After an agonizing three weeks. Kelly was finally set to be released from the hospital. It had been touch and go for most of the time but finally around the end of the second week. She started to improve. Fifteen days into her stay at Columbia Children's. She was moved from the NICU into the regular nursery for sick babies. Early in the morning on the twenty-first day. Jethro was told that provided she passed a few tests and wasn't running a fever. Kelly would be home by dinner time. Jethro had called Jack as soon as he got the news. Kelly was back having her tests and he had already packed up at Ronald McDonald House. Once Jack arrived and Kelly was released. He would just have to grab his suit case and then they could finally head home. Jethro never thought he would miss Stillwater but if the only way he was going to leave town was with his daughter in the hospital. He just wanted to be at home. He looked down at his watch and sighed. He felt guilty for being bored while his child was having medical tests but he had waited for over and hour with nothing to do. He wasn't hungry and he had already had too much coffee. He ended up just wandering around the parts of the hospital he was permitted to enter. The teenagers were in a separate building from the younger kids and woman giving birth. Physiologically they seemed to do better not being grouped with little kids. So they were completely separate everything even surgery, oncology and Intensive Care. Jethro found himself standing in the elevator of the teen building reading the elevator buttons. He wondered what floor Laura was on and how she had come through the surgery. He felt bad for her. It would have to be hard to find out you were going to be deaf. His heart was beating the same way it had when he thought of Jenny and when he looked down he noticed an unwelcome friend he hadn't seen since before Jenny died. What was wrong with him? Jenny had been gone two months and he was getting turned on by the thought of another woman. Even if she was gorgeous. With her strawberry blonde hair flowing past her shoulders and gray eyes with little flecks of blue. The tight-fitting white tank-top with the red peace sign on it and slightly too short shorts. He had seen her in didn't exactly help his hormones. The feeling of shame wasn't helped by the elevator door sliding open.

"Oh my" An old woman gasped.

"I am so sorry mam I was alone and I..." Jethro stammered.

"Four of my six kids and nine of my fourteen grandchildren are boys. It's nothing I haven't seen before and if you are seeing your girlfriend for the first time in days maybe even weeks. It is to be expected." The woman explained.

"I am not seeing my girlfriend. She died I am here with my daughter. She is with the babies. I don't even know why I am here." Jethro stammered.

"I am sorry to hear that." The woman apologized.

"Look I should get back to my daughter. She is getting tests but if everything goes well. She will be sent home." Jethro explained.

"Well at least that's some good news." The woman replied.

"Yeah but I don't know things are confusing." Jethro replied.

"Well this is my floor but I hope your daughter is well enough to go home today and that when you have closure over the girl you lost. The one you obviously like is still available and can give you some happiness." The woman replied.

"Thank you... but how did you?" Jethro questioned.

"I have my ways son. Let's just say that." The woman replied.

Thinking about the old lady's words. Wondering how she knew that he had feelings for Laura. OK that one was pretty self-explanatory. He knew that one day it would be OK to be in love again maybe even now. Was acceptable but he was not quite ready to act on those feelings just yet. He was not the type to talk about feelings but for some reason. At this time he actually wanted to talk to Jack about losing the woman you love and how much time he should let pass. Before it would acceptable to date again. Of course he also had to consider the fact that Laura may not like him back. Plus all he knew was that her name was Laura and she had to have cysts removed from her ears and when they did she would be deaf. That wasn't enough evidence to look somebody up in the phone book. Though maybe he could put out one of those missed connection ads. Tony and Tim had shown him some one night a few months ago and most of them were pretty ridiculous. That may just work but would a girl recovering from life-changing surgery really want to be online looking at Craigslist adds? Probably not, she probably just wanted to relax and get used to being deaf. Though maybe he was wrong and she was not only board out of her mind but also loved internet adds. He ended up stopping in the cafeteria of the building Kelly was in and standing in front of the vending machine. He finally decided on a bag of cheez-its and a power-aid. Before heading back to Kelly's room. He was looked at his phone since he was only allowed to use it on the main floor. He saw a missed call from Jack and stepped outside to return it.

"Hi Leroy. Is out little princess ready to come home?"

"I don't know I was just heading back to her room after getting some air."

"OK well I am about half an hour away. If she can't come home. I would love to at least visit my granddaughter."

"I will call you back, dad."

Jethro rode the elevator back to Kelly's floor. When the doors opened he walked down the hall Kelly was in a room with two other babies. One had had meningitis as well and another had had a breathing issue. The other with meningitis had actually be released that morning back she had been in the hospital weeks longer than Kelly. The doctors had been forced to remove her legs but were optimistic she would be able to get fitted for prosthetic legs when she got older. The baby with breathing issues had the same news as Kelly. She would hopefully be released that afternoon. He arrived back to Kelly's room. Just as her doctor on the regular floor. Was stepping out of the room.

"Hello Dr. Patrick?" Jethro called.

"Oh Jethro I was just coming to look for you." Dr. Patrick said.

"I needed some air." Jethro replied.

"Understandable." Dr. Patrick replied.

"How is she?" Jethro asked.

"I have good news and bad news." Dr. Patrick replied.

"What's the bad news?" Jethro asked.

"You may want to sit down." Dr. Patrick replied.

A/N: What is wrong with Kelly? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.