"Where’s Joe?" She asked anxiously peering through the windshield.

"In the back." Fenton replied, seeing Sam and Callie making their way towards him.

"Glad you made it." Sam said, clapping Fenton on the shoulder. "I picked up the antibiotics. Frank made sure they were called in under the code name so Jarrell couldn’t trace them." He continued talking as he followed Fenton to the back of the vehicle.

As soon as they opened the hatch, Vanessa crawled in beside Joe as Laura discreetly exited. Getting her first look at him, she was grateful for the darkness so he wouldn’t see the shock in her eyes. Taking in the bandage on his forehead, the purplish bruise forming on his right eye, and the bandages encircling his wrists, Vanessa pushed down the lump in her throat, knowing it would upset Joe to see her upset. Having awakened when the car came to a stop, Joe opened his eyes and saw Vanessa gazing down at him.

"Hey, Baby." He said weakly, managing a small grin for her.

"Hey, yourself." She whispered, gently brushing a hand across his cheek, shocked at how hot his skin was to the touch. Leaning down, she kissed him softly on the lips. "How about we get you out of here and into a nice, soft bed?"

"Mmm. Sounds good."

Getting out of the vehicle, Vanessa hovered close by as Sam and Fenton slid the stretcher out as gently as they could. Taking Joe’s hand, Vanessa walked beside him as they followed Callie and Laura into the house. Getting Joe up the stairs took some doing, but they finally managed it. They walked the last few feet down the hall to the bedroom where Vanessa had been staying and got Joe settled on the bed. Callie, Sam and Fenton then went back out into the hall, leaving Vanessa and Laura with Joe.

Laura went into the bathroom and emerged with a cup of water and the antibiotics Sam had picked up earlier. Watching as Joe swallowed the pills, she smiled to herself as Vanessa sat on the edge of the bed, holding Joe’s hand and never taking her eyes off him.

"Call if you need anything." Laura said to Vanessa as she left the room.

"I will." Vanessa nodded briefly at Laura, before turning her full attention back to Joe. "Looks like you had a rough time." She commented, wanting to know what happened, but knowing Joe would never give her all the details.

"Three of them and one of me." Joe said by way of explanation.

"Not exactly fair." Vanessa frowned.

"Bad guys usually aren’t." Joe let out a little laugh and immediately cringed clutching at his side. "Owww…"

"Ribs?" Vanessa guessed.

"Yeah."

"Broken?" She winced at the thought.

"Don’t know. Maybe."

"Can I get you anything?" She asked.

"A kiss." Joe requested with a smile.

Leaning down, Vanessa was more than happy to indulge him. Pulling back, she looked at him critically.

"You’re burning up, Joe. Think you could handle sitting in a cool bath for a little bit?"

Joe knew that moving yet again would be extremely painful on his ribs, but he decided it would be worth it to be cool for a little while. "Yeah. That sounds good."

Giving him another kiss, Vanessa stood up. "I’ll start the bath and go get Sam and your Dad to help you into the tub. Be right back."

"I’ll wait here." Joe cracked, letting his eyes slide closed.

An hour later, Joe was back in bed, feeling a little better even with the ever-present thermometer stuck in his mouth. With everyone hovering around expectantly, Joe stifled a smirk feeling as if his mother were about to announce the winning lottery numbers. Finally plucking the thermometer from Joe’s mouth, Laura smiled.

"One-o-five." She announced. "Down two degrees."

A chorus of relieved sighs reverberated through the room. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" Laura asked Joe.

"Yeah, I am." Joe admitted.

"Well, how about we start with some broth? You haven’t been eating much and what you have been eating…"

"Don’t remind me." Joe grimaced thinking of the plastic bags he’d filled over the past day and a half. "Soup is fine."

While Sam and Fenton excused themselves to the library, Callie and Laura headed to the kitchen to make Joe’s soup and a light dinner for everyone else. After the food was eaten and the dishes were done, Laura and Fenton checked on Joe one last time before retiring for their first good night’s sleep in days.

Following the explicit instructions Dr. Gregory had given that Joe take the prescribed antibiotics every four hours without fail, Vanessa set the alarm on the bedside table. Perched on the edge of the bed, she felt Joe’s eyes on her and smiled at him.

"Are you sure you want me to sleep in here?" She asked for the third time. Joe had insisted he wanted her to stay with him, rather than sleeping in one of the other bedrooms – something she had suggested so as not to disturb him during the night.

"Yes, I’m sure. I want you right here with me." Joe insisted.

"Okay," Vanessa agreed a little reluctantly, "but if my moving around during the night bothers you, I want you to tell me. You need to rest."

