DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Hawaii Five-0" or any of its characters. However, I do own Maddie! :o)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to those of you that left reviews! I really appreciate it! I'm really excited for the next chapter. You'll start to see Maddie's stubbornness more and that she's a lot like Steve in many ways.

As always, thoughts are in italics. Also, you'll see Malia refer to an "ENT", which stands for an "ear, nose, and throat" doctor. I wanted to make sure you know what that meant. Singers all have ENT's that take care of them and are constantly checking on their vocal chords. Even when they're just sick with a cold.

Anyway, I would LOVE to hear more from you guys! Really want to know your thoughts on the story! Good or bad! It makes me update soooo much faster!

I just wanted to give some shout outs to some really awesome people!

PEACHES2010 - You and I are so similar...I want them to kiss too, but it has to be the perfect moment. You have to remember they've been best friends since they were 4 years old. They've always been there for one another. Been each other's rocks. To have more of a romantic relationship is a very scary decision for them to make. So it makes sense they'd be in denial over their feelings for one another. They just don't want to lose their friendship. I really love how excited you are! Thanks for your reviews!

OSCAR - I love seeing badass, macho Steve, but like anyone he has to have a vulnerable side. That's one of my favorite things about their relationship...Maddie is the one person that he can be that way with. Even then, it's not a ton, but it's there and it humanizes Steve, which I like. I had to write the story that way. I'm really glad you're on the same page with me there! Thanks!

KATIEMOOSE - You made my day with what you said! I'm so glad you love the story and the characters are coming alive for you. I work really hard at trying to make that happen when I'm writing the story, so it's nice to hear that it's working! Anxious to know what you think of everything since Chapter 8! I can't wait for you to find out who the creeper stalker is...I love that you enjoy the story enough to try and guess! It's a good guess, but of course...I don't want to ruin it for you and tell you who it is! :o) Thanks again for your kind words!

TEWKSGIRL - I agree! I think it's nice that Steve has someone he cares so deeply about! I mean Danny has Gracie and Rachael...why can't Steve have someone?

NCIS42 - I'm glad you're dying to figure out what's going on...I think as more things start happening and Maddie keeps trying to hide it all only to make things worse and dig herself a hole it'll have you really wanting to know what's going on! Anxious to know what you think of the new chapter!

EVE - I'm really REALLY glad you decided to leave me a review! It was awesome! I'm glad you're as invested in the story as I am...wanting to see how everything unfolds. I don't think you'll be disappointed! Please let me know what you think of this chapter!

ADAYUKI - Thanks for all your sweet reviews! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story!

FRANCIS2 - Thanks for always leaving me a review! It's so sweet! I agree, her stalker is a totally nutball whack-a-doo! You asked me how he got in her place in the first place...you'll find out the specifics, but I'll tell you one thing. Maddie hasn't been home in Hawaii in 6 months, which means her house has been empty. She does have someone that checks on it here and there, but that's it. When Steve moved back he started checking on it too and that will come up in either the next chapter or chapter 13. But that is part of the answer to your question. I won't tell you the other part because I don't want to ruin who the stalker is. I'm glad you're excited about the story and asking me questions about it! Feel free to any time! And please continue to let me know your thoughts on it!

NICLABELLE - Like I said in my private message to you, you really helped me out! I was kind of doubting myself...wondering if I was taking too long...so your review was just what I needed! THANK YOU! Please continue to let me know your thoughts on the story! Good or bad!

LIDIL - Thanks for all your sweet words! I can see why you'd think Maddie and Steve might not be a great couple...however, when you really get to know her...you might change your mind. I'm really anxious to see if you do. I love your honesty and miss your reviews! Where you at? haha Thanks again!

Anyway, I just wanted to respond to some of you! Let you know how much your words and thoughts mean to me! Enough rambling on my part...here's chapter 11!

