Nina dozed off shortly after they left Santa's. When she woke up, she immediately knew something was different. She found that she was being held by a human man. He had platinum blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Alarmed and a little disoriented, Nina tried to get away, crying out, "Let go!"

The man held her, tightly, so she wouldn't fall out of the sleigh. "Nina! Nina, it's okay! It's me."

Nina stopped when she heard Snow Miser's voice come from the man. "Snowy? But how?"

Snow laughed. "Not bad, huh? How do I look?"

"Not...like you," she told him, uneasily, calming down.

"Good. I did a great job on my disguise." He saw her displeased expression and said, "Honey, I'm still me. This is a necessity. I can't just go around people in my true form. It'd be too distracting, what with my good looks and all."

Nina giggled. "It's definitely you," she said, putting her hand on his cheek. He smiled, closing his eyes.

Nina looked down over the side of the sleigh. "Santa, where are we?" she asked.

"We're almost there," Santa told them.

A few minutes later, they landed near a hospital. "I'll help check her in," Snow Miser told Santa.

"Alright. I'll make sure the reindeer are safe," said Santa.

As the two men were talking, Nina tried to walk to the hospital, herself, but struggled due to the pain. Snow Miser quickly caught up to her. "Hey! Hold your horses!" He put his arm under hers. "Lean on me."

Nina put some of her weight on him. "I just wanted to do it myself. I didn't want to bother you."

"You're not a bother. I want to help you. We're a team, remember?"

"Yes. Thank you," she told him, gratefully.

They went into the hospital, where Nina told the receptionist her name and what was going on. Nina was put in a wheelchair and was wheeled to an examination room, where her vitals were taken. Then, she was placed in a room, where a nurse helped her to bed. "When will I be able to see my boyfriend and our friend?"

"After the doctor examines you," the nurse replied. "She'll be in, shortly."

Later, a woman came in. "Nina Alvar?"

Nina tried to sit up, but winced. "Yes?"

"You don't have to get up. I'm Dr. Mallone. Your chart says that you have a sharp pain in your side. May I have a look?"

Nina nodded. When the doctor pressed on her side, she cried out, nearly screaming. "I'm sorry," the doctor told her, remorsefully. "Let's go ahead and get that scanned, then we'll go over the results once they come in."

After she was scanned, Nina was taken back to her room. Snow Miser (in his human form, of course) and Santa were let in. Nina opened her arms, and Snow gently hugged her.

"Have they found out anything yet?" Santa asked.

"Not yet. They just did the scan. I'm waiting on the results."

"How are you feeling, honey?" Snow asked, stroking her hair.

"I feel fine," Nina said. "It's just a little bit of pain."

Snow Miser raised an eyebrow. "Just a little bit of pain? You can barely walk."

"It's nothing to worry about, my love."

At that moment, the nurse returned to the room to give Nina something for her pain. "Good afternoon. And you are?" the nurse asked Snow Miser and Santa.

"I'm Mr. Claus," Santa replied.

"Sam is the name. Sam Meier. It's nice to meet you. Be sure to take good care of my girlfriend while she's here," Snow Miser told the nurse, cheerfully.

The nurse smiled. "That, we will, Mr. Meier. How are you feeling, Ms. Alvar?"

"I'm starting to feel much better," Nina replied after receiving the medicine.

"Good. Call for me if you need anything else," the nurse said, then left the room.

"So...Sam," Nina said to Snow, giggling. "Cute name."

"You think so?"

She nodded. "This version of you is growing on me. How does it feel to be human?"

"Well, sorta human. I don't have any of my powers, and I feel uncomfortable at this body temperature, but it's worth it to be able to be with you."

"You're so sweet. I appreciate what you're both doing for me." She turned her attention to Santa. "Thank you for taking me here. I'll get well as soon as I can. I'll make the delay up to you."

"You have nothing to feel bad about," Santa told her in a gentle tone of voice. "We all just want you to get well. Take as much time as you need."

"How did this happen?" Snow asked. "That other doctor said you had this pain before. When did it start?"

Nina paused, taking her time answering. "A while back," she finally replied. She had been hoping she could avoid this conversation, but she realized that she would have had to reveal the truth to him, eventually.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to hurt you." Nina became uneasy.

"Hurt me? Why would it hurt me?" When Nina didn't respond, Snow Miser's voice was more urgent. "Nina, tell me. Please. What's going on?"

Nina cast her eyes away, biting her lip, then looked up at him. "It started...after the first crash."

"What? When you first came to the North Pole?"

Nina nodded.

A look of horror froze on Snow Miser's face when he realized what this meant. "Oh, god...Nina, I'm so sorry." He hugged her. "This is all my fault. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for me. Can you ever forgive me?"

"It was an accident. I don't hold it against either one of you." She rubbed his back.

At that moment, Santa quietly slipped out of the room.

"But you're in here because of what I did."

Nina reached up and stroked his cheek. "I'll be okay. Don't worry so much about me. I've gotten through worse."

Snow Miser held her hand and kissed it, shaking. He tried putting on a smile. "I...I know you will be. You're a fighter. You're one of the strongest people I know. Don't you worry; I'm not going to leave your side."

"Thank you. I'll do everything I can to get better." She looked around the room, yawning, her eyes getting heavy. "Where's Santa?"

"No clue. He was here a minute ago. I'm sure he just went to check on the reindeer. He'll be back soon. Why don't you get some rest? I'll be here when you wake up."

Nina had a difficult time staying awake. The last thing she saw before drifting off to sleep was Snow Miser's smiling but worried face.