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As soon as James’s feet hit the ground he quickly realized his mobility was severely limited.   Oh no is she going to make me start crawling! He thought to himself.  Seriously I now need to really hold her hand.   She even held it out like he was a toddler waiting for him to give her his hand.    

Annie smiled at Kayla as she picked her up. She gave her a hug then got a pajama top out and slipped it over Kayla's head. Annie tickled Kayla and kissed her cheek. "Let's get baby's bottle." Annie cooed. Annie took a baby bottle out of a warmer and sat down in a rocking chair. Annie rubbed the nipple against Kayla's mouth. "Who's a thirsty baby?" Annie cooed, rocking Kayla.

Kayla didn’t fuss or complain as she was praisesd and her daddy was making faces and noises it seemed like he was happy too.   She was happy for her bottle as she was thirsty!  The  new baby was having fun!   

Chapter 202: Tabloids  BETH WALKED INTO Carly’s room with her mom possessively holding onto her shoulder. Her parents both nodded as the agents left, then each hugged Amanda. “Mandy, how’s Fred?” her dad asked. “I’ve heard he’s doing okay…” Amanda replied. “Wait, did something happen to Grandpa?” Carly asked. “No one told you yet?” Beth asked in disbelief. “Told me what?” Carly asked. The heart rate monitor on the projection above beeped a bit faster right then. Beth walked to her and sat beside her, holding her hand and running her hand through her disastrous hair. “We were attacked at Amanda’s house last night,” Beth told her. “What?!?” Carly asked, in shock. “Is everyone okay?” Beth watched Carly turn to Amanda for confirmation. “It was a close call for your grandfather, but Beth here saved his life,” Amanda said. Beth felt her skin redden with embarrassment. “I didn’t really do anything,” she protested. “You most definitely did,” Marshal Evans said behind her, causing her to turn to look up at him. “I’ve seen the footage. You fought back at just the right moment, and you didn’t hesitate to use the NanoAid on him. Without that, it could very well have been a different outcome.” “That was all, Tessa,” Beth said. Before they could correct her, there was another knock on the door. “I’m sorry to bother you,” a nurse said. “But there’s an attorney here with a court order demanding that I let her in.” “Huh?” Several voices said at once. “Let her in,” Beth’s dad said. He had his face scrunched up in a look that Beth always knew meant he was puzzled and annoyed at something. Everyone in the room, except Carly, recognized the attorney for Emerson that they’d met with back in President Barnes's office. “Mrs. Thompson, how can we help you?” Amanda asked. “I’m here to take custody of Carly on behalf of the university.” “Excuse me?” Amanda hissed. “This order grants me the rights to do so,” she said, brandishing a paper copy of a court order. “Miss Slane was given thirty-eight demerits and is no longer a student of Emerson. She is to be remanded to the custody of Twinkle Tots until a suitable family can be found for her.” A police officer accompanied her, “Doctor, is the patient ready to be released to Mrs. Thompson here?” “No, she’s not,” Dr. Nickerson said. “And she won’t be released to her,” Beth’s dad said. As if everyone else in the room had been waiting for this moment, Judge Price appeared in the room. “Sorry, I’m late, officer. I’m Judge Price. May I see that order?” The officer seemed a bit startled, but must have recognized him, “Here, Your Honor.” Judge Price examined it for a moment, “Yep, Mrs. Thompson here will need to be arrested too. This order is not valid, officer. I am issuing a stay on any such orders being given or granted against Carly Slane. Please take Mrs. Thompson into custody, and make a note that she is to appear before me on Monday morning. She is not to be released on bail until at least that hearing.” “You can’t do this!” Thompson screamed. Right then, she reached out to grab Carly, but was landed on her ass by Marshal Tanner. “I may have missed saving that Little girl from your associates, but so help me, it’s not happening again in front of me. Please hand me your handcuffs!” He ordered the officer. Beth and the rest of the room watched as the woman was roughly handcuffed and stood back up. “You’ll pay for this!” She hissed as she was led away. Beth turned down and looked at Carly, who was now as white as a ghost. She hugged her tightly, “It’s okay, Carly, we’re never going to let them get to you.”: “But…” Carly started to say, “Doesn’t that mean I’m…” “Safe,” Beth’s dad said to Carly. “There is no way in the world that those demerits stick after a due process hearing. Judge Price here can, and did, place an injunction on any actions against you until one is granted in his courtroom. All we have to do is play the video of what happened, and there’s no way anyone will back up the demerits. Plus, as of this time, Shapiro, Chester, and a dozen others have been placed on leave by the Board of Regents.” “How?” Carly said. “Did they