English is not my native language! A big thank you to Sarah who has helped me with the grammar and spelling of this chapter! You are great!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the characters of "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman"… One Beth Sullivan does…
Rating: I don't know anything about these ratings, but let's say T or PG-13. Just to be safe...
Warnings: This story is situated right before the last movie, which is about 2 years after the ending of season 6. However, at the time I write this story, I haven't seen the most of season 5 and 6. I've seen it a long time ago, but I've forgotten about most things. So it's possible that some things don't match with the things that happened on the show during the last 2 seasons. You could say that this story is slightly AU…
This story has NOTHING to do with my previous stories! It's a standalone… Zack is alive!
Genre: Drama / Tragedy (Yes, I'll be killing someone off again… YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)
Summary: When Hank visits his son in Denver, he walks into Myra. Though, she isn't the woman he remembered…

Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I hope this story will keep your interest! Here's chapter 2…

Chapter 2

"Pa!" Zack called as soon as he saw his father. "Hey son," Hank said with a big smile on his face and hugged his son firmly. "Ya look good," he said as he took in the sight of the young man in front of him. Zack had turned eighteen two months earlier and only then had Hank realized how fast time passed by. He remembered the first time he brought Zack to the Denver Art School. He had been twelve years old; a young, shy boy with an amazing talent for art. Zack graduated a year ago and was now a teacher at the art school.

"H…How are ya P…pa?" Zack asked his father. He still spoke slowly and stuttered al little, though it wasn't as bad as when he was twelve. "Doin' fine," Hank answered, "And you?" "F…Fine Pa," Zack said, "H…How long are ya s…staying?" "Couple of days," Hank told him, "I'm staying at the hotel across the street." Zack nodded and beckoned Hank to follow him. "L…Lets go to m…my room. Would ya like s…some c…coffee?" he asked. Hank followed his son to his room. "Yeah, I'd like some coffee," he answered.

"Ya still living up here?" Hank asked when they entered the small room. Zack just nodded at him. "Wouldn't ya like to have a place of yer own?" his father asked. Zack shrugged. "I…it's okay like this," he answered, "Easy too… w…working here and all…" He was quiet for a moment. "B…besides," he continued, "I… I don't have the m…money for it," Hank looked at his son questioningly. "Ya got a job right?" Hank asked. Zack nodded and said: "Yeah… but it d…doesn't pay m…much… This r…room is part of my p…payment as well… They let me s…stay here," He sighed deeply and lowered his head. He didn't want to disappoint his father. He didn't want his father to think that he couldn't take care of himself. "Well," Hank said, "If it's money ya need, all ya have to do is ask." Zack shook his head. "No!" he called out which startled Hank a bit. He gave his son a questioning look. "No," Zack said again, more softly this time, "That's not n…necessary… I…" He sighed deeply. "I want to be able to t…take care of m…myself," he explained, "P…please, don't get me w…wrong… But I'm eighteen years old n…now… I'm all g…grown up… I don't want to be d…dependent on you anymore…" Hank listened to his son and smiled. "I can understand that," he said, "But if ya ever really need it… don't be afraid to ask me… Don't let yer pride get in the way… Nothin' grown up 'bout that… Trust me, I know…" Zack smiled at his dad. "Thanks Pa," he said.

"I may be e…earning some money soon," Zack said, "T…there's this a…art gallery here who wants to d…display my work… M…maybe that way I'd be able to s…sell s…something. I also p…placed an a…advertisement in the newspaper… People can have their p…portraits drawn or p…painted for money… Even f…family portraits… I already got a few r…requests!" Hank smiled and patted him on the back. "That's real good, son," he said, "Ya gonna be alright… Now where's my coffee?" Zack laughed back at his father and walked towards the tiny kitchen in the back of the room. He poured himself and his dad some coffee and handed his father a cup. Hank nodded his thanks and sat down on a chair. He couldn't believe how fast his son had grown up. His little boy was now a man! A man who could take care of himself. That particular fact hurt Hank for a moment. Zack could take care of himself, which meant that he didn't need his father anymore. Did he? Hank sighed and took a sip from his coffee. Of course he'll still need me! But he'll need me for other things now… Advice… Advice about girls maybe… He smiled to himself and then looked back at his son again. He felt proud. Of all the things he had done in his life, there was only one thing he was fully proud of: his son.

