We're halfway through the story at this point! Woohoo!


A few hours later, the nightmare happened.

Natalie's scream woke Adrian from a sound sleep. Panicked, he rushed into her room. She was awake, curled in a fetal position, her face twisted in pain. "Natalie?" he said, terrified. He was seconds away from snatching her bedside phone and dialing 911 when she clutched at his arm. "I had a bad dream," she gasped. "Then I moved too fast."

"What can I do?" he asked, thinking frantically about calling Sharona. Or Dr. Hector. Or someone who could tell him what to do for her.

"Just… stay with me," she said, her breathing heavy. So he did, holding her as tightly as he dared, waiting until her pulse slowed down and her breathing evened out.

At last, she laid back against her pillows with a sigh. "It's better now," she said, but her voice was still trembling.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked gently.

"I was driving," she said unsteadily. "I stopped at an intersection, and no one was coming so I kept going. All of a sudden I was blinded by a pair of headlights, and there was this unbelievably loud crunching noise, like – like a million aluminum cans were being crushed at once. And I could hear glass breaking. Then everything was spinning for a minute, and when it stopped, I looked down – " She swallowed. "There was blood everywhere. It was all over me. I started screaming, and – and then I woke up."

"It was just a dream," he said soothingly, but he was pretty sure she was accurately describing what had happened the night of her accident, from her point-of-view.

"Will you stay with me?" she whispered.

"I – " He felt torn. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her, but – "I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

"Please," she begged. "I don't want to be alone."

"All right. I'll stay." And he did. He didn't sleep, though. He was too scared of hurting her. He held her, gingerly, until dawn, then carefully slipped away. He couldn't sleep, not now, so he went down to the kitchen and brooded over a cup of tea.

Sharona found him there, looking haggard and pale. "Hi, Adrian," she said, surprised to see him downstairs so early, and still in his pajamas. "You okay?"

"Not really," he said glumly.

Concerned, Sharona sat down at the table with him. "What's wrong?"

"Natalie had a nightmare last night," he said. "I think – from what it sounded like, she was remembering the crash."

Sharona winced in sympathy. "Is she okay?"

"I think so. She was in pain for a while, though, and I didn't know what to do." He looked at her, helplessly. "All I could do was – was just sit there with her. And then she asked me to stay, and I did, but I was too scared to sleep. I didn't want to fall asleep and accidentally hurt her."

Sharona touched his arm. "Adrian, you're not going to hurt her if you share the bed," she said kindly. "She's not made of glass. It'd take a lot more than an accidental bump to cause any serious damage."

"Are you sure?" he said uncertainly.

"I'm a professional, aren't I?" she said with a smile. "And for future reference, an ice pack and some ibuprofen might help if she's feeling discomfort in the middle of the night. Maybe even a cup of tea to help her calm down."

He nodded, relieved to at least have some ideas in case it happened again. "Okay. I'll remember."

"Do you want me to spend the night tonight?" she asked. "Just in case?"

It was on the tip of his tongue to say yes, but instead he shook his head. "No. I can handle it. I just – I should have been prepared, and I wasn't."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," she said, squeezing his arm consolingly. "You did the best you could. And it sounds like you got in there, you made sure she was okay, and then you stayed with her while she calmed down. You did just fine."

"Maybe," he said, but he didn't look convinced.

"Why don't you go upstairs and try to get some more sleep?" she urged. "I can take care of everything here."

Suddenly, sleep sounded like a wonderful idea. "Okay," he sighed. "I think I will. Thanks for listening, Sharona."

"Anytime," she said with a smile. "You know I'm always here for you, right?"

"Yeah, I know." He smiled too, then surprised her with a spontaneous hug.

"Go on," she said, slightly embarrassed, but enormously pleased. "Go back to bed."

She followed him up the stairs so she could check on Natalie. She was still sleeping, and apparently peacefully, so Sharona left her to rest and went back downstairs.

