Timothy had arrived home for the weekend a few hours before and had barely gotten to say hello to his parents.

As usual, his siblings had immediately surrounded him, each eager to tell him the latest news. His attention, however, had been monopolized by little Julie, who had climbed into his arms the second he stepped in and had not left him even for a second.

Timothy couldn't resist her, how could he? The dark hair collected in two bouncing pigtails, those big dark green eyes, her precious smile and her chirping laughter were irresistible, but above all hearing her lovely little voice which called him "Timmy" just melted his heart. Whatever she would ask, he would have done without discussing.

That's why he was now sitting in the living room, playing doctor with his sister's stuffed animals and dolls that crowded the room, taking orders from the sweetest 3 years old girl on earth, under the amused eyes of their parents. No matter if he was 25 years old, no matter if he really needed to have a talk with his father, the main thing was to make up for all the missing moments with her and make the most of the time they spent together.

"Doctor, I'm afraid we're facing a bad case of flu here...I'm going to take a moment to consult with an esteemed colleague. Do you mind?" he quizzed the baby boss.

"Uhm...no, but please hurry. We still have many patients waiting to be examined."

Timothy got up trying to hide his laugh and reached his parents who were sitting at the kitchen table, chatting.

"Sorry to interrupt, I only have a few seconds before Itsy-Bitsy calls me back to my duty…"

Patrick and Shelagh laughed.

"She's got you, huh?...I know the feeling!" admitted Patrick, gazing at his little girl.

"Yeah, totally…but I wanted to ask you something, Dad."

"Tell me, son"

"Would you like to have a chat after dinner?"

"Of course!"

From the serious tone of Timothy's voice, Shelagh had the suspicion that this was about something important and sensitive.

"Well, maybe you two could go out for a walk? I'm afraid that our house lacks privacy," she suggested.

"Are you sure? I mean…you don't mind?"

"On the contrary…I'd love it if you two take your time to catch up! I'll ask the girls for some help for Julie's bathtime and Teddy can help me for the dish washing. Then we will watch some telly all together! We'll be fine, don't worry!"

Father and son willingly accepted.

After dinner, Patrick and Timothy left the house for their night out.

They were a little bit sorry though, because they had left Teddy complaining for not being allowed to go with them.

Passing in front of a nearby Pub, Timothy asked "Do you want to go in and have a beer?"

Patrick accepted, albeit with a moment's hesitation. That question reminded him that his son was no longer a boy, but was now a man, a doctor like him who would finish his Medical general training in a few weeks.

They sat at a table and after ordering two beers and Fish & Chips, Patrick asked him: "Son, are you sure everything is okay?"

Timothy smiled.

"Yes Dad, everything is fine. Really! In fact…I'd say it's more than fine."

"Is it for your specialization?"

"Not really…but while we're at it we can talk about that, too."

"Have you made your choice?"

"Yes. I want to specialize in Medical Microbiology and Virology"

"That makes sense, you've always been interested in research!"

"Yes…and you know…I also feel a mixed sense of duty and gratitude towards those who made this choice before me. I hardly would be here otherwise."

"I'm really proud of you! I can only approve your choice!" Patrick said, raising his glass.

"I'm glad to know it, Dad... your support is very important to me."

"But there was something else you wanted to talk about... right?" inquired Patrick.

"Yes…There is a girl…" he answered vaguely.

"Oh…here we are…and?"

"And…well Dad, it's something serious. Very serious. Indeed, I'm ready to say—she's the one!" Timothy admitted, looking down shyly.

"Timothy! That's wonderful news! Tell me about her!" his father chimed.

"Her name is Carol. Carol Campbell."

"Wait…Are you talking about that Campbell you've been mentioning for years and who you used to study with?"

"Yes Dad…that Campbell." Timothy confirmed.

"And when did she become Carol?"

Timothy smiled.

"One night, last winter. We finished studying late.. We left the library and I was walking her home. It had just stopped raining and it was terribly cold. There were only us on that road. And when I realized that she had a cold shiver, I didn't think twice...I took off my coat and put it on her shoulders."

Patrick listened in silence, while the scene of another misty road came to his mind. Timothy glanced at his father.

"I know what you're thinking. I had the same memory. Maybe that's why I realized she wasn't just a friend for me. You know Dad... with a friend you grin and bear it, but for the person you love you would do anything. You taught me that..."

His father smiled proudly at him.

"Go ahead..." he encouraged, taking the opportunity to take another chip.

"Well, we started dating and stopped calling each other by our last names." chuckled Timothy.

"A good start!"

They both chortled and drinked another sip of beer.

"What should I say, Dad? She wants to specialize in pediatrics. Her parents live in Edinburgh, his father is a lawyer, while her mother is American and she's a professor of Economics at the University."

"Half Scottish huh?"

"Yes, luckily only half"

The two laughed together.

"Still…I asked you to tell me about her…not what she wants to do, not of her family!" Patrick winked.

Timothy made a pause. How was he supposed to pick just a few adjectives to describe her? Carol was not just something, she was everything to him.

