Thank you to all my loyal readers- Clarisse Renaldi, tabby-fanny, Poppinswannabe, adda edwards, fantasyinmymind, reddie09 and anyone else who reads this... you guys are all fantastic!

The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!

The next morning, after a somewhat restless night thanks to the bed, Joseph awoke to find Clarisse already awake and nibbling on a piece of toast, chatting politely to the nurse who was taking her vital signs. He waited until the nurse had left before slowly getting up off the bed, knees aching slightly, and Clarisse smiled at him, seeming, to his delight, much brighter than the previous evening- obviously the antibiotics were fast acting.

"How are you feeling?" he asked tenderly, pushing the bed tray away a little as he sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his, relieved that her hand felt warmer as well.

"Much better," Clarisse replied warmly, squeezing his hand reassuringly as she coughed- the cough would take a while to disappear, but she was feeling a little better. "Thank you for staying with me last night," she added softly.

"As if I would be anywhere else," he teased gently, still looking at her intensely, more than a little relieved that she seemed better. She was a little disconcerted at the intensity of his stare before she realised that she could see the glimmer of tears in his eyes, which startled her. She had only seen him close to tears, or cry, only a handful of times in the thirty odd years she had known him- when his mother had passed on, when she came downstairs to him on their second wedding day, and even when Phillipe had been killed, but now... she wondered.

"Why..." she began before he firmly pushed the table right away and pulled her into his arms for a tight bear hug, very similar to the one she had received after their accident, and she knew it was his way of expressing his emotions.

"I'm so glad you're alright," he murmured into her ear as he held her tight. "More than glad, in fact... relieved... ecstatic...over the moon... I wish I could think of another appropriate adjective..."

"I understand, and those were fine... I'm glad I'm alright too," she replied gently, pulling away a little to look into his eyes, and was touched at what she saw there- he really had been terrified last night. "But... I do need to thank you," she added quietly, suddenly not in a joking mood.

"Why do you need to thank me?" he looked puzzled.

"You saved my life last night," she touched his cheek for a moment, liking the feel of his stubbled against her hand. "If you hadn't been there..."

"Don't you even think about that," Joseph suddenly growled gruffly, grabbing her hand and kissing it fiercely. "You will be fine."

"I know, but I just want to say that... you really are my hero- you saved me emotionally years ago, and now physically...."

"You are my wife, I would do anything and everything to protect you- even at the expense of my own life," he growled again, finally revealing the secret in his heart, and Clarisse looked alarmed.

"No, I wouldn't let you do that, but... I was scared last night," she added with a tremble in her voice as she remembered. "I can't recall ever being that sick in my life, and I was afraid...."

"I know you were scared- I was too," he confided softly and her face suddenly lit up with the first real smile he had seen in days. "What did I say that was so funny?"

"It wasn't amusing...what you just said confirmed how much you love me..."

"You had doubts?" Joseph pulled away and frowned at her.

"No," Clarisse replied with a smile."I never have- it's just that it's wonderful to realise and know that again."

"Ah," Joseph nodded understandingly before looking at her almost shyly. "Is it alright if I kiss you?"

This time, Clarisse's eyes responded with her smile.

"I was beginning to wonder when I was going to get my good morning kiss!"

"Good morning," he said softly before leaning over and kissing her softly on the lips.

"Good morning," she replied with a smile, before winding her arms around his neck and leaning forward for another kiss.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door and the doctor stepped in as Joseph stood up to stand at Clarisse's side, her hand still in his.

"Good morning Mr and Mrs Bonnell," he said cheerfully as he stepped over to the foot of the bed and read her chart. "How are you feeling this morning, Mrs Bonnell?"

"Much better," she replied quietly- she could only vaguely remember him speaking to her last night- her anxiety had been far too great, worrying about herself and Joseph. "I'm not coughing so much."

"I can see you look better," he smiled before listening to her chest with his stethoscope. "Much better," he sounded pleased before looking at Clarisse. "You may not remember what I told you last night, but you had a small asthma attack, which didn't help your bronchitis, but if you take all of your medication, as well as an inhaler when necessary and rest in bed for the next few days, you should be back to normal in a few days... I also remember you were worried that the injuries you sustained from your accident may have contributed to this, but I don't think so- you were rather run down, but you were just very unlucky at the time. Anyway, the prescriptions are being filled in the chemist, and will be brought to you in a few minutes, and I've signed your discharge papers, so you can leave when your antibiotics come."

