"Hi Ma." Colleen said.
"Michaela." Andrew stated. Michaela, Colleen, Andrew and Katie were standing outside the homestead.
"Hello Colleen, Andrew." Michaela said as she repositioned Katie on her hip.
"I'll hold her Ma." Colleen stated reaching out for Katie.
"If you're sure. She's gaining weight as she gets bigger and is getting heavier to carry." Michaela said as she handed Katie to her big sister. Andrew smiled.
"Colleen is very good with children. I know she will make a wonderful mother when we're blessed." Andrew said. Colleen turned to face him.
"Well thank you Andrew. That was a wonderful compliment." Colleen responded.
"Colleen, you know I love you and that I know you're a married woman, but I'm not sure I'm ready to be Grandma yet." Michaela said with a smile.
"You couldn't possibly be like Grandma. I love you Ma. But don't you worry. I'm not sure I'm ready to be a Ma yet. Although I have had a pretty good example growing up." Colleen hugged her. "I think I want to be a doctor for a little while before I become a mother."
"That's a good idea Colleen. That's what I did." Michaela smiled. Colleen laughed. "Well I need to go find Sully and we need to head to the clinic." Michaela said and took Katie from Colleen. They walked onto the porch and through the front door.
[
Ethan and Lillian Cooper rode into town in their wagon with Abigail and Michael.
"Children, we're here." Lillian said. Ethan stopped the wagon right in the middle of town. The children got out of the back.
"Pa, where are we?" Michael asked.
"This is a town called Colorado Springs." Ethan replied smiling at his son.
"Why are we here?" Abigail asked.
"Abigail, your Pa and I have been here before and we really liked the togetherness of the townspeople." Lillian replied.
"Why don't you take the children over to the café while I park the horses over by the general store?" Ethan asked. Lillian nodded and walked Abigail and Michael over to Grace's Café, which wasn't very far from Loren Brey's store. Lillian and the children sat down.
"Are we going to live here permanently?" Michael asked. "This isn't like San Francisco." Lillian laughed.
"It is small children, but I think you will grow to love it just as much as your Pa and I do." Lillian stated. Just then, Colleen walked from the clinic over to Grace's to get soup for one of Michaela's patients. She walked over to Grace.
"Grace?" Colleen asked. Grace looked up at her.
"Who's Doctor Mike got in there today?" Grace questioned looking at her with those soft eyes of hers.
"Oh just a few people. She is in with Horace right now, which is why I'm fetching food for one of the other patients." Colleen replied with a smile. Grace poured some soup into a bowl and handed it to Colleen. "Thank you so much Grace." Colleen walked towards the clinic and walked right past Lillian, Abigail and Michael; but she didn't see them at first so she didn't speak.
"Why hello Colleen. You have grown into a beautiful woman since the last time I saw you." Lillian said. Colleen looked at her.
"Lillian? What are you doing here?" Colleen asked.
"Oh Colleen, please be fair. I married your Pa; I'm your Ma now." Lillian said smiling, trying to be sincere. Colleen looked at Michael and Abigail.
"Who are they?" Colleen questioned.
"Colleen, this is your brother Michael and your sister Abigail. Children this is your sister Colleen." Lillian said. When Ethan started to walk over, Colleen darted for the clinic, her eyes misted with tears. By the time she got to the clinic she was crying so hard she couldn't even open the door. Michaela opened the door. Inside the clinic were Andrew, Sully, Michaela and Katie.
"What's the matter Colleen?" Michaela asked as Andrew wrapped his arms around his wife.
"Ma…. Ma…." Colleen tried to talk through the sobs.
"What Colleen? I'm right here. What's wrong?" Michaela asked. Andrew rubbed Colleen's shoulder.
"What's going on Colleen? What happened at Grace's?" Andrew asked gently and patiently.
"Oh Ma…. It was so horrible. Lillian was at the café." Colleen replied.
"What? Who's Lillian?" Andrew asked looking at her.
"Ethan and Lillian are back in town?" Michaela asked looking at Sully with worry in her eyes and all over her face.
"Yes. I saw them with my own eyes. I talked to Lillian. They have two children now." Colleen said. Michaela looked at Sully once again.
"How's that possible? When I examined her four years ago, I told her she'd been born without a uterus. How can they have children now?" Michaela questioned.
"Maybe they adopted." Sully said.
"I don't care how they have children. Pa and Lillian are back and they might try to take Brian away!" Colleen cried.
"They can't. We are now you and Brian's parents. Ethan has no rights to you anymore." Sully said.
"If they even think they can, we'll take it to the highest court in the land. They won't get Brian again." Michaela stated.
"That's what you said last time and it didn't work. The only thing that made us stay was that Lillian couldn't take us from you. Not because Pa didn't want to take us." Colleen exclaimed. Sully hugged her tight and then pulled away to talk to her.
"Colleen, your Ma and I tried before and failed because he was your father and we didn't have any legal place to stand. But now, we adopted you two. We can fight for Brian more than we could have for you two. Not that we didn't want you both to live with us though. With Matthew in law school, he can defend our side of the case in court." Sully said firmly.
"Good. Because I don't want to lose my little brother." Colleen said as she fell into Sully's arms and cried.