A couple of hours later Carrie and Trina called to see if Carter minded watching Remy while they shopped more and saw the latest chick flick at the movie theater. Always jumping at the chance to spend more time with his niece, Carter readily agreed. Remy was stirring from her nap anyway. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was almost dinnertime, so he picked the baby up and took her downstairs to the kitchen. Remy baby-talked in his ear as he set up the high chair and gave her a few pieces of cereal to munch on while he cooked some supper.

Carter searched the cupboards but the only thing he really knew how to make was spaghetti. He eyed Remy carefully and she gave him a mostly gummy smile. A couple of small white teeth had come through her bottom gum but the rest were still trying to push their way through.

“You can eat some spaghetti – right, doll?” Carter asked her. Remy replied with a bigger grin and by kicking her feet. “Of course you can. Spaghetti it is.”

He turned on the radio in the kitchen and started boiling the water for the noodles. The sauce he poured in a bowl and put in the microwave to warm up. He found a roll of biscuits in the fridge and laid those out on a cookie sheet to bake. Once the noodles were in the pot, he turned the radio up and entertained Remy by banging spoons on the counter and the tray of her high chair along with the beat of the music. He sang along and Remy wiggled a dance from her seat.

“What’s with all the racket down here?” Keith grumbled from the kitchen doorway. He came in and turned the radio off.

“Sorry, Dad,” Carter replied. He stirred the pot of noodles and internally groaned as Remy started to cry. He turned to pick her up and somehow managed to knock the pot off the burner, splattering water and noodles on the floor everywhere.

“Damn it, Carter, watch what you’re doing! What if the baby had been crawling on the floor?” Keith yelled.

Carter turned off the burner and scooted Remy’s high chair as far away as possible. “Uncle Carter will pick you up in a minute, doll. I need to clean up this mess.”

“Here’s a towel.” Keith tossed a bath towel down to the floor and shook his head as Carter got down to his knees and started to clean up the floor. “Make sure you mop before you’re done cleaning there.”

“Yeah, Dad, I know how to clean a kitchen floor,” Carter snapped. He threw the towel down and stood up to face his father. “What did I ever do to make you think that I’m not worth anything? That I somehow failed you because – I don’t even know why!”

“You’ve been here a week and this is the most you’ve helped your mother with. Going out to the clubs, the gym – everything but being here at home with your family. It’s like this every time you come home, but you still can’t figure out why I don’t want you here?”

Remy’s wails lifted up over their yelling and she reached out for someone to hold her. The men continued to argue, Keith even going so far as to yell at Remy to just wait a minute. Carter of course yelled back not to yell at the baby and removed the tray of her high chair, intending to lift her out momentarily. Keith twisted Carter back around to pay attention to him and the arguing continued. Remy managed to push herself further up in the seat, no longer held back by the restraint of the tray, and reached out for Carter to hold her. Neither man was paying attention as she reached and pushed – until the loud thud of her landing on the kitchen tile broke both of them from their anger.

“What the hell …” Keith breathed.

Carter immediately was next to his niece on the floor. “She must have pushed herself over the side. Dad, go call an ambulance.”

“We weren’t paying attention,” Keith murmured. His eyes brimmed with tears and Carter finally saw the heart of the man he used to know.

He put his hand on his father’s arm and spoke softly. “Dad, I need you to call an ambulance. She was in my care and I should have been paying attention. We have to have someone look at her before we even move her.”

Keith nodded and went to find a phone. Carter blew in Remy’s face; she was crying so hard she wasn’t making any noise and her face was turning blue. His heart pounded with adrenaline and fear, but the trick worked. She took a deep breath and then let out an ear shattering wail. Carter did his best to give her some semblance of being held until the ambulance could arrive.

*****

Lindy sighed for the umpteenth time over an uneaten sandwich. Sam sat across the table from her, working on a crossword puzzle. He knew she wasn’t hungry when she had made the sandwich an hour ago; her mind was anywhere but on her stomach.

