On the way!
Maxwell takes his seat in First class. He leans back and lets out a deep sigh. The last few hours have been very exhausting and emotional. First the spontaneous decision to go back to Fran earlier than originally planned. Then the hasty preparation for his trip and finally saying goodbye to his children. This had been very difficult for Maxwell. It's not easy for him to leave the children behind, especially in this difficult situation. He knows that the children actually would need him right now, but Fran needs him too. Now he can only rely on Niles, Sylvia and everyone else to actually take care of the children as promised. When the plane finally takes off, Maxwell looks out the window. He can hardly wait to finally be reunited with Fran and to hold her in his arms again. And he senses that Fran feels the same way about him. During the flight, Maxwell thinks about the next few months that lie ahead of them. He knows that the next time won't be easy for them. Quite the opposite. The next few weeks would be a true challenge for all of them. But deep inside him there is also a spark of confidence. Everything will turn out fine. It has to! Eventually Maxwell nods off.
While he is napping on the plane, Fran is lying in her hospital bed. She still feels pretty lonely and miserable. She also wonders why she hasn't heard from Maxwell today. Up until now, he has called her every morning to ask how her night had been. But today he hasn't called yet. Finally, Fran can't stand it any longer and picks up the phone herself. Niles answers it.
"Sheffield Residence!"
"Hello Niles, this is Miss Fine."
"Miss Fine, how good to hear from you!" Niles express happily. "I never thought I'd say this, but it's really nice to hear your voice."
Fran's lip twitches slightly. She doesn't understand why people always make this strange remarks about her voice.
"I'm glad to hear you too, Niles!"
There is an awkward silence for a moment. But then Niles speaks up again, visibly touched.
"I'd rather not ask you how you are doing. But what I want to tell you is that we are all think about you and are with you with our prayers. And I expect you to get well soon. After all, you can't leave me alone with Miss Babcock for the rest of my life. I would be very angry with you."
Fran smiles. But then she gets to her actual request.
"Could I speak to Max, please?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, but Mr. Sheffield isn't here. He's out with the kids." Niles lies.
He got the order from his boss for the case that Fran calls not to tell her that he is already on his way.
"With the kids?" Fran asks, irritated, looking at the clock. "Shouldn't they be at school?"
Niles starts to stutter.
"Yes actually, but... Mr. Sheffield took them out of school for a few days until he leaves. He thought they need some time to get used to the new circumstances. And of course he wants to spend a lot of time with them now." Fran smiles contentedly.
"I understand! It's good that he's taking time for the them. When Max comes home, please tell him to call me."
"I'll be happy to pass that on!"
Fran hangs up and sighs. She can't suppress a slight feeling of disappointment. She would have loved to speak to Maxwell for a moment. On the other hand, she thinks it's completely right that he spends the little time he has left in New York with the children. Fran smiles and suddenly becomes very sentimental. A few years ago, Maxwell would have reacted very differently. He would have retreated to his office and not let anyone near him and he would have neglected the kids. Fran feels a certain pride that she managed it to turn Maxwell into a decent and active father. Now she just needs to get well again and then they could all finally be a happy family. Fran reaches for the picture on her bedside table. She tenderly strokes the faces of her three loved ones.
"I promise you that I will do everything I can to get back on my feet as quickly as possible. I will be back with you soon and then everything will be fine."
Fran presses the picture tightly to her chest.
Maxwell landed and is on his way to the hotel. Before he rushes to Fran, he wants to freshen up a bit. When he arrives at the hotel, Maxwell first unpacks the essentials and takes a quick shower. As he gets ready in the bathroom, his eyes fall on the bottle of 'Aramis'. He grins to himself. He knows that Fran loves this scent on him. He puts on a little more of the perfume than usual. Then he sets off to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. When he reaches the ward, the nurse comes to meet him. When she sees Maxwell, she smiles at him in surprise.
"Mr. Sheffield? You're back already? I thought you would come only in a few days."
"I was able to arrange my return earlier than planned. How is Fran holding up?"
"To be honest, Mr. Sheffield..." The nurse pulls him into the nurses' station. "It's good that you're back. We've all been a little worried about Miss Fine. She's been in a slightly bad condition since you left. Not from the medical point of view, but morally. She seems very depressed and has hardly eaten anything. I think she's missed you a lot. She depends on you enormously and she needs you. I'm afraid she's pretty scared because of the chemotherapy and all that."
Maxwell listens to the nurse's explanation with concern. He almost feels guilty about leaving Fran alone for so long. But the nurse smiles encouragingly. "But now you're back. And I assume that will lift Miss Fine's spirits considerably."
Meanwhile, Fran is sitting in her room in front of the open window and listening to music. She is enjoying the sun's rays on her skin. She is trying to savour and enjoy this moment as much as she can. Who knows how many more such carefree and beautiful moments she could savage once the treatment starts. Since Fran has headphones on, she doesn't notice the door opening behind her. Maxwell is standing in the doorway, staring dreamily at his Fran. As she sits there lost in her thoughts with the sun shining on her face, she looks indescribably beautiful and graceful to him.