As Zach entered the office of Dr. Maria Grey at Pine Valley Hospital, he noticed that it hadn't changed at all since his last visit – on the day that she had asked him to walk out of her life and never return. So much had happened since that January day when Ethan had brandished a rifle and threatened to kill him. He had known even then that something was wrong with Ethan's attitude and behavior… the excessive rage and the lack of interest in his origins. He had allowed himself to be blinded to Ethan's frailties, looking for strength where there was only weakness. He had tried that day to tell Maria that Ethan was a son he could be proud of – when he had known even then that he barely liked the boy. For a man who tried so hard to be honest with the people he cared about, he had certainly deluded himself. And they had all paid a terrible price for his refusal to see Ethan for the person he truly was… in fact they were still paying.

Maria entered her office glancing over a file in her hand. She pulled the stethoscope from around her neck and laid it on her desk before noticing her visitor seated near the window.

She startled for a moment before commenting, "Zach… I didn't… expect to see you…"

"Sorry to barge in like this," he said softly.

"No… I guess I should be used to it… but you haven't…" Maria answered him.

"You asked me to stay away… and I have. This isn't about… well, I need to speak with you… um… Kendall told me…" Zach said, discomfort evident in his voice.

"Yeah… I saw Kendall yesterday. I'm sorry about Ethan… everything about Ethan. How are you holding up?" she replied, seating herself behind her desk.

"Okay… I can't say there isn't a measure of relief to find out that he's not my son after all. I just wanted to say… to say thank you. That was quite a catch, and something we all missed," he told her.

"I'm glad that I could help. Ethan wasn't very much of a son… you deserved better," Maria said softly.

Zach laughed, "That's nice of you to say… but I was… well, you know what I was."

"You never meant to hurt him," Maria argued, "You only had good intentions."

"And what do they say about good intentions? No… I'm well aware of the many mistakes I've made. I didn't want to make another by neglecting to thank you. After the way I've behaved – I wouldn't have blamed you for keeping the information about Ethan's birth date to yourself," he answered.

"You aren't the only person who has regrets, Zach. I know what mistakes I made, too. The biggest one was in not believing you, even though you were always honest with me," Maria said quietly. "I'm glad you stopped by… and gave me the chance to clear the air."

"The air is clear… you don't owe me anything," he said with discomfort.

"But I feel like I do… I need to tell you something," Maria said and then paused. He looked at her expectantly and she continued, "That night at the awards dinner… I just want you to know… when I went upstairs with Ethan… I never… I mean, we didn't… um…"

Zach smiled as he replied, "I know."

"What do you mean you know? How could you know anything?" Maria answered indignantly.

"Tad Martin accosted me in the lobby. After making sure that I knew I was the scum of the earth… and that every bad thing that has ever happened in Pine Valley is my fault… he told me that he was going to get you away from Ethan and take you home. I had every confidence that he would keep his word," Zach answered.

"Oh... That's what he did. He took me home and poured me into bed and made sure that Anita was there to nurse me through a killer hangover the next day. I'm glad you know… that you didn't think that I… I don't know why but it matters to me that you know the whole story," she said in almost a whisper.

Zach sat for a moment before he said, "Maria." She looked at him carefully as he continued quietly, "That night… you didn't… but I did. You deserve to know that."

"Mm-hmm," Maria nodded. "You and Kendall… it's pretty obvious that it's not just a business deal. That's okay… you deserve some happiness. Once you get past this thing with Ethan… I hope you have a good life together."

"Thank you," Zach answered in the same quiet tone. "I'm afraid there's another reason for my visit."

Maria looked at him in surprise, "Another reason?"

"I know that you saw Kendall as a patient yesterday, but she asked you not to tell me," Zach answered. "Someone saw her here… and she told me everything last night. I just needed to find out for myself… is she okay?"

"Zach… even if I had the test results back – which I don't – I still couldn't tell you. Or should I be assuming by the fact that you were waiting for me that you've already been through my files and couldn't find anything?" she asked him bluntly.

"No… I have people who do that for me," Zach smiled and said with a short laugh. "Your files are as you left them… I haven't done anything except sit and wait."

"Thank you… for respecting me and my patients' privacy…" Maria said with a return smile. "I promised Kendall that I would call when the tests come back… then I'm going to set her up with another physician."

"I'm not asking you to divulge any specific medical information… I'm just asking as a concerned husband who wants to help his wife. I need to do something… and this situation with Ethan… it keeps getting worse," he said. "He's still out for revenge… he made sure of that in his will."

She looked closely at him and shook her head, "I… I can't do this, Zach. I can't sit here and calmly talk to you about your wife as if… as if we... I'm sorry. I'll call Kendall and refer her to someone else right away."

"I understand," he replied. "Just one thing… she's been having headaches… will you be referring her to another neurosurgeon?"

"Zach, no! Kendall came to see me about Ethan… not as a doctor," Maria answered. "On that I can put your mind at ease. I noticed she wasn't feeling well… that's all."

"Thank you, Maria. Knowing that helps," Zach said. After a moment he said, "I won't bother you anymore. For what it's worth… I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you…"

"You've moved on with your life… as I asked you to do… as I'm trying to do," Maria answered quietly. "Edmund's gone and my kids… my kids hate me… but we'll get through this. What we need is time and counseling… and each other. I'm glad you've found something good with Kendall… she's… she's a very lucky woman."

"No… I'm the lucky one," Zach said softly. "I'm sorry… I won't take up any more of your time. I shouldn't have come…"

He stood and started toward the door when Maria said, "No… Zach… wait."

Stopping and turning towards the desk he waited patiently for her to continue. She said, "Zach… Kendall's headaches are probably just a reaction to stress. I know you can't eliminate the stress right now, but if you make sure she eats right and gets plenty of rest that will help. Just find a positive outlet… for your stress, too. Remember… we all react to pressure differently."

"Thank you… I'll try to follow your suggestions," he answered and turned to leave the office.

"Zach… one more thing," Maria said as he stopped and looked at her expectantly. "Thank you for loving me. I know what a gift that was."

"You're welcome… and the feeling is mutual," he answered before walking out of her office without giving her a chance to say anything more.

Maria choked back a sob as she opened the file she had been carrying when she entered the room, and read it again. After a few minutes, she picked up the telephone and dialed. When she received an answer at the other end she said, "I'd like to speak with Kendall Slater, please… Dr. Maria Grey calling."