Six hours after he'd ingested the ricin, Vincent had yet to move from his bed. His eyes were closed but the wracking pain ripping through his body kept him from sleeping. Even after his body metabolized the poison, it was still combating it to the full extend, tending the internal bleeding and upper respiratory damage. JT had called him just hours ago and told him everyone was making a full recovery, including cellular repair. They would have scars, but they would recover fully, and faster than himself.

"I always heard Doctors make the worst patients."

Vincent groaned internally. He hadn't heard her coming, hadn't been focused enough to listen for anyone. He opened his eyes and looked toward the door. Catherine stood across the room from him. Her hair was pulled into a messy pony; loose strands clung to her face. Her grey sweater and jeans were wrinkled around her body from sleeping in her clothe. Her eyes were red from limited sleep and tears, her lips held the faint hue of black from the charcoal. Vincent pushed himself into an upright position and reached for the shirt he'd tossed onto the floor.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." She teased.

Vincent forced himself not to smiled, but felt his ears warm. "Can't go around distracting you, can I? Why aren't you at the hospital with Jamie?"

"Tess offered to stay with him while I went home and changed." She explained.

"Then I won't keep you." Vincent said. He stood from the bed. His body ached, but he stayed on his feet.

Catherine folded her arms in front of her chest. "I know what you did Vincent. JT told me."

Vincent sighed and shook his head. He walked past Catherine toward the fridge. "So much for keeping secrets."

Catherine followed him. "I'm glad he did, because you obviously didn't care about your safety when you did it."

Vincent pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. "Like you haven't put yourself in danger to save your family."

Her eyes narrowed. "Not to this extreme, Vincent."

"What was I supposed to do? Sit around while my son slowly died of liver failure and watch his mother suffer the same fate?" Vincent replied. "The amount of ricin Jamie had should've killed him in those six hours, but by some miracle or curse, what Muirfield did to me saved him long enough for the antidote to come around."

"What if it hadn't worked Vincent? What if you had died?" Catherine asked.

"Then your problems with Muirfield die with me." He replied.

"You think Muirfield is my concern right now?"

"It should be."

"Well it's not!" Catherine said. "My concern is what I tell my son when he asks where his father is."

Vincent looked away from Catherine.

"What were you thinking?" she asked.

"I was thinking that I might not get the chance to talk to my son again!" He answered. "At least he knows his father cares about just as much as his mother does."

Catherine was quiet.

"So I'm sorry I put you on the spot again with Jamie. I'm sorry you're going to have to lie to him again. I'm sorry I poisoned myself to find a cure for those people." He ranted. "I only wanted to keep my family alive."

Catherine moved toward him before she realized it. She closed the gap between them within seconds; surprising both herself and Vincent when she placed both hands on either side of his face and kissed him for the first time in five years. Vincent's hands slowly dropped to her waist, after so many years she felt almost…foreign to him. But her feel, her scent, her taste, it all came back to him. Catherine leaned into him, gently running her thumb over his scar. Even in their weakened state, between the poisons and coal still lingering on her lips and his limited strength, that spark between them, that connected, it was still there Waiting for the right moment to revive.

Then the moment ended with the ringing of her phone. Vincent pulled away first, knowing it was most likely about Jamie. He walked around her and moved toward his bed. He forced himself not to act when he caught another hint of her scent as he passed.

Catherine reached into her pocket for her phone. "Chandler."

"Hey, Jamie just woke up again. I told him you went home to change, so he wants to talk to you." Tess said.

Catherine nodded. "Put him on."

"Mommy?" Jamie still sounded weak.

"Hi sweetie. How're you feeling?"

"Okay. When are you coming back?"

"Soon. I'm about to leave right now, do you want me to bring anything for you?" she asked.

"My blankie." He answered.

Catherine laughed. "Okay, blankie."

"Mommy, have seen daddy yet?"

Vincent kept his eyes on the ground, but he could feel Catherine's on him. "No. I haven't. I'll see you soon sweetie. I love you."

"Love you too."

Catherine hung up the phone.

"You better go. I wouldn't want to keep you from your son." He said, leaning back on his bed.

"Our son, remember?" Catherine replied. "And you should be there. You deserve to be there with him."

Vincent said nothing. He closed his eyes and listened as Catherine left the warehouse. He tried to get the feel of her lips out of his mind. He'd been far too careless since he returned. Not only had he jeopardized Catherine, but Jamie as well. He was pushing his luck and it was only a matter of time before it ran out. And when it did, Vincent would pay for any way Muirfield saw fit.

um...not sure what to say.