Neil wandered out of his office having just gotten out of surgery 30 minutes ago. He'd been scurrying around for most of the day to prepare the patient and manage all the others on his roster. He couldn't wait until his shift finished so he could slow down. Unfortunately, he expected a late night since he needed to clear his schedule this afternoon.

His next stop might take a while.

Despite his busy agenda, the hospital itself seemed quieter than usual. No one running around to deal with an emergency or last minute bloodwork or immediate patient demands. The nurses appeared relaxed, which was nice since the last few weeks had put a strain on their staff after a stomach bug took a lot of folks out of commission. Passing through each ward, he noticed the leisurely pace.

Or maybe it's just what his brain wanted him to see – the potential calm before the storm. Finally, he reached a frosted door that led to a locked unit where he had to use his key card to proceed. He waved at Judy who waved back and returned to her computer.

He found Claire exactly where he thought he would – in one of the open areas in the daycare facility talking quietly to Sam who played happily on the floor in front of her. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he stood watching from afar, leaning against the door frame as he enjoyed seeing the two of them together.

Claire spoke something soft and gentle to Sammy that made his brow furrow in concentration. He'd gotten good at sitting upon his own with a little help and a steady hand to keep him from falling over. With Claire's outstretched leg at his back to anchor him, he reached over to push a block closer to Claire, which made her laugh. Sam raised his head at the sound and seeing his sister's humor, his face transformed into a charming grin. Reaching his awkward body to retrieve the block, he toppled over, startled and then determined to right himself before Claire could help him up.

And the little warrior certainly had determination as he rolled over to scramble back into a sitting position. Claire let him twist and flail until he'd righted himself, content to let the boy learn on his own how to work his body. When he'd positioned himself more or less back in front of her, he easily reached out for the block and offered it to her.

Neil didn't have the right words to describe the look on Claire's face as she met her little brother's eyes. He could see a moistness of emotion there, but also happiness and pride. For a few moments, they were in their own world. Claire and Sam, the incredible Browne duo – and two of Neil's favorite people along with his own younger sister.

Soon, one little piece of paper might change everything for them. Sighing, Neil stepped forward.

When Claire saw him approach, her smile softened but didn't disappear, which was a good sign. Whatever she'd done to prepare herself in the last 24 hours, she'd made peace with the situation.

Sam noticed Neil too and quickly scooted over to get his attention, block forgotten as he reached for Neil's shoe. Neil bent down and pulled Sam into his arms, giving him an extra bounce before settling him along his side. Claire rose to her feet too, somber but calm.

"Is it time already?" Looking at her watch, she winced. "I haven't gotten a call from the lab, but I had a break in the schedule so …"

"You don't have to explain. I get it." He smirked at her. "And I'm not your boss anymore so whatever you're doing is Barnes' problem today." She laughed at his dumb joke. "I haven't heard anything yet either. But I guess I had the same idea you did."

Well, almost the same idea. Instead of checking in on Sam as Claire was doing, he'd mostly been looking to spend time with her. Knowing that she'd be with Sam made it a bonus trip.

Sam seemed excited to see Neil and began babbling to him as Neil responded appropriately, mostly in Spanish. It hadn't been a conscious decision to speak to Sam in what had been Neil's first language. It had simply come naturally as he'd idly change Sam's diaper or find the perfect toy for them to play with. He'd worried that Claire would be annoyed, but she didn't seem to mind, even admitting that it kept her own language skills sharp and could even help Sammy remain bilingual.

Neil wandered over to the toy chest where the rest of the blocks were sitting and placed Sam on the ground again. He laughed as Sam immediately began to knock around the blocks with his tiny fingers.

"Somebody's feisty today," Neil said.

"Well, he had a solid night's sleep so he's got plenty of energy," Claire explained. She'd trailed behind them, content to watch as they interacted.

"And you? How are you holding up?"

"I didn't do quite so well on the sleep front." She shrugged. "It's all so strange and surreal. I think I'm okay, though. I did some research on Tre Mackey, and he seems legit."

"Legit?" Neil asked, grinning at her use of that particular term.

"Knowing my mom, it's the right bar to set," she said. "But by all accounts, he's a good guy. I bit the bullet and called one of my mom's friends who vouched for him. He said he thought maybe he and my mom could've worked out if my mom weren't her own worst enemy."

