"He's...where? With who? Mom...are you sure about that? Okay, if you say so. I'll call Betty's family and Patricia and let them all know where he is. At least he's alive. We'll see you guys there."

"Of course, dear. I'll see you at the hospital. Love you. Oh, by the way, can I talk to Tyler for a second?"

"Love you, too, Mom. Hey, as soon as you see that dumbass little brother of mine, tell him he's a huge pain in the ass and he's in big trouble when I see him for scaring the hell out of us!"

"Yes, dear. I'll tell Daniel you love him, too."

"Yeah. Exactly. Here's Tyler." she handed her phone to her half-brother, "It's Mom. They found him. He's alive!"

Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since his half-brother had returned to the U.S. and Tyler had reached out to him and sincerely apologized for his past behavior, they had not only reconciled but actually gotten close.

Daniel had explained that he was jealous of him in many ways, feeling like Tyler was "replacing" him somehow. They worked past the issues with Amanda, with Daniel telling Tyler that he never meant to act like he had any right to object to them seeing one another. And talked about their fight that had landed them both in jail and Tyler thanked Daniel for supporting him when Wilhelmina came out of her coma.

He had been sober ever since and sincerely penitent of his extremely stupid and dangerous behavior, waving the gun around in the first place. He was well aware that he could have ended up actually killing the woman, or worse, his own mother.

The incident did get Tyler into rehab, then back into the AA program, and as part of his steps to recovery, he not only made amends with his mother and Daniel but to Wilhelmina, as well. He was grateful that because she felt guilty for using Tyler in the first place, she hadn't pressed charges.

Then of course, when Daniel had handed her Mode on a silver platter when he went to London, Wilhelmina was even less likely to ever bring up the shooting incident.

As it turned out, Tyler's heartfelt remorse also prompted the diva to make some amends of her own, telling Claire that she had no intention of ever making good on her threat to have Alexis prosecuted for her unprovoked attack against Christina.

She told Claire, "Legally, there are no longer any barriers to your daughter returning to the US. However, it's up to her to speak to Mrs. McKinney, make her own apologies, and continue this little game of paying it forward your youngest son seems to have initiated."

As they got closer to the hospital, Claire smiled, seeing how nervous Betty was obviously getting, "Dear, if you grip that seat any tighter, I'm worried you may draw blood! We'll be there very soon, I promise. It's going to be fine. He sounded much better than I feared. Try to relax."

Betty chewed on her bottom lip, "I can't help it. It's just been too long. I'm so stupid! I should have called him, should have…"

Claire put her hand on top of the young woman's, "Betty, stop torturing yourself. Daniel is a grown man. It wasn't always your job to "fix things" for him. Of course, it wasn't your place to tell him he was in love with you for years. He had to take his own path to do that…" she could see Betty start to tear up.

"But that's just it, Mrs….Claire. Mr. Meade asked me years ago, on his deathbed actually to help Daniel. He said that I was the only one who could keep him on his path! His ghost came and haunted me when I tried to quit Mode before."

Claire raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a straight face,"Bradford's ghost haunted you? Somehow that doesn't surprise me. That was just like him, pawning off his responsibilities to others. HE was the one who always made poor Daniel feel as if he wasn't good enough in the first place!

Believe me, you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty for, dear. That old goat! He'd better not come and haunt me or I'll give him a piece of my mind!"

Betty smiled, "He showed up again after I went back to Mode. He seemed to be peaceful. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts. Oh, and a hat."

Claire burst out laughing, "That's….hilarious, Betty! Have you ever told Daniel that story? He would like to hear his father's spirit was at least concerned about him, I'm sure."

Betty hugged the matriarch, "Thank you, Claire. It's just...I wish I would never have let Daniel leave London without getting him to tell me the real reason he was there. I could have…"

"Betty, listen to yourself! You are literally saying, you 'should have, could have, would have! There is no time machine or magic DeLorean we can use to go back and rewrite history.

Trust me, I sometimes wish I could go back and make different choices myself. It's extremely difficult to realize you've taken a road that caused pain to those you love.

Unfortunately, that just isn't reality. All any of us can ever do is learn to be grateful for the love we have right now, in front of us. Besides, a lot of choices we make, roads we take were meant to be. You have no idea where they will take you, but the journey is often necessary in order to appreciate what was there, all along."

