Dembe stopped the car in the parking lot at the hospital. Eli stared at the emergency door of the hospital. A tear ran down on her cheek. Red tilted his head, "Are you afraid to go?"

She shook her head, "We were here with her few hours ago."

Red held his breath and closed his eyes in pain. She patted his thigh and said with a husky voice, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

He moved to hold her hand, "I'm coming with you."

She smiled at him kindly, "No need, Raymond. It won't take long. I'll be fine."

He looked at her concerned, so she pressed a caring kiss to his cheek and got out of the car.

It wasn't much before she comes back to the car. She was surprised to see the car locked and empty. There was no trace for Red or Dembe. She looked around her confused, before she finds them coming out of the hospital. She rushed to them, "Raymond, what happened? Why were you inside?"

The confused look in Red's eyes made her heart sink and it was obvious in her eyes, so Dembe replied as they walked back to the car, "We saw Tom getting in with the baby, and we wanted to check if everything was okay?"

She asked worried, "And? Is she okay?"

He opened the door for Red, "She's fine, Eloise. Tom just wanted to check on her and make sure she's healthy."

She nodded and moved to get in the car and sit next to Red. They kept silent for a few moments as Drmbe drove away, then Red turned to ask her calmly, "How was your tests?"

She smiled, "I told you, it's nothing serious. Just hormonal disturbance, mostly due to psychological stress."

He frowned annoyed, so she held his hand, "I'm fine, Raymond. Believe me. The doctor prescribed me some medications to go on for a few months. But he assured me it's just functional disorder, nothing serious."

He pursed his lips and nodded, "Dembe, let's buy her that medicine."

Dembe nodded silently and stopped in front of a pharmacy, got the prescription from her and went to get the medication.

They went back to their house, it was getting dark now. Dembe offered, "Shall I make you some dinner?"

Red shook his head as he headed to his room. Eli followed him, "Thank you, Dembe. I'll make him dinner, whenever he gets hungry."

Dembe nodded and watched them getting into their room, then headed to his room.

Red sat on the edge of the bed with his shoulders dropped and face staring at the carpet beneath his feet. Eli looked at him concerned and walked to touch his shoulder lightly, "Raymond, shall I run the hot water for you, so you have a bath?"

He raised his desperate eyes to her and nodded, "Yes, please."

She took off her jacket and her boots, then headed to the bathroom in their room. She ran the hot water and went out to get him clean clothes. In minutes, Red was sitting inside the warm bath resting his head back to the edge of the tub. He closed his eyes trying to relax his body and mind. Eloise changed her clothes and went to the kitchen to make them dinner. Dembe was there making some coffee. He asked her, "Is he asleep?"

She shook her head, "He's having a hot bath. I'll make us some dinner and convince him to eat."

Dembe gazed her calm face and smiled, "I'm not much worried about him, Eloise. Because I know you're with him."

She nodded, "Yes, Dembe. I'll always be with him."

Few minutes later, Red was sitting with them to the dinning table. He had to listen to Eloise, when she told him she hasn't eaten anything since last night, and that she needed to eat so she can take her medication. Her medication wasn't really connected to food, but she had to lie so he eats with her and Dembe.

She chewed her food slowly watching him. He wasn't eating, he was caressing the food with his fork. So she took some with her fork and moved it to his mouth. He looked at her, so she said, "Eat, Raymond, please. For me."

He eat what she offered him and chewed slowly. She continued feeding him herself under the sad gaze of Dembe. Few more forks and Red held her hand, "That's enough. Thank you, Eloise."

She nodded and got up to clear the table, when she heard him, "Dembe, I want you to take me to Jean-Sun's restaurant."

She turned to face him amazed, "You didn't like my food?"

Dembe smiled and Red shook his head, "I'm not going there for the food, Eloise."

She raised her wondering eyes to Dembe who nodded, "Sure. I'll be ready in two minutes."

She washed the dishes fast and followed Red to their room. He was already wearing his three pieces suit and putting plenty of money inside a black bag.

