Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Wild Card characters. Wish I did, but I don't.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I'm trying to get some chapters up before I leave on vacation for another two weeks. From now on in the story, I'm going to do it in one of the character's Point Of View. If I do it as the narrator's POV, I'll define that.

Zoe's POV

Two hours later, Adele woke me.

"Sorry, Zoe, but I wanted to tell you that Clifford just woke up. I told him about you and he refused to waste a minute before seeing you."

I was still groggy. Then I noticed I was in Dan's arms. He was wide awake and smiling.

"Uhh... thanks, Adele. So... so he's alright?"

I was kind of in shock. I remembered Dan and I holding hands. But... that was all. How did I get myself into such situations in the first place?

"Yes." Adele broke my thought. "They don't know what happened, but obviously it was something minor."

"Thanks. I'll go right in."

I looked at Dan and the look on his face was true joy. Even more joy than when I was wrong and he was right on a case. What had I gotten myself into?! See what taking painkillers before you sleep for a headache does to you?! I guess I'll deal with it later.

When I entered the room of Clifford Johnston, I couldn't help but gasp. I wasn't expecting to see such a strong, handsome man. Dan and I had only seen a flash of him on the stretcher. Nothing more, nothing less. The man who smiled nervously under the thin blankets looked very young for his true age. He was not what you would usually see a senior citizen as.

"So are you my little Sue's sister?" He asked with a soft, kind voice.

"Uhm... yes, Mr. Johnston. My name is Zoe Busiek."

"Hello, Zoe, if I may call you that. And please, call me Cliff."

"I really couldn't call you Cliff without thinking of my nephew. Would Clifford be alright?"

"Is that Sue's son?"

"Yes." I answered quietly.

"Where is Sue?" He asked. Apparently, Adele didn't tell the whole story.

I had to choke back tears and the lump forming in my throat before explaining.

"Clifford, Sue died about a year ago in a car accident."

His smile disappeared.

"She has three kids." I wanted so much for him to smile again.

"Taylor is almost 17, Cliff will be 13 in a couple of weeks, and Hannah is 9." Clifford tried to spring a fake smile, but I knew fraud by heart by now.

"Look, I know you were looking forward to seeing your own daughter, but I'm as close as you're going to get. We all loved her and all miss her, so don't get mad at me because she's dead!" I was extremely emotional now. I was trying to hold back tears, yet I was ready to pull his head off.

"Do the kids know about the whole thing?" Clifford finally asked after yet another moment of silence.

"Only Taylor." I admitted in a whisper.

"You didn't tell Cliff or Hannah? Why?"

"No, I didn't want them to worry or be concerned. The two younger ones might get the idea that I don't want to be their aunt anymore, or that I don't want them."

"You are definitely a mother. You and Mr. Lennox over there are going to make great parents someday in the future."

I turned cold. I knew that my usual 'rosy' face, as Dan called it, was drained of its color.

"You must've misunderstood. By partner, we mean business partner, not 'partner' partner."

"Well, you could've fooled me. The way you say his name, I just have to guess that you are close."

"Well I guess you could say we are close."

"Mr. Lennox adores you, you know. He is obviously drooling over the thought of you."

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!" He outraged me now.

In response, though, Clifford nodded toward the window. Dan stood there. I sent him a look of 'Leave me alone and die'. I really didn't mean to hurt Dan, though. He gave me a confused, hurt look and turned away. I looked back to Clifford and he frowned.

When Dan was safely away, Clifford said, "Why do you deny that deep love for him?"

"Okay. Clifford. We are now changing the subject back to you and Sue."

"FINE." Clifford glared at me for a minute, making me uncomfortable.

"Where is the kid's father?" Clifford asked suddenly.

"I'm not sure where he is now. He left Sue and the kids when Hannah was just a baby. He came back and wanted to visit the kids just after Sue died, but the only way I'd let him see them was if he went to family counseling with me. He took off before the first session. He's pretty much dead to me and the kids, now."

"So that is why you have taken over as mother."

"Yeah. Umm... Clifford? What about Crystal and Dennis?"

"Oh, don't worry about them trying to take the kids. I am only their stepfather. I adopted them when Dennis was 1 and Crystal was just a month old. When their mother and I got a divorce, they left with their mother and moved to England. Crystal was only five when that happened."

"Thank God!"

"I thought you might be glad to hear that."

Just then, a nurse came in and called me out into the hall. She was heavy and had a very beautiful smile.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I'm Julia. I couldn't help but overhear part of your conversation. I wanted to tell you before it was too late." She looked with shifty eyes around the hallway, then pulled a file with Clifford Johnston written on it from her bag.

"If you look right here," She pointed at a place on a page in the file. "There is something that I think you might want to know before you finish your conversation."

A/N: I'm going on another vacation with my whole family in a week or so, so I'll try to get another chapter up before I go away. I decided to leave it with a cliffhanger. Don't forget to review!