"Michaela!" Andrew burst though the door, book in hand.

"Did you find something, Andrew?!" Michaela was breathless.

"I think so. Bacterial endocarditis. It's an infection of the lining of the heart. Symptoms include painful breathing, very high fever, and as the disease progresses, kidney failure. That explains Colleen's lower back pain."

"How is it treated?" asked Sully.

Andrew looked at Michaela. "The book says antibiotics must be administered as soon as possible to the patient, in order to kill off the infection."

"How did she get infected?" Sully wondered.

"It could have been anywhere," answered Dr. Quinn. "Bacteria is everywhere, and she might have had an open wound somewhere..."

"Have you ever come across this before?" Andrew asked.

"No, never. But I have antibiotics in the cabinet downstairs, and we can administer them to Colleen right away," she jumped up from the bed and headed for the door.

"Michaela, wait," Andrew said quietly.

"Andrew," Dr. Quinn turned around, slightly exasperated. "We have to do this quickly. We've already wasted a day not know what to do. Now we do, and we must hurry!"

"Michaela," he stood up. "We can't administer the antibiotics orally. There will need to be an operation."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"According to you book," he held it up, "The antibiotics need to be dripped intravenously in to the aorta. It's ..." his voice wavered, "It's a very dangerous procedure."

Sully stood up and took Michaela's hand. "Will she die without it?" he gestured to Colleen.

Andrew looked down at the floor, swallowed, then back up at Sully. "Almost certainly."

"But there's a chance she won't!" Michaela said.

"Michaela!" Sully grabbed her shoulders. "Colleen needs to have this operation. Don't you understand! She's going to die if she doesn't get the antibiotics!"

Michaela blinked, tears running down her face. She sat in the chair by the door. "I can't do it, Sully," she said sorrowfully.

"What?!?!" came Sully's exasperated voice.

"I can't do it," she whispered. "I can't see my child die, under my knife. I just can't do it."

Andrew looked at Sully. "Michaela, I can't do this alone. It's risky enough as it is."

Sully knelt beside Michaela's chair and took her hand in his. "Michaela, Dr. Cook can do the surgery. But you have to try to save Colleen. I'll help in anyway I can, but we need you."

She looked up at him, then Andrew, and nodded. "Good," said Andrew, relief in his voice. "We've got to get started right away, we've lost too much time already. Sully, will you bring Colleen doesnstairs? Michaela, we need to get our instruments ready."

Sully gently picked up Colleen and followed them downstairs. As he lay her on table, Dr. Mike and Andrew rummaged through her drawers and cabinets, looking for the necessary supplies. Andrew realized in the state Michaela was, he'd have to be the one to take charge.

"Michaela, do you have any IV bags?"

"In the glass cabinet," she told him. Sully got it and handed it to him. Pouring the antibiotic into the bag, he sealed it, then dragged over the coat rack to use as an IV pole, and secured the bag to it. He draped tubing over it and inserted a needle. It was ready.

Mike bent over Colleen and loosened her blouse, bringing it below her waist in preparation of the procedure. Transfixed once more by Colleen, Andrew stared for the slightest second in a most un-doctorly way before catching himself and reminding himself that he was a doctor.

He and Mike washed their hands well and prepared the scalpels. "I'm going to make a small incision between the 3rd and 4th ribs," he told Michaela. "This has to be deep enough to go through the rubs, but not too deep. If I nick the aorta..." he closed his eyes, then opened them again, "But I won't. After that, we're going to start the IV drip and we need to insert the needle in the aorta. We can only pray that the heart doesn't reject the foreign agent and throw her into cardiac arrest."

Michaela nodded. Andrew picked up his scalpel and moved his hand down. It was shaking. Sully spoke up.

"Andrew, you can do this," he said.

Andrew nodded. Yes, he could do this, but to his love? To Colleen? Oh anyone but her - let it be anyone but her!!

