Ah! I can't believe that it's finally here! And I bet you can't either. After almost four long months, I'm finally getting this story out here. I've had some major writing blocks for everything that I've been writing (and still might have some lingering behind). If you haven't read "May I" then I'm pretty sure this story isn't going to make a lick of sense. For those who have-get ready for another possible wild ride. I look forward to seeing what you all think.

Two weeks after their first real kiss, Cal and Gillian were trying to get back into the swing of things; in both their professional and personal lives. Awkwardness wasn't a factor in the equation; they were no longer trying to dance around each other, or the line that had been drawn.

Many of their coworkers had noticed the lack of tension between them, but had contributed the peace and quiet to the personal time they had taken off and left it at that. Although not everyone excused their absence that quickly. Eli, Ria—even Ben—were left to wonder what exactly had taken place during that time.

Even though they wanted to know, Gillian and Cal remained quiet on the matter, and continued on with their daily routine. Cal walked into her office and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. He seemed calmer than usual, but was still contemplating how fast this routine could fall apart. "I take it the results aren't in yet." He got settled in; hands resting against the arms of the chair.

Gillian peered over the computer and went back to typing. "Not until later in the week."

Leaning forward, he spun his finger in a half-circle. "How many times have you called the nanny?"

Her eyes flew towards the open door, which she closed immediately. "Once. But that's only because she called me on the way to work." As she was returning to her desk, the door flew open and Ria Torres walked in.

"What is it Torres?"

"Not to ruin the somewhat secret conversation that the two of you are having, but I thought you'd want to know that your ex-husband is waiting in the lobby."

Gillian's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she was the first to respond. "Did he say why he was here?"

"Only that he wanted to see you." Raising her brow, Ria looked like she wanted to say something else, but instead thought better of it. "What do you want me to tell him?"

"I'll be right there." Ria nodded, then retreated out of the room. When Ria was sure to be halfway down the hall, Gillian closed the door behind her and the room grew silent between her and Cal. Her expression was in between wondering if he had anything to do with her ex-husband's arrival, and realizing how much he was hurting as he extended his hand out to her.

"Help me up, will you love?" She didn't have to ask whether he was still hurting as she gave him a hand. Although, he had been hiding it pretty well from everyone else, it was clear that he was still having some major pain from his injuries sustained in the crash.

"The last time we talked, Alec was taking a job back in Georgia."

Helping him lean against the chair, he leaned all his weight to one side. As he stood there, he paused briefly. "And a part of you thinks he knows about Sophie."

"I'm not sure how he could." Trailing off, she knew how that could be possible, but she didn't need to tell him that. Despite the pain, he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.

"Whoever you think called him here, doesn't really matter. You're not going to get the answers standing here with me." A part of her knew that he was right, so she walked to the door. Her hand lingered on the handle as she looked him over. "Don't worry about me—I'm a grown man."

As she left without another word, he slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket. Waiting for the other person to pick up, her voice chimed in cheerily. "Hey dad, I just got out of school and waiting for mom to pick me up."

"Good. Think you can make a detour on your way over here?"

"Don't tell me. You forgot something to take with you to the book signing?"

He quickly fibbed. "I forgot my pen."

She sounded quite confused. "Don't you have plenty of those in your office?"

"Not just any pen. My lucky pen that sits on my dresser." He fibbed again, trying to hold himself up after his knees almost buckled from the pain that he was in.

"What is it that you're not telling me."

"Better for you not to know. Oh and Em—bring some Tylenol. I'm going to need to starve off this headache to get through this book signing."

"You don't get headaches unless something's wrong." She tried again—worry present in the tone of her voice.

"Blame the long day that I've had. Go on. Your mother is waiting." Just as he said that, Zoe's car pulled up to the curb.

"Fine, but you have some explaining to do when I get there." Her mother looked at her quizzically as she got in and put her seat belt on.

"Please tell me your father isn't causing trouble again." Zoe inquired as they drove away from the school.

"No, but he does want me to go pick up his lucky pen and some Tylenol from the house."

"Did he give a reason?" Zoe paused, thinking over what she had just asked. "Don't answer that. Your father seems to have a reason for everything—whether it's reasonable or not."

"I think he's hiding something."

"There's probably a good reason in his mind." Zoe concluded, stepping lightly on the break as they stopped for the light.

Looking out the window, Emily tried to think about the conversation she just had with her father. "He sounded like he was in pain."

Zoe looked over at her daughter, then focused back on the road. "Although he should be healing by now, it wouldn't surprise me if he has stopped taking his medication. This wouldn't be the first time that your father has pulled something like this." As they drove on, she told Emily the story. "When I was pregnant with you, the same thing happened but his appendix practically burst right after I pushed you out. I ended up taking a taxi cab home because your father had to stay a few extra days to recover. When he got home, I felt like I was taking care of two kids instead of just one as he refused to take his medicine consistently."

"Didn't that just delay his recovery?"

"Yes. At least an extra four weeks. And in those four weeks, he almost spent extra time in the hospital for all the pain that he was in." With that in mind, the car grew silent as they drove on.