remove Emaly Rhoades, too?” Beth’s mom laughed, “Along with five others,” she nodded. “Ivy called to tell us as we were flying in. They’ve been suspended for now, but a full vote to revoke their places on the board is scheduled for later today.” “What happened to them?” Beth asked nervously. Marshal Tanner answered, “Well, Emaly Rhoades was arrested in Shapiro’s office when we came to rescue you. Theresa Montclair and Paige Frasier were arrested about an hour after everything happened there. Unfortunately, we are still trying to find three of the others that we know were responsible.” Beth felt her stomach twist, knowing some of the conspirators were at large. “We’re safe from them, right?” Beth’s dad put his hand up on her shoulder, “As safe as we can make you.” “Oh no! My test!!!” Carly said suddenly. “I’m missing my HoloFields exam!!!” Beth looked down at her smaller pint-sized girlfriend, “No, you’re not.” “But…” “Carly, do you really think they would have classes today after everything that went on last night?” her mom said a little bluntly. “Maybe…?” Her mom laughed then, “No, they aren’t. Not only is it a madhouse of reporters on campus, but the protest numbers have swelled beyond any other that’s happened so far. I promise the only thing you’re missing right now is the rest you should be getting. Amanda, call us when they are willing to release her. We’re going to go find a place to buy to stay for the time being.” “Place to stay?” Beth asked. “After everything else that’s gone on, I’m through sitting on the other side of the country hoping you’re safe. Until the end of the semester, I’m moving out here,” her mom told her. “What about Laura and Jason?” Beth asked. “Your dad can make sure they get off to school. Chef Miro is flying up, so I know they won’t starve.” “We can’t have her come this direction, can we?” Carly said with a tired look. Her mom laughed, “You just want more of her sauce! We’ll get some sent out here – she said she owed you some more.” Carly smiled; the look on her face was exhausted then. “Come on, Beth, let’s get out of here and let Carly get some rest. Tanner, you’re leaving a detail here, correct?” her dad said. “Yes, sir… Along with the NBI team that’s stationed here.” “If anyone tries to pull the same stunt as the Thompson woman, let me know. I’ll sign my own injunction immediately if necessary,” her dad said. Beth found herself giving her dad a hug before doing the same to Carly, and kissing her forehead, “I’ll see you in a while, get some rest, Carly. I love you,” she said softly. “Love you, too,” Carly replied. With that, her parents led her outside and into a surprise array of cameras between them and the vehicle waiting for them in the driveway.   I LOOKED UP at Grandma, “Grandpa… is he really okay?” “Yes, he is,” she told me. At that moment, Megan came in with Shelby, Ryan, and Aunt Bella. Aunt Bella, Ryan, and Shelby all practically ran over to Grandma to hug her. I could see tears on everyone’s faces. “How’s Fred?” Aunt Megan asked Grandma. “I’ve heard he’s okay, I haven’t been able to leave to see him yet… I don’t trust leaving Carly with many people.” “Then go, we’ll stay with her,” Aunt Megan told her. “I…” “Go, Mandy, I promise, between myself and the agents and marshals outside, no one is getting to her right now. Go see your husband!” “Can we go too?” Aunt Bella asked. “I want to see Daddy?” “Sweetie, unfortunately, you’re not only too short, but you’re also too Little to be allowed in the unit,” Aunt Megan told her. “It’s probably better if you three just stay here with us?” “Can we try after Grandma comes back?” Shelby asked. “Sure,” Aunt Megan replied. Soon, she’d helped Shelby climb up beside me into the crib. “How are you feeling?” She asked me. “I’ve been better,” I told her. “Wait… what happened to you…?” She gasped. “I shrank,” I sighed. “A lot!” She noted. “Yes,” I agreed. “I mean, you’re still taller than my Mom… I think?” At that moment, I guess I finally broke again and began crying even as Shelby hugged me. Eventually, I must have cried myself to sleep.   BETH WAS NOT fond of leaving Carly behind, but was so exhausted she was clinging to her mom’s side as they walked out of the hospital and dodged the reporters. Her mom usually showed restraint in picking Beth up like a toddler, but at that moment, Beth found herself on her mom’s hip like she was a young girl again. “Mom…” she complained. “Don’t Mom me,” she chided. “You’ve been through so much today, and it’s clear you’re falling asleep on your feet. We’re going to take you to the hotel and let you have a chance to sleep for a while before we have an appointment to look at a couple of houses.” “You already…?” Beth started to question, but shook her head. “Never mind, of course you do…” She groaned at the waiting booster seat in the Luxuria, but the second the belts fastened around her, she was out for the count! She woke up sometime later on a hotel room bed. “Where?” She said sleepily, spitting out some hair that had entered her mouth. “We’re at the hotel,” her