Sully arrived at Michaela's house with three children in tow. Hank said he'd be at the ranch the next day with all of Mia's things, and Sully prayed that one of those things was a coat. He wasn't too hopeful about it though; Hank didn't even have something as basic as a car booster seat for Mia, so why would he have a coat?

In order to safely transport Mia to Michaela's house with the other two kids, Sully piled a few pillows in the back seat of his truck as a makeshift booster seat. Sully decided then that a booster seat was the first purchase that he would make for Mia, and buying one was the first thing he was going to do after he checked on Dorothy and made sure she was okay.

Once they arrived at Michaela's house, and Sully got everyone out of the truck, Zachary and Hanna walked up to Michaela's front door as if they lived there. They would have walked straight inside without knocking, but the door was locked. Sully chuckled when the kids looked back at him, confused.

"Try knockin' guys," he directed and then laughed again when a lightbulb appeared to go off in their heads. They were so used to being with Michaela and the kids, that they'd forgotten how to knock on a locked door.

Sully turned around, and saw that Mia was timidly walking toward him. She stopped when she got within two feet of him. As he watched her approach, he was glad that he'd found a temporary solution to the coat problem. Zachary still had a gray and blue old puffer jacket that he'd grown out of, and Sully decided to put that on Mia. It fit her like an oversized dress, but at least she wasn't cold. They were lucky that Zachary still had that because typically, coats and jackets that the kids had outgrown were the first things that Sully gave to charity. Coats and jackets, followed by any clothes and toys were what he donated as long as they weren't too beat up. He didn't like giving garbage to people and would only donate items that he wouldn't mind his own children wearing or playing with.

"Where did Hank go?" Mia asked Sully in a small voice. She was scared and young, but something in her eyes told Sully that she knew, on some level, what was going on.

He didn't have it in him to tell her the truth at that moment, but he didn't want to lie either. Mia had already been abandoned by her birth mother and she was about to be abandoned by her birth father. The last thing that Sully wanted was for his new young daughter to believe that he was a liar, so his answer was simple. He crouched down and gently told her, "Don't worry about Hank right now. All you need to think about is havin' some fun with Zac and the other kids."

"Nana said that Zac is my brother," Mia confessed to Sully.

"He is," Sully confirmed with a small and hopeful smile. Sully felt it in him to hug and kiss her like he would have hugged and kissed Hanna, but he didn't think she was ready for that yet. In order to start forming a bond, he put his index finger in her hair and twirled one of her dark-ginger curls around it. For some reason, when he did that, the putrid smell of cigarette smoke invaded his nostrils. Her hair smelled just like the bar that was down the street from the ranch. Sully and Daniel used to play pool there. The place had been open since the sixties, and Sully didn't think they'd changed the carpets since the sixties because they were saturated with strong cigarette smoke. He smelled it faintly on Zachary when he'd hugged him, after the boy had returned home that day, but the stench wasn't as strong as the smell of Mia's hair, "Let's go inside the house, Sweetheart."

Standing up straight, he remembered what Hank had told him earlier that day about him not being able to raise a child. Sully initially believed that to be an excuse for not taking responsibility, but now he was thinking that Hank was probably right. When he got to the door, with Mia following behind him, Michaela was standing there. Zachary and Hanna had gone inside already, but Michaela was waiting for Sully. She shot him a relieved smile and accepted a kiss from him when he got close enough to the doorway.

"Have you heard from Dorothy?" Sully questioned, keeping his voice low.

"No," Michaela whispered, she was still very worried.

"There is something else I need to talk to ya 'bout," Sully informed her, "But I need to check on Dorothy first."

"Yes, of course," Michaela said, "I called in sick at the hospital tonight. Take as long as you need with Dorothy, and I'll be here with the kids," Then Michaela looked past him and saw Mia standing behind him. Mia smiled at her, appearing to recognize her, and Michaela smiled back; but then she immediately looked at Sully in question.