She asked worried, "Where are you going?"

He continued packing, "I'm leaving for a while."

She moved to the cupboard and pulled a pullover out of it, "I'm coming with you."

He turned to face her,"This isn't a place for you, Eloise."

She changed her clothes silently ignoring his comment. He stared at her for a moment, then got out of the room. When she followed him a few moments later, he was standing with Dembe carrying some papers. She approached them, "I'm ready."

Dembe looked at her annoyed and Red raised his hand to touch her cheek, "You can't come with me, sweetheart. I'm sorry."

She smirked, "I'm not asking your permission, my dear. Sorry."

He sighed and watched her moving to the door, so he shrugged and followed her out with Dembe.

The ride to the restaurant was silent. When Dembe parked the car, Red took the black bag and got out of the car. Dembe turned to Eli, "Eli, this is a not nice place. You shouldn't go in there. It's not safe."

She smiled, "Don't worry, Dembe. I know he won't let me get hurt."

He frowned, "He might be in a state that doesn't let him protect you, my friend."

She sighed, "Then I'll have to protect myself. Unless you decide to go with him instead of me."

He shook his head, "He won't let me, you know that. I don't know why he let you join him."

She looked at Red who was standing by the door of the restaurant now waiting for her. She swallowed, "Maybe part of him needs me to be beside him... I have to go. Wish me luck."

She rushed out and joined Red, holding his elbow tightly, as if she was afraid she looses him, or she was afraid herself and asking for safety.

They got in, and she saw an old Chinese woman walking to them smiling. He brought a fake smile to his lips as kissed her kindly. She greeted Eloise and asked him if he was here for dinner with the young lady, but he shook his head and told her he was interested in something stronger. She nodded understanding and walked them to the kitchen, then to a big freezer that contained many buttons on its wall. She pressed one and the front wall moved. The Chinese woman asked him if he needed it for both of them, but he shook his head as he stepped downstairs with them, "No, only me. My friend will stay here with me, because she doesn't have anywhere else to go. You won't feel her presence."

The woman nodded, "As you wish, Mr. Red."

She lead them into a small dark room with a small bed and a table with two chairs.

Eloise looked around them. There were several rooms around them, not separated by walls, but just curtains and carved wood. Her abdomen clenched, when she saw there was a couple of rooms already occupied. One by a single man, and the other with a teenage couple.

She held Red's hand reflexively and he looked at her, "You still can leave."

She shook her head, "I can't leave you."

He nodded and looked at the old lady cocking his head. She smiled and nodded, "I'll be back in a moment."

She left and Eloise looked at Red astonished, "An opium den, Reddington? Are you kidding me?"

He sighed and opened the wallet getting out some money, "You said you were ready to follow me to hell."

She had a deep breath and moved her fingers through her hair nervously. He moved to pull her to himself, "You don't have to stay, Eli. I want you to leave. You won't be safe here. I will never blame you if you go back."

She shook her head, "I'm not leaving you, Raymond. Till death do us apart."

He looked into her blue eyes for a moment, then turned to look at the woman who came back. He gave her the money and she gave him a small box. He looked at her, "Jean, please, take care of my girl. And feed her well."

She patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, Mr. Red."

She left the tiny room and Red talked to Eli as he opened the small box, "I think you need to have some sleep."

She watched him annoyed and murmured, "I'm fine. I'll sleep when I feel sleepy."

He brought a small opium lamp out, "You brought your medications?"

She sighed and sat to the table, "Mind your own business, Reddington."

She rested her forehead over her palm watching him smoking the opium capsule silently. A tear escaped her eye, when she remembered her days before Raymond Reddington. When she was a drug addict. When she was weak and lost. Before he saved her. And now he's the weak and lost. He didn't hear her sobs for him. He was sinking in his state. The opium made his mind fly away. She gasped seeking for air. Watching him like this broke her heart. Watching him so weak and vulnerable made her heart bleed. She saw him moving the lamp away and lie down on the bed, where he was sitting smoking. In a moment, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

She wiped her tears and nose and got up to check on him. She sat on her knees next to the small bed and moved a shaking hand to his neck. She felt his pulse. It was slow but clear and strong. She sighed and sat down on the ground next to his head. She held his hand between her hands rubbing it gently and rested her head to the bed.

