A/N- Lest you were starting to think this story would be Michaela- and Sully-free, think again! I thought about splitting this into two shorter chapters, since the second half is different in tone from the first part, but then decided against it.

Chapter 5

As promised, Michaela and Sully brought baby Katie in for her one-week check-up. Miriam pronounced her perfect and said it was fortunate that due to Michaela's advanced condition she and Sully had had to stick to an easy walking trail where they couldn't stray too far from civilization, maintaining a cell signal to call for an ambulance. Even so, they had been far enough along the path that it had taken the emergency personnel some time to reach them, by which point Katie had made her entrance upon the world.

"Oh, Michaela, she's just precious," Miriam gushed, swaddling Katie back up. "I miss having them this tiny."

"Bet you don't miss the dirty diapers or three a.m. feedings."

Miriam laughed. "No, not a bit. But this… yes, you precious little girl you… when everything is still so new, so open with possibility for their future… that I miss."

"You're welcome to babysit anytime."

"Don't tempt me. As it is, I asked Colleen to come over tomorrow night, just for a couple of hours."

"Hot date?" Sully smirked as Miriam handed Katie to him.

"Maybe," came the evasive reply. "I invited your wife's replacement to the Gold Nugget, just a 'welcome to the neighborhood' kind of thing."

"Miriam!" Michaela staged-whispered to her friend, unable to suppress a smile.

"Wait, is this the same guy that Colleen said was going to help her study?" asked Sully.

"He's what now?"

"Yes, Colleen said they got to talking yesterday at lunch and he offered to help her study," confirmed Michaela. "They'll be meeting once a week at the café."

"Well, I guess that answers that question about my date," sighed the pediatrician.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Miriam," Michaela soothed. "He's not going out with her. He's going out with you."

"True."

"We're gonna go meet him in Michaela's office next," said Sully as they prepared to leave. "If I get a sense he's playing the field, I'll be sure to set him straight."

:

Michaela's office phone rang. It was Alice, alerting Andrew that Dr. Mike was there with a special guest, could she see him for a few minutes?

"Certainly," Andrew replied. "Send them in."

Up until that point, he hadn't been nervous at the idea about meeting the woman whose place he was taking. A physician was a physician was a physician. But this particular doctor had been Colleen's guardian, a mother figure, and they still lived under the same roof. Andrew felt like this was more than just a courtesy call, akin to being in high school again and meeting his date's parents for the first time. This was different, of course, since he and Colleen weren't actually dating, but at the moment the distinction seemed beside the point.

"Dr. Quinn, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Andrew extended his hand. "Andrew Cook."

"It's Michaela, and the pleasure's all mine, Andrew. You're doing me a real service by filling in. This is my husband, Sully, and our little girl, Katie."

The men shook hands, and Andrew noticed the firm grip. A man not to be crossed. "Dr. Cook."

"Andrew, please. Hello there, Katie," he added in that sing-song tone adults used with babies, peeking at the small bundle in the crook of Sully's arm.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet with you last week, but as you know Katie had other plans," Michaela apologized.

Andrew turned his attention from the infant. "That's quite all right. I'm just glad everything ended well for you and the baby," he replied, recalling the story about Sully's first wife and child.

"I understand Colleen gave you the tour."

"Yes. She's a wonderful girl, Colleen. She's been a great help to me around the office."

"She thinks highly of you, too. She says you offered to tutor her?"

"Just the one day a week, down in the café… unless of course you have objections." Andrew looked back and forth between his guests, uncertain.

Michaela and Sully exchanged a glance. "No, no. It just seemed a little unusual, you offering to help someone you've just met."

Andrew crossed his arms, trying to appear unconcerned. "Doesn't that pretty much describe what we do as doctors? Helping people we've just met?" he countered, then realized how defensive he sounded. He scrubbed a hand down his face, contrite. "Look, Michaela, Sully… I only offered to help her out as a gesture of friendship, but if you're uncomfortable with that, then please just tell me."

"No, Andrew, it's fine," said Sully, deciding that he liked the guy. Someone else might have been pushier, arguing that Colleen was an adult, free to make her own choices, but this guy was instantly prepared to back down in deference to their wishes. And, in truth, Colleen was an adult who had had nothing but positive things to say about the young doctor ever since he'd arrived, even trusting him with the family secret after knowing him but a few days. That spoke volumes. "I guess now that Katie's here, we've become a little overprotective."

Andrew relaxed. "Perfectly understandable. And on that note, I want to assure you both, as I did Colleen, that I will not repeat to anyone what she told me yesterday. It won't leave these walls."

"Thank you, Andrew," replied Michaela. "Though it was a bit of a surprise to hear that she shared that with you, as we never discuss it. She obviously trusts you a great deal."

"I'm honored to have her trust. And yours."

Katie started fussing, while at the same time Andrew's phone beeped – Alice alerting him of his next patient waiting to see him.

"Duty calls," Andrew said lightly, escorting them out.

"It feels a little odd not to be answering that call myself," Michaela commented wistfully.

"It's only temporary," Sully reassured her. "You'll be back in the saddle before you know it."

"It was a pleasure meeting you both," said Andrew in parting.

"Same here," replied Sully, as Katie let out a wail. "Oh, I think someone's hungry. You hungry, Katie?" he cooed as the infant continued to cry.

Andrew watched them go then headed in the direction of the examination room, heaving a sigh of relief. All in all, it had gone well, he had gained the approval of Colleen's guardian to study with her. It almost seemed old-fashioned in a way, as if he'd been seeking their permission to court Colleen.

Regrettably, not.

