Matthew woke to animated voices - both familiar in their cadence and timbre. He vaguely recognized the story being read and as he laid there, he realized it was Alice reading aloud - occasionally interrupted by Geoffrey asking questions, and he smiled at their easy back-and-forth banter, the way Alice patiently answered all of Geoffrey's questions.

Everything on his body hurt, in that dulled by painkillers sort of way and he bit back a groan at the full-body ache - it looked like he'd be in the hospital for an unknown amount of time.

Again.

"Never pegged you for being one to enjoy Treasure Island, Dr. Harvey," Matthew finally slurred.

"Superintendent!" Geoffrey launched himself at Matthew's bed, careful not to jostle him too much. Matthew pried his eyes open, wincing slightly at how sore they were, but he laughed and hugged Geoffrey as tight as he could stand.

Alice stood by the bed, her fingers tangling knots within themselves, her lower lip caught between her teeth, and her brow furrowed.

He'd never seen a more beautiful sight.

"I… I should go call Jean," she shoved her hands in the pockets of her white coat and escaped his room before he could respond. Matthew frowned, his eyes staring at the door long after she'd disappeared from view.

"She's been really worried about you," Geoffrey told him. "She didn't say anything to me, but I could tell."

Matthew smiled, "You're very perceptive, Geoffrey. How long have I been out?"

The boy shrugged, "Mm… I think about a week? Dr. Harvey and I have been reading together for a few days, and you were hurt before that. I can ask for you."

"Nah, I'm sure I'll find out soon enough, but thank you." He squeezed Geoffrey's shoulder. "Now, has school been giving you any trouble?"

Geoffrey grinned and caught him up on all that happened while he'd been unconscious. Matthew listened and gave advice when Geoffrey needed it, but his mind still kept going back to the stricken look on Alice's face, the way she could barely hold herself together in front of him. He replayed it over and over again as hospital staff swarmed his room, running test after test on him.

He perked up every time the door opened, but Alice didn't return.

He'd seen the dark circles under her eyes - those piercing blue-grey eyes that often sussed out just what was bothering him on any given day - and the tears threatening to fall. Matthew wanted nothing more than to have a chance to talk to Alice, but since he'd woken up, she was nowhere in sight.

"I feel like she's avoiding me for some reason," He told Jean a few days later when she came to visit.

Jean shifted on the chair and pursed her lips as she debated on how much to tell him. She wouldn't tell him of the way Alice had sobbed in her arms one night after far too much wine; she'd come home to find Alice sitting on the floor of the parlor with a mostly empty wine bottle and one of Matthew's sweaters draped around her shoulders. The pathologist started out in a good mood, but her joyfulness quickly turned to sorrow as she berated herself for "being so stupid" when it came to Matthew.

"I was never meant to be happy," Alice drawled as she drained her glass - oblivious to Jean's hand pulling the wine bottle out of reach. "My father always told me that. 'You'll never be more than a smart arse little girl who'll never be happy and unloved, Alice Eleanor Harvey. No one likes a smartarse' … I never thought he'd actually be right."

Her friend let out a harsh laugh as tears streamed down her face, "I told that bastard that I'd prove him wrong, that I could be smart and happy in life and fall in love… and look where I am now."

"Oh, Ali-"

"Don't," Alice bit out. "Don't, Jean… I… I don't think I could stand to hear that I'm wrong when everything around me is screaming that I'll never be happy. My best friend is gone, the hospital barely tolerates me even now, and the only man I could ever see myself loving is unconscious and doesn't know how I feel. With my luck, he doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Alice, you know that's not true."

"He's only been asking me out because he feels bad for me. He's settling for me."

"No, Alice, he cares about you."

Alice shook her head as her lower lip trembled; she sniffled and buried her head in her hands, "Jean… I just- I don't know what I'll do if I lose him."

Jean wrapped her arms around Alice and let her cry it all out, a few of her own tears falling into Alice's hair as she comforted her friend.

Pressing a kiss to the crown of Alice's head, Jean rocked them gently, "You're not going to lose him, Alice."

"I just feel so stupid. I'm a medical doctor and yet so damn stupid when it comes to him."

"You're not stupid, Alice, you're not. He's going to wake up and the two of you will talk and then you'll go from there."

Alice sobbed into her shoulder, "I… I-I think I love him, Jean, and I don't know what to do."

Jean kissed the top of Alice's head again and held her tighter. "We'll get through this Alice."

No, Jean wouldn't tell Matthew of that night. Instead, she straightened in her chair, "You scared her, Matthew; you scared all of us."

