Time seemed frozen to Jacob the rest of the day. The people around him seemed to be running and he was slow, and didn't care about anything. He put Lucy back in her car seat, and kissed Hayley's body on her forehead before leaving the room to tell tthe nurses.

    Jacob found his siblings in the reception area. When he came out, they both hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry Jake." Mil whispered to him. He buried his face in her neck and sucked in some air to keep himself from sobbing. Lucy told them it was time to go as she began to cry. The three of them took the baby and headed back to the car.

    Jacob felt like the house was empty even though three others were there with him. the tropical aroma of the house instantly brought back memories of the times spent with Hayley. His dad was never around, so she would play games with him and read him bed time stories. He remembered the storms the Florida had, and how he would scream everytime thunder would clap, though hr would never admit that to anyone. Hayley would always be there for him. The time they had to hide in the bath tube for three days because of a hurricane and it had flooded their house to where they couldn't leave the tube. She would sing to him and laugh and joke to keep him mind off twhat was occuring out side. She had a beautiful voice, and Jacob could still clearly remember the songs she sang to him. She even would play with him to get him to eat the nasty food storage that she had managed to grab before the wind began to tear off the roof.

  "Jake? Jake?!?" James poked him on the arm.

"What?" He asked. He hadn't realized James had asked him a question.

"I asked if you wanted something to eat." He said. Jacob shook his head.

"Where's Mil?" He asked.

"She's in the nursery changing Lucy, and then she said she was going to call dad." He said. James began to make a PB&J sandwich. Mil came back into the kitchen, carrying Lucy in one arm and rocking back and forth trying to get her to stop screaming, and was holding her phone pressed up against her ear with the other. Jacob ran to heher rescue and took his baby sister from his other sister.

"Yeah, okay, we'll head out in two days. No, We'll be okay Dad." She said. Jacob put Lucy in the little swing that rocked her back and forth while he began to make a bottle for her. It was easy now that he was used to making Rocky's bottle. He followed the directions on the formula can and made extra sure he was doing it right before picking Lucy up and feeding her on his lap. She drank vigorously. Mil finally hung up the phone and sat down on the couch next to Jacob and let out a sigh. Lucy finished and Mil took her, placing a rag on Mil's shoulder and holding Lucy up and patting her on her back. Jacob watched and then regretted doing so when Lucy puked a little onto the rag. Mil smiled and wiped off her mouth.

     There was a sudden knock on the door and James answered it. At the door was aa man in a black suit holding a brief case. He gave James a smile and James stepped aside so the man could enter.

"Which one of you is Jacob Gareth?" He asked. Jacob stood and held out his hand to the man.

"I am." he said. The man took his hand and shook it before saying,

"I am truly sorry for your losses Jacob." He said. Jacob nodded his thanks and gestured for the man to sit. "My name is Don. I was your fathers lawyer." He said. "I was the one who called you last night." Jacob nodded his understandings. Don opened his brief case up.

"There are a few things we must discuss, Jacob, I understand you are all still very young, but it must be done." He pulled out a piece of paper. "This is what Hayley, your step mother, had me write as her last will and testimony, last night." Jacob gestured for him to proceed. So Don cleared his throat and read the paper aloud.

"Jacob and Lucy are the last of my family. I put Lucy under Jacob's care, though I understand he is still sixteen and will not be able to care for her legally, so I give Alexandra Julia Gallo Maxwell and her husband David Jonathan Maxwell, permission to care for her as her legal care takers, or if they please, adoptive parents. Since Jacob will take Lucy back to Nevada, I will allow the house to be put up for sale along with the car, and all the money will go towards Jacob and Lucy's future education. There is a safe in our closet, everything in it belongs to Jacob and Lucy, the code to the safe is 35879. The cat, Jacob may take or give away." Don ended there, looking up at Jacob and handing the paper too him. Don and Hayley had both signed it at the bottom. "She also left this," Don said, pulling out Hayley's diamond wedding ring. "She said it belongs to Lucy." He said. Jacob nodded and took the ring.

"I'll look after it until she is old enough." Jacob said. He knew how expensive the ring was, he didn't want Lucy to loose it.

"You have a cat?" Mil asked. Jacob smiled a bit and nodded, but she was already answered as the black and white cat walked into the room.

"I'll give her to Wendy. She already has told me she wanted a cat for Christmas. I'll consider this as an early present." He said. James tapped his foot impatiently.

"I don't know about you, but I really want to know what is in that safe." He said. Jacob smiled a bit. Don stood.

"I must get going. it was a pleasure to meet you, and I am sorry for your loss." He said shaking all three of their hands. He then left. James and Jacob ran into Hayley and Collins old room and Jacob opened up the closet door and moved a box to get to the safe. He put the code in and it popped open. Jacob opened the door and both he and James stared at the money in a small box. Jacob flopped through the green paper and gaped as he saw it was three huge stacks of one hundred dollar bills. James let out a gasp.

"You and Lucy are set for life." He said. Jacob nodded. He set the money aside and looked through the rest of the stuff. There were a bunch of papers. one was his certificate of birth, and another was Lucy's. There were a few more certificates, like the marriage one between Collin and Hayley. There was also another wedding ring in there. This one, Jacob somehow knew was his mothers. Alex had returned the ring to Collin after the divorce. There were also a bunch of pictures. One of Collin and Hayley on there wedding day. One of Jacob when he was little. Then shockingly, there were a bunch of pictures of Alex and Collin. Jacob handed a few to James, who looked them over. There were several of Alex holding different babies, and one where she is holding two babies in the hospital. That must have been James and Jacob when they were in the NICU. Jacob had only been there for a few days, where as James was there for three months.

"Wow, why would your dad keep these pictures after mom divorced him?" James asked.

"Because they are important to him. pictures of the children he never saw again." He said looking at the one of little black haired Ginny smiling down at a baby in her arms, Most likely Peter. Jacob stood and ran to his room, coming back with a binder he used to use for school. He slipped all of the certificates into the slips in the binder, and the pictures he put in an envelop and put them in the binder also.

"Mil, come in here please!" Jacob said. His sister came in holding Lucy and sat down on the mattress. He handed her Alex's old ring and slipped it on her middle finger. "It was mom's." He said. She admired the ring on her finger for a minute. "Keep it safe until we get back home. I think Mom will want to keep it safe." He said. She nodded her understanding.

    Jacob took the box of money, closing the lid and stashed the box and the binder in his bag.

***

    Jacob couldn't sleep that night. James was sleeping on the floor next to his bed and Mil was down the hall in the guest bedroom. Lucy was in the nursery. Jacob couldn't stop thinking about the things Hayley had left him and Lucy. He stood and quietly stepped over James, heading down the hall to the nursery. Lucy as sleeping, so Jacob sat down in the rocking chair next to the crib.

"In a few days, we'll be in Nevada, Luce. you'll like the ranch. and You'll like Chevy, and Peaches, and everyone else. You'll be loved Luce." He whispered. He could only hear her soft baby breathing. She didn't know both of her parents were dead. And Jacob didn't intend to tell her until she was old enough to understand. It'd be better for her to grow up feeling normal, rather then knowing she's different from the Maxwell family. She was a Gareth, and she always will be. "I'll take care of you Lucy. You won't feel differnt. You'll be a Maxwell in no time." He whispered to her.