"Thank you, that's wonderful,"Clarisse said in relief.

"Oh, and..." he suddenly looked apologetic as he headed towards the door. "The press is camped out at every entrance to the hospital."

Joseph rolled his eyes in disgust- it was typical that the press would be hanging around when they weren't wanted, but Clarisse looked calm as the doctor left the room and a nurse brought in her package of antibiotics.

"Why can't they leave us alone?" he muttered as she climbed out of the hospital bed and reached for her clothes. "I wonder how they found out... so," he sighed. "What do you want to do? Sneak out? Hide out until they've gone? I know you're still not feeling particularly well...."

Clarisse sighed heavily- this was a complication they didn't need today.

"I know, but I'm also not in the mood for subterfuge or hiding from everyone either or let's just have the car meet us at the entrance, wave briefly at them and that's it."

"Still very press savvy, aren't you?" he teased and she gave him a small smile before she remembered something else.

"By the way, did you want something to eat before we go?"

"That's very thoughtful, my darling, but I want to get you home as soon as possible- I can have a snack when we get back... but let's go."

Clarisse frowned when a nurse showed up with a wheelchair, the second time in two months, but she meekly submitted to being wheeled out the car, Joseph at her side. As the doctor had said, the press were there, waiting, but were no where near the car. Clarisse smiled and waved briefly as she stood up from the chair before disappearing into the backseat at Joseph raced around to the other side.

"Thank goodness that's over," she sighed tiredly as, again sitting in the middle seat, she leaned against him, suddenly drained by the impromptu public appearance. "I think I'm going to need a nap when we get home."

"That sounds like a good idea, my dear," he agreed before leaning over and pressing his lips on her forehead.

000

When they got to the beach house, Joseph immediately sent Clarisse upstairs to bed with a 'Right, off to bed with you!" while he went to grab a quick snack- he was starving. Upstairs, meanwhile, Clarisse had discovered the unmade bed they had left in their wake and, after changing into pyjamas, she, still feeling a little weak, slowly began to remake the bed. She was almost done when she heard footsteps on the stairs, and Clarisse hastily climbed into bed as he walked in, very lucky that he hadn't caught her remaking the bed. Joseph, however, wasn't fooled and could see what she'd been doing.

"I hope you haven't been up to anything you shouldn't have," he said warningly as Clarisse settled into bed, more than ready for her sleep.

"Define what I shouldn't be doing," she replied pertly with a spark of her old self before she snuggled down into bed, her eyes already beginning to close.

"I think you know what I'm talking about," he teased gently before leaning over and kissing her tenderly on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, sweetheart," he murmured as she smiled sleepily at the words before he tiptoed out of the room and closed the doors.

He waited until he was downstairs before he switched on his mobile phone, not at all surprised to see at least eight missed calls in his inbox- apart from Sebastian and Mia, he had made no calls the previous night, and the press would have already publicised the news...

Before he responded to the calls, however, he switched on the television to see what was being said... sure enough, the top 'story' on Elsie's morning show was that the 'former Queen of Genovia was released from hospital that morning after an undisclosed

medical complaint.' Joseph was pleased to note that, despite numerous attempts by the press to find out more, neither the doctor nor the hospital would release any information, and the palace's standard 'no comment' was truer than the press realised as Mia didn't know much yet, thus any 'exclusive' new the press released was mere speculation

He sighed as he switched off the T.V, thinking about Mia- after her disturbingly childish behaviour several weeks earlier (which had continued till his call last night), he was tempted to leave her out of the loop until the last minute but, apart from the fact that Clarisse would not approve, he didn't want to do it- he was far too fond of her to be that petty.

Before he had a chance to dial her number, however, his phone began to ring and, sure enough, it was Mia herself.

"Your ears must be burning," was the first thing he said when he picked up.

"I'm sorry?" Mia sounded confused.

"I just meant that I was just about to call you, but you beat me to it!"

"Oh," Mia sounded understanding. " But Joe... I am glad you're joking with me again."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"After that misunderstanding with Grandma, I thought...."

"I am not very happy or impressed with you over that, Mia, I can tell you that right now," he said sternly. "You were more than a little unfair and brutal to her, and we both know that she didn't deserve it... I'm disappointed in you about that."

