"And Zero," Kyle said, turning to face Zero, "I'm letting you know first. The Diamond Team will be in charge of the logistics in MIB."

"Know this," Kyle said, "You and the Team are indispensable to me but all of you have done your job perfectly. I'm already stable and in position, so it's basically just monitoring everything. That's all that Diamond Team needs to do."

"Sir?" Zero asked, perplexed.

"He means Diamond Team is the boss. You will delegate. Send others for missions, but you guys just sit tight," Lianne said, rolling her eyes.

"But, Sir ..." Zero started when Kyle put up his hand.

"You guys should rest. Live your life. Get a life," Kyle said, "That doesn't revolve around the Smith Twins. You're still the backbone but you don't have to be the one who does everything anymore. Let others do it."

"Yeah, Zero," Lianne said, "You guys are old now. You should get out there and find a girl before your seeds shrivel up."

"Lianne!" Kyle said, shocked.

"Oops?" Lianne said, putting a hand over her mouth, "Sorry, that's wrong. Guys don't have that problem."

At that moment, their talk ended when a team of doctors turned up.

The surgeon and cardiologist were present, along with a few other faces which they didn't know.

They checked Lianne, observed the monitor, and finally, after some discussions, the surgeon turned to Kyle, "Her heart rate is improving but it's really still quite low."

"So, what does this mean?" Kyle asked.

"There is always a chance that it will steadily grow stronger and she will be fine," the surgeon said, "We will know for sure in two weeks to a month."

"But?" Kyle prodded.

"If it doesn't improve, then she will need to be fixed with a pacemaker," he said.

"What is your recommendation?" Kyle then asked.

The surgeon hesitated, "I can't say. All I can say is that there is a risk of her needing a pacemaker in the future. If that is the case, then she will have to go through all of this again."

Lianne paled.

"What about putting the pacemaker now?" Kyle asked.

"The lines are already in, so we will not need to put them in again," the surgeon explained, "I will also use the same opening, not having to make another incision later on."

"What if she doesn't need the pacemaker in the future? Wouldn't it mean having it put in now, is a waste?"

"No," the surgeon said, "Even if it was determined that she needs a pacemaker in the future, it doesn't mean that she will be dependent on it forever. She is still young and her heart may actually not need it in the future after that."

"So if she doesn't need it anymore, she has to go through surgery to take it out?" Kyle asked.

"No," the surgeon replied, "It won't be an obstruction at all. She will need to go for regular check-ups, to check her heart and even change the battery. That won't be any major surgery either. It's like cutting open a pocket and changing it. It'll be a day surgery."

"Do I need the breathing tube again?" Lianne asked, her voice shaking.

"Yes," the doctor replied, "But we will put it - and remove it - while you're under anesthesia."

Lianne looked visibly relieved at that.

Kyle looked at Lianne and then said decisively to the surgeon, "Then, doctor, let's have the pacemaker installed now. I don't want her to go through two weeks of uncertainty and then having to do this all over again."

Kyle didn't bother asking Lianne about this for he knew that there are times one has to be firm. He turned to Lianne and said gently, "I hope you understand."

Lianne nodded.

In truth, she was glad her mother made the choice.

A part of her did not want to, but a part of her wanted to. Having the decision taken out of her hands made her then focus on the next step. Let's just get this over and done with in one shot.

"Let's do this," Lianne said.

Zero held her hand and she tentatively smiled at him. At least, she would be unconscious when they put those tubes in her all over again.

Think on the positives and things will be well.

Kohai was right.

This time, the surgery went by smoothly and according to the time. Lianne stayed in CICU for another day before being sent back to the 'normal' ward. The VIP ward, of course.

This time, it was Zero who accompanied her throughout.

Stephan had been indignant at first, until Kyle assured him that Zero was a gentleman and there would not be any incidents. To make him even more assured, Kyle hired a female nurse as Lianne's personal nurse.

Zero was there to keep Lianne company while the personal nurse was not only to take care of Lianne (who didn't really need care) but also ensure that things were 'appropriate'.

For the first two days, Lianne was rather listless and in constant pain but slowly, she recovered. By the third day, she felt more human and was even given a clean bill of health and could return home the next day.

Kyle couldn't believe that it was that fast, but he was assured that there was nothing wrong. Just to be sure, he had the personal nurse stay for another month to just be on 'stand-by'.

Just in case.

Surprisingly …

That nurse became the rock for Stephan instead of Lianne.

Lianne could see the growing attraction between the two and, naturally, she pushed them together. She felt the nurse was perfect for her father, for she was the homely type and very caring.

She had to admit, she had ulterior motives for getting them together.

With them going out on date and such, she was basically left alone and her father wasn't constantly trying to take care of her. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate his efforts but he was just really so awkward about it all.

Lydia from Sales was forgotten, and it was Nurse Hannah that her father ended up dating seriously. Though it was still too early to tell, Lianne could see that at least, for now, it seemed to be going in the right direction.

Lianne's life didn't change much.

Other than the check-ups she needed to do every six months, her life was as per normal. She was never physically active anyway, thus, the ban on contact sports didn't faze her at all.

