Hey Doctor?

Before he even tells his family about his upcoming wedding, Giles calls the Doctor to make arrangements for the blood tests. He doesn't want anything to stand in his way of getting married to Wilma.

He also wants to make sure that some other tests the Doctor had done recently have come back.

Hopefully he'll have good news long before he has bad.

Giles Collapses

Shortly after hanging up the phone, the dizziness that he's been feeling lately overcomes him and he collapses on the floor.

When he awakens, he remembers easily how out of breath he has been lately and hits redial on the phone.

"Ummm, Doctor? I think I may need to see you about that 'other matter' sooner than we thought."

He then calls a cab to go downtown.

Giles softens the blow

When Giles returns from his trip downtown, he makes a special dessert to break both good and bad news to his family.

He was going to have to go into the hospital for some extensive tests. He didn't know how long it would take. But it doesn't look good.

But he wanted to share some good news with them as well. He is going to be a Daddy!

"Wilma is a wonderful, loving woman and is going to do a great job raising our child. But she and her family will be needing our help as well."

Just in case things turned out as badly as the he expected, he needed to know that Wilma would be taken care of properly.

Maura tries to cope

Later that night, Maura and Gregory couldn't sleep and came across eash other wandering around in the back yard.

Maura asks Gregory if he had suspected anything with Giles' health. "I don't understand. How can a seemingly healthy young man suddenly be struck down like this? Huh?"

"I don't know, Mom. I don't think I'll ever understand. But now that I think about it, he has been sleeping more lately and looking a little thinner. But I never thought anything about it. I just thought he was staying out late with Wilma. You know, burning the candle at both ends."

Keeping up appearances

"Mom, we should be thinking and talking about positive things. Like how happy we'll be having a new Adamson running around."

"You are right. That's what Giles told us to do. It's what he wants. I wonder if my new grandchild will be a boy or girl? Or one of each?"

They continue talking about happy things. This seems to be cheering up Maura somewhat.

Maura Grieves for her son

Then suddenly Maura breaks down and starts crying. She hadn't been able to cry since Giles gave the family the news.

"Oh Gregory, I'm so afraid that something bad has happened. I need to get to the hospital to be with my baby."

Maura Mourns

When the anger passes, Maura spends several hours crying out her frustrations in the cemetery. After she feels that she can cry no more, she remembers that she has others depending on her now.

She promises Giles that she will always look after Wilma and the baby. That they will never want for anything in life.

An Angry Maura

Maura's instinct was right. The Doctor was leaving as she and Gregory got to Giles' hospital room. As soon as they saw his face, they knew what had happened.

Giles was gone.

Everyone was surprised at how well Maura handled the funeral. Although Gregory knew that she was only hanging on by a thread.

After everyone had left the night of the funeral, Maura went out to the family cemetery alone. There she finally allowed the frustrations, helplessness and anger come boiling out of her.

"How can this happen? Why didn't you tell us when you first got sick? Why didn't you tell me? How long had this been going on?"

Then, the quieter questions came, "How can you be gone?"

With this came the tears.

Best Friends

Maura loves the time she spends with her grandchildren. It helps her to know that people need her to be strong for them. Especially the little ones. They don't understand.

Early one morning Hank comes into her room and sees that his Grandma is already awake.

"Gramma? Do I have to have a birthday party? Can't I just grow up without one?"

"Why Sweetie, it's your special day. If you don't want a party you don't have to have one."

Gimme Five!

With Grandma's help, Hank grows up. He was so excited that the first thing he did was start playing red hands with Maura.

Maura was glad that Hank had grown up well. Even without a party.

Play time

Today is Hank's first day at school, so they have a little "Play Time" to send both children off to school in a happy mood.

School time!

When Miss Celeste blew the horn on the big yellow bus, Hank ran to be the first on the bus. He even beat his big sister!

Hank is very excited about school.

No A+?

When Hank got home that night he was very disappointed. For years he had watched Hope dance her little "A+" dance. He wanted to be able to do a happy dance too.

Maybe Mommy can help him understand what he needs to do to get the good grades Hope gets.

New friend?

Although he didn't get an A+ like his big sister. He did meet someone new at school today, Chandler Platz.

Whoa Dude!

Hank and Chandler had fun making strange noises in the microphones upstairs.

After one particularly nasty belch, Chandler said "Whoa, Dude! That one smells like rotten eggs. Cool!"

Practicing the A+ Dance

After Mommy Calista helps him with his homework, Hank realizes that there is a lot that goes into getting good grades. Homework might not be fun, but if it will help him get good grades, he'll do it.

Now that the not-so-fun part is done, he decides to practice the moves he'll need when he brings home his first A+.

Meanwhile...

On the other side of town, Wilma feels some vicious pains.

Her Father is at work and although her brother Warren is due home from school in an hour, she needs someone now!

The pain starts to go away and Wilma hurries over to the phone.

"I think it's time! Please help me. I don't want to go through this alone!"

I'll be right there!

"Wilma dear, you need to stay calm. As soon as we hang up I'm calling the ambulance. I'll be there right away. Don't worry Sweetheart, you won't be alone."

Maura makes a call

"I need an ambulance right away at 51 Legacy Drive. My Daughter-in-law is in labor. Please hurry!"

As she hangs up the phone, Maura realizes what she had said and thinks about how right it sounded.

Hi Baby!

Maura and tha ambulance made it to Wilma's house in plenty of time. Wilma was glad that she had her baby in a hospital instead of at home like some women have done.

Before long, she was able to bring home her little bundle of joy.

Introducing...

Wilma and Giles hadn't had time to talk about names before he died. But she knew that he would appreciate the humor of naming the baby Anthony Stewart after another "Giles" they used to watch on TV together.

(Thanks Qosmic, for giving me the idea)

Bonding

Maura stops by to see Wilma and the baby frequently. On one visit, she calls Wilma her 'Daughter-in-heart.'

She has to look away from Wilma as she explains what she means.

"I know that there wasn't time for you and Giles to make things legal. But in my heart, you are as much, or more, my daughter than if some silly papers had been signed. And that's the important part as far as I'm concerned, what our hearts tell us."

Maura goes on to add, "I hope that you will some day come to feel the same way about it as I do. Maybe even come to think of me as your Mother-in-heart as well."

New family

Wilma fights back her tears as she responds to Wilma comments.

"You know that my Mother died when I was still a child. I never thought that I would ever want to call anyone else by that name. It means something special to me. And so do you."

She wipes her eyes, then holds out her arms, "I would be honored to call you Mom. I've wanted to do so for so long now, but I didn't know how you would feel."

Maura's blessings

After hugs and tears, both women are able to pull themselves together.

Maura tells her that she has no doubt that Wilma will be a wonderful Mother, just as Giles had said.

"I know that Sandy would have been very proud of how you grew up. Just as I'm sure that you will be a wonderful influence on Anthony and make sure he'll grow up well, too."

Old Friends

As she gets ready to live Wilma's house one day, Wilma's father Brandon comes around the corner of the house from the hot tub.

They had met during Maura's firefighting days. His late wife, Sandy, was a terrible cook and always catching food on fire.

The couple have a few laughs about the old times, then talk about the irony of how things turned out in their lives. Now they "share" a daughter and a grandson.