This particular morning, Joe was anxious for he and Vanessa to finish breakfast as he had been promised that today he would be allowed to venture out of his room.

"What time is it?" Joe asked, fidgeting.

"Five minutes later than the last time you asked." Vanessa smiled wryly.

"Sorry." Joe said with a sheepish grin. "I haven’t seen anything but these four walls in over a week."

"I understand." Vanessa said. Standing up she leaned down and kissed him. "Let me go see if I can find a nurse and we can spring you from this place."

Five minutes later, Vanessa returned with Gayle Seavers, one of the nurses who had been taking care of Joe since he’d been moved to a private room.

"You want me to use that?" Joe asked with disdain and a dirty look for the wheelchair Gayle was pushing.

"Well, you can’t walk on that foot yet and crutches are out of the question." She arched an eyebrow and glanced at his heavily bandaged left arm.

"I can limp…hobble…" Joe attempted to turn on the charm.

"It’s this or nothing." Gayle said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Do you know how to drive that thing?" Joe asked Vanessa dubiously.

"Don’t worry. You’ll be safe in my hands." She told him confidently.

Having had practice getting out of bed the last few days, Joe was seated in the wheelchair in short order. As Gayle adjusted the foot rests and gave Vanessa a few pointers on pushing, pulling and steering, she noticed Joe was already protectively cradling his left arm close to his body.

"Let me get one more thing. I’ll be right back." She said leaving the room.

Joe looked at Vanessa questioningly who just shrugged her shoulders in response.

A moment later she returned with a sling. "Let’s put this on you." Gayle said leaning over Joe and helping him place his left arm in the sling, adjusting it for him. "Less chance of someone accidentally bumping into it." She smiled.

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome." She winked. "Ok, the sun room is on the tenth floor. Just take the elevators at the end of the hall and turn right when you get off." She directed them as they left the room. "And don’t keep him out too long. He can go again this afternoon."

"I’ll have him back before curfew." Vanessa joked as Joe prodded her to "Hurry up!" anxious for his ‘adventure’ to begin.

Vanessa smiled as, during their trek to the tenth floor Joe chatted up everyone and anyone they ran into, while trying to keep his eyes on everything that was happening around them. Arriving in the sunroom, Vanessa was pleasantly surprised to see they were the only ones there and then realized it was because visiting hours hadn’t officially started yet.

Positioning Joe in front of one of the large windows, Vanessa pulled a chair up next him and sat down, both of them awed into silence for several minutes by the imposing view of Lake Michigan. Moving carefully, Joe reached out, taking Vanessa’s hand and intertwining his fingers through hers. Lifting it to his lips, Joe kissed her hand gently.

"I’m sorry I worried you." He said quietly.

"It wasn’t your fault, Joe."

"I know, but still…" He shrugged apologetically. "When you were missing I almost went out of my mind. If Frank hadn’t been there, I know I would have snapped."

Vanessa hesitated, debating whether or not she should say what was on her mind. Joe had just given her the perfect opening, but she wasn’t sure if he would want to hear it and she certainly didn’t want to upset him.

"What?" He asked, knowing there was something she wanted to say.

"I almost lost it myself a few times. Especially when we still had no idea where you were or what had happened." She replied, cautiously. "If not for your mother…and especially Callie…I don’t know what I would have done. She was there for both of us."

"I’m glad she was there for you. And Mom." Joe stared at her for a long moment. "You miss her, huh?"

Vanessa smiled wanly in response.

"C’mere." Joe said as he very slowly reached out and put his right arm around Vanessa. She gently laid her head on his shoulder as they sat quietly and watched the morning sun reflecting off the water. Absently twirling a lock of Vanessa’s hair in his fingers, Joe silently thanked Callie for being there for Vanessa. He knew Vanessa must have been terrified and was grateful she didn’t have to endure the waiting, and wondering, alone.

*****

Joe and Vanessa had spent quite a bit of time enjoying the view from the sunroom before Vanessa suggested they should head back to the room, much to Joe’s dismay. He did manage to charm her into getting off the elevator at every floor for a trip up and down the corridors, prolonging his brief foray into freedom a little longer.

When they arrived back at Joe’s room, they found Fenton, Frank, Laura and Callie waiting for them, visiting hours having begun while they were in the sunroom. Callie offered to take Vanessa back to the hotel and wait while she showered and changed, giving the Hardy’s some time alone with Joe. They returned a few hours later after a brief stop at a bookstore so Vanessa could pick up some magazines for Joe. As Joe had begun to feel better he had started to get restless. Knowing he was frustrated at not being very mobile, Vanessa hoped the numerous magazines on sports and cars would help keep him occupied.

By early afternoon, Callie was sitting alone in Joe’s room reading a book and keeping watch over Joe as he slept. As Joe began to stir, she watched his eyelids flutter a few times before opening. Joe looked around the room slightly disoriented, until his gaze rested on her.

"Hey." He said with a tired smile.

"Hey yourself." Callie returned the smile.

"Where is everybody?" Joe asked looking around once again.

"Your Dad and Frank got a call from Detective Sanchez and they went to meet with him. Your Mom insisted Vanessa go down to the cafeteria with her and get something to eat."

