All my heart

Con returns Katie’s hug, holding his smile. “Oh, I’m doing okay…work at he lumberyard is absolutely crazy and I think Jamie’s ready to kill my boss, but otherwise…” he chuckles a little.

He cocks his head, studying Katie for a moment. “I know it’s almost lunchtime, but…if you want to talk, we can go for a drive.”


Carson grabs Misty’s feet as she wraps her legs around him, a grin finally escaping. He carries her inside and across the floor, nodding to some of the others as if it should be completely natural to see him giving Misty a piggyback ride.

Heading to the infirmary, he kicks the door open and steps inside.

Rick looks up from the counter, his eyebrows raising. For a moment, he says nothing, then he rolls his eyes. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Carson throws him a wry grin and deposits Misty near her desk. “Hey, doc, keep her out of trouble, will you? She’s already caused a ruckus today.”

“Me?” Rick throws up his hands. “I can’t be held responsible for either of you. It’s too dangerous!”


The drive back to TJY is quiet for a while, until Reese finally breaks the silence, speaking to Lockheart. “Well…I’m shocked. What do you think about all this? Do you think Brown is trustworthy?”


Mick takes in Rosetta’s words, absorbing them and tucking them into his heart. His eyes close as she touches his face, drawn in by her warmth.

He reaches up to take her hand, and kisses it gently before pulling her into an embrace.

“I failed at being a dad once…but I know with you around I can’t fail again,” he says quietly. “And I don’t want that little boy to end up in some home where people don’t understand him.”

He pauses, just enjoying having Rosetta in his arms. “I love you with all my heart, whether we get married in two weeks or two decades… Whether we start out just the two of us, or with a family. I just want to make sure that you’re okay with this before we make this decision.”