"Mrs. Logan is what?" Aaron pulled the monitors attached to his chest, and winced as the leads ripped at his chest hair. "Please, you have to tell me -- is she...tell me she's not...?"

The agent looked at him with a mixture of confusion and surprise. "Mrs. Logan is in a much worse state than you, I'm afraid. She is suffering from a severe case of hyperthermia."

Aaron's heart slowed from a sprint to a fast walk. "You mean, she's not...she's alive?" His body slowly relaxed, and he allowed himself to partially lie back down on the gurney. "Where is she?"

"She went in the ambulance before you. I'm not going to lie to you, Agent Pierce; she's in pretty bad shape. But from what the paramedic said, she should pull through. You were lucky -- another hour, and you'd be on your way to the morgue."

Aaron ignored the insensitive comment made by the agent as his mind reeled with the news that Martha was alive. She was alive. His last memory had been of her lifeless body next to his on the cold, hard floor. He remembered holding her close to him, as if in some way he could transfer his life to her. Before he, too, had drifted into a blissful state of unconsciousness, he remembered holding her close and allowing his hands to entangle in her sweet-smelling hair -- hair that was now brittle from the rain that had frozen. Still, to him, it was the softest, most precious thing in the world. Lifting her face to his, he had placed a gentle kiss on her blue lips and curled his body around hers, thinking how unfair that after all that had been said he could only hold her in death. This had been his last thought as he no longer fought the overwhelming urge to close his eyes and join her. His Martha.

Alive. Now that he had this information, he allowed himself to lie back on the bed, while a fussy paramedic reattached the heart monitor to him. Slowly, as the attendant injected something into his arm, he felt himself drift back off into a deep sleep, a sleep in which the previous image of a lifeless Martha had been replaced by a sweet memory of her smile.

Coughing: a simple thing that most people do without realizing it. But at this moment, it was something Martha Logan was having great difficulty doing. She tried again, a small gesture just to clear her throat from the blockage she could feel there. Again, nothing. Beginning to feel frustrated, she sat up quickly. But as quickly as she sat up, something was pulling her back.

"Ah, Mrs. Logan! You're back with us." A woman in white scrubs stood at the foot of her bed, giving her a generous smile. She moved to the side of the bed and looked Martha in the eyes. "Please don't try to talk; we had to intubate you. You've had a hell of a day, I hear."

Flashes seemed to appear before Martha's eye -- the limousine being attacked, being shut in a small room, Aaron...Oh my god, Aaron. Sheheard a low gutteral sound eminating from her throat. What had happened to Aaron? Was he alive? She remembered his warm arms, even in the freezing room, wrapped tightly around her. Turning her head, she scanned the room to get her bearings and there it was, lying on the easy chair next to her bed...his jacket. And as if someone had turned on a faucet in her brain, it all came flooding back: Aaron giving her his jacket, his frustration at not seeing a way out of their predicament, her plea to him to stop and just be with her, and her confession. Oh, God, she had opened her heart to him! Frustrated, she again tried to sit up, but this time was gently pushed back down by the nurse.

"Please, Mrs. Logan. We have to remove the tube in your throat, then you can sit up and even have a little water."

A little water! She didn't want a little water! She wanted Aaron, and from what she remembered telling him in the freezer, it was not just a little.

"Now, when I say, I want you to exhale as deeply as possible." The nurse told her, taking the tube coming through her throat in one hand. "Now!" Martha exhaled deeply and felt the tubing slide up her throat and finally out. She coughed twice.

"Now, how about some water?" Little Miss Sunshine was beginning to get on her nerves.

Martha opened her mouth to protest; she didn't want the damn water, she just wanted to know Aaron was safe and nearby. But the second she opened her mouth, the tube was replaced by a plastic straw. Giving in, Martha took a long sip, and nearly choked as the water made its way down her red, raw throat.

"Easy now, just small sips."

Martha took another, smaller drink from the straw, and she had to admit it gently soothed a path to her stomach.

"Please, I have to know. I was with a frien...I mean, the head of my Secret Service detail. His name is Aaron Pierce." The words came out low and huskily as her throat became used to talking again. "Please, I need to know if he is alright."