She didn't know how much she was asleep, but she got up when she heard Jean walking in. She saw her carrying a small tray smiling at her, "I brought you lunch. I thought you would be hungry."

Eloise looked around, "Yes, thank you. Where did everyone go. There were a few people here last night."

Jean nodded, "They had their life to go back to, my lady."

Eloise sighed and nodded moving her eyes to Red. Jean put the tray on the table, "He will be fine."

Eli nodded and checked him again, before Jean gave her another capsule, "He paid for two. Here's the other one."

Eli pursed her lips and dropped the capsule into the lamp.

The Chinese lady nodded and walked away, so Eloise sat down and started eating her hot meal.

"""""""""""""""""

Eloise sat down on the floor next to sleeping Red, when Jean got down. She approached, "You should go now."

Eli got up moving away from the bed and she watched the old lady awakening Red.

He whispered asking for one more, but the lady refused and told him he had enough and it was time to go.

He got up slowly coughing, so Eli rushed to help him. His eyes met her concerned eyes, so he nodded and got out of the bed. She patted his back and helped him putting on his coat. He took his fedora of the table and walked out. Eloise nodded at Jean and carried their bag and followed her boss out of the restaurant.

When she reached him out, he was standing confused in front of a cab, and the driver was yelling at him. She ran to him and embraced him worried, "Are you hurt?"

He walked to the cab door and opened it before he gets into it pointing to her to follow him. She sat next to him and heard him telling the driver to take them to Cape May. The driver was amazed as well as her, "It's 200 miles away!"

Red got 500 dollars out of his wallet and gave them to him, so he didn't hesitate and drove away.

They didn't speak a word the whole way to there. She just kept her eyes on him. She could tell he was thinking deeply. The tears glowed in his eyes few times told her he was thinking of Lizzy. When they reached their destination, he murmured, "The razor, please."

She opened the small pocket of their bag and gave him his razor. She watched him shaving and talking to Marvin in the phone telling him about indeterminate leave.

When he finished, he gave her back the razor and the phone, then got out of the cab. He looked at the driver, "How much for the cab?"

She watched him giving money to the driver for the car and the guy just walked away with the money. She looked at him, "Why did you do that?"

He turned to look at her, "How do you think we're leaving?"

He didn't wait for an answer and walked into the near diner, "Come on, you must be hungry."

She followed him in and sat in front of him as he ordered them bacon and eggs.

She ate slowly watching his face concerned, "How do you feel?"

He cocked his head scanning her face, "I'm fine. Thank you, Eloise."

She looked into his green eyes, "For what, Raymond?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but shut it and his eyes drafted behind her suddenly. She looked behind, but saw nothing, so she asked, "Something wrong?"

It seemed he didn't hear her as his eyes moved to the diner's closed door, before going back behind her. She asked again worried holding his hand, "Raymond, what is it?"

He turned his eyes staring back at her, then shook his head. She stared at him for a moment, then continued eating.

A few minutes later, he was getting out of the diner with her heading to their car. He drove for another few minutes silently, leaving her drowning in her thoughts and worries about what just happened.

He parked the car in front of the big beach inn and got down. She followed him and walked with him into the front door, then headed together inside. She scanned the place with her eyes and looked at him, "It looks deserted."

He nodded, "It's March, Eloise. The place is closed till summer."

She had a deep breath, "So, are we staying here?"

He walked to a side door, "You don't like the place here, Eli?"

She sighed again and shrugged. He brought a beach chair and walked towards the sand, "Are you coming?"

She took her coat off and put it on a covered chair, then followed him to the beach.

When he reached the water, he put the chair two meters away and sat watching the waves. She sat on the sand in front of him and caressed the sands with her fingers, "You've been here before?"

