Bianca was sitting in her hospital bed experimentally wriggling her toes. Her right toes were jiggling merrily but her left foot only twitched sporadically. Despite the weeks of Orpheus treatment her left leg was still as numb as ever. It was something that just couldn't be fixed.

But the rest of her… Bianca had never felt so strong. Her left arm no longer felt weak, her coordination had improved; there were no more tremors and more importantly there was no more pain.

She felt wonderful.

All in all, Bianca just wanted to leave this hospital bed but she had to wait one more day.

One more day of observation and then she could finally… finally go home.

…

"Hey beautiful!"

Bianca looked up to see Marissa's smiling face watching her from the doorway.

"Hey, yourself." replied Bianca giving her a smile.

Marissa stepped into the room and they shared a kiss, before Marissa took a perch on the side of Bianca's bed and took her hand.

Bianca sighed.

"So how did Miranda's session go with Dr Stanhope?" she asked. Miranda was having horrible nightmares about the hostage situation. It was Marissa who suggested it might help her to see a psychiatrist.

One of the worst things about being stuck in hospital was not being able to be there for her kids.

Marissa squeezed her hand.

"It went very well." she said. "Talking about it has seemed to help. She slept right through last night."

"No nightmares?"

"No, not for her…"

Miranda wasn't the only one to be traumatised by events from a month ago.

"Oh baby." said Bianca sadly, pulling Marissa in for another kiss.

The smile reappeared on Marissa's lips and she fell into Bianca's arms, nestling her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Well I only have to wait one more night and then I will have the perfect comforter in my bed to keep the bad dreams away."

"I'm your comforter now am I?" Bianca asked playfully, pressing her lips to Marissa's ear as she spoke.

"Mmhmm." sighed Marissa not wanting to pull away from Bianca's embrace.

"Well if you need me that badly then I say to hell with it, I'm coming home right now."

Marissa suddenly jolted away and her expression changed to a flash of worry.

"No, no… one more night." she said quickly, her smile suddenly a little too wide. "I can wait one more night."

'Okay,' thought Bianca, 'What was that about?'

"Marissa, what aren't you telling me?" asked Bianca slowly.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

Marissa's cheeks were definitely pinking up. She wasn't a very good liar.

"Marissa…" said Bianca again, giving her best 'Kane' stare.

Marissa nervously licked her lips.

"Okay, it's a surprise and I'm not going to spoil it… and you're not going to spoil it either."

"You know I don't really like surprises." said Bianca.

"You'll like this one." said Marissa cryptically.

Bianca shook her head and growled with frustration.

"What is it?"

"You will have to wait and see."

"No," said Bianca, reaching out to tickle Marissa's sides. "Tell me."

"No," squealed Marissa, trying to pull away from Bianca's teasing fingers, but Bianca was stronger now and pulled her on top of her, holding her with one arm and tickling with the other.

"Tell me!" she teased.

"No." cried Marissa, wriggling under Bianca's tormenting fingers. "Torture me all you want I will never tell!"

"Gah!" cried Bianca, unable to stop herself leaning on to plant a kiss on the jawline of the woman struggling in her arms. "You are so mean."

"It's for your own good."

"How? Tell me!" demanded Bianca, tickling a particularly sensitive spot on Marissa's side.

"No… no… oh god, Bianca, please stop." begged Marissa, a little breathlessly, unable to take the torment any more.

Bianca relented but didn't release Marissa from her arms. Instead she nuzzled her neck again. Marissa, grinning impishly, turned in the embrace so they were face to face. She pulled Bianca closer until they noses were almost touching.

"Kiss me." whispered Marissa.

Bianca smiled, only too happy to obey. Their lips met in a kiss that was deep and loving.

When they pulled apart, a contented grin on both their faces, Marissa didn't move from where she lay on Bianca's lap.

"Promise me that you will wait for tomorrow." said Marissa.

Bianca stroked Marissa's cheek.

"You won't even give me a hint?"

"No," said Marissa firmly. "No hints… and no grilling the kids later either… you are not going to spoil this for them."

"For them?" asked Bianca. "Come on now, if the kids know…"

"No." said Marissa suddenly serious. "Promise me… promise me you are not going to spoil this."

Judging by the expression on Marissa's face this was no longer a game. Her girlfriend was very determined to protect the secret. This only made Bianca even more desperate to know what it was… but if it was that important...

"I promise." she said quietly.

"You swear?" asked Marissa, not looking entirely convinced.

Bianca looked for a way to prove her word.

She noticed the chain that hung around Marissa's neck. She reached out and pulled the ruby red pendant that was hidden under her girlfriend's shirt collar, the pendant she had given her in New York, and drew a little 'x' over it with fingertip.

"Cross my heart."

…