I do NOT own The Big Valley nor any of the original Big Valley characters. Thanks to my Beat Reader, though all mistakes are my own.

End of the Rainbow

Chapter Twenty-Two

Victoria, Audra, and Jarrod had just sat down at the dinner table when Heath came in. They'd buried Cat the day before and, when Heath went to check on Nick, he was gone. After he was seated Victoria spoke up. "Did you find him?" She feared the worst; they all did.

Much to the relief of the family, Heath nodded his head. They were also not all that surprised, and even wondered why they hadn't thought about it first, when he answered, "He was down at the docks. He said not to worry; he'll be to work first thing in the morning." He didn't tell them how Nick was fighting a hangover, nor the bill that the saloon keeper had cornered him, Heath, with. He figured his brother was justified in getting drunk the night before and tearing up the saloon just a little bit.

Jarrod shook his head, feeling only empathy for his brother. Any man who had just lost his wife needed space to grieve. "He can have time off; he needs it."

Heath agreed, but shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Patrick says keeping busy is the best thing for him right now."

Audra's eyebrows rose. "I thought you said he asked about the name Nick and you told him it was his name." She didn't understand why her brother wouldn't be going by his real first name now since he knew it.

Victoria felt her heart go out to her middle son. She knew what was going on. Before Heath could say anything, Victoria looked at Audra. "Cat gave your brother that name. Do you really think he's just going to toss it aside?"

"Sis," Heath said as he stirred his food around on his plate, "you also need to consider the fact that he knows he should know 'a Nick'; he doesn't remember it being him. Unless he can accept the fact that I'm telling him the truth, he's not gonna change it."

Audra's mouth turned down slightly. Her mother and brother had a point and she knew it. "You're both right." She looked towards the door. "I still wish I could march out there and make him remember everything." Other than to have blessing on the food, no one said much during supper.

While the family ate supper, Patrick had mounted his horse, rode back to the ranch and was riding over as much as the ranch as he could cover before dark. 'Who's Nick?" "You." His question and Heath's answer rang over and over in his mind. "I shall call you Patrick." Cat's words from the first day he'd opened up his eyes and found himself in her house also rang in his ears. With the sky darkening, he headed back to the home he'd shared with Cat only to find himself unable to. He had to sleep somewhere though.

"The door's always open. You're welcome to come in anytime." Heath's words from the docks rang in his ears. He had no desire to intrude into the Barkley home, but they did have the bunkhouse.

The family was in the living room just getting ready to retire when the knock came on the door. Their surprise, and delight, at seeing Patrick on the other side of the door was evident in their smiles and grins.

"Come on in." Jarrod stepped out of his way allowing Patrick to step inside.

It never ceased to amaze Patrick the warmth and love that the Barkley family showed anyone that came to their door. "I'm sorry," he said as he turned his hat around in his hands, "I know it's getting late. I was wondering…" He paused and shifted his weight a bit. "I was wondering f I could stay in the bunkhouse tonight." He looked at Heath.

"Your room is still where you left it!" Heath wanted to scream, but didn't. Still, he had an idea. "Mother," he said as he looked at Victoria, "the bunkhouse is going to be crowded tonight. Couldn't he just sleep in one of the spare rooms for tonight?" Maybe actually spending a night in his old room would kick down a part of the wall he had around his memory.

Patrick started to argue only to find Victoria stopping him. "We have a perfectly good bed you can use upstairs. It's yours to use anytime you wish." She spoke gently, but firmly. Patrick still wanted to argue only, for a split second, he could see Cat standing by his wounded side planting her feet deep.

Patrick looked at Jarrod. He'd had so many questions to ask of the man and now, with Cat gone, he seemed to have no strength to ask for answers. "If I'm not intruding," he said as he looked at each member of the family resting his eyes on Jarrod. Why did he feel the need to look to this man for guidance? He didn't know, but he did.

Jarrod gave him a sympathetic smile. How he wished the doctors knew more about amnesia and the human brain. True, Eugene was looking into it more, but he'd been called out of town at the moment, so they had to continue as they'd been doing. "You're never intruding here. Like Mother just said, it's yours any time you want it."

In his grief and confusion, Patrick did not catch Jarrod's unintentional slip, the slip of implying Victoria was mother to them both. "Thank you, which one is it?" Patrick looked at the stairs.

"I'll show you." Victoria smiled and led him up the stairs.