:

At the end of Andrew's first full week on the job he met Miriam for drinks at the Gold Nugget. The place had a rustic, western town feel with lantern-style light fixtures and old fashioned black and white photos on the walls, the kind where people didn't smile because either the picture took so long to develop, or their teeth were too awful due to poor dental care back then, depending upon who you asked. Miriam was already seated at the bar, waiting for him, and Andrew recognized a couple of familiar faces from the medical group scattered about, including Grace and Robert E., waiting for the line dancing to begin.

Since Miriam already had an inkling of his story, she told him hers, including meeting Michaela at Drexler but going their separate ways after graduation to pursue their respective specialties. It was two kids and one divorce later that the friends reunited in Colorado Springs, Andrew learning that Michaela had come out west after her father had passed away, too grieved to continue practicing in Boston without him.

His interaction with Miriam was interesting, they each shared a couple of stories from their residency days, but Andrew just didn't feel a spark or connection with her beyond being colleagues. Miriam sensed it, too, and after an hour had left, telling him there were "plenty of fish in the sea." He'd remained at the bar, having nothing better to do, nursing another beer. A beautiful brunette appeared, sat down next to him, gave a name of Emma, and they did the "what brings you here" routine. Andrew explained how he was in town for a few months for work, and she said she came there to relax after working in her boutique. She seemed to be a regular, the bartender, Hank, asked if she wanted the usual. All was going well, they even did some line dancing, Andrew apologizing that he was still new to it, until she suggestively invited him back to her place with her hand on his knee. He said he was sorry, he didn't do casual hookups, and she promptly left without him.

"I can't believe you just said no to that," Hank drawled as Andrew downed the last of his beer. "You're either crazy or you're looking in the wrong place."

"Thanks for the advice," Andrew replied to be polite before dejectedly going back to his apartment.

:

The weeks passed and Andrew settled into a familiar routine. Wake up, shave, dress, head to work, enjoy one of Grace's breakfast burritos if he hadn't already eaten in the apartment. See patients until lunch. Eat lunch, which was either in the doctor's lounge, studying with Colleen at the café once a week, or taking a tray up to Michaela's office for a quiet place to read her medical journals, keeping current on the latest medical literature (and handing the journals to Colleen when he was done so she could take them home for herself and Michaela to read).

Afternoons brought more patients. Then he'd head back to the apartment, shower, and have some dinner (take out or frozen entrees were the usual standbys) while mindlessly watching tv (he had an affinity for the various medical dramas, partly because there was a perverse pleasure in no longer being a part of their intense worlds of teaching hospitals and emergency rooms, and partly for the diversity of medical issues. And the acting could be really good, too, if he was being completely honest.). Then sleep, and repeat.

The weekends held their own distinct pattern in that he tried to plan a different excursion or activity each week. That first weekend he made a point of visiting Bray's Mercantile. Alas, he didn't run into Colleen, but he did get to meet her younger brother Brian who worked there part-time during the summer. It was clear he and Loren had a close relationship judging from their banter, and Andrew wondered if the Brays were privy to the family secret or if they had plausible deniability. He made a point to buy some fruit and began stopping by every week to do so. It was from these visits that he learned the extent of the dynamics of Colleen's… well, it wasn't a traditional family, but it was a family, nonetheless. There wasn't any shared blood or genes between the Quinns and the Coopers and the Brays and Sully – although this last did have a tenuous connection through the Bray's deceased daughter. They were all very much a family by choice. It was a fascinating contrast to Andrew's own family – a couple of aunts, uncles, cousins - which, though related by blood, he didn't feel especially close to. He didn't have anyone tying him down, making him perfect for locum tenens service. No obligations to anything, no commitments to anyone… though the longer he remained in Colorado Springs, the more he found himself wanting to be committed to someone.

A certain someone.

It made no sense. Well, maybe it made a little sense. Working together he and Colleen had an easy camaraderie, forged from that first day. Studying at Harvard had been a means to an end; studying with Colleen was a pleasure. Certainly, it had to do with him already being familiar with the material and knowing he wouldn't be quizzed on it, but just getting to interact with her mostly outside of the supervisor-subordinate dynamic was easily the highlight of his week. Though the dynamic never disappeared completely. She always called him "Dr. Cook," as it would be unprofessional of her to address him informally, and unprofessional of him to offer her that privilege while not granting it to others.

He had thought that the early attraction might have worn off, proven to be a benign infatuation with meeting someone new. But after a month had gone by, it was still there. If anything, now that he knew her background, it was stronger. He was still interested. He still wanted to get to know her, this girl who'd been through heartache in her young life but had found a calling helping others as he had. He considered trying to look her up on social media but that felt too much like stalking. She didn't deserve that from him, and he didn't want to be that kind of guy.

What he truly wanted was a real relationship, where he could pick her up, tell her how nice she looked, enjoy dinner and a movie or concert or play or an afternoon picnic or walk in the woods or whatever it was she wanted to do as long as it made her happy and he could see that smile light up her face. He wanted to hear her laugh as he told her a joke or funny anecdote, hold her hand as they strolled along the sidewalk or watched that movie. He wanted to kiss her until they were both breathless and giddy, make her cheeks turn a rosier shade of pink. He wanted to kiss her good night then kiss her again because they didn't want to be parted from one another. And have it all repeat on an indefinite loop, until they decided that it had been long enough for them to take the next step together towards a lifetime commitment.

Instead, the loop he got was the one where they greeted each other Monday - Wednesday – Friday, and she and he went about their work, caring for patients, except for that lone hour each week when they sort of had time to themselves, discussing the necessity of iron-rich foods in the diet or reviewing the complex neural structure of the brain. It wasn't a bad loop. Most of the time it was pretty great, actually. If he couldn't date Colleen, then working alongside her was the next best thing. Except for the part when it was time for Colleen to leave.

Because in this loop – the reality loop - he didn't get to kiss her good night.

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