"Go on in, Sweetheart," Sully told the little girl, and then he guided Michaela out of the way so the child could pass. Once she was inside, he returned his attention to Michaela and whispered, "That's what I need to talk to ya 'bout."

Michaela didn't know what to say. She was confused as to why Mia was with Sully but was pleased to see her again. She was very glad that the little girl was wearing something warmer than last time.

"Do you have any extra clothes?" Sully asked in a very low voice, "Something that Colleen has grown out of."

Michaela started thinking about what was in Colleen's closet. She knew that Colleen and Mia were roughly the same age, but by the looks of both girls, she didn't think they were the same size, "I'll find something," she promised. She would find something and make it work, "Don't you worry about it, just go check on Dorothy."

"You're a woman," Sully said matter-of-factly, before leaving her home.

"Yes," Michaela laughed. The way he stated the obvious was comical to her, though she didn't think he'd said it to be funny.

Sully got close to her ear and said in a very low voice, not wanting to chance any of the children, especially Mia, hearing him, "Mia smells bad. I mean real bad. If you can get close to her like ya did the other night and talk her into lettin' ya give her a bath, that would be a good thing. Her hair needs to be scrubbed."

"I'll do my best," Michaela vowed.

Michaela closed the door behind her after Sully left. She had about a million questions for him in her head. She was also still very much worried about Dorothy, but Sully showing up with Mia, clouded her mind with thoughts and questions about that instead. In the meantime, she had six children in her living room. Brian and Hanna were chasing each other in a corner of the room. Zachary and Matthew were sitting on the sofa talking to one another, and Colleen was standing behind the couch, very quietly staring at Mia. Mia was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase looking like she was hiding in her oversized jacket.

Michaela had to do something to draw her out like she'd done last time and hopefully she could give her that bath that Sully wanted her to have.

"Colleen, Matthew, Zachary," Michaela called, getting their attention. The three children that she'd called looked up at her. Michaela also noticed that she had gotten Mia's attention, the girl's face was sticking out from the giant hood that she was hiding under, "Homework time!"

Matthew and Colleen got up and found their bookbags and went to the dining room table to start doing their work. Zachary just sat there looking lost in thought.

"I know you have homework, Zac," Michaela said, raising an eyebrow at him.

Zachary didn't attend all of his classes that day, so he wasn't sure what kind of homework that he had in each class. He knew he had math homework though, but he didn't have it with him. Now that he was thinking about it, he believed that he'd left his backpack in Nana's new car. He was so excited to return home that afternoon that he'd forgotten all about it when Hank drove him home.

"I didn't bring it with me," he explained to Michaela.

"That's okay," Michaela said, "You get a pencil and paper from Matthew, and you can use my iPad to look up your homework online."

"Yes, Ma'am," Zachary said with a nod.

"Just tell Matthew what you need, and he'll get it for you," Michaela said sweetly and watched Zachary get up and go into the other room.

"Brian and Hanna," Michaela called to the toddlers. Once she had their attention, she announced, "You two have workbooks to do. Get your chairs." Michaela had two small chairs that she kept in the coat closet for Brian and Hanna. They were just their size and were easy to carry. Each child was able to place their chair under Michaela's coffee table and like magic, they had their own work desk that was just their size. As they got their chairs, Michaela pulled out their workbooks, thick toddler pencils and two packs of thick toddler crayons that she kept for them in the drawer of her coffee table.

Michaela opened Brian's workbook to page thirty-two and then she opened Hanna's workbook to page eight. Brian worked on his book every night while Colleen and Matthew completed their homework. Hanna only worked on hers when she came over. Michaela was a staunch believer in developing a homework routine. In her view, it was important to start a homework routine with the younger children so it would turn into a habit. Then she would get to reap the benefits of that habit when they reached school age.

Sully shared with her that he was not the greatest student in school. He never failed a class, but he put in a mediocre amount of effort. He made Zachary do his homework every night, but he didn't have the strict routine that Michaela had with her children, and he didn't make Hanna do workbooks.

