Maggie straightened the sheets covering her charge and smoothed the hair away from the girl's face. Just as she picked up the girl's wrist to check her pulse, the girl cried out.

"Spot!" she half moaned, then, even in sleep she seemed to try to bite it back.

"It's alright, Lessa darling," Maggie said, attempting to calm the girl.

But the girl continued to toss. "Spot!" Several minutes later the girl's eyes fluttered open.

Maggie was looking down at her. "So who's Spot?"

She closed her eyes. "No one."

The nurse made a tutting sound. "Now, now, you told me there was no one to contact about your accident."

The girl sighed. "I don't want him to know...He can't find out!"

"All right, dear. Now you just drink this. You need your rest."

She did as she was told and dropped back against the pillow

As the painkiller began to take effect Maggie asked again. "Who's Spot?"

She struggled to keep her eyes open. "He's my..." she faded off as her eyes began to close.

"Your what dear?"

"Spot Conlon is my husband..."

As the girl drifted to sleep, Maggie stood flabbergasted. Lessa was married? Maggie huffed. She was going to go find this Spot Conlon and give him a piece of her mind.

----------

"Boss?"

Spot looked up to see Secrets running toward him. "What?"

"Some nurse came looking for you...she's demanding to speak to you...says she ain't leaving until she does."

"What would a nurse want with me?"

Secrets shrugged. "She wouldn't say...she sure is mad."

Spot smirked. "Well, mad or not I think I can handle some nurse. Where is she?"

"At the docks."

Spot strode over to the docks to see, as Secrets had said, a very angry looking woman. "You wanted to talk to me?" he said, not bothering to introduce himself.

"I'm here about Lessa Graves."

"Who?"

"Your wife!"

Spot stared at the woman. "Look lady, I don't know who you're looking for, but it's not me. I don't know any Lessa Graves."

"Short hair...almost white...blue-green eyes...ring a bell Mr. Conlon?"

"Silk?" he asked, stunned. It had been six months since they had parted ways in front of the police station and he hadn't seen her or heard from her since. And that was fine with him. Why on earth would she have told this woman that they were married? He knew she hated the arrangement as much as he did.

"I don't know what you've done to her, mister, but she needs you right now!"

"What could Silk possibly need from me? We agreed to stay as far away from each other as possible, lady. I don't know why she told you about our little situation, but I'm sure she doesn't want to see me."

"She was in an accident nearly a week ago...and I'm not so sure about her not wanting to see you...she's been calling for you..."

He frowned. "What kind of accident?"

"She got hit by a carriage."

His eyes widened. "All right, I'll come, but don't blame me if she doesn't want to see me."

"Fine way to treat a wife," she muttered as she walked away.

He was forced to trot after her in a most undignified fashion to avoid getting left behind. "Look, don't talk about things you don't understand," he said testily.

"And you watch the way you talk to your elders, young man!"

He rolled his eyes, but followed her in silence.

----------

Spot was following the nurse down the hallway of the hospital, when a blood chilling scream filled the air. The nurse stopped suddenly. "You stay here," she ordered, hurrying down the hallway a little further before disappearing into a room.

Spot stood where the nurse had left him for about a minute. When she did not return he followed her down the hall and peered into the room where she had gone.

She was bent over the bed trying to calm the girl in the bed.

He looked closer and realized he knew her. "Silk?"

Silk looked at him. "Get him out of here!" she demanded.

"You don't want to see your husband?" Maggie asked, surprised

"No! I hate him!"

"Feeling's mutual," Spot snapped back, cautiously observing his surroundings. Was she trying to pull something?

She gritted her teeth and looked up at Maggie. "It's hurts," she whimpered. Then she turned her head away, hating that Spot had seen her like this.

Before she looked away he saw the look of pain in her eyes. She wasn't faking. "Can't you give her something?" he asked.

Maggie shot him a smoldering glance. "I'm giving her as much as is safe already."

He moved over closer to the bed. "Silk?" he said, resting his hand on her foot. He was shocked when she didn't react to his touch.

"Go away Spot," she said through clenched teeth.

"And what if I don't, sweetheart?"

She sighed heavily. "Then I can't do a single thing about it. As if you couldn't tell. So if you're here to mock me, go ahead."

He ignored her comment. "Do you need anything from your place?"

"I'm NOT gonna tell you where I live Conlon!" she hissed.

"Well, I guess I'll just stay here then."

"You agreed to stay away!"

"I'm not the one who told somebody we're married," he retorted.

She looked up at Maggie. "Did I tell you that I was married?"

The nurse looked around guiltily. "Well, yes."

Silk sighed and dropped against the pillows weakly.

"What's going on?" Spot asked, bewildered.

A doctor poked his head into the room. "Are you her husband?"

He looked questioningly at Silk. When she refused to meet his gaze he answered. "Yes I am."

The doctor shot a grim look at the bed, then motioned to Spot. "I need to speak with you."

Nodding Spot followed him into the hall.

Once in the hallway the doctor shuffled papers and looked generally uncomfortable for a few moments before speaking. "Mr. Graves," he began, but Spot cut him off.

"Conlon," he said.

"But," the doctor looked down at his clipboard in confusion. "Her name is Graves," he trailed off.

"It's a long story," Spot said. "My...OUR last name is Conlon."

The doctor looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but then he remembered the matter at hand. "Mr. Conlon, then. Your wife's condition is very serious."

Spot ran his hand through his hair. "What's wrong with her?"

"Well," the doctor paused, "She will probably never walk again."

It took a moment for his words to sink in. "Never?" Spot asked.

"Well, there is a slight possibility of rehabilitation, but most likely . . . never."

"Does she know?"

The doctor shook his head.

"When were you planning to tell her?" Spot demanded.

"She's still on very heavy medication. I thought it best to wait until she was more clear-headed"

"The nurse just told me that she couldn't give her anything for the pain."

"Because she's already had the maximum doses for a day."

Spot sighed. "Isn't there anything you can do?"

"Look, Mr. Conlon, I know you're upset, but we're doing the best we can."

"It doesn't seem like it!"

"Well where have you been for the past week if we're going to be tossing around accusations?"

"I had no idea she was in here!"

"You're her husband! Did it just escape your notice that she was gone for a week?"

"It's none of your business," Spot hissed. "How soon can I get her out of this place?"

"Not for at least another week."

"Are you going to tell her before then?"

"Yes."

"When? I want to be here when you tell her."

"Tomorrow then."

Spot nodded. "May I speak to her now?"

The doctor nodded.

Spot whirled around and walked back into the room.

Silk looked up when Spot came back into the room. "I thought you were gone," she snapped.

"In your dreams, sweetheart."

"Dreams can come true," she said, her voice heavy with sarcastic irony.

"I'll be back tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because I want to. Do you need anything from your place or not?"

She stubbornly shook her head.

"You sure? I'm going right by it," he lied.

"You don't know where it is. I'm not that drugged up, Conlon."

"I'm sure that I can find out, sweetheart."

"Do yourself a favor and don't."

He smirked. "Hopefully you'll be in a better mood when I come back."

"Don't count on it."

"So long, darling."

She huffed and didn't respond.

He patted her foot and left the room.