She would take as many sips from the damn straw that Little Miss Perky was again offering if she would just answer her question. Was Aaron alive?

"Oh, yes, Agent Pierce -- he was discharged a little over three hours ago. He left. Now I will be back in 15 minutes to check your vitals. If you need me, just press the little red button." And with a toss of her hair, she left the room.

Discharged! He was alive. Martha gently eased herself up to a sitting position. He was alive -- he had promised he would stay with her and he had. Wait. What had her nurse said? He had left three hours ago. THREE HOURS AGO! Why wasn't he here? Why hadn't he stayed? Oh, Martha, she chastised herself. What have you done? She lay gingerly back down on her pillow and tried to remember what she had said to him. She knew she had been honest, certainly more honest than she had been to herself over the last few weeks. And then it came to her as clear as anything "You were always there, and now you are here, and I can't go without you knowing you are the most important person in my life, and you have been for a long while." Those were the last words she had said to him, and now he wasn't here. She had obviously completely misread the signals. "You fool." She said out loud, a lone tear escaping from her left eye. What had she done? He had comforted her; she remembered that much, but he had thought he had failed her, of course he was feeling guilty. And now she was beginning to think she had lost what they had. What he obviously thought was all they had. Their friendship. Slowly she turned her head into her pillow and the lone tear became many more as she began to quietly sob.

Aaron sat in the driver's seat of the car he had borrowed with a big smile on his face. He was headed back to the hospital. Once he had been told Martha was going to be alright, and would be under sedation for at least another three to four hours, he had finally left his vigil by her bedside.

She had looked so small lying in bed in the private room. When he had finally been discharged by his doctor, he had headed straight for her room, and what he first saw made him gasp. She was asleep and looked peaceful, but the tubes running from her mouth and her arm once again brought about the faint stirring of guilt he had been overwhelmed with in the freezer. He walked over to the bed and gently stroked a loose piece of hair from her face; she didn't stir. He stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, and just gazed at her, all the while thinking how close he had come to losing her.

The moment was broken by a nurse entering the room with the biggest smile he had seen. She shooed him from the bed and had injected something into Martha's intrevenous line.

"Will she be alright?" Aaron asked, a slight tremor in his voice nearly betraying his usual calm exterior.

"Don't you worry, Agent Pierce," the smiley nurse had replied. "Another couple of hours, and she will be awake and right as rain."

She turned to walk out of the room, and not noticing, Aaron had kept talking. "Please, let her know if she wakes up, I've gone to pick up some of her things, but I'll be coming right back." He had been so focused on the figure lying in front of him, he hadn't noticed that the nurse had already left the room.

Taking Martha's hand in his, he bent forward slightly so his mouth was by her ear. "I have to go, Martha, but I promise I will be back before you wake up." Straightening himself, he glanced out of the window of her room and noticed two agents keeping guard. She would be in safe hands. Looking back at the person sleeping soundly in front of him, he resisted the urge to place a small kiss on her forehead and left the room. Yes, he would be back. And when she awoke, everything would be alright.

He found himself singing along to an old Johnny Cash song that had come on the car radio. As he had promised, he had broken numerous speed limits to collect her things and return swiftly to her side. Smiling to himself again, he remembered what she had said to him in the freezer, such sweet things that made his cheeks flush. He had known that there was something between them. The day he had left her in the stable to go with Mike had been the most difficult moment of his life. It had taken all his willpower not to take her with him. Instead, he had stared at her through the back window until she had disappeared from sight. He honestly thought after that day he would never see her again, and although they had gone through hell today, he honestly had never been happier in his life. He smiled to himself again as he turned the car into the hospital's parking lot. He would be seeing her again very soon.

"Mrs. Logan, you have a visitor!" Nurse Pollyanna poked her head through the door of Martha's room. " Now, no more than a few minutes. We don't want you to over-exert yourself."