Michaela decided that she would adjust the homework schedule for his children if they ever got married. They would be her children too; and allowing them to put in a mediocre effort when it came to anything, especially something that she saw as very important, like their schoolwork, was not acceptable to her. If they had eight children, like she had in her dreams, she would have to be extra strict about their routines or she could have chaos.

While Brian and Hanna got started on their books, she looked over at Mia who was still sitting on the bottom step of the staircase and hiding. Michaela walked over to her and sat down on the step next to her.

"Hi, Sweetheart," Michaela greeted her warmly, "Do you remember me from the last time you were here?"

"Yes," she answered shyly, from under the hood of her jacket.

"Do you have any homework to do?" Michaela questioned, but she doubted it.

"I didn't go to school today," Mia informed her. Viewing Michaela as someone she could trust, she took off her hood and looked at her, "Nana said I had to stay home because she said I have a cough."

"I see," Michaela replied, doing everything she could to not turn her head. Sully was right, the child smelled foul. Her hair smelled like heavy cigarette smoke. It reminded her of the casinos she'd gone to in Atlantic City for her sister Marjorie's divorce party, "Did you know that I'm a doctor, Mia?"

"You are?" Mia questioned.

"Yes," Michaela replied, trying to seize an opportunity, "I'm a doctor and do you know what I recommend for coughs?"

"What?" she asked.

"Taking a nice bubble bath," Michaela explained sweetly, hoping that she could convince the little girl, "How about while the children are doing their homework, I'll take you upstairs for a bubble bath."

Mia eyed her warily. She'd never taken a bath in someone else's house before.

"I think it will make you feel much better," Michaela said, hoping she wasn't frightening the poor little girl.

"Okay," Mia agreed. Ever since she'd met Michaela, the nice lady had done something to care for her, so Mia felt that she was trustworthy, "I didn't bring any other clothes with me."

"Don't worry about that," Michaela said.

Sully pulled in front of Dorothy's house and found Loren's Station Wagon parked in the driveway. He didn't know what to think. He decided that he should just get out of his truck and investigate.

As he got closer to the front door, he could hear Loren and Marcus arguing.

"What did ya do to her?" Loren yelled.

"I already told ya, Nothin'!" Marcus yelled back.

"I've heard enough of this crap! I'm callin' an ambulance," Loren shouted, and then pulled out his cell phone to call 911."

Sully walked in through the unlocked door. He heard Loren on the phone explaining to the dispatcher that he needed an ambulance. Then he heard Marcus…

"Dorothy," Marcus said over what looked like her lifeless body, "I'm so sorry. Ya have to wake up now, Darlin'."

Sully rushed over to the couch where Dorothy was laying out flat.

"Sully?" Marcus said in question, "What are ya doin' here?"

Sully ignored him and sat on the heavy oak coffee table that was across from the couch. He reached over and placed two fingers on Dorothy's neck near her jawline. He moved his fingers around and was relieved when he found a pulse.

"How long has she been unconscious?" Sully asked.

"She was tryin' to leave me…" Marcus started to explain.

"That doesn't matter right now," Sully scoffed, trying to remain calm. He wasn't interested in the man's excuses for something that he deemed as inexcusable, "Just tell me how long she's been out."

"...Then she called Loren without my permission…" Marcus continued to babble, "...and then she–"

"MARCUS!" Sully shouted. The older man got quiet and looked at Sully, "I don't care about that right now. All I wanna know is how long she's been unconscious and that's all."

"I don't know," Marcus said, "It all happened so fast, but maybe ten or fifteen minutes."

"It has to be fifteen minutes or less," Loren interrupted, having ended his call with the hospital dispatcher, "She called me seventeen minutes ago, accordin' to my phone log. It takes about five to seven minutes to get here from my house. She was out when I got here," Loren then turned his attention to Marcus and demanded, "Now tell me what YOU did to her!"