dad’s voice responded from beside her. She looked up at where he sat in a nearby chair. “How are you doing, Pumpkin?” She sat up, noting she was in a set of pajamas she didn’t remember dressing in. “Confused? How did I get here?” “You were pretty out of it,” he told her. “I think the stress and everything just knocked you out…” he gave her a worried look, “Your mom helped you change when you got here, but we both figured you wouldn’t remember… I haven’t seen you that tired in a long time.” Beth just felt numb right then, “Yeah… it was…” Right then, she just started crying, even as her dad rushed to her side and held her in a tight hug, rubbing her back gently every now and then. “Sorry,” she found herself telling him as she finally stopped sobbing. “Don’t be, Pumpkin,” he said, “you’ve been through so much this semester. I’d be a lot more worried if you didn’t cry.” She did her best to wipe the tears from her face with her hands, then, “Daddy… when everything happened before… how did you deal with it?” Her dad gave her a worried look, then sighed, “Not well. I assume you mean before the trial?” She nodded. “Are you sure you want to hear this…?” Beth could tell her dad feared a relapse to when her parents had first come clean. “I… I need to.” He sat up and pulled her into his side. She was now bigger than him, but she still felt absolutely comforted as if she was still the smaller body. His strong arm held her to his side as he sighed, “Honestly, I didn’t handle it well at all. If it wasn’t for your Grandma Ruth… and then the firm, I guess? Dad helped at first, but he passed away not long after everything happened. To be honest, I felt like I was drowning in sorrow.” “How did you keep going?” Beth asked him. “I threw myself into my cases… Especially any cases that stuck up for Littles? Those were dark years.” “And when you…” “Discovered you were still alive?” She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. “Your… your dad…” he choked up at that, “he told me you wouldn’t want me to see you. I honored that until right before the trial, when I convinced him I needed to remind myself why it was worth it. Seeing you like that…” Beth watched her dad physically shudder. “It was one of the worst moments ever in my life. From then… it was just about revenge.” Beth found herself hugging her dad, “Daddy,” she told him, “he was my dad then, but don’t ever think that you aren’t my daddy now.” He hugged her back, unable to say anything at that point, even as the tears down his own face left no doubt in her own mind of how much her dad loved her! They stayed in a long embrace before her dad said, “Why don’t you go get a shower and wash up. Your mom has two places she wants us to look at and decide between before dinner tonight. We can go back and check in on Carly then?” Beth found herself nodding, “Okay, Daddy,” she told him. “Umm… I need clothes, though?” “Your mom left you something in the bathroom?” Beth nodded, “Of course she did. Where is she?” “Making phone calls? They attacked you… It wasn’t a good move on their part.” Beth sighed, “Right…” An hour later, she found herself sitting in a vehicle between her parents, with a marshal driving, and a small motorcade of marshals and her mother’s private security officers leading and following them up a road she recognized as the main highway out of town, which led to the Westerfields. They turned onto a long drive long before their place, though, and were soon presented with a massive brick wall and a solid metal gate that opened only after the lead vehicle spoke to someone inside via an intercom. Beth found herself looking up at a large two-story house surrounded by what would be a beautiful lawn in the spring and summer. Just then, it was brown and dead, though. The doors opened, and she followed her parents out, realizing there was a large gap between the house and the exterior wall. That wall was probably twenty feet tall, she guessed, and a reasonably decent deterrent against intruders. A well-dressed woman in a skirt suit came down the steps from the house then. “Your Honor? Mrs. Sylvester and Miss Sylvester?” “That’s us,” her mom told her in response, “Sharon, I presume?” “Yes, ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you. This is the first house I told you about…” she said, leading them into a house that was smaller than their home back home, but probably more than enough space for her mother and her to stay in temporarily. The whole experience left her feeling like a complete child, as the woman only seemed to care about her mom’s opinion of the place – not even her dad got much attention, she noted! They ended up following her to another place that was more centrally located in town but less secure. In the end, the security concerns decided the issue for them, and thanks to her family’s wealth, they had the keys in hand and a title being sent to their attorney's office before even heading to dinner. “I think it’ll be nice,” her mom said. She looked at Colton, her head of security, “You can have all of the