Enjoy!

xo,

Laura

CHAPTER 11

An hour later Steve still had Maddie pulled tightly against him, her face buried in his chest when Pete walked into her bedroom. Smiling, he shook his head, staring at his two friends. "Friends my ass," Pete whispered. I wonder when they're going to figure out they're in love with one another? I mean, look at them! If they could only see how they are together, he thought to himself. Having an idea, he whipped out his phone, taking a picture of the two of them as he chuckled quietly, "Maybe seeing this will help McG face the truth." Before putting his phone back in his pocket he glanced at the time, remembering what Steve had told him about the conversation he'd had with Malia. Maddie still needed to be woken up, but not as often. I wonder if it's been an hour since they fell asleep? Probably pretty close to it….He's so tired, I'll wake her briefly, he decided.

Pete walked to the side of the bed Maddie was on, and took a seat on the edge. Reaching towards the middle of the bed – where they were snuggled together – he lightly shook her shoulder and leaned in towards her ear whispering, "Maddie…" He was doing his best to not wake Steve up, something difficult in this situation. He was sure Steve would be an incredibly light sleeper when next to Maddie, especially since he was so worried about her. At the sound of her name Maddie snuggled closer to Steve, making little sighing stretching noises in her sleep. Pete tried again and this time her eyes slowly opened. "Maddie, right here," he said to her. Turning her head to the right she came face to face with Pete. Feeling her move in his arms Steve's grip tightened on her in his sleep.

"Hey," Maddie smiled through sleepy eyes, her voice barely there. It was obvious she'd been in a pretty deep sleep leaving her incredibly groggy.

"I just needed to wake you up quickly. Dr.'s orders."

"Oh, ok."

"Since you're awake…I wanted to tell you your purse must still be at Five-0. I'll go run and get it really quickly."

"Okay," Maddie mumbled as her eyes began drifting closed and she turned back towards Steve. "Thanks Petey…"

"No problem. Be back soon Shorty," Pete whispered as he gently brushed his hand against the back of her head as he stood up. Walking towards the door he turned back to see Maddie snuggle into Steve, her head against his chest. In his sleep Steve felt her nestle against him and pulled her closer. Walking out he rolled his eyes grinning like a schoolboy. "Just friends, my ass. Just friends, my ass," he whispered.

PAGE BREAK

As Pete climbed into the black SUV, one of the cars they'd rented yesterday, he called Danny. "Hey Pete! Everything okay?" he answered.

"Yeah. Everything's fine," Pete replied.

"Does Steve still have aneurism face?" Danny joked.

Pete chuckled at the description of Steve's upset, irritated, and angry face. "I give you props for that description. It's definitely accurate!" Pete smiled before continuing on. "No, he can't stay mad at her for long. He did finally got her to sleep, which is a miracle in it's own. I've been trying for months now and nothing."

"That's good! So, there is someone in this world that can turn ninja boy into goo," Danny laughed.

"Yes, you do see a side of him when he's with her that you'll never see any other time. Anyway, yesterday in all the confusion Maddie's bag got left behind at your headquarters. I'm on my way to grab it…and I was hoping I could ask you for a favor?"

"Anything! What's up?" Danny replied.

"Well, this black SUV is a rental we used yesterday. I want to return it. Was hoping after I stop by HQ you could follow me while I drop this off and then take me back to the house?" Pete asked as he pulled to a red light not to far from Five-0 headquarters.

"Yeah! No problem, babe!" Danny answered. "I'm just pulling up to work. I'll see you when you get here and then we'll go."

"Great, thanks man! See you shortly," Pete thanked him.

"Alright, bye!"

Once the two new friends hung up, Pete began smirking. "Wait till I show them the photo I took of McG."

Ten minutes later Pete found himself staring at the marble floor of Five-0 headquarters flashbacks of the day before running through his mind. He was unable to see anything but the look on Maddie's face as she realized they'd set her up, only for her to drop to the floor 15 seconds later. He felt bad about the situation and he knew the second she was feeling better, he'd get an earful from her.