Martha gave a sarcastic smile back to the nurse and quickly grabbed a tissue to mop up the remaining tears that had fallen from her blue eyes. She wondered who it could be. She really didn't want to see anyone. It was probably Mike, or maybe her sister. She gingerly moved herself into a sitting position and winced as she accidentally tugged at the line coming out of her hand. She looked down to check she hadn't pulled it out -- that would be just typical! -- and then lifted her eyes to greet her visitor. She gasped.

"You're awake! They told me you'd be out for hours." Aaron exclaimed as he moved from the doorway to stand by her bedside, placing her overnight bag on the floor. "How are you feeling?"

How was she feeling? Hurt, confused and extremely humiliated. Well, she would make this as easy as possible for him. After all, he had saved her life again. She knew deep inside that things would never be the same between them again. She had seen to that. She would be gracious and allow him to leave as quickly as possible.

"I feel fine, Agent Pierce. A little groggy, but fine." Dammit, the voice she heard coming out of her mouth was cold and too befitting of the First Lady than a friend. "Once again, I should be thanking you. You saved my life. I don't remember much about what happened, but I do remember the gunfire, and I just wanted to say thank you for getting me away from all that."

Aaron looked at her, and for no more than a second, a confused look swept across his face. This wasn't what he had expected. After her confession in the freezer, he thought they had crossed a line. A line that had always been visible but never before today been crossed. And now hearing her matter-of-fact tone of voice, he realized that, in the space of a few short hours, their positions had swiftly reverted back to First Lady and Protector.

"Well." He cleared his throat before backing away slightly from the bed. "Again, you're welcome. Although, if I recall, it was me that got us into that damn freezer in the first place."

"You were doing your job, Aaron. You had no idea what would happen. You did exactly what you thought was right at the time."

"So..." He took a chance and looked intently into her eyes. " you remember being in the freezer, then?"

As soon as he spoke, she shifted her gaze to stare at the sheets knotted between her fingers. Taking a deep breath, she looked him square in the eye and again knew she had to let him off the hook. "Of course. I mean I remember you trying to find a way out, you hurting your hand. I remember being resigned to the fact we were going to die, and then it's...it's…" Again taking a deep breath, she finished, "It's all a blank." She smiled at him. "And now here I am."

Aaron listened intently to all she had to say, and immediately inwardly chastised himself. What had he been thinking? Of course the things she had said had at the time seemed true, but the woman had thought she was going to die. She was probably delirious from the cold. He closed his eyes and felt the room begin to close in on him. He had to get out of there, and fast. Opening his eyes, he saw Martha looking in confusion at him. He had not spoken for a while, and probably looked a complete idiot, standing swaying gently with his eyes closed. Clearing his throat again, he spoke -- the words coming out softly and little more than a whisper. "I see." It was his way of letting her know he understood, and he would bow gracefully out of the room. Slowly he turned back to the bed and with an air of formality said, "Well, your agents are here now; I've brought you some things," he gestured to the bag. " So I'll go and let you get some rest. He moved towards the closed door.

Martha's mind raced, her thoughts coming so quickly she barely had time to make sense of one before another arrived. The internal battle raged on in her head. Had she been wrong? She had thought she was doing the right thing. But he seemed almost upset at the thought of her not remembering what she had said. Maybe he did care. Oh, hell, Martha! she thought, stop him now before he walks out of your life for good. But what if he doesn't feel the same way? Your friendship would be ruined! It's already been ruined. You might have made him think you can't remember what you said, but he certainly will. You have nothing to lose here!

"Aaron!" Her voice echoed in the small room. "Wait!"

He stopped moving towards the door, but kept his back to her as she slowly but meticulously began to talk.

"I lied."

He turned to face her. "About what, Mrs. Logan?"

"About us... I mean, in the freezer. Please...please don't go." Her voice was so small and childlike, Aaron felt a tug at his heartstrings. But he resumed his position beside her bed and looked at her. She wouldn't meet his eyes, but instead played with a loose thread on her sheet.

