1 week later...

Rachel didn't think it was actually possible to be this bored, but she was wrong. It had been a little more than a week since she was admitted to hospital, her injuries were still being a pain but that was only to be expected. The only time she was allowed out of bed was to shower or use the toilet. She insisted that she could easily walk a few feet to the bathroom to do her business herself, it was embarrassing enough that she needed a catheter the first few days she was here.

Tom had come to visit every day, sometimes for a an hour or even just for 20 minutes. A lot of the crew had come to see her as well, Whenever she had a new visitor they seemed to breath a sigh of relief when they saw her sitting up in bed. The president had commissioned Tom as the new chief of naval operations. It was a big job and Rachel was flattered that he found time to see her with his schedule, she insisted that he didn't need to be here everyday but he was hearing no word of it.

Her nurse entered the room with the daily dose of pain meds. She came around the same time everyday and it was beginning to become something Rachel looked forward to, mainly because of the pain meds that relieved the throbbing in her shoulder but also because of her nurse, Bridget. She was a lovely older woman who always stayed a little longer to chat. She personally thanked Rachel for creating the cure and would help with her daily tasks of showering and using the bathroom. Rachel was stubborn and she knew it, she kept reassuring Bridget that she could do things by herself now, but she was having none of it.

Bridget had just finished administering her medication when she sat down and began chatting,

"So, how are things going with you and the handsome navy man?"

Rachel chocked on the water she was swallowing before quickly wiping her mouth. "ahh what do you mean?'

"Honey, he's been coming around here everyday checkin in on you. You two must be pretty serious."

"No, umm we are NOT together." Rachel could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just assumed you were."

"No, Tom...Captain Chandler actually lost his wife from the virus only a few moths ago. trust me there is nothing happening."

"Alright, if you say so." Bridget glanced down at Rachel's chart with a smirk on her face.

"What is that face for?"

"If you could only see how worried he was when you first arrived, and how he looks at you now. That man cares for you...a lot."

Rachel knew there was something between the two of them, she remembered back to the encounter outside of his hotel room. How long would they tip toe around there feelings? She just didn't want to rush him, especially after Darien. He had 2 kids as well, she couldn't just waltz into there lives and expect to be able to replace there mother. She felt guilty about the whole situation, if only she had come up with the answers for the cure sooner, maybe Darien would still be here.

Bridget sensed Rachel's uneasiness, "Well, I will leave you to it sweetie, ill be back tomorrow, just call if you need anything."

Bridget walked out of the room to leave Rachel to her thoughts.

...

Tom walked through the entrance of the hospital, it was becoming a daily routine for him to come in and check on Rachel. Over the past week she had made small improvements and her recovery seemed to be going well. Amongst the craziness at work it was his favorite part of the day. There were still lives to save and a lot of work to be done across the country but so far thing were looking up. He rode the elevator to the 8th floor, said hello to the nurses at reception and headed to Rachel's room. Everyone was certainly getting to know him around here.

He opened the door to her room, surprised to see her seated on the edge of the bed. Rachel looked up at him and smiled, "Hi!" she looked like a kid who got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

"Are you about to do what I think you're about to do?" he questioned Rachel.

"Look, I just wanted to stretch my legs, I cant just sit in this bed all day long its driving me nuts!"

Tom couldn't believe how cute this woman was when she got angry. She was so used to being in control and getting things done. But here she was, refined to her bed."You know you're not meant to get up without assistance, I don't want to hear about you falling and breaking something because you didn't listen to simple instructions."

"Oh please, don't be ridiculous. If it makes you any happier than I wont move an inch. I just feel so useless lying here doing nothing!"

Tom could see that Rachel was getting restless stuck in this room, but she needed to heal. As she began maneuvering herself back into bed he moved forward to help. With her bad shoulder and ribs she wasn't exactly having the easiest time shifting backwards. She huffed in frustration and stopped while she wasn't ahead.

"Ok, so maybe you're right, I'm in no shape to do anything, I mean look at me, I cant even get back to bed."

Tom had never seen Rachel like this, she looked so defeated and so fed up with the situation. He moved towards her, "May I?" Rachel nodded while keeping her gaze downcast. Tom moved closer and slipped his arms underneath her knees and her back, the last time he held her like this he was covered in her blood. He lifted her lightweight easily and placed her gently onto the mattress, he tucked her legs back under the blankets and readjusted her pillows beneath her shoulder so she was comfortable.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now, how are you feeling?" Tom took a seat beside her just like he had everyday.

She took a moment before answering. "Well, apart from being stuck in this room and unable to do anything, including my job, I'm just fine."

It wasn't hard to miss the sarcasm in her remark and Tom could tell she was far from happy. He got up and took a few steps to stand at the foot of her bed.

"I know you're bored as hell, and I know you would much rather be in the lab doing your job but you were shot Rachel. Its not something that you can just bounce back from, you of all people should know that! Tom didn't mean to raise his voice at her but she needed to hear it. Rachel stayed quiet with her eyes focused in on her hands.

"I have spoken with the doctors and they agreed that you could be discharged." Rachel glanced up at tom, probably because she heard the word 'discharge'.

"I am sure you don't want to return to the hotel, so I wondered if you would like to come stay with me. I've been set up in this big apartment for myself and the kids so there is plenty of room for you for as long as you need."

...

Rachel couldn't believe it. He was actually offering her a place to stay, his place to stay. She really had nowhere else to go so staying with Tom seemed to be her best bet. "Thank you, that would be great actually." She looked at Tom and he seemed pleased with her answer.

"When will I be able to leave?"

"You'll be discharged tomorrow morning, ill be here to come and get you and bring you back to the apartment."

She nodded and smiled, happy to hear that she wouldn't be in the hospital much longer. "Would I be able to get some of my clothes? I cant exactly leave in a bloodstained ball gown."

"Of course, ill be sure to have someone collect some clothes for you. Its too bad, that dress looked great on you."