Alex opened his eyes and shut them again, wishing the room would stop spinning. What was wrong with him? He shivered, pulling the blankets up closer to his chin, trying to keep the heat in.

"Alex?" A cool hand touched his forehead. "Bugger, you're burning up."

"Stevie?" he murmured, reaching for her hand. "I don't feel so good."

There was a soft laugh and he could smell her perfume. "Go to sleep, Alex. You'll feel better soon."

The next time Alex opened his eyes he saw a sleeping Stevie curled into the chair beside the bed. Kana was lying on the floor, playing with her toes. Alex smiled and tried to sit up. The room started to spin and he fall back against his pillow.

Reaching out he touched Stevie's leg and she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Alex?" She leaned forward and laid a hand on his forehead. "You're still hot. Are you thirsty?"

Alex nodded. "Shouldn't you be over at Drovers?" He swallowed and grimaced. His throat was killing him. "Tess needs you."

Stevie smiled and run a hand over his head. "Not as much as you do."

Alex tried to smile but his face hurt so he just leaned into her touch and closed his eyes.

"Go to sleep. You'll feel better soon." Stevie moved and smoothed the blankets over him. "I'll go get you some water."

"Steves," he whispered. "Don't leave."

"I won't," she replied. "I'll be back."

"So, how are you really doing?"

"Oh, I'm okay. The nightmares have stopped, but I still freeze when he touches me."

The voices floated over and around Alex. It took him a bit to place who was talking.

"Do you love him?"

"Oh, Tess, you know I do. I just can't trust myself to another man again. Look what happened last time."

"Stevie, Alex is nothing like Kane. He loves you more than life its self. He bloody maxed out his credit card to get to you. He'd do anything for you. He won't hurt you."

Stevie laughed. "Tess, you don't have to sell him to me. I know all that. It's myself that I can't trust. I don't know if I can allow my heart to open up to a man again."

Tess made a noise, halfway between a laugh and a cry. "Stevie, you'll learn again. Just take your time."

"What like you did with Nick?" Stevie laughed. "It'll take bloody ages."

There was a slap and Stevie giggled. Tess laughed too and Alex tried not to smile. This was Tess and Stevie in their element. They were best friends, they knew how the other one worked and he had missed listening to them banter back and forth.

"Any word on Nick?" Stevie's voice was gentle.

"No." Tess was quiet. "Nothing. It's hard. Harder when I feel this baby kicking me. I want Nick to see this baby. I know, I know. It's just wishful thinking."

Stevie's voice was dreamy, calming, knowing. "Sometimes wishful thinking makes its way into reality."

"What do you mean?"

There was a pause and Alex struggled to stay still. What did she mean?

"Me and Alex. Before he came for me I had given up on true love. I figured it was all a bunch of baloney, wishful thinking. Now look, he's lying here in bed and I'm here beside him. If Nick's still alive he'll come home to you. He loves you."

"Just like Alex loves you. We're a pair, the two of us. Fallen for the Ryan brothers and tangled up in love," Tess said.

"But it's the best kind of tangling up," Stevie replied.

"Stevie," Alex said, opening his eyes.

She scrambled out of the chair she was sitting in and leaned over him. "Alex? How are you feeling?"

He shrugged. "Better. The room's not spinning. How long was I out?"

Tess appeared behind Stevie and grinned. "You've been out all day, brother-in-law. Gave us a bit of a scare."

Alex blinked and then slowly smiled. "And you both stayed here to nurse me back to health? I think I'm going to get sick more often."

Stevie rolled her eyes. "He's better. Come on, Tess. I'll get some supper going and then I'll bring some chicken soup over to Alex."

"You made me chicken soup?" Alex felt heaps better just thinking about the delicious taste of chicken.

"Nope," Stevie replied. "Moira did."

"Aww, he looks so disappointed," Tess said from the doorway.

Stevie joined her and shrugged. "Well, I can't do everything." She headed down the hall. "Between looking after him, dealing with bloody Harry and giving you a pep talk, when would I have time to cook soup?"

Tess laughed and Alex smiled again. Stevie was coming back. He lay on the bed and thought about what he had heard. How would he prove to Stevie that she could trust her heart to him? It was a relief to know that she loved him and knew he loved her. But how to make her understand that when she opened up her heart to him it wouldn't get hurt?

He lay there, struggling to understand the woman he loved. He could hear her talking in the kitchen with Tess and Rose. Somewhere a dog barked and Kaleb laughed while running down the hall.