"You can't shake it from your head either?"

At the sound of the voice Pete glanced next to him seeing none other than Chin Ho Kelly standing beside him, arms crossed. "Yeah…the look on her face…"

"Yeah…I can't shake it either. But, we did the right thing, ya know…" Chin met his eyes nodding.

"No, I know…. It's just…. I've been with her practically every day for nearly 4 years. Sure, we argue here and there, but she's never looked at me like that before. She looked so hurt, so betrayed when she realized what we'd done."

"I know… " Chin paused. "How is she? She coherent? Alert?" Chin asked. Pete started laughing as he shook his head. A smile broke out on Chin's face. "Let me guess? She's driving him crazy?"

"Yeah, that's an understatement," Pete rolled his eyes grinning from ear to ear.

"What's an understatement?" Kono asked as she walked up to the two men, Lori beside her.

"Maddie…being…well, Maddie," Chin answered his cousin.

"So she's better today?" Kono asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"Yeah, she's better today. Not great, but better. Trying to convince everyone she's perfectly fine!" Pete answered.

"That's good…that she's doing better," Lori added, hoping that that would mean Steve would be coming in today.

"I'm sure boss LOVES that!" Kono sarcastically joked.

"Yeah, not so much!" Danny joined in. "You guys should have seen it. I dropped by there this morning and he had aneurism face like I've never seen before. He was sooo mad at her!"

"Why? What'd she do?" Lori asked, happy inside that maybe she was wrong about Maddie and Steve. If Steve was mad at her, they wouldn't be spending much time with one another.

"She had a work call this morning. So, while Steve was downstairs making coffee, she ripped her bandages off, pulled her IV out of her arm, took a shower and got dressed. She walked into the kitchen looking…well terrible. I mean she looked awful, which scared the hell out of Steve. He lost it," Pete relayed, rolling his eyes as he remembered the morning's events.

Chin and Kono laughed, knowing how stubborn Maddie could be. "And let me guess?" Chin said, "She didn't push his buttons at all."

Pete grinned. "No not at all," he answered sarcastically. "She does know the exact buttons to push with him and the perfect time to do it."

"So what happened once he took her upstairs?" Danny asked, curious to know how it all played out.

Lori's heart ached a little at the thought of Steve "taking her upstairs". He's just being a good friend Lori. Relax. He showed interest in you. Steve's not the kind of guy who would do that if he didn't really feel something, she told herself as she waited for Pete to answer.

"He bandaged her wounds up again and got her back in bed. That's all I know," Pete told them remembering how gentle his buddy had been with Maddie as he wrapped her hand up. That had been the only part he'd seen.

"But she's at least getting rest now right? I mean, from what it looked like yesterday, she needed to sleep like nobody I've ever seen before," Danny asked concerned. Pete only nodded, smiling as if he knew something he wasn't sharing. "What? What aren't you telling us?" Danny asked picking up on something.

Pete took out his phone, pulled up the picture of the two sleeping, and handed it to Danny.

Danny only shook his head smiling before passing it to Chin. "McGarrett…" Chin mumbled as he stared down at the picture. He is head over heels for her, he thought to himself as he smiled remembering how John McGarrett used to tell him how the two were soul mates.

Kono grabbed the phone from Chin wanting to see what was causing such a reaction from her teammates. Looking down at the photo, Kono smiled, inwardly cheering for her friend and boss. "Let me see," Lori said from her spot near Kono. Suddenly Chin and Danny's heads shot up as they made eye contact with one another. This is not gonna be good, they thought. Kono knew it as well, but what could she do? Not let her see the phone? That would be rude, not to mention look really suspicious, so she showed her the picture.

Lori did a good job acting as if it didn't bother her when her heart was breaking, although her teammates knew she was upset. "What a cute photo!" she lied before handing the phone back to Pete.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group before Danny finally broke it. "Here's her bag," I found it when I came in." He handed it to Pete. "You ready to go?"

