Everyone still stood for several minutes, none moved or spoke, Victoria was puzzled that his beloved husband didn't recognized her, 'what's happened to him he's so thin and he cut his beard, it's funny but he looks younger without it, and who's that child, he looks like a small version of Tom.' she thought:
"What's going on? I reckon you know me."
"Yes, your name is Thomas Barkley and seven years ago during a business trip you disappeared from the face of the earth, we searched high and low but we couldn't find anything that could lead to you, we wired to every single sheriff and sent your description with a reward for any any information but nothing came up, we thought you were dead Tom. Victoria was the only one that kept the faith that you were alive somewhere."
"Yes, even thought everything pointed out that you were dead in my hearth I knew you were alive, I missed so much." Added Victoria.
He was shattered, in a blink of an eye he had discovered that he had a family. He had always thought that when he would had met someone from his past, his memory would have come back, but so far he couldn't remember anything prior his meeting with Leah.
"Sorry ma'am, I don't remember you, I wish I could, but I can't. I've told Mr. Barkley that I lost my memory seven years ago. When Leah found me back then, all I recalled were two names: Nick and Heath and nothing else."
"Don't worry Tom, everything will be all right now that you are at home." somberly said Victoria. She was overwhelmed with joy by Tom's sudden return but her joy was ruined by Tom's amnesia. Looking at the child and adding the name Leah. Victoria realized that Tom had fallen in love and fathered a child during his absence. The boy looked like around six years old and was hiding behind the tall frame of his father afraid of what was happening around him.
"Tom, I'll send someone for the doctor, maybe he can tell us a cure." Said Nick.
It took some seconds for Tom Barkley to realize that Nick was talking to him, he was used to be called Nick and it was very strange to be called by another name even though it was his own name.
"Thank you, Mr. Barkley, but I spoke with some doctors and everyone told me that there's nothing to do about..."
"Tom, I want another opinion and please don't call me Mr, Barkley, you are my big brother and I still remember when you called me squirt."
"I'll try, but for sure I must get used to be called Tom."
"Papa, who are those people?" Heath asked with a small voice.
"Heath, you know when I told you how I met your mama?" At Heath's nod, he continued. "It seems that they are my family, they were looking for me for a long time."
"You mean we are going to live here?"
Nick replied instead of his brother, "Yes you will live here with your Papa. My name is Nick and I'm you uncle."
"Like Uncle Matt? He's my Mama's brother."
"Yes, I'm your Papa's kid brother."
"Every time I see Uncle Matt he gives me some candy, but it's forever that I don't see him, he lives in the mountain in a small town...I don't remember the name but it's called like a fruit."
"You are a chatter box, aren't you. I don't have any candy right now but what about some cake?"
"Really, it's been forever that I didn't eat a cake, yesterday I ate some bread, can I save some for my papa he didn't eat yesterday."
"Sure Heath," he said with a lump in his throat, "come with me. Duke please go for the doc." He said wanting to leave Tom alone with Victoria.
"Papa, aren't you coming with me?"
"Go with your uncle, Heath."
"So Tom, or I should call Nick..."
"Mrs. Barkley," a stern look from Victoria made Tom rephrased his wording, "I mean Victoria, I really don't know where to start, maybe it's better you start telling more about yourself and the life we had together."
"I have one question, Leah I reckon she's your wife?" She asked afraid of the answer.
"She was my wife she died nearly two years ago, all I left is Heath, our son." Victoria took a breath of relief, if Leah was alive the situation would have been awkward at least.
"He's a nice kid."
"Yes, too bad he suffered too much in the last two years. Victoria do we have children?" He asked blushing.
"Two boys, Jarrod is fourteen and Nick is ten. They think you are dead and I think it will be difficult to explain you sudden reappearance. I will try to explain to them..."
"Thanks, but tell me about how we met..."
At these word she mellowed and started to tell their story hoping that maybe this would help Tom to remember something.
Nick led Heath to the kitchen and briefly explained the situation to Silas, after he cut a big slice of chocolate cake just baked from the oven for dinner and placed the plate in front of Heath.
Heath's eyes where large a saucers when he saw the cake in front of him, he seldom ate cakes and he had enjoyed each time.
"I reckon you like chocolate cake?" He asked teasingly.
"Boy howdy, I like every type of cake, last time I ate one it was for my birthday."
Nick chuckled at the strange expression. "You know I've never heard anyone say 'Boy howdy...you said you ate a cake on your birthday, how old are you?"
"I'm nearly seven," he said with pride, while wolfing down the slice in front of him, "my birthday in on may the fourteenth."
'Just like all kids of his age, he's six and few months and in his opinion he's nearly seven,' Nick thought, he spent several minutes observing his newfound nephew, it was clearly famished and he wanted to slam himself that he didn't put more food on the table, it was clear that Heath wasn't still sure about his place here and maybe too shy to ask for more food, it seemed strange then that Heath stopped halfway the slice he was eating.
