William asked for the body, or rather the skeleton, to be sent to the morgue while he put the few objects he had found in a paper bag. He brought everything back to the station and examined it. He was all excited when he discovered a secretive letter at the bottom of the flask with a key. The lokked more and more like a treasure hunt. He asked George to find information on the people mentioned in the letter and on the key itself and decided to go to the morgue to get news from Julia. When he arrived, she was sitting at her desk, filling some form. He satyed in the doorway for a while, just looking at her. He had always found her extremely beautiful but she was getting more beautiful as she was growing older. He still could not believe his luck. She had chosen him. Him. A simple police detective.

"What are you thinking about with that foolish smile on your face?" she asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"I was thinking about you, but if you think I am foolish, maybe I'll stop." he smiled, walking to her and sitting on the corner of her desk. "Do you have something for me?" he asked, looking at the papers lying on her desk.

"Yes, I found a … mark on the bone. Come and see." Julia said, getting up and walking out of the office and to the slab where the skeleton was. "Here, look, there is some kind of indentation on the rib here."

" How could he get hit … here?" William said, trying to reach the place where the man had been hit on his own body. "In the rib under the left arm … that can't be an accident. But how can you be hit here?" he asked.

Julia thought for a couple of seconds and took a tool she had next to the slab.

"Shake my hand." she said.

"What?"

"Shake my hand, William."

He did as he was told. They didn't move for a second. The problem was that when they moved, the moved at the same time, Julia pulling on William's hand to her, the tool pointing to his ribs under his left arm, and William taking a step towards Julia. He was going to ask her what she wanted to do with his hand when she felt her tool enter his flesh. He did his best not to cry out but he didn't really succeed.

"Aaah!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide open, tears gathering inside.

"Oh my God William, why did you move?" Julia asked, yelling at him. "I was going to stop right before touching you to show you how he was hit. Why did you move?" she repeated.

She was crying now, gathering some medical supplies to treat the wound.

"Take that thing out of me Julia, please." he groaned.

"I'm so sorry William, I didn't want to hurt you, I swear." Julia said, clearing the tears from her cheeks.

"I know, it was an accident, don't worry." William reasuured her. "But please take it out, it really hurts."

Julia took the tool out of her husband's side, not able to keep the tears from spilling on her face.

"Take your clothes off, I will have to wash and close the wound. I don't even know if this thing was clean." she sobbed. "If anything happens I ..."

"Nothing is going to happen Julia. You took it from the tray where you put your clean instruments. I will be fine. But I really need you to help me right now. It's bleeding … a lot."

"Yes, of course." Julia said, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

For the next minutes, they didn't talk. Julia helped William get his shirt and undershirt off and cleaned the wound.

"It's rather deep. I will have to stitch it. Do you want some morphine before I do it?"

"Yes please." William answered.

That brought fresh tears in her eyes. William was a tough man and she knew that if he accepted some pain killer so quickly he must really be hurting. She injected him quickly and tried to work as softly as possible. When she was done, she released the breath she had not known she had been keeping.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, this is all my fault." Julia said, badaging the wound. She wrapped a piece of cloth around William's chest. "You'll have to try not to move to much or it will open again."

"I'll be careful." William said, putting his shirt back on, noticing the hole at his side.

"I'm so sorry William." Julia said, starting to cry again.

"I know." William said, pulling her to him before he could close his shirt. "It was an accident, it's not your fault."

"You're too kind. But it is my fault. And I'll make sure it heals properly and that it doesn't get infected. Try not to lift your arm too much. I'll come by the station for lunch to change your bandage and clean the wound once again. And tonight I'll …"

"Julia, stop. I know you'll take good care of me. You always do. But please don't hate yourself for it. It was an accident. Just … bad timing on bouth our parts."

"I'll try." she said, smiling.

When William got back home on Saturday evening, he had a huge smile on his face.

"I take it you found your treasure?" Julia laughed, kissing him as he joined her in the kitchen.

"Yes we did. Burried in a coffin in the churchyard."

"Please tell me you didn't dig." Julia said, ready to get mad at him.

"I didn't dig. I try to avoid it any time I can find someone else to do it. And today I actually had a good excuse." he said, smiling.

"Well, there was at least one positive thing about me stabbing you then." she said, anger clear in her voice as she turned back to the stove.

"I'm sorry Julia, I didn't mean it like that." he said, hugging her from behind, placing his chin on her shoulder. "What are you making?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"Soup. We have some vegetables that really need to be eaten before they start growing some new life." she laughed, hitting his hands away from her chest as he moved them up from her waist.

"Is it almost done?"

"No."

"So we have time." William said in her neck, unbuttoning her skirt.

"Time to do what?" Julia asked, pushing the pot out of the fire and letting herself go against her husband's body.

"I think my doctor should change my bandages." William whispered in her ear.

"And why is the doctor being the one being undressed?" she laughed, turning round to face him.

"I have to make sure everything is alright with her. Not everyone can change my bandages." he simply answered, kissing her passionately.