As she drove to the Hardy’s home with Joe, she kept giving him sidelong glances out of the corner of her eye. Something in her told her that she had to keep watching his chest gently rise and fall, as if to assure herself that he was breathing.

When they were within minutes of the Hardy’s home, she saw Joe looking at her from the passenger seat with a small smile.

"What?" she asked him, suppressing a smile herself. How lucky she felt that he was alive. She couldn’t bear the thought of life without him. She had come so close- too close, and she never wanted to feel that pain again.

"Nothing," Joe said, his blue eyes still twinkling. "Can’t a guy just admire his beautiful girlfriend?"

Vanessa blushed. "Well, if you insist," she replied, happily.

"I do," Joe responded, wrinkling his nose at her. "And I’m so glad to be home with you! Two more years of college, Babe, and then we’ll be free! Think of it," he said, reaching over to touch her hand. "We can move in together. You can serve me; wait on me hand and foot. And, in return, you get the pleasure of my company!"

Vanessa rolled her eyes, "What a bargain," she said, wryly, as she pulled into the driveway. Fenton and Laura would not be home for several hours, which would leave them some private time along with Frank and Callie, who were following them home to stay with Joe for a week or so.

"I thought so," Joe chuckled.

"How’re you feeling?" she asked him, turning to face him as she turned off the ignition. "I know it was kind of a long ride. Are you in pain? Maybe I can get you some medication."

"I’m fine, Hon," Joe replied, touched by the concern on Vanessa’s face. These past few traumatic weeks made him realize how very lucky he was to have her, especially when he considered the strain that Frank and Callie had gone through in what was supposed to have been the happiest time of their lives. And it HAD started that way. Still, they had shown him the power of true love to get through even the most difficult of obstacles, and each day, he felt like he was more sure than ever that Vanessa would one day be his wife, too. He only hoped she would have him.

As he weakly got out of the car, he had to smile at Vanessa’s gentle rebukes about being careful and not hurting himself.

"Yes, mom," he teased her.

Vanessa’s face fell slightly. "I’m just worried, Joe. You’ve been through hell." She had to stop as she felt a sudden shudder go through her, and her mouth become dry.

Joe saw her reaction, and carefully pulled her into his arms. Even the slightest movements caused him pain, but this was worth it. Gently, he stroked Vanessa’s hair. "It’s okay, Baby," he said softly to her. Then, leaning into her, he took the opportunity to kiss her, more intently than he thought he would. After a few moments, Vanessa pulled back, breathless. "What was that for?" she asked him, unable to keep the smile from her face.

"Because you’re everything to me, and I love you," Joe replied, seriously, meeting her eyes.

Vanessa, caught off guard by his sudden change in demeanor, just grinned as she softly leaned against him. Although he wasn’t strong enough yet to stand for long periods of time, just these simple moments of being with him were more than enough to sustain her.

As they headed into the house, Vanessa turned to him. "Where are Frank and Callie?" She asked, realizing they hadn’t been directly behind them.

"Probably getting re-acquainted, as it should be," he responded with a wink.

Vanessa laughed. "Not those two! They’d never be that daring- on the road and all!" she teased in mock horror.

Joe sat down gently on the recliner with which he was so familiar, trying to hide the grimaces of pain from his face. There was no reason to alarm Vanessa.

He returned her smile. "I know," he said, catching his breath. "I keep telling my big brother to be more adventurous, but … well, maybe one day."

"I think you’ve had enough adventure in the past few weeks to last a lifetime!" she quipped.

"True," Joe conceded. He became suddenly pensive, and Vanessa was concerned. "Joe? Are you okay?"

Joe gave her a wary smile. "Yeah, I am," he began. "I was just thinking about Frank. Has he been acting- I don’t know- weird, lately?"

"How do you mean?" Vanessa asked.

