Callie crept quietly into Jules' room and slid the door, leaving a gap she could get through. It was late in the afternoon and the room was semi-dark. Sam was asleep in the chair. His head was to one side, pointed away from her, it looked like it was a painful angle. Jules was sleeping, the ventilator wheezing and clicking with each breath. She walked quietly to the painting on the windowsill, picked it up and walked back the way she came.

She heard someone stir behind her and slipped out the door, pulling it shut.

"Taking the painting home?" A nurse asked as she walked past the desk.

Callie cringed and looked at her. She'd hoped to get out without anyone noticing her. "Just borrowing it for a bit." The nurse nodded and Callie made her way out of the hospital. Tomorrow night is the art show at the museum, then I'll bring it back. They probably won't notice anyway she thought. She got in the elevator just as the doors to the other one opened.

Spike stepped out of the elevator and headed to Jules' room. Greg and Wordy stepped out after him. Spike slid the door open and Sam jumped up from the chair and looked at Jules.

She was still sleeping. He looked at the clock trying to get his eyes to focus. Does that say 1630? He shook his head. Damn, he thought. I slept for like four hours. He looked behind him and noticed the three men standing there with concern in their eyes.

"What happened?" Greg asked. "She looked so good yesterday."

Sam ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his eye. He told them what had happened. "She's been sleeping since this morning."

"I'm sure she needs it.' Wordy stepped forward and knelt next to Sam. "So do you."

"No." Sam said with more force than he meant to.

Wordy frowned at him. "Are you ok?"

"Yes. I just- I want to be here. I need to be. She needs me." Sam looked at Jules, the worry filling his blue eyes.

"Of course she needs you." Greg knelt on Sam's other side and Spike sat at the bottom of Jules' bed softly so as not to wake her, with his back to the window. "She needs you to take care of yourself. When was the last time you actually got a good night's sleep?"

Sam lifted a shoulder. "A couple days."

Wordy looked at Spike concerned. Something's missing, he thought. He frowned as he looked past Spike to the empty windowsill. Where's the painting?

"Ok." Greg stood and motioned to Sam to do the same.

Sam stood wearily. He was too tired and emotional to refuse. They'll watch over her, he thought.

Echoing his thoughts Greg said, "I'll stay with her. You go get something to eat and some sleep. I won't leave her until you come back, but that better not be before 2200. Even then it's a short visit and back home. We're on tomorrow."

Frowning, Wordy asked, "where's the painting?"

Sam looked up. Wait, when did it disappear? He knew it was here earlier. He looked at them. When Callie was here. Oh fuck. What had he said to her?

"Did Callie take it?" Spike asked. "Did she stop in today?"

"This morning. She must've come back to get it."

"What? Why would she-" Spike set his jaw. "What did you say to her? What happened?"

Sam put a hand over his eyes. What had he said? He knew she'd stopped in, but what happened? He remembered being irritated with her. His mind was foggy.

"Sam." Spike frowned at him. He took out his cell and walked out of the room. He dialed Callie's home number and got the machine. He hung up and tried twice more before he left a message, "Hey Callie. It's Spike. If you're there please pick up.."

"I just want to make sure…" Callie sat next to the phone, listening. She'd recognized his number and hadn't wanted to talk to him. "Sam…" Must be Sam told them what a pain she was, she thought as she drowned out his words. I'm sorry, she told the phone silently. I didn't realize I'd wore out my welcome.

"...I'm coming there. Stay put." She stood. Why is Spike coming here? To tell her to stay away from them? She hoped it wasn't that bad. Maybe just to tell her to let them have "adult time" as her mom called it.

Crap. She grabbed her coat and wallet, locked up and left. She walked down the three flights as fast as she could carrying the painting. I wanted to bring this to the museum today anyway, she thought. I'll just do it now and hang out there for awhile.

"I just want to be sure you're ok. Sam said he saw you this morning and from the looks of him, you may have had a fight? Can you pick up please? Ok, listen, I'm coming there. Stay put. I'll be there in ten." Spike left the message and stormed back into the room.

"She didn't pick up." He showed Sam his phone. "What. Happened."

"Oh man. The poor kid. I," he hung his head in shame. The cobwebs had cleared. Why had he been such a jerk? He hadn't meant to. Worry about Jules and lack of sleep had caused him to be uncharacteristically short, even mean to herq.

"I have to talk to her. I wasn't very nice to her this morning. I had just gone to bed like an hour or so before when they called to tell me about Jules. I came back and," Sam took a breath and looked at Wordy, hurt in his eyes, "they wouldn't let me back in here for a couple hours. She woke up twice after I came in and tried to pull the tube out. They had to sedate her to get her to calm down."

"Oh. Sounds rough." Spike's face softened and he looked at Jules.

"I shouldn't have talked to her like I did. I was… a jerk."

Spike looked back at him. He put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Come on. We'll go, you'll apologize and it'll be all good." Sam nodded.

Greg sat in his seat and looked up at him. "I'll call you if anything changes, but I'm serious. Go get something to eat and go to bed. Otherwise. You'll be running extra stair sprints tomorrow."

Sam made a face and said, "Copy that."

Spike gave him a 'you'd better listen' face until Greg added, "that means you too Spike. He's your responsibility. He comes back here before 2200 you run the stairs with him."

Wordy pointed at both of them and gave them a 'sucks to be you if you don't listen' look.

Spike walked backwards, rolled his eyes and said, "copy." Did he know what he was asking, Spike thought. You know as well as I that there is nothing that will keep Sam from being with Jules. They've proven that already! He turned back around, put an arm around Sam's shoulder and they walked out of the hospital.

"$20 says he's back here in a couple hours." Wordy said as he watched Sam and Spike leave.

"You are on." Greg smiled.

Ten minutes later, Sam and Spike were standing outside of Callie's apartment knocking loudly.

"Callie. It's Sam. I need to talk to you. Please let us in." Sam knocked and looked at Spike questioningly.

After a few minutes, the neighbor across the hall opened her door angrily. "Give it a rest will ya? She ain't home. She left like ten minutes ago. Although why a 13 year old girl is allowed to come and go when she wants is beyond me."

She sucked on the cigarette hanging from her lips, pulled it from her mouth with a pop and blew the smoke up above them. "If my kid did that I'd kick her ass." She pointed the cigarette and fingers at them.

"Did you talk to her before she left?" Sam asked.

"You ok honey? You look pretty rough." She looked Sam up and down.

"Yeah. We just need to talk to her." Sam ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his crumpled clothes.

"I didn't talk to her, but she was carrying something. A painting I think." The woman took another drag.

Sam looked at Spike and frowned. Why would she be carrying the painting around? What was she doing with it? Hopefully she wasn't so upset she would destroy it, he thought.

Spike had the same thought written on his face. Jeez. What had Sam said to her that would make her want to destroy the painting?

"Thanks." Sam nodded at the woman and she retreated into her apartment.

They hurried down the stairs and to Spike's car. "Where would she go?" Spike asked as they climbed in.

"Uh, I don't know. Head to the school. Maybe she was going to out it in her locker for some reason?" Sam shrugged.

"Maybe. God Sam, what did you say to her?" Spike pulled out of the parking spot and roared down the road.