"Pa?" Zack suddenly said, "There's s…something else I have to t…tell you." Hank looked up. "What is it?" he asked curiously. "Well," he said a bit hesitantly, "I've met this g…girl…" Hank grinned. "Ya did?" he said and sipped from his coffee again. "Yes," Zack said, "She's real nice… and p…pretty…" Hank had to force himself not to laugh out loud when he saw his son blush from ear to ear. "Ya have feelings for her?" he asked. Zack shrugged. "I… I think I do," he said softly, "I c…can't think when I'm a…around her." Hank nodded. "Really?" he said amused, "And does she know how ya feel?" Zack shook his head. "Don't think so… N…never told her really… Should I tell her?" Hank put his cup of coffee on the table and said: "Well, if ya want to court her it would be sensible to tell her… Nothing will happen if ya don't… And ya won't find out whether she feels the same about you either. What's her name?" Zack listened to his father's words. They sounded logical, though it's easier said than done. "Jasmine," Zack answered and smiled as he said her name. "Nice," Hank commented and grinned. "Can ya tell me more about her?" Zack nodded happily. "She's 17 years old and she's from a p…pretty w…wealthy family… She s…studies m…medicine at the university here… She's going to be a d…doctor, like Dr. Mike!" Hank listened as his son spoke. The girl sounded nice, though he didn't like the 'wealthy family' part. He wondered whether his son would be accepted in that family. An artist… a son of a saloon owner… Well, let's hope they're a bit open-minded… he thought.

Zack talked for hours about Jasmine. He told his father how they had met. How she had visited the art school because she wanted her portrait painted by someone. Zack had decided to do it and so she had visited him for a week, every afternoon after college. While Zack had painted her portrait they had talked about all kinds of stuff. School, family, their ambitions, art… she loved art! She had told him how she would love to learn how to draw, so he had offered her to teach her. And so he did, every day after college… "I've d…drawn another picture of her," he said to his father. He walked to his desk where he searched between documents, papers and other drawings. An organized mess, Hank thought as Zack seemed to have found exactly what he was looking for. He walked towards his father and showed him the drawing. Hank looked at the girl in it. She was indeed beautiful. Hank was glad that it was a colorized drawing so he was able to picture the girl as she really was. She had long, slightly flowing, red hair and big, blue eyes. She had some freckles on her cheeks and a gorgeous, flashing smile. "Well," Hank started, "If she is as nice as she looks… I'd say, go for her!" I know I would have… Zack smiled. "Thanks Pa," he said and put the drawing back where he got it from. Then he sat down next to his father and said: "I'm glad ya here, Pa…" Hank nodded. "So am I…"

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Hank stood in front of the hotel he was staying in and looked around. He didn't want to go back to the hotel just yet. A drink would be nice, he thought. He knew a saloon a few streets away from the hotel so he decided to head that way. He couldn't remember the last time he had been in such a good mood. Visiting his son had done him good. It was good to see that his little boy had grown up and that he was able to take care of himself. That he had found himself a job and that most likely he would be making money from his art as well. And he was in love! Hank just hoped the girl wouldn't break his son's heart. Or that her 'wealthy' family would…

He looked around. He was in the 'bad' part of town now. The differences in this city never ceased to amaze him. Some places were so rich and prosperous, while other parts were so poor that people were living on the streets or in slums. Suddenly he felt a hand slipping into his coat. Someone is picking my pockets! He spun around and grabbed the hand firmly. "What the hell ya think ya doin'?" he asked in a gruff voice. He looked at the person in front of him. The person was wearing a dark cloak which also hid the person's face. Though, judging from the size and the slender, feminine looking fingers of the person's hand Hank knew he was dealing with a woman here. "Let me go," she said and tried to pull away from Hank's grasp. "I don't think so," Hank replied, "Ya were trying to pick my pockets! I should turn ya in!" Again the woman tried to break free. "I was hungry alright!" she yelled at him. She almost sounded desperate. Why does her voice sound so familiar? Hank thought and took in her petite form. "Ain't a reason to steal my money," he said to her. "I'm sorry," the woman whispered, defeated. Again, he listened carefully to her voice. He knew he heard her voice before, but he couldn't place it. Then he grabbed the hood attached to her cloak and pulled it off to reveal her face. He couldn't believe what he saw as he recognized the person in front of him: "Myra?"

TBC

So, what do you think? R&R please!