She’d hoped coming to work would distract her from Carter McKinney. He had occupied her mind since Elise had left her apartment earlier that afternoon – and it wasn’t just his face and his perfect, athletic build, either. More so, it was the soft and gently way his lips had massaged hers the night before. It was the way he had held her body so close to his; she was certain her knees could have given out – which they almost did – and he would have supported her weight effortlessly.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized all of her “reasons” for kissing him were just excuses. She told herself that she was still a little drunk. She told herself that she was still worked up from her rush with Cooper and just needed a nightcap, and Carter was convenient. She told herself oh so many things.

None of them were true though, and she knew it. Kissing Carter had been a coherent desire. The only thing the alcohol and Cooper had done for her was to make her that much more confident to actually act on the desire without fear of rejection.

“You still with us, Carmichael? I know it’s been a slow night, but I can’t have you falling asleep on me,” Sam said, breaking through her thoughts.

“I’m all right, Sam. Thanks.”

“That sandwich has about reached its shelf-life, I think.”

Lindy pushed on the bread and agreed; the bread was dry and made the sandwich seem far less appetizing than it had been in the first place. She dumped it in a nearby trashcan and slumped back into the chair.

“What’s his name?” Sam finally asked. He set his pen down on the table and looked ready to listen intently.

Fortunately for Lindy, the alert sounded that they had a call. Sam jumped into the cab of the ambulance while Lindy took the call on the radio and readied herself for what was coming.

*****

Remy had calmed somewhat in the time it took the paramedics to get there. Keith stood on the front porch and filled Sam in on what had happened while Lindy followed the whimpers into the kitchen.

“Carter?” she frowned. He looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see him, but didn’t let him affect it for too long.

“Lindy,” he breathed, and his voice was full of relief. “This is my niece, Remy. My dad and I were arguing and I think it scared her. She pushed herself out of the high chair and fell.”

Lindy pushed the table and a chair out of the way and kneeled next to Remy on the other side. “You haven’t moved her?”

Carter shook his head. “No. Not at all.”

“That’s good.” She reached into her front pocket and found a small flashlight. She smoothed the hair on Remy’s head and smiled down at the little girl. “Hey, Remy. How are you doing, baby girl?”

Remy whimpered again and crumpled her face like she might cry, but Carter stepped in quickly. “Don’t be scared, Rem. This is the girl I told you about before our nap. Remember the pretty girl Uncle Carter wanted to see again?”

The baby seemed to calm with her uncle’s soothing words, although she surely didn’t remember. Lindy’s cheeks pinked that Carter had mentioned her to his family, but she continued to check over the baby.

“Sam, will you bring the board in here, please?” she yelled to the front porch. “I think she’s just got a broken arm and probably a concussion, but we need to stabilize her neck and back until they can x-ray her. This is going to be scary for her.”

“Okay,” Carter agreed quietly. “What should I do?”

“Just keep her as calm as possible. Where are her parents?”

Carter swallowed. “Her father’s dead. My sister and my mother are at a movie, I think Dad tried calling them.”

“Can you make decisions on her healthcare?”

“Yeah. When Remington died, Remy made sure my parents and I had legal guardianship, just in case.”

Sam came in with the board and Carter remained close by to keep Remy calm while they put a neck brace on her and got her onto the back board. By the time it was done, Remy didn’t want Lindy or Carter out of her sight or she would start crying again.

Keith elected to stay behind and wait for Trina and Carrie to call or come home and let them know what was going on. He looked worried still, but Carter assured him that everything would be fine.

On the ambulance ride to the hospital, Lindy started an IV for Remy so that they could get her some pain medication. The little girl wasn’t a big fan of that but calmed down once it was all said and done.

“She’s going to be okay, right?” Carter asked. Fear was evident in his entire countenance and gestures.

“That was a long, hard fall for someone her size but you did the right thing by not moving her, Carter. That and keeping her calm was the smartest thing you could have done.”

“Carrie’s going to kill me. She’s my twin sister. Her husband, Remington, was just killed in Afghanistan three months ago and Remy is all she has left of him. I know she didn’t want to leave the baby with me this afternoon because it’s still hard for her to leave and not know if Remy will be there when she comes back.”

