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Nick stood outside his father's room and swallowed hard, as he wiped away his tears. While he didn't want to go in; didn't want to admit his father, the man who had taught him all he needed to know when it came to ranching and other things pertaining to life, his right arm as it was, had been hurt beyond the point of being able to be helped. He squared his shoulders, opened the bedroom door and stepped inside. He had to literally force himself to cross the floor as he watched his mother, who had been sitting by her husband's side, move away from the bed. Once Nick was standing next to his father the Barkley patriarch motioned for Nick to sit down which he did.

Tom could see the inner turmoil that existed in Nick's eyes. He pretty well knew what the young twenty-two year old man was thinking and understood his frustration when it came to the fact that an unknown assailant was succeeding in taking Tom's life. Even if he couldn't, Tom had caught bits and pieces of Nick and Jarrod's conversation on the way home…enough to know just what Nick wanted to do. Tom hoped he would be able to pound a bit of sense into his hot tempered son before he passed away.

For a moment neither spoke, as if afraid the words they'd speak would be the wrong ones. Finally Tom, remembering his son's apology spoken minutes after the shooting, and repeated more than once on the way home, broke the silence when he told Nick not to blame himself for what had happened. "It's not your fault, son. There was nothing you could have done differently." Tom knew how protective Nick was of the family and desperately wanted the young man to know he hadn't failed in that area.

"But, I should have seen him!" Nick's voice broke as he snapped, but not so loudly as to cause anyone to jump and another tear escape his eye in spite of fighting to holding it back.

"No, son," Tom shook his head slowly. "We were all looking around; we knew more trouble was brewing. Besides, I dare say the shooter was, most likely, as far away as he could possibly be and still make the shot. There was nothing to be seen." Tom winced yet again and then started talking about the ranch. He knew Nick was a hard worker and would not ask the men to do anything that Nick, himself, would not do. However, he had a tendency to push himself too hard and that temper… "Don't be so proud that you won't turn to your brother or to McColl for help, son. Jarrod has enough experience on this ranch to be of help in spite of his law practice, and McColl has been with me for years as you know. He knows this ranch as well as I do. He'll be a great help to you if needed. Having that aid will help you from getting overly stressed and you'll be able to find another outlet for any extra steam that builds up. Please, I beg you, leave the shooter to the law. This family needs you too much for you to take on that one." Tom could feel his time starting to run out, and he still wanted to talk to Victoria, alone. "Nick," he paused for a quick second and then said, "Continue to work hard, only not so hard that you run yourself into the ground and destroy yourself in the process, and never doubt that I'm extremely pleased with the man you've become. You're just as good as your elder brother. Please, help him watch out for your mother and siblings."

Nick tried to speak only for the first time he failed as he didn't know exactly what to say. Of course, he'd turn to Jarrod and McColl for help. He'd need them and he wasn't so proud as to not admit it. However, the shooter… that was another story. The fact that Nick gave him no answer didn't matter though as Tom gave him a weak smile. "Goodbye son." Tom let go of Nick's hand and looked towards Victoria who stepped forward and, after asking Nick to leave her alone with Tom, sat down on the side of the bed. Like Jarrod, Nick didn't want to go. Leaving meant never seeing his father alive again. Still, for the sake of his mother, Nick forced himself to leave the room. Once Nick, whose tears had finally escaped and were streaming down his face, was out of the room Tom looked at his wife and sighed.

Tom tried to lift his hand only found himself too weak. Victoria quickly picked her husband's hand up as tears again began forming in her eyes. It pained Tom to see the tears only there was nothing he could do either. "I got better than I deserved the day you said yes to my proposal of marriage." He closed his eyes as he winced yet again. "You've stuck by me through tick and thin. Not many women would have stayed with me after….after I what I did, even if I did have amnesia and no past memories at the time."

Victoria's tears started slowly falling as she silently cursed men like Jordon and Crown who allowed their greed to do such things as murder someone. Oh sure, they might not have pulled the actual trigger only they were the force behind the action. "You're human, Tom. Any mistakes you've made are in the past and have been long since forgiven. I'm not holding anything against you."

Tom opened his eyes. Victoria could tell something else was on his mind and that he was afraid to say anything. It made her heart skip a beat. "What is it, Tom? What's wrong?"

Tom didn't answer as his mind traveled through time, back to a time when he had unintentionally hurt her. He didn't want to hurt her again. When he didn't say anything, Victoria repeated his name and said, "Tell me what's wrong Tom."

"I kept my promise, Victoria. I never looked back." Tom's voice began to trail off as he fought to remain conscious. "Only what if a ch…." His voice faded away and Victoria felt her husband's hand go limp.

Victoria laid her head upon her husband's chest and cried, not only for the loss of her husband but for the truth of what he had tried to say. What if there had been a child? Her heart sunk, as she realized what the promise she'd extracted from her husband could have cost an innocent child. "If one ever shows up, Tom," she whispered only to herself, "and looks like you in the least, I'll take him in and treat him the same as the other children you gave me."

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A/N Since Victoria took to Heath so rapidly, I thought it made sense to have at least a small thought of the possibility that Tom had a child out there somewhere already planted in her mind.