Jonathan glared at him and then looked at Jennifer.

"I think I'll go take a walk".

He got up and stalked out of the room.

Chris looked at Jennifer.

"If this is a bad time…"

"No, it's alright. Come on in".

He came in and sat down on the end of her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Alive, thanks to you".

"My pleasure".

"I have some smoke inhalation and some minor burns, but that's the worst of it. I cannot thank you enough for carrying me to safety, I really appreciate it. And I apologize for my husband's rudeness towards you."

"It's alright. I suppose if I was married to you and he tried to steal you away from me, I wouldn't be very happy with him either."

"Yes, but there's no excuse for rudeness. Thank you for helping find me."

"You don't owe me any thanks. I was in the right place at the right time. I'm so glad I could be of help, even though Jonathan thinks I'm not useful".

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. 100%".

"Great, I'm so glad".

"I can't believe Davy did all that".

"Yeah, it's a long story. Did you know that he killed Brandon?"

"He killed Brandon? I thought Brandon committed suicide".

"Nope, he killed Brandon and then he buried the gun on my father's property. He showed up to your party with a mask on that made him look like an older Brandon, and everyone just assumed he was one of the husbands. And he ransacked your office, looking for a copy of Pa's will. He also started sending me flowers with unsigned cards, and he admitted to me that he hacked into your web server and copied your IP address and did all these things to Jonathan's company to make it look like you did it. He did all this because he wanted some jewels that my father left me. But when I offered to give them to him, he wouldn't take them."

"I am so sorry he did all that to you".

"I am too. I really considered him a friend. I never dreamed that an inheritance would cause this much chaos."

"Well, this is just as good a time as any for me to tell you that I have decided to make a change in my life. I am moving to Boston, to work for a law firm. My practice is for sale and I'll be moved within a month".

"Boston? Well, I must say, I'm not surprised. Hill Haven isn't a forever place. You are more of a big city guy than a small town boy. You will do just fine in Boston, I'm sure of it. I'm so happy for you".

"Thank you". He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"I'm going to go now, so you can rest. I'll send you a postcard with my new address when I get settled".

"Please do. And thanks again, for saving me".

"Anytime, Sparkles". He had an embarrassed look on his face.

"It's ok, I kind of like Sparkles".

He kissed her cheek again and then he left.

Jennifer leaned over and grabbed the phone.

She called Max.

"Hi Max, it's me".

"Mrs. H., are you ok?"
"I'm fine. Listen, can you do me a favor? Can you pack me a bag with a nightgown and an outfit for tomorrow? In the top drawer of my nightstand you'll find a pair of gray wide-legged knit pants. And just grab a long sleeved t-shirt out of the second drawer and some fresh underwear out of my lingerie drawer, if you don't mind. And some socks and my tennis shoes, and a brush, please".

"Sure thing, Mrs. H."

"And can you bring it tonight? I'm at Cedars, room 528. And when you get here, you can take Jonathan home with you. He needs a good ear boxing".

"I'll see you soon, Mrs. H."

She hung up the phone and tried to rest.

Jonathan came back a few minutes later.

She opened her eyes as he was climbing into the bed.

"Have a nice walk?"

"Have a nice chat with your friend?"

She turned and gave him a pointed look.

"Actually yes, I did. I apologized for your rudeness and thanked him for saving me and we had a nice conversation".

"You did what?"

"He told me about how you told him he wasn't useful. How could you say that to him? He is very intelligent".

"Jennifer-for all I knew at the time, he was working with Davy. And we still don't know that he wasn't".

"Jonathan, I love you, you know that. But you need a major attitude adjustment. You punched Herschel, one of the best friends you have, for God's sake. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I had lost you, and that it was his fault. If he had gotten there before the fire started, he could have gotten the door opened and saved you".

"He's a policeman. Did it ever occur to you that he had other police things to do? He works for the city, Jonathan, he doesn't work for you and me exclusively".

"I just wanted to save you. And if I couldn't do it, I needed someone else to".

"And yet you won't say thank you to the one person who did".

"Because I don't trust him. And I don't like him, either".

"This isn't about trust, and it isn't about like. It's about being grateful that because of him, I'm ok. Because of him, I'm in this bed, arguing with you".

"You are my wife, not his. It was my responsibility, not his".

"Do you really want to have a pissing contest with him right now?"

He didn't say anything.

The nurse came in to check her vitals and take her temperature.

"Can I please take a shower?"

