It was her third day in the hospital and Danny knew Mary was more than ready to go home—even if it was just a matter of moving from a hospital bed to her own. Luckily, both her obstetrician and the internist on morning rounds had agreed. Danny had been by her side since she was brought in, but she was feeling better and had sent him home the night before with orders to get some much needed rest. As he gently pushed open the door to her room, he was met with a sight he never expected to see.

Mary had changed out of her hospital gown and was sitting up in bed while Delinda and Sam snuggled on either side of her. All three of the girls had the remnants of tears and mascara on their faces, but they were currently giggling and gossiping like a trio of teenagers.

"Ladies," he greeted them with a huge grin. "Somehow when I imagined this you were all wearing a lot less clothes."

They rolled their eyes at Danny while Sam and Delinda pulled themselves up and out of the bed.

"Everything okay?" Danny asked, all joking aside.

"Everything's fine," Mary assured him. "The girls brought me some clothes to wear home and we just had a few things to discuss and work through."

He realized that Delinda had probably told her what happened since he'd never had the chance and he was glad to see that they'd gotten past any hard feelings or resentment.

"Yeah, congratulations, Big Daddy," Sam teasingly told him. "But neither of you are off the hook for keeping this whole romance thing a secret." Sam leaned down to give Mary a quick kiss on the cheek. Delinda did the same before giving Danny a smile and following Sam out of the room.

Once they were gone, Mary took a good look at Danny. "You didn't get any rest, did you?"

Sighing, he moved to the bed to sit next to her, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I'll rest when you're home, I promise."

When he pulled back he noticed that Mary had suddenly become fascinated with a tiny string on her white tank top and appeared to be lost in thought.

"You sure you're okay? I was going to tell you about what happened with Delinda, I just didn't get a chance."

Mary finally glanced up at his worried expression, "Oh, honey, it's not that. Delinda and I talked about everything and I know it wasn't your fault. I was just thinking about something…the FBI was here this morning."

"What? Why the hell didn't they tell me they were going to question you again?" Danny was angry and he stood up and immediately pulled out his cell phone to give Agent Davis a piece of his mind.

"It's okay, Danny," Mary reached out her hand, hoping that he would join her on the bed again. When he did, she went on, "They didn't upset me. I just wish I could remember something helpful. It's so frustrating—it's like there's something I'm missing, but I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe if I could give them a lead they'd stop blaming you for everything." She knew the FBI had been furious with Danny for not contacting them and they had done everything short of accusing him of being the mastermind of the entire Masquerade Group.

"I don't want you to worry about that. I would do everything all over again--nothing mattered to me but getting you back, Mary."

"Danny? You haven't really told me about what happened."

"It doesn't matter." He had been tightlipped about everything her rescue had entailed, knowing that the details would only upset her.

"It does to me. Are you in trouble for taking the money? I mean surely Casey understands…maybe we can figure out a way to…"

"It wasn't Casey's money."

"But it belonged to the Montecito?"

Begrudgingly, Danny realized that his plan to shelter her from the truth had one major flaw—Mary hated to be kept in the dark. He was going to have to tell her because it would only make it that much worse if she found out on her own.

"It was Ed's money."

Mary sat in stunned silence. The fact that their boss had been willing to put up so much of his own money to save her life, she couldn't even find the words to express how truly overwhelming this information was. Finally able to speak, Mary said the only think she could think of, "Danny, how are we going to pay him back?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to start by finding these guys."

"You will do no such thing, Danny McCoy, the FBI…," Mary's protest ended as the door to her room swung open and a nurse entered with a wheelchair.

"Your ride's here," Danny stood up and offered her his hand.

Mary narrowed her eyes and glared at him a moment. "This isn't over, buddy."

He knew Mary was referring to their conversation, but she didn't realize how right her statement was. It was the reason why he had to find these guys. This ordeal would never be over as long as these guys were on the loose and he would do whatever it took to keep his family safe.

---

Danny carried Mary into her apartment and deposited her on the couch. She had wanted to walk from the car, but halfway through the parking lot, she realized there was no way she was going to make it. While she did feel marginally better, the fever and infection had done quite a number on her body and the doctors told her that combined with her pregnancy it was probably going to be awhile before she felt one hundred percent.

"You sure you're okay?" Danny had panicked when Mary started to lean heavily on him outside and it had taken quite a bit of reassurance to stop him from taking her immediately back to the ER.

