One Month Later

Minneapolis, Minnesota

It hadn't been easy to leave Los Angeles behind, but they had done it.

Adam had remained in the hospital for another week before being allowed to go home with arrangements for home care put in place. Home care was expensive, but they had managed a few times a week quite well. Since Adam was now home, Sara allowed him to take his role as head of the family as much as he was able and he himself had shared with Ryan, Kevin, Andrew, and Gabrielle that they were going to move to Minnesota.

Thankfully, though, there was also a bit of good news. Gabrielle's tummy was feeling better and she had been back to the hospital to give Dr. Wu a thank you card before being allowed to see her father. Adam's spirits had been considerably lifted by that visit, as it had told him that Gabby was fine. Part of his initial reluctance to heal had been because of his worry that Gabby hated him, but she had greeted him with such love that he had made a promise to commit to recovering.

Dr. Tyler, in the meantime, had reached out to the rehabilitation/sports medicine clinic that Connie and Guy Germaine had established in Minnesota several years earlier and shared information with them about Adam's injury with Adam's permission. There was now a plan in place to help Adam, but Connie and Guy wouldn't tell the Banks family about it until after they were settled.

Now, Adam Banks found himself with a heart full of gratitude as he sat in the front seat of the new van his family had bought that would accommodate his wheelchair. He wasn't quite strong enough to drive yet, but Sara didn't mind driving because it allowed them to spend time with one another and to talk with each other while the kids kept busy with books, simple games, and talking. Even though flying would have gotten them there a lot faster, Adam knew he wasn't strong enough for such a trip yet.

It was early in the morning and Adam was awake, but Ryan, Kevin, Andrew, and Gabby were all sleeping in the backseat after they had left the hotel before dawn. It hadn't been a glamourous motel, but it had allowed them to spend time as a family and talk about what they would do in Minnesota.

"Hey, Dad, I'm hungry," Andrew suddenly whined from the back. "I see a restaurant!"

Adam sighed and looked at Sara, "What time are the movers showing up?" he asked softly, smiling.

"Not until later," Sara replied, smiling back at him. "It's a bit early, but we have time for breakfast."

Adam looked in the rearview mirror at Andrew, "Where's the restaurant, kiddo?" he asked gently.

"I can see the sign from here, Dad," Andrew spoke softly. "I think it's called Goldberg's."

Adam swallowed hard, as he was nervous that his old teammate was still around and wouldn't be kind about his current condition. He didn't, however, want his family to go without a needed breakfast.

"Goldberg's it is," Adam said in a fake jovial voice, hoping that the reunion wouldn't be a disaster.


"Hey man, how's the coffee this morning?" Greg Goldberg heard a kind voice behind him ask.

Sighing, Goldberg ignored the voice for a moment and continued to stare at the display that had sat in the corner of the restaurant since October 2001. It was a glass display containing photos of his parents, some of their personal possessions, and a few items of theirs that had been recovered from the World Trade Center site. Their bodies had also been recovered and they had been given a lovely funeral.

"Goldberg?"

Tears pricked Goldberg's eyes. He had barely become an adult when his parents had gone to New York in hopes of promoting a catering business dream to businesses in the World Trade Center and he himself hadn't gone because he had just started a business course college.

His parents had wanted him to go to school so he could have the experience and the business skills to someday take over the restaurant, so he had stayed home.

Then, 9/11 had happened and Goldberg had nearly quit school after learning of his parents' deaths, but the community had rallied and helped him to keep things running so he could get his education. In time, he had done it and was also now married with a rather large family.

A hand touched his shoulder and Goldberg turned around to see his long-time friend, Fulton Reed, standing there in his police officer's uniform with a concerned expression on his face. Goldberg sighed.

"Do you want your daily order?" Goldberg asked in a quiet voice. "I…I just needed a minute."

Fulton shrugged, "Portman's doing the beat sweep," he replied calmly. "He wanted coffee, but you know how he is with the beat sweep. It's cold outside, though, so I thought I'd hang out in here."

"So he'll be here in five minutes?" Goldberg replied, allowing himself a smile. "Coffee?"

