Two weeks later, Della was able to move on from her walker to a cane. She'd still need Perry's help with certain tasks, but she was on the mend. They were on their way to their night with Paul, Tragg, Gertie, Burger, Annette Burger, and Irene Tragg. Burger's house had six steps that led to a porch and the front door. "Do you want me to carry you?" Perry asked Della.

"Just hold onto my arm," she said. The woman went to take the first step but stop. "Actually, hold onto my cane too. That way I can hold onto the railing." Perry took the cane and the two slowly walked up the steps.

They had reached the final step when Burger opened the door. He rushed to the couple to help Della who was a bit winded, "gee, I'm sorry," he said. "I never thought about that. Are you alright, Della?"

"Fine," she said as she took a few deep breaths.

"I'm sure that Perry's got you. I'll go get you a glass of water. Just make yourselves at home. The others will be here shortly." Burger went into the house and headed towards the kitchen.

Perry helped Della to the couch. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

"Yes," she breathed out, "need to regain...my stamina."

Perry smiled remembering he had said that a few weeks ago. Burger walked in and handed Della a glass of water. He also handed one to Perry, "I know you're driving. If you want a soda or something else, let me know."

Perry smiled, "this is just fine, Hamilton. Thank you," he sat next to Della.

Soon, the Traggs arrived. "How are you doing, Della?" Irene Tragg asked.

"I'm doing better. Those stairs were a bit exhausting, but it will take time."

"Mason didn't insist on carrying you?" the lieutenant asked.

"I know when to fight and when to let it go," Perry said. "That was a 'let it go' moment," he smiled.

"Smart man," Burger said.

"How long until Drake's here?" Tragg asked.

"Depends on what's keeping him," Perry said.

"You mean who's keeping him?" Burger corrected with a smile.

It wasn't long before a flushed Gertie and Paul walked in, "sorry we're late. We lost track of time," Paul said.

"Uh-huh, sure you did," Tragg teased.

"Well, we did," Paul grinned, "but we're not gonna say why."

"You don't have to," Burger said, "it's written all over your face."

"Maybe if you gentlemen behave yourselves, you'll get to lose track of time once the night's over," Paul said.

Della tried her best to not frown. She and Perry hadn't been able to be intimate at all since deciding on being a couple. They'd never been intimate before and she wondered if they ever would be. Her injuries from the accident made it impossible for them to do anything like that. She felt guilty and Perry noticed a change in her. He decided to let it go for now and talk to her about it when they were alone. That night, the four couples ate, laughed, talked, and played cards. Everyone noticed around ten till eleven, that Della was having trouble staying awake. "Perry," Burger said softly and motioned towards Della.

"I guess it's time we call it a night," he said. "I'm surprised she lasted this long." He turned to the Burgers, "thank you for hosting us tonight. It was a lot of fun."

"See you in court, Batman," Hamilton joked.

"Can't wait, Joker," Perry said with a smile.

"I walked right into that one."

Tragg was laughing, "you sure did."

"I'm glad you think it's funny, Penguin," Perry said. Now it was Burger's turn to laugh. The man leaned down, "Della," he said softly, "it's time to go, darling."

Della looked up, "huh?" she realized that she was falling asleep, "I'm so sorry, everyone."

"It's okay," Irene said, "it's pretty late anyway."

"Perry," Della said softly, "carry me."

The man smiled, "you didn't even have to ask." Perry gently lifted his fiance into his arms.

"I'll walk you out," Burger said. He grabbed Della's purse, both of their coats, and the woman's cane before following them to Perry's car. Hamilton opened the car door for Perry to set Della down. Perry took the coats from the district attorney and wrapped Della in hers. He then took the cane and purse.

"Drive safely," Burger said.

Perry gave a devilish smile, "awe, it's sweet of you to worry about me."

"Who said anything about worrying about you? I want you to drive safely so Della is safe."

Perry chuckled, "figures. Thanks again," he said, "and thanks for helping me get her and everything to the car."

"No problem," Burger said, "are you going to be able to get her inside okay?"

"Yeah," Perry said. He went around and got into the driver's side. The man waved at Burger as he backed out and drove off.

