Leonardo was like a kid in the candy store the following day. He was so excited about their fishing day. Before anyone else even woke up, he'd gotten up early and wheeled himself downstairs. Kit was currently sitting at the table with him getting his medications ready while Luca finished making breakfast.

"Do I have to take two of the blue ones?"

"The doctor said you should, especially if you're going out for the day. The pain, Leo.." Kit said slowly.

"I don't feel much pain today," Leonardo countered, "I can bring a joint!"

"To the lake?" Andre had walked in and helped himself to a cup of coffee. "You trying to get Luca arrested?"

"Andre, it's me," Luca spoke as he brought the pan of scrambled eggs to the table. "I've done worse and not gotten arrested."

"Like?" Kit asked as she looked up at him.

"Don't worry about it," he said with his usual smirk.

"Probably best we don't know, dear," Leonardo patted Kit's hand.

"Leo, did you hide the pills when I wasn't looking!?" Kit shot him a look, and the sheepish look on his dad's face was a dead giveaway.

"I don't think so... but if we can't find them, perhaps I don't need them."

"Dad!" Andre shook his head and walked over; he plucked a bottle of pills from Leonardo's pocket. "Here, Kit."

"Ugh," Leonardo groaned.

"I know you hate these, but you can't hide them from me," she held back a laugh telling Luca he'd tried this before.

"They make me... fuzzy," Leonardo sighed, "I don't want that. I want to remember everything about today."

A lump formed in Luca's throat. He caught Kit's eye and understanding washed over her face.

"What if you take one, and I send one with Luca?" Kit compromised, "But if you start feeling pain, you have to tell him."

"That's a deal," Leonardo said as he put a scoop full of scrambled eggs on his plate. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"I'll go along next time," she patted his hand, "this will give me a chance to clean your room."

"Good idea. It's getting ripe up there," Luca agreed as he filled his plate.

"It is not!" Leonardo argued; he looked offended and irritated, so Luca opted not to poke the bear for once.

Andre's phone chimed, and he looked down at it, "Carly is wondering about making dinner tonight?"

"Carly wants to cook?" Kit asked with a bewildered look.

"She's been taking lessons," Andre smirked, "she figured in her hosting career, she'll have to cook sometimes. She wants to practice."

"I don't want to eat practice food!" Luca blanched at that, but Leonardo was smiling softly.

"She can hire a caterer at any event," Leonardo said as he looked at Andre. "She is doing this for you. Since you can't cook, she wants to learn."

"He's right, and how sweet is that?" Kit agreed, "Of course, she can make dinner for us."

"I did not agree to this!" Luca reminded his pesky little girlfriend.

"Okay, then order a pizza and eat it in your room... alone." She said with a pointed look. "All night."

"You're impossible," Luca grumbled.

"It's one dinner," Kit said with an eye roll, "you can handle it."

"Why don't you help her if you're so worried about it?" Andre suggested.

"I don't teach."

"Liar," Kit countered, "you taught me the omelet."

"That's different," Luca said.

"How?"

"Because he wanted to sleep with you," Andre said bluntly, and Kit turned bright red.

"Andre!" Leonardo scolded him.

"Well, it's true," Luca shrugged.

"Sorry, Kit. I'm spending way too much time with Luca," Andre apologized, immediately turning red himself.

"Just eat your breakfast, everyone," Kit said sternly, "so they can get to the lake while the fish are still biting."

****

A little less than an hour later, Luca and Leonardo made it to the lake. He started to wheel the chair up to the dock, but Leonardo stopped him.

"I'd like to walk up on the dock and sit at the edge, at least for a little bit."

"You have enough energy for that?" Luca asked as he helped his dad to his feet.

"Ironically, I've been feeling very energetic since the appointment," Leonardo mused, "but these things come in waves. I take full advantage of the days when I'm feeling good."

"Makes sense," Luca let go of his arm, and the frail older man started walking.

He was slow and shaky, but he was doing well. Luca felt a tear prick in his eye as he realized he had missed so many good days. Once he reached the edge of the dock, Luca hurried over and helped ease his dad down. They sat at the quiet for a moment, looking at the calm lake ahead.

"Should be a good day," Leonardo commented, "lake is like a sheet of ice."

"Yeah," Luca agreed. He handed his dad his pole, baited it and then started baiting his own. The sun was shining brightly as well, but the morning air was still cool and crisp.

"Your mother always wanted to live in a small town like this," Leonardo said wistfully, "I told her it'd be our act three. A retirement plan when you boys took over. I was a fool."

"You didn't know..."