"She is so smart and brilliant. She's a very good-hearted person, always careful and compassionate. She is…she makes me feel whole. You know the feeling, right?"

"Yes…I perfectly know the feeling." Patrick confirmed, then he asked "And when did you get that she was the one?"

"It happened on our second date…" Timothy stated, with a blank stare and a loving smile.

Princess Street Garden - A few months earlier

"Why don't we go dancing on Saturday night?" the girl asked him, as they strolled through the park hand in hand.

"I have to tell you something: I can't dance. I'm a loser! My sisters always make fun of me."

"Do you have sisters?!" she asked, surprised.

"Three sisters and a brother!" he specified, making her twirl and taking the chance to give her a quick peck on her lips before continuing to walk.

Carol resumed the talk: "I thought you were an only child…"

"Well, I was for 12 years. Then our family expanded!" he told her.

He stopped again and took a family photo out of his wallet. "Here we are, last Christmas. This is my sister Angela, she is 12 years old. Then there is May who is 11, Teddy who is 9 and then there is Julie, who is almost 3. And of course…these two adorable dorks in love who can't stop smiling at each other even when we have a family portrait are my parents!".

"You have a wonderful family. I would have loved to have siblings, but my parents were too focused on their careers...I think it's beautiful living in such a family, isn't it?!"

"Yes, it is. They are my everything. Don't mind if sometimes I make fun of them. I will forever be grateful to my dad and my mum for our special family." Timothy confessed to her with a touch of emotion.

Carol noticed his shining eyes. She gently put her arms around his waist and asked: "Hey…What is it?"

Timothy looked in her eyes and he felt loved. He was not keen to undisclose his past, he never told anyone about it since he started his new adult life in Edinburgh. With Carol he felt different, he felt home. He trusted her. For the first time he wanted to open his heart to someone…not just someone. To her.

"Come, let's sit down… Since we've covered the topic, I might as well tell you the whole story."

They sat on a wooden bench, Timothy turned sideways to stare at her eyes, took her hand to find courage and began to tell his story.

"You see…I lost my mother when I was just over 9 years old. Cancer…" he sadly said.

"Tim…I'm sorry, I didn't know!" she exclaimed, caught unaware.

"You couldn't. You're the first person here I've told this to." he kindly reassured her, passing an arm around her shoulders to bring her closer.

Carol clasped her hand with his and kissed it tenderly. Then she brought their joined hands to her heart.

"It was hard, but you know… the hardest thing was seeing my father pretending to be fine, to protect me. Or at least, he thought so. I did the same…I pretended to be fine to protect him. We couldn't face each other or we both would have broken down."

"Tim…" Carol whispered to him, feeling all the pain he must have experienced.

"I never doubted he loved me, I never thought he wasn't a good father. It was simply the way we had found to soldier together through that storm and move on. He immersed himself in his work and I avoided being in that empty house as much as possible."

Timothy felt Carol's embrace squeeze tighter, he pressed a kiss to her forehead then he picked up the talk.

"After school I used to go to the parish premises, where the nuns organized activities for us children. Sister Bernadette was there and I really liked being with her. I felt so…loved, so safe. She helped me with my homework, we talked a lot together and when I was with her I didn't have to fake. I could be happy if that's how I felt, without feeling at fault. And if I was sad, I felt free to be sad... she understood me and didn't treat me with pity. Maybe because she too had lost her mother as a child..."

"Or maybe because she really loved you."

"Yes, you're right. That was the main reason."

"Well, she must have been a very important person to you…you loved her very much, didn't you?"

Timothy beamed "Oh yes…God knows how much I love her!"

Yes, surely God knew it, but Carol could see in his eyes the love Timothy felt for that woman she was now so curious to meet.

"I'll tell you something I've never told anyone. When I said my prayers, I always asked God to make Sister Bernadette my new mother."

"And what's wrong with that? Timothy, you were just a child! You missed your mother and she was basically the closest thing you had as a mother figure. Why wouldn't you want that? I think it's a very sweet thing..." she gazed at him, brushing her hand on his cheek.

"Oh yes…it was such a sweet thing that in the end I must have actually convinced God!" he teased.

"What do you mean?" Carol asked, confused.

"Are you ready for a big plot twist?"

"Tim…what happened!?"

"Sister Bernadette was also a midwife and worked with my father. So it happened that they fell in love (and still are after so many years). Shelagh, this is her real name, she left the habit and they got married... so she actually became my mother. And she's the best in the world! She gave life back to my father and she gave it back to me."

They looked at each other, now it was Carol who had tears in her eyes.

"Hey…" Timothy whispered to her, touching her chin with his fingers.

"Hey…" she replied in a small voice.

"Did I leave you speechless?"

"No…I guess you just confirmed what I thought of you. You have a big heart and you are special…do you know that?"

"You are special, Campbell…and I've fallen in love with you." Timothy confessed.

"That's a good thing, Turner. 'Cause I love you too."

They exchanged a tender kiss.

"Shall we go dancing on Saturday night?" Timothy asked her.

"Weren't you the one who can't dance?"

"I'll ask my girlfriend to teach me," he teased her.