"And that left you to baby-sit the invalid, huh?" Joe grinned, raising the head of the bed and wincing slightly at the movement. "Well, I’m glad Mom made Vanessa eat something. She hasn’t been taking care of herself. Too busy worrying about me." He complained, attempting to readjust the pillows. "Damn! I hate being one handed."

"Let me help." Callie stood and arranged the pillows more comfortably for him. "Better?"

"Mm-hmm. Thanks."

"You’re welcome. I’ll run down and get Vanessa. She wanted to know as soon as you woke up."

Joe reached out and touched her arm before she had a chance to move. "Wait."

Callie stopped as the butterflies in her stomach began to flutter. Ever since Vanessa had been kidnapped, Callie and Joe hadn’t spoken at length about anything and whenever they did speak, it was always a little strained. Having no idea what to expect, Callie sat down again and waited.

Joe looked at her intently. There was something he had wanted to ask her ever since the night he found out she had been blackmailed but the time never seemed right. It didn’t seem appropriate now either, but in order to understand why Callie had given in to the blackmailers he had to know. And he couldn’t get past it all without at least trying to understand. "When you were contacted by Trevor and he threatened to send those pictures to Frank…why didn’t you tell me right away?"

Callie felt her heart beat a little faster and she found she was gripping the armrests of the chair. She had prepared herself for some kind of angry outburst from Joe, assuming he still hadn’t forgiven her for what happened to Vanessa, but not this. For a moment, she was shocked speechless.

"Come on, Cal. You had to know me of all people would understand why you wouldn’t want to tell Frank." Joe said, his voice taking on a slightly wounded tone. All at once it dawned on him that Callie not coming to him immediately had hurt him deeply. They had become extremely close in the weeks after Vanessa had been raped, when Frank was acting so distant towards him, and the knowledge that Callie didn’t trust him enough to tell him about the pictures cut him to the quick.

"I honestly don’t know, Joe. Obviously, when I look back on everything, that would have been the most logical thing to do. At the time, he insisted I make a decision right then and there." She gave him the tiniest of smiles. "I couldn’t exactly say ‘Can I call you back in ten minutes? I’d like to discuss it with my brother-in-law first.’" Callie held her breath until she saw Joe chuckling quietly. "But I really should have called you the second I hung up. I was just so terrified, Joe. I had convinced myself that Frank would never believe me. Not after what happened between the two of you."

Joe had been listening intently to her, his piercing blue eyes never wavering. He swallowed hard as the memory – and pain – of Frank’s betrayal came rushing back to him. As happened every time he was reminded of the incident, he quickly pushed it aside still not ready to face it head on.

Joe sat for a moment, staring at her as he tried to digest what she had just told him. He had to admit, it made a certain amount of sense when he looked at it from her point of view. She and Frank had been together for eight years and Joe was so used to having her around, he sometimes forgot she really didn’t have as much experience in dealing with the darker elements of life as he and Frank did.

"Just promise me something." Joe finally said.

"What’s that?" Callie asked. She desperately wanted to begin to repair her relationship with Joe. She truly missed him and wanted him back in her life. She was also acutely aware that their distance was taking a toll on Frank.

"If you ever feel like you can’t go to Frank, can’t talk to him about something, for whatever reason – promise that you’ll come to me, ok?" Joe requested.

Callie exhaled in relief. The obviously heartfelt appeal was music to her ears. "I promise." She replied sincerely.

"Good." Joe said, feeling a little better. Maybe now they could work on repairing their damaged friendship. He wanted to be able to talk to Callie about anything and everything, like he’d done in the past, but knew he couldn’t do that if he didn’t trust her. And that wouldn’t happen unless he opened up and gave her the chance to earn his trust back.

"Joe?" Callie’s voice was tentative.

"Hmm?" He looked at her.

"I know I have a lot to make up for. It’s going to take a long time before you trust me again, I understand that but… if you could just give me a chance… give me the opportunity to try and do that…" Callie stopped, thinking possibly she had gone too far and Joe wasn’t ready for that just yet.

Very slowly, a smile spread across Joe’s face. "I think that’s a good idea."

Callie hesitated for a second then stood and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you." She said softly.

"Ok, this is getting just a little too mushy for me." Joe smiled at her with that mischievous spark she had missed so much. "Now you can go fetch Vanessa for me."

"Fetch me?!" Vanessa’s indignant voice echoed through the room as she stood in the doorway, having just returned from the cafeteria. "Joseph Hardy!"

Callie erupted in laughter at the look on Joe’s face – a deer caught in the headlights. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks as she watched Joe slouch down in the bed and attempt to look pathetically ill.

"Did I say that?" Joe asked turning wide, puppy dog eyes on his fiancée. "Sorry, Babe. It must have been the pain medication. You know I’d never say something like that if I were thinking straight." He rambled on.

Vanessa stood, hands on her hips, trying to look appropriately offended. Joe smiled at her, extending his right hand and she felt her resolve slip away. As Vanessa gently settled herself on the bed next to him, Callie quietly exited the room.