Fulton grinned and planted himself at a table while Goldberg went to the counter to get the coffee pot, "I heard a rumor from Bombay and Charlie that Banks is moving back to town," Goldberg commented as he made a cup of coffee for Fulton. "That accident Banks was in has been all over the news…"

"I heard that rumor from Guy and Connie," Fulton replied. "And from Ken. When do you think…?"

The sound of a siren suddenly filled the air and Fulton quickly got up, muttering an apology as he rushed outside. He was shocked to see Portman parked next to a strange looking minivan across the street. There was a woman behind the wheel of the minivan and in the passenger seat sat…Adam Banks.

Fulton watched as Portman got out of the police car and walked over to the woman, "Is there a problem, officer?" the woman asked in a quiet, slightly nervous voice, her expression worried.

"You seem to be in the company of a suspicious character," Portman replied before breaking into a smile. "Adam, man, how are you? I saw you from down the road and thought I'd welcome you home."

Adam, Fulton observed, let out a weak sigh of relief and smiled, "Sara, this is one of the guys I used to play hockey with: Dean Portman," Adam explained calmly. "Portman, this is my wife, Sara Conway."

"Conway, as in Charlie Conway?" Portman replied, grinning. "Man, I didn't know he had a sister!"

Fulton raised an eyebrow as Portman looked at him, "Yo, Fulton, call Charlie and tell him Adam and his sister are here!" Portman called out in an excited voice. "We'll have a mini breakfast party!"

"I…I could use some help getting out of the car," Adam spoke hesitantly. "I'm in a wheelchair now…"

Portman, however, didn't look fazed, "Yeah, all right," he replied calmly. "Fulton's gonna call Charlie and then we're all gonna go have a nice breakfast at Goldberg's. It's really good to see you back, Adam."

A look of surprise crossed Adam's face as he looked at his wife and unbuckled his seatbelt. Across the street, Fulton turned away from the van while he got his phone out of his pocket and called Charlie.


Bzz…Bzz…Bzz…

Charlie let out a weak groan as he heard his phone going off on the table beside the cot in the back room of the skate shop where he had spent the night. Jan lived at the skate shop and had times where he needed people to stay with him because he'd get forgetful, so Charlie and Gordon would take time out of their busy lives to do just that. Michele and Linda were both very understanding of that fact, as they both loved Jan and wanted him to be able to live where he was comfortable as long as possible.

"Is there a bee flying around in this shop?!" Jan's voice suddenly filled the air. "It's too early for bees!"

Charlie sat up and quickly answered the phone before Jan got any more agitated, "Hello?" he said softly.

"Charlie, it's Fulton," Fulton's voice filled the phone. "Banks just got back into town and Portman's helping him and his family into Goldberg's right now. Are you and Linda up for a breakfast party?"

Charlie sighed, "I'm actually over at the skate shop with Bombay and helping him look after Jan," he explained in a quiet voice so Bombay or Jan wouldn't overhear. "Jan had a rough day yesterday."

A sigh filled the phone, "You and Bombay fully own the skate shop, right?" Fulton asked softly.

"Yeah, Bombay and I had to buy it from Jan," Charlie replied. "Anyway, you said Adam arrived?"

Footsteps filled the air and Charlie looked up, a worried expression on his face because he was worried that Jan was going to come ask him what he was doing on the phone when there were skates to be sharpened. Fortunately for Charlie, it was only Bombay and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Hey, Coach, Fulton's on the phone and he says Adam and his family are over at Goldberg's for breakfast," Charlie spoke in a quiet voice. "He says he wants to have a breakfast party. Do you…?"

Bombay quickly shook his head, his expression concerned, "I'd better stay here and take care of the shop and Jan," he replied in a concerned voice. "He doesn't like to go out much anymore."

Charlie nodded and returned to his call, "…I'll get there as quickly as I can," he said. "See ya."

Sighing, Charlie quickly put his phone in his pocket and rubbed his face, "I'm still a little tired," he replied in a quiet voice, his expression worn. "I shouldn't be driving if I'm not feeling good, but I promised…"

Bombay frowned and automatically felt Charlie's forehead, "You've been tired for a while now," he commented in a concerned voice. "Maybe if you can get Linda to come here, I can take you to the doctor to get checked out. I know you don't want to tell your mom since she's anxious about Sara…"

"Oh, my mom's been freaking out ever since Sara and Adam decided to move here," Charlie replied in a tired voice, his expression sad. "I've been helping her, helping them, helping Linda, helping my kids, helping the city's Youth Sports League, and trying to keep this place together as well as the old arena…"

Bombay nodded, his concerned expression not going away, "You don't have to go to the breakfast thing if you don't feel up to it, Charlie," he replied reassuringly. "Especially if you don't feel well."