Sully soon blocked out the two older men that started bickering back and forth and focused his attention on Dorothy. Her head was leaning to the right side on the sofa and Sully could see a small blood stain forming on the light-colored fabric. With the tips of his fingers, he gently moved her head a little to the left so he could see how bad the damage was. She had a nice sized goose egg protruding from the right side of her head that was bleeding. He could also see a big bruise forming under her eye. She had a few other marks on her arms that Sully could see, but they didn't appear to be that serious.

"Sully," Dorothy said very faintly.

"Miss Dorothy," Sully said loudly, getting Marcus' and Loren's attention.

"Dorothy!" Marcus yelled, and then he tried to shove Sully out of the way so he could get closer to his wife.

"BACK OFF!" Sully shouted tersely, and Marcus put his hands up and took a step back. He knew without having to be told that Dorothy's husband had caused this injury and Sully wasn't going to be pushed out of the way so the man could pretend to be the concerned husband now. He wasn't scared of Marcus. Marcus was the type of man that went after people who were weaker than he was. He wasn't going to go after Sully, someone who was half his age, and likely had twice his strength. Sully returned his attention to Dorothy, "I'm sorry for shoutin' Miss Dorothy. Loren has an ambulance comin'. They're gonna take good care of you."

"They should be here any minute," Loren said from behind Sully.

"I'm gonna ride in the ambulance with ya," Marcus said sweetly, "I ain't gonna leave ya. Not all by yourself."

Neither Sully nor Loren liked the sound of what Marcus said, but they didn't get a chance to react because everyone in the room heard the ambulance siren going off from the front of the house.

Both Loren and Marcus went to the front door of the house. Loren wanted to make sure that the door was opened up for the paramedics. Marcus just wanted to be sure that he was the one who talked to the paramedics first so he could ensure that they knew his version of events.

"Sully," Dorothy whispered.

"Yes, Ma'am," Sully replied.

"Do you remember what you told me at Thanksgivin'?" Dorothy questioned, "You said if you ever saw another bruise on me, then you were gonna call the police."

"I remember," Sully informed her, but he was a little surprised at her for bringing that up. In the past, that would have been something that Dorothy would want him to forget.

"I'm ready, Sully," Dorothy said, breathing heavily, "Marcus hit me hard enough this time that he knocked some sense into me."

"He wants to ride in the ambulance with ya," Sully informed her, "I think it's best to just let him do that, so he doesn't cause a scene. I'll have the cops meet ya at the hospital."

"Thank you," Dorothy whispered.

"You're welcome," Sully whispered back, "Loren and me will meet ya at the hospital too."

Michaela did as Sully asked and gave Mia a bath. When she did so, she was able to find out more information by doing an informal examination. Michaela had experience examining children to see if they'd been abused before. Back in Boston, social workers from The Department of Children and Families used to occasionally bring in children for an examination. Her father usually assigned those cases to her, because the children were scared, and he viewed Michaela as being more nurturing than he was. Michaela remembered that at the time, she wasn't sure her father's assessment of her nurturing skills was entirely accurate, but she did as he asked. After she conducted her exam, she would have to write a report of her findings. There were multiple signs of physical and sexual abuse. Some signs of abuse, like bruising, were obvious. There were also emotional signs that the children displayed.

When helping Mia bathe, she didn't do much because Mia knew how to bathe herself, she just washed her hair and made observations. During that time, Michaela was relieved that she didn't see signs of physical or sexual abuse. However, the obvious problem that she did see was neglect.

Mia was far too skinny. Though Michaela didn't weigh her, she could tell that Mia was underweight for a child her age. She was only four months younger than Colleen, but her weight and size appeared to match that of an average five-year-old. That was an obvious sign of parental neglect as far as Michaela was concerned. Mia being very underweight combined with the information that she got out of her on Christmas was enough that if she had called DCF back in Boston, they would've opened up an investigation.

Nevertheless, there were some positive things that Michaela had observed as well. When it was time to wash her hair, the terrible odor was really the main problem. Michaela was expecting a tangled mess next to her scalp and under her auburn curls, but she didn't find one. That told her that someone was making sure that Mia's hair was brushed fairly often.

