Lost and neverending

 "What!" Vanna's voice practically croaked when Koda told her about Maisy when they were back at their place and True was conked out in his crib.

Koda squinted hard and told her not to wake the baby.

This all made Vanna so bitter. "I thought we were friends." She snarled a scowl.

"Now don't get like that," Koda followed her around to make sure she didn't throw anything in a fit of anger. She didn't.

"She never told me, anything. Nothing," Vanna pouted aa she crossed her arms. Of course, Koda uncrossed them and hugged her as if she meant the world to him and she hugged him trying not to be so mad.

"And now there's a baby," Vanna snapped. "Poor Harry."

"Well, he's taking it just fine," Koda pulled back to tell her this.

"I just bet he is," she didn't believe him. "It must have broken his heart." 

Vanna went to sit on the couch, she drummed her fingers in thought on the arm of the couch, trying to figure out the whole timeline while Koda fetched her a glass of cool water on the dining table.  Maybe Daisy didn't know then. Or what if something bad happened to her when she was in New York City? Her mind was running with so many scenarios. She still worried about Maisy, but Maisy cut her off and hadn't even texted her.

"You think she was pregnant when she left?" She looked to Koda.

"I have no idea," Koda looked at her blankly as if he might be the weakest link in this detective team.

Vanna was steamed. "I put so much hard work, in getting to know her, and everything and then it's like she just  leaves and never speaks to me again." She couldn't even muster  up a tear, but he was still mad, "What did I ever do to her?" She snapped

"Sometimes, it's like that," Koda shrugged as he sat next to her and pulled his arm around her. "My mom knew lots of women, but when trouble happened, they usually shut down, like it was no use to talk about it."

Vanna drank her water, but she felt so emotional. She didn't want to have a temper, but they needed to find Maisy.

"Now don't go getting all-"

"All what?" her brow furrowed as she looked at him.

"You know," he grinned at her and touched her little nose, "You look a lot like Angry Birds, but so much cuter."

She wanted to bite his finger, but in a flash he changed that when he kissed her. Yeah, he always knew how to deflate her anger.

Don't know if it's Day or Night

 "Oh, I'm tired, just so tired."

That was the best way Koda could put it to Harry. 

"But you're happy being a dad," Harry smiled as they went on their way to check out the new engine in Harry's truck.

"You betcha, but a lot of times I can't tell if it's the flu or just being sore from holding him for so long," Koda yawned. He shook himself awake, doing his best to pay attention because this was something Harry worked so hard on all these months. 

Harry chatted awhile about how long it took to get this part and that part, and really Koda wasn't following. But he watched him point to that piece and how it connected here, and it only made Koda blink with sleep. He thought he might stagger against the truck. He couldn't help but yawn.

"So how are you and Mali doing?" Koda nodded hoping he'd heard enough about the engine.

Harry slammed the hood shut.

"We're doing." 

It was quiet then, but neither moved back toward the apartment building where Vanna and Mali were busy with the baby. The sun was shining, but winter was hanging in as if not to be too happy with the sunny weather.

Harry sighed. Koda hugged himself, wondering what this was about. Was Harry thinking about marriage, or was it over?

"I saw Maisy," Harry said, glaring at Koda as if he didn't need to say more.

"Maisy?" Koda squinted as if that was just crazy. Wouldn't he have texted as soon as he saw her, or something,  thought Koda.

"Yeah, I didn't talk to her." Harry was straight lipped. "It was over a month ago." It was at Wal-Mart and she didn't notice him.

"A month ago?" Koda winced a scowl. "Shouldn't you have said something to her?"

"I just couldn't," Harry sadly confided. He took a slow step toward the apartment building. It felt like a long walk across the parking lot. Koda followed.

"Why couldn't you?" Koda wanted to know.

"She's got a baby," he said.

"What?" Koda's voice cracked.

"It's nothing. It's not mine," he wouldn't look at Koda when he said it.

"Maybe, maybe she was just babysitting," Koda knew it sounded lame, but maybe it was possible.

"I don't know why she's back?" That was the question that bugged Harry the most. "Why would she come back?"