Charlie suddenly found himself feeling uneasy because as much as he wanted to rest, he couldn't. He had too many people depending on him and there wasn't anything he could do about it right now.

"Gordon, I'm hungry," Jan spoke gruffly as he suddenly appeared at the door. "Vere is ze food?"

Bombay gave Charlie a look, "Why don't we go to Goldberg's, Jan?" he asked softly, a sigh in his voice because he knew it was one of the few places in town Jan would eat and feel comfortable at.


"This place is still as good as it ever was, Goldberg," Adam spoke in a pleasant voice as Sara wheeled him into the restaurant after allowing Fulton and Portman to show the kids the cop car. "How are you?"

Goldberg sighed and Adam suddenly froze at the sight of the memorial wall in the corner, realizing that it was in reference to the 9/11 attacks, "Goldberg, what's that?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"I…I lost my parents in 9/11, man," Goldberg explained softly. "They were doing catering at some of the meetings in the Towers when the planes hit and they didn't have a chance. I….I…I miss them every day."

Adam sighed and opened his arms and Goldberg didn't hesitate to come over to him. Sara watched silently as the two hugged for a long, silent moment before releasing each other and Adam realized that even though he was in a wheelchair, he was still very much capable of something…being a good friend.

"Anyway, what do you two want to eat?" Goldberg asked calmly. "I've kept up a lot of the old specials."

Goldberg quickly retrieved a stack of menus from the counter and handed them to Adam, "Just get all the kids some eggs, toast, bacon, and juice," Adam spoke in a quiet voice. "They'll fight otherwise."

"I think I'll have a breakfast scrambler and a smoothie," Sara spoke quietly. "What about you, Adam?"

Adam sighed, "Russ said I have to eat light meals til I start physio and build strength, so I'll just have some toast, applesauce, and a smoothie," he replied calmly. "Our orders, plus four orders of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and apple juice, please. Hopefully, Fulton and Portman will tire the kids out a bit."

Goldberg nodded and went off into the kitchen to make the food, leaving Adam and Sara alone, "Do you think Casey will show up to the house?" Adam asked softly. "We told her when the movers…"

"She has a right to see her grandchildren if she wants," Sara spoke quietly, sighing. "I'm not…"

The door suddenly opened and Gabrielle came into the restaurant, "Mommy, Daddy, I'm cold," she spoke in a quiet voice before sitting in an empty seat at the table. "Those big cops are telling Ryan, Kevin, and Andrew that they used to be ducks and play hockey. Do people do that here?"

"Uh, actually, the Ducks don't exist here anymore," Goldberg's voice filled the air. "Here's your drinks."

Adam frowned as he looked at Goldberg, "What?" he replied softly. "We had them at Eden Hall!"

"After we graduated, Orion got forced to retire early cause of the kafuffle he caused with us and he focused on helping his daughter more," Goldberg explained. "With him went the Ducks and Bombay married Miss McKay. They live in Minneapolis and she's a principal while he runs the skate shop."

Adam frowned, "Bombay and I kept in touch, but I didn't know about Orion," he admitted softly.

"When the arena got too old to use safely, the City wanted to tear it down and build something new somewhere else, but Orion and Bombay bought it and they work on it when they can," Goldberg explained, setting the drinks on the table. "Orion's a phys ed teacher at the school where McKay's at."

Adam looked at Sara, "You've got a teaching license," he spoke softly. "Gabbie's gonna be going to school this fall, so maybe you should see if you can teach full-time instead of just being at…"

"I taught preschool so I'd be close to Gabbie, but I don't know how things will work here," Sara replied in a nervous voice, sighing. "I want to be there for you and help you with your recovery as much as I can."

Adam smiled at her and took her hand as the door opened again, "You are," he spoke softly. "I love…"

"I'm hungry and I vant some hot kaffi," Jan's gruff voice suddenly filled the air. "And a donut."