All of the clothes that the little girl was wearing prior to her bath, Michaela just threw away. She didn't care that Mia was someone else's child. The only item of clothing that the child had on that was still in decent condition was the oversized puffer jacket that she'd been wearing, and Michaela didn't toss that.

Instead, she was determined to find something in Colleen's bedroom for her to wear. Colleen was between a size six and seven, but there were some items in her closet that were a little small for her that Michaela hadn't given to charity yet. The always prepared mother was very glad that she'd bought all of her children new socks and underwear during an after Christmas sale. She was able to find a pair of pink cotton briefs and a pair of white knee-high socks that were not yet worn by her daughter.

As she was searching through her daughter's closet and dresser for clothes, Michaela had Mia sitting on Colleen's bed. She'd wrapped her hair up in a towel, and then told her to put on the new socks and underwear. Afterward, Michaela wrapped her up in a soft and warm blanket.

As Michaela was searching for an acceptable clothing choice, Mia was looking around Colleen's room. The walls were white, and the bottom of the wall had wainscoting that added visual interest. Also on the walls, were framed prints of peach-colored flowers and brown ponies. She had long curtains that matched the comforter on her full-sized bed, both were also peach. Her bed was made of white metal with a vine pattern and floral accents. She had a white wooden dresser with peach drawer pulls, and a long white shelf that housed many of her toys. On one of the walls, she had a built-in bookcase that was filled with an assortment of children's books.

"Whose house is this?" Mia asked.

Michaela turned and smiled, "Mine."

"This whole house belongs to you?" Mia questioned in awe, "Even this room?"

"This is my daughter's bedroom," Michaela said, feeling slightly self-conscious because she still wanted to wallpaper the top of Colleen's walls, above the wainscotting. She could hear her mother's voice in her head telling her that Colleen's bedroom was unfinished and unpresentable, but the lack of wallpaper didn't matter to Mia or Colleen. Both little girls thought the bedroom was beautiful, "Everything in here is for her, but the house is mine."

"How old is she?" the little girl asked.

"She's six," Michaela responded, with a small giggle, "Just like you."

"She is only six and she already has this big bed? Wow, you must be a billionaire," The little girl commented. She was truly amazed.

"Where do you usually sleep, Mia?" Michaela inquired but wasn't actually sure if she wanted to know.

"At Nana's house, I sleep in a bed, but it's a little bed," she explained, "I have my own room, but it doesn't look anything like this. When I lived in the apartments with my mommy, I slept on a little bed too, but I didn't have my own room, I shared with my mommy. Well, I did have my own room once, but Mommy couldn't pay the rent, so we had to move. She always had a big bed like this, and I had a little bed."

"Do you have toys in your room?" Michaela asked, praying that the answer was yes.

"Yes," she said, "I have two cabbage patch dolls and three beanie baby kitties that my mommy had when she was little. Last summer, I got three vintage Skipper dolls that my mommy found for me at a garage sale. The lady wanted three dollars for each doll, but Mommy got her to accept three dollars for all three dolls. Mommy always brags about being a good wheeler and dealer."

This child was too involved in adult affairs, Michaela thought to herself as she turned back to Colleen's closet to continue her search for a suitable outfit. Her children didn't know anything about money, except on a very basic level. She didn't involve them in her finances the way Mia's mother clearly involved her. They were too young for that and so was Mia. Matthew was now getting to the age that she thought it was appropriate to have more serious financial discussions with him, but not about her personal finances. If she was low on money, she would never make it their burden. It sounded like that was what Mia's mother had done to her.

"Did Nana get you any new toys when you went to live with her?" Michaela asked, out of curiosity.

"On Christmas, she got me a jump rope, some coloring books and crayons, and a teddy bear," the child replied happily.

Michaela was impressed. Mia didn't have much, but she was so grateful for everything that she did have.

