Blair was fixing dinner when there was a knock on the door. He turned down the burner and walked over to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw a woman standing there. She didn't look like much of a threat. Blair opened the door.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes. I understand James Ellison lives here?"
"Y- yes, he does. But he's not here right now. Do you know Jim?"
"You could say so. I'm his mother."
"His m – mother? But I th-though…I mean he th-thought…"
"I'm not proud of what I did. I kn-know I can never make it up to my sons—"
She turned to walk away. Blair reached out to stop her. Patting her on the arm.
"Please – don't go. Jim will be home soon. He'll want to see you. Come on in. Can I make you some tea?"
Blair got her to come back inside the loft. She told him her name was Mary Margaret. She had left the Ellison household when Jim was six and Steven was four. She had wanted a life of her own, a career of her own. She had been a model before having children and she was still in demand. William, her husband, the boys' father, didn't want her to abandon her boys, but she had left anyway. Now, it had been forty years, but she wanted to be part of her sons' lives.
Blair knew what Jim's reaction probably would be. But Blair didn't want to speak for Jim.
Blair explained his relationship to Jim while he made tea for both of them. He explained that Jim had taken him in after the drug dealers blew up his place. The two of them talked about different things. Mary Margaret even had pictures of her sons as kids.
It was some time later when Jim walked in, wary of the unknown guest sitting in his living room. He stopped in the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.
Blair got to his feet and excused himself. He went over to where Jim was still standing. Still staring.
"Who's your friend, Chief? Isn't she a little old for you?"
"Jim? That's…ah…that's…"
"What the young man is trying to tell you, I'm your mother, Jim. You've grown into a handsome young man."
"Who invited you?"
Jim's anger took both Blair and Mary Margaret aback.
"Jim? I let her come in. I thought –"
"You thought wrong, Sandburg!" Jim turned to face his mother. "I need you to leave my home! You are not welcome here!"
"Jim? I just wanted…"
"I don't care what you want, lady!! My mother left my life forty years ago."
Jim walked past the living room and took the steps up to his bedroom.
"Maybe I should go…"
Blair had to agree with her. "Yeah. Look, I'm sorry. Jim doesn't like to be taken by surprise."
"Yes. I'm sure I'm the last person he expected to see show up. Thank you for the tea, Blair."
Blair closed the door behind Mary Margaret after she left. Blair stood there, lost in thought. He was surprised when Jim came up behind him and placed his hands on Blair's shoulders.
"Damn! Don't do that, Jim!"
"Sorry, Chief." Jim still held onto Blair. Blair twisted around to look at Jim.
"So? Why did you scare her off? If she is…"
"Whoa!! Stop right there, Chief. There's no evidence that she's…" Jim couldn't say the word.
"She had pictures, letters your dad sent."
"You know what he told Steven and I?"
Jim had let loose of Blair and Blair turned to look at Jim.
"No. What did he tell you?"
"He told us that our mom couldn't stay with us. Both Steven and I blamed ourselves. I thought I had done something wrong. For the longest time, I never questioned anything my father wanted me to do. I think that's why I resented him when I became a teenager and why we were so distant for so long."
"I'm sorry, Jim. But don't you think you should talk to Steven and your dad?"
"This isn't up for discussion, Blair. I'm going out for a while."
Blair waited until Jim was gone before he called William Ellison. He explained about Mary Margaret showing up at Jim's doorstep.
"I knew she was in town. I told her the boys probably wouldn't be open to her coming back into their lives. Was Jim at least civil to her?"
"He kicked her out. And he told me how it had been forty years since he had seen her."
"It was hard for me, raising the boys on my own. It wasn't normal back then for a single father. Jimmy was six Stevie was only four. I was working sixteen to eighteen hours a day. I was building up my company at the time. I know now that I wasn't father of the year material."
"Well, they do say that hindsight is 20/20, William."
"Did anyone ever tell you that you state the obvious, Blair?"
"Yeah. Jim tells me all the time."
"Is Jimmy there?"
"No. He said he needed some time alone. Personally, I think he should listen to her. Jim has a unique opportunity. To have both of his parents in his life. I'd give…"
Blair broke off the thought he was going to express. He suddenly went silent.
"Blair? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, William. Look, I have to go. I'll try to get Jim to reconsider."
"Thanks for calling, Blair."
Blair hung up the phone. He knew he couldn't change Jim's mind. He also knew if the roles were reversed, Blair would forgive just for the opportunity to know his father. Blair understood that Mary Margaret had hurt her sons by leaving when they were young.
Jim came back about an hour later. He noticed Blair sitting in the living room, staring out in front of him. He didn't look up when Jim stood in the living room.
"You okay, Chief?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I was lost in thought. I wasn't thinking when I let her come in."
"It's okay, Sandburg. It was a knee-jerk reaction. I know you only meant well."
"I understand what she did to you, Jim. She told me why she left. I don't agree with her reasons. She hurt all of you – you, Steven and your dad. I understand how it would be hard to accept anything she said."
Jim sat down next to Blair on the couch.
"And if it was you and a chance to meet and talk to your dad, you'd jump at it without a second thought."
"Yeah. I guess I would. I let that fact cloud my judgment about – her."
"It's okay, Chief. Really it is. I should let her have her say. Just not in our home."
"Your home."
"Our home, Chief. I'll call Steven and my dad and maybe we can try this again."
"That's all I can ask you to do."
"I'd like you to come with us."
"I'd just be – in the way."
"No you wouldn't. You're family. And family sticks together." Jim hugged Blair close.