"You fool! Come here!" she scolded, pulling him closer for another kiss. A deeper kiss this time.

"So you go dancing now?!" Patrick asked him in surprise.

"I know…it sounds incredible!."

"Then you are really in love!"

"Yes…I am," he stated.

"Timothy, you're not looking for advice, isn't it? It seems clear to me that you've already made your decision," Patrick observed.

"I did…I just wanted to share this with you before proposing to Carol."

"Thanks Tim…I really appreciate it. You have my blessing, son. And I'm pretty sure your mother will be as happy as I am!"

"Dad, please don't tell Mum. I'll talk to her in the morning..."

"Of course, I won't say anything. Also because at this time your mother will surely be sleeping..."

"Dad…I know you well, and I know you would wake her up in the middle of the night to spoil her about everything."

"I won't. I promise."

"So…how about we go home and go to sleep too? It's very late!"

"Yes, let's go!"

The next morning, after having had breakfast together, Patrick proposed to the children to go for a walk. All four excitedly ran upstairs to get dressed.

"Angela, May…please, can you help your sister?" Shelagh said aloud.

"No Mummy! I'm a big girl and I want to dress on my own!" Julie replied resolutely from upstairs.

Timothy, Patrick and Shelagh giggled together. She was such a lively and determined little girl.

"Aren't you joining the group?" Shelagh queried Timothy.

"Actually, I was thinking of staying to help you out."

Shelagh noticed Patrick giving her a nod of understanding and realized that her husband had arranged it to leave them alone.

"Oh, very well!... I really need some help. I absolutely have to finish ironing the things you have to take away and then I have to cook dinner for tonight. There's the girls' ballet recital this afternoon."

Patrick blinked at his son and gave Shelagh a kiss.

"C'mon kids! Are you ready?" he urged them.

"We're coming dad!" they responded in chorus as they went down the stairs, Teddy bickering with Julie who insisted to not be held by her hand.

Patrick and the kids went out to the park, not before they got over another little drama because Julie didn't want to put on her coat since it was a sunny day.

Left alone, Timothy set himself to iron while Shelagh began to tinker with various utensils and ingredients.

Timothy was searching for the right words to start when Shelagh surprised him with a blunt question.

"Have you proposed to Carol yet?" she asked him gently.

Timothy gaped at her. "Mum! How…how do you know? Dad couldn't have already told you…!" he babbled.

Shelagh interrupted whatever she was doing and came close to her son, looked him in the eyes and with a caress soothed: "Timothy, there are things mothers know without the need for words. Also, I think I can recognize that look..."

"What look are you talking about?"

"The look of a Turner in love…it's the same as your father!" she teased.

"You women are truly extraordinary!...you never cease to amaze!"

Shelagh smiled, flattered by her son's words.

"Oh Tim…believe me, it was not so hard to realize that Carol is a special girl for you. You mention her often and when you do…you always have a smile on your lips and your eyes shine!"

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. I couldn't lie about that."

"OK…but how did you come to realize my intentions? I mean…you could have gotten that she's special to me but…"

"Dearest…you've been fidgeting all the time since you arrived home, then you asked your dad to have a talk last night and I realized it had to be something very special. Also…your father was particularly sweet this morning, he was so happy I thought it was due to what you talked about last night. What else could it be?" she concluded, like it was the most logical thing in the world.

"You're too smart mum…" Timothy told her, hugging her tightly and pressing a kiss on her cheek.

Shelagh held her son and then asked again, "So? You didn't tell me if you've already proposed to her..."

"I haven't done it yet, but you'll be the first to know when it will happen! I promise."

The next morning, Patrick drove him to the train station. He usually never did that, but he wanted an extra moment with him before Timothy went back to Edinburgh.

When they arrived, Patrick parked the car and took something from his pocket.

"So…I thought that maybe it's time for you to have this."

"Dad…what?" Timothy asked, astonished.

"It's your mother's ring."

"Thank you Dad. It means a lot to me…"

"Tim…I never opened up to this, but I know it's time now. I loved your mother, even if in those days, after the war, love was something else. I love her still, because she gave me you. But my wish for you and Carol is to find and live a great love. The one that fills your heart and makes this world better just because the person you love lives in it. The one that makes you breathe even when it seems there's no air to breathe. The one that lifts you up and makes your life the most wonderful and precious place to live in."

"You mean the one you and Mum share?"

Patrick nodded as a tear fell on his face.

"Dad…please! Don't be ashamed or worse…don't feel guilty if you didn't love my mother the way you love Mum. I don't blame you! I'm old enough to understand that loving someone is not the same as finding the love of your life. And Dad…I'm really happy you found it. I thank God every day for having Mum enter our lives. She made everything better, she helped us to become who we are, she was the determining factor in our bond."

They hugged each other, then Patrick laid a hand on his son's cheek

"I wish you to be happy and let your love grow with you, the way Mum and I did. Or even better…Now go, the train won't wait for you!"

Timothy took his luggage and walked into the rail station. Before the doors closed, he turned to look again at his father. He was there, standing near his car, also waving goodbye.