"I knew she had heart issues," Leonardo countered, "she was very clear about the possibility she'd have a short life. I choose to stick my head in the sand and ignore it. I had tunnel vision about the business."

Luca was unsure what to say but thinking of his mom always hurt. He'd never stop missing her, sure the loss and pain faded over time. But it never went away.

They each dropped their lines down into the lake below. Their eyes fell to the swaying bobbers as they sat together. They each got a few nibbles to start but no real action.

"I take responsibility for my failures as a husband and father," Leonardo said suddenly, breaking up the serene moment.

"Dad."

"No. It's okay," Leonardo cut him off, "I don't want you to make it better or make excuses. I failed her and you."

"Look, dad, you did fail me," Luca said with a drawn-out sigh, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say you didn't. But, my memories of mom... she was happy. She was a woman in love with her husband and her kids. You didn't fail her."

"Luca"-

"Hold on," Luca continued, "mom was sweet and kind, but she was also strong-willed. If she didn't want to live in the city, she'd have demanded we move."

"She complained about my long hours all the time."

"Did she like how much you worked?" Luca questioned. "No, but she chose you, and that was part of who you were."

"I suppose," Leonardo said softly, "but I still owe her a long apology when I see her again. Maybe I didn't fail her then; but I damn sure failed her after she died. With how I treated you."

"I did, too," Luca said, "she'd be embarrassed by me. I'm twenty-six years old and have nothing to show for my life but a trust fund."

"That's my fault," Leonardo said, "I ruined your life; I destroyed your trust in not just love but in me, as your father. I betrayed you."

"You did," Luca agreed, "and I had every right to be pissed at you. But I was acting out like a spoiled rich kid. Treating women like a hobby to pass the time and everyone else like shit. Drinking heavily, throwing money away on purpose, getting kicked out of bars."-

"I think I heard enough," Leonardo cringed. "I'm so sorry I turned you into that."

"No, that's my point; you didn't." Luca stressed, "that was all on me. I didn't have to become that person; I chose to. I don't blame you for that."

"I do."

"Don't do that," Luca countered, "come on, dad. You hated who I became. You said it yourself. If I hated you so much, why'd I keep spending your money? I could have cut it all off and I never did."

"To spite me," Leonardo said, "you knew I'd see your spending and wasting your life away and you knew it would piss me off."

"Or maybe because I was a lazy, good-for-nothing playboy."

"I should have never called you that," Leonardo muttered.

"It was true," Luca shrugged it off. "but, that wasn't me, and she wouldn't have been happy to see me like that."

"She'd be happy to see you now," Leonardo said, "I know she would. I feel her sometimes. This is how I know; I'm close. She's waiting for me."

"Dad, don't say that."

"I need to. You've always been one that appreciates truth, even hard truths, Luciano," Leonardo said, "I won't sugar coat it either. My time is coming to an end soon."

Luca did prefer even harsh truths and didn't want to fill his head with dreams of miracles like Andre. Still, it was becoming more and more challenging to face. Luca's bobber suddenly went down hard breaking up the intense moment. He reeled up a nice-sized crappy.

Leonardo clapped heartily, "that's a big one!"

"This lake has some huge crappies," Luca pointed out, "you should've seen the one Kit caught. Dragged her down."

"She told me about that!" Leonardo chuckled, "why didn't you help her!?"

"I tried! She insisted she could do it herself, then fell on me."

Leonardo laughed harder, wiping back a single tear as he calmed down.

"Your mom would love Kit," Leonardo added after a silent moment. "I can feel it."

"You love Kit," Luca pointed out with a chuckle.

"I do, and I knew you would too," Leonardo said, "I had a feeling about her. Before I even got sick. She came to the house one day; she was telling Carly and Andre how I scared the crap out of Stone. She wanted to give me a piece of her mind."

"Did she?" Luca asked, biting back a grin; that was Kit, alright.

"No, Andre didn't let her," Leonardo recalled, "he told her someone needed to tell Stone off. Then he warned her not to make an enemy of me."

"What'd she say to that?"

"She said, tell your dad not to make one of me! I can handle my family, thank you. Then she slammed the door and took off. The second she left, I said, 'That's a girl for Luca.' Out of nowhere, it just popped into my head."

"You were right," Luca admitted. "I was caught up on her from the second I talked to her. I hadn't even seen her yet and"- he shook his head of his thoughts. "So she forgave you for the Stone thing, then?"

"I came by a day later with a care package and an apology for overstepping. She and I have gotten along very well ever since. I was thrilled when Andre suggested her for my nurse."

"That one decision changed everything," Luca mused.