“I’m sorry,” Lindy whispered, checking Remy’s pulse. “About your brother-in-law.”

Carter gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, me too.”

They pulled into the hospital with a jerk and Lindy hurried to open the back doors and get Remy into the hospital room. A trauma team was waiting for them and took Remy into their hands to start x-rays and give her a full examination to find all of her injuries. The pain medication had made her groggy enough that she didn’t cry too much when they wheeled her away from Carter and Lindy.

“I have to brief the doctors real quick, but I’ll meet you back out in the waiting room,” Lindy promised before disappearing down the hall.

Sam trudged in with the paperwork and spotted Carter. He put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.

“Lindy’s the best paramedic I’ve ever worked with. Your niece is in good hands,” Sam promised.

“She was definitely that last person I expected to see,” Carter admitted.

Sam raised his brow. “You know her?”

“We ran into each other at the gym and then again at the club last night.”

“Good luck.” Sam shook Carter’s hand and smiled, chuckling to himself. He knew exactly who Carter was and now understood why Lindy had been a thousand miles away for the whole shift. He directed Carter to the waiting room and then went to find Lindy. He found her halfway back to the ambulance bay.

“The doctors are doing x-rays right now, but they think she’s okay,” Lindy told him.

“You didn’t tell me this was a personal case for you. No wonder you were so good with the little girl.” Sam smiled. “Carter McKinney, wow. I’m impressed.”

Lindy shook her head. “It’s not like that. I met him twice before. I haven’t met anyone in his family before now even.”

“Whatever you say.”

“I’m just going to check with Carter, and then I’ll meet you at the truck.”

Sam sighed. “Lindy, why don’t you just stay? I’ll call Brewer in to meet me back at the post.”

She had to admit that she didn’t want to leave just yet; not until Remy was in the clear. She was already far more attached than she wanted to be, so where was the harm in staying?

“All right. Tell Brewer I owe him one.”

“Will do.”

She didn’t even watch Sam go, afraid that she would change her mind. Instead, she turned for the waiting room, hoping selfishly that Carter’s family hadn’t arrived yet.

Carter was in a chair with his head in his hands when Lindy entered. She sat quietly next to him and spoke quietly.

“The doctors are still going over her x-rays but she seems to be okay. Is your sister on the way yet?”

He looked over at her, surprised that she really had come back. “I left my mobile at the house. I assume the nurses will point them in my direction.”

“Here, you can use my phone.” She handed it over to him and he gave her a small but grateful smile. She listened while he spoke with his father and handed the phone back to her a few minutes later. “Carrie had a panic attack when she got home and Dad told her everything. They’ve got her calmed down now and they should be here in a few minutes.”

“Okay, that’s good.” Lindy swallowed as she watched the lines of tension in his face deepen. “This could have happened with anyone around. You know that right?”

“But it didn’t,” he argued. “It happened when I was around. I’m always away fighting and when I’m here I let my six-month-old niece fall out of her high chair.”

Lindy sighed. “I know what it’s like to be the family that’s left behind when a fighter has to travel to train or for a match or whatever. I promise you that Carrie is just happy to have her brother around. As weird as this may sound, she’s probably relieved that this is happening while you’re here.”

“Do you have a brother that fought or something?”

Lindy pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair. “That’s a story for another day.”

“Sure.” They were silent for awhile, staring at the ceiling with its bright hospital lights. “Thanks for being so good with Remy. I’m really glad it was you to take care of her. And no because of – well, you know.”

“You’re welcome. About last night …”

Carter shook his head. “It’s okay, Lindy. I don’t know what’s happened to you before, and you don’t have to tell me. We can just be friends.”

“Friends?” Lindy raised a brow. She couldn’t decide if she was relieved or disappointed; at least he wasn’t pushing her into something she wasn’t sure she could be a part of just yet. At the same time, she wasn’t completely certain that she didn’t want a little prodding.

