Brian opened the door to the Gazette and found Miss Dorothy trying to work the press, which was sticking again. "Miss Dorothy," Brian exclaimed, then scolded mildly. "You're supposed to get me to do that for you."


"I didn't want to disturb you. You have enough on your mind at the moment." Miss Dorothy replied, wiping her sticky hands on her apron.


"So how is your Ma and Colleen today?"


"Ma and Colleen are fine. Unfortunately, the baby isn't." Brian replied, working at the sticking press.


"What do you mean?" Dorothy exclaimed in fear.


"Colleen lost the baby." Brian replied, managing to free the uncooperative press.


"Oh, Brian. I am so sorry. How's Colleen taking it?" the older woman asked.


"Colleen’s still sleeping. Andrew doesn't know if she's completely aware of what's happened. Andrew is taking it extremely hard. I've never seen him so crazy. He's sitting on the floor by Colleen's bed, rocking the baby back and forth and singing to her." Brian told her.


Dorothy's face looked fearful. "That doesn't sound like Andrew."


"Matthew figures it’s because he's hardly slept or ate in the last few days and that his mind just couldn't take another traumatic experience. We hope that if we can get him to rest, then he'll be better."


"I hope you're right, Brian." Dorothy expressed. "I really hope you're right."


Matthew sighed wearily as he sat down in the chair behind Dr. Mike's desk in the main room of the clinic. Michaela and Sully were upstairs with Andrew and Colleen, mourning the loss of the baby. Matthew had had enough emotional displays for one morning. He felt physically and emotionally drained. When the three of them had gone back into Colleen's room, Andrew was still on the floor. But when they started walking towards him he suddenly bounded up and looked accusingly at them.


"I know what you're here for." He cried. "You've come to take my little girl away from me."


The three of them had just looked at one another in sheer astonishment. "Andrew," Sully had said, "we're just here because we want to see our beautiful granddaughter."


Andrew, who had backed himself into a corner of the room, eyed the three of them suspiciously.


Dr. Mike stepped forward carefully. "Please, Andrew. Can I see my granddaughter?"


Andrew eyed the three of them for a moment, then slowly edged towards them. "Okay, you can look. But you have to promise you won't take her."


"I promise." Dr. Mike said, slowly creeping towards her wild son-in-law.


"Oh, Andrew. She's adorable."


Andrew smiled with pleasure. "Isn't she though? I think she's got Colleen's eyes. Look at how dark and bright they are."


Dr. Mike looked at the closed eyes of her tiny granddaughter. Fear gripped her as she realized Andrew was slipping into a state of sheer madness. She glanced over at Matthew and Sully, whose faces also registered fear.


"Andrew, I think that you need to take a nap." Michaela commented. "This has been an extremely exciting day for you. Why don't you give me the baby and you lay down on the bed and sleep for awhile."


Andrew looked at her and his expression changed dramatically. "I knew you just wanted to take my baby away from me." Andrew began backing away from Michaela, he edged his way around Colleen's bed to the other side. "You don't think that Colleen and I can raise her properly. Well, let me tell you something Dr. Michaela Quinn, Colleen and I are going to do just fine. And I am not going to let you meddle in our lives and ruin it. I know you say you want what's best for Colleen, but I think you just want things to go your own way. And you'll do anything to see that it does. You don't think that we can handle a baby right now, so you're going to take it away from us."


"Andrew!" Sully exclaimed, trying to get the young man's attention, but Andrew was completely oblivious to anyone else at the moment.


"Andrew, that is not true." Michaela tried to assure him. "I want to help you. You should be getting your rest so that you can help to take care of Colleen and the baby better."


"Oh, I can take care of the baby and Colleen just fine." Andrew assured her, his eyes were now wide and wild looking as he continued to back away from her.


"Andrew!" Matthew exclaimed, coming up beside Michaela.


"You stay out of this." Andrew exclaimed. "I don't want you involved in this Matthew. I don't want to have to turn on you too. You're supposed to be my friend."


"We are all your friends and your family." Matthew tried to assure the confused young man. He took a careful step towards Andrew, never taking his eyes off the doctor.


"Stay away from us." Andrew cautioned, stepping backwards into the balcony doors. As Matthew tried to approach, his eyes darted about like a trapped animal seeking escape. Slowly he reached behind his back and opened the door.


"Andrew, calm down. We just want to help you." Dr. Mike cried, she felt her whole body turning cold with fear as she watched Andrew step out onto the balcony.


"I want you all to stay away from us!" Andrew cried frantically. "The three of us are doing just fine. Isn't that right, Colleen." He looked over to his sleeping wife.


"That's right, you tell them." He looked over at Colleen, nodding profusely, as if she was making some dramatically important speech. After a few moments he turned back to Michaela and Matthew and said, a smug smile on his face. "See, what did I tell you."