Adrian woke a few hours later, feeling much better. He showered and dressed, then looked in on Natalie. She was awake, propped up in bed, picking at a breakfast tray. She hadn't eaten much, and she looked pale and worn-out.

"Hey," he said, coming into the room and sitting gingerly on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she admitted. "And sore."

"I'll bet." He rubbed her knee, very gently.

"How about you?" she asked, her head lolling against the pillow.

"I'm not the one who had the nightmare."

"No, you're just the one who sprinted in here like the house was on fire and then stayed with me the rest of the night."

"Just preparing for my job as your devoted husband."

His comment elicited a genuine smile from her. "'My husband.' I like the sound of that."

He liked the sound of it too, very much. Suddenly, he was glad they still had a chance of getting married in June instead of having to wait several more months beyond that. "You up to doing a little wedding planning today?" he asked.

She regarded him curiously. "Why?"

"I was thinking you could call Cassandra and update her. If she has time, maybe she could come over and you two could get back to it – assuming you're feeling strong enough."

She smiled. "You're trying to distract me."

"Is it working?" he asked hopefully.

"Maybe." But she'd perked up, and she started in on her breakfast with renewed enthusiasm.

There was a knock on the door, and Sharona poked her head in. "Adrian, the captain's on the phone for you," she said, holding out his cell.

"Oh, thanks." He stepped out into the hallway to take the call as Sharona slipped past him into Natalie's room.

"You look much better than you did ten minutes ago," Sharona declared, eyeing Natalie with a pleased expression. "Maybe I should prescribe more regular doses of Adrian."

Natalie smiled, her cheeks pinking slightly. "He tends to have that effect on me."

Sharona left the room as Adrian came back in, his expression apologetic. "I have a case. I need to go."

Natalie felt a slight pang of regret. I have a case, he'd said, not We have a case.

He came over and kissed her cheek, then stroked her face gently. "I promise I'll come home and tell you all about it," he said, apparently understanding her feelings.

"I'd say, 'Have fun,' but I suppose that's not really appropriate at the moment," she said, grinning at him.

He grinned back. "Probably not." He kissed her again, and reluctantly backed away. "See you later."

"Bye," she called as he left. She finished her breakfast, still feeling a little despondent, and decided to cheer herself up by following Adrian's earlier suggestion and calling Cassandra.

"Hi, Cassandra, it's Natalie," she said when her friend answered.

"Natalie! Hi! Oh, it's so great to hear from you! How are you feeling?" Cassandra exclaimed, genuine pleasure in her voice.

"I'm doing pretty well, all things considered," Natalie said. "I was hoping I could set up an appointment with you, as soon as possible, so we can get back on track."

"Actually, I had a cancellation earlier today, so I could come by this afternoon. How's two o'clock sound?"

"Perfect," Natalie said, smiling.

"Your place or Adrian's?" Cassandra asked.

"Oh — um, actually, we're living together now," she said, flushing a little as she said that out loud for the first time. "At my house. Our house. I'm still on bed rest, so…"

"Well, I'll be sure to bring all your stuff with me — and I'll update my records with his new address. See you at two!"

"See you then," she said, and hung up, feeling pleased. She knew her parents were planning on coming by after lunch, which worked out perfectly — her mother could meet Cassandra and see all of the wedding plans so far.

Sharona came back in and nodded at the empty breakfast tray approvingly. "Good job."

"Cassandra's coming over at two," Natalie told her happily. Sharona knew all about Cassandra, having insisted on being apprised of all the wedding details by phone and e-mail since Adrian and Natalie's initial engagement.

"I can't wait to meet her," Sharona said, smiling at Natalie's obvious excitement. She cocked her head and pursed her lips. "In that case, we should try washing your hair this morning, and do a sponge bath. And if we get really ambitious, maybe some make-up."

"Next you'll be telling me I can get dressed in actual clothing," Natalie joked.

"Whoa there, Tex, let's not go too far." Sharona winked at her. "But we can change you into one of your fancier pajama sets." She rolled up the sleeves of her scrubs. "All right, let's get to work."