Michaela finally found something in Colleen's closet that was too small for her and could possibly fit Mia. She found one of the school uniforms that Colleen had worn to kindergarten in Boston. There were long khaki pants that Colleen wore on very cold days, a white long-sleeved dress shirt, and a navy-blue sweater to go on top that didn't have a school logo on it. She wished she had a pair of shoes to give Mia also, but the old sneakers she came over wearing would have to do. At least she had a new pair of socks. For extra warmth, she could wear the oversized jacket that she came over in too.

"Mia," Michaela said sweetly, "I want you to put on these clothes. I am going to go get a blow dryer and a few other things to do your hair." Mia nodded and did what she was told.

When Michaela returned to Colleen's room with the hair supplies, she brought with her a large navy-blue bow. If Colleen missed the bow later, she could always get her another, but she wondered if Mia had pretty hair things at home at all. Finding Mia all dressed and smiling when she came back, Michaela got to work on her hair. She used the blow dryer to get it dry and then she brushed through all of Mia's naturally curly auburn hair. She brushed her hair up into a high ponytail and decorated it with the navy-blue bow.

"All done," Michaela announced cheerfully, and pointed at the mirror that was in Colleen's room.

"Wow," Mia said, "You made me look like a princess. How much does Smelly…um…I mean Hank. How much does Hank owe you for all this?"

Michaela let out a small giggle. The child's question appeared to back-up what Michaela was thinking in her head before, "Don't worry about that."

"You don't want money?" Mia questioned, "Oh so this is a loaner. When do you want these clothes back?"

"What?" Michaela questioned. She didn't know how to respond to that.

"My mommy always says that nothing in life is free," she explained, "If someone loans you something you have to give it back. You don't ever, ever, steal and don't ever touch anything that is not yours without asking first."

Michaela was flabbergasted. Her mother appeared to have taught her something of value, which was good, but the child was still too involved in the adult world. Thinking about money in this way was too much pressure to put on a young child.

"It's all a gift," Michaela said, "Everything that you're wearing from bow to toe is a gift. I don't want any of it back or anything in return. It's all yours."

"Really?" Mia asked, not sure if she believed that. When Michaela nodded, Mia threw her arms around her and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Michaela said, holding the little girl tight. When Michaela was holding her; she couldn't help but wish that Mia was hers. She wished she could bring her up properly. This little girl deserved so much more than what she had.

The children were fed, and Michaela had them sitting in a circle on the living room floor and playing a board game. She worried because she hadn't heard from Sully yet and she wanted to know if Dorothy was okay. As luck would have it, just as she was thinking about Sully, she received a text message from him telling her to come out on the porch. Michaela grabbed her coat and opened the front door.

"Why didn't you just come inside?" she whispered to Sully who was standing outside waiting for her.

"I didn't want to get the kids' attention," Sully said, "I could see them all through the window as I walked up. Mia looks nice and clean. Thank you."

"What happened to Dorothy?" Michaela questioned; her voice became very serious. She wanted to talk with him about Mia, but she was very worried for Dorothy's wellbeing at the moment.

"She's in the hospital," Sully reported, "Your hospital. She has two broken ribs, and a concussion. She has some other cuts and bruises too, but they ain't that serious."

Michaela put her face in her hands and shook her head, "Who's her doctor?"

"Dr. Greene," Sully informed her, and then he pulled her into a hug, "They're keepin' her overnight. Maybe two nights, depending on how well she recovers from the concussion."

Michaela sighed, and put her arms around Sully's neck, holding on to him for comfort. Then she let go of him and stood back so she could see all of his face and look into his eyes, "Where's her husband?" Michaela asked, her voice slightly angry.

"What do ya know about her husband?" Sully questioned in return. Dorothy was a gossip, but up until that afternoon, she was very protective of Marcus. She didn't tell people that he was abusing her. Furthermore, she often made excuses for him to people, like Loren and Sully, who already knew about the abuse.

"Nothing really," Michaela replied, "I just have a hunch about something."

"Your hunch is probably right," Sully said, "He's been arrested and is sittin' in a jail cell right now."