Just then, Jake came into the room, he held in his hand the small box that Matthew had left with him. "I have the coffin ready..." his voice faded as his eyes fell upon Andrew.


To Jake, the transformation from the Andrew he knew was outstanding. The doctor's normally immaculately pressed clothes were wrinkled and untucked. His hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in months, and his normally placid and smiling face was now full of hatred and confusion. His eyes were wide and wild looking. To Jake he looked like a wild animal about to strike.


"Coffin!" Andrew exploded. "A coffin!" He turned his attention to Michaela. "So, that's what you were going to do with our daughter? Bury her alive! How could you! And you try to pass yourself off as a loving parent!"


"Andrew!" Michaela tried to reason with the delirious and grief stricken young man. "Andrew, your daughter, my granddaughter, is dead. You knew that the moment she was born. Andrew, look at her. Her eyes are closed. She's not breathing. Her tiny little heart is not beating. She's dead."


Andrew had looked at his little girl as Michaela was speaking. Even though his heart didn't want to admit it, a small part of his mind managed to emerge from the thick grief that enveloped him to agree with what Michaela was saying.


"I know." Andrew finally admitted. Fierce sobs overtook him. "I know." But before Michaela and Matthew could advance towards him, the rest of Andrew's brain rebelled against them.


"No, don't come any closer." He backed up a bit more. "Stay away from us!"


"Andrew, be careful!" Sully suddenly advanced. He'd been watching the threesome, afraid to interfere, but now he could tell Andrew wasn't watching where he was going.


"You stay out of this Sully. Don't try to play the hero and make everything better."


Andrew cried in anger. Sully ignored the young doctor and slowly advanced towards him. Andrew's eyes darted around the room frantically as he continued to step back.


"Andrew! Look out!" the three family members shouted in unison, but it was too late. Andrew backed into a chair that was sitting on the balcony, tripped and stumbled before falling against the balcony rail. The force of his fall was so great and the balcony rail so old that it gave way behind the young doctor, allowing him to fall heavily to the street below.


Brian had decided to stop over at Hank's saloon to let Ethan know how things were going. The Cooper brothers had agreed to allow him to stay in town as long as he made himself scarce and was content enough with just allowing them to report any information to him and not have him come skulking about the clinic. Ethan had agreed, knowing it was the only way he was going to get information about his daughter and grandbaby. "That's all I have to report for now." Brian was saying as he and Ethan stepped out of the saloon. "I'll let you know if anything else develops."


Ethan nodded. "I appreciate it, Brian. Thank you." he clasped his young son's shoulder in gratitude.


Brian lifted his hands, "Look, just because I agreed to bring you information, doesn't mean I like you. If it wasn't for the fact that Colleen was sick, there's no way we would have let you stick around. So don't go getting all sentimental with me." Ethan withdrew his hand.


"Sorry." Brian opened his mouth to say something more, but before he could he heard loud voice coming from the clinic.


"I want you all to get away from us!" Andrew was screaming hysterically. Brian couldn't believe his ears. This was not the normal voice of his brother-in-law. Instead it sounded like a deranged madman. The young man stood as if rooted to the verandah beneath his feet. There was more mumbling of voices as Andrew steadily walked backwards.


Suddenly Brian heard a loud cry from Sully, Dr. Mike and Matthew, "Andrew! Look out!"


Then with that was a series of bangs and thumps and then a sickening crash as the balcony railing gave way beneath the weight of Andrew's fall.


"Andrew!" Several voices were heard screaming at the same time.


"I've got to get down there!" Michaela cried as she rushed towards the balcony stairs. Meanwhile, Brian had already reached his brother-in-law’s side. The young doctor was unconscious, but he was still breathing and his heart was still beating.


"He's still alive, Ma." Brian told his doctor mother as she reached their side.


"Thank heavens!" Michaela sighed in relief. She carefully examined her colleague.


"He has 2 broken ribs." She announced as she carefully went on the examine his legs. "And his left leg is broken. Otherwise he seems okay. Help me get him into the clinic."


Matthew and Sully carefully lifted the young man up and carried him into the clinic. Once he was on the examination table, Dr. Mike took the towel wrapped bundle and handed it to Jake.


"Could you please take this and get it ready for the funeral."


"Yes, Dr. Mike." Jake nodded as he turned and left the clinic.


"What can we do, Dr. Mike?" Matthew asked.


"I'm going to have to wrap his ribs to make sure that they heal properly, and then set his leg. Could you get me some bandages from the cabinet." Matthew went to do as bidden.


"Sully. Could you go upstairs and check on Colleen. I don't know if the commotion woke her up or not. She may be frantically wondering what's going on. "Sully nodded and climbed the stairs to his daughter's room.


"What can I do, Ma?" Brian asked. "Go get the third recovery room ready. Looks like we’re going to have another invalid for a while." Michaela replied, taking the bandages from Matthew.


"Yes, Ma." Brian went upstairs to follow her instructions.