"Don’t worry. It won’t." Joe assured her, as she curled up next to him. Wishing he could hold her in his arms the way he was used to doing at home, Joe knew it wouldn’t be possible given his injuries and so did the next best thing. Reaching out, he took Vanessa’s hand in his and closed his eyes, falling asleep with a contented smile on his face.

*****

As Biff turned off the freeway into Bayport, Frank began to stir. Sitting up, he looked out the window and rubbed his eyes, shocked that they were all ready home. He felt as if he’d barely closed his eyes not a moment before. As Biff neared his home, Frank realized his friend was stranded with no transportation, having willingly given up his own vehicle to Fenton Hardy.

"Thanks for letting my Dad take your SUV." Frank said, as Biff pulled into his driveway. "Why don’t you take Joe’s car until you get yours back?" He suggested.

Biff turned to look at Frank as if he had suggested Biff jump off the nearest cliff. "Drive Joe’s car? His baby? Are you insane?" He asked. The only person Joe had allowed to drive his beloved Mustang was Vanessa – once – and that was out of necessity when her car was being repaired.

"You drove it back here, didn’t you?" Frank reminded him.

"That’s a little different than driving it around town for a few days." Biff stated. "He’d go ballistic if he knew. Thanks but I don’t have a death wish." Biff adamantly refused.

Frank sighed, still not really grasping why Joe was so protective of his car and how he had managed to instill the fear of God in anyone who even thought of asking to take it for a spin. "Fine. Why don’t you take Callie’s car then? You’ll need something to drive."

"Now that I’ll agree to." Biff grinned, getting out of Frank’s car.

"Come on inside. I’ll get you the spare set of keys." Frank said as he stretched his six-foot-one frame.

Approaching the darkened house, something occurred to Biff. "Hey, Frank. Now that your parents and Joe are safe and Jarrell can’t get to them, what’s to stop him from coming after you?"

Walking into the foyer, Frank stopped short and turned around. "Now there’s a cheery thought." He scowled.

"Well, how else can he stop you from testifying tomorrow?" Biff pointed out.

Frank had to admit he’d been so caught up in getting his family to safety, he hadn’t even considered the very real possibility that Jarrell, now having nothing to blackmail Frank with, would come after him. When Frank didn’t respond, Biff knew he was right. Walking into the living room, Biff picked up the phone and began to dial.

"What are you doing?" Frank asked puzzled.

"Calling the guys. You need to get a good night’s sleep, which you can’t do if you’re trying to keep one eye open all night." Biff pronounced.

Sinking into the couch, Frank smiled gratefully as Biff called Phil, Tony and Chet requesting their help in keeping Frank under surveillance for the night. After making the last call, Biff began dialing again.

"Who are you calling now?" Frank wanted to know.

"Prito’s." Biff grinned. "Tony’s going to pick up pizza’s on his way over to feed your hard working bodyguards."

*****

At exactly 2:43 a.m., the alarm went off and Vanessa immediately sat up. Carefully getting out of bed, she padded to the bathroom where she filled a cup with water and returned to the bed.

"Joe? Wake up, Baby. Time to take the next dose." She said softly, kissing him on the cheek.

Grumbling only slightly, Joe opened his eyes to see Vanessa holding out her hands, offering him the pills and the water. Taking the pills, Joe popped them in his mouth and downed the water giving the empty cup back to Vanessa.

"How do you feel?" She asked resetting the alarm and settling back into bed next to him.

"Okay." Joe replied, trying to shift in the bed. He winced with each movement, but continued undeterred.

"What are you doing?’ Vanessa asked.

"This." Joe grinned, putting an arm around her, and nudging her encouragingly until she gently laid her head on his shoulder. "Mmmm. Much better."

"Tell me when you want me to move." Vanessa requested, thinking it couldn’t be all that comfortable for him.

"Never. I don’t ever want you to move." Joe replied, running his fingers through her hair. "So…where are we going to go on our honeymoon?" Joe asked out of the blue.

"We haven’t even finished planning the wedding yet." Vanessa giggled.

"Yeah, but it’s more fun planning the honeymoon. So where do you want to go?"

"I don’t care, because anywhere we go, I’ll be with you." She said softly.

Turning his head slightly, Joe kissed the top of her head. "Come on, I see all those brochures you’re always bringing home. Where do you want to go?" He pressed.

"Mmm…a tropical island where I can have you all to myself." Vanessa murmured.

"A deserted island. They’ll have to drop us off by helicopter. No! A private plane." Joe said, bringing her fantasy to life. "Sunny days laying around on white sand beaches watching the dolphins off shore, skinny dipping in the ocean. At night, walking on the beach under a full moon and zillion stars. All alone…just the two of us…" His voice drifted off as sleep reclaimed him once again.

Raising her head slightly, Vanessa gazed at him and smiled thinking of the life they were going to share.

"Just the two of us." She whispered.