"Well-" Koda started to say something, but Mali was bouncing out to tell them that dinner was ready, and they better come eat the meatballs before they got cold.

"Sure thing, Babe," Harry could switch on the charm like he wasn't concerned about his ex-girlfriend Maisy.

Koda just looked at Harry with concern. Koda knew he could never be like that if his world was shaken up with Vanna. Of course, he could hardly wait to tell Vanna about the Maisy sighting. Yet, he knew it was a bad idea, but she'd get it out of him no matter what.

Life is too short to spend war with yourself

 "It'll be OK," Mercer didn't know any other way he could actually console Sterling. Of course, he thought it might be a start for Sterling to move away from Melissa, but of course, Sterling wasn't that kind of guy. He'd be there for the bitter end, evidently.

Mercer could see Sterling's anxieties were getting the best of him. As Sterling put it, if he took anymore of his antidepressant meds he might have seizures. Mercer didn't want to go there. It was best to keep up beat and think about their writing projects together. It was fun and he was happy to learn from Sterling when it came to ideas and scripts. 

"You know, if it's too much, you can always stay over," Mercer considered Sterling his closest friend at the moment even if he was seeing Staci. She knew everyone he did and they had classes together. And he liked her confidence. He knew she would succeed in her studies and even in a career in broadcasting, at the local college radio station at the moment. Mercer had never thought of voice over work, but it was great to get Staci's insight. He hated to sound too happy around Sterling, but it was true he was happy.

"Oh, I wouldn't." 

Sterling wanted to be left alone but then he didn't. He needed to be there for Melissa, too. If only he didn't love her. 

Mercer wouldn't go there. He knew he hadn't gone the distance with Cade. It wasn't that he hated him, but now he was certain maybe it just expired. Maybe they both needed time to themselves. He tried to explain this to Sterling, but this was such a different situation. He wanted to tell him that maybe Melissa didn't even know what love was, but he didn't. Things like that were better left to be discovered by those who were living that situation.

"I just don't want you to give up, on you." Mercer told him he was a good person. "Maybe you won't always be the uncle. Maybe you just haven't found the right one." 

Mercer didn't think it was Melissa. He didn't want to be cruel about this fact, he knew, but sooner than later he hoped Sterling figured it out. After all, Sterling's sister and her partner were there to support him.

Dark twisted fantasy turned to reality

 

Melissa's baby would be born in May, earlier than expected. It was a girl. 

Riley knew it upset Sterling the most, yet she was in total shock about it herself. There was still paperwork to settle everything with the adoption. Sometimes, it felt endless. But it was going to happen, Tessa kept telling her this every day, and they were hand in hand getting ready for the baby's arrival.

Sure, she loved calling Em to rant about the situation. She was certain by now Em and Yuki wouldn't want to see them, but they always found time to be supportive, even if it was just dinner with friends.

It was great to spend time with Brandon and Declan from time to time. Still, she felt they needed to be supportive of Tess' younger brother who was the father of Melissa's baby.

"Are you sure you can maintain the distance in all of this?" Brandon asked after one of their dinners with Em and Yuki.

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, this feels so involved, like extended family and you know, Melissa?" He shrugged. Brandon was like a brother Riley never had. It was good to talk to him, but she wasn't certain she wanted to talk about her ex Melissa now. Riley was married to Tessa and it was a blessing. She knew Melissa was history. Her history, but it was a new chapter, adopting Melissa's baby with Sterling.

"Well, we don't talk. I just hear what's going on through Tess and Sterling," Riley hugged herself about the matter. Yes, it was complicated, but she felt it could happen. 

"See, you two need to talk," he said about Melissa.

"I can't," Riley shook her head, no. 

"OK," Brandon said he understood. He remembered it was a bad breakup. Riley couldn't help but swell with tears.

"I..I was the one who always wanted a baby, and then this.." It still choked her up to talk about how everything unraveled with Melissa and then this happened.

Brandon told her if this didn't work out, then he would help them in any way he could to start a family.

Riley smiled, but she didn't want to need him.