He nodded and said, "Yes."

She raised her eyes of the sand and kept them on the far deep sea as she asked again, "Alone?"

She could feel the heat of his sigh burning her back when he answered, "Sometimes I was alone. Some not."

She bit her lower lip, "Friends?"

He shook his head, "Only one friend."

She wanted to ask him more, but she was afraid of his answer. She kept herself busy watching the old man moving away from them carrying a metal detector. She turned to sit facing him, but he wasn't looking at her. He seemed he didn't even sense her presence. She knew he was thinking about another woman, mostly not Liz. She's positive Liz has never been with him here.

She felt her burden preventing her from breathing, so she decided to keep herself busy with anything else. She got up abruptly and he raised his confused eyes to her, so she shrugged, "I'm going to see where we will sleep tonight, and find us something to make for dinner.

He didn't bother even nodding, and she considered he might have been not listening to her at all. She walked back into the inn with nervous steps, rubbing the sand away from her hands and clothes.

Inside, she found the bedrooms in the second floor and chose one for them. She cleaned it and thanked God there was electricity. She prepared the room, then got down to check the kitchen. In her way, she lit the fireplace to make the place quite warmer, when she raised her eyes to the window next to the fireplace. She was surprised Red wasn't sitting on the chair right where she left him. She stared for a second, before she gasped panicked and ran out to the beach. She took her boots off on the sand and ran into the water. She was breathing fast since she saw Red from the window running into the water fully clothed. The cold water hit her body, but she didn't care. She called him twice but he didn't hear her. She jumped among the waves till she reached him. When she touched his back, he turned to face her. The lost look in his eyes scared her more, what was he thinking of?

She pulled him with her towards the beach, and he didn't try to resist her. She drove him inside the inn and drop with him on the floor in front of the fireplace. He lied there very vulnerable, and she knelt beside him leaning forward trying to catch her breath. She looked at his face and listened to his whispers, "She's in the water, I must save her. I can't let her die."

She touched his face and he was freezing. She got up and walked to the cupboard bringing a couple of blankets. She sat down next to him and talked to him as she started to take his clothes off him, "Red, do you hear me?"

He opened his eyes weakily and gazed her undoing his pants as she said, "Help me, please. You've got to take these clothes off or you're going to die of hypothermia."

He complied and moved with her as she removed his clothes fast. She then covered him instantly with the two blankets, before taking off her clothes and lying with him beneath the warm covers. She snuggled her naked body to his tightly, tangling her legs with his. She embraced him with her arms and rubbed his back fast trying to warm up his body.

She was freezing herself, but all she cared about now was him and his attempted suicide. He opened his eyes again and looked into her panicked eyes. She asked between her panting, "Why did you do that, Ramond? Why did you get into the water?"

He moved his face into her neck seeking warmth, "I was trying to save her."

She felt the tears running down her temple and pressed her body more against his. She didn't know how long they stayed like this, but with his warm and rhythmic breathing next to her ear, she couldn't keep awake anymore and she fell asleep with him.

"""""""""""""""""

It was dark when Eloise opened her eyes. She was still lying on the floor with Red between her arms, only not as tight as before. She looked at his face and found he was already awake. She smiled, "Hi."

He gave her a pale smile, "Hello, Eloise."

She sighed and asked concerned, "How do you feel?"

He moved a hair tress away from her face, "Naked, between the arms of a pretty naked woman."

She nodded, "Yeah, sorry about that, but I had to, otherwise we both would die of hypothermia."

He sighed and closed his eyes trying to block the images that came to his mind. She touched his warm face, "Do you remember what happened?"

He opened his eyes and turned to his back staring at the ceiling, "I remember I saw her getting into the water. I had to prevent her. This is why I jumped into the water after her."

She rested her head on her hand as she bent her elbow staring at him, "So, you were not thinking of killing yourself?"

He frowned for a moment, then bit inside his cheek, "I wasn't."

She had a deep breath and moved her other hand over his chest hair beneath the blanket, "Who was she?"

He flinched, "Excuse me?"