"Aaron. I know what I said to you. I remember every single word I spoke. I remember asking you to hold me. I remember feeling your arms around me and...I remember telling you how I felt...I mean feel." She stopped and quickly glanced up at his face, half expecting to see abject horror in his eyes. Instead what she saw made her heart lift slightly, and she felt the corners of her mouth tugging into a smile. He was looking right at her and smiling as if what she had said had ironed out all the creases in his face.

"Then why...?"

"Why did I lie?"

"Yes."

"When I woke up and found you weren't here I thought I'd scared you off. I know I can let my emotions take over my mouth sometimes, and I thought I had said too much." She again began to play with her newfound friend, the cotton thread.

"But, Martha," Aaron moved even closer to her, "I told the nurse to let you know I'd gone to get your things. They told me you would be unconscious for hours. I was here as soon as the doctors had finished with me. I told the nurse to let you know I would be right back."

Martha laughed softly. "If it was the same nurse who was here when I woke up, I'm not surprised she forgot to tell me. You know, I swear she's been on the laughing gas – no one can be that happy!"

Aaron moved to sit on the edge of her bed, and she felt the sheets tug at her as his body weight moved the mattress down and she felt herself slip sideways gently toward him.

" You know, I think I have gone beyond humiliation now, Aaron, so I want you to know that everything I said in that freezer, every word – they were the truest words I ever spoke. You have been on my mind every waking minute since I saw you leave at the stables, and even if you think I'm the crazy woman everyone says I am, and never want to see me again. I...I…" She stopped and moved her hand so that it covered his. It felt warm and familiar. She had never felt so sure of herself, and the words she was about to say. Looking him directly in his eyes, she continued. "I think I am falling in love with you, Aaron Pierce." She dropped her eyes and fixed them on her hand on top of his. She felt, before she saw, his hand moving in hers to gently squeeze hers, wrapping those long fingers of his around her smaller hand.

"You know, Martha, I said a lot of things in that freezer, too." She looked up, confused.

"You did?"

"I did. Don't you remember? And be honest this time."

She smiled slightly, "I remember telling you how I felt, telling you you meant everything to me. I remember you wrapping your arms around me, and then everything went black."

Aaron laughed loudly, his voice making her jump slightly.

"What? What is it?"

"Martha, I'm from Texas. We are stereotypically known to be pretty monosyllabic, especially when it comes to our emotions. I delivered probably the longest, most heartfelt statement of my life to you in that freezer and you're telling me you weren't awake to hear it." He continued to chuckle to himself, and Martha felt herself joining in. She couldn't help it; his laughter was infectious.

"Well, I'm sorry I missed it, but I think I was a little busy slipping into unconsciousness at the time." She laughed. Oh, her throat was still so sore from that damn tube, she felt herself having to give in to a coughing fit.

"Are you alright? Here." He picked up the cup of water beside her bed and with his free hand and moved it toward her mouth. The straw bumped against her cheek, and he grabbed it to steady it against her lips as she took a long sip.

She drank from the cup he offered, but all her mind was focused on was that when he had moved the straw to her mouth his fingers were lightly brushing against her lips. She took another sip and said to herself, "Okay, Martha, it's now or never."

Moving her lips off the straw, she looked at him, and with her free hand took the cup from him. The hand he was still holding, she moved to gently cup the side of his face.

"So, seeing as I missed your grand soliloquy, you wanna share it with me now?" She raised one eyebrow flirtatiously at him.

Aaron took a deep breath, and in an instant knew what he had to do. "Maybe I should just show you." Closing the gap between them, he gently pressed his lips against hers; they stayed like that for a few seconds, then softly they began to move. It was a sweet kiss that left Martha feeling like she was back on her mood lifters. Wanting more, she moved her hand from his cheek and began to wrap it around his neck to deepen the kiss – she forgot, however, that inconveniently, she was still attached to a drip. As her hand tried to pull him in to her, the line pulled her back in the opposite direction. Frustrated, she lifted her other arm to pull him closer, forgetting she was holding the cup of ice water. Before she remembered, the cup had tipped and its contents spilled down Aaron's back. He pulled away quickly and gasped as the cold water soaked though his shirt on to his skin. He quickly looked at Martha who couldn't help it and let out a sweet sounding laugh at his shocked expression.

