The ride to the hospital was unnervingly silent. He had tried to make conversation at first, but even the most trivial conversations were weighted for them-as if every word had some hidden deeper meaning. The Cedars Hospital sign was a welcome sight for them both.

"Hart," Rick Bauer couldn't hide his surprise when he saw him. After the events surrounding his departure, Rick was surprised Hart ever wanted to step foot in Springfield again.

He extended his hand clumsily. "How are things?" he asked, unsure of what protocol dictated in a situation like this.

"Things are..." He didn't even know where to start. He shook his head. "Actually, I could use your help...I ran into Di..."

"Dinah," Rick quickly stepped around Hart to stand in front of her. "What happened here?"

She was embarrassed. She'd been stupid and irresponsible and, had it not been for Hart's intervention, she could gave been a lot worse off. "I was at a bar," she admitted, staring down at the floor. "This guy got the wrong idea...Hart stopped him, but he insisted I come and get checked out." She stopped looking up at a Rick.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told him, I'm fine."

"You let me be the judge of that," Rick said quietly brushing her hair to the side of her face to get a better look at the gash on her head. "Why don't you go get changed in bay 2? I'll have a nurse come and check your vitals in a minute and I'll be right in."

"Rick," she began, sending already that her protests were useless.

"No arguments," he called back.

Dinah sighed as she slid the curtain open to step inside the space.

Hart stood close behind her.

"You don't have to stay," she said quietly, picking up the paper gown and holding it close to her.

"Actually, I kind of do-I drove you here, remember. My car's back at the bar. I figured I'd drop you at home and call a cab from there."

"No," she said quickly...too quickly, she realized, but the look on Hart's face told her he'd already noticed her quick refusal.

"I just mean...I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here." She sighed. "It took me a really long time to get to a place where I'm okay...well-sort of okay. I'm just afraid having you around, even just for a while would be..."

He nodded, her words were honest...sincere-an element he hadn't seen in her in years. This was the side of herself she used to reserve for those very special people-the small group she let into her heart-the people she trusted.

"It's okay," he said softly. "I'll be out here. I just want to make sure you're okay before I go." He waited for her slow nod before heading out into the waiting area.

Dinah closed her eyes, her head feeling heavier than ever as she sank into the pillow. She heard the sound of the curtain as it slid open. "Hart, I told you," she began, her sentence trailing off as she saw Rick standing in front of her.

"Dinah," Rick began his eyes a mix of concern and slight disappointment.

"Don't start," she whispered, feeling the tears begin to burn her eyes again as she turned on her side and flipped away from him. "Trust me, there's nothing you could say to make me feel worse than I already do."

Rick sighed. "Look, you're a grown woman and I'm not here to lecture you, but if you want my opinion..."

"I don't," Dinah snapped before softening her voice. "I'm sorry. I know you're just trying to help and I appreciate it-I really do."

Rick nodded. "He's here you know...that says a lot."

"It says he's a good guy that wouldn't walk past someone that needed help-no matter who it was."

"And that's all it is?" Rick asked, looking at her incredulously.

"That's all it can be-I can't get pulled back into this. My life is finally in a place where I'm standing on my own and I can't take the chance of slipping back there...not now."

"Well, I guess that's it then. I'd say I'd like to keep you overnight, but I know you'd fight me on that, wouldn't you?"

Dinah smiled back at him. "I'm fine Rick, really."

Rick nodded as he turned to step outside. "I'll get your discharge papers ready."

"Rick," Hart said quickly, standing and walking towards him as soon as he saw him emerge from the room. "How is she?"

"I really can't discuss anything with you a Hart, I'm sorry. You're welcome to go in and talk to her if you'd like."

"Come on a Rick-you know me. You know how things were between us. I just want to know if she's ok and I'm not sure if she'd tell me even if she wasn't."

Rick stared at him for a moment. It was true. He had been around for the entire saga. He had seen the good and the bad for the two of them and if there was one thing he knew for sure it was their feelings for each other had been very real and very deep. Maybe feelings like never really went away.

"Go talk to her man" Rick replied softly, laying his hand on his shoulder supportively. "That's really all I can tell you."

"Thanks Mia," Dinah said quietly glancing towards the door. "I'll be home really soon. I have to go." She put the phone back on the cradle as she saw Hart's face in the doorway.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you were gonna go?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay before I left and I was hoping maybe you'd let me drive you home." Hart looked at her. Something wasn't right. It made sense that things would be awkward-that she'd be angry even, but this was something entirely different. She was nervous, jumpy. She'd never been like that with him before.

"I can drive myself. Rick's getting my release papers now."

Hart sighed. "Ok," he relented. "Here's your jacket and I think this is your phone."

Dinah's eyes widened. "Yeah, my phone. It didn't ring did it?"

"Yeah," Hart answered honestly, but I didn't answer it. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to."

"No...no that's good. I'll take it. I'll handle it from here. Thanks for all your help...really. Thanks." She forced as smile as she watched him reluctantly walk from the room.

She pressed the button the phone, pressing the combination for the lock screen and saying a grateful prayer she hadn't disabled that security feature. The sweet face stared back at her. She'd go home and see her and everything would be ok.

She eased the door open, stepping inside the room. The soft glow of the butterfly night light proved just enough illumination to show a clear path in the darkness. She pulled the chair up beside the bed, running her hand ever so gently through the soft brown hair that seemed to spill out perfectly on the pillow. God knows she'd made a thousand mistakes, but the sleeping little girl next to her wasn't one of them.

As she thought back now, it had been a mix of fear and joy when she realized she was pregnant. Joy initially because a child was what she wanted more than anything in the world, and Hart's child. It was as if God had heard her prayers of repentance and sent her a token of remembrance-a piece of him to cherish forever.

It was the fear that came next, the overwhelming, gut wrenching fear that kept her up at night. She was a murderer, a fugitive. How could she raise a child like this? She could have no family support, no friends-no one to confide in. She was totally and completely alone. Worse still, she wasn't. She had a beautiful, innocent child to think of and she had no idea how to make any of this work.

Just before she had reached her breaking point, she'd heard the news. Hart was alive. She hadn't killed anyone because no one was dead. With the murder charges dropped, Vanessa has begged her to return to town, but she couldn't. Any judge would look at the situation and take the child from her. She couldn't let that happen.

As she sat here now, watching her daughter's eyelids flutter, she could still barely believe she'd agreed to return now. A beautiful, thriving six year old daughter was the perfect proof that she was a competent, loving mother and the illusive, imaginary father she'd concocted for her had never even been questioned. She, herself, had never had a second though about it either...until tonight.

It might have been the way it felt to be back in his arms again. It might have been the way he softly said her name, but she was fairly certain it was the fact that when she stared into his eyes it was as if she was staring into her daughter's and, for the first time in years, she desperately wanted to tell him the truth.