Betty had been reading Daniel's manuscript on her nephew's tablet during their ride and hearing of his love for her from his point of view that she had no clue about, which made her feel incredibly guilty. The man was obviously very good at hiding his feelings.

Perhaps that had been a result of him learning to pretend it didn't bother him when his own father made him feel like such a disappointment. He was afraid to show his true feelings, even to Betty, for fear of her rejecting him, just like Bradford had so often when Daniel was seeking his approval.

It seemed like forever to Betty before they finally arrived at the hospital. She practically jumped out of the car the moment it stopped, running inside and asking the nurse at the front desk,

"Is Daniel Meade here? He was just brought in with a broken leg and ribs...He's really handsome. He has eyes that are the same color as the ocean. Well, some oceans are darker maybe…"

"Miss, excuse me, but are you a relative of this Mister Meade?"

Claire saw Betty hesitate, so she spoke up, "Yes, she is his fiance! A woman named Mrs. Prince just brought him into the ER a short time ago."

"I'm sorry, and you are?"

Claire stood regally in front of the desk, looking down at the woman, "I am Claire Meade; his mother! Now can you please tell us where my son is? Or do I need to speak to.."

The woman seemed somewhat flustered and intimidated by Claire as she quickly checked her records, "Yes, ma'am, there was a Daniel Meade brought in only twenty minutes ago. You just missed him. He's being evaluated right now. The doctor assigned to his case is Doctor Finley. I'll let them know that Mr. Meade's family is here."

"Evaluated? What does that mean? He just had a broken leg and rib. What needs to be evaluated? We spoke to him not an hour ago. He didn't sound that bad."

"Well...when he was brought in here by the woman...um...Mrs. Prince, I believe, your son was unconscious, I'm afraid. They're checking him out now to see what's causing it. Have a seat. Someone will be with you shortly to let you know how he's doing."

"Unconscious?" Claire, the woman who was usually unflappable in any scenario suddenly seemed genuinely stunned and terrified. Why had Daniel lost consciousness now? Did he succumb to some infection from his injuries?

As they walked towards the waiting room, Claire looked around at the families there. She noticed one woman, watching her and her entourage carefully. The woman was likely in her late fifties, judging from her mannerisms and dress. She stood and smiled, crossing to Claire, "I'm sorry, but did you say you were Claire Meade?"

"I used to be."

The woman extended her hand to Claire, "It's good to finally meet you, Claire. I'm Diana. And this lovely young lady must be Daniel's Betty I've heard so much about."

Betty and the two young men all gathered around this woman who had rescued and cared for Daniel, "How is Uncle Daniel? What happened? He was awake before, non?"

She shook her head, "Yes, he was! I don't know what happened. He was talking right up until we got here, then he just passed out again. He's been in and out a lot, mostly out ever since the accident. That's why I was afraid to leave him alone while I went for help. He seemed stronger all day today, finally, so we made our way to my truck so I could bring him here.

I'm so sorry. I tried to drag him there earlier, but it took all day for me to use a blanket to drag him to the cabin, to begin with. I didn't know what to do but to try and take care of him there the best I could until the storm cleared and the road wasn't washed out. Plus, he was in a lot of pain.

I tried my cell phone from the truck over and over, but until we got on the highway, quite a way out of the woods, I never could get a signal. I'm so sorry…"

Betty crossed to the woman and put her hand on Diana's, "Nobody blames you. It's not your fault. We all know Daniel would have surely died if you hadn't rescued him and taken care of him. Thank you, so much for everything you did. We're so grateful!"
Diana was slightly surprised by the warm hug. But she was also moved by it. Evidently, Daniel had been telling the truth about this girl. She did seem to have a way of making people feel all warm and fuzzy and bring the best out in them.

When she looked at the girl, she not only saw a lovely young woman, with dark brown eyes and an incredibly bright smile but beyond all that, Diana could sense the sweet, caring soul this girl possessed. She radiated warmth and concern.

She smiled at Betty, shaking her head, "No wonder he loves you so much, sweetie. He was right about you; you really are amazing!"

"Thank you. But you're definitely the hero who saved Daniel."

"I have a feeling that's something you used to do for him on a daily basis and something you will have a chance to do again."