Not exactly sure what had just happened and why there was a sudden awkward tension, Pete shrugged and nodded. "Thanks!"

As the two walked out of headquarters Chin and Kono went back to work while Lori walked to the women's restroom. Once she was safe inside a stall, she let the tears roll down her face.

Pete had been gone about an hour when Danny pulled up to the estate. "Thanks again for the help!"

"No problem," he smiled as Pete got out of the car. "Tell Steve I'll be by later to see how things are."

"Alright. Definitely!" And with that he shut the door and walked to the front door as Danny drove off.

Just as Pete grabbed a water from the refrigerator he heard a knock at the door. Brows furrowed in confusion he thought, I don't remember anyone supposed to come over right now. Reaching for the sidearm he kept as his waist he unsnapped the holster and walked to the front door. Peering out the window he smiled at Malia, shaking his head at his paranoia and opened the door. Noticing him snap his holster closed, Malia said, "Expecting someone else?"

Embarrassed, Pete shook his head, motioning for her to come in. "No. Just…she's been so weird the last few months she's got me kind of jumpy. Plus, it's my job to always expect the worst. There's some real weirdos out there."

"I totally understand." As they entered the kitchen she set her bag on the counter. "So, how are things? Where's Steve?"

"Things are…alright. They've settled down since this morning….Steve's upstairs with Maddie."

Malia smiled brightly, "Let me guess? He hasn't let her out of his sight?"

Pete laughed. "You know him well." Pete looked at his watch. "It's perfect you're here actually. It's about time to wake her up for a second anyway. You wanted every hour, right?"

"Yeah….Well then, I'll head up there." Malia reached for her bag, but ever the gentleman Pete got to it first.

"I got it."

"Thanks Pete!"

As they entered Maddie's room Pete saw the two hadn't moved at all. Malia saw the sight before her and glanced over, meeting his eyes they shared a knowing look. "I know Malia. I know."

As Pete set the bag down next to the side of Maddie's bed it made a small noise. Steve woke up and instinctively reached for his weapon on the nightstand pointing it in the direction of the noise, not realizing who it was. "Relax McG! It's just us!" Pete hissed.

McGarrett immediately put the gun back on the nightstand. "I'm sorry. You scared me."

"Sorry," Malia muttered trying to recover from the fact she'd just had a gun pointed at her.

"No don't be. I'm a little jumpy. Anyway, thanks for coming," Steve said before leaning down to Maddie. "Hey…Mads…wake up." He gently shook her, which was what got her to open her eyes.

"Hmmm?" Maddie groaned.

"Malia's here. Gonna check you over," Steve whispered to her.

"Hey girlie! How are you feeling?" Malia asked her friend.

Taking a second to respond Maddie rubbed her eyes before turning over on to her back so she could see the doctor. "Honestly? Pretty crappy…"

Noticing the IV was no longer hooked to her she looked at Steve with a questioning look. Shaking his and rolling his eyes he said, "Yeah, someone decided to try and be a badass and pull it out of her arm. Unwrapped her bandages, took a shower, got dressed, and strolled downstairs.

"Yeah, and you overreacted, tattletale!" Maddie added.

"Hey!" Steve cried, mouth open as he stared at her.

The look on his face was too cute, she couldn't keep the small smile at bay. "Well, you seem to be a little more like your old self, so that's a good sign. However, I can still tell you're dehydrated. I can see it in your lips especially. You pretty much finished the one bag of saline from yesterday. Did you pee?"

Maddie's eyebrows furrowed. This was weird to answer in front of the boys. Understanding her reluctance, Malia looked towards the men. Shoulders slumped, Steve said, "We'll be downstairs." He looked to Maddie, "I'll be right back."

Once they were gone, Malia looked back to her friend. "So…"

"No, I didn't pee. What a weird question, Malia."

