Gordon held out his hand over the top of Anna and grinned. Dee frowned with a 'what the-?' expression at Anna before shaking that hand.

"Pleased to meet you." It was said in preference to a number of sentences, none of them polite. Her sister could restrain herself when necessary.

Anna had to smile. "He's harmless."

That earned her an inquisitive but somewhat miffed glare. "Harmless? Hmph."

Her smile became a grin.

His glare only increased. "So, Ms K, how did I not know you had a twin sister?"

"Hmm, perhaps because I never mentioned it."

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't in the curriculum?" She was getting sick of peering up at everything. It was time to sit up.

She was stiff from lack of movement and Dee was there immediately, helping her shift position and untangling the IV line. A few grunts and finally the world was better aligned.

Gordon was wearing a purple tracksuit.

Interesting choice. And he had the nerve to comment on Dee's hair?

"How is Alan?"

That sobered him and she almost felt sorry for bringing it up.

She had to know.

Carnelian brown eyes darted to hers, to her sister's and back. "He's awake, as I said. Swathed in bandages." She lost eye contact as he looked down and her duty of care flared. Gordon was still a kid and his brother had been attacked and seriously injured. He hid it well under bluster and humour, but in that moment, she saw through it all.

She reached out and grabbed his hand.

But then what could she say? She didn't know anything. She couldn't say Alan was going to be okay...she didn't KNOW.

But there was something she did know. "He's strong, Gordon."

Those eyes flashed a vulnerability that broke her heart. Gordon had lost his father just as much as Alan had. He was still a kid.

But it was hidden almost immediately, a sparkle appearing in its place. "Oh, I know he is. Especially after eating Grandma's baked beans. I've shared a room with the guy."

Anna smiled just a little and squeezed his hand.

Those eyes held hers in smart-assed defiance.

Quiet. "I'll take your word on that one."

He grinned. "Always a wise choice, Ms K." And he turned to grin at Dee. "So, Ms K's Sis, any embarrassing stories you can share? Alan needs cheering up and I would love to oblige him."

Dee straightened in her seat. That baffled expression returned to her face. "You taught this guy?"

Anna snorted. "Tried to."

"She did an excellent job, if I may say so myself."

Anna rolled her eyes and lay back on the pillow, surprised she felt so exhausted already. She hadn't even done anything.

"Anna?" Dee stood up.

Anna held up a hand. "I'm just tired. I'll be fine."

"They said you had a nasty concussion and that it would take time to right itself."

Great.

"How much time?"

"They don't know. It varies, apparently."

Great. She was an impatient patient. Hated sitting around. She had too many things she wanted to do.

"You can come and stay with me and Deni, if you like."

Deni and the dogs. Could be fun. She adored her sister and her partner.

But there were issues. "I'll think about it."

Gordon was eyeing the both of them. "I guess I'll let you two work things out." He stood up.

She let his hand go, but then something occurred to her.

"Gordon?"

He turned to her.

"I've got a funny story for you."

Curiosity took him over. "Yes?"

"Guess what 'Dee' is short for."

He stared at her before turning to Dee. "What?"

Anna grinned at her sister, grabbed her hand and clearly indicated she wasn't allowed to tell. "You have to guess."

His eyes widened. "How? Why?"

"Because it's funny." To watch him squirm. "And no cheating. No asking your brothers or looking it up. You have to guess. Consider it a learning experience."

For a second there she thought he wouldn't bite, but sure enough that glint appeared in his eye. "Okay. What's the prize?"

"Prize?"

"What do I get if I guess correctly?"

"Oh, satisfaction." She grinned. He was well and truly hooked now. Add a bit of mystery and Gordon couldn't help himself. She had used this technique so many times to get him moving with his studies. In fact, it was his father who had first suggested it many years ago. The key to Gordon was the need for discovery. He always needed to find out.

It didn't take much.

"Deanna? Deidre? Dena?"

Dee was smiling and shaking her head.

"Detroit? Dexter? Danielle?"

Anna grinned madly. This was going to be fun.

-o-o-o-

It quickly became annoying. Gordon was very determined and eventually Dee had to kick him out of the room to the sound of every name starting with 'D' the boy could think of.

She slept after that. Which apparently was a good thing because when she woke, she was feeling much better. It wasn't until that point she had enough brain to ask how long she had been in hospital.

"Three days?!" She was sitting on the edge of the bed preparing to get dressed.

"You've been a bit out of it, hon." Dee's expression hinted at what her sister had been through during that time.

"I hardly remember anything. I thought a day, maybe?"

"John called me the moment you were rescued. I met the ambulance at the hospital. You don't remember?"

Anna shook her head.

"They hit you almost as hard as they hit Alan Tracy."

"I want to see him." She was ambulatory. The IV had been removed. She was leaving today.

She had to see him.

"He's next door."

"What?!"

"We're in the secure wing of the hospital. International Rescue's security has been checking in regularly. You're under some serious protection, Sis. I've had to show ID and run my hand through a scanner to get in to see you every time." An indrawn breath. "I have to say I would never want to get on the bad side of Scott Tracy. The man is a hovering storm cloud. At one point he thought I was you and started ordering me back to bed. You do not want to piss him off, trust me."

Her last memory of Scott was him picking up his little brother from that dirty bed. His tenderness had been heart breaking.

Quiet. "They hurt his little brother."

Dee visibly swallowed. "Yeah, they did. And my sister, too."

Anna grabbed Dee and hugged her. "I'm sorry."

Muffled against her shoulder. "Not your fault."

"I need to see Alan." He wasn't her little brother and she didn't want to intrude, but he was her student and...and...the last time she had seen him, he had been so hurt.

Dee lifted her head from Anna's shoulder and frowned at her. "Okay. We can knock on his door and see if he is awake." The frown deepened. "But you tell me if you feel woozy. And sit down. It is only pure luck you didn't end up as bad as him. You have two contusions on the back of your head. Apparently, you wouldn't go down with just one." She reached over and brushed hair Anna's hair back behind her ear. "They hurt you so badly."

"I'm okay, Dee."

"Yeah, well, I'm not. That guy better not step in front of my car. He won't live to regret it."

Anna drew her sister into another hug. "I'm okay."

Dee grunted, obviously with some disbelief.

"I will be okay."

"Yes, you will."

"I will."

Dee's arms tightened around her. "The Tracys are going to crucify that guy and I'm going to watch."

Her sister's tone was almost savage. But then you generally didn't want to piss off Dee any more than a Tracy. She had a temper.

"I need to see Alan."

Dee sighed and let her go. "C'mon, then, let's go see the billionaires next door."

It took two layers of security. The one outside her door and the one outside Alan's.

The black sash with the IR symbol had her pausing, staring. The man wasn't Kyrano, but the black...

"Anna?"

She was holding her hand above the hand scanner, frozen. "Uh, sorry." She placed her palm flat on the glass surface. The laser flickered across her skin and the machine beeped.

The security officer nodded and opened the door.

Inside was a room similar to hers, except this one had two beds in it. Her eyes latched onto Alan, sitting up in one,

The lights above him lit up the remains of his golden hair.

-o-o-o-