"He's a man worth saving."

"That he is. He's a good guy. I'd say you're a lucky woman. But considering how long it's taken you two to figure things out…"

"I know it has. That's mostly my fault. I think I pushed him away. I didn't realize...how he felt. He thought I was only concerned about my job and didn't have time for him...for us. I love my career. But for Daniel, I told him, I would make time. He's very special."

A doctor came out and looked at all the people, and his eyes widened, as Betty's family, as well as Alexis, Henri, and Tyler all, came rushing in the door at the same time, joining the group. He smiled, "Are you all here for Daniel Meade?"

"Is he awake, Doctor?" Betty asked.

"Yes, he is. He was a bit dehydrated, partially from losing blood. He's doing much better now. But he does have a broken ankle, and broken ribs, as well as some minor cuts and bruises from his accident.

He's feeling much better now that we've given him some pain medication. He's asking if a Betty Suarez is out here. Is that you, young lady? You're the fiance?"

Betty bit her lip and looked at Claire, as well as everyone else, who seemed a bit surprised. Alexis looked as if she was about to speak, but her mother cut in, walking to Betty and putting an arm around her, "Yes! Betty is Daniel's fiance. We don't all need to see him at once, Doctor.

Oh, and this is the very kind lady who saved his life. My son is a famous writer. But more importantly, as you can see, he has a lot of good people who care about him." she gestured proudly to everyone who was gathered in the waiting room.

He nodded, "That's wonderful! It should certainly help with his healing process to have so much support from friends and family. Come on, Miss Suarez, I'll take you to his room. Then you can send in his mother and other family members to see him. Let's just do a few at a time."

Betty smiled, feeling as if she was going to burst, she was so relieved and so excited to finally see Daniel in person after so many years. It truly felt like a lifetime ago since she had looked into those beautiful blue eyes of his, or seen his handsome grin.

She bit her lip as they stood outside the door. The doctor was looking ahead, to a nurse who was signaling him about some new emergency, "I'll let you go in, Miss Suarez. If you'll excuse me, I need to go now. It was nice to meet you...all."

"Thank you, Doctor Finley." As he hurried away, Betty took a deep breath, and smiled to herself, "You can do this, Betty. You are an attractive, intelligent um...fiance!" she rolled her eyes and stifled a giggle at that little lie Claire had told to allow her to see Daniel first, even before herself.

As she looked into the room, she flashed back to seeing him after the accident that he had been in with Alexis so long ago. At least he didn't have so many contraptions and casts, with pulleys attached to him this time.

Possibly because this was a much smaller town, with a hospital that was far more low key, as well as the fact that they had no idea how well off their new patient was. His family didn't own the west wing here. (at least, not yet.)

"Hello, Daniel."

His eyes, just as blue and just as bright as she remembered flashed to her and he smiled at her. He was definitely every bit as handsome as she remembered, too. Perhaps a bit older, yes, but certainly his looks had not diminished in any way in the past six years.

He seemed calm. There was a sense of the pain he had suffered behind his smile, behind his eyes. Both physical and emotional pain seemed to make him even more big-hearted and kind in his manner.

He gestured to a chair sitting next to his bed, "Hey, Betty. Have a seat. We really need to talk."

She nervously walked towards him, slightly missing a step, but catching herself. She saw his smile brighten at her clumsiness. Apparently, it was endearing to him to see she hadn't stopped being a klutz!

She tried to joke, "Don't tell me you want to break off our imaginary engagement! Here I was going to start picking out china patterns at Nordstroms!"

He raised an eyebrow, and immediately, Betty could see he obviously wasn't aware of the little ruse his mother had perpetrated on the staff so she could see him and apparently didn't catch the "imaginary" part of her sentence, "Sorry, our...engagement? Did I...forget I proposed? Man, that sucks! How did I do it?

I've definitely imagined a lot of different scenarios over the years. I know one of my favorite possible ideas was to pay you back for the whole skywriting thing. But, I don't know, is having a plane writing across the Manhattan skyline, "Betty, Marry Me, I Love You, Daniel" too ...cliche?

Of course, I could always take you to Vegas really quickly before you change your mind and hire a dozen parachuting Elvises to serenade us. Or is the plural...Elvi? After all, you're the grammar expert, future Mrs. Meade!"

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