This takes place 5 years after Michael's death.
"Mommy, can I watch cartoons please?" 4-year-old Michael asked, tugging on Sara's leg.
Sara smiled and nodded, bending down and running her hands through his messy hair. "Sure Mikey, but only until I finish cleaning, okay? Then we can go to the park."
Michael cheered excitedly before running away to watch cartoon. Sara smiled, thinking of how much her son looked like his father. Sara went back to her cleaning, thinking of Michael. As she straightened up her bedroom, she couldn't help but remember a conversation they'd had when she was still his doctor at Fox River.
"You kept it." Michael said, looking over Sara's shoulder at her desk.
"Kept what?" Sara asked, confused.
"The flower."
Sara smiled, then said nonchalantly "I'm a pack rat, I never throw anything out.
Michael laughed. "Yeah, all this clutter, it's overwhelming."
"You should see my apartment." Sara replied with a laugh.
"Whoa. Haven't even had our first date yet and you're already inviting me in. I thought you were a nice girl." Michael said playfully.
"Oh Michael, we all know nice girls finish last." Sara responded, grinning.
Michael grinned back. "And where do you finish?"
"It depends on where I start." Sara replied before placing a stethoscope on his chest. "Deep breath."
Sara laughed to herself, remembering his witty sense of humour and how much she'd looked forward to their playful banter when he'd come in for his insulin shots. She sat down on her bed and reached into a drawer in her night stand, pulling out an origami flower that had definitely seen better days.
"Nice flowers." Michael observed, looking at the bouquet of white roses on Sara's desk.
"Right" Sara replied, rolling her eyes.
"Do we have an admirer?" he asked, with a smirk.
"They're from my father." Sara replied, not looking at him.
"What the occasion?" Michael asked, trying to figure out why she seemed to be in a bad mood. Maybe if he knew, he could make her feel better.
"It's my birthday." Sara replied, continuing to busy herself with tending to him.
"Today?" Michael asked and she nodded.
"Happy Birthday."
"Thank you." Sara replied, without emotion.
"Okay." Michael said, chuckling softly.
"What?" Sara asked, finally looking at him.
"Nothing." Michael said. "Birthday's aren't usually a sore subject, that's all...unless the celebrant is feeling her age, which I don't see how you could be."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I'm 29 years old, Michael. I'm not feeling my age." She paused, debating over whether or not to explain further. For some reason, she felt comfortable around Michael so she continued on to explain "It's just that out of those 29 birthdays, my father's actually managed to see me on precisely six of them. So, I get flowers instead. Flowers that end up dead and in the trash a week later." Sara noticed Michael's expression and then added, "I sound bitter, huh?"
"Kind of." Michael replied. He felt genuinely bad for her and he could understand her pain, knowing what it was like to grow up without your father being around. What confused him further was how Sara's father could not see how amazing his daughter was. Why would he not want to spend time with Sara? Hell, Michael wished he could stay in her office forever.
"It's not a big deal." Sara said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "You're all set. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay." Michael replied, getting up to leave. He paused in the doorway and turned back to her, an earnest expression on his face. "I'm sorry you feel that way. About the flowers, I mean."
"Mommy, what's that?" Mikey asked. Sara jumped slightly, having been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed her son come in. Sara smiled down at the little boy and hoisted him up onto her lap.
"Your daddy made this for me a long time ago." Sara said, showing him the little origami flower.
Mikey picked it up gently and curiously examined it. "Whoa. That's so cool!" He enthused. "Mommy, can you teach me how to make one?"
Sara smiled and placed him onto the bed so she could get up and get some paper. "Sure, sweetie." Once she'd gotten the paper, she sat back down, giving her son one piece of paper and keeping one for herself. She showed him step-by-step how to make one and they sat their, folding their papers into flowers. Being only four years old, Mikey had some trouble but, with his mother's help, he managed to make one.
"This is so neat!" Mikey said, excitedly, holding up his flower.
"It is." Sara agreed.
"Mommy, can we go visit daddy on our way to the park?" the little boy asked. "Please?"
Sara kissed her son's forehead and replied, "Of course we can."
When they arrived at the graveyard, Mikey held his mother's hand as she led him to Michael's grave. When they stopped in front of the gravestone, Mikey reached into his pocket and pulled out his slightly crushed origami flower, carefully smoothing it out. He reached up and placed the little flower on top of his father's grave. Sara, with tears in her eyes, did the same with her flower and they sat down in front of Michael's grave, Mikey in his mother lap.
"You know, Mikey, your daddy loves you very, very much." Sara said, running her fingers through her son's hair.
Mikey stood up and faced his mother. "How much?" he asked.
"This much." Sara said, holding her arms out as far as they would stretch.
The little boy's eyes widened. "That much? Whoa, that's a lot, mommy! I love daddy too."
"How much?" Sara mimicked him, chuckling softly.
"This much." Mikey replied, repeating Sara's actions and stretching his arms as far as they would go.
Sara laughed. "That's a lot!" she said, lifting him into her arms and hugging him. She placed a soft kiss in his hair and then stood up, still holding the little boy. She looked at her husband's gravestone and smiled as tears spilled from her eyes. As her vision blurred, she looked at the words engraved under Michael's name. Be the change you want to be in the world.
Flashback:
"I believe in being part of the solution, not the problem." Sara said, the first day she'd met Michael.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Michael mused, looking at her. She stared at him oddly, so he said "What?"
Sara tried unsuccessfully to hold back her smile. "Nothing. That was just my senior quote."
"That was you?" Michael asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "This whole time I was thinking it was Gandhi."
Sara rolled her eyes, smiling, "You're very funny."
"Mommy, why are you laughing?" Mikey asked.
Sara shook her head. "Nothing. I was just thinking of your father.
"How much do you love daddy?" Mikey asked.
Sara smiled and stretched her arms once again. "This much."
"I think daddy loves you that much too." Mikey replied.
Sara's smile grew wider as tears pricked her eyes once again. "I know he does, baby." she said, looking up into the sky. "I know he does."
I just finished watching the series a few days ago and I needed to get this out of my system so I hope you all enjoyed it.