Adam looked up just in time to see Bombay gently guiding Jan towards the counter, "You just sit at the counter and I'll get you hot coffee," Bombay spoke in a gentle voice. "I'll also see if Goldberg's…"

Bombay suddenly stopped, having caught sight of Adam and Sara out of the corner of his eye, "Adam," he spoke in a quiet voice, his expression a mixture of happiness and concern. "Good to see you and Sara. Sara, I don't know if you remember me from when Charlie and I visited. I'm Gordon Bombay…"

"You taught some workshops our sons took," Sara replied calmly. "They had a lot of fun…"

Jan suddenly cleared his throat and Bombay sighed, "Excuse me," he spoke apologetically.

Sara nodded and Bombay finished escorting Jan to the counter, sighing as he got Jan settled, "I smell food, so Goldberg must be busy with orders and his staff isn't in yet," Bombay said softly. "No matter, I'll just get your coffee myself, Jan, and I'll see if there are any fresh donuts and maybe a bit of fruit…"

Jan scoffed at the idea of fruit, but didn't argue and Bombay quickly went behind the counter to get Jan coffee as Ryan, Kevin, and Andrew came inside and sat at the table, "Uncle Charlie's chatting with the cops cause he said they're his friends and he misses them," Kevin announced. "We got hungry."

"We ordered you guys breakfast," Adam explained calmly. "Afterwards, we'll go to our new house."

Ryan, Kevin, and Andrew quickly settled themselves at the table, eager to wait for their food. They saw their drinks on the table and busied themselves with them while watching as Bombay served Jan coffee in a black mug and a donut and a sliced apple on a plate.

"Hey, aren't you that Bombay guy who taught that hockey workshop?" Ryan asked softly, gazing at Bombay.

Bombay nodded calmly, "Yeah," he replied patiently, his eyes on Jan. "Jan, how's your food?"

"I'm not going to eat the apples, Gordon," Jan spoke grumpily. "You make them too sweet."

Bombay sighed, "Just eat what you can, Jan," he said gently. "As long as you eat something."

Jan nodded and promptly drank the coffee while Bombay looked outside, seemingly worried.

"Charlie, are you okay, man?" Fulton asked softly, eyeing Charlie worriedly as they and Portman stood outside where Adam's van, Bombay's car, and Fulton's cop car was parked. "You look…"

Charlie sighed irritably, "I know I look tired," he replied quietly. "I was staying at the skate shop last night to help Bombay with Jan and I also helped my mom at the diner yesterday cause one of her employees called in sick at the last minute. I think they were faking, though..."

"Your mom still makes you help at the diner?" Portman asked worriedly. "She should ask Linda."

Charlie scoffed, "You know the rumors that have spread ever since Sara's dad went to jail," he replied in an irritated voice. "Everyone loves my mom, but everyone's also scared about Sara's dad getting out and being allowed to come back to Minneapolis. He and my mom are divorced, but…"

"She also adopted Sara, so Sara is a Conway and has no reason to want her dad around," Fulton reminded Charlie in a quiet voice, frowning. "The dude's never gonna get out of prison anyway."

Charlie shrugged, "The whole mess is why Sara ran away to L.A," he spoke in a worried voice.

"I thought she and Adam ran off after Adam fought with his parents over Sara?" Portman cut in.

Charlie nodded, "That too," he replied, scowling. "I don't think Adam and his parents ever…"

"Charlie, are you coming in?" a familiar voice suddenly called out. "Portman, Fulton?"

Charlie turned towards the voice and saw that Bombay had poked his head out the door of Goldberg's, "Yeah!" he replied in a calm voice. "We were just talking! We'll be right in!"

Portman and Fulton exchanged an excited look at the idea of eating Goldberg's food and quickly went inside, but Charlie hung back. Charlie waited until he was alone before pulling his phone from the pocket of his pants and quickly texting Casey that Sara, Adam, and their kids had made it to Minneapolis safely and that they were eating breakfast at Goldberg's on their way to the house.

Once that text was sent, Charlie dialled another number and put his cell-phone to his ear.

"Hello, Doctor Robertson's office?" Charlie spoke into the phone. "This is Charlie Conway speaking. I haven't been feeling well lately and I'd like to make an appointment for as soon as possible."


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