diff --git a/src/field.ts b/src/field.ts
index e69de29..4d4af9f 100644
--- a/src/field.ts
+++ b/src/field.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import {Delimiters} from "./delimiters";
+import {Node} from "./node";
+import {ValueNode} from "./valueNode";
+
+export class Field extends ValueNode {
+
+  constructor(parent: Node, key: string, text: string) {
+    super(parent, key, text, Delimiters.Field);
+
+    console.log(parent, key, text)
+
+  }
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/message.ts b/src/message.ts
index a7ac7d2..96e43ab 100644
--- a/src/message.ts
+++ b/src/message.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {createDateTime} from "./utils";
 export class Message extends Node {
 
   private _opt: ReturnType<typeof normalizedClientBuilderOptions>;
+  private readonly _delimiters: string;
 
   /**
    * @param text If not provided, it will be MSH plus the default encoding characters.
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ export class Message extends Node {
     super( null,text, Delimiters.Segment)
 
     this._opt = normalizedClientBuilderOptions(props)
+    this._delimiters = `${this._opt.newLine}${this._opt.separatorField}${this._opt.separatorRepetition}${this._opt.separatorEscape}${this._opt.separatorSubComponent}`
 
     if (!text) {
       this.initialBuild()
@@ -26,16 +28,13 @@ export class Message extends Node {
   }
 
   addSegment(path: string): Segment {
-
     if (!path) {
       throw new Error("Missing segment path.");
     }
-
     let preparedPath = this.preparePath(path);
     if (preparedPath.length != 1) {
       throw new Error("Invalid segment path '" + path + "'.");
     }
-
     return <Segment>this.addChild(preparedPath[0]);
   }
 
@@ -53,5 +52,13 @@ export class Message extends Node {
     return [];
   }
 
+  protected createChild(text: string, _index: number): Node {
+    // make sure to remove any \n that might follow the \r
+    return new Segment(this, text.trim());
+  }
+
+  get delimiters(): string {
+    return this._delimiters;
+  }
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/node.ts b/src/node.ts
index e27cf86..ef6ea99 100644
--- a/src/node.ts
+++ b/src/node.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import {Delimiters} from "./delimiters";
+import {Message} from "./message";
 
 interface INode {
 
@@ -11,11 +12,25 @@ interface INode {
 
 export class Node implements INode {
 
-  _path: string[]
+  protected parent: Node | null;
+
+  private _children: Node[];
+  private _message: Message;
+  private _delimiterText: string;
+  private _path: string[];
+  private _text: string;
 
   // @ts-ignore
   constructor( parent: Node | null, text: string, delimiter: Delimiters = undefined) {
 
+    this.parent = parent
+    this._children = []
+    this._path = []
+    this._text = text
+    this._delimiterText = ""
+    this._message = new Message()
+
+
   }
 
   set(path: string | number, value?: any): Node {
@@ -79,36 +94,31 @@ export class Node implements INode {
 
   }
 
-  // @ts-ignore
   protected preparePath(path: string): string[] {
     let parts = path.split(".");
     if (parts[0] == "") {
       parts.shift();
       parts = this.path.concat(parts);
     }
-
     if (!this._isSubPath(parts)) {
       throw new Error("'" + parts.toString() + "' is not a sub-path of '" + this.path.toString() + "'");
     }
-
     return this._remainderOf(parts);
   }
 
   private _isSubPath(other: string[]): boolean {
-
     if(this.path.length >= other.length) return false;
-
-    var path = this.path;
-    for(var i = 0, l = path.length; i < l; i++) {
-      if(path[i] != other[i]) return false;
+    let path = this.path;
+    for (let i = 0, l = path.length; i < l; i++) {
+      if (path[i] != other[i]) {
+        return false;
+      }
     }
-
     return true;
   }
 
   private _remainderOf(other: string[]): string[] {
-
-    var path = this.path;
+    let path = this.path;
     return other.slice(path.length);
   }
 
@@ -130,9 +140,39 @@ export class Node implements INode {
   }
 
   protected addChild(text: string): Node {
-    console.log(text)
-    return this
+    let child = this.createChild(text, this.children.length);
+    this.children.push(child);
+    return child;
+  }
+
+  protected createChild(_text: string, _index: number): Node {
+    throw new Error("Not implemented");
+  }
+
+  protected get delimiter(): string {
+
+    if(this._delimiterText) return this._delimiterText;
+    return this._delimiterText = this.message.delimiters[this._delimiter];
+  }
+
+  protected get message(): Message {
+
+    if(this._message) {
+      return this._message;
+    }
+    return this._message = this.parent ? this.parent.message : <any>this;
   }
 
+  protected get children(): Node[] {
+    if (!this._children) {
+      let parts = this._text.split(this.delimiter);
+      let children = new Array(parts.length);
+      for (let i = 0, l = parts.length; i < l; i++) {
+        children[i] = this.createChild(parts[i], i);
+      }
+      this._children = children;
+    }
+    return this._children;
+  }
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/segment.ts b/src/segment.ts
index 22d46ac..1e65d1e 100644
--- a/src/segment.ts
+++ b/src/segment.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import {Delimiters} from "./delimiters";
+import {Field} from "./field";
 import { Node } from "./node";
 
 export class Segment extends Node {
@@ -7,4 +8,8 @@ export class Segment extends Node {
     super(parent, text, Delimiters.Field);
   }
 
+  protected createChild(text: string, index: number): Field {
+    return new Field(this, index.toString(), text);
+  }
+
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/valueNode.ts b/src/valueNode.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef3b3bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/valueNode.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import {Delimiters} from "./delimiters";
+import { Node } from "./node";
+
+
+export class ValueNode extends Node {
+
+  key: string;
+
+  constructor(parent: Node, key: string, text: string, delimiter: Delimiters) {
+    super(parent, text, delimiter);
+
+    this.key = key;
+  }
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file