"Thank God," Michaela stated, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Dorothy was awake and talkin' when I left, but she ain't out of the woods yet," Sully continued to give Michaela the news, "The doctor said that there's no reason to believe that she won't make it through. She's allowed to have one overnight guest stay with her, so Loren's stayin' the night. She said to tell ya that she's real sorry that she didn't pick up the kids today."

"She doesn't need to worry about that," Michaela commented.

"I told her that," Sully reported. "She said she would call you in the mornin'. Whether she is in the hospital or not, she's callin'."

"I should be the one calling her," Michaela replied.

"They might be runnin' tests," Sully explained, "That's why she wants to call you."

Michaela nodded quietly and put her arms around Sully again. She needed his closeness and comfort right then. He reciprocated by wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close to his body. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead in the crook of his neck. Sully naturally allowed his eyes to close and pressed his cheek against her forehead.

"It's been a long day," Sully murmured. First Zachary went missing, then Hank told him what his proposal was for Mia, and then he had to deal with Dorothy. It had been a long day for him, and all he wanted to do was put the kids to bed and curl up with his girlfriend on the couch. Maybe watch a little television? He wasn't sure if that was even a possibility that night, but that's what he wanted, "How were things here? The kids looked like they were all playin' nicely when I walked up."

"They've been playing very nicely together," Michaela confirmed, not letting Sully go, "I bathed Mia like you wanted. I put her in some gently used clothes. I didn't have any shoes for her, so I threw the old sneakers that she came here wearing in the washing machine. I don't know how effective that was at getting them clean, but it made me feel better, and her shoes do look better."

"That was nice of you," Sully said, continuing to hold Michaela.

"What is she doing here, Sully?" Michaela inquired. She felt comfortable asking him about that now that Dorothy was taken care of, "Why is Mia with you?"

"That's what I need to talk to you about," Sully confided, "Hank came over today."

"Oh no," Michaela reacted.

"He said he ain't goin' after Zac," Sully quickly informed her, "he said he was Mia's father, a court ordered paternity test that they gave him while he was still in prison, proved it. He said that he is movin' out of town, and he's gonna sign Mia over to the state, unless I want her."

"What? That's outrageous!" Michaela claimed loudly, thinking that Hank's plan for his daughter was very selfish. She moved out of her embrace with Sully so she could look at his face again, "What kind of father-"

"I did feel like he was hustlin' me when he said it. I don't know if he is or not, but he said he can't take care of her, and I do believe that," Sully interrupted and stated his feelings openly, "Whatever he's doin' this for, I don't know for sure, but I had to agree to it. I told him I'd take her."

"Why did you do that?" Michaela inquired. She wasn't putting him down for agreeing to take in Mia, she just honestly wanted to know why he agreed.

"When Hank looked me in the eye and told me that he was gonna make her a ward of the state, if I don't take her, my heart broke. I can't turn away that little girl. She's done nothin' wrong," Sully explained his feelings, "I was taken in myself. I don't even know where I would be now if Ma hadn't taken me in. And... She is Zachary's sister after all. That makes her family too."

What a wonderful man, Michaela thought to herself. He was a wonderful, compassionate, and generous man that she was so in love with. Other people, including Mia's biological parents, would have turned her away, but not Sully. He had it in him to raise a child who desperately needed love and stability. Michaela was sure that he had the biggest heart she'd ever seen.

"Does she know yet?" Michaela questioned. She believed that a change of living arrangements would be good for Mia, but the news would still come as quite a shock.

"Not yet," Sully said, "Hank told her earlier today that she was just stayin' the night so she could get to know Zac. He told me he would be back with her belongings tomorrow and all of her paperwork."

"Are you going to tell her anything?" Michaela asked.

"No," Sully said, "This one's on Hank."

To be continued. Please Review =)

Answering a guest reviewer question:

Yes, Mia has been in their dreams/visions of the future, but there hasn't been anything clear about her yet. For example, Sully told Michaela that they had four daughters. Another example, Sully sees Colleen, in one of his premonitions of the future, practicing for cheerleading with a couple of her friends. He didn't realize that one of those friends is Mia, because he hadn't met her yet.