"I just got tired, Danny. I'm okay."

"Okay, but promise you'll tell me if you think something's wrong." Dr. O's warning had scared them and the thought that Mary could miscarry still weighed heavily on both of their minds. As Danny adjusted the thermostat he noticed Mary fidgeting on the sofa.

"You need anything?"

"A shower. I haven't had one in a week and I feel gross."

"Are you saying you didn't enjoy all those sponge baths?" Danny questioned, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"Apparently not as much as you did," Mary bantered back before pushing herself up off the couch and slowly making her way towards the bedroom. "Grab that cast protector and meet me in the shower, big guy."

"Yes, ma'am."

Once in the bathroom, Danny helped Mary out of her clothes and pulled the plastic sleeve over her arm. He adjusted the water temperature before grabbing a couple of towels from the cabinet and putting them within easy reach. Worried that she wouldn't be able to stand for very long on her own he quickly shed his own clothes and they both stepped gingerly through the glass door.

Mary was in heaven as Danny held her close—one arm wrapped protectively around her waist while the other massaged shampoo into her hair. Once he'd reached an acceptable lather, he gently moved her head so that it was under the soothing spray. He followed the same steps with the conditioner before reaching for her soft loofa and helping her sit on the marble seat in the corner of the shower.

Mary had no idea when Danny stepped into the shower with her that she was going to be getting the full service wash. She thought he'd help keep her balance while she awkwardly tried to clean herself, but this was much better. Danny poured an enormous amount of her favorite body gel onto the sponge and--starting at the tips of her toes—gently worked his way up each of her legs. Her neck, torso and arms soon followed before he helped her stand again to wash the soap and bubbles away.

Stepping out of the shower, Danny wrapped Mary in one of the large, fluffy towels before securing another one around his waist and heading off in search of her pajamas. Mary managed to dry herself pretty well before Danny returned—dressed in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. She put on her own sleepwear and pulled a comb through her hair while Danny rummaged through the cabinets for her hairdryer, but when she reached for it, he stopped her.

"Do you want me to do it?" he asked quietly. Mary could only nod her assent, her emotions getting the best of her at his never-ending series of loving gestures.

Once her hair was dried, Mary looked at the reflection in the mirror. "You know, I think you missed your calling. You definitely should have been a hairdresser."

"Very funny," Danny smiled at her comment and helped her to the bed. They lay facing each other, both of them lost in the other's gaze, before Mary broke the silence.

"I'm scared, Danny. What if the baby's not okay?"

Danny reached under her shirt and placed his hand on Mary's stomach, tracing feather light patterns across her bare skin. "Everything's going to be alright. This is our little Energizer bunny, right?"

Mary didn't think it was possible for a person to cry so much, but she was sure she had exceeded some type of world's record in the last few days. While the tears continued to fall, Danny's nickname for the baby did make her smile and he smiled back. His smile soon faded and Mary sensed a shift in his mood.

"I was thinking maybe we should move—get out of Vegas."

"What are you talking about, Danny? Where would we go?"

"A better place to raise our kids, maybe. Somewhere quiet and relaxing; somewhere safer; somewhere that my job didn't put you in danger; somewhere…,"

"Boring?" Mary interrupted him.

"Mary, I'm just trying to think about the future."

"I know, sweetie, and I love you for it, but I don't want to move. I don't know about you, but I need our friends right now, Danny--more than ever and we were both raised in Vegas and we didn't turn out so bad. Besides, you love your job. How can you even talk about leaving it?"

"Because I love you more," Danny told her, flipping over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. Mary scooted closer to him, placing her head on his chest so she could hear the pounding of his heart.

"I don't want to leave, Danny, but if that's what you really want, I will. Is it? Is it what you really want?"

Kissing Mary's forehead, Danny let out a frustrated sigh. "I just want our lives to be normal. I want to come home at a decent hour and put on my slippers and have my beer and watch football while my kids playin the yard and my beautiful wife regales me with tales of her day. Is that too much to ask?"

Mary couldn't help but giggle at his description of a normal life. "Slippers? Danny, you can't be serious? That's even cheesier than my 'white picket fence' fantasy. Is that what you really want?"

"I don't know, but I do want you." He kissed the tip of her nose. "And I do want this baby. And I want all of us to be safe. Is that too much to ask?" he finished quietly.

"No," Mary said with tears in her eyes. "It's not too much at all."