He steadied his hand and moved down again. The door to the clinic slammed open and Brian ran in followed by Matthew. "Ma?!" Brian called out.

Andrew jumped back, scalpel in hand. "Dear God!" he exclaimed.

"Matthew, get Brian out of here!" Sully bellowed.

"Come on, Brian, we'll wait outside," Matthew said, seeing what was happening. The door closed behind them and Andrew let out a sigh of relief.

"It's okay, Andrew. You can still do this," directed Sully.

Andrew steadied his shaking hands once again and held his breath as he made the incision. Drawing away the scalpel, he let the breath out.

"Michaela, clean up the blood. Sully, give me the tubing?" He took it from Sully and uncapped the needle. He inserted it into the incision, and into the aorta.

Colleen moaned and her eyes flickered. "We didn't give her any chloroform!" Sully yelled, aghast.

"We can't," said Andrew. "The antibiotics are going straight into her heart, and she can't be under any anesthesia. We can't have her heart slowing on us."

"She's going to wake," said Sully.

"I know," said Andrew. And she will be in a LOT of pain, he thought. The antibiotics flowed into her heart.

Colleen's eyes opened. The first thing she focused on was Andrew. "Andrew," she said. "What is -oh!" she gasped.

Seeing how Andrew couldn't touch her at that moment, Sully squeezed her hand.

"Andrew found out was was wrong," he told her, "And you needed an operation. Bt we can't chloroform you at all. Just hold onto my hand, you can squeeze as hard as you want."

Andrew, having inserted the needle, looked over worriedly at Colleen. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Gritting her teeth, she held onto Sully's arm. "It hurts." Hey eyes rolled back in her head.

"COLLEEN!" Michaela cried out.

Andrew too, in alarm, put his bloody fingers to her neck. "She still has a pulse," he said, "I think the pain was just too much for her to bear."

Andrew opened the door and walked in. A smile on his face, he came to the edge of her bed and sat down. Taking her hand, he said," You're awake!"

She smiled. "Yes, finally." Her smile faded as she said, "Andrew...I just wanted to thank you for savin' my life. It sounds so stupid, the words can't nearly express what I want to say, but...thank you."

Andrew squeezed her hand. "I'm just so glad you're okay. You had me so scared there, knowing you might die. I couldn't..." he stopped, a flush overcoming his face. "I couldn't imagine life without you."

Colleen looked into his eyes.

"There's one thing I must admit to you," he said. "During your delirium, you said some things, something about loving me and not finding the words to say it. Is that...is that true?" he searched her eyes in hope that it was.

She looked down at her covers and played with them a second before answering. Then, looking back into his eyes, she said quietly, "Yes Andrew, I do love you. More than words can say..."

Andrew's face lit up. He squeezed her hand again. "Oh Colleen, you know I can never express how I feel. But...I love you too. I've loved you since the minute I set eyes on you...and it's more than I can say."

He bent forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. A knock sounded at the door. He straightened up. Dr. Mike and Sully walked into the room.

"Finally awake," Dr. Quinn said, smiling. "Andrew, may I speak with you a moment?"

"Certainly, Michaela," he said, standing up. They walked to a corner of the room, leaving Sully to talk with Colleen.

"I... I just wanted to apologize for being so helpless when my daughter needed me, you needed me..." she drifted off.

"Michaela," he touched her arm. "You're her mother. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you seeing her in that state. You can't blame yourself. It was a normal, human reaction."

"Still.." she said. "There was no excuse for it, and I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry."

"Apology is not needed," said Andrew smiling. "Colleen's going to recover, good as new."

"Thanks to you," said Michaela, finally smiling.

"I think I can walk by now!" Colleen scolded him.

"Uh-uh," he said. "Doctor's orders!"

He paused as they passed the spot where she had first fainted.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, turning around in her wheelchair.

He shook himself out of his thoughts. "Yes, fine," he said, a smile coming to his face as he looked at her face. "More than words can say!"