"I'm back, Brian." Michaela said, "Please, come downstairs and tell all the patients I can't see them today.


Brian looked at her desperately and made his way downstairs.When Mrs. Blackmore entered the room, Sully stirred and opened his eyes. Michaela was surprised, when he heard him whispering:


"Ma! I always knew you'd come back one day!


"It's just delirium." Michaela quietly said."He is already three days in this condition, and I can't help him."


"Mrs. Blackmore, I suppose you'd better wait on the verandah…", but Mrs. Blackmore went toward the bed and sat beside it. She took Sully's hand and said:


"I'm here, Byron. I'm here, with you…I'm back."


Michaela felt a thin needle of jealousy, having seen that he leaned his cheek to his mother's hand and closed his eyes with a weak smile...Mrs. Blackmore sat tenderly stroking his hair, whispering something, as if there still was a little boy instead the grown man.


Finally she got up and came to Michaela.


"Dr. Quinn…I'm not a doctor,but it seems he's a little better, right?"


Michaela took his wrist, checking for the pulse. It was more steady; his breathing now was more even, and his forehead was not as hot as before.


"He's better." she said gladly,"You're absolutely right…you're not a doctor, but a mother, so you can feel it. I'm sure he'll be all right, and you will be able to see him tomorrow."


"No, I don't think he will want to see me when he wakes. I'll leave tomorrow morning and never bother him again, it's enough for me just to know that Byron is alive and has a wonderful family…Only one small request - Dr. Quinn, please write me once a year about Byron."


"No!" Michaela declared."Yyou can not leave like this. I'm sure Sully will understand and will be glad to see you…Please, wait for a few days…and call me "Michaela", please…"


"I'll be downstairs…Michaela." Mrs. Blackmore said with a smile…it was also just like Sully's.

Sully slowly opened his eyes. The room was blurry, but he was aware it was the recovery room in the clinic….


Michaela, noticing he's awake, ran beside him.


"Michaela…" he whispered weakly. "I'm here, Sully…How are you feel?"


"Tired…thirsty…" he muttered.


Michaela took him a glass of water and helped him to sit up.


"Thank you." he said with a weak smile.


"Better now?" she asked, when he laid back.


"Fine…just a little sleepy."


Michaela kissed his cheek:


"You'll be all right. Now close your eyes and sleep, you need to rest. When you wake up, I'll bring you some soup."


"Don't like to feel so helpless." he said.


"It won't be for long." Michaela promised "Just a few days and you will be able to go home."


"Oh my God…Preston!" he remembered The senator will be here very soon…"


"No, don't worry." she soothed him. "Matthew sent him a telegram. He will arrive 2 weeks later, and you'll have much time to talk with Preston.. Andrew can help you."


"Andrew? He didn't leave yet?"


"He decided to stay, until you get better."


Michaela suddenly felt a kind of shock when she noticed Mrs. Blackmore's gloves on the chair right near Sully's bed…Sully also noticed it.


"Michaela…She was here?!" he struggled to sit up.


"Sully, please…" she forced him to lay back."Let me explain…:


"She was here?" he repeated."Why? Why did you allow her?"


"We all were wrong about her." Michaela said.


"What do you mean 'wrong'?"


"She didn't betray you…she loves you, Sully."


"So why didn't she ever try to find me?"


"It wasn't her fault. Her husband lied to her for more than 20 years. He told her you were dead."


"Dead?! Why?"


"He didn't want you to live with them…About a year ago he died.. A few minutes before his death he said her the truth, but it was already too late. She couldn't find you…"


Sully looked at Michaela helplessly:


"Are you sure it's the truth?"


"I'm sure." Michaela said firmly."I saw her face when she was here…


Sully tried to sit up again but Michaela put her hand on his shoulder.


"Don't get up. She's downstairs. I'll ask Brian to call her."


"I must apologize to her." Sully said.


"Certainly."


Michaela agreed, "We all must."


"Michaela?" he asked,"Would you please call her?"


"OK, just for few minutes."


He nodded, and Michaela went downstairs.

Mrs. Blackmore entered the room and stopped silently at the door looking at her son…Then very slowly she came to the bed and sat on the chair…For a minute or two they silently looked at each other, not able to speak.


"Please forgive me for what I said before…" Sully broke the silence."I was wrong about you…" He tried to rise.


"Can I help you a little?" Mrs. Blackmore suggested. She placed her hand under his shoulders helping him to sit up.


"Thanks..Ma!"Sully said and hugged her.


Michaela understood how difficult it was for him to pronounce this word. She and Brian stood at the doors trying not to move and not disturb them.


"I'm sorry..." said Sully again.


"Don't blame yourself, Byron." Mrs. Blackmore answered "I understand what you must think about me, my dear…I can't believe you're with me again."