Sam had now discovered a collection of stuffed animals next to the blocks and was simultaneously playing and dive bombing into them. They both looked on idly.

"Nice detective work, then," Neil said. He glanced at her and noticed a funny look on her face. "What? There's more?"

Claire winced. "I may have had Park call in a favor about a background check."

Surprised, Neil grinned up at her as righted a grumbling Sam who hadn't figured how to hoist himself up while surrounded by plush toys.

"Fair enough, I guess. So, you feel better about this afternoon?" He didn't bother asking if she actually felt good about it, only whether she'd come to terms with what's happening.

Sighing, she crossed her arms as they watched Sam. "It is what it is. And honestly, it could be a good thing for Sam to know his father." She shook her head. "Just when I thought I'd gotten things sort of figured out, and life throws another big monkey wrench."

Neil nodded. "Whatever happens, you'll handle it." He turned to her, prompting Claire to return his attention. "You always do."

They held each other's gaze, Claire's head tilted with a familiar softness to her eyes and that sweet smile that framed her face beautifully. He'd come to know that look from when he said or did something she appreciated. It hit something all too satisfying when he drew that out of her.

For as long as he'd known her, she'd come across as this fierce force of nature, this tiny, unstoppable ball of brilliance. As his resident, that drive could be pain in his ass at times, but mostly he'd seen such potential in her. And now that life had thrown her this loveable, Sammy-sized curve ball, he'd become even more impressed by her, more proud.

She could do anything she put her mind to. Even figuring out a way to make the best life for Sam no matter how the day ended for her.

Sam squealed, drawing Claire's focus once more. It seemed he'd found his favorite stuffed bunny and held it up for her to see.

"Yeah, buddy, it's your best friend!" Claire cooed.

"I thought I was your best friend, Sammy. I'm hurt!" Neil exclaimed. Sam looked up at Neil, curious and a little confused. Then he did his best to hug the bunny tight given his limited dexterity, but the effort made him giggle. Neil beamed down at him. "Oh man, this kid, huh?"

"I know," Claire replied, realizing exactly what he meant. They both adored him so much. Sam began chewing on the rabbit's ear and Claire reached down to extract it. "Okay, buddy, let's not do that to your bunny friend."

"Teething?" Neil asked.

Claire straightened back up as Sam tried his hand at holding the bunny and picking up a block at the same time. "I think so. Not looking forward to that. But his doctor said—"

Her phone buzzed interrupting the moment. She tensed next to him. Claire flicked to the message, eyes scanning but unreadable. Neil waited patiently, kneeling down to chat with Sam as the baby rifled through the pile of toys.

Claire tapped some kind of response into her phone and received an immediate reply. This went on for a minute or so before she put the phone away, let out a deep breath, and straightened as if psyching herself up.

"So?" Neil prodded, standing back up.

"Results are ready. Carly got the independent lab confirmation."

He nodded. "Mackey?"

"Five minutes away. He'll meet us in the café?" Neil tried not to react to her automatically including him. Of course, he wanted to be there, but he didn't want to presume she'd let him tag along.

Looking back down, he asked, "You wanna bring Sammy? Or…"

Claire followed his eyes to her little brother and that smile the boy always drew from her returned. Sam ignored both of them favoring his stuffed animal friends over the boring adults and their grown-up conversation.

"I think so. It'd be nice, however it turns out."

Neil nodded and waited for Claire to make the first move. She kneeled down and put her arms out to Sammy who hesitated only a moment before going to her. As he pointed back in the direction of the stuffed animals, Neil bent over and scooped up the rabbit for him.

Their pace was slower than usual as they checked in with Judy about the field trip and made their way to the café. Carly had said she'd meet them in 10 minutes as soon as the independent lab representative arrived. When she'd heard about the situation, she'd suggested the extra precaution so there'd be no questions about the integrity of the results.

Sammy, of course, seemed none the wiser as they weaved through the hospital, comfortable in Claire's arms as Neil distracted him with baby chatter and tickles. When they approached the entrance of the café, by some unspoken agreement, Neil took the boy from her so she'd be able to freely talk with Tre as they received the test results.

"Do you want me to hold back? Let you get everything straightened out first?"

Claire paused, contemplating. "No," she responded after a few moments. "Let's just get this figured out. No matter what happens, it'll be good for Sam to meet someone connected to Mom.

