Dr. Mike insisted that Kathryn spend the night at the homestead. She tried to argue against it, but it wasn't exactly as if she had somewhere else to stay. Mathew offered up his bed in the barn without hesitation claiming that he and Brian could easily share for the night. He remembered all the help his Mother used to give Kat when she was still working for Hank. And he knew that she'd want him to do the same. So the following morning found the doctor, her three children and the stranger together at the breakfast table.
"Thank you again for everything you all have done for me." Kat said as the family finished their breakfast.
"It was no trouble." Dr. Mike assured her.
"Brian, Colleen, we've got to get you to school." Mathew told his younger siblings.
"Let me just finish the dishes." Colleen replied, gathering up the plates around the table.
"I'll take care of them Colleen." Kat offered. "It's the least I can do."
"Well, are you sure?" Colleen placed the plates back on the table uncertainly.
"Yes. It's not like I've got much to get up to anyway." She assured the young girl before scooping up the plates.
"I have to go into town to open up the clinic." Dr. Mike explained. "Why don't I help you with the dishes and then we could ride into town together."
Kathryn agreed and after breakfast was cleared away, the children went to school and the women rode into town in Dr. Quinn's Wagon. Kat fidgeted nervously as she tried to vocalize a question she'd been wanting to ask since she arrive. She tried to think of a casual way to bring up the person in her mind, but there wasn't much conversation in the wagon.
"Say Doc," Kat began awkwardly.
"Yes?" Dr. Mike waited patiently. She suspected there was something her new friend had wanted to ask her since they'd left the homestead that morning.
"Byron's not the only one I came to town lookin' for." Kat confessed slowly. "I've been too afraid to ask knowing what happened to Mrs. Cooper and Abigail and all."
"Well, as I've said before I'm still new to the town, but I can help you find them if I know who they are."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Kat smiled. "A while back there was a Barber's Apprentice named Jake Slicker…"
"Oh I know Mr. Slicker all right." Dr. Mike assured her. Kat noticed there was a sudden hint of bitterness in her voice. "He's still the town Barber. Though I can't imagine he'd be any more welcoming than Sully was."
"Jake?" Kat remarked with wide eyes. "He was always very kind to me and I was…sort of sweet on him."
"Perhaps he's changed since you were here last." Dr. Quinn suggested. The wagon pulled up in front of the clinic and the doctor cast a reproachful glance at the Barber's Shop. "Mr. Slicker is very good friends with the Saloon owner Hank. He's that man there, leaning on the porch." She pointed Hank out in a crowd of men who were chatting on the porch.
"I know who he is." Kat growled. "I used to work for 'im."
"Oh I see." Dr. Mike replied. It was all she could think to say.
"Like I said Doc," Kat said as she scrambled out of the wagon. "I used to work for him."
"I'm not judging, you understand?" Dr. Quinn added with concern.
"It wouldn't bother me even if you were." Kat smiled. "I'm gunna stop in on Jake. I'll come by the clinic in a bit if that's alright with you."
"You are always welcome." Dr. Mike assured her.
And with that, Kat marched off towards the Barber's Shop. She ignored Hank, who whistled as she passed by. She planned on ignoring that man an awful lot. Especially if she was going to stay friends with Dr. Quinn who worked just across the street. Kat watched as Loren Bray exited the Barber's Shop alone. She was hoping for a private conversation with Jake and the thought hadn't even occurred to her that he might have customers already. Peeking in through the window she was relieved to find Jake alone, sharpening his razors just like he'd been when they first met. While his back was still turned towards the door, Kat stepped in; causing the bell over it to jingle.
"Excuse me sir but I've got a bit of a headache." She dramatically repeated the first words she ever said to him.
"Haven't you heard?" Jake replied bitterly without looking up from his work. "The towns got a fancy new Lady Doc now. Go see her."
"See, I've met the lady Doc already." Kat shrugged. "And while she's nice enough, I'd rather talk to you. For old time's sake."
"Kathryn." Jake said her name with the same loving and dreaminess he used to and for just a second he was in love with her all over again. Then he remembered everything she'd put him through and the anger he'd been building up for years rushed back. He put down the razor in his hand and turned to face her. "What are you doing back here?" He spat in a cold voice Kat had never heard before.
"I missed you." She said in a whispered reply.
"Missed me?" Jake repeated with disbelief. "It's been years! You couldn't have missed me too much! You left town in the middle of the night! And ya didn't even stop to say good-bye on your way to where ever the hell it was you disappeared to! No, you didn't miss me. You ran out of places to run away to, so you came running back here! Well sorry, I'm a different man now and I'm not in the business of taking care of whores no more." Kat felt hot tears crawling out of her eyes as she began to sob. For a moment she was too angry to speak and then she was choking on her tears.
"You know," She sniffled. "I expected that kind of talk from my brother and from Hank, but never from you. I knew you'd be angry but this Jake, this isn't you. You're...you're a monster." She whipped away tears and more quickly took their place. "And if that's who you've become, then I never want to see you again."
"Then get out." Jake told her calmly. Kat stormed out of Barber's Shop and walked right into Hank.