"Me too…"The tears crawled from his eyes,he was ashamed that Brian would see it, but could not stop it. Brian, noticing it, turned away, and Sully silently thanked his son for this…


"Brian!" Michaela suddenly said, "We need to go downstairs to see Andrew and say good-bye. He will leave on the next train. She wanted Sully to be alone with his mother, and Brian understood it also.


Michaela sat at her table and soon she heard a knock at the door. It was Loren again.


"Doctor Mike…I don't want to disturb you…but how is Sully?"


"He's better, Loren." Michaela reported, "I was going to go and tell you."


Loren looked at her suspiciously:


"Seems this woman entered here a few minutes ago…"


"Yes, she's here, upstairs…"


"Here? With Sully? Doctor Mike, how could you allow her.. this…"


"Loren, sometimes we try to judge others and would be wrong…"


"That's not wrong! This woman left her child…betrayed her own son…"


"No, she didn't. Sit down, I'll try to explain it to you…"


"What a bastard her husband was!" Loren exclaimed and shook his head in anger.


"Think I need to apologize…" he added, "Dr. Mike…when she comes downstairs, please say I'm sorry...She can visit my store whenever she wants."


"I'll tell her." Michaela promised."but you also need to apologize yourself…"

"No need for apologizes, Mr. Bray." Mrs. Blackmore said, "It was only my fault…I've deserved this."


"You're not!"Loren objected,"but your husband was!"


"It's not good to speak of the dead like this, Mr. Bray." she lowered her eyes, "He was always gentle and kind with me…let him rest in peace. After all, it was 'me' who left Byron alone."


"You were depressed…But it's all over, and now Sully is glad to see you…How is he feeling?"


"Thank you, much better…He will be able to return home after few days. I'm really proud that almost all the townspeople ask about him. I have a very good son, haven't I, Mr. Bray?"


"Yes." Loren agreed, "There were some troubles between us, but I always respected him. Kins are kins…So you can call me Loren…"


"Kins?"


"Michaela didn't tell you…Sully was my son-in -law."


"I knew he was married before, but didn't know his wife was your daughter…If you're kins, call me just Katherine."


"I was really mad,"Loren reminded," when Abby came home and declared: 'I don't want to marry Martin. I'll marry Sully, but if you don't want to bless us - I'll ran away with him!' She was very stubborn, my girl. Maude, my wife liked Sully, she gave them a piece of our land, and Sully built a homestead there. Maude told they were happy, but I was so angry…I never visited them, never told my daughter I still love her…I was wrong when convicted you - I did the same…"


"It's not the same!" Mrs. Blackmore objected,"Your Abagail was a grown woman, and she had a husband who loved her…but I left Byron when he was just a little kid, and he had nobody except me. There were so many losses in his life…because of me."


She covered her face with her palms, and her shoulders shook with the soundless sobs. Loren stood looking at her with puzzlement, and suddenly, unexpectedly for himself, hugged her tightly. She cried on his shoulder, and he patted her wavy hair repeating:


"Don't cry, Katherine…please…everything's all right…"


She stopped to cry and raised her head. For the next few minutes they looked to each other very surprisingly…


"I'm sorry, Loren." Mrs. Blackmore broke the silence."Thank you, but I need to go."


"Please, wait!"Loren said, "Just sit right here…"


She obediently sat down on the chair, and Loren walked to the door and put on it "CLOSED"


"Let's chat a little."he suggested, "I'll tell you about myself, and you… if you want…How about a cup of tea?"


"Sure, thank you." she smiled through the tears.

"Seems we both are so lonely…"Loren said. It was almost evening, they talked about several hours and didn't notice it.


"It's so hard…so painful." Mrs. Blackmore sighed."I have a wonderful daughter, but she lives so far from me. She can't see me very often, and I write letters…don't send most of them, just imagine that I talk with her."


"How often do you visit them?"


"Once a year. Her husband thinks it's enough."


"So…Sully is the only one who can see you wherever you want? Why you don't want to leave your England for here?"


"I don't want to bother Byron and Michaela." she said.


"But I don't suggest you to live with them…"


"What do you mean?"she asked. Her bright blue eyed widened with wonder.


Loren stood straight.


"Katherine…we both are so lonely…you in England, and me here…but we would sit here and talk like now in evenings…and sometimes go visit Dr.Mike and Sully…not sometimes, often. You will have no need to write letters to yourself…This is a good town, you'll like it. You can help me here in my store, just if you want it…I'll be happy if you'd agree…"


"Agree to what?" she asked.


"To marry me." Loren said solemnly."Katherine, please don't say 'no' right now, just promise me to think…"


"I promise." Mrs. Blackmore answered seriously…

"Dr. Mike, can I talk with Sully a little?" Loren asked.


Michaela was surprised to see Loren here so often, but she didn't show it:


"Sure, Loren. Mrs. Blackmore left just few minutes ago…Did you give her your apologies?"


