are you all right, Sweetling?" He was suddenly concerned she might be coming down with something. "Are you feeling sick?"
"No," came the small reply.
"Well, is there anything you want to tell me about?"
"No."
"Are you upset about leaving Brian in the hospital tonight or because Mommy's not coming home until tomorrow?"
"No."
They reached the limousine and Fred got out to hold the door open for them. "How's Miss Holt, Sir?" the chauffeur inquired as they walked up.
"Doing fine, Fred," Steele answered. "The baby too. They'll be coming home in the morning. Right now, we're due at LAX to pick up Miss Holt's mother. Her plane is supposed to be in around two o'clock."
"No problem, Sir. We should make it in plenty of time." He shifted his gaze to the little girl. "So, Katie," Fred started, helping her into the car, "how do you like your new little brother so far?"
"He's okay," she replied, crawling into the back seat. She sat next to the opposite door and turned her face to the window. Steele got in behind her, frowning while Fred shut the door. A few minutes later they were on their way out of the hospital parking lot and headed toward the Los Angeles airport.
Steele was totally baffled as to what was bothering Katie. In the space of a few minutes she'd gone from being completely happy to completely somber. It wasn't like his daughter to change moods so drastically so quickly. He knew a large group of people had come into the room just after he and Francine had stepped away, but he'd kept his eye on the child the entire time and no one had even spoken to her. So it had to be something else, but what? Well, it was obvious his daughter wasn't going to volunteer the information so he'd just have to ask her. If he was lucky, she'd tell him.
"Katie?" No response. "Katie Laura, is anything wrong?"
"No," came the muffled reply after a few moments.
"Well then, why don't you sit over here by me?"
"I wanna stay here."
"Katie Laura, what's the matter?"
"Nothing." Her tone was petulant.
"You sound like something's wrong. Why won't you tell me what it is?"
"I don't want to."
At least she'd admitted something was bothering her. That was a start anyway. Now to find out what it was. "Why not? Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" No answer this time. Steele suddenly remembered his conversation with Laura and an idea came to him. "Katie, does this have anything to do with Brian?"
"No," the little girl snapped angrily.
Finally he was on the right track. "I guess you're really looking forward to Brian coming home tomorrow, right?"
"I am not. I wish I didn't have a brother."
Steele reached over and turned the child so she was facing him. "Katie Laura, that's a terrible thing to say. I thought you were happy we had Brian."
"I 'm not. I don't like him. I wish he'd go away." She struggled in her father's grasp, trying to turn back to the window.
"No, you're going to look at me and you're going to tell me why you don't like Brian anymore."
Suddenly big tears began to form in the corners of Katie's eyes. "You only got Brian 'cause you don't want me anymore."
Steele blinked, completely nonplussed. Where had that come from? "Katie, that's not true. Mommy and I love you very much. We want you to stay with us always."
"It is. It is true. You wanna get rid of me 'cause I'm not a baby anymore."
"Who told you that? Mommy and I would never get rid of you. You're our own special little girl."
Tears were now rolling down Katie's cheeks. "I heard a lady where the babies are. She said no one likes little kids, they just like babies. She said she didn't like kids like me. She said nobody does. So you and Mommy must not like me either. You got Brian 'cause you don't want me."
She started crying and Remington lifted her into his lap, cradling her in his arms. "Oh, Katie, I don't know who that lady was, but she didn't know what she was talking about. Mommy and I love you very much and we never want to lose you. We had Brian so you would never be alone. No matter what happens, you'll always have your brother and he'll always have his sister. Nothing can change that. You're such a sweet, special little girl that Mommy and I wanted some lucky baby to have you for a big sister. That's why we had Brian, not because we don't want you anymore. Understand?"
Katie was leaning with her head against her father's chest, his cotton shirt damp with her tears. Remington felt her nod and he hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. Laura had been exactly right on this one, although he couldn't help but wonder if it ever would have come out had Katie not heard that woman talking. In a way, he guessed he should be grateful to the woman, whoever she was. If it hadn't been for her, none of Katie's fears would have surfaced and he might not have had this talk with her.
"You know, Katie Laura, when Mommy and I first found out we were going to have you, I hoped you would be a little girl."
Katie looked up at him, her eyes bright, her face tear-stained. "You did?"
Steele reached in his pocket and took out his handkerchief. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, dabbed her eyes, and got her to blow her nose while he talked. "Oh, absolutely. I wanted a little girl right from the start. And when you were born, Mommy and I were so thrilled because you were so pretty and healthy and because you were exactly what we wanted."
"Did Mommy want a little girl too?"
"She sure did. And when we found out we were going to have another baby, we hoped this one would be a boy."
"And we got Brian?"
"That's right. And we're so lucky because now that we've got a new baby, we have a sweet little girl who can help us take care of him."
Katie looked up at Remington, a smile starting to form. "Me?"