"Well, it just tells me how bad you needed the fluid. It's a good sign when you finally pee. I got your test results this morning. You are really dehydrated. I'm going to give you another bag of fluid. Also, a lot of your levels are low. Like your vitamin B, vitamin D, etc. Just need to get more rest and eat a little better. The biggest thing was just the dehydration. Everything else can be attributed to the exhaustion."

"Okay, thanks Malia."

"I'd stay either in bed or on the couch for the next 3 or 4 days. Get some fresh air starting tomorrow, but just a bit. Maybe go out for a good lunch, but then go back home."

"Three or four days, huh?" Maddie repeated.

"Yeah." Noticing the funny look on her face, Malia asked, "Why? Is that a problem?"

"Nope. Not at all," she lied. There's no sense in telling her right now that that's not gonna happen. She'll just tell Steve and he'll get upset and just worry about me more. I'll make sure to get a ton of rest before tomorrow afternoon. That way when he does find out about the deal I made this morning, I'll be much more rested and looking better, Maddie thought to herself.

"Okay, great. Because it's imperative you rest for AT LEAST that length of time, probably longer. Anyway…I'm going to look at the cuts. Make sure nothing's looking infected after your little stunt this morning. But first I'm going to do some easy neurological tests on you. The same ones I did yesterday, if you remember?"

To be honest, Maddie only remembered bits and pieces from the day before and most of it was foggy anyway. "No, but that's alright," she said wincing a bit as Malia helped her sit up, a movement that caused the nausea to increase. Closing her eyes she breathed in and out, hoping it would pass without her throwing up.

Seeing how terrible Maddie still felt, Malia said, "I'll be quick about all this. That way you can get back to sleep and sleep through this discomfort."

Steve was getting antsy and anxious in the kitchen waiting for Malia to be done. "It's been a while. Do you think maybe something's wrong with Maddie?" he asked his longtime friend.

Hearing McGarrett's concerns as she descended the stairs Malia answered for Pete. "She's doing better. Still really dehydrated. I put a new IV in. I was forced to use a different vein, which took me awhile to find, because she blew that one when she pulled the IV out herself. That's why it's bothering her so much. If it seems to really be giving her discomfort you can put some ice on it."

"Okay, great!" Steve replied, listening intently to Malia.

"I checked all the cuts. Not just the bad ones on her hand and foot. She definitely irritated them, but the ones on her legs are probably the worst. They aren't infected, which is good. Now, her hand and foot…you cleaned them really well. Which was a good thing. Again, they look irritated, but aren't infected. She shouldn't walk too much on her foot. That one is the one that could get infected the easiest because of sweat and stuff. I told her to not have a sock on her right foot all the time."

"Okay, we'll make sure she stays off it," Pete said.

"I got her blood results back this morning. Things weren't terrible, except the dehydration. It's really good we got her here when we did. In another day, she probably would have needed to be hospitalized for it. But as long as she keeps that IV in, things will be fine. Also, I know she's still really nauseous, but it'd be good to start trying to get some food and liquids in her. Maybe start with some 7up or Gatorade. See how she tolerates that. The electrolytes will help with everything."

"Do we even have either of those in the house?" Pete asked.

"Yeah, I got both 7up and red Gatorade, her favorite flavor, at the store the other day," Steve answered. "Anything else? How's her head?" he asked Malia.

"Um, it's better than yesterday. I mean she's able to have a conversation with you, which is a vast improvement from yesterday. She did suffer a pretty serious concussion, so she still needs to be woken up. For the next 12 hours, wake her every hour. If things are still improving at the end of the 12 hours you can go to every 2 hours for the next 12 hours. At around noon tomorrow, if she hasn't vomited for 12 hours then you can stop waking her up. It's okay if she's still nauseous, just as long as she isn't still throwing up. If she is, you need to keep waking her up or if it hasn't been 12 hours, you need to wake her up until it has been. Does that make sense?" Malia asked.