"Yes…So, can I talk with Sully?"


"Come upstairs!" she answered.

"How are you feeling?" asked Loren, entering the recovery room.


"Thank you, I'm fine. Can't understand why Michaela still locks me in here."


"She's a doctor, Sully." said Loren in a didactic tone - and she knows such things much better than you, so you'd better obey her!"


He stopped for a long time, and then asked:


"Did you reconcile with your mother?"


Sully nodded.


"Yep."


"She's a good woman." Loren said, "She looks a lot like you..."


He walked up and forth, looked at the window, then said again:


"She's a good woman…"


"Did you need to talk with me about something?" asked Sully impatiently.


"Yes…Sully, I need to talk with you…to ask you something…Your mother…she's very lonely there in England. .It's so hard, especially if you're not so young…I know it better then the others…"


He cleared his throat.


"Well…I've asked Katherine to marry me, and she promised to think about it."


He stopped, looking at Sully helplessly and waiting for his answer. But Sully was so surprised that couldn't say anything for the first moment.


"We're different." Loren continued, "but I'd be proud to have a son like you…"


"Loren," Sully finally said, "if I'd have a stepfather now, in my thirties, I'd be glad it's you."

A few days passed.


Loren stood beside the window looking at the street. Soon he noticed Mrs.Blackmore walking towards his store. She was in her travelling clothes, it means she 's going to leave. So it means 'no'…


"Morning, Loren!" she stretched her hand in a silk glove. "I have something to say to you…"


"Loren Bray, you're an old fool", that's what you are going to say, right?"


"No…absolutely not!" Mrs. Blackmore smiled, "I was thinking all the night about your offer, and what I have to say - I'd be glad to help you in your store, but there are so many goods…and afraid, I'm not a good counter…"


"That's nothing, I'll teach you." Loren promised. He spoke in a serious tone, but with a wide smile on his face.


"You can begin on Thanksgiving Day, when I come back…But suppose, it's not a working day for your store?" "I think so," Loren answered, "You'll cook a turkey instead. Hope you don't forget how to fry Thanksgiving turkey, there, in your England?"


"Afraid I never was very good at cooking turkey. I tried, when Byron was a kid, but I think it was not very tasty…"


"We can go visit Dr.Mike and Sully…though, Dr.Mike isn't a good cook either…well, we can go to Grace's cafe! Almost all the townsfolk will be there, but if Hank Lawson even thinks about flirting..."


"I won't give him any chances!" she promised.

They were so pleased with their playful talk that they didn't even notice Michaela and Sully as they entered the store. They stood there for a long time, didn't want to bother Loren and Mrs. Blackmore… "Seems it means 'yes'" whispered Sully into Michaela's ear.


"I think so!" Michaela nodded.


Loren finally noticed them:


"Morning, Dr. Mike, Sully! I have some news I want you to know! I've asked Katherine to be my wife, and she said 'yes'!"


"I didn't say yes!" she objected.


Loren stopped short, but Mrs. Blackmore smiled and added:


"I'm just going to say 'yes."


"Congratulations, Loren, Mrs. Blackmore…" Michaela muttered. She was so surprised, that she couldn't say anything else.


Sully looked at her attentively.. "You're looking not so happy. Did he offend you?"


"For what?"


"For Marjorie. But I don't think he's betraying her memory now.."


"I'm certainly not!"Michaela answered, "I know he loved Marjorie! But this is something different…I'm very glad for Loren, his loneliness finally will be gone."


"So will my mother's."Sully added,"They need each other."


"Congratulations, Ma, Loren!"he said aloud.


"What congratulations?" They heard Brian's voice. "I came to say that the train is coming…"


"Well.. " Loren said proudly,"There is something good - I'm going to marry Katherine when she comes back!"


Brian's eyes widened:


"So.. you'll become my REAL Grandpa?"


"I think so!"


"That's wonderful!" Brian hugged Loren tightly, then Mrs. Blackmore.

Soon they were standing at the platform and Mrs. Blackmore was in the train…


"I'll miss you all!" Mrs. Blackmore's eyes were moist with tears,"but I'll be back very soon. I just need to sell my house and visit my daughter…"


The train began to move slowly.


"Wait!" Brian suddenly shouted,"Mrs. Blackmore.. Grandma Katherine… do you remember when Pa was born?!"


"Sure!" she shouted in answer, "Sure, I know! December 9!"


She waved goodbye, and the train moved away…


"That's good!" Michaela looked at Sully, "The birthday party for you…"


"Michaela, there is no need.." he began, but she cut him short..


"Why not? Can I make the birthday party for my husband once for many years?! Just think what kind of gift do you want?"


Sully looked around, smiling widely:


"I already have the best gift - my family is growing again!"