"I know," Mia sounded ashamed, but Joseph wasn't quite finished.

"I know that your grandmother was very, very hurt by what happened, but I also know that she loves you very, very much... things will settle down again."

"I hope so- I have missed her," Mia said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. "She always gives me good advice."

"She is a very wise woman," Joseph agreed. "The thing you need to understand about your grandmother is that, despite her years in the public eye, she is still very shy and reserved (like you when your whim was to be invisible)- quite unlike most of the people she knows (including me and you now). She's always been like that, but her reserved nature was toughened into what some people call 'icy' because of Rupert... the way he treated her made her hide away in her shell as a way of protecting herself."

"Until you came along," Mia added slyly.

"Yes... but it has taken her a long time to finally open up to anyone, and it crushed her when you reacted the way you did- she took a very difficult step- a chance- and..."

"I know, and I do feel terrible about it."

"I'm not trying to make you feel like that, I just wanted you to understand that this wasn't an easy decision for her to make, being the way she is," he said gently. "Anyway, she is much better this morning and we're home now... She's asleep at the moment- it was bronchitis combined with a small asthma attack, but she will make a full recovery."

"Thank goodness," Mia said honestly, a little disconcerted at how dispassionate Joseph had sounded when he reeled off that little speech. "How about you?"

"I'm fine- the hospital beds weren't all that comfortable, but I'll have a nap sometime today."

"You're one of the last great men, Joe, and Grandma is lucky to have you... so, I should wait until next week to visit you guys?"

"It might be a good idea, but a phone call or two wouldn't go astray," he said, again rather sharply, and Mia meekly agreed.

As soon as he got off the phone, he knew he still had a number of phone calls to make, but he also needed some sleep....

0

It was several hours later when he woke up and, for a moment, wondered where he was before he realised that he was stretched out on the couch and, looking around, Clarisse was curled up on a nearby chair, wrapped in a blanket, and watching T.V. She turned her head when she heard him stretch, and smiled when he slowly sat up, a little stiff but refreshed.

"How long was I asleep? What time is it?" he stood up and stretched.

"It's about half past three, and we've both been asleep for most of the day," she gave a short laugh, quickly followed by a cough. "I woke up an hour ago..."

"But why are you downstairs? There is a television upstairs!" he inquired as he walked over and rubbed her shoulder gently. "You know you're supposed to rest."

"I know, but I needed to have something to eat... and I thought you needed company."

"So neither of us have had much to eat all day," he mused thoughtfully after bending down to kiss her on the forehead. "Maybe we should get the boys to go and get takeaway."

"They are not slaves, Joseph," Clarisse chided gently. "Imagine if I had asked YOU to pick up some takeaway!"

"Well, I would have been very surprised if you'd asked me something like that, but... I probably would have done it for you."

"Yes, you would have," Clarisse agreed thoughtfully, beginning to stand up but he gently pushed her back down.

"No, you stay seated- if you insist on disobeying doctor's orders, I insist that you remain on the couch!"

He eyed her sternly, but she couldn't mistake the tender note in his voice- he really did care.

Joseph disappeared outside to talk to 'the boys' and Clarisse was settling herself down on the couch Joseph had recently vacated when the phone, lying on the table, began ringing and she leaned over to answer it. "Hello?"

"You and Joe are really having some good luck at the moment, aren't you?" came James' jovial voice on the other end. "First your car accident, and then this... although, in the case of your hospitalisation, I suspect that your stubborn streak got you into this!"

"I know," Clarisse sighed. "It has been a chaotic month and I think I was rather run down to allow this to happen..." She didn't add that her argument with Mia had probably contributed to her depression.

"But are you alright now?" James' almost brotherly concern touched her- they had been friends for a long time... "When we saw it on the news..."
"I'll be fine in a few days- it's just a touch of bronchitis, that's all."

"Great... I assume Joseph is...."

"Yes, he is my nurse again... secretly, I think he likes it."

"Of course he does- he loves taking care of you... remember, he officially took care of the Queen's physical person for a long time, and..."

"Took of Clarisse's emotional needs for almost as long," Clarisse finished for him, knowing what he was going to say. "I just thought I'd finish your sentence for you," she added sweetly.

