Epilogue

Amanda walked out onto the deck of the beach house, carrying a tray containing a carafe of coffee and accompaniments. She set the tray down on the table and moved to the railing, looking down at the beach below where Mark and Jesse were building sandcastles with CJ and Dion. It was three days after Mark had regained his memory, and he had invited the gang over for a celebratory dinner, after which the two boys had corralled Mark and Jesse to play with them while Steve and Amanda set up for coffee. As she watched her friends and sons with amused affection, she heard Steve come out behind her, carrying the rest of the coffee things.

Hearing the laughter from below, Steve joined Amanda at the railing and peered down. He stood watching for a moment, a faint smile on his face, as Mark made small shells disappear and reappear from various points 'inside' the sandcastle.

"I was afraid the boys might be too much for him this soon," Amanda said with a smile, "but he seems to be enjoying it as much as they are."

"It works out well," Steve responded, his eyes still on the scene below. "It's good for him to have family around today."

Something in his voice caught Amanda's attention. "How'd it go this afternoon?" she asked quietly.

Steve continued to gaze out at the beach, his mind harking back to the day's events. Once he had regained his memory, Mark had been determined to do whatever he could to see that the conditions at the Exeter Institute were corrected. Steve had wanted his father to leave it to him and Jesse to initiate a Board of Health inquiry, but Mark had declared that he was in the best position to know the exact nature of the conditions as well as which of the staff needed to be replaced. The Board was going to have to talk to him anyway, he pointed out. Steve had been unable to argue with that, but he hadn't been very happy with his father's decision to visit the Exeter Institute himself to speak directly to the chief administrator there. He had been even less happy when Mark had refused to let his son accompany him to the Institute. Steve had reluctantly accepted his father's desire to do this on his own, but he had insisted on driving Mark there and bringing him home. Mark had emerged from his visit that afternoon rather quiet, but without any of the signs of distress or depression that his son had feared.

"Okay, I guess," Steve replied in answer to Amanda's question. "I gather he convinced them to immediately suspend some of the worst staff members while the investigation is going on."

Amanda thought back to what Jesse had told her about Mark's experiences. "Did he tell you who…?" she asked hesitantly.

"No." Steve's response was short, but level. He looked over at her a moment later, a wry twist to his mouth. "I think he's afraid I might not handle the situation objectively."

Amanda had to smile at that. "And would you?" she asked.

"Probably not," Steve admitted. "But it wouldn't help him any if I got suspended for assault, so I'll probably manage to control myself somehow when it finally all comes out."

Amanda nodded, reflecting with satisfaction that both Sloans seemed to be getting back to normal. Her attention was reclaimed by the increasingly noisy scene on the beach, where CJ and Dion had tackled Jesse and were trying to bury him in the sand before he could get up. Deciding it was time to intervene, Amanda announced that coffee was served, and the boys reluctantly surrendered their victim.

Mark and Jesse rejoined the other two adults on the deck, shaking sand off themselves as they climbed the stairs.

"Honestly, I'm not sure which of you four is the biggest kid," Amanda scolded affectionately, as she helped Mark brush off the back of his sweater. He grinned at her unrepentantly, the familiar gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"That's what old age is for: enjoying your second childhood," he responded.

"You're not that old," protested Amanda with a smile.

"Besides," added Steve dryly, "don't you have to have outgrown your first childhood before you can have a second one?"

Laughing, they moved to the table to have their coffee – enjoying this first relaxed gathering with their foursome finally completely intact. As the usual banter was traded back and forth, Mark savored the sense of belonging and completeness that he had finally regained. Amanda caught his eye, and he smiled at her.

"It's good to have life back to normal," he said contentedly.

"It's good to see you back to normal," she responded, happy to see him relaxed and comfortable with himself once more.

"I've always wondered what it must be like having total amnesia," Jesse commented.

"It's got its interesting side," Mark mused contemplatively. "You get to take a look at your life from the outside, so to speak. It gives you an interesting perspective."

"So how does it look to be Mark Sloan?" Jesse quipped.

Mark looked around with deep affection at these people who were such an integral part of his life, and whose warmth and support had done so much to ease his return to that life.

"To borrow a phrase," he said with a smile, "it's a wonderful life!"