"Of course. Mommy and I are really going to depend on you to help us with Brian. After he gets in his own room, you can let us know when he cries at night. And you can help Maggie during the day and Mommy and me at night. You can play with Brian when he gets a little older and you can help keep him entertained when Mommy and I are busy. See, there's a lot of things you can do to help."
Katie grinned. "I can help real good. I can take care of Brian. I can do lots of things for him. He can share Boo-Boo and Belly Bunny and Uncle Murphy-Bear and I can tell stories to him." She reached up and threw her arms around Remington's neck, squeezing tightly. "It's going to be so much fun to have a brother, Daddy."
Remington coughed and loosened his daughter's hold on his neck. "You okay now, Sweetling? You know Mommy and I love you?"
"Yes, Daddy." Katie kissed Remington on the cheek. "I love you whole lots. And I love Mommy too. And Brian."
"And we love you, Katie Laura, very, very much. We wouldn't know what to do without our little girl."
"I won't go away, Daddy. I'll stay with you forever."
Steele smiled sadly and kissed his daughter on the cheek. In many ways, he wished she would just stay his little girl forever, but he knew she would grow up... much too quickly... and she'd leave to make her own home. Part of him wanted to see the woman his daughter would become, but part of him wanted her to stay just as she was today.
The limousine pulled to a stop and Fred turned around in his seat. He'd heard the exchange between father and daughter -- it was kind of hard not to sitting in the front seat -- and he really hated interrupting them, but, "We're here, Sir."
"Here, Fred?" Steele asked, momentarily confused.
"At the airport."
"Of course." Steele went over Katie's face lightly with his handkerchief and smoothed her hair away from her face. "Ready to go meet your Grandmother?"
"Yeah!" Katie crawled over her father and scrambled out the door Fred held open. She waited impatiently while Remington emerged, then grabbed his hand. "Come on, Daddy," she coaxed, trying to pull him behind her.
"Okay, okay," Remington laughed. "I'm coming. We'll be back in a little while, Fred," he told the chauffeur over his shoulder. He let Katie pull him along, enjoying the return of his daughter's normally cheerful mood. They stopped only once so Remington could check the board for Abigail's flight, then they continued on to the gate. By the time they arrived, the plane was just landing. Remington and Katie stood at the end of the exit ramp and waited. Katie found it very hard to stay still for any length of time and soon was running up to the ticket counter, over to the window, back to Remington, then over to the gift shop and back to her father. Remington was becoming exhausted just watching her.
After a few minutes, the doors opened and the first passengers started coming through. Katie tried to run up to the door, but Remington managed to grab her before she got away and picked her up, holding her high so she could see everyone coming off the plane. When he heard her squeal, he knew she'd seen her grandmother. Katie started to wiggle and Remington finally put her down, clasping her hand until he saw Abigail. Then he let the child go.
Katie ran up to her grandmother and Abigail stopped when she saw her. She put down the makeup case she was carrying and bent down, stretching out her arms. Katie Laura barreled into Abigail's embrace, almost knocking the older woman off her feet.
"Granma, Granma," Katie said, hugging Abigail, "I got a new baby brother and Mommy and Daddy say I can help take care of him and I'm gonna share my toys with him."
"That's sounds wonderful, Katie," Abigail said, squeezing her granddaughter in return. She set the little girl on the floor and stood up, retrieving her case and taking Katie's hand. They walked toward Remington who had stayed in the background, allowing his daughter and her grandmother a reunion alone. "Hello, Remington." Abigail walked up to her son-in-law and embracing him.
"You're looking marvelous, Abigail," he told her, taking her bag.
Laura's mother smiled. "Thank you. I can't wait to see my new grandson and Laura."
"We're going back to the hospital as soon as we collect your luggage. I knew how anxious you'd be to see the baby."
"Thoughtful as always, Remington. I take it Laura is doing well."
"She's fine and the baby's fine. He looks like Laura, you know."
Abigail grinned, but before she could say anything, Katie was pulling on her hand for attention. "Granma, I saw Brian."
"You did? Did you like him?"
"Yeah. He was just sleepin' when I saw him, but Daddy says babies do that a lot. He's real little too."
"Well, babies are at first, but he'll grow up."
They walked on ahead of Remington, absorbed in their conversation about the new baby. It looked like everything was going to be all right with Katie. He was glad they'd had the talk; it had given him a chance to tell her some things he might never have been able to otherwise. Watching his daughter now, he realized she was growing up already and that thought made him a little sad. He hoped they'd always be close and that she'd always be able to talk to him. He shook off the feeling and smiled. All that was in the future and right now he had a new son, growing daughter and beautiful wife he loved more than anything else in the world to think about. The future would come all too soon and he would enjoy every moment of the present. And he'd remember to thank his wife once more for creating this wonderful life for him to live.