She was never a fan of roller-coasters as well, so not going to theme parks was fine by her.

She felt her life was pretty good, really.

After the whole scare about the surgery, things settled very well for her.

Joseph was living with Kay, and they were still going through the honeymoon period.

Her father was looking happier with Nurse Hannah, and becoming more mellow. He was less prone to anger and less temperamental. Nurse Hannah knew how to handle her father, and that was the best.

As for her mother?

Well, it was obvious that her mother did find the love of her life in this life. Lianne was happy for her and hoped that they would live a long, blissful and fulfilling life till the end. With everyone around her having found 'the one', Lianne didn't feel left out at all.

In fact, she thought it was perfect.

She could live her life as she wished, without worry about other people or having to have a guy bothering her. She couldn't wait to be a legal adult and move out, to live by herself in an apartment.

That would be bliss indeed.

✿ Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l. ✿

Kyle lay in bed, hugging his wife while deeply inhaling her sweet scent. They had just finished a rather vigorous nightime exercise, and they hadn't washed up yet. Kyle wasn't really the type to immediately get up and bathe because he liked to cuddle after it.

Sometimes, they fell asleep without even washing up, and would only do so the next morning … usually, after a round of morning sex, too. Though some may find this icky, or unhygienic, in reality, it is fine to sleep in the natural, post-sex state.

It all depends on the individual, of course.

As long as one does clean up, it is fine to do so the next day (this is on the premis that there it is 'normal' sex and individual preference). Not cleaning up, however, is a no-no. One should always clean oneself, as this would protect men and women from infections like urinary tract (UTIs).

For now, Kyle and Sayuri had wiped the main areas with a wet towel and found it to be more than enough. Sayuri started playing with Kyle's chest, running her fingers around it.

Kyle looked down at her and laughed softly, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?"

Kyle took her hand and brought it lower, saying, "It should be here, you know."

"Shameless," Sayuri responded with a laugh as she touched his c*ck. Obviously, it didn't take long for Round 2 to begin.

✿ New year ✿

There was a new tradition for New Years at the Smith Mansion.

It used to be that the kids would spend New Year's eve with their Elite Five Group, and the celebration would last till the next day. However, this time, it was family time.

Delilah and Patrick watched from a distance as Kyle lit some fireworks. Joseph stood behind Kyle, holding on to some fireworks while closing his ears. He would hand the fireworks to Kyle after he lit them up and they were laughing together.

Sayuri was sitting with her kids on a mat that was spread on the ground, watching the fireworks with her kids beside her. Kay was on another mat nearby while Stephan and Hannah were sitting beside Delilah and Patrick. Lianne was also sitting with them though she wasn't really hanging out with them.

It was as if she was on the outside, looking in. Part of the group, yet, not.

She didn't mind, really, and she didn't feel out of place but she did wish Zero was here. He would have enjoyed the fireworks as well.

After the fireworks were finished, Kyle went over to his family. He sat behind Sayuri and hugged her from behind, putting his hand lovingly on her tummy that was starting to show. Joseph sat beside his wife and they hugged as they watched Rory and Alex play with some sparklers.

He noticed Kay looking at Kyle and Sayuri and he held her hand.

"Do you want children?" he asked softly.

Kay looked at her young husband, who just reached 19 years old. He had entered college and surprisingly, was doing English. That was already a surprise. What shocked her more was the fact that he decided to do English because he wanted to improve his writing. What made her utterly flabbergasted was finding out that the author of her favourite novel was her own husband.

"I do," Kay replied, "But …"

"No buts," Joseph said, "I know we decided to not have children yet because I'm still young and schooling. I thank you for that, but I think we can do it."

Joseph hugged her tighter, "I can see the longing in your eyes. I know raising children isn't easy, but I believe as long as we have each other and back each other up, we can do it. Together. So let's just stop using protection and let nature take its course."

Kay smiled.

"Okay," she agreed, leaning back on him. Just thinking of having children with Joseph made her smile. They would certainly have beautiful children.

Just then, Thief came out of the house, carrying something in its mouth.

"Thief!!" Alex shouted, seeing this and running after the little cat, "What did you steal this time?"

Thief certainly lived up to his name.

While his mother, Kitty, liked to steal Kyle's underwear, Thief just liked to collect anything small. It could be paper, pen, matches.

Anything.

Right now, it was a long white thing that looked like a pen. But it was a bit flat rather than round like a pen.

Alex chased after Thief who didn't want to give up his treasure. When he finally caught up with Thief, he held Thief down firmly and tried to get the item out.

Thief growled, refusing to let go of the item.

Kyle, seeing this, took some of the firework wrappers and crumpled it. He threw it towards Thief, effectively diverting its attention. Thief opened his mouth and Alex quickly grabbed the item.

He looked at it, unable to figure out what it is and went to his mother, "Mummy, what is this?"

Kyle's eyes went wide open upon seeing it.

"This …" Sayuri hesitated.

It was a pregnancy test kit. With two blue lines.

Kyle took it and looked at Kay. She raised her eyebrows and shook her head. They turned to look at their parents.

Delilah coughed, "Kyle, Kay ... you're going to have a sibling."

~ THE END ~