The following weekend, Della's parents were scheduled to visit. She was quite nervous about seeing them since the last time she saw them, they had a big fight. She had also recovered quite a bit and didn't want them to look at her as an invalid just because she still needed her cane. Perry answered the door and smiled, "Mr. and Mrs. Street, it's wonderful to see you both again."

"Please, you're our future son-in-law," Daisy said.

"Call us Dan and Daisy," Dan added.

"Alright," he said, "Dan and Daisy it is. Won't you come in?" Perry led them inside and shut the door behind them, "have a seat anywhere." They walked over to the couch where the older couple sat, "can I get you something to drink?"

"Water is just fine," Daisy said. Dan nodded in agreement. "Where's Della?"

"She's in the kitchen. I'll try to bring her back with me," he smiled. Perry walked into the kitchen. He found Della busying herself with the salad. "I'm taking your parents some water. Why don't you come with me to say hello?"

"As soon as my mother sees me, she'll insist on helping you so I can rest."

"Della, you have to face them eventually."

The woman sighed, "alright. I'll be out in a moment."

Perry took the water to their guests. "She's finishing up something then she'll be in."

Della finally made her way into the living room. Her mother stood and rushed to take the young woman into her arms. Daisy started to cry. Dan walked over and pried his wife away from their daughter. He hugged her and kissed her cheek. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm a lot better. I still have a few more physical therapy sessions. Hopefully, my hip will be all healed soon."

Perry looked at them, "if you'll all excuse me, I need to work on dinner."

"I'll help you," Daisy offered.

"Mom, I've got it," Della said.

"It's fine," Daisy said, "you just rest and talk to your father."

"Mother, I've got this," Della said firmly before turning to walk back into the kitchen.

Perry looked at Daisy, "she's needed so much help for so long. Now that she can do things, she wants to. If she starts to get tired, she sits down. Don't worry, Daisy. I've got her."

"I know you do," Daisy smiled. She and her husband returned to the couch while Perry returned to the kitchen.

"Are you going to scold me for snapping at my mother?" Della asked without turning around.

"No," Perry said, "I explained to her why you snapped. I think she understood."

"What did you tell her?"

"That you needed a lot of help for a long time and now you just want to do things. That you don't overdo it."

"Thank you," Della said softly.

Della stayed away from her parents until dinner. "So, Della, when do you think you'll return to work?" Daisy asked.

"I returned to work a month ago."

"What?"

"The doctor gave me the okay as long as I took it easy."

Daisy looked at Perry, "how could you let her return to work already?"

Della looked at her mother, "excuse me? Let me?"

Perry placed a calming hand on Della's, "although we are engaged, Della is still her own person. She knows what she can and can't handle. Our friend, Paul, asked the day she was able to walk again when she'd be returning to the office. Della didn't say yes. Instead, she said she'd have to wait and see what the doctor said. The doctor told her to continue to use her walker, which she did. The walk from the car to the office was quite exhausting for her. We hadn't realized how far it would be for her right now. The next day, we worked from home and Della used her wheelchair to get from the car to the office after that."

"Mother, Perry takes great care of me. He's encouraged me to take whatever help I need and to not be embarrassed about it."

"I guess I don't see the point in returning to work. I mean, it probably won't be long until you're married."

Dan and Perry looked at each other knowing exactly what was going to happen next. "It will be at least a year."

"You might as well stop now so you can adjust to being a housewife."

"I'm not going to be a housewife."

"I don't understand."

"I'm keeping my job and getting married."

Daisy looked at Perry, "and you're okay with this?"

"It's not his choice," Della said loudly.

Perry placed a hand on Della's again. "No, it's not my choice. On the day of Della's accident, I was talking to Paul about asking her to marry me. I went over every scenario with him. I figured Della would still work, but I wanted to be prepared in case she didn't. I'm not looking for a housewife. In fact, I couldn't run my practice without Della."

"Then why marry her if she's going to be working?"

"Because I am hopelessly in love with her."

"I still think it's wrong."

"Then you don't have to be a part of it," Della said. "If you can't respect my decision, then you can't be in my life. It's my life and mine alone." Della grabbed her cane and stood before leaving the room. Dan had Daisy gather her things. They said goodbye to Perry and left. Perry and Della wouldn't see or speak to her parents for quite a while. In fact, they didn't even talk about that dinner with each other.