"Joanna, can I ask you a question?" Dana asked, walking into the James family kitchen and taking a cookie off the plate, where Joanna was putting freshly baked cookies.

"What is it, honey?"

"What's the deal with Colt?"

Joanna chuckled. "What did he say now?"

"Nothing. That's the problem," Dana answered, biting into the cookie.

"I thought Jesse said you and Colt were trying to work out your differences."

"Oh, we are. Were. I don't know. It's confusing." She frowned, puzzling over how well they'd gotten along the night before, their kiss, and his phone call that morning.

"Dana, it's going to take some time. You and Colt have been at each other's throats for such a long time. You can't expect much progress in such a little time," Joanna answered, hugging her. "But it's wonderful you two are finally trying to get along."

"I kissed him," Dana blurted out.

Joanna pulled back and looked at her bewildered. "Can you say that again? I don't think I heard you properly."

"Oh, you heard right. Why did I do that? God, I'm so stupid," Dana said, rubbing her forehead.

"Dana, do you have feelings for Colt?!" Joanna asked in shock.

"Yes. No. I don't know," Dana replied, dropping her butt onto the stool by the kitchen counter.

"Oh, dear. Well, what happened? How'd he react?"

"He kissed me back," Dana said dreamily.

"Really?" Joanna asked interestedly. "My, my, how things change," she said, shaking her head.

"But this morning, he acted like nothing happened," Dana complained.

"This morning?!" Joanna exclaimed. "You and he didn't ...."

"No!" Dana protested firmly.

Joanna clutched her heart."Oh, good."

"Geez, Joanna. We just talked all night. Fell asleep on the couch. Fully clothed, thank you," she explained and chewed on her cookie.

"And, you didn't bring it up to him this morning? Why he was acting like nothing had happened between you?"

"No," Dana grumbled, taking another bite out of her cookie miserably.

"Well, why not?"

"Because he was on the phone this morning telling someone how desperately he wanted to see her," Dana complained.

Joanna frowned."Well, that can't be right. Colt's not seeing anyone."

"How do you know?"

"Colt tells me everything. Just like you do. He would have told me if he was seeing someone. Even casually. And he hasn't in a very long time."

"Then who's Karen?" Dana demanded.

"Karen? Karen?" Joanna said thoughtfully. Her face lit up in understanding. "Karen... Morris?"

"I don't know. He just called her Karen," Dana grumbled and bit her cookie angrily again.

Joanna laughed. "Oh, sweetie. Karen's his psychiatrist!"

"His what?" Dana blinked.

"Karen Morris. She's his physiatrist. They went to high school together. She does an excellent job with him. She's one of those more earthy physiatrists. Doesn't like to give out the medications so easily. Colt won't take them. And she's so easy to talk to. I met her once or twice. She married Frank Morris. Remember him?" Joanna explained, going back to plating her cookies.

"Colt said the other day he had a 'hot date'. What was that all about then if he's not seeing anyone?"

"What day was that?" Joanna asked, not looking up from transferring cookies from the pan to the plate.

Dana frowned as she thought back."Tuesday, I think."

"Ah. Well, that would be his Visiting Day with Grammy James. It's her weekly bingo night. Colt goes there at least once a month to play with her. Sometimes more."

Dana groaned. She'd visited Grammy James in the nursing home frequently as well. She'd even run into Colt there a few times.

"I'm so stupid," Dana said, tossing the remains of her cookie on her plate.

"Oh, don't be silly. Misunderstandings happen in a relationship," Joanna told her easily.

"Colt and I are not in a relationship," Dana said, picking up her cookie again.

"But you would like to be?" Joanna prodded.

Dana shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. If he stops being a jerk and will talk to me."

"Give him time," Joanna told her, squeezing her hand. "He hasn't had an easy life. And talking about it is hard for him. If he'll talk about it at all. I doubt me and J.R even know half of what happened during his childhood." Her voice cracked at the end.

"Yeah, I know that now," Dana said, wiping tears out of her eye, remembering Colt telling her about how his father raped and murdered his mother and then tried to kill Colt.

Joanna hugged her and kissed her on the top of her head. "I'm so glad Colt finally confided in you." She looked down at Dana. "It must have been hard to hear."

Dana nodded. "I can't believe his father could do such a thing. What a monster."

"He's on Death Row. Did Colt tell you that?"

Dana shook her head. "He broke down a little after telling me. We didn't get too in depth about the whole thing."

Joanna squeezed her shoulder. "Thank you for being there for him."

"Of course," Dana said, wiping her hands on a napkin. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Joanna studied her for a moment before nodding. "So, you're coming for dinner tomorrow night, right?" Joanna asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Of course," Dana said, straightening in her seat. "I wouldn't miss my birthday dinner."

"I was hoping..." Joanna sighed.

Dana grabbed another cookie. "Fat chance. They're in Barcelona. They said maybe next week, we'll have dinner," Dana said. Joanna sighed. Dana shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I don't," She took another bite out of her cookie.

Besides, she knew she would get her traditional "secret admirer" vase of sunflowers at her front door to cheer her up.

Dana had been getting her favorite flowers on her doorstep for her birthday since she was nine years old.

She was convinced it was Joanna, despite year after year of her denying it.

Joanna was the only one that knew that sunflowers made Dana happy. The bright, yellow, petals bursting out of the dull, brown, round center always brightened her day. Her birthday especially.

Even before she ever got the real thing on her doorstep, she would just have to imagine the flowers, despite her loneliness, and she would feel better.

Receiving the real flowers on her birthday was the best thing ever. She looked forward to it every year. It made Dana feel loved and special.

Her parents never made her feel that way. It was nice that someone else cared enough about her that they would go to the trouble of delivering the flowers anonymously every year.

Dana said goodbye to Joanna, stealing a handful of cookies for the car ride home. Joanna shot her a fond look as she did so. Dana giggled feeling better already.