Luke poked his head around the door. "Hey, you're awake. Way to get out of mustering."

Alex shrugged. "Sorry, mate. Was it a lot of work?"

Luke dug through a drawer and tugged out a clean shirt.

"Why is it that you sleep in Rose's room but still keep your clothes in here?"

Luke laughed and tossed his dirty shirt on the mountain of dirty clothes. "Have you seen how many clothes Rose has? There is no space for mine."

"Rightyo," Alex said. "Are you just getting back from mustering?"

Luke nodded and pulled his clean shirt over his head. "Yeah. Your bloody father was blocking the stock route so we had to take them around. Almost lost a couple in the creek. Thank goodness for Jodi. She's a plucky one, that girl."

"She's from Drovers, mate. They're all plucky over there."

Luke laughed and headed out the room. Alex frowned. What had Harry been doing? Hadn't Stevie said something about dealing with Harry?

Between taking care of him, dealing with bloody Harry... Stevie's words echoed in his head. When he was feeling better he would have a word with his old man.

Stevie appeared in the doorway with a covered tray. "Do you think you can sit up?"

Alex pushed himself up against the headboard. "My head's a little funny, but I'm good."

Stevie set the tray across his legs and touched his forehead again. "Your fever's almost gone. That's a good sign."

"What did Harry want?" Alex asked as Stevie uncovered the tray and the aroma of chicken floated upwards.

"Oh, he figured since you're running Wilgul he could put a couple hundred head of sheep on the place."

"I hope you told him no." Alex stiffened and grabbed her hand. "I don't want his sheep here. The farm's running to make money for you and the kids."

Stevie smiled gently and took his hand in hers. "Relax, Alex. I told him to bugger off. He put up a fight but I beat him. You might want to give him a call soon. He seemed quite upset that you were sick."

Alex snorted. "Likely. I'll call him in a few days. Did he do anything else?"

Stevie shrugged. "Just blocked up the stock route bringing the sheep back home, made my overseer and my daughter go the long way around because he refused to hurry the sheep along and made me mad."

"Bloody Harry. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind," Alex growled.

Stevie laughed. "Alex, it's okay. It felt good going toe to toe with him. He won't be coming around here telling people what to do anytime soon. Be nice to him when you talk to him. He's upset about Nick. Maybe you two can finally work things out."

Alex lifted the spoon to his mouth and concentrated on eating. He sipped the water Stevie had brought. Stevie watched him and he tried not to let her see how much he was bothered by Harry.

"Alex?"

Alex closed his eyes and breathed out and then in. "Stevie, the man doesn't want me as a son. He pretty much said he wished I was dead, not Nick."

"Ah, Alex," Stevie whispered, stroking his cheek. "It was just the pain talking. When I told him you were sick he was really worried. He doesn't want to lose you either. Talk to him, listen to him. Don't fight."

"Alright, I'll try. In a few days, when I don't feel like limp cabbage."

"I suggest also taking a shower," Stevie said. "You're smelling like old cabbage."

Alex growled playfully and grabbed her arm, pulling her close. "You watch what you say to me, missy. You might find yourself over my knee."

Stevie's eyes grew wide and she jerked away from him.

"Stevie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I was just teasing," Alex said, cursing himself. He knew better than to scare her like that.

Stevie closed her eyes. Squaring her shoulders she faced him again. "Don't be sorry. I have to stop letting Kane get to me. I know you wouldn't hurt me."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek before hurrying out of the room. Alex frowned. He was going to have to be more careful in the future. She scared very easily and he couldn't forget. One day, though, the real Stevie would be back one hundred percent. He would see to that.

Tess popped around the door and smiled at him. "I'm going home. I'll see you in a day or two."

"Thanks, Tess." Alex set his spoon in the now empty bowl. "Do you think we have a chance to have what we both want?"

"If you work at it hard enough. You'll get there." Tess smiled gently. "She's my best friend, Alex. Be careful with her."

Alex nodded. "I will. I miss Nick too, Tess. Don't ever think I don't."

"I know you do. We'll remember him together and when this baby comes, you can tell him or her all about his dad."

Tess smiled again and left. Alex pushed the tray aside and leaned against the wall. Why was life never easy?

He wanted his carefree days with Nick back. Scratch that, he just wanted Nick back. And Stevie with her flaming hair and ready laugh. But that was all gone and he had to work to get something back that was worth going on for. If Stevie hadn't given him an indication that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, he would probably have just given up.

"You can't give up, mate," he muttered. "Just work harder at keeping her this time."