She swallowed and avoided his eyes, "Who did you use to come here with? Whom were you trying to save?"

He closed his eyes in pain and swallowed the lump in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. She watched his frustration, so she sat up reaching for her clothes, "I'll go to see if there's something here to eat."

He held her hand as she put her pullover on and spoke sadly, "I'm sorry, Eloise."

She looked at him amazed, so he sat up, "I'm sorry, I put you in all of this."

She nodded and got up to wear her pants, "Never mind, Raymond. I've put you in worse, several time."

She finished wearing her clothes and walked to the kitchen. Few minutes later, she heard his steps approaching, then felt his light touch over her shoulders. He whispered, "Are you all right?"

She turned to face him and rested her forehead to his shoulder, "I don't like this place. It scares me. I feel I'm suffocating and I don't know why."

He moved his hand slowly over her back, "You want to leave?"

She raised her eyes to him, "I'm not leaving without you."

He pulled her to his chest, "We can leave now, if you want to. I'll do whatever you need to feel better."

She buried her face into his neck, "Driving in that darkness will scare me more. Especially I don't feel you would be ready to drive such long distance. I wouldn't either. I think I can make it till sunshine."

He moved his hand over her hair, "I'm fine with that. We can stay the night here and leave in the morning."

She pulled away smiling at him, "That sounds like a good plan. Now, will you help me make dinner? because I don't intend to move my eyes away from you again."

He smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, "With pleasure, my dear. And don't worry, I don't think of walking into the water again. I think it was the effect of the opium still in my blood."

She chuckled, "Good, because I don't intend to get into that cold water again, at least, not at night."

He smiled and helped her cooking, then sat to have dinner with her.

""""""""""""""""""

Red lied down to the bed on his back staring at the ceiling silently, while Eli lied on her side next to him. She rested her head on his arm and caressed his old wounds on his chest with her fingers. He asked quietly, "Did you take your medications?"

She nodded and replied in lower voice, "Don't worry, Raymond. I won't forget to take it."

He moved his hand over her bare back and asked concerned, "And you feel better? Did you have any complications from getting wet and cold earlier today?"

She rested her hand on his chest, "I'm fine, Raymond. How about you? you feel better?"

He had a deep breath, "I feel I'm talking to someone else."

She raised her head and looked at him wondering, "Meaning?"

He looked at her pretty face, "That girl, who insisted to come with me to the opium den, although she knows how risky it is, and although she has bad memories of drug abuse. That girl who jumped into the water, when she thought I was drowning, and took care of me till I recovered from my hang over. She's not the same girl I saved several years ago. She's not the weak and fragile girl who used to break down very easily from the least trauma."

She moved her hand to touch his face, and he held it and pressed a kiss to her palm, "Those couple of days made me see new aspects of you, Eloise, I've never seen. And actually I never thought you could be that tough."

She said with firm voice, "I had no choice, Raymond. I had to protect my love. I was protecting my life, my future. It was a battle of survival for me."

He sighed and nodded, "I know what you mean, Eli."

She smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his lips and rested her head back on his arm. He moved to face her, "Tom wants me out of the baby's life. He's asked me to stay away from them."

She sighed and caressed his cheek, "I'm sorry, Raymond. But I understand how he feels. So, give him some time."

He sighed in sadness and put his other arm on her waist scanning her face silently. They stayed for hours like that till she fell into sleep and he followed her few minutes later.

"""""""""""""""""

Eloise opened her eyes next morning, to find the bed sheets cold next to her. She got out of the bed fast and put on her pullover, before running downstairs calling him. When she reached the ground floor she found the door open, so she rushed out panicked and called him again.

She stopped and panted, when she found him standing at the beach with the old man from yesterday. She sighed and walked to him. He was looking at the sea, holding a small female locket in his hand.

She touched his forearm, "What is it, Raymond?"

He raised his eyes to her, "I need to see someone. We've got to go."

Sorry it took long, I hope it's worth waiting. See you next week. All reviews are appreciated