Julie's pov

"What are you doin' up so early, darlin'?" Dr. Curtis patted the seat next to him on the porch swing, inviting me to join him.

I tried not to make my discomfort too noticeable when I sat on my still sore behind.

"I'm not honestly sure what woke me but I figured I might as well get up and make the most of our last day here." There was a beautiful breeze blowing and the early morning haze was starting to lift off the water. I took a deep breath and let the fresh air fill my lungs before exhaling slowly, truly enjoying the tranquility of my surroundings.

Dr. Curtis smiled and patted my knee as he sipped his morning tea.

"Would you like a cuppa, luv?" he asked politely.

"No thank you, sir." We continued to sway the porch swing gently in a peaceful silence for the next few minutes, just enjoying the beautiful sunrise and the morning sounds of nature.

Finally I mustered the nerve to apologize.

"I'm really sorry we ruined your weekend here, Dr. Curtis." I couldn't find the courage to look him in the eye though, too afraid of the disappointment I would face.

Dr. Curtis abruptly stopped the gentle rhythm of the swing and turned towards me, displaying a most serious look.

"Why in the world would you think that you ruined my weekend, Julie?"

He sounded genuinely surprised.

"We broke your rule about night swimming, causing a scene at two in the morning and I ran my mouth off to Mike so you had to punish me," I paused, "just to name a few things." I continued to avoid his gaze, not willing to chance seeing a judgemental look.

Dr. Curtis put his arm around me and gently guided my chin 'til I looked him in the eyes.

"Nonsense! I had a wonderful weekend with you girls."

His smile was so genuine and completely disarming.

"Blimey, you're bloody teenagers afterall so you're bound to get into a bit of mischief," Dr. Curtis said, as he chucked me under the chin. "Your guardians are in their thirties and I still have to correct them almost daily, for chrissake." His eyes twinkled as he looked at me and laughed. "Do you really think some juvenile hijinks could sour my weekend?"

"I really am sorry about the way we..." correcting myself, I continued, "...the way I behaved. I hope you'll still let us come back here with Shane sometime and I hope we didn't ruin it for everyone else at the Center." I'm not entirely sure why but it was really important to me that Dr. Curtis knew I genuinely regretted my actions. Maybe it's because I see how much Shane and Mike respect him and try so hard to earn his approval.

"Of course you may come here again, sweetheart, and the Mrs. and I would love to host the Admiral as well." He smiled at me before returning his gaze to the boaters just starting to navigate the lake.

Mike walked out with a cup of coffee in his hands and a serious case of bed-head.

"Morning, darlin'," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"Morning, Mike," I replied.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Dr. Curtis raised his hands, pretending to be offended he didn't receive the same affectionate greeting.

"Good morning to you as well, fine sir." Mike pretended to take off an imaginary hat while bowing as if greeting a royal dignitary.

"Smartass." Dr. Curtis chuckled as he stood and shook Mike's hand, grabbing his elbow and pulling him into a bro-hug. "Morning, doctor," he said, releasing his hold and patting Mike on the back.

After returning his hug, Mike stretched and said, "Beautiful day isn't it?" Despite his uplifting sentiment, there was a definite twinge of sadness, nay despair in his voice that didn't go unnoticed by either of us.

"Julie, would you mind giving Mrs. Curtis a hand with breakfast? I think I hear her puttering around in the kitchen," Dr. Curtis asked.

"No sir, I wouldn't mind at all. I would be happy to help," I replied, immediately vacating my spot on the swing to give them some privacy and to assist Mrs. Curtis inside.

Mike's pov

"Thank you, sweetheart." I smiled at my second oldest, surprised she was in such a good mood despite her recent punishment from Neil.

Sitting back down on the porch swing, Neil motioned to me and said, "Join me. I'd like to have a word with you, Michael."

His tone sounding quite serious, I immediately obliged, fearing I was about to be reprimanded. We sat in silence for a minute before Neil addressed me.

Still staring straight out at the water, he said, "I know I don't tell you this often enough, Michael, but you and Shane are doing a wonderful job raising the girls. I'm really proud of you, son."

I had to choke back tears, feeling overwhelmed with emotion at Neil's praise and the fact that he thought of me as his son.

"Thank you, sir. That means the world to me and you have no idea how badly I needed to hear it." I turned away, embarrassed by the tears welling in my eyes. I didn't want Neil to think I was weak.

"Michael, look at me," he said softly, yet sternly.

Obviously I had done a poor job trying to hide my emotions. I turned towards him but avoided looking him in the eyes, knowing I wouldn't be able to hide my vulnerability.

"Tell me what's wrong." Neil could always see right through me.

"I guess you could say it's just been a really rough week, Neil," I said sadly.

"Why don't we go for a ride and you can tell me all about your week?"

Knowing he wasn't really asking my permission and really wanting to unburden myself, I eagerly agreed.

"Sure, I would like that."

Neil and I rode in silence until he slowed the engine as we entered a cove. I hadn't spoken to anyone about this yet and I was finding it extremely difficult to actually say it out loud. Taking a deep breath to garner my resolve, I decided on the band-aid approach; quick and painful.

"Tristan and I had a fight and he gave me the ring back."

I let out a long sigh. It felt good to finally get that off my chest but made me sadder at the same time because now there was no denying it actually happened. Avoiding what I feared would be a judgemental look, I chose to focus on the small ripples in the water left by our boat.

"Michael." Neil spoke my name with an inflection indicating only one correct course of action, one I knew all too well having heard this particular tone of voice hundreds of times over the years.

Looking him in the eyes, I replied, "Yes sir."

Neil shut the motor off and gave me his undivided attention.

"I think you know my feelings regarding your relationship with Tristan."

Neil had indeed made it very clear to me how he felt when I told him Tristan and I were engaged. I braced myself and waited patiently for him to continue, knowing I could stave off the waterworks for only so long.

"If Tristan thinks for one second he can find a better man than you to fall in love with, he's clinically insane. You deserve someone who not only recognizes, but wholeheartedly embraces all your amazing qualities and the value you bring to a relationship. If he isn't that man, Michael, as much as it may hurt right now, you need to accept that and let him go because he's not worthy of your love, devotion, and most certainly not your commitment."

Neil patted my back before rubbing his hand at the base of my neck, trying to alleviate some of the built up tension in my muscles. Hearing his kind words, I let my tears flow, no longer able to contain my emotions.

"He broke my heart, Neil." I let the overwhelming sadness wash over me like a giant tidal wave. "I know I've been taking it out on the girls too, instead of dealing with it head on and I feel awful about that."

Recognizing and wanting to alleviate my pain, Neil embraced me, saying, "I'm so sorry, Michael, I hate to see you hurting like this." He continued to hold me until I was all cried out. "Don't worry about the girls. They're tougher and more understanding than you give them credit for and I'd be happy to speak to them on your behalf. Just say the word."

Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time Neil had witnessed Michael's heartbreak but hopefully it would be the last.