"Certainly. I will put some waterproof bandages on your burns and then you can do just that".

"Here, let me help you".

"No thank you."

The nurse took her into the bathroom and helped her get a shower, while Jonathan sat on the bed and aimlessly watched Tv.

Max showed up with her bag.

She emerged from the bathroom in a hospital gown and saw Max on the couch.

"Oh Max, I'm so glad you are here".

She walked to the bed and opened her bag and got out a nightgown and then went to the bathroom to change.

When she emerged, she went over to Max and hugged him.

"Thank you for coming, I appreciate it".

"Sure thing, Mrs. H."

Just as she climbed back into bed, Herschel showed up.

"Up for a visitor?"

"Sure, come on in".

Jonathan didn't say a word.

"I think I'll take another walk". He leaned over and kissed Jennifer on the forehead and then left the room.

"Max?"

"I'm on it, Mrs. H. We will see you tomorrow".

"Thank you".

Max left the room and Herschel sat down.

"Herschel, I heard that Jonathan punched you. I'm really sorry, I don't know what got into him".

"It's alright. No hard feelings".

"That's very kind of you".

"I came by to get your statement. And also to tell you that the firemen were able to rescue Davy Wilson from the property, but he never regained consciousness. He's downstairs, on life support. They are contacting his next of kin and deciding whether or not to donate his organs".

"That's a shame".

"So, if you want to give me your statement now, I can record it and then have it messengered to the house for you to sign".

"How far back do you want to go?"

"As far back as you think necessary".

She took a deep breath and drank some water and then told him everything-Brandon's murder, the jewels, and the events of the day.

After she was done, he turned off the tape recorder.

"Thank you, Jennifer. I am going to type this up, I'll send it to you to look over and sign, and then I will close the case."

"Thank you. And even though he isn't acting like it, I'm sure Jonathan thanks you too".

"Duly noted. Try and get some rest, ok?"

She nodded.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the door opened. Susan Kendall came in.

"Hi, what are you doing here?"

"Jonathan called me. He was upset. He said you were forcing him to go home and he didn't want you to be alone so he wanted to know if I would mind coming to keep you company".

"That was sweet".

She climbed up in the bed and Jennifer recounted everything.

"He's just not acting like himself".

"You know, I think this might be the first time that he really and truly thought you were going to die. And for all intents and purposes, it was happening in right in front of him. And he loves you so much, that he would just as soon kill himself than live without you".

"I don't expect him to take Chris to a Ram's game or buy him a car or anything like that. He doesn't even have to like him. I just want him to tell him thank you and to stop acting like such a jackass".

"Men. Can't live with them, and unfortunately, we can't shoot them either".

Jennifer cracked a smile.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, just out of sorts. I have some burns on my legs and I had some smoke inhalation. And I'm sad, because I found out right before you came in that the person who did this to me, who I grew up with, isn't going to make it".

"Well, that is tragic. But at least you don't have to go through a trial".

"Good point. Herschel said they were trying to decide if his organs could be donated".

"Tell me something-do you know if he had burns?"

"I expect he had some, but I don't know. I was rescued before him".

"Well, if he had as much smoke inhalation as I thought, then his lungs aren't donatable. As long as his burns weren't too extensive, his other organs might be".

They chatted till Jennifer fell asleep, and then Susan quietly left her a note and slipped out of the room.

***Jonathan***

Max tried to talk to Jonathan all the way home, to no avail.

He wasn't budging.

"Maybe a good night's sleep will help you see the error of your ways."

"Error of my ways? Since when is loving my wife so wrong?"
"Since you started acting like a jackass. She never said you had to like Chris. She never said you had to become friends with him. She just wanted you to say thank you to him, for saving her life. And the fact that you won't makes her feel like she isn't important to you, like you couldn't have cared less if she died or not. And like it or not, if he hadn't been there to carry her out of the building, she likely would have".

"Fine."

"And hitting your friends, Mr. H.? That ain't you. You're better than that."

"Max, I called him and asked him to come. He didn't. If he had shown up earlier, he could have gotten the lock open and he could have saved her before the building caught fire".

"I understand that. But it is what it is and it ain't what it ain't. And what it ain't is his fault. Did you ever stop and ask him why he didn't get there earlier?"

"No, because it doesn't matter. He should have been there".

"He's a cop, Mr. H. He has to protect the whole city, not just this house".

Jonathan sighed.

"Fine. I'll go back to the hospital and apologize to Jennifer."

