The early morning sun gleamed through Della's hospital room. Perry was deep in thought and had been since dawn as he stood across the room and watched Della sleep. 'Beautiful' he thought, 'she's simply beautiful…and I've likely lost her.'

How was he ever going to find the words to tell her he knew about the threat? How was he ever going to apologize enough for the hurt he had caused her and the danger he had placed her in? Every time he remembered asking her if she trusted him, he heard her words, "With my life" and felt a stab of physical pain. Now, he felt he had broken that trust. He had failed to protect her and the many scenarios spinning in his head about what Marlow possibly did to her quickened his pulse and made it impossible for him to stay still for long. Would he feel this way…feel he had broken Della's trust if he had gotten to Marlow before Marlow had gotten to her? Possibly, but he still would have been left with explaining the lie. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked towards the window. 'Paul's right. She's going to be very angry. She really has every right to be… but what if she leaves me? Trust is so important in any relationship. Yes…she'll leave me and I will be lost without her." The thought of a life without Della was too much to fathom.

The early morning sun was a little too bright for Della. She brought her hand up to help shield her eyes as she tried to wake up. Then, she slowly stretched her legs and back, but winced in pain from the pull placed upon her stitches. Not feeling Perry's reassuring hold on her legs from the night before, she gingerly sat up and looked around the room. She found him looking out the window…his hands shoved in the pockets of his much wrinkled pants…his shirt very rumpled and the profile of his face showing a fair amount of stubble. She studied him for a moment. Obviously, he was lost in thought because he had not heard her stirring in the bed. He had dark circles under his eyes that the morning sunlight accentuated. She knew she must look dreadful so, before trying to get his attention, she ran her fingers through her hair in a blind attempt to smooth it out. She also ran her fingers under her eyes and rubbed her cheeks to pick up some color.

"Good Morning" she said and smiled warmly.

Perry turned around quickly to face her. His expression wiped the smile from her face. "Perry?" she asked in a concerned tone.

He did not reply, but walked briskly across the room to the bed…never breaking eye contact with her as he did so. He sat on the edge… looked deeper into her questioning eyes for a lingering moment and, being mindful of her injuries, pulled her body into his. She offered no resistance. His embrace felt warm and wonderful. She suddenly felt as if she hadn't been held by him in years and wrapped her arms, as best she could, around him.

Her return of affection was too much to bear and he buried his face into her neck as he choked back tears.

"Della…Della…I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, please" he whispered into the nape of her neck. His lips parted and left soft kisses on her skin which sent a surge of passion through her body. She felt as if she would melt right there.

"Forgive you for what?" she asked as she held onto him and ran her hand up and down his back in a petting motion.

He reluctantly released her, stood up, and walked a few feet away.

"Perry…forgive you for what?" she asked with a great deal of concern.

He turned back to face her, rubbed his right hand up and down his chin, but struggled for the words as he stared at the ground. 'This is it' he thought, 'I'm about to lose her…maybe forever.'

"It's all my fault Della…because…" He couldn't finish the sentence. Della could not bear to see his pain.

"I forgive you" she said quietly.

The simple sentence snapped him back to reality. Their eyes met again, only this time, it was he who had the questioning eyes.

"You don't know what you're talking about Della. If you only knew…" Perry stated as he sat back down on the bed.

"I know, Perry. I know everything" she said as she reached out and took his hand in hers. The expression on her face said it all.

"How?" he asked almost inaudibly.

"For torture, he recorded his ransom call to you and made me listen to it. When he said he was right when he told you I was quite delicious, I realized he must have contacted before and I began questioning him. In the end, we both found something out: I found out you and Paul knew he had threatened me and that you had intentionally lied to me and he found out I never knew I was in danger."

Perry sat motionless and again had to choke back tears when he spoke. The emotional roller coaster…the guilt…his relief at her safety…his fear of her reaction to the truth…and his physical fatigue made it near impossible to keep his emotions in check.

"I just wanted to protect you. I know now I never should have lied to you."

"I understand all of that" she replied. "But, damn it Perry, do you understand that I could have handled it?" She was really trying not to let her anger return. She wanted this behind them so they could move on with their relationship and the future.