"Touché... anyway, Charlie is made at you because you're sick and he can't visit you."

"Why... oh, his immune system is down."

"Still... I think he's going to tell you off... I'm just warning you..."

Sure enough, the moment they hung up, the phone rang again and Charlie immediately launched into a lecture as soon as she said hello, ending with "... I know you're stubborn, but I hope this showed you that you can't be so stubborn about your health... thank goodness Joseph took you to the hospital."

"I've heard all of this from James and Lisa," Clarisse finally managed to insert into the conversation.

"Not your darling husband? I would have thought he'd be first in line to lecture you!"

"Not at the moment, but I'm expecting one- I'm sure he's waiting until I'm better."

"Well, I'm sure he'll do it soon, but you'll just have to make do with Marion and I telling you off!"

"How are you?" Clarisse asked, pointedly changing the subject.

"I'm getting there- treatment can be rather horrendous, but..." he trailed off before deftly deflecting the subject back to Clarisse. "But you had better get better soon so that we can come out and visit."

"My ear is starting to hurt," Clarisse complained jokingly a few minutes later after she and Charlie hung up and Joseph came back inside, dinner that night having been organised. "I'm getting into trouble for going to hospital- both James and Charlie blamed my stubborn streak on that."

"They're right- your stubbornness prevented you from getting treated earlier," he sat down next to her and lifted her feet onto his legs to massage them.

"Is this lecture time from my husband?" Clarisse inquired with a small smile.

"No, you won't be getting a lecture from me," he replied mildly, massaging her sock covered feet tenderly. "I'm far too relieved that you're alright to give you any sort of well meaning lecture... but, I'm warning you that I'm going to keep a close eye on you for the next couple of days, just to make sure that you're eating and sleeping enough."

Clarisse rolled her eyes at the words.

"You can get very bossy when you're in charge, can't you?" she joked affectionately. "Although, I really shouldn't be surprised...."

"After the scare you gave me last night, I am in charge!"

0

Clarisse wasn't particularly hungry when dinner finally arrived, but she knew Joseph wasn't joking about keeping an eye on her, so she managed to eat as much as she could and Joseph looked satisfied.

"Can I have a shower now?" she asked after having her antibiotics, and he grinned.

"NOW you're asking my permission before..."

"I just thought I would.... so?"

"Of course... oh," he added as she stood up. "Mia might be calling you later."

Clarisse froze and sighed before looking at her husband seriously.

"I know this may sound terribly selfish, but I would prefer to be left alone this week... It's not that I don't want to talk to Mia or the others, but...."

"This illness has really taken it out of you, so you just need to rest," Joseph finished sympathetically. "It doesn't very selfish of you, Clarisse, you just do what you need to do and I'll support you."

Clarisse smiled gratefully at him before disappearing upstairs for her shower as Joseph washed up. By the time he came upstairs, Clarisse was already stretched out on the bed in her pyjamas.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Still tired, but I seem to be getting better..." before her coughing fit contradicted her words. "Maybe not," she joked with a wan smile.

"Maybe not," he repeated as he sat down on the bed and leaned against the headboard next to her. "By the way, BJ called while you were in the shower- all the gang wanted to know how you were... including Carrie and Ben."

"Really?" Clarisse sounded a little surprised but not really caring.

"Yes, I was surprised... maybe they're sincerely trying to reach out, but maybe they're just checking to see if I'm a widower and whether the ring is available," he sounded surprisingly cynical, but he was still angry at the snide digs they had made to Clarisse the last few times they had seen them.

"Anyway, the rest of them all sent their love and hope you're feeling better soon... By the way, just to get back to your announcement of wanting to be left alone- does that include me?"

"Of course not, Joseph," Clarisse looked horrified as she turned over to look at him. "I just need some space from the rest of the world, but NEVER you... I need you..."

"As a nurse or as a husband?" he teased, gently touching her cheek.

"Both- at the moment, you being my caretaker is what I need, but you as my husband is also an important role... I realise," she added, somewhat haltingly as she blushed. "That we, as a couple, have only just settled down again and now..." she trailed off, a little embarrassed, but Joseph instantly understood. "Now... now..." she hesitated again and Joseph gallantly reassured her.

