Mary and Wilson ring the doorbell of his parent's house. His mother answers the door, and is almost moved to tears when she sees Wilson.
"Honey! What are you doing here?" She asks as she wraps her arms around her son.
"Mary and I flew out to be with her family for Christmas."
"But Christmas is a ways away."
"Its in one week Mom."
"Oh it is? My how time flies."
"Not anymore. Seven and a half months still seems like an eternity to me."
"Oh honey," his mother says, putting her arm on Wilson's shoulder. "Oh, forgive me. Please, come in."
Mrs. West gives them both some coffee, and they sit down in the kitchen.
Mary felt very uncomfortable sitting here. This was definitely a private family moment. But who knows, maybe things will go right this time and she will end up family after all.
"I'm sorry your father is not home, Wilson. He's working."
"Its OK. We dropped by unannounced." Wilson takes a sip of his coffee. "Have you heard from Brittany's parents at all?"
"No, I haven't. I'm sorry. Have you?"
"Not since the last time I told you about."
"Oh."
There is a long pause. Everyone drinks about 4 or 5 sips of their warm coffee, but Mary is careful not to finish hers, as it provides for an escape. She could always take a sip when she felt like she wanted to bolt from the room.
"So, um, Mary. Wilson tells me you two are living together."
"Yes, we are."
"That's nice. What is it you do again?"
"I'm a flight attendant for Jet Blue airlines."
"Wow, you certainly are brave. I could never do anything like that, I'd be too scared."
"Well, I am not completely at ease it, but things are OK. Airport security is tight, and they implement new security measures on the planes quiet often. I hate to sound so preachy, being a minister's daughter and all, but you have to have faith or else you can't get through the day."
"Oh I agree. That's how I've been getting through my days since they took our little Billy form us. It's all so awful. They want nothing to do with him, or us even for that matter, and then one day they just show up and expect us to hand him over. Its insane."
"That is it." Mary comments. "I miss him too. He was always so clever. Its weird to have Wilson around again without Billy."
"Its weird to have you again without Billy." Wilson says. "He really likes you."
Mary smiles.
"You know, we've being going to your father's church lately, Wilson's father and I." His mother starts again.
"Oh really?"
She nods.
"Did you tell him about Billy?"
Wilson gives Mary a stern look, but she shrugs it off.
"Well, we didn't really have a chance to, although that isn't a bad idea. We came back the week after he had his heart surgery."
"Oh."
"Things were in complete turmoil over there that Sunday."
"I can imagine."
"Don't tell your father," Mrs. West continues, "but I didn't like that new guy very much."
"Well, he doesn't either. He thinks he's going to replace him"
"Well wouldn't that just be awful?"
Mary and Wilson both nod in agreement. Mary is happy that Wilson's mother is opening up to her. She is also relieved that Wilson probably didn't tell her the whole story about what happened last January. His mother probably wouldn't be so nice to her if she knew all of that.
***
Back at the Camden household, Annie and Eric are still wondering why Mary and Wilson want to talk to them later, and why she and Wilson scurried off to his folk's home.
"You know, I just remembered!" Annie says out of the clear blue.
"What?"
"As soon as Mary walked in the door, she told me discretely not to mention Billy…"
"I thought it was odd that he wasn't here as well."
"Yeah, me too. My guess is it has to do something with him."
"But if it has to do with Billy, why would they ask to talk to us tonight?"
"Maybe there's something else, or maybe it's not that at all."
"Maybe. I still think she's pregnant."
"Eric, that isn't very nice." Annie reprimands her husband. "You know, whatever it is, I'm sure they're going to tell us, or at the very least we'll find out eventually."
"Yeah, but I want to know now."
"Well you can't, so let it go."
"Maybe I can, where's Ruthie?"
"Don't go bothering Ruthie, its no use. Everyone's asked her about Mary at some time or another, and she hasn't told anyone anything."
"Yes but I'm her father."
Eric walks upstairs into Ruthie's bedroom, but remembers that Jake is still over. He walks back down again, into the living room, knowing that that is where he could find them.
"Hey Dad." Ruthie says when she sees him.
"Hello Ruthie, Jake."
"Hi Reverend Camden."
"Ruthie, do you know if Mary is back yet?"
"No, I didn't even know she went out."
"Yeah, her and Wilson went over to his parent's house about a half hour ago."
"Oh, ok."
"Do you have any idea why they might have gone there?"
"Nope," Ruthie answers sincerely. She didn't know why they went. Sure, Ruthie was smart, but no one could put things together that quickly, especially with the limited information provided by both her dad and her sister.