Perry said little as a new battle surfaced in this mind. "Yes…you could have handled the truth."

"Who was he?" she asked.

"Harry Marlow" replied Perry.

"Harry Marlow?" Della sat for a moment trying to place the name.

"From the Orchids Unlimited Case…he was the Petunia King and I had him put away on extortion charges. Well…he got out and immediately sought

revenge against me for sending him to jail…"

"…and causing him to lose everything" Della interrupted, "I thought he looked familiar when he…well when he would come into the room and…talk to me." She forced the last words out with a cold hatred Perry was not used to hearing in her voice and the fears he'd expressed to Paul in the emergency room break room crept back into his mind.

"So…that's why I had orchids all over my office? It was his idea of a sick threat which is why you wanted them all gone…and, I'm assuming Paul…since you were with me all night and morning…added a different note than what probably came with the flowers?"

"Yes" replied Perry… feeling another twinge of guilt at this further deception. Della let out a deep sigh. Perry looked at the ground and wondered again if she was going to ultimately leave him. Now was as good as a time as ever to ask her about the other problem on his mind.

"Della…I want to ask you something, but it's…well…it's rather delicate in nature and you don't have to answer me but…"

"What is it?" Della replied. She was confused as to why his face had suddenly taken on a red hue to the cheeks and his neck now looked splotchy.

Perry took Della's hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. He was relieved she did not pull away. Again, the tenderness of his lips on her skin sent a surge of passion through her and she wondered how long they would have to wait before they could be together again.

"Umm…well what I want to know is, when I found you and Marlow was..." Perry stumbled over his words. "You see, you were in that blue gown and I know he had to have stolen it because…well…I remember where we left it…that night… so he took it and made you put it on…did he…" Perry cleared his throat and tried to continue.

Slowly, she understood the question he was struggling with and a fresh wave of love for him washed over her.

"No" she replied firmly. Perry looked up from the ground and saw a fire in her eyes that was not there before. It was a fire lit by the flame of anger…not just anger at what Marlow had tried to do to her, but also anger over the additional agony she now realized Perry had endured as he wondered if she had been raped.

"Did he hit you?" A new wave of color flooded Perry's cheeks.

"Yes" she replied quietly. Perry brought his hand to her face and traced the busted lip and bruising on the side of her face with his finger. "So, this is definitely my fault." Then, he took a deep breath and quickly looked away from her.

"Hey," she said very softly as she took her hand, placed it on his chin, and turned his face towards hers.

"How can you forgive me, Della? I can't forgive myself" Perry choked the words out.

"Because…we've danced around our attraction to one another for a very long time…each of us too scared of messing up our working relationship or scared we were misreading each other's signals. Marlow's goal was to destroy us and thus destroy you too, but all he really did was bring us together and give us what we've wanted all along. Yes, I was angry you lied when I first found out, but much of that anger was quickly replaced with understanding. Your intentions with the lie were good… you thought you were protecting me. Perry, I really do understand why you did it. I've already forgiven you. You must let go of this guilt."

"You're not going to leave me, are you?" Perry asked. It took everything he had to maintain his composure as he uttered this question.

"Leave you?" she asked incredulously. Della sat up on her knees very carefully and walked on them a couple of steps across the bed until she was sitting inches from Perry. She rested back on her knees and looked deeply into his eyes.

As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears. "You told me to hold on and I held on for you. You begged me not to leave you…and I did not leave. I would never leave you Perry Mason. I can't live without you either. Don't you know that? I love you. I love you so much. I loved you from the first time I saw you. You're all that matters. It's always been you. It will always be you. I'm sorry I didn't act on it sooner either. I love you more than anything in the world. God…please don't take this man from me."

"Amazing" He whispered as he realized she'd given her own version…her own answers to every plea and every prayer he'd uttered from the time she was shot until the time she was unloaded and taken into the hospital emergency room. He thought she was unconscious, but she'd heard it all.

She gave him a soft smile and wrapped one arm around his neck and the other carefully around his waist as she laid her upper body across his lap.

He cradled her almost like one would cradle a baby and returned her smile with one of his own.

"My God, I love you" Perry exclaimed quietly as, simultaneously, their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss that neither ever wanted to end.