“We have to start somewhere.” He gave her a smile and wink and she wanted to melt.

“Friends, then,” she agreed. “I’m going to see if I can’t get an update on Remy.”

“Thanks.”

Carter watched her go and, despite everything, felt his heart rise a little. Maybe Lindy wasn’t going to be quite as closed off as he expected.

“Where is she? Have you heard anything?” Carrie rushed into the waiting room just a few minutes later, anxious to see her daughter. JP followed close behind her, and then Keith and Trina filtered in the room.

“Lindy just went and checked on her. Carrie, I’m so sorry.”

“It could have happened. It could have been –” Carrie took a deep breath before she continued. “It could have been Rem and I arguing and letting her fall out of the high chair. Dad says you did a really good job keeping the situation under control.”

“Lindy’s checking on her?” JP asked. “Isn’t that the chick from the club?”

“Uh, yeah,” Carter nodded, blushing a little. “She’s a paramedic and took care of Remy.”

He explained the story to his family in a nutshell and saw his mother and sister exchange small smiles.

“They just admitted her …” Lindy had returned with an update on Remy’s condition, but was not expecting to see his entire family waiting with him. “Carter?”’

“Hey,” he spoke up, coming from behind the crowd. “Sorry. This is Keith, my dad; my mom, Trina; my twin sister, Carrie. This big guy here is my best friend JP. Everyone, this is my friend. Lindy.”

“Hi. I just got an update on Remy from one of the doctors and they’re admitting her to a room right now, then you’ll all be able to go in and see her.”

“They’re keeping her overnight?” Carrie asked, grasping on to Trina’s arm.

“I’m sorry; I should have led with that. Her arm is broken and she has a mild concussion. Everything else looks okay, but because she’s so young, they are going to keep her overnight for observation.”

Carrie came forward and unexpectedly hugged Lindy. “Thank you, so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Lindy smiled.

Carter watched his sister hug Lindy and it lifted his spirits even more. They all talked a little more and Lindy answered as many questions as she could about Remy’s condition before the doctor came and briefed them all on what was going on, and then directed Carrie to Remy’s room. Trina and Keith followed, but JP and Carter stayed behind.

“I should probably go,” Lindy said. “I’m just going to call my sister to come pick me up.”

“You don’t have to go,” Carter insisted. “I’m sure Remy wants to see you.”

JP chuckled and leaned over Carter’s shoulder. “And I’m sure that’s the only reason he wants you to stay.”

Carter laughed but shoved JP off his shoulder. “Go see the baby, man, you’re killing me here.”

Lindy waited for JP to leave and then turned back to Carter. “I don’t want to interrupt this whole family thing.” Her phone rang and she held it up. “That’s Elise now. Give me just a minute. Hey, sis.”

“Lindy?” Elise was sniffling and her breaths were coming in short gasps.

“Why are you crying?” Lindy asked, immediately on alert.

“Can I – can I come over? Justin and I got in a really bad fight and I think we broke up.”

“Of course you can, sweetie. I was actually just about to call you. I’m at the hospital – I’ll explain later. Why don’t you come by and pick me up and we’ll talk, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Calm down before you drive.” Lindy hung up the phone and turned back to Carter. “She just broke up with her fiancé, apparently.”

“I’m sorry. Hey, I might know a few guys who would rough him up if she wants,” he tried to joke.

Lindy gave him a small smile. “Thanks, Carter.”

He offered to walk her out and she accepted. They sat on a nearby ledge and made small talk until Elise pulled up.

“I don’t expect a kiss like the other night,” Carter teased. “But friends can hug right?”

“Yes,” Lindy laughed. Carter pulled her into his embrace and she felt her defenses starting to chip away. “I’ll see you around.”

“You will,” Carter agreed. Lindy graced him with her smile until she was in the car and out of view, then prepared to comfort her sister.

A/N: Whew. This one took a couple tries, but I think I'm happy with it.

I don't really have much to say. I appreciate all the reviews. I'm going now to finish the next chapter of Wonderwall, if anyone is still reading it LOL.