They spotted Tre Mackey right away, again sitting by the window looking even more tense than yesterday. When he saw them approaching and then noticed Sammy in Neil's arms, he froze.

"Hey, Tre. I thought Sam might enjoy a little field trip. I hope you don't mind."

Mackey stood, now facing Sam at eye level. Sam was used to meeting new people and simply stared, unconcerned before returning his attention to his rabbit and then to the lapel on Neil's suit jacket.

"Mind? No, not at all." Mackey looked emotional, stumbling back into his seat as Neil and Claire took there's.

Sam continued to clutch the toy while trying to climb up Neil and stand up, one of his favorite past-times these days. Neil grabbed his hands and helped him to his feet as the boy wobbled on his lap.

"He looks a lot like Breeze," Mackey added.

Claire smiled. "I know. Mom loved that," she joked.

"He's a fine-looking boy," Mackey said, softly. "Healthy. Happy." Claire let her eyes sweep over Sam again, over the both of them as Neil distracted the child with play. Her eyes flicked up as Carly approached with an older man in tow.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Carly Lever," she said introducing herself to Mackey who nodded. "I'm the head of Pathology here at St. Bonaventure. This is Dr. Monroe from the team at San Jose Biolab Corps. We have your test results and wanted to both be here to deliver them."

Neil noted that Carly didn't have to be the one to deliver the news. But she'd done so as a favor to Claire. She'd had someone else on her team run the results so there wouldn't be any concern about conflict of interest.

They each held an envelope. Carly handed hers to Claire and Monroe handed his to Mackey.

"If you have any questions, you can call, or I'll be upstairs," Carly added. She exchanged a look with Dr. Monroe before giving Claire a supportive smile and leaving.

Sam was oblivious to the change in mood, the tension that clung to their little group. He'd smiled up at Carly, who he'd recognized, and then went back to using Neil as his human jungle gym. Mackey took his envelope and slowly turned it over in his hands, finally pulling the sealed flap when he saw Claire doing the same. Neil tried to observe her out of the corner of his eye and saw she'd grown even more anxious than before. But she squared her shoulders and unsealed the envelope.

The room seemed to close in around them as Sam played and Claire held her breath. Mackey's leg shook under the table. Neil waited for some kind of reaction from either of them, but for long moments, they both just stared at the papers in front of them.

He saw something sad in Claire's eyes as she looked up at Mackey. Neil wasn't sure what that actually meant. Was it sadness at her life expanding to include this new person, this stranger into the bubble she'd created with her little brother? Or was it disappointment for Mackey?

"I'm so sorry, Tre." Claire said. Neil peeked over her shoulder at the letter to see that with 99.9% certainty, Tre and Sam did not share genetic markers that would indicate a familial connection. He couldn't be Sam's father according the tests.

Mackey nodded, folded his letter and returned it to the envelope. "Like I said, I needed to know." He smiled sadly. "I'm sorry too. It would have been nice to be a part of the family." Claire returned his smile at that. "I've spent most of my life on the road. Not much in the way of my own family these days."

"I get it. Really. I totally understand. And it would have been nice for us too."

Neil desperately wanted to ask if she was okay, check in on how she was feeling. He couldn't really do either while Mackey sat with them. And at the moment she was doing that hyper-empathetic thing she excelled at of putting her energy into making the other person feel better.

Glancing over at Sam, who was now reaching for Claire and the letter she held, Mackey nodded at them both, smiling again as Neil passed the child over and he squealed in triumph to get his little hands on his prize.

"You know, your mom always said she didn't deserve you, but that you were the best thing she ever did. She was so proud of you. I can see why." Claire stilled. Neil saw her chest rise and fall as she tried to control the complex emotions that came with memories of her mother.

Sammy broke up the tension by turning to Mackey and waving his new toy – the paper letter – at the stranger across the table. Mackey leaned over and pretended to try and take it, but that Sam was too quick for him. Sam loved that game and quickly began a child-size version of cat and mouse with him. Claire grinned at how quickly her little brother made friends, how charming and easygoing he always seemed. She'd probably balk if he said so, but the two of them were a lot alike in that regard.

Claire's phone page went off and Sam turned, happy to interact with a new noise.

"Barnes," Claire said to him as she punched in a message to someone with one hand, the other holding Sammy secure in her lap.

