The ripples of David's deal were felt around the town.

…

Griffin was not impressed that his colleague would make such an offer without consulting him or Frankie. Especially when he found out that the price for going home was a sample of Bianca's spinal fluid.

"That is a dangerous medical procedure… why are you even considering it?"

"I'm not considering it." replied David. "I am doing it. Bianca has given her consent."

"Then I will overrule you!" snapped Griffin, "Over this procedure and her going home."

David smiled, unthreatened by the younger doctor's bluster.

"Then you will make yourself very unpopular." He put a hand to Griffin's arm to try and calm him. "If it is the spinal tap you are worried about you can monitor the procedure but I need the sample to test for the stem cells I introduced and how her body reacted to them. I need them to compare with how the drug reacts when introduced to a healthy patient."

"But you haven't got a healthy patient to compare it to." Griffin replied.

"I have my own body to experiment with."

"You're crazy." said Griffin stepping back. "Do you know how dangerous that is?"

David met Griffin's question with zeal in his eyes."

"I need Orpheus to work. This is my last option. Will you help me?"

"Me?" asked Griffin surprised.

"You're a good doctor. You've still got a lot to learn… but I think we could make an excellent team."

Griffin tried to dismiss the offer.

"You'd share the glory?" he asked.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get the answer to my Orpheus serum… only this time the only life I'm risking is my own!"

"Count me out." said Griffin flatly. "Count me out..."

…

When the kids heard of the chance that Bianca was coming home they were a-buzz with excitement.

Marissa had broken the news at breakfast and then regretted it. They had started the day a little late and they didn't have much time to eat breakfast if they wanted to see Bianca before heading off to school. Reese too pricked up her ears. She was putting off going back to France… this time with the excuse that she wanted to stay for the wedding.

"They want to send her home just a few days after surgery?" Reese enquired after taking a sip of her coffee.

Marissa, who had just sat down and started buttering her toast, looked up.

"Put it this way… I can be persuasive." she said happily.

She frowned again though when she looked down at the list of requirements that David had given her. It was not quite the Valentine's Day homecoming she had envisioned. The first question was the hiring of a nurse.

"I could be her nurse." offered Miranda between mouthfuls of cereal. "I would bring her tea and mop her brow and bring her pills and… and…tuck her in at night."

"Me too!" chorused Gabby.

Marissa smiled at the kid's offer.

"I'm sure we are all going to help as much as we can but your mommy will need a medical professional… there are some medicines that we couldn't give her and monitoring equipment..."

Reese glanced at the list.

"You know, I do know a medical professional who is desperately trying to find an excuse to stay a little longer in Pine Valley rather than return to Paris."

"Who?" asked Gabby.

But AJ knew.

"Maggie!" he exclaimed. He looked eagerly at his mom. "That would be better than a nurse wouldn't it… Bink's having her very own doctor at home?"

"I don't know." said Marissa. "She has a career to get back to."

"We can ask." said Reese picking up her cell phone. "I think the only reason she stayed away so long was because she was afraid she wasn't welcome."

Marissa sighed.

"Okay." she said. "At least if we ask we'll have something to tell Bianca when we visit her before school."

All three kids cheered, and then realising the time, hurried back to eating breakfast.

…

Spike was looking through his and Griffin's DVD collection trying to work out what film to bring to Erica's for their Valentine's Day sleep over.

Erica had said she would be happy to watch any of his old dancing films but he had too many favourites so it was hard to pick just one.

He had also just heard that AJ was going to be there too; AJ and his cousins. That was an exciting thought… seeing his best friend!

Spike wasn't sure how his friend felt about his dancing. Miranda was fine with it because she was a girl but AJ wouldn't dance if he asked him. He never said anything bad but then he hardly said anything about it at all.

The only time AJ seemed excited was with a new computer game or with his boats.

All of Spike's films were too old to have computer games but boats…

Spike grinned; he knew just the film to bring; it had sailors and boats in and everything!

Spike grabbed 'Follow the Fleet' and hurried to put it in his overnight bag. Maybe that was the film to get AJ to like dancing too.

…