She let out a small gasp as her eyes flew open and anxiously searched the room. "Nick." The breath escaped her lips slowly as she gripped his fingertips inside her hand, holding onto him as if her he singlehandedly keeping her steady. "Where? What?" Her hand snaked away from his grasp and found her forehead for a moment as she struggled to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. "I feel funny," she whispered.

He nodded. "They gave you a little something to help you relax," he whispered. His hands swept the hair away from her face as he watched her relax against the pillows. He'd been waiting on her to wake up for nearly an hour. Even though the doctors had assured him that everything was fine, he still hadn't felt his heart slow to normal until her eyes had finally opened and looked into his. The events of this evening would stay with him forever. He'd come far too close to losing her. The memories of the night they'd experienced were playing out in her head as well. He could tell as he watched her eyes almost reflecting them as they replayed inside her brain. "Everything's okay now. You're okay."

She paused, the memories coming in waves. It all seemed surreal and still so frighteningly recent and tangible. "I can't believe all that happened." Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him. "I mean … he could have killed you." Her fingertips lightly traced the gauze bandage on his arm. "Does it hurt?"

"Well, it doesn't tickle." Her soft laugh made him smile until her face changed into a look of pain and she gripped her side.

"Easy," he gently commanded. "The doctor said you have a couple of bruised ribs … one might be cracked from when that bastard threw you down. I should have …"

Her fingertips touched his lips. "It's over now. We're both okay. That's all that matters." But it wasn't. There was something else. The question lingered in her mind and as much as she wanted to know, she was equally afraid of the answer she'd get when she asked. She took a breath. "Is Billy…"

Nick nodded. "They took him into emergency surgery. The bullet missed his heart, so he got really lucky. The bleeding seems to have stopped and they were able to repair the damage they think. He's not out of the woods yet, but they're hopeful." Her relief was obvious.

"I still don't get it. I don't know what the hell he was thinking, jumping in front of me like that. He could have killed him. He could still die and …"

"It's kind of crazy … I've spent my entire life telling my sister, telling you, telling everyone that'll listen about how reckless and stupid Billy Abbott is, but tonight, I completely understand why he did what he did. He cares about you, loves you even and as much as I'd like to have words with him over still carrying a torch, I can't be anything but grateful. If he hadn't done what he did then I could have lost the woman …" He stopped. Now wasn't the best time. They were in a hospital. She deserved better than this, far better. He could do better. "I could have lost you."

"It's okay if you didn't mean to say it." She looked away for a moment. "I know you were just trying to get us both out of there. I know we were both just saying what we could to try to get through to him, so I'm not going to hold you to that. You don't have to worry about me getting all worked up over …"

"Wait … Wait … What are you talking about?"

"When we were standing at the door, and you were trying to get Cameron to let us go, you asked him to think about how he would feel if this was happening to someone he loved and I thought you meant that you …" She'd known him for years and yet this look was one she couldn't read. Was it hesitation? Shame? Guilt? "You know what, never mind. Forget I said anything. We're good. We're in a really good place and we made it through a horrible night and there's no reason to try and push anything else. I'm just grateful that we're both here and we're both okay and everyone is …"

"I meant exactly what I said." His words were as decisive as she'd ever heard them. Not once did he waver or let his eyes leave hers. "I love you. I just didn't want this to be there first time I said it to you because I wanted to make it something special … you know a fancy hotel and dinner or …"

"I don't need any of that," she smiled. "I love you too. And all I want is this." She smiled as he reached for her hand and pulled it to his lips.

"I can give you this," he whispered, "And anything else you want or need. Because you've just given me everything."

The End