"Yes, it does. It just keeps her from getting really good sleep because just as she's falling into a deep sleep, I have to wake her up," Steve expressed his concern.

"I understand, and that is true. But she still is getting a little rest. As soon as she hasn't vomited for 12 hours, you can leave her be."

"Okay," Steve sighed.

"There were some other things that were low in her blood test…" Steve's eyes immediately widened in worry. "Don't worry, nothing too serious. She just needs to eat a bit better. Healthier. A lot of the abnormalities are because of her exhaustion. She needs to rest for AT LEAST 3-4 days. However, I think a good 5 days, would be the best for her. She doesn't have to be in bed the entire time. Even if she's laying on the couch watching a movie. I did tell her she should get a little fresh air each day, but starting tomorrow. Maybe go for a nice lunch and then come right back and rest."

"Yeah, don't worry. She's getting that rest. At least a week's worth," Steve assured her.

"Great!" Malia smiled at him. It's so sweet how much he cares about her, she thought.

"She's been in a lot of pain. Her body hurts from the fall and the glass. Is there anything you can give her for that?" Steve asked, hating to see Maddie in any kind of discomfort.

"Yeah," Malia pulled out a bottle of pain pills she'd had filled for Maddie and handed them to Steve. "However, she can't take these until you don't need to wake her up anymore. Until the vomiting has been gone for 12 hours. But until that point, you can give her some Tylenol or Advil. I don't know how much of a difference that'll make for her, but you can definitely try it. You might want to try and get her to eat a little something before taking it though. And she should definitely take the pain pills with food or they'll upset her stomach."

"Okay, thanks Malia," Steve smiled already feeling much more relaxed about Maddie's current state.

"Oh and one other thing. I noticed how she barely has a voice, so I checked it out a bit. Of course I'm not an ENT, but I could tell that her loss of voice is just from the exhaustion and overuse."

"Okay great! The last thing Maddie needs right now is to have something go wrong with her vocal chords," Steve sighed.

"Yeah, definitely! Well I have to get back to the hospital. I'm glad she's doing better. You're taking excellent care of her, Steve. She's lucky to have you! Both of you! " Steve's face flushed a bit at the compliment. He began walking her to the front door and out to her car, carrying her supply bag for her. "I'll call you later to check in. Please don't hesitate to call me with any questions. And again, if she doesn't wake up when you try, call 9-1-1 first and then me."

"Okay. I will!" Steve set her bag in the backseat of her car before pulling her into a hug and thanking her. "Thanks so much for everything Malia! I really appreciate this, and I know Maddie does too."

"Maddie and I have become good friends. I'm happy I could help!" She told him. "I'll talk to you later!" Malia said as she climbed in the drivers seat.

"Great! Thanks again! Drive safe!" And with that she closed the door and drove off.

Steve had grabbed a baby can of 7up from the fridge before heading upstairs to Maddie, Pete right behind him.

It had been more than thirty minutes since Malia had left Maddie alone in her room and both men figured she'd be asleep. As they neared her door they heard strange noises coming from her bedroom. Pete immediately recognized them, however Steve had no idea what was going on. He hurried into the room, the worry Malia had eased away with her assurance that Maddie would be okay now returning.

Steve's heart broke at the sight before him. Asleep, Maddie was tossing and turning, her blankets thrown every which way as tears streamed down her face. Steve turned to Pete, "nightmare?" he whispered. Pete sadly nodded.

"Nooo…don't," Maddie whimpered in her sleep. Both knew they should wake her up. In fact, Steve was fighting not to run to her and hold her, but he was hoping she'd reveal something that could help him figure out what she was hiding. What she was protecting him from.

Turning to Pete he asked, "It's always like this?"

"Yeah, sometimes worse."

"How often?" Steve wondered.

"Every time she goes to sleep."

"It hasn't happened once since yesterday. That's not normal?"

"No, but it was probably because of the trauma yesterday. She's more alert today," Pete guessed. "Or maybe," However Pete didn't get to finish as Maddie let out a scream.

