"Oh, why do these things always happen to me?" Grumpy asked of no one in particular. He'd been pulled away from breakfast by a drop in caring levels. Right at this moment he was in a cloud car heading for Earth. In the driver's seat Gentle Heart didn't have an answer for him. No one ever did. Grumpy mumbled as he climbed into the back of the car, hoping vainly that someone left some food in the back seat.

"No such luck. Figures." He grumbled. Half a minute later a swift jerk downward nearly threw Grumpy out of the car. "Whoa!" He shouted, grasping onto the door with his paws. "Gentle Heart, watch those updrafts! Gentle Heart?" He asked when he got no answer. Slumped over the steering wheel, unresponsive, was Gentle Heart. "Gentle Heart!" Grumpy shouted. She didn't so much as move.

Swallowing nervously, Grumpy summoned up his courage and made his way over to the steering wheel. "Here goes nothing." Grasping the wheel with both hands, he veered the cloud car back on a more even plane and nudged the lamb to one side.

"What? Grumpy?" Gentle Heart asked in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Now she wakes up." Grumpy thought. "I could ask you the same question, you just blacked out at the wheel." Gentle Heart opened her mouth for an answer, but none came.

"That's it, I'm turning us around." Grumpy resolved. "I'm taking you back to Care-a-Lot. Someone else can handle the mission. And don't argue." Grumpy said, seeing that she was about to protest leaving a caring mission undone. She fell silent as the car headed back to the Kingdom of Caring.

Needless to say, their early arrival did not go unnoticed. "Grumpy?" Wish Bear asked in disbelief as they landed. "Back already?"

"Yes Wish Bear. We never even made it to Earth, you'll have to get someone else to go."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. One minute Gentle Heart was fine, the next minute she's asleep at the wheel and I almost get tossed out."

"Oh dear! Are you okay? And where's Gentle Heart?"

"I'm here." Gentle Heart said softly, hiding behind Grumpy. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened. I was fine and then I-" She broke off, yawning.

"Then that happened." Grumpy finished.

"Gentle Heart maybe it would be best if you got some shut-eye." Wish suggested kindly. Gentle Heart nodded.

"You're right. I'm sorry Grumpy." She said once more before heading away.

"It's not me that I'm worried about." Grumpy said softly. To Wish Bear he asked, "Where's Tenderheart?"

Tenderheart at that moment was in Bright Heart's workshop, taking a look at the latest devices and inventions Bright Heart created to help the Care Bears in their missions. They ranged from brilliant and practical to downright bizarre and even frightening. Still, you never knew what could someday come in handy.

"What's this one do?" Tenderheart asked, pointing at one of them.

"That's the Phobia Monitor. If you attach this," he explained holding up a wrist band connected to a screen via wires, "then the screen will show what you're most afraid of. That way, you can see what you're afraid of and face it in safety."

"Sounds impressive. Does it work?" Tenderheart asked. Bright Heart cleared his throat.

"Well, no, not yet. I've been busy finishing up some of my other projects, like fixing the Rainbow Rescue Beam so it's easier to handle. But I'm sure that I-"

"Tenderheart?" A voice called from the doorway. "Are you in here?"

"Grumpy? Is that you? What is it?"

"I just had to cancel my last caring mission. Gentle Heart conked out at the wheel and nearly provided me an opportunity to go bungee jumping to Earth, without a bungee cord."

"Is she all right?" Bright Heart asked.

"Gentle Heart's fine, she's going home to rest. Thanks for asking about me, by the way. I'm just peachy." Neither Bright Heart nor Tenderbear paid Grumpy any mind.

"This is all my fault." Tenderheart groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have let her go."

"Now isn't the time to be blaming yourself." Bright Heart said reasonably. "Hopefully she'll be fine after she gets some sleep."

"You're right Bright Heart. Still, I can't shake the feeling that I should've done something different."

"That's only natural. But it doesn't make it true. All the same, you better get back to Care-a-Lot and make sure everything's running smoothly. I'll stay here and work on some of my other inventions."

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow then. Come on Grumpy, let's go home." Bright Heart waited for Tenderheart and Grumpy to leave before he let his mask of calmness fall. He was really worried. This wasn't at all good. Gentle Heart had always been, well, gentle by nature, and often suffered on account of it. Bright Heart recalled that after Dark Heart's attack on the cubs while they were at sea that she had nightmares for weeks.

"Please be okay Gentle Heart." He breathed softly in what was more than half a prayer. Bright Heart threw himself into his work for the rest of the day, trying to get his mind off a situation that where he was powerless to do anything. Over in Care-a-Lot, Tenderheart was doing the same thing, scrutinizing and planning care missions to the exclusion of everything else, including meals. Neither want to dwell on the matter at hand; each hoping it would resolve itself that evening.

Nighttime in the Kingdom of Caring is usually calm and peaceful for most of the Care Bears. No one is usually up at this hour except for Bedtime Bear. But tonight there was one member who couldn't sleep soundly.

Gentle Heart Lamb tossed and turned in her sleep, her face flushed and beaded with sweat. She clutched her blankets and held on for dear life. And somewhere, No Heart was laughing.