"I don’t know," Joe sighed. "I saw him in the hospital. I mean, he was there every day. But… he seems out of sorts. Some days, he was like a watchdog and wouldn’t leave my side. Other days, it seemed like he would barely speak to me. Am I crazy?" he asked her.

"That’s beside the point," Vanessa replied with a wink.

Joe laughed.

"Anyway," Vanessa continued, "I did notice it, but cut him some slack. It was absolute hell for him. You and Callie are missing. Then, he has to make – God! - such a horrible decision. Things were really strained with him and Callie for a while. Callie was almost- I don’t even want to think about it! Nash is still loose. Then, you were so badly hurt, and we didn’t know…" Her voice became softer as the memories flooded back to her. "Let’s just say he deserves a little time."

Joe reached for her, and took her hand, giving it a gentle kiss. "You’re right," he said. "As always."

"Don’t you forget that," Vanessa teased him, trying to concentrate on the moment. "Oops! There he comes now—with Callie." She looked out the window where she watched Frank and Callie exit their car. Again, she was amazed at their love and perseverance through adversity, and found herself wishing that one day… one day she and Joe might be that strong. As she looked at him, she had a feeling it might, indeed, come true.

*****

Several hours later, Fenton and Laura were still not home. They had called to inform their sons that they were running late, and would be home by 11:00. They couldn’t wait to see Joe and to check on him, and to talk to Callie and Frank about their engagement. It promised to be a good evening.

While Frank was upstairs unpacking in his old room, and while Vanessa took a shower, Callie crept downstairs and looked at Joe, who was watching television, aimlessly flipping through the channels. She had so much to say to him, but words didn’t seem enough. She trusted him enough to take his advice and to not tell Frank about their… kiss… although she desperately wanted to. He was right, though. It would only serve to hurt Frank, and she couldn’t do that.

"Hi!" he said to her with a little wave.

Callie jumped, unaware that he had seen her.

"You scared me!" she said with a small smile.

Joe laughed. "I’ll pre-empt a comment, sis," he said to her. Since the night she and Frank had gotten engaged, he was always calling her "sis". He seemed to be loving every minute of it. "I know I scare you all the time as it is, right?" His twinkling eyes let Callie know he was teasing.

"Yeah, you got it," she replied softly.

"Well, come on in!" he said, patting a spot on the sofa next to him. "I’d get up, but…" he grinned sheepishly.

Callie rolled her eyes. "When have you ever done that anyway?" she replied with a small laugh.

She sat down next to him, but Joe could see something was wrong right away. "What’s the matter, Cal?" he asked her.

Callie bit her lip. Here he was, weak and in pain, and he was still worried about her. She was at a loss for words.

Joe smiled gently at her, knowing what was on her mind. "I’m fine, Callie! I’ve told you like a zillion time, it is not your fault!"

Callie could barely meet his gaze. "B…but Joe, I…"

"Shh!" he said, holding a finger to his lips. "Listen, babes," he said with a wink. "If you want to wait on me hand and foot for the rest of my life, I won’t argue with you," he joked. Then he became more serious. "But you had better not do it because you feel guilty! Make my brother happy, Cal. That’s all I want. Let’s just be happy that you’re okay, thank God, and I’m okay, and that Frank and Van escaped without too much devastation."

He extended his arms towards her in a brotherly gesture, and Callie smiled. They embraced tightly, each happy to have the other still around, having shared a horrible experience that no one else could fully understand.

"I love ya, Cal," Joe said, giving her a squeeze. "But don’t tell Frank or Vanessa or I’ll deny it! It’s our little secret."

Callie muttered "yeah, yeah," into his shoulder, too low for anyone else to hear.

Unfortunately for both of them, Frank had come down early, and had watched the end part of their exchange. He stopped breathing for a moment, and fell back shakily against the wall. "No," he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "God, please- no!"

The video, the hospital secrets, the interchange now….

The way Callie and Joe seemed to share some secret that only they knew about…

It was true. They had betrayed him. He’d never felt so lost.