"That's it!" Steve cried, placing the soda on her nightstand before he sat on the bed and reached for her. "Maddie, shhh…wake up baby!" He rubbed the side of her head soothingly as he pulled her to him. Maddie's eyes flew open, wide with fear as tears fell from them. "Hey baby! It's me. You're safe!" She grabbed his t-shirt in her fists and burrowed into his chest. Rubbing her back, Steve continued to tell her everything was okay. That it was just a nightmare.

Pete had gone into the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth, and run it under cold water. By the time he came out Maddie had calmed down and was no longer burrowed in Steve's chest. "Here McG!" he said handing it to his buddy. Steve immediately placed it on Maddie's forehead as she stared at him, tears still falling from her eyes.

"Sorry guys," Maddie mumbled embarrassed Steve had seen her have one of the nightmares she knew Pete had told him about. Great! He's just getting more and more worried and concerned. I can see it in his face. Way to go Maddie! she thought, annoyed with herself.

"No, don't ever apologize for something like this Mads," Steve told her. "What happened? What had you so scared?"

Knowing she was embarrassed and didn't want to talk about it right then, Pete changed the subject. "Sorry to interrupt, but Shorty, I'm gonna go unload the plane before it heads out. But I just wanted to give you your purse before I left," he smiled placing her big, black Balenciaga bag on the bed next to her.

Pulling out of Steve's embrace Maddie leaned forward giving Pete a big hug. "Thanks so much Petey."

"No problemo," he replied as they pulled out of the hug. "Alright, I better get going." Turning to Steve he said, "Call me if you need anything. Anything at all."

"Great! Thanks P!" Steve answered, anxious to be alone with Maddie and see what he could find out about the nightmare.

Once Pete left, he reached for the abandoned 7up and opened it. "Here baby…" Shaking her head Maddie crinkled her nose and made a face. "Come on…just a sip or two. It'll help you, I promise!" Knowing he wasn't going to take no for an answer she took 3 small sips and then handed it back to him. "See, was that so hard?" Steve asked, smiling at her.

Maddie shook her head slightly, a movement that caused it to throb, not to mention make her a bit dizzy. Seeing the changed expression on her face and knowing she didn't feel well he said, "Let's get you all snuggly again, so you can get back to sleep." Her only response was getting out of the sitting position in bed and lying back down. Maddie still hadn't said anything since Pete left. She was too distracted by the nightmare she'd had. Why do they have to be so realistic? she wondered. Steve always looks like he's dead in them. And the man is so creepy.

As Maddie laid in bed unable to think of anything except the nightmare, Steve got out of bed walking from side to side fixing the sheets and blankets that were twisted and falling off the bed from Maddie thrashing about. Finally getting her all tucked in he reached for her right arm to make sure she hadn't accidentally pulled the IV out when she was tossing and turning. Seeing all was well, Steve walked to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Once he had gotten comfortable on his right side he reached for Maddie, pulling her close to him. Seeing her so bothered and distracted he asked, "Wanna talk about it? What was it about?"

For the first time since Pete left Maddie spoke, "It's nothing. No big deal." However, he knew she was lying.

Knowing it was a terrible idea to push her right now, Steve sighed rubbing her back in a soothing manner. "Let's get some rest. Everything's okay. I'm right here…" Maddie listened and closed here gorgeous blue eyes. A few tears would escape from them every so often and run down her face. Although he couldn't see them when her face was snuggled into his chest, he could feel his white t-shirt slowly getting wet. After a few minutes he could feel her breathing begin to even out as she started to drift off. Bending his head down he kissed the top of her head whispering, "Everything's okay baby. You're safe."

Feeling his own eyes getting heavy Steve reached for his phone and set an alarm to go off every hour so he could wake her up.

Thanks for reading! Again, please, PLEASE, PLEASE... REVIEW!

Looking forward to hearing from each and every one of you!

xoxo