"Is he going to be all right, Dr. Mike?" Matthew asked, deep concern written over his handsome face.


Dr. Mike nodded. "We'll bandage him up and then I'll give him something for the pain and something to make him sleep. Hopefully he'll be able to sleep his delirium off."


After they had finished bandaging Andrew's wounds Matthew carried his unconscious brother-in-law upstairs to the last available recovery room. Then he had gone back downstairs and sat at Michaela's desk.


Matthew sighed again, leaned his elbows on the top of the desk and put his head in his hands. His thoughts went back in time to his own tragic losses. First his birth mother from a rattlesnake bite, than his fiancée, Ingrid, from Pup's rabid bite. And now, his unknown niece or nephew due to Colleen having caught typhoid. Life just wasn't fair. He thought bitterly.


Suddenly the clinic door flew open and in barged Preston Lodge, his face anxious and his eyes wild and searching. "Where's Andrew?" He demanded, after he focused on Matthew.


"Upstairs." Matthew replied, a confused look on his face. Preston turned to head for the stairs, but Matthew stopped him. "What's this all about?" the young man demanded.


"This is none of your business. I need Andrew." Preston snapped as he tried to head upstairs.


"Andrew is not available at the moment." Matthew stated firmly.


"This is an emergency." Preston declared indignantly.


"What is?" Matthew pressed.


"Mrs. Lodge is having the baby." Preston replied.


"That is not an emergency." Matthew countered.


"What would you call it?" the older man retorted angrily.


"Nature." Preston looked at him for a moment than turned to get Andrew, but Matthew restrained him. "You don't need Andrew for that. Go get Miss Dorothy or Miss Grace. They can help Mrs. Lodge deliver the baby."


"Why would I get them when there's a licensed doctor in this clinic." Preston stated pointedly. Matthew looked at him squarely and replied, "Because, at this moment Andrew is under heavy sedation."


At Preston's wide-eyed look he explained, "Colleen just lost their baby, and the grief of that, along with five nights with hardly a wink of sleep pushed Andrew too far. He couldn't take it, he went nuts. In his delusional state he tripped over a chair on the balcony and fell to the ground. Dr. Mike has bandaged him up and has given him something to sleep it off. So, I don't care if the whole town was dying, Andrew is not going to be disturbed."


Preston looked about to retort, but a piteous cry from upstairs stopped him. Preston and Matthew looked at each other for a split second before Matthew shoved the older man aside and scrambled up the stairs to the room where the cry came from. When he reached Colleen's room he barely noticed Preston abruptly stop behind him. On the bed in the room, a very weak and sickly Colleen was sobbing uncontrollably in Michaela's arms. The doctor's eyes were also sending tears down her own cheeks. Matthew stood rooted to the spot, unable to comfort or retreat. Finally a hand on his shoulder pulled him away from the doorway, followed by the other hand which closed the door behind them. Matthew and Preston turned to face Sully, who hastily and shakily explained, "She just told her about the baby."


Matthew's own eyes clouded over again, then Preston suddenly exclaimed, "Baby! Mrs. Lodge!" Then he turned on his heels and ran down the stairs.


Michaela sat and held her weeping daughter, her own eyes burning with sorrow. She hated to be the one to break the news to Colleen, but under the circumstances she couldn't avoid being the one. Gently she stroked the broken hearted girl's auburn tresses. "Everything will be all right." She said softly, trying to console the distraught girl. Colleen weakly pushed herself away from her mother's loving arms. "I want to see her." the weeping girl announced.


"Colleen, I don't think that's a good..." Michaela tried to argue ,but Colleen interrupted her.


"Ma, please. I want to see my daughter. I need to see her." The young woman looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "Please, Ma. Please."


Michaela hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Gently she eased herself from the side of the bed and headed for the bedroom door. Out in the hallway she found Matthew and Sully, discussing events of the day.


"Sully." Michaela addressed, her voice low and tired. "Would you go over to Jake's and get the baby? Colleen wants to see her."


Sully nodded his head and reached out to touch her arm. "How's she doing?" he asked with deep concern.


"She's holding up. But its been a terrible blow for her. You know how much she was looking forward to the baby coming."


"Will she be all right, Dr. Mike?" Matthew asked, worry settling on his handsome face.


"Physically she will be fine. Mentally, I think she will cope all right as well. It’s the emotional strain that I worry about." the doctor confessed to her son. "She's going to need all the love and support that we can give her. Andrew too. It's his baby too and I know he wanted it just as much as Colleen did."


"I'll go get her." Sully said and turned to go retrieve his granddaughter from Jake.


Matthew stepped towards Colleen's door. "Can I see her?" Michaela nodded, "Of course. Just don't make her talk too much. She's going to need all her strength to get through this." Matthew nodded. "Thank you, Ma." "I'm going to check on Andrew. Let me know if Colleen needs me." With that she turned and entered Andrew's room. .