"You don't need to explain anything to me, sweetheart... I don't care if we're not so intimate...." Clarisse blushed even harder at the word- she hated getting embarrassed at something that was normal between a married couple, but it again was a consequence of her repressed childhood and marriage to Rupert, before Joseph brought her back to the present by grabbing her hands.

"...I don't care- just as long as you don't kick me out of the suite, and I can hug and kiss you..."

"Which you can," Clarisse affirmed.

"... I just want to you get better," he finished tenderly, and she happily wrapped her arms around him.

"You are a gentleman," she said happily before sinking slowly into bed, tired again. "I always knew that... and I love you for it."

"I love you to, no matter what, my love," he murmured before leaning down and kissing her on the lips. "Do you want me to sleep in the spare room tonight?" he joked.

"NO!" she said firmly, clinging to him for a moment. "Besides, you need to be close by if I need you," she added slyly before he laughed and kissed her again.

00000

As per the doctor's instructions, Clarisse spent the next few days in bed, not necessarily because she wanted to (although it did hold some appeal for her), but because Joseph was still so worried about her, and she didn't want him to be worry even more. Her cough was slowly improving as Joseph stuck to his word that he was going to watch her- he ate everything he prepared but watched Clarisse like a hawk, making sure she finished her meal, a task that became easier as the week progressed and she got better.

"Don't you get bored watching me eat?" she asked after lunch, midway through the week. "I didn't think you did that when I was Queen."

"I didn't do it then," he admitted. "But, this time, it's essential that I watch you- you need to get better," he said fiercely, leaning over and squeezing her hand tightly.

The phone calls continued all week- Mia, Pierre (once!), James, Charlie, Sebastian, BJ and Julie all rang- but Joseph simply responded to requests to speak to Clarisse with the implication that Clarisse was still recovering, resting whenever any of them called, and they all seemed to accept it.

"I'm sorry that you're lying for me, darling," Clarisse said repentantly after he hung up from another call from James. "It's been seven days since I was in hospital, so I should be recovered enough to receive a few phone calls from concerned family and friends."

"No, don't push yourself," he said firmly. "They all seem to understand it, but if they don't... who cares? Your health and feelings are far more important than any imagined hurt feelings."

He was definite about that- Clarisse needed a breather, particularly from worrying about Mia (although that was normal), and her decision to remain in seclusion proved to be prescient- she improved mentally and physically over the week and, by the time she was finally allowed out of bed, she was almost back to normal, although the cough still lingered.

"Are you depressed about Mia?" Joseph asked gently, bringing her a cup of tea to her as she sat on the couch."You looked very thoughtful there for a moment."

"No," she shook her head as she accepted her tea and he sat down next to her. "It was my life, and while it is still very painful to remember much of it, Mia is going to have to accept it... No, I was thinking about my illness, and Charlie's, and how it's made me realise how fleeting life is... I wish I had left Rupert years ago, after the boys had gone to college, and married you... that is my biggest regret."

"You don't need to have any regrets- yes, life can be fleeting, but we're married now and having the time of our lives... besides, do you really think you could have left Rupert without causing a major upheaval in Genovia?"

It was a sweet thought, but knowing her devotion to Genovia, he seriously doubted that she would have actually gone through with it.

"No," Clarisse admitted after a moment's reflection. "No, I don't think I could have done it, but still... it's a thought I've been mulling over for the past few days."

"Well, stop thinking about it... we're together now, have been 'officially' for over two years, and that's all that matters," he said calmly as she snuggled up to him. It was a cool and cloudy day, and while she would have liked to go for a walk on the beach or in the garden, she wasn't allowed out.

"Fine," Clarisse said contentedly. "It's just that we've had a disastrous few months, and I just wish it would all settle down again."

"It will, darling... soon we'll be back to being normal... no, not normal, unusual retirees living quietly at the beach."

He kissed her then, and when they broke aparet, he heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway.

"Who could that be?" he muttered, standing up and walking over to peer out the window.

"Who is it?" Clarisse asked curiously as Joseph stared out the window. "Joseph, who is it?" she asked again when he didn't respond, and he turned to look at her, an uneasy expression on her face. He hadn't expected them to come so soon, but Mia was obviously eager to see Clarisse...

"It's Mia," he said finally, and Clarisse's stomach sank- she was now much better, but she wasn't quite sure what was going to happen... she didn't know what Mia was going to do or say... She only hoped it wasn't going to deteriorate into another argument....