"No. You are going to go to bed and you can apologize to her in the morning. She wants to sleep tonight and she said she will talk to us in the morning".

He went upstairs without another word.

***The next day***

Jennifer was asleep when Jonathan came in. He put the flowers on her bedside table and leaned down and kissed her.

She woke up and smiled at him.

"Hi".

"Hi. How are you feeling?"

"Good, I guess".

He came around and climbed into the bed next to her.

"Sweetheart, we have a lot of things and a lot of privileges and we've had a lot of successes and we live a very good life. But absolutely none of it means anything to me if I don't have you. And when I saw you through that window and you were tied up and I couldn't get to you right away, it hurt me. And then I watched the building you were in go up in flames and I didn't think I would get you out and the firemen told me that nobody could go in, not even them, and it just about killed me. I don't want to live without you for one whole second, much less a day or even a week. And the thought of having to live without you for years was staring me right in the face. So, yeah, I may have lost my head where Herschel is concerned. And maybe I could have been nicer to Chris. But I shouldn't have been so short with you, and for that I'm sorry".

She puckered her lips for a kiss.

"Jonathan, hear me out. If Chris hadn't been there to carry me out, I might not have been able to get out. And if I mean as much to you as you say, then regardless of your feelings for him, you should be thankful that someone, anyone, was there to carry me out".

"You're right. I'm sorry".

"Herschel came by last night and got my statement. He said no hard feelings".

Jonathan grimaced.

"He also said Davy wasn't going to make it".

"What a shame".

"Jonathan, don't be like that. Before all this happened, he was a very good friend to me before I met you".

"I don't care-he had no right to kidnap you, and hold you hostage in a burning building and to try and steal your inheritance".

"I'm not saying that he did. But I don't think he was in his right mind".

Just then, the doctor came in. They did the breathing test on Jennifer again and changed her bandages.

After the doctor left, Jennifer turned to Jonathan.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly".

"When did you become so closed minded?"

"I'm not closed minded".

"You certainly aren't acting open minded".

"Jennifer-I love you. And someone tried to steal you from me and almost got you killed in the process. And they also tried to take my company. Do you realize that if Davy had succeeded, we could be broke right now?"

"Who cares? Money isn't everything, Jonathan".

"No, but it helps to have a comfortable life if you aren't broke".

"I understand that. What I'm saying is we would be ok either way".

She got up and went to the bathroom and came back.

The doctor came back in.

"Ok, I am going to let you go home this morning. I want you to take it easy-no strenuous activity. Go easy on the breathing. And here is some ointment for your burns. They should heal in a week or two".

"Thank you, doctor. May I ask you something?"

"Certainly".

"There was someone brought in after me, he was a friend of mine. We were in the same building. Davy Wilson. Can you tell me his condition?"

"I'm sorry, but he passed away in the night. His organs were donated".

"So who gets the rest of him?"

"He's in the morgue. If he isn't claimed in 30 days, he will go to the California Body Farm".

"Thank you".

She got up and got dressed and came out and packed her bag.

Jonathan drove her home.

She was quiet most of the way.

They stopped and picked up her favorite breakfast on the way, and then went inside the house.

"Max, you here?"

"Coming, Mr. H."

Max came into the living room.

"Mrs. H., you're home! I'm so glad to see you".

"Hi Max".

She hugged him and kissed his cheek.

Freeway came running.

"Hi boy! How are you? Mommy missed you, yes she did". She spent a few minutes petting him.

They went to the kitchen and Jonathan sat with Jennifer while she ate her breakfast.

After she was done, she got up and took her dishes to the sink.

"I'm going to take a shower".

"I'm heading to the office. I'll be home, later".

She walked him to the door and kissed him goodbye.

"I love you".

"I love you too".

She went to shower and then came downstairs to the study.

She was answering some emails when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Jennifer, hi. It's Bridget. Can you come to Hill Haven? We need to have an open house, and it would be good if you were here to answer questions".

"Sure. I'll fly out as soon as I can".

Jennifer hung up the phone and then thought for a moment. She made a couple phone calls and then made some arrangements and then called Jonathan's office.

"Hello?"

"Darling, I have to go back to Hill Haven to deal with the house. Can you call Jack and see if he can fly me this afternoon?"

"Certainly".

"Wonderful. And also, tell him we are flying a body back to Hill Haven for burial".

"You're what?"

She took a deep breath.

"I claimed Davy's body and I'm taking him to Hill Haven and I'm going to have him buried".

"Over my dead body!"