"When I asked her to talk to you, she'd already done so. She tried to pretend, but that girl can't lie. Her face shows it all. It was apparent she'd been trying to reach out since day one. "

"She didn't have to try that hard," Luca admitted, "she was impossible to ignore. Yes, she got in my head, but that's because it was already there. I was shoving all the guilt and shit down. Then she called, and I couldn't anymore."

"You had no reason to feel guilty," Leonardo said, "you owed me nothing."

"That's not true," Luca looked over, "I owe you my forgiveness."

"Luca.. no. I can't ask that of you."

"You have a bite," Luca noted as Leonardo's bobber went down.

"I don't care about that right now," Leonardo turned to gaze intently at his son. "I do not expect you to forgive me. What I did was unforgivable."

"I thought that," Luca took Leonardo's pole from him and pulled it up. The fish was gone, and so was the worm. He busied himself with rebooking it as he spoke. "... you did something horrible. I'll never understand it, and that's okay. I don't need to anymore. I can see how sorry you are."

"I dream every night about going back and somehow taking it back," Leonardo sighed, and Luca caught his eyes as he held him back his pole.

"I forgive you, dad," Luca said in a firm tone, "I am choosing to forgive you. Please accept it. Please."

"I don't deserve it.." his voice was shaky, and his eyes were watering with tears.

"The you then didn't, but then you now does" Luca argued. "Kit may have got me here. Initially, it was mostly for Andre, but you dad, I stayed for you."

"You stayed for her," Leonardo denied that with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, her too," Luca admitted, "But when I came back I could've stayed at the Harts. Hell I could've stayed away and tried to get Kit to come visit me in the city, tried a distance thing, but I didn't. I stayed here by you."

Leonardo looked up hope shining in his teary eyes, "you stayed for me too?"

"I wanted to mend us, this." Luca squeezed his shoulder, "will you let me?"

"There's nothing I want more, Luca."

Tears were free falling down Leonardo's eyes now, and Luca soon found himself crying as well.

"Look at us," Leonardo laughed through his tears, "the tough Donato men... when actually, we're just a couple of softies."

"Speak for yourself," Luca scoffed as he wiped his eyes dry.

"You know you're a big softie. Don't deny it!" Leonardo chuckled.

"Yeah," an image of that little redhead came to mind, and he smiled. "I think am."'

Leonardo's bobber went down again, and he focused on it this time. Luca watched closely, ready to help if need be, but despite his weakened state, Leonardo was able to reel it up. He's caught a medium-sized bass fish.

"What a beauty!" He exclaimed as he held it up.

"Hold it up, let me get a picture," Luca directed, and he snapped a photo of his beaming dad with the fish on his phone.

Later he'd set that as his Lock Screen, he decided.

They fished well into the afternoon, each catching a nice handful. Leonardo lit up every single time Luca got one. More so than when he did, he was genuinely proud of how Luca retained those skills he'd shown him all those years ago.

"Promise me something, son."

"What's that, dad?"

"Promise you'll take your kids fishing, and you'll tell them about me and our fishing trips."

"It's a little soon to talk about my future kids."

"Not with the way you two carry on." Leonardo teased.

"Seriously?" Luca groaned.

"Noise carries," Leonardo shot him a teasing look.

"If you tell her that, I'll kill you myself," Luca warned him.

"I'd never," Leonardo said.

"If you brought that up a month ago, I'd be halfway back to Sun City by now," Luca said with a dry smile.

"Kids?" Leonardo gave him yet another knowing look. "I don't think so; you always wanted a big family, like your cousins in Italy."

"Until I didn't anymore."

"You never stopped wanting; you just shoved your dreams behind your thick walls."

"Well, now I have to deserve it, Dad and I don't right now," Luca admitted, "but I'm going to. I'm going to make sure I'm a man that deserves her, somehow."

"You already do," Leonardo said, but Luca didn't believe it. He had a lot to do to prove himself worthy of her, but right now, he had to focus on his dad and their remaining time.

"I'll do your promise one better, though," Luca offered. "We'll go fishing every summer to honor you. Me, Kit, Andre, Carly, and any rugrats we happen to have will come along too."

A big smile spread over Leonardo's face, "That would make me so happy, Luca."

"Maybe you'll be there sometimes, with us, in a way," Luca's voice broke up a bit at that, but he held it together this time.

"You can bet I will," Leonardo agreed. "Listen, Luciano, learn from my mistakes. Let your kids be whoever they are and love them for it."

"I will," Luca swallowed thickly. "So, did you? Love me, despite me being the opposite of what you wanted?"

"Every second, Luca," Leonardo glanced over, "even in our darkest days, I always loved you and always will."

"Me too, Dad," Luca squeezed his hand. "me too."