"Well, I've heard of taking a cold shower, but I have to admit I didn't expect one so soon!" he quipped, and moved back from her. Unfortunately, Martha's drip-lined hand was still holding his neck and as he moved away he felt the wire catch on his shoulder and pull against Martha's tender hand.

"Ow!" she shouted, as he gently tried to extract himself from the cat's cradle he had found himself wrapped in. She couldn't help it. Even though her hand hurt like hell, she began to laugh so hard that after a while her sides began to ache.

Aaron, after successfully removing himself from the tubing wrapped around him, looked at her. She was laughing so hard tears had began to form in her eyes. He smiled at her and reached out and touched her cheek. Almost instantly she stopped laughing and gazed into his eyes.

"You know. Have you noticed that every time we try to express how we are feeling, something disastrous happens." He smiled at her and continued gently stroking her cheek.

"Well." She purred, still recovering from her laughing fit. "Why don't we put your theory to the test and try again?"

"Oh, I never said I was going to let my theory stop me," he replied, and moved in to her.

The kiss they shared this time was perfect. Martha, learning from the earlier encounter, put her hands on either side of his face, stroking the glorious stubble she could feel under her fingers, while Aaron wrapped her in his arms to deepen the kiss. She could feel the softness of his tongue as she allowed him access to her entire mouth. He moved from her mouth to gently kiss a trail of sweet kisses down her jaw, and slowly traced a path down her collar bone. Moving her hands to his hair, she moaned slightly at the feel of his mouth on her bare skin. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good. He moved her slightly in his arms to allow him to pay attention to the other side of her neck. And as he moved again to reclaim her mouth, she opened her eyes, looked over his shoulder, and gasped.

"What is it?" Aaron asked, concerned as he pulled away. She had been making noises while he was kissing her, but this was a gasp of shock, and he wondered what he had done wrong.

Laughing slightly, she moved back from him and said quietly, "I think we have company." She nodded her head towards the window with the open blind. He turned and saw the back of a black suit. Obviously it was one of the agents assigned to protect her while she was in the hospital. Turning back to her, he asked, "Did he see anything?"

Martha laughed softly. "Honey, I think he got a bit of an eyeful." Moving closer to him, she purred in his ear. "But you know what? I couldn't care less."

Aaron took another look over his shoulder and noticed the agent had moved a safe distance from the open window and had kept his back toward them. Good man, Aaron thought. Turning back to Martha, he once again found himself lost as his lips reclaimed hers.

This time it was Martha who pulled away first. Looking at him, she asked, "Aaron. I know this is new to us both, but I like it, and I think we should explore this further when I'm discharged." Uncertainly, she blinked at him. "As long as you want it, too."

Aaron stood slowly, feeling her hands fall from around his neck to rest on his chest and then they softly fell back onto the bed. Looking down at her, he thought again that he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. Speaking softly but clearly he replied, "Martha, I couldn't think of anything in the world that would make me happier."

Looking slightly relieved, she smiled at him, and before she knew it, was trying to stifle a yawn. Aaron sat beside her on the bed once again and stroked her hands.

"But I think now you should get some rest."

Martha wanted nothing more than to once again be caught up in his arms, but she knew he was right. Besides, the sooner she was stronger, the sooner she would be out of here and they could begin to explore what it was that had developed between them. Now, that was a journey she was looking forward to taking.

Giving her hands one final squeeze, he placed them back on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

Martha could think of nothing she would like more, but he hadn't slept since their ordeal, and she knew that this time when she woke up, he would be waiting for her. "No. You go home, get some sleep and a change of clothes, and when you come back I will have slept and freshened up, and will no longer resemble a drowned rat!"

Leaning in to her again he whispered in her ear, "You have never looked more beautiful." He placed a soft but firm kiss on the top of her hair, and with difficulty pulled away. "I will be back this afternoon. I promise." Smiling fondly at him, she told him she knew he would. Just as she knew that as he left the room, she had never felt more content or happy. With the memory of his lips on hers, she smiled into her pillow, and giving one final sigh, fell back into a blissful sleep.