"Heath are you all right, I reckoned you were hungry?"
"Still am, but I'm saving it for my Papa, if I finished it he won't anything to eat. I don't eat too much and I always share with Papa, he's hungrier than me, yesterday he didn't eat anything and he gave me some bread, I told him I wasn't hungry but he told me that I'm a growing boy and I need to eat." He said innocently.
It was hard for Nick hearing these words, no child should be allowed to be hungry.
"Don't worry about the cake or the food, here at the ranch we have plenty, see over there? There's the rest of the cake more than enough for you and your Papa for a second even a third helping."
Heath at first was unsure but a simple look at the big cake gave him the answer and he finished the piece in front of him and he asked for a second helping.
"Uncle Nick, you told me and Papa will stay here forever, will I go to school too? Papa say that I must go to school."
"Your Papa is right every kid must go to school."
"But what about work, if I go to school, I can't work."
"Your work is going to school and after doing your homework you will have you chores of course."
"I like horses, when Papa broke his leg in the mine I worked in the stables, Papa's boss wanted me in the mine, but Papa knows that I'm afraid of the dark so he said that I couldn't work there. I mucked the stables and I was happy because I was near all those horses, so I know everything about them..."
"Heath did you leave some cake or you ate it all by yourself?" Asked Tom with a smile from the door.
"Papa! I ate only two pieces, but there's plenty of it."
Nick observed the interaction between father and son, it was clear that the bond of love between them was very strong and he was pretty sure of that. In the last years Tom had changed a lot but Nick thought that his major change was on the character, before his dissapearance Tom Barkley didn't show his love but the man in front of him was pretty open with his sentiments and this maybe was a good change.
Victoria was at Tom's heel, it seemed that she didn't want leave Tom out of her sight, they talked a lot in the study and she learned that Heath was at the center of Tom's little universe, so far he didn't remember anything but she hoped that with love everything would set.
"Heath I want to introduce Victoria Barkley." He tactfully said, it was an awkward situation and he wanted to explain it to his son when they would be alone.
"Nice to meet you ma'am."
"Heath, your Papa has told me a great deal about you and I'm very happy to meet you. Nick, I think it's better to leave them alone, pretty soon the boys will be back from school and I need your help to explain them this situation."
"Papa look at the food! I've never seen that much and Uncle Nick told me that I could eat a second piece of the cake! There's plenty for you."
"Thanks Heath, I must admit I'm a bit hungry and this cake is welcome. I think there's a bit of space for a third helping and more milk for you while I eat my part. There's a story that I want to tell you."
"Papa I'm too old for fairy tales."
"No Heath, you aren't too old for a fairy tales but this one isn't one of them but it has a happy ending too."
While Tom was trying to tell the newfound truth about himself the buggy with Dr. Merar arrived at the ranch. Howard was quite puzzled when Duke arrived at his study with the tale of the sudden arrival of an amnesiac Tom Barkley, so he grabbed his bag and had headed to the ranch with the utmost haste.
"Victoria, I came as soon as Duke told me what happened."
"Thanks Howard, I'm sorry if I'm blunt, there's a cure?"
"Sorry but so far there's anything that we can do for amnesia, usually it is caused by an emotional or physical trauma. That's all I know about it, I will contact some doctors in San Francisco for more information but I don't want to give you too much hope, sometimes the patients regain all their memories...and sometime they don't:" He concluded.
"I was hoping that there was some kind of miracle cure..."
"I'm sorry but we can hope in a miracle, you already had one having Tom back alive. I want to check him up anyway."
"Howard you will find him changed, he lost a great deal of weight and he has a slight limp. He told me that he broke his leg some months ago in a cave in...and his kid is thin as a rail." Said Nick.
Both Victoria and Nick lead the doctor to the kitchen where Tom had just concluded his story. When Howard saw Heath for the first time he was amazed of the similitaries he shared with Tom. Heath looked at Victoria with unanswered questions too afraid and shy to ask.
"Heath, did your Papa tell you everything?" She gently asked, at Heath's nod, she continued, "do you have any question for me? Don't be afraid I won't eat you..." she added with a smile.
"Papa said you are his wife and he have two sons with you. Papa told me that they are my brothers...this makes you my Mama?" He asked with a small voice. "I don't remember my mama." He concluded with with tears falling on his cheeks.
"Only if you want, I will be happy to be your mama." She said engulfing him in a big hug. At first Heath wasn't sure what to do. He always craved for a mama and his papa's wife just told him that she could be so he returned the embrace.
'I only hope that with Nick and Jarrod will be that easy.' She thought
"Mother! Where are you, we're home!"