security features set and ready to go by tomorrow?” “Yes, ma’am, we have a team already coming in from a firm we trust to do so. Do you want to have someone deal with the decorating and furnishings?” “Please have Baylee get that done tonight? There should be some companies that can deliver in the morning?” “Probably can’t paint by then?” “It was just painted, you could tell that when we were in. It won’t be our design, but it’s only a couple of months anyway?” “Fair enough, we’ll get it taken care of, Mrs. Sylvester.” “Let’s get some dinner, and then head back to the hospital so Beth can see Carly?” Her dad suggested. “Sounds good,” her mom said. Beth found herself scrolling through news sites as they traveled down the streets after dinner and headed back to the hospital. An article from a tabloid in Calisota that covered stars caught her eye. Charlotte Perez: Little Advocate? The entertainment world has been shocked by events in Ames over the past few weeks. Charlotte Perez, one of the darlings of our children’s childhoods, has long been one of the most wholesome and family-minded actresses in the industry. We watched her on Life with Charlee as the precocious young Charlee, who we all watched struggle and grow into a fine example for our kids! Her latest films have also been very family-friendly, and no one can deny that she seems to have gone through her teens without getting dragged into the drug and alcohol pitfalls so many child actors do. In some ways, something like that might be better than the scandal she’s found herself in! Recently, protests have erupted in Ames at Emerson University about the still quite liberal treatment of the Littles who attend school there. Here in Calisota, you won’t find any Littles at our universities since we recognize putting them through that horrible stress is just cruel! Their best places, of course, are being taken care of by their loving mommies and daddies! Though Ames does have a more liberal outlook and allows students there to be Littles, it has at least insisted on having proper care for them. Most recently, a new administration has implemented some fantastic care strategies to help prepare those adorable tykes for their futures! Charlotte Perez, though, seems to think that’s wrong. She must hate family values, is all this author can guess. We’ve seen her spew nothing but hate towards the loving Bigs who are just trying to use established care protocols with their charges! Though no violence has yet occurred at her direction, classes have been cancelled on multiple days due to disruptions caused by the protests she keeps organizing! We can only sympathize with her mother, actress Morgan Cordova, for the anguish she must feel at seeing her daughter betraying the family values we know she espouses. Maybe the lack of future roles due to her controversies will help turn our wonderful, formerly amazing child star around? One can only hope this rebellious phase only lasts a short time, and we can get our ‘Charlee’ back again! ‘Poor Charlotte!’ Beth couldn’t help but think as she finished reading the article. ‘That’s total bullshit!’ A text came right then, on her phone, ‘Do you think Carly would be up for a visitor?’ she saw from Charlotte. She responded, ‘I bet she would! We’ll be back there ourselves here in a little bit. Be careful, there were a lot of cameras around earlier when we left.’ A laugh emoji returned, ‘🤣 I bet! They haven’t stopped following me around, though, so no change there. See you soon!’ Beth sat quietly, just hoping Charlotte, Carly, Amanda, and her family hadn’t bit off more than they could chew. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanks for reading! Please press the Like Button and Leave a comment! This will probably be the last bonus chapter for at least a few weeks. I’ve gotten a little bit of writing done so far today, but not as much as I need to. I should be able to keep up with a chapter a week for the foreseeable future. If I can get back to being 12 chapters ahead of you, I'll start looking at 2 chapters a week again. You all provided a nice number of likes though, and I felt like I should reward you for that!  Let me know what you think about this latest info! The first volume of this series is available now on Amazon Kindle!!! It's priced at $6.95 and includes chapters 1-73 plus a bit of a tag of an epilogue that wasn't in the original postings. I'm about 93% of the way through the AI audiobook version editing too, which will be available for $10.95 on its own, or as a $1.99 add-on to the Kindle version. (Hopefully I'll finish going through that this by tomorrow! Anyway, the Kindle Book link is here! https://www.amazon.com/Lights-Camera-What-Sofia-Hammerstein-ebook/dp/B0GDRDWS5P It'll probably be 4 or 5 books in total for Carly and Beth's story, I haven't got that set in stone yet! Thanks to those of you who have already purchased, please do give it a 5-star review when you finish. I appreciate the people who did so already! (Thanks for the great review too!) 💜

BEST CHAPTER YET!!!!! ❤️