"I can take him back to the nursery if you need to go."

She sighed. "My patient from this morning just got into a yelling match with his mother and his vitals have tanked. I gotta run."

"Come here, Pal," Neil said, retrieving Sam. He waved the bunny around to distract him as he removed the boy from his favorite person.

Claire stood and Mackey did as well. "I'm sorry, Tre, I have to run. If you want to go over the results later or have questions, please reach out."

"I will," he said, holding out his hand for Claire to shake. Instead, she moved around the table to give him a brief hug. Mackey seemed surprised, but returned the gesture warmly.

"It's nice to see my mom could make some good choices about her life every now and then. I wish I had known at the time."

Mackey shrugged. "You know now. If you like, I can send you the pictures I have of her. For little Samuel to see later on." He paused. "And maybe you'd like to see too."

Claire blinked a few times, swallowed. "Yes, I'd like that, thank you." She squeezed his hand and turned to Neil. "You sure you're okay to take him back?"

"No sweat," Neil said. "Right, Sammy?" Sam acted unconcerned until he sensed that Claire might be leaving and looked ready to whine.

Claire didn't give him time to settle into a proper tantrum as she kissed his cheek. "See you later, Boss." She pat Neil on the arm. "You too, Boss. And ask Judy to give him the teething toy to play with, please."

"You bet, Captain," he called out, chuckling at her glare as she rushed towards the stairs to see to her patient. Neil gazed after her for a moment before returning his attention to Sam.

"Breeze was right, she's something else," Mackey said, causing both Neil and Sam to turn their heads back towards him. "You're a lucky kid, little man." He tickled Sammy's neck, which served as an effective distraction from Claire's departure. "Your sister is gonna take good care of you."

"Yes, she will," Neil said. "She's incredible."

Mackey glanced up at him. "And you? Are you guys like … a thing?

Neil's brows shot up. "Me and Claire? No," he chuckled, a bit nervously even to his own ears.

"Really, because you two seem like you're together."

"Well, we're not—"

"—are you sure, because it looks a lot like—"

"We are not together," Neil said a little louder than he intended." He looked around to see if they'd drawn any attention, but there weren't a lot of people in their part of the café. "She's my friend and used to be my resident before … everything. So, since I used to be her boss, I'd appreciate you not instigating any rumors."

Tre laughed. "Yo, don't take this the wrong way because you strike me as a really good guy. But you're holding her kid like he's your own. She clearly trusts you, and you interact like an old married couple. That rumor train has probably long left the station."

Neil sighed. It's not like he hadn't heard it before, but he'd been pretty good at deflecting people's speculation. "I've known Claire for a while, and I'm helping her out. And Sam is a pretty good wingman," he grinned.

"Hey, you could do worse. And the kid clearly adores you. You should think about it," he said, still chuckling.

Neil rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the advice. I'm not trying to make her life or mine any more complicated than it already is."

Shrugging, Mackey grabbed his jacket from the chair and carefully folded the letter he received into his pocket. "Doesn't have to be complicated. I guess being with Breeze reminded me of that. We made things complicated when they didn't need to be. I know she had her challenges, but when we were together, we let all that go. Despite how it ended, I don't regret that time with her. Maybe if I'd remembered that, she'd be here now," he added sadly.

Neil didn't know what to say to that. He hadn't known Claire's mom well, only in passing, really, on a surface level.

"I only met Claire's mom a few times, so I don't know what she might have been thinking when you were together. But I do know that hindsight isn't helpful in these circumstances. I still have to remind Claire of that sometimes. But you did the right thing trying to honor her by looking Claire up. I know she feels the same way. I'm sorry, too, that it didn't work out."

Mackey nodded. "It was good meeting all of you though. Take care of them."

"Count on it," Neil replied, and Mackey nodded before walking away.

Neil watched him go and then turned to deliver Sam back to the nursery before returning to his office. As they walked back through the hallways, Neil kept up a steady banter while Sam played with his toy. As they wandered through the last stretch to the daycare room entrance, Sam seemed content to snuggle into Neil, resting his head on Neil's shoulder. Neil slowed, relishing the gentle weight against him. He reached down and kissed the top of his head.

"Just so you know, Sammy, I meant what I said. You can count on me, anytime. I'll always be here for you."

He would do right by Sam and his older sister who'd come to mean so much to him.

TBC...