"I didn't mean to, I was just… doing my job." He played with the edge of the blanket - avoiding her gaze.

Jean narrowed her eyes at him, "Were you? Or did you throw yourself into harm's way knowingly?"

Matthew pursed his lips, and Jean knew he was chewing on his inner cheek - a nervous tick of his. She sighed, knowing just how stubborn Matthew Lawson could be when he set his mind to it - she likely wasn't getting anything out of him on this subject, and rubbed at her forehead.

"Just… give Alice some time. She has some things to work out for herself and you need to focus on getting better."

"I will, Jean. I know she's been holding back because of what people might say, but I just… I miss her. I just want to talk to her and spend time with her again."

Jean smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead before she left. "She misses you too… I'll work on her. You get better, I'll get Alice to talk to you."

He listened to the hospital staff - with a little grumbling - and worked hard at getting well enough to recover at home. The fractured ribs hurt like hell, and his stitches pulled if he moved a certain way, but Matthew patiently waited through it all. He was lucky, very lucky, that no vital organs were hit during the raid.

He was lucky to be alive - especially when he had so much to say to a certain pathologist, but she still had yet to show back up in his room.

(Matthew imagined he could still smell her unique perfume - peonies and antiseptic from the morgue - and it always seemed stronger when he woke, but that was probably all in his head.)

Another week in the hospital and he was finally well enough to go home for more bed rest and light exercise. Geoffrey stopped by every afternoon; Jean worked from home to make sure he behaved (and that him and Amy Parks didn't kill each other when she wasn't looking), and Matthew enjoyed her company - reminding him of before Lucien's disappearance - but there was someone he was missing more.

'Alice, please come home.'

Jean worried the strap of her purse as she watched Alice jot something down on a chart at the end of the hallway. Alice's movements were jerky, abrupt, and Jean noted the exhausted slant to her shoulders even this far away. Alice was sleeping no better than she had before, and now Jean wasn't there to make sure she took care of herself with Matthew back home.

'That won't do,' Jean thought. She promised Matthew she'd talk to Alice, and so with a deep breath, Jean approached her friend.

Alice looked up - startled at first, but she smiled. "Jean."

"Alice, are you busy?"

"Not really," Alice gestured to the chart in front of her. "It's mostly mundane protocol. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to talk to you… about Matthew."

And just like that, Alice's face closed off - Jean swore she could see something shutter close behind her eyes at Matthew's name.

"I'm afraid I'm more busy than I thought, Jean."

Alice gathered up the chart and moved to pass Jean, but Jean simply curled a hand around Alice's upper arm and dragged her - the pathologist protesting and fighting her - down from the hospital and into the morgue.

No one would bother them down here and Jean knew Alice would feel more at ease in her original place of work. Alice was tense beneath Jean's hand, and as soon as Jean let go Alice rounded on her.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing!"

"Telling you to get your head out of the sand, Alice! Matthew has been out of the hospital for a week now, he's recovering physically, but he's missing you. You, Alice. You wanted more time with him and now you're squandering your chance to tell him how you feel, to spend time with him."

Alice looked caught between anger, exhaustion, and tears; Jean saw a multitude of emotions flash across her friend's face. She finally sighed and collapsed onto one of the stools - her head in her hands.

"I'm scared, Jean." Alice whispered, so soft Jean could barely hear her even in the silent morgue. "I'm just… I'm so scared."

"Of Matthew?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"Of screwing it all up…"

Jean squeezed Alice's shoulder, "I can't promise that that won't happen, Alice, but you have to try. Go home, take the afternoon and get some rest. Then… come over for dinner. Once you've had some sleep and a good meal in you, talk to Matthew."

Alice ran her hands through her hair and looked as though she might refuse, but she let out a long, tired sigh and nodded.

"Alright, Jean."

"Things will turn out fine, Alice, you'll see," Jean pressed a kiss to Alice's forehead - hiding a smile at the lip print left behind - and pulled her friend to her feet. "Home, sleep, come over for food, in that order, Dr. Harvey."

Alice gave her a tired smile, "Yes, Mrs. Blake."

Jean watched her go and vowed that her and Matthew would talk.

'I'll lock them in the study if I have to,' she nodded to herself. They deserved happiness, even if both were a little stubborn to see that. If they didn't move it along themselves, Jean would just have to give them both a little nudge in the